Northern California’s Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) launches service to Windsor. Also, NC By Train celebrates 35 years of Carolinian and 30 years of Piedmont passenger rail service; and San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and North County Transit–San Diego Railroad (NCTD) mark a contactless fare-payment milestone.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on May 28 filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky to remove race- and sex-based presumptions from its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, which was established decades ago through a series of legislative and regulatory initiatives and designed to “remedy discrimination in transportation contracting.”
Andy Byford is coming back to New York, where he has been tapped to oversee development in and around the city’s Penn Station. New Yorkers bestowed the moniker “Train Daddy” on Byford
Amtrak’s Board of Directors met on May 22. The event included several presentations about Amtrak’s performance and plans, presentations that were made available to the public through a Zoom link. The presenters
Amtrak’s Borealis tops 205,800 guests in its first full year of service. Also, Amtrak Virginia sets another ridership record in April; Zephyr Rail is selected by the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency to provide preliminary engineering and design services for the Ortega Siding project in Carpinteria, Calif.; and Metrolinx issues a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the first major Hamilton LRT contract.
Major construction activities are under way at Amtrak’s King Street Yard in Seattle, where crews recently began building the foundation for a new nearly 100,000 square foot maintenance facility that Amtrak said
While the recent Railway Age commentary from Rail Passengers Association President and CEO James Mathews criticizes Amtrak’s workforce adjustments, it also misses a critical truth. We are making difficult but necessary decisions
Amtrak advances upgrades and repairs at Lancaster Station. Also, April 2025 Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) ridership increases 6% from last year; SEPTA’s Efficiency & Accountability (E&A) Program recognizes $91 million in revenue and savings; the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Front Range Passenger Rail (FRPR) District explore options to bring passenger rail service to the Front Range; and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) launches a veteran discount fare pilot program.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, on May 13 convened a nominations hearing for David Armstrong Fink to be FRA Administrator, Robert A. Gleason Jr. to be an Amtrak Board Director, and for two executives to serve in the Commerce Department.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has fully obligated $157,126,494 from the FRA CRISI grant program for the final segment of the Springfield (Ill.) Rail Improvements Project, allowing construction to move forward.