“We have reached a milestone cleaning up the site in East Palestine safely, thoroughly and with urgency. @EPA-approved testing confirms all impacted soil has been removed from the south track,” NS reported via Twitter on April 15. (Screen-Capture Courtesy of NS video, via Twitter)

NS Reaches East Palestine Clean-Up Milestone

Norfolk Southern (NS) on April 15, nearly two-and-a-half months after the Feb. 3 East Palestine, Ohio derailment, announced that it has completed excavation of the impacted soil beneath the removed south track,

(Photograph Courtesy of Metra, via Twitter)

Save the Date: 2023 CRC Summit

The Commuter Rail Coalition (CRC) on Sept. 18-20, 2023 is holding its second-annual summit in Chicago to “prepare for the challenges and the unprecedented opportunities awaiting commuter railroads.”

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chairman Kevin O’Toole (left), Executive Director Rick Cotton (center) and PATH Director Clarelle DeGraffe (right) unveiled a trainset with some of the new Kawasaki railcars at the PATH Hoboken (N.J.) station on April 13. (Credit: PANYNJ)

PATH Rolling Out New Kawasaki Cars

The first of 72 new Kawaski-built PATH rapid transit cars will enter service in New York and New Jersey starting April 17. The aim: to boost capacity.

(Maryland DOT Photograph)

MARC Eyes Two-State Expansion Project

The Maryland Department of Transportation – Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) on April 13 signed framework agreements with Delaware Transit Corp. and Virginia Passenger Rail Authority for the potential future expansion of MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) Train service to Newark, Del., and Alexandria, Va.

The BART Board officially approved the contract to STraffic America for new fare gates systemwide. While the new design has not yet been finalized, the gates are slated to have clear swing barriers that will be difficult to be pushed through, jumped over or maneuvered under. (Rendering Courtesy of BART)

Transit Briefs: BART, Brightline, CTA, LACMTA

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) advances its systemwide fare gates project. Also, Brightline begins bridge rehab work in Stuart, Fla., ahead of its service launch to Orlando; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announces community improvements as part of its $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One Project; and LA SkyRail Express boosts its monorail team for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on April 12 reported via Twitter: “It was a pleasure to be in Hugoton today to break ground on a $15M project to upgrade the Cimarron Valley Railroad. This makes food and fuel transport across southwest Kansas easier and more efficient than ever, boosting our agriculture industry and economy.”

Small-Road Briefs: CVRR, INRD, Watco

Jaguar Transport’s Cimarron Valley Railroad (CVRR) launches a $15 million infrastructure improvement project. Also, Indiana Rail Road (INRD) is adding a six-acre container yard; and Watco earns Best Practice Institute’s (BPI) Most Loved Workplace® certification for the second consecutive year.

Justin Broyles, Vice Chair, ASLRRA Board of Directors

R.J. Corman’s Broyles Named ASLRRA Board Vice Chair

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has appointed a new Vice Chairman of its Executive Board of Directors: Justin Broyles, Executive Vice President, Commercial Affairs at R.J. Corman Railroad Group. He will serve a three-year term.

GAO reviewed eight projects funded by FTA’s Capital Investment Grants program. Two reported that actual ridership was about 30% lower than predicted “due to overly optimistic travel model assumptions.” According to all eight project sponsors, “transit ridership declined precipitously at the start of the pandemic. In most cases, recovery has been slow. Sponsors said they expect ridership to continue to be lower than pre-pandemic levels, given the current trend of remote work.”

Pandemic Complicates Transit Project Ridership Predictions, GAO

For projects funded through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Capital Investment Grants program, predicting ridership has been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The FRA recently concluded a series of six working group meetings “to inform and collaborate” with stakeholders across the country on the department’s Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak/FRA, MBTA, SEPTA, Rogers

Common themes emerge from the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) stakeholder meetings studying the restoration and expansion of Amtrak long-distance passenger rail services. Also, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) purchases Widett Circle for a new commuter rail layover yard; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) issues a proposed FY 2024 capital budget and 12-year program; and Rogers Communications plans to bring full 5G connectivity services to the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) subway system.

(Photograph Courtesy of CSX, via Twitter)

North American Rail Volume Continues Decline Through Week 14: AAR

Through the first 14 weeks of 2023 (ending April 8), total North American carload and intermodal traffic dipped 3.9% from the same point last year, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) April 12 report. Both Canada and Mexico saw increases, while the U.S. experienced a drop-off.

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