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The new Richards Transportation Initiative at Penn (R-TRIP), housed in the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Urban Research, will be co-led by Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Leslie Richards, who is the former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and CEO of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. She received a Railway Age Women in Rail Award in 2020. (Photograph Courtesy of SEPTA)

Transit Briefs: R-TRIP, MTA LIRR, Metra, REM

The University of Pennsylvania launches the Richards Transportation Initiative at Penn (R-TRIP), “a new hub for research, innovation, and real-world solutions in transportation.” Also, MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) ridership surpasses 300,000 in one day for the first time since the pandemic; Chicago’s Metra commuter railroad will put into service this fall a prototype café car; and the opening of two Réseau express métropolitain (REM) branches in Montreal is delayed again.

Railinc, Duke University Collaborate on Innovation to Advance Freight Rail Efficiency

Railinc and Duke University’s Christensen Family Center for Innovation (CFCI) on Sept. 25 announced a new collaboration to “explore practical innovations that advance freight rail safety and efficiency.” The initiative will harness Duke’s Product Lab, a student-led program where teams co-create solutions in rapid sprints with industry partners to deliver prototypes that have both immediate and long-term potential.

LIT Project Officially Registered with Envision

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) on Sept. 25 announced that the Louisiana International Terminal (LIT) project is officially registered with the Envision Sustainable Infrastructure Framework, “marking a historic first for both Louisiana and the U.S.”

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APTA Releases 2025 Public Transportation Vehicle Database

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) on Sept. 25 released its 2025 Public Transportation Vehicle Database, an annual report detailing the rail and bus fleet characteristics of U.S. and Canadian transit agencies. The Database includes 155 public transit agencies—135 operating bus modes and 37 operating rail modes, with some running both.

(Screenshot from NS Video)
Commentary

Watch: NS Generations on the Rails

At Norfolk Southern (NS), railroading runs deep. It often spans generations of the same family. Across our network, you’ll find parents, children, grandchildren, and more who have all proudly called themselves railroaders,

Transit Briefs: SacRT, LA Metro, COWI, STM, TTC

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) launches the Transit Connect app. Also, LA Metro begins passenger service on the Glendora to Pomona extension of the Metro A Line; COWI is appointed to lead the design for New York’s 2nd Avenue Subway Expansion; stalled contract talks with its union mean the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) strike could be extended; and crisis workers will be stationed on Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway platforms as part of a new safety pilot.

PennDOT State Rail Plan Available for Review

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Sept. 23 that the Pennsylvania State Rail Plan is available for public review and comment between now and Oct. 24. The State Rail Plan (download

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Don Phillips, Transportation Journalist, 83

Reposted with permission from Trains magazine: Of all the bylines to grace Trains magazine’s pages over its 85-year history, likely none matches the record of transportation journalist and railfan Don Phillips, whose monthly column

Keith Andersen, PNW Railcars, Inc. (Photograph Courtesy of PNWR)

PNWR Taps Andersen as CCO

Keith Andersen has joined PNW Railcars, Inc. (PNWR), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi HC Capital Inc., as Chief Commercial Officer. He is responsible for driving revenue growth and strengthening operations at the full-service

AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Down in Week 38

The Association of American Railroads in reporting freight rail traffic for the week ending Sept. 20, 2025 (Week 38) noted that total U.S. rail traffic was 510,677 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.2% from the prior-year period. Total carloads for the week came in at 228,609, dipping 1.8% from the same week in 2024, and intermodal volume was 282,068 containers and trailers, dipping 2.5% from last year.

NS Introduces Triple Crown Services, Inc.

Norfolk Southern (NS) recently announced that it has created Triple Crown Services, Inc. (TCSI), a single-source solution for motor carrier and brokerage services that “puts customers first.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (right), MTA Metro-North Railroad President Justin Vonashek (center), and Mayor of Beacon Lee Kyriacou (far left) at the Biltmore Room of Grand Central Terminal on Sept. 23, announcing enhanced railroad service including the MNR Super Express to Poughkeepsie. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: Metra, MTA Metro-North, PANY/NJ

The 87th St./Woodruff Station on the Metra Electric commuter rail line in Chicago opens next month after a two-year rehab. Also, MTA Metro-North Railroad is launching “super-express” trains on Oct. 6; and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ) marks the 10th anniversary of its climate resilience design guidelines.

(Courtesy of BNSF)
Commentary

BNSF Intermodal: We’re Going Where Markets Are Growing

Current population data shows the fastest-growing areas in the U.S. are concentrated in the South and West. As cities in these regions grow, so does the need for more goods, which BNSF brings on intermodal trains with its trucking partners.

NARBW Chicago Chapter members gather at the association’s banquet dinner, held during the 2025 National Convention in Houston, Tex. (NARBW Chicago Chapter Photograph)
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NARBW Chicago Marks 100th Anniversary

The Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Railway Business Women (NARBW) is marking 100 years of empowering women in rail with a celebration, to be held Nov. 1 at the Palos

The graphic shows the map of the route for the future bypass at Lac-Mégantic, which will go through the municipalities of Nantes, Lac-Mégantic, and Frontenac. The blue line shows the chosen route; the red line shows the route of the existing track which will be dismantled following the commissioning of the bypass; and the green line shows the sector of the Lac-Mégantic industrial park where car triage and storage activities will take place. (Map and caption courtesy of the government of Canada)

Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass Project Advances

More than 12 years after the crude oil train wreck at Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, that claimed 47 lives and led to new tank car regulations in Canada and the U.S., the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) has now received the official application to build a 7.75-mile (12.5-km) rail bypass around the village. According to the government of Canada, this allows the project to move into the assessment phase.

MSU Takes Top Spot at IANA Case Competition

The Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) announced on Sept. 22 that Mississippi State University (MSU) took the number one spot at the organization’s 2025 Intermodal Case Study Competition. This was MSU’s first time participating in the event.