Meet the Speakers of the 2024 MARS Winter Meeting
The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) will host its annual Winter Meeting Jan. 9-11, 2024, in Lombard, Ill., at the Westin Chicago Lombard hotel.
Author: Carolina Worrell
WMATA Reinstates Auto Doors on Red Line
Following weeks of certifying operators to use Automatic Door Operation on some Red Line trains, the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) has given concurrence to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to allow the agency to fully operate in Auto Door mode on the Red Line, beginning Dec. 5.
VHB: NYC Office Experiences ‘Unprecedented Growth’
Multidiscipline civil engineering consulting and design firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB) says its New York City office is experiencing “unprecedented growth,” nearly doubling in size since the start of 2022 and welcoming several highly regarded professionals across its markets.
2024: A ‘Pivotal Year’ for POLB’s Pier B Rail Facility
The Port of Long Beach (POLB) on Nov. 29 announced that after more than 15 years of planning, it is going out to bid in early 2024 for its first construction contract to begin building the $1.567 billion Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, which will be built in phases with the final segment due to be completed in 2032.
State of Intercity Passenger Rail Discussed at Rail Subcommittee Hearing
Four witnesses on Nov. 29 discussed the state of intercity passenger rail at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
NYMTA: $427MM in Savings Identified in Proposed 2024 Budget
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Nov. 29 released its preliminary operating budget for 2024—the second of five years to have a projected balanced budget.
VW Mitigation Trust Funding Available to Short Lines in Calif.
The Volkswagen (VW) Environmental Mitigation Trust for California has approximately $55 million in funding available to support “statewide combustion freight and marine projects that replace or repower equipment to the cleanest commercially available internal combustion, hybrid or zero emission technologies,” the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) reported in its Nov. 30 Views & News newsletter.
UP: New Phoenix Terminal to Open in 2024
Union Pacific (UP) on Nov. 29 announced plans to open a new international intermodal terminal in the heart of Phoenix, “providing customers a sustainable rail option between ocean ports in the Los Angeles Basin and the nation’s fast-growing Southwest region.”
Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Tri-Rail, RTD
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) selects an HDR-led team to provide program management to its Station Capital Program. Also, final federal approval could bring Tri-Rail to downtown Miami in December; and the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) installs new light rail seat covers.
CSX Adds Atlantic Coast Line to Heritage Fleet
CSX recently revealed its latest heritage locomotive—a tribute to the Atlantic Coast Line—fresh out of the Class I railroad’s paint shop in Waycross, Ga.