Rendering of the Siemens Mobility AP 220 high-speed trainset for Brightline West. (Courtesy of Siemens Mobility)

FRA Advances Brightline West Project With Signed Agreement

Brightline West on Sept. 26 reported that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has officially signed the $3 billion grant agreement awarded in December 2023 for its 218-mile high-speed rail project linking Nevada

Class I Briefs: UP, CSX, NS, BNSF

Union Pacific (UP) and The Manufacturing Institute release “Careers on Track: 3 Years of Impact,” a video highlighting their joint efforts to inspire the workforce of tomorrow. Also, CSX President and CEO Joe Hinrichs celebrates his second anniversary with the Class I; Norfolk Southern’s (NS) Norris Yard drives performance improvements; and BNSF completes a maintenance project on its bridge in Sibley, Mo., one of the last single-track sections on the Class I’s Southern Transcon route.

CHSRA Releases 2024 Sustainability Report

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Sept. 26 released its annual Sustainability Report detailing the “cumulative and annual progress the high-speed rail project has made on its social, economic and environmental goals in the last year.”

Byl Herrmann, Amtrak (left) and Miguel Santiago, STV. (Photographs courtesy of the respective companies)

People News: Amtrak, STV

Amtrak elevates Byl Herrmann to Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Also, professional services firm STV hires Miguel Santiago as Vice President and Newark, N.J., Area Manager for the Transportation Northeast Operating Group.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, DART, LA Metro, TriMet, Jacobs, Denver RTD

Amtrak debuts a new integration with Google to support more sustainable transportation choices. Also, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is named Agency of the Year by Latinos In Transit (LIT); LA Metro shares its Mobility Concept Plan for the 2028 Olympic games; TriMet approves a new labor contract with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757; the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) appoints Jacobs as the program management consultant for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Station Improvements Project; and the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) marks 30 years of light rail.

Under the proposed MTA 2025-2029 Capital Plan, New York City Transit will add 1,500 new subway cars to its fleet. (MTA Photograph)

NY MTA Eyes $68.4B Capital Plan for 2025-29 (UPDATED 9/26)

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Sept. 18 released its proposed 2025-2029 Capital Plan that would invest $68.4 billion in rebuilding, improving, and expanding its system of subways, buses, commuter railroads, bridges, and tunnels. It would put the agency “on a path to state of good repair,” with investments in railcars, power, and signals; improve the customer experience, with investments in accessibility, stations, and modern fare gates; and take action on climate change, including resilience and sustainability initiatives, MTA said. While covering the cost of the plan is still in question, the MTA Board approved it on Sept. 25.

(Logo Courtesy of Ports of Indiana and OmniTRAX)

Mount Vernon Railroad Launches, Serves Southwest Indiana Port

The Ports of Indiana and OmniTRAX on Sept. 25 reported the name of their new switching railroad serving customers at the southwest Indiana port: Mount Vernon Railroad.

Aerial view of the first derailment site (left) and the second derailment site (right). (NS Image, Courtesy of NTSB)​

NTSB Determines Probable Cause for March 2023 NS Derailment

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Sept. 25 released the final report for its investigation of the March 9, 2023, derailment of a Norfolk Southern (NS) train on the Alabama East End District

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Fifteenth of a Series: Opponents Raise New Issues in N.J. Court Case

Throughout the spring, we reported on the slow but steady progress of the proposal to charge tolls for most vehicles entering the Central Business District of Manhattan, defined as the part of

NS Settles East Palestine Class Action (UPDATED, Sept. 26)

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio Judge Benita Pearson has given final approval to the $600 million class-action settlement that Norfolk Southern offered to everyone who lived within 20

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