Chuck Baker (Photograph Courtesy of ASLRRA)
Commentary

45G: A Success Story Needing a New Chapter

ASLRRA PERSPECTIVE, RAILWAY AGE DECEMBER 2024 ISSUE: The election is over, and the results are in. I went to bed in the early morning hours of Nov. 6 and enjoyed a remarkable

(Logo Courtesy of USDOT)

USDOT: Applications Welcome for RAISE Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the FY 2025 RAISE Grant program, providing $1.5 billion in discretionary grant funding for freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects with “significant local or regional impact.”

OneRail Coalition Names Nissenbaum, Morales Winners of 2024 Canby Awards

OneRail Coalition Director Devon Barnhart announced that Paul Nissenbaum of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Mariah Morales of Amtrak are the recipients of the 2024 Canby Awards. The awards, named for

Supply Side: TTC, ASLRRA/Wi-Tronix, Spark TS, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awards partners of the Transportation Technology Center (TTC) more than $84 million in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant Program funding for workforce development and research. Also, Wi-Tronix is project partner in $20.5 million CRISI grant to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) to modernize America’s short line railroads; Spark TS launches Rail Tasker 2.0; and Trelleborg Sealing Solutions debuts its Tran-SECURE™ elastomer manway nozzle gaskets for chemical transportation customers.

FRA Administrator Amit Bose, Anacostia Rail Holdings executives, and ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach officials on May 4, 2023, gathered to celebrate PHL’s latest group of locomotive engineer graduates to serve the San Pedro Port complex. They stand in front of Progress Rail’s zero-emission EMD® Joule battery-electric locomotive. Since this photograph was taken, PHL has been operating the locomotive for one year. (Photograph Courtesy of The Wolcott Group)

PHL Advances Zero-Emission Operations, Receives ASLRRA Safety Awards

Pacific Harbor Line (PHL), together with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), has received partial funding for five new Progress Rail battery-electric locomotives and two battery chargers through the Federal Railroad Administration’s

Up to $12.17 million of FRA funding will be invested at Napolean, Defiance & Western, Railway Age's 2023 Short Line of the Year, to replace deteriorating and broken rail and ties and expand capacity along the eastern half of the railroad. A 2020 CRISI award of $4.1 million covered the replacement of 29,000 ties and 13 miles of rail (pictured). (Patriot Rail Image)

FRA Awards $2.4B for Rail Improvement Projects

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Oct. 29 reported that 122 freight and passenger rail improvement projects—including 81 at short lines—across 41 states will share more than $2.4 billion in grant funding

CARB Pushes Back Data Collection Deadline for In-Use Locomotive Regulation

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has issued an Enforcement Notice concerning its In-Use Locomotive Regulation, which is pending authorization from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Because the EPA’s ruling on CARB’s request

(Screen grabs from ASLRRA videos)

ASLRRA Opens Nominations for 2025 Safety Awards

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) is now accepting nominations for its annual Safety Person of the Year and Safety Professional of the Year awards that recognize railroad member

Report: Railroads’ Lawsuit Against CARB Stayed

A federal judge Monday stayed railroad industry groups’ lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board (CARB), “aimed at blocking newly adopted environmental regulations which, over time, will limit pollution and greenhouse gas

(Logo Courtesy of STB)

For STB, an Earful on Freight Rail Growth

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Sept. 16-17 held a public hearing regarding growth in the freight rail industry. The objective, it said, was to better understand “how the industry has grown and intends to grow.” Railroads and related organizations offered insights and in some cases a dose of skepticism.

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