According to CSX, approximately 200 automotive terminals undergo AAR audits each year, and only the highest-scoring facilities receive awards. “TDSI’s performance in 2025 stood out for its high scores and the breadth of recognition across its facilities,” the railroad reported June 13. (Screen Grab from CSX Video)

Watch: CSX TDSI Earns AAR ‘Quality Excellence’ Awards

CSX Total Distribution Services Inc. (TDSI) earlier this month received four awards for quality excellence from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) at the 132nd Damage Prevention & Freight Claims Conferences in

CSX dispatchers Vic Lewis and Rick Moran earn the railroad’s first Public Safety Coordination Center awards for their service. (CSX Photograph)

Class I Briefs: CSX, CPKC

CSX’s Public Safety Coordination Center recognizes two dispatchers for their “dedication to clear communication and quick action” that helps keep communities safe. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) Alyth Car Shop marks a safety milestone.

Metrolinx’s Scarborough Subway Extension project will bring the Toronto Transit Commission’s Line 2 subway service 4.8 miles (7.8 kilometers) farther into Scarborough. (Rendering Courtesy of Sener)

Transit Briefs: Metrolinx, LACMTA, Caltrain

Senar is selected to develop a detailed design for Metrolinx’s Scarborough Subway Extension project in eastern Toronto. Also, two stations are dedicated on Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) new Foothill Gold Line light rail segment; and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) members at Caltrain in Northern California ratify a new contract.

(Top, Courtesy of MARTA; Bottom, Courtesy of BART)

MARTA, BART Budgets Approved for FY26

The Boards of Directors for Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) have voted to approve their respective budgets for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, which begins July 1.

(Port of Los Angeles Photograph)

Port of LA Adopts $2.7B FY25/26 Budget

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission on June 12 signed off on the Port of Los Angeles’ $2.7 billion budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26, which is said to reflect the Port’s “solid financial footing” while anticipating a “cargo slowdown.”

ITS Logistics U.S. Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index for June 2025. (Image Courtesy of ITS Logistics)

ITS Logistics Issues June US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index

Trans-shipment delays in Asia signal an impending U.S. import surge, spurring an early retail peak, according to ITS Logistics’ recently released June forecast for its US Port/Rail Ramp Freight Index. Backlogged empty containers and surging inbound freight are set to converge, it noted, stressing inland supply chain operations.

Richard Anderson (NS Photograph)

Richard Anderson Elected NS Board Chair

Norfolk Southern (NS) on June 12 reported that Richard H. Anderson—the former CEO and Executive Chairman of Delta Air Lines, President of Optum Health, CEO of Northwest Airlines, and most recently President

MBTA plans to bring BEMU (battery-electric multiple-unit) train service to the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line starting in 2028. Proposals to finance the trainsets are due in August. (MBTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: MBTA, CTA, Amtrak

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) seeks proposals to finance new BEMU (battery-electric multiple-unit) trainsets for its Commuter Rail system. Also, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) invests in workforce development through a “land-for-learning” agreement with City Colleges of Chicago; and another San Diego-Los Angeles roundtrip will be added to Amtrak Pacific Surfliner, restoring more pre-pandemic service.

State and local partners join OmniTRAX officials to commemorate the new joint venture partnership operating the Santa Maria Valley Railroad. Left to Right: Alice Patino (Mayor of Santa Maria, Calf.), Vicki Conner (EconAlliance, Initiatives Director), Suzanne Singh (Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce, VP of Economic Development and Government Affairs), Dean Piacente (OmniTRAX, CEO), Scott Remington (OmniTRAX, Vice President, Corporate Development), Belinda Popovich (Santa Maria Valley Railroad, Assistant General Manager), Rob Himoto (Santa Maria Valley Railroad, President), Bob Nelson (County of Santa Barbara, Fourth District Supervisor), and Jenelle Osborne (EconAlliance, CEO). (Photograph Courtesy of OmniTrax)

OmniTrax-Coast Belle Rail JV to Run SMVRR (UPDATED 6/12)

The 114-year-old Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) is entering a new chapter. In a move slated to help grow traffic and improve infrastructure and customer service, the joint venture (JV) of OmniTrax,

(Photo by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659, Courtesy of BLET)

CSX Locomotive Engineers Ratify New Contract

A new five-year collective bargaining agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has been ratified at CSX, the railroad and union reported June 11. It governs approximately 3,400 railroaders and runs through Dec. 31, 2029.

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