Railway Age is celebrating nine years of recognizing women in the freight, passenger, government, and supply sectors. These trail blazers are not only excelling at leadership and community service but also driving the industry forward. This year, 25 railroaders earned the publication’s Women in Rail award.
Following unanimous approval from the Board of Public Works last week, the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) announced Oct. 9 that it will begin construction to expand and modernize the MARC train storage facilities at the Martin Maintenance Yard in Baltimore County.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) readies for Silver Line service. Also, Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) preps riders for Skyline’s second-segment launch; California’s Caltrain will be compensated for the power it returns to the grid through its trains’ regenerative braking; San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) reports a drop in crime across its network; Virginia Railway Express (VRE) reaches a ridership milestone; and a third daily trip will be added to Amtrak’s Missouri River Runner during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The federal government entered a partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. ET on Oct. 1, 2025, after both Republican and Democratic funding proposals failed in the Senate.
The debut in late August 2025 of Amtrak’s long-awaited NextGen Acela trainsets for the Northeast Corridor captured media and rail industry attention at a time when Amtrak’s much larger—geographically speaking—Long-Distance (LD) network
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.
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.
Piper Networks on Sept. 15 announced that it has introduced a version of its Limits Compliance and Collision Avoidance System (LCCAS) to help railroads “rapidly comply with the specific functional safety requirements recommended by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for rail-bound maintenance vehicles.”
More than one year after the U.S. Justice Department filed a civil complaint in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia alleging that Norfolk Southern “delays passenger trains on Amtrak’s Crescent
Seattle’s Sound Transit faces a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall and readies for the mid-life overhaul of its commuter rail fleet. Also, New Jersey Transit (NJT) brings the River LINE light rail operation and maintenance in-house; Atlanta Regional Commission and the City of Atlanta, Ga., consider relocating the Amtrak station; and “Libby” and “Corkie” will carve out Metrolinx’s first two Ontario Line subway tunnels in Toronto.