If all goes as planned, in about one year, MTA Long Island Rail Road will be testing a prototype “BEMU” (battery-electric multiple unit) that operates on third-rail power or batteries on the 13-mile, non-electrified Oyster Bay Branch. The program, a venture with Alstom, will be North America’s first test-of-concept of this application on commuter railcars.
Kansas City Southern (KCS), now in the midst of a merger with Canadian Pacific, has bolstered its executive leadership team with two strategic appointments: Jeffrey M. Songer in the new role of Executive Vice President-Strategic Merger Planning, and John F. Orr as Executive Vice President-Operations.
By 2023, Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex residents will have improved rail access to DFW International Airport, when DART’s Cotton Belt Silver Line and Trinity Metro’s TEXRail commuter rail lines converge at Terminal B.
One of North America’s finest long-distance passenger trains, VIA Rail Canada’s iconic Canadian, will be resuming the Toronto to Winnipeg portion of its run wih one full Toronto-Vancouver round-trip per week starting May
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is conducting what it describes as “a first of its kind” nationwide small, minority-owned and woman-owned “business disparity study” whose intent is to determine “whether the playing field is level” for firms bidding on subcontracts from grantees receiving FRA funds.
The European Commission has designated 2021 as the European Year of Rail and is planning a series of events and initiatives throughout the year to promote rail as a sustainable transport mode.
David Campbell, Ed Rugh, Jason Ankeny and Michael Shirley have joined North American third-party, non-asset-based rail fleet management provider AllTranstek LLC’s professional staff.
Sound Transit’s 4.3-mile Northgate Link light rail extension is expected to open to passenger service on Oct. 2. 2021.
Shift5, an advanced-technology company that sprung from the United States Department of Defense, has established a firm foothold in the U.S. railway industry.
Minnesota State Rep. Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville) apparently doesn’t think much of rail transit, much less understand its purpose. If he did, he wouldn’t be trying to deep-six the Minneapolis Northstar commuter rail system. I’ll try to be diplomatic here, but don’t expect too much.
