Transit Briefs: Caltrain, SFMTA, MassDOT, Brightline, Metro-North, GCRTA

Caltrain celebrates the first anniversary of its electrified service. Also, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) celebrates the 30th anniversary of the F Market Line; the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the state’s purchase and rehabilitation of the “Knowledge Corridor”; Brightline announces network enhancements; new locomotives begin passenger service on Metro-North Railroad; and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) approves a request to purchase six more new railcars.

Parallel Systems First Commercial Pilot: Phase 2 Under Way (UPDATED 9/23)

Following Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) approval in April and launch of Phase 1 in June, Parallel Systems, in partnership with Genesee & Wyoming (G&W), has transitioned to Phase 2 of its first

Fuchs Updates Outstanding STB Proceedings

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Patrick Fuchs on Sept. 22 provided an update on recent actions to “facilitate and expedite the resolution of several outstanding Board proceedings.”

New BTS Report Highlights Progress in Converting Tank Cars to Safer Standards

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Bureau of Statistics (BTS) recently released its Progress Towards Safer Rail Tank Cars Transporting Flammable Liquids: 2025 Report, highlighting the progress in upgrading the rail tank

Class I Briefs: UP, CSX, NS

Union Pacific’s (UP) Big Boy 4014 will make two whistle-stops in Colorado this fall. Also, CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs is recognized with the Champion of Change Award from the Association of Corporate Citizen Professionals (ACCP); and Norfolk Southern (NS) supports the Alabama Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy (SEEDS) grant to help speed the development of an industrial site in Limestone County.

NCRR Opens Fall 2025 Build Ready Sites Grant Round

The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) recently announced that it is now accepting applications for the Fall 2025 round of its Build Ready Sites Program (BRS). The competitive grant initiative helps communities prepare rail-served industrial sites for future development and job creation. Applications are being accepted until Monday, Oct. 17.

City of Sault Ste. Marie, HOPA Ports to Develop Multimodal Port and Trade Corridor

The City of Sault Ste. Marie and the Hamilton Oshawa Port Authority (HOPA Ports) on Sept. 17 announced a partnership to develop a multimodal port and trade corridor that will connect northern and southern Ontario and export destinations beyond.

STB Sets 4Q25 Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has adopted for fourth-quarter 2025 the rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF), which is defined as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred by the nation’s largest railroads over a specified period of time.”

Transit Briefs: NYMTA/SIR, BART, DART, MBTA, Bay Area Transit Systems, LA Metro

The Staten Island Railway (SIR) fleet is now entirely made up of the standard R211 subway cars. Also, August Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) ridership sees steady growth; Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) Silver Line will launch on Oct. 25; the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) CapeFLYER train reaches record ticket sales for the 2025 summer season; California legislature passes an authorizing ballot measure to address the Bay Area transit emergency; and LA Metro’s A Line Extension officially opens on Sept. 19.

NCCC Reaches Tentative Agreements With SMART-TD, Yardmasters

The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) on Sept. 16 announced that it has reached a national tentative agreement with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD), the nation’s largest rail union, as well as a separate tentative agreement with the union’s Yardmasters, “representing a major step forward in both wages and quality of life improvements.”

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