Amtrak’s Adirondack service between New York City and Montreal will resume April 3. It had been suspended for three years due to the pandemic.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, CATS, MBTA, Metrolinx, NYCT, TransLink

Amtrak, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and VIA Rail Canada are fully restoring Adirondack service. Also, a Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) derailment report raises light rail vehicle safety concerns; Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) lifts Green Line speed restrictions; Metrolinx, the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area transit authority, launches the #GOTransitReads by Legible Book Club; MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) logs more “Station Re-NEW-vation Program” work; and the government of British Columbia provides C$479 million in emergency funding for metro Vancouver’s TransLink.

STB: Rail Cost Adjustment Factor Set for 2Q23

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has adopted for second-quarter 2023 the rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF), defined as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred by the nation’s largest railroads over a specified period of time.”

Sumner County Tennessee Emergency Communications Training Officer Brooke Elkins learns about AskRail. (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of AAR)

Railroads Expanding Access to AskRail

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has teamed with the Sumner County, Tenn., emergency management agencies on a pilot project that adds AskRail data to their dispatching system. AskRail’s railcar contents information and emergency response guides will help to “ensure all first responders have accurate, timely information in the event of a rail emergency,” AAR reported March 20.

Unifor reaches tentative agreements with CN. (Photograph Courtesy of Unifor)

CN, Unifor Reach Tentative Agreements

CN on March 20 reported reaching new tentative collective agreements with Unifor, its largest union, covering approximately 3,000 Canadian employees working in departments such as Mechanical, Intermodal and Facility Management as well as in clerical positions.

Kristin Bevil, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, Gulf & Atlantic Railways LLC

Kristin Bevil Joins Gulf & Atlantic

Gulf & Atlantic Railways LLC (formerly RailUSA) has appointed Kristin Bevil as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer. Bevil will represent the Jacksonville, Fla.-based short line holding company and its 430-mile Florida,

SEPTA’s King of Prussia Rail project would have extended the existing Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL) four miles into King of Prussia, providing a “one-seat” ride from any station along the NHSL. (SEPTA Rendering)

SEPTA: KOP Rail Project on Hold

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is sidelining the King of Prussia Rail Project, citing its “further review of rising costs, which have been exacerbated by inflation and high interest rates.” This follows

Aerial view of the San Pedro Bay Port Complex in California. (Photograph Courtesy of Port of Los Angeles)

Trade Slows at Ports of LA, Long Beach

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach experienced double-digit declines in TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) processed in February. Both California ports cited well-stocked retailers, reduced consumer spending, and the typical closure of east Asian factories during the Lunar New Year holiday, as reasons for the soft cargo volumes.

“Today’s funding will help Global Agriculture Trans-Loading purchase new container lifts, conveyor belt systems, bagging equipment, and more to move agricultural products faster and more efficiently, while strengthening supply chains in BC,” Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra reported via Twitter on March 17. (Photograph Courtesy of Alghabra, via Twitter)

B.C.’s Global Agricultural Trans-Loading to Double Operations

The government of Canada is investing up to C$23 million in Global Agricultural Trans-Loading’s (GATL) rail infrastructure and capacity improvement project at its CN-served facility in Surrey, British Columbia.

(BNSF Photograph)

BNSF: Paid Sick Leave Added for IBB

BNSF on March 17 reported reaching an agreement with the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) for paid sick leave.

(BNSF Photograph)

People News: AITX, Metrolink, Pandrol, R&N, RailState, Sound Transit, WSP USA

Executive changes have been announced at railcar service provider AITX; Southern California regional/commuter railroad Metrolink; rail infrastructure firm Pandrol; Reading & Northern Railroad (R&N); real-time network visibility provider RailState; Seattle’s Sound Transit; and consultancy WSP USA.

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