VIA Rail has announced an investment of more than $80 million in the renovation of four of its 36 “heritage” stations: Winnipeg Union Station (pictured), Vancouver Pacific Station, Halifax Station and Gare du Palais in Québec City. (Photograph Courtesy of VIA Rail, via X, formerly known as Twitter)

Transit Briefs: Caltrain, MBTA, Metro-North, Sound Transit, TTC, VIA Rail

California’s Caltrain debuts new fare product promotions. Also, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Agency (MBTA) announces its vision to improve safety, service, equity, sustainability and culture; commuter rail service on MTA Metro-North’s New Canaan, Conn., Branch will resume after three months of trackwork; Sound Transit announces the launch date for the Bellevue-to-Redmond, Wash., portion of the East Link light rail extension; Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) confirms that service on Line 3 Scarborough RT (rapid transit) will not restart following a July 24 derailment; and VIA Rail Canada is investing more than C$80 million in four “heritage” stations.

New Orleans Public Belt Railroad on Aug. 23 reported celebrating the completion of its France Road rail yard expansion project. (NOPB Photograph)

NOPB Wraps Up France Road Rail-Yard Expansion

New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) has enlarged the France Road Rail Yard, boosting its capacity to switch, interchange and store railcars. The Class III can now accommodate an additional 220 storage

CN and CPKC have been regularly deploying fire suppression cars throughout B.C., according to RailState, whose sensors captured the train images above at Kissick, Drynoch and Chase during the intense wildfire activity over the past week.

RailState: ‘DRZ Traffic Moving, Wildfire Threats Remain’ in B.C.

CN and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) trains traveling through the Fraser River Canyon Directional Running Zone (DRZ) were delayed a day or more due to the Aug. 18 Kookipi Creek Fire,

For STG Logistics, A Growing Intermodal Network

Illinois-based STG Logistics will expand its intermodal network by providing service into and out of the Canadian markets of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Moncton and Halifax, the company reported Aug. 23. It

AAR: Class I’s Remain Committed to ‘Appropriate Confidential Close-Call Reporting’

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) in an Aug. 24 letter provided a progress report to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose on the Class I railroads’ pending

People News: STB, NS

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) appoints a labor representative to the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council (RSTAC). Also, a Norfolk Southern (NS) employee has been chosen to Chair the Southern Economic Development Council.

Alstom’s Mark V cars “will make SkyTrain better and more convenient for our customers, with added amenities for people using mobility devices, strollers, and bicycles,” reported Kevin Quinn, CEO of TransLink, which on Aug. 22 unveiled the new cars (above) that have entered the testing phase at a Kingston, Ontario, facility. (TransLink Photograph)

Transit Briefs: TransLink, Amtrak, Brightline, LACMTA, NJT, WMATA

TransLink offers a preview of its new Alstom-built Mark V cars for the SkyTrain automated rapid transit system in metro Vancouver. Also, Amtrak has approved a stop in De Soto, Mo., for its Texas Eagle line; Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, selects Comply365’s mobile app for crews; Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) is renaming its West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor project; New Jersey Transit (NJT) ranks on Forbes’ America’s Best-in-State Employers 2023 list; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) reduces fare evasion by more than 70% with its new, higher faregates.

(Utah Inland Port Authority Photograph)

UIPA Establishing Utah’s Fourth Inland Port

The Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) Board has unanimously approved the Golden Spike Project Area resolution in Box Elder County to create the state’s fourth inland port, to be served by Union

NYSW to Acquire, Operate OCIDA’s 10-mile Jamesville Cluster

Cooperstown, N.Y.-based New York, Susquehanna & Western (NYSW) has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.41 to acquire and operate approximately 10 miles of rail line from the Onondaga

“Tropical Storm Hilary left behind quite a mess in southern California,” Union Pacific reported Aug. 21 via social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Thank you to all of our crews restoring the rail lines so that we can resume serving our customers! Our thoughts are with all of our customers and communities impacted by this storm.” (Photographs Courtesy of UP, via X)

STB Monitoring Rail Service Impacts of Tropical Storm Hilary

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Aug. 21 announced that it is “actively” monitoring any rail service disruptions caused by Tropical Storm Hilary, following reports of freight and passenger rail service interruptions

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