The rail extension will serve the planned development of GAF Materials in the Kansas Logistics Park.

KDOT Awards City of Newton $3MM for Rail Extension

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) announced on Aug. 29 that it has committed $3.04 million to the City of Newton for a rail extension in the 225-acre-plus Kansas Logistics Park, an

"100 Years with TTC" can be viewed at Davisville Station in honor of TTC's centennial anniversary.

Transit Briefs: TTC, Metrolinx, NJ Transit, LA Metro

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) celebrates 100 years with new mural at Davisville Station. Also, Metrolinx’s Exhibition and Corktown stations ready for future Ontario Line construction; NJ Transit named by Forbes as one of New Jersey’s best employers for second straight year; and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) partners with Target to expand GoPass program to Inglewood Unified School District.

CP presents CHEO Foundation with a check for $2.5 million. Pictured (left to right) are Steve Read, Acting President and CEO, CHEO; Dr. Jane Lougheed, Chief of Cardiology, CHEO Hospital; CP Ambassador, Lorie Kane; Aurora Amos, CP Child Ambassador for 2022 CP Women’s Open; James Clements, CP Senior Vice-President Strategic Planning & Technology Transformation; Laurence Applebaum, CEO Golf Canada; and CHEO bear.

Children, Paula Reto Win Big at CP Women’s Open

Record attendance and incredible performances, including by big winner Paula Reto, during the Canadian Pacific (CP) Women’s Open on Aug. 28 helped CP raise $2.5 million to support the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) Foundation and $510,000 for 2022 CP Women’s Open community partner Perth & Smith’s Fall District Foundation, the railroad reported in a release.

SMART-TD, BLET ‘Remain Committed’ to Negotiate PEB 250 Issues

The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), along with the other 10 unions involved in national bargaining, met on Aug. 22 via Zoom, followed by in-person meetings held on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26 in Chicago, to “determine if Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) No. 250’s recommendations could serve as a basis for a tentative agreement,” SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and BLET President Dennis Pierce announced in an Aug. 27 joint statement.

TNW Corporation Vice President of Transportation Bobby M. Franklin (left) and Director of Business Support and Development Joey Evans (right)

People News: TNW Corporation, Burns White

TNW Corporation promotes Bobby M. Franklin to Vice President of Transportation and appoints Joey Evans to Director of Business Support and Development. Also, Burns White LLC welcomes J. Roy Nunn to its Railroad Law practice group as Counsel.

Anna May (second from right), a staff member from the office of Congressman Michael Guest (R-Miss.), and Missy Younger (third from right), a staff member from the office of Congressman Trent Kelly (RMiss.), joined Watco Assistant Vice President-Government Relations Ailsa von Dobeneck (second from left) for a tour of ASLRRA member and Watco company Mississippi Southern Railroad and a discussion of short line freight rail industry priorities.

Small-Road Briefs: Mississippi Southern Railroad, FRA

Mississippi congressional staffers tour Watco-owned Mississippi Southern Railroad (MSR). Also, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) could be opening the 2022 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program soon and is continuing its Office Hours webinars to discuss Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) grant program.

On Sept. 12, 2022, the MBTA will launch a new, year-long pilot to test interest in weekday Commuter Rail service to Foxboro.

Transit Briefs: MBTA, CTA, BART, Amtrak, MDOT, RTD

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Foxboro Weekday Commuter Rail Service Pilot is scheduled to begin Sept. 12. Also, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) signs contract for new K-9 teams to be deployed across rail system; Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) commemorates its 50th anniversary with vintage arcade games; Amtrak breaks ground on two Americans with Disabilities (ADA) station upgrade projects and celebrates the completion of another; Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and head of Amtrak take train tour to see what needs to be done to bring Springfield’s rail lines back; Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will ramp up activities on the Purple Line project; and the Regional Transportation District (RTD) selects Dr. Joel Fitzgerald Sr. as Chief of Police and Emergency Management.

The proposed KRM project would provide a connection to Metra’s UP-N commuter rail line in Kenosha.

Proposed Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee Commuter Rail Project Receives State Support

On Aug. 16, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released a two-page profile of the long-stalled Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) Commuter Rail project highlighting the state of Wisconsin’s support of the proposed $460 million rail service.

GPIP in Parsons, Kans., includes more than 6,800 acres of property and 26 miles of track.

Watco Selected as Great Plains Industrial Park Rail Operations Provider

The Great Plains Development Authority (GPDA) announced on Aug. 22 that it has selected Watco as the new rail operator of the Great Plains Industrial Park (GPIP) in Parsons, Kans., effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Desiree Miller of Atlantic Railways uses a track gauge to take measurements during a University of Tennessee rail inspection and safety course. Miller received a Doug Golden Scholarship through the ASLRRA Short Line Education Fund to help pay for her training.

Association Briefs: ASLRRA, LRW

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has expanded the types of training eligible for its Golden Scholarships. Also, the League of Railway Women’s (LRW) Board of Directors call for nominations ends Aug. 26.

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