news

Commentary

SEPTA’s Faustian Bargain

Philadelphia’s SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) is again operating its former level of service, despite recent threats of severe cutbacks. Riders are paying significantly more, but they are not forced to accept

(Logo Courtesy of USDOT)

USDOT: $5B Available for National Railroad Partnership Program Projects, $42MM Going to Brightline Florida Corridor Safety

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Sept. 22 issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the National Railroad Partnership Program that allocates more than $5 billion to projects that “enhance safety on intercity passenger rail networks,” and obligated four grants totaling $42 million-plus for rail safety projects on the Brightline Florida corridor.

Freight RAILCAR Act: A Bit More Traction (UPDATED 9/23)

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) alongside U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and 41 additional cosponsors (32 original) in mid-February reintroduced the Freight RAILCAR (Rail Assets Investment to Launch Commercial Activity Revitalization ) Act, bipartisan

Transit Briefs: Caltrain, SFMTA, MassDOT, Brightline, Metro-North, GCRTA

Caltrain celebrates the first anniversary of its electrified service. Also, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) celebrates the 30th anniversary of the F Market Line; the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the state’s purchase and rehabilitation of the “Knowledge Corridor”; Brightline announces network enhancements; new locomotives begin passenger service on Metro-North Railroad; and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) approves a request to purchase six more new railcars.

Pictured: Wabtec's Lokomotiv Kurastyru Zauyty (LKZ) plant in Astana, Kazakhstan, which will handle final assembly of the 300 newly ordered Evolution Series locomotives for Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway of Kazakhstan. (Photograph Courtesy of Wabtec)

Wabtec Lands $4.2B Kazakhstan Locomotive Contract

Wabtec Corporation will provide 300 Evolution Series locomotives and Services agreements for roughly 15 years under a $4.2 billion order from Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway of Kazakhstan. It marks the largest locomotive agreement in the manufacturer’s history, Wabtec reported Sept. 22.

Fuchs Updates Outstanding STB Proceedings

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Patrick Fuchs on Sept. 22 provided an update on recent actions to “facilitate and expedite the resolution of several outstanding Board proceedings.”

(Photograph Courtesy of UP)

SMART-TD Supports Proposed UP-NS Merger

Union Pacific and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division on Sept. 22 announced an agreement they said “guarantees that SMART-TD members working in train and yardmaster

Pictured, from left to right: Doug Recker, Duos; Inessa M. Vitko, TriMet; and Mary L. Hill, TriMet. (Photographs courtesy of the respective organizations)
  • News

People News: Duos, MARTA, TriMet

Duos Technologies Group, Inc. appoints Doug Recker as a Corporate Officer and President. Also, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) Interim General Manager and CEO Jonathan Hunt restructures the leadership team; and Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) taps Inessa M. Vitko as Chief Operations Officer and promotes Mary L. Hill to Executive Director of Transportation.

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Sept. 18 reported that Amtrak and the USRC Boards of Directors unanimously agreed to approve the terms of a renegotiated cooperative agreement restoring federal control of Washington Union Station. (Image Courtesy of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak/USRC, Transit Tech Lab, CTA, NJT, Sound Transit, NCTD

Amtrak and Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) agree to restore federal management of Washington Union Station. Also, Transit Tech Lab releases proof-of-concept results that address ridership improvement, plus inspection and maintenance challenges; Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) officially launches Naloxone Vending Machines pilot; New Jersey Transit (NJT) expands FARE-PAY cards to all three light rail systems and all buses; Seattle’s Sound Transit celebrates 25 years of Sounder commuter rail service; and Southern California’s North County Transit District (NCTD) is marking 50 years of service.

Class I Briefs: UP, CSX, NS

Union Pacific’s (UP) Big Boy 4014 will make two whistle-stops in Colorado this fall. Also, CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs is recognized with the Champion of Change Award from the Association of Corporate Citizen Professionals (ACCP); and Norfolk Southern (NS) supports the Alabama Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy (SEEDS) grant to help speed the development of an industrial site in Limestone County.

NCRR Opens Fall 2025 Build Ready Sites Grant Round

The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) recently announced that it is now accepting applications for the Fall 2025 round of its Build Ready Sites Program (BRS). The competitive grant initiative helps communities prepare rail-served industrial sites for future development and job creation. Applications are being accepted until Monday, Oct. 17.

(Courtesy of the Port of LA)

For Port of LA, ‘Strong’ August Cargo Volume

After setting a July cargo record, Port of Los Angeles volume remained “strong” in August, according to the California Port, which processed 958,355 TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units), “nearly the same as last

“Here in Mexico City, President @ClaudiaShein [pictured right] and I met with business leaders from across Canada and Mexico,” Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada wrote in a Sept. 18 social media post. “We’re elevating our partnership and delivering the certainty that businesses need to invest—and building opportunities for workers in both our nations.” (Photograph Courtesy of Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada)

Canada, Mexico Launch Action Plan on Trade, Energy, Security

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Sept. 18 launched a new Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which the Canadian government said would “deepen ties between our countries.” The two leaders met, along with members of the Cabinets of both countries, at the National Palace in Mexico City.

STB Sets 4Q25 Rail Cost Adjustment Factor

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has adopted for fourth-quarter 2025 the rail cost adjustment factor (RCAF), which is defined as “an index formulated to represent changes in railroad costs incurred by the nation’s largest railroads over a specified period of time.”