The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) is requesting public input as it launches an update to its State Rail Plan, which, the agency says, “addresses existing and future passenger and freight rail services in Oklahoma.”
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Central Oklahoma wins a USDOT grant to evaluate at-grade crossings along a proposed commuter rail corridor. Also, Utah Transit Authority (UTA) finalizes plans for a new TRAX light rail line; the Minnesota governor’s budget proposal reduces support for rail operations at Metro Transit; Chicago’s Metra is reopening one commuter rail station and closing another temporarily for rehab on its Metra Electric Line; and Amtrak Virginia sets an all-time record with 2024 ridership.
Amtrak to restore full service on the Cascade line to pre-pandemic levels. Also, NJ Transit expands Student Discount Program to include part-time students.
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) on Dec. 15 celebrated the grand opening and completion of the $35.5 million, 64-acre truck-to-rail Mid-Willamette Valley Intermodal Center.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Province of British Columbia (B.C.) are supporting the feasibility of a high-speed rail service connecting Vancouver, Seattle and Portland with $4 million in funding and a $300,000 investment, respectively, toward the next phase of the Ultra-High-Speed Ground Transportation (UHSGT) project.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is envisioning a 250-mph “ultra-high speed ground transportation system” connecting Vancouver, B.C.; Seattle, Wash. and Portland, Ore., with Seattle-Vancouver and Seattle-Portland travel times reduced to one hour each. Engineering and professional services consultancy WSP will be preparing a business case analysis for what WSDOT describes as “an international, public-private partnership of WSDOT; the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT); the British Columbia Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology; and Microsoft Corp.”
The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) on August 28, 2015 approved an updated set of rules for transporting hazardous materials by rail. Combined with Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) addition of four Federal Railroad Administration-certified rail inspectors, the rules “aim to improve the state’s ability to prevent incidents and respond to them if they occur,” OTC said.
Construction is under way on the first of three phases to upgrade the CORP (Central Oregon & Pacific) Siskiyou rail line; work will begin this spring and summer to reopen the 95-mile line between Ashland, Ore. and Weed, Calif. The 389-mile CORP is a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary.
