New York and Atlantic

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber announced that the Interborough Express (IBX) project is moving from the planning to active phase during a press conference at 61st St. & 14th Av. on Aug 1. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Tri-Rail, FTA

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) begins the engineering and design phase for Interborough Express (IBX) and awards an Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) Implementation System contract for Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). Also, South Florida’s Tri-Rail achieves a new all-time fiscal year ridership record; and the Federal Transit Administration rolls out guidance for host cities of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Brookhaven Rail Terminal in Long Island, N.Y. (Photograph courtesy of OmniTRAX)

OmniTRAX Expands into Long Island, NY

OmniTRAX on July 30 reported being named the exclusive railroad operator of the Long Island, N.Y.-based Brookhaven Rail Terminal, which serves commodities, aggregates, and building materials customers including The Home Depot, Heidelberg, and LBM Riverhead.

New York MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards on Oct. 29 announced an RFP for the design phase of the proposed Interborough Express (IBX) near the future site of the Jackson Heights terminal at 71st St. (Marc A. Hermann / MTA)

Transit Briefs: NYMTA, Metra, CapMetro

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) releases an RFP (Request for Proposals) to begin the preliminary engineering phase of the $5.5 billion Interborough Express (IBX) project. Also, Metra reopens the 147th Street/Sibley Boulevard Station in Harvey, Ill., after a two-plus year rebuild; and Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) plans a double-tracking project in East Austin, Tex.

ASLRRA representatives will share examples of the ways short lines, including Missiion Mountain Railroad, have grown their businesses at next month’s STB hearing on freight rail industry growth trends and strategies. (Photograph Courtesy of ASLRRA)

ASLRRA Briefs

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) submits testimony for the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) September hearing on freight rail growth. Also, the association urges Class II’s and III’s seeking a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) exemption for certain one-person train crew operations to file their relevant paperwork now.

Waste is a greener thing to mind with KLW

The New York & Atlantic Railway (NY&A), Waste Management of New York (WMNY) and the New York City Department of Sanitation have joined forces on a Locomotive Repower Project to redesign and repower a diesel-electric freight locomotive with state-of-the-art low-emissions diesel technologies supplied by KLW (Knoxville Locomotive Works). The U.S. EPA, through the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program, as authorized by the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA), is funding this project.