(Image Courtesy of Virginia DRPT)

Virginia DRPT: Grant Applications Welcome

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) on Dec. 1 will begin accepting rail, transit, and commuter assistance grant applications for the 2026 Fiscal Year.

FGA operates 430 miles of track, running east/west along the I-10 corridor between Baldwin, Fla., and Pensacola, Fla., with a branch line that runs between Tallahassee, Fla., and Attapulgus, Ga. It interchanges daily with CSX in Baldwin and Pensacola, as well as with AN Railway in Chattahoochee, Fla. (Map Courtesy of Pinsly Railroad Company)

FGA Ratifies First BLET Contract

More than two dozen Florida Gulf & Atlantic (FGA) railroaders who earlier this year voted to join the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have ratified their first union contract. The

Transit Briefs: South Florida Coastal Link, KC Streetcar, Trinity Metro, Alstom

South Florida Coastal Link seeks an operating agency. Also, KC Streetcar #807 is ready for passenger service; Trinity Metro adds four new Stadler DMU FLIRT vehicles to its fleet; and Alstom renews its contract to operate and maintain the Automated People Mover (APM) system at Denver International Airport.

(Image Courtesy of FTA)

FTA Issues Advisory on Street-Running Rail Collisions

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Nov. 25 issued Safety Advisory 24-2 in an aim to reduce fatalities and injuries caused by street-running rail vehicle collisions.

NCCC, NCFO Reach Tentative Agreement; ARSF Members Ratify CBAs

The National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) reaches a tentative agreement with the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO). Also, members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ (BMWED-IBT) American Rail System Federation (ARSF) on the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) and the Norfolk and Portsmouth Belt Line Railroad (NPBL) ratify new collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).

Amtrak announces the restoration of Empire Service in time for the holiday season. (Photograph Courtesy of the New York Governor’s Office)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, MBTA, Metrolinx

Amtrak restores Empire Service. Also, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is acquiring more Hyundai Rotem bilevels and taking delivery, on schedule, of new Orange and Red line railcars from CRRC; and Metrolinx advances the Ontario Line project in Toronto.

RSI’s Patty Long Set to Retire

After a long career in the association management profession, Railway Supply Institute (RSI) President Patty Long will retire, effective March 31, 2025.

People News: A. Stucki Company, HDR, CN

A. Stucki Company names Michelle Baker as Chief Transformation Officer. Also, HDR’s Tyrone Gan is honored with Canadian Urban Transit Association’s (CUTA) William G. Ross Lifetime Achievement Award; and CN President and CEO Tracy Robinson is celebrated at the Horatio Alger Awards gala in Toronto.

SelTrac™ G9 Development Under Way

SelTrac™ G9, the ninth generation of the moving-block CBTC (communications-based train control) system first rolled out in Canada by Alcatel in the 1970s and now offered by Hitachi Rail following its acquisition

CSX Hosts Holiday Express Celebration in Response to Hurricane Helene

CSX on Nov. 21 welcomed thousands of area residents to its yards in Erwin, Tenn., for a special CSX Holiday Express celebration.

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