People News: TTX, VRE
TTX Company elevates Marty Thomas to President, and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) appoints Katie Choe as CEO.
Breaking News
Transit Briefs: Sound Transit, WMATA, NYMTA
Parsons Corporation (Parsons) secures a position on Sound Transit of Seattle’s 2025 Multiple Award Task Order Contract (MATOC). Also, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is rolling out a holiday-themed vehicle fleet; and New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) subway sets a post-pandemic ridership record, and its commuter railroads install new TVMs (ticket vending machines).
Class I Briefs: BNSF, CSX, CN, CPKC
BNSF provides an operational performance update and marks the 11th consecutive month of “record-breaking” terminal dwell. Also, Newsweek ranks CSX as No. 1 in the Transportation and Logistics category of its 2026 Most Responsible Companies List; CN teams with Ts’îl Kaz Koh First Nation on an emergency preparedness and spill response exercise; and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) President and CEO Keith Creel visits Capitol Hill.
Sound Transit Launches Federal Way LRT Extension
Riders in South King County, Wash., can now take Link service between SeaTac and Federal Way. Sound Transit on Dec. 6 opened a $2.5-billion, 7.8-mile extension of the 1 Line, its fifth
Cando Acquires Texas Terminal (UPDATED 12/5)
Manitoba, Canada-based Cando Rail & Terminals on Oct. 3 reported entering a definitive agreement to acquire the rail terminal and associated operations of Texas Deepwater Partners, a joint venture project formed by
Transit Briefs: Amtrak, SEPTA, TriMet, NJT, TTC, MBTA
Amtrak’s newest service, the Mardi Gras, is seeing strong demand. Also, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is taking delivery of 10 leased coaches from MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter Rail); Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) promotes Alan Lehto to Executive Director of Planning, a newly created position; New Jersey Transit (NJT) earns the 2025 Combating Human Trafficking in Transportation Impact Award; Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) considers advertising installations in subway tunnels; and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Keolis Commuter Services (Keolis) release a year-in-review report.
WMSC Issues Safety Audit of WMATA Communication Systems
The Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) on Dec. 4 issued a Safety Audit of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) communication systems performed through in-depth interviews, site visits, and document and data reviews conducted from March 2025 to June 2025.
Sunport Reactivates Albuquerque Rail Spur
The first 1.5 miles of Albuquerque International Sunport’s (Sunport) 4-mile rail spur in New Mexico have been rehabilitated through a public-private partnership with New Mexico Transloading LLC (NMT).
Railway Age December 2025 Digital Edition Now On Line
Railway Age’s December 2025 issue is now available digitally, spotlighting the Freight Rail Outlook for 2026. Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono and Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl address the topic that will preoccupy the industry for most if not all of the year: the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern U.S. transcontinental merger.
Transit Briefs: NYMTA, VIA Rail, Mass. Government
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unveils a collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). Also, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) unveils its 2026-2029 Accessibility Plan; and a new Massachusetts law shields transit workers from assaults.