DART is adding more than 100 contract transit security officers to improve public safety and security for riders onboard its light rail vehicles and Trinity Railway Express commuter railcars and at stations. (DART Photograph)

Transit Briefs: DART, LACMTA, OC Transpo, WMATA, Amtrak

Contract transit security officers will join Dallas (Tex.) Area Rapid Transit’s (DART) police and fare enforcement officer team. Also, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) provides a progress report on its strategic goals in FY 2023 and reviews plans for FY 2024; Ottawa’s OC Transpo expects to resume light rail service this month on its Confederation Line; Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) begins rolling out new, higher faregates to help prevent fare evasion; and Amtrak’s public art program showcases two new installations at New York Penn Station.

(Western Pennsylvania Photograph Courtesy of Norfolk Southern, via Twitter)

NS Delivering $1MM to The Pittsburgh Foundation

Norfolk Southern (NS) is contributing to The Pittsburgh (Pa.) Foundation $250,000 for Lawrence and Beaver county nonprofits and first responders and a $750,000 endowment fund that will benefit local nonprofits in perpetuity.

​View of the accident scene, courtesy of NTSB.

NTSB Issues MRL Derailment Preliminary Report

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report for its investigation of the performance of DOT-111 tank cars in a Montana Rail Link (MRL) train that was involved in

(Screen Grab of image from KTVQ of Billings, Mont., report on July 23.)

Reports: MRL Reopens Railroad Bridge 28 Days After Collapse

Montana Rail Link (MRL) has resumed traffic over the Twin Rivers Railroad bridge in Stillwater County, Mont., which on June 24 collapsed, sending one of the regional’s trains, hauling hot asphalt and

BNSF Commended for ‘Excellent Service’

While “concerns about railroad service are well documented from shippers and advocacy groups,” and railroads have struggled like other labor-intensive industries to fill open positions, “our experience with railroad service has been very good,” Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AECI) CEO and General Manager David Tudor informed the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in a recent letter.

Christy Terry, incoming Vice President of Real Estate, Alaska Railroad (left); Michele Wong Krause, Dallas Area Rapid Transit Board Chair and American Public Transportation Association Vice Chair.

People News: ARRC, DART/APTA

Alaska Railroad (ARRC) elevates Christy Terry to Vice President of Real Estate. Also, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board Chair Michele Wong Krause is appointed Vice Chair of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

CVA is building a new grain shuttle facility and agronomy plant in north central Kansas, which it said is a strategic location for its member-owners in Courtland and surrounding communities. (Photograph Courtesy of CVA)

CVA to Build BNSF-Served Grain Shuttle Facility

Central Valley Ag (CVA) is beginning construction this fall on a grain shuttle facility and agronomy plant in north central Kansas that BNSF will serve.

“We look forward to meeting the opportunities ahead in the second half of the year and over the long term as we position CSX for sustainable, profitable growth,” CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs reported July 20.

CSX: ‘Building Momentum’ in 2Q23

“The ONE CSX team continued to build momentum this quarter as our merchandise and coal businesses continued to demonstrate significant volume gains,” President and CEO Joe Hinrichs said July 20 during the

A new Amtrak OIG report finds that Amtrak “faces challenges with the systems and processes it uses to track and manage costs for capital projects, which hinder project teams from identifying emerging cost overruns.” (Photograph Courtesy of Amtrak OIG, via Twitter)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak OIG, FTA, NYMTA

“Amtrak is strengthening its project cost management, but can better organize costs and improve guidance,” according to the latest Amtrak Office of Inspector General (OIG) report. Also, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Cincinnati Connector Streetcar will receive funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Areas of Persistent Poverty Program; and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will increase subway fares and implement recommendations of the Blue-Ribbon Panel Report on Fare and Toll Evasion.

Larry Hickman, Chief Information Officer, AITX

People News: AITX, Operation Lifesaver

Railcar service provider AITX elevates Larry Hickman to Chief Information Officer. Also, Operation Lifesaver, Inc., (OLI) taps five new State Coordinators to lead rail safety education efforts.

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