Federal Railroad Administration

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on April 12 reported via Twitter: “It was a pleasure to be in Hugoton today to break ground on a $15M project to upgrade the Cimarron Valley Railroad. This makes food and fuel transport across southwest Kansas easier and more efficient than ever, boosting our agriculture industry and economy.”

Small-Road Briefs: CVRR, INRD, Watco

Jaguar Transport’s Cimarron Valley Railroad (CVRR) launches a $15 million infrastructure improvement project. Also, Indiana Rail Road (INRD) is adding a six-acre container yard; and Watco earns Best Practice Institute’s (BPI) Most Loved Workplace® certification for the second consecutive year.

The FRA recently concluded a series of six working group meetings “to inform and collaborate” with stakeholders across the country on the department’s Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study.

Transit Briefs: Amtrak/FRA, MBTA, SEPTA, Rogers

Common themes emerge from the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) stakeholder meetings studying the restoration and expansion of Amtrak long-distance passenger rail services. Also, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) purchases Widett Circle for a new commuter rail layover yard; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) issues a proposed FY 2024 capital budget and 12-year program; and Rogers Communications plans to bring full 5G connectivity services to the Toronto Transit Commission’s (TTC) subway system.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. Executive Director Rachel Maleh.

OLI: $50,000 for N.Y. Crossing Safety Campaign

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), in partnership with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), announced April 6 that it will award a $50,000 Innovative Rail Safety Competitive Grant to New York Operation Lifesaver (New York OLI) to fund “a targeted multifaceted education and outreach campaign to schools, school bus drivers, community groups, law enforcement agencies and other first responders to facilitate increased free rail safety presentations.”

A March 31-April 1 inspection of the CATS Operations Control Center by the North Carolina Department of Transportation found that “required staffing levels were not met—and the transit agency was ordered to ‘cease revenue service’ if not addressed the following day,” according to the Charlotte Business Journal. (CATS Photograph)

Transit Briefs: CATS, FRA Corridor ID, GCRTA, MBTA, WMATA

Charlotte Area (N.C.) Transit System (CATS) addresses its lack of required Operations Control Center staff. Also, Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority, Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority, and an Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga partnership submit proposals for intercity passenger rail service through the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Corridor Identification and Development (ID) Program; Greater Cleveland (Ohio) Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) selects Siemens Mobility as the likely supplier of its new light rail vehicle fleet; Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) publishes a three-year safety improvement plan; and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) readies for the spring reopening of its Yellow Line.

Pre-impact photo of conventional locomotive (left) and CEM locomotive (right). (Caption and Photograph Courtesy of FRA)

FRA Issues Report on Train-to-Train Impact Test

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has published the results of its train-to-train impact test evaluating the effectiveness of crash energy management (CEM) components in improving crashworthiness for equipped locomotives in a wide range of potential collisions.