(Courtesy STB)

STB Issues Final EA for UP’s Proposed Arizona Line

The Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) on Feb. 27 released a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for Union Pacific’s (UP) proposed approximately six-mile single-track rail line in Mesa, Ariz.

(Courtesy of CHSRA)

CHSRA Issues Draft 2026 Business Plan

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has released a Draft 2026 Business Plan for 60-day public review and comment. The overall projected cost for Phase 1 delivery, between San Francisco and Los Angeles/Anaheim, it reported, “dropped by $1.7 billion due to streamlining efforts aimed at making high-speed trains a reality as quickly and economically as possible.”

Service along the LACMTA D Line Extension project’s Section 1 corridor includes three new stations: Wilshire/La Brea and Wilshire/Fairfax—which bookend Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile —and Wilshire/La Cienega in Beverly Hills. (LACMTA Photograph)

Transit Briefs: LACMTA, SEPTA, Sound Transit, WMATA

Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) announces the launch date for the D (Purple) Line Extension Section 1. Also, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) awards a lease contract for transit-oriented development near Regional Rail’s Ambler Station; Seattle’s Sound Transit adopts the 2026-2030 Sustainability Plan; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is expanding its University Pass program.

OminTRAX said its new 90-acre “rail and real estate project combines direct market access with Chicago’s largest labor pool.” (OmniTRAX Photograph)

OmniTRAX Launches Chicago Logistics Hub

OmniTRAX on Feb. 26 reported launching a multi-modal logistics hub in the city of Blue Island, just south of Chicago, that offers access to all Class I’s through Chicago Rail Link, one

(Courtesy of the Government Accountability Office)

U.S. Army to STB: ‘Consider the Unique Needs of National Defense’

The Railroads for National Defense (RND) Program within the U.S. Army Transportation Command has submitted comments in response to the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) decision last month proposing what it called “a

Infosys has completing a data modernization program for CSX that will allow the railroad “to unlock new opportunities in predictive maintenance, logistics optimization and operational efficiency.” (CSX Photograph)

Class I Briefs: CSX, CPKC, NS

CSX modernizes its data platform with Infosys and Microsoft. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) Winnipeg, Manitoba, yard earns the railroad’s Terminal of the Year award; and Norfolk Southern (NS) extends its partnership with Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

Amtrak said it will soon issue a formal request for suppliers to bid on the new long-distance fleet replacement contract and cancel the bi-level procurement. (Courtesy of Amtrak)

Passenger Rail News: Amtrak, SEPTA

Amtrak revises its long-distance fleet replacement strategy. Also, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) upgrades the Media–Sharon Hill Line with Hitachi Rail’s CBTC (Communications-Based Train Control) system.

(Courtesy of POLB)

POLB Logs ‘Second-Busiest’ January Amid ‘Economic Uncertainty’

The Port of Long Beach (POLB) on Feb. 25 reported kicking off 2026 with its “second-busiest” January on record. Cargo volume declined 11% from January 2025—the Port’s best January and second-busiest month

(Courtesy of ASLRRA)

LSRC to Receive ASLRRA’s Environmental Achievement Award

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) will present Michigan-based Lake State Railway Company (LSRC) with the 2026 Green Spark Award for environmental achievement at its annual conference, to be

CSX is using its first owned and operated mobile service truck (pictured) in the Toledo Zone. (Screen grab from CSX video)

Class I Briefs: CSX, CPKC, UP

CSX deploys its first owned and operated locomotive service truck in Ohio. Also, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) teams with the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation and CK Hui Heart Center; and Union Pacific’s (UP) Big Boy No. 4014 will make 27 whistle-stops during the western leg of its coast-to-coast tour, which starts next month.

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