North America
-
NewsAmtrak accelerates infrastructure work amid pandemic losses
USA: Amtrak has used the coronavirus-induced collapse in demand for travel to push ahead with a number of infrastructure and investment projects, despite posting a loss of $801m for the financial year to September 30.
-
News
Amtrak and NJ Transit make Penn Station refurbishment progress
USA: The modernisation of New York Penn Station has taken another step forward with completion of a refresh of the pre-boarding waiting area for Amtrak passengers and improved access to the NJ Transit concourse.
-
Rail Business UK
UK rail industry’s virtual trade mission targets Canada
UK: The Railway Industry Association and the Department for International Trade are partnering to launch their first virtual trade mission, which will see delegates participating in a programme of activities with key players from across the Canadian rail sector from February 1 to 12 2021. ...
-
News
Rocky Mountaineer announces ‘Rockies to the Red Rocks’ luxury train
USA: Luxury train operator Rocky Mountaineer has announced plans to launch a two-day ‘Rockies to the Red Rocks’ rail journey between Denver in Colorado and Moab in Utah during 2021. Passengers would stay overnight at a hotel in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The new service will be ...
-
News
Pikes Peak rack railway coach ready for commissioning
USA: The first of the coaches which Stadler’s Bussnang plant in Switzerland is building for the Broadmoor Manitou Pikes Peak Cog Railway in Colorado has been handed over to the commissioning team. The 14·3 km standard gauge mountain railway opened in 1891. Following ...
-
News
Amtrak welcomes FRA rule on passenger train performance
USA: After a hotly contested process lasting more than a decade, the Federal Railroad Administration published a Final Rule on November 16 establishing metrics and minimum standards to measure the performance and service quality of inter-city passenger trains.
-
Urban news
First REM light metro trainset unveiled in Montréal
CANADA: The first cars to be supplied by Alstom for the Réseau Express Métropolitain automated metro network in Montréal were formally unveiled by Groupe PMM on November 16.
-
News
Pacific Harbor Line to test EMD Joule battery locomotive
USA: Pacific Harbor Line is to test progress Rail’s 3 200 hp EMD Joule lithium-ion battery shunting locomotive in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach from the second half of 2021. Anacostia Rail Holdings subsidiary PHL provides shunting services and dispatches all BNSF ...
-
News
Jaguar buys short lines
USA: Jaguar Transport Holdings has acquired five short line railways and a construction and maintenance company from The Western Group. The acquisitions which came into effect on November 1 cover the: Cimarron Valley Railroad in southwest Kansas, northern Oklahoma, and eastern Colorado; ...
-
Urban news
MTA uses WhatsApp to reach more New Yorkers
USA: New York subway and bus users can now communicate with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in real time using the WhatsApp messaging platform. MTA expects this to prove especially helpful for non-native English speakers, with frontline personnel from the Digital Communications Unit using Google Translate ...
-
Urban news
Eight Covid-19 mitigation technologies to be tested by transport operators
USA: Eight finalists have been selected for the Transit Innovation Partnership Covid-19 Response Challenge, a global competition seeking to evaluate technologies to increase public transport safety and responsiveness during the coronavirus pandemic.
-
News
Amtrak quick to welcome Biden win
USA: National passenger rail corporation Amtrak was one of the first organisations to welcome the news on November 7 that Joe Biden had won the US presidential election.
-
News
Brightline West construction delayed as bond sale fails
USA: Construction of the privately-funded Brightline West passenger line between Southern California and Las Vegas in Nevada has been delayed indefinitely after a $2·4bn bond offering failed to attract buyers. It had been hoped that construction of the electrified line designed for 200 km/h operation could ...
-
Urban news
Valley Line West PPP partner selected
CANADA: The City of Edmonton has selected Marigold Infrastructure Partners as ‘preferred proponent’ for a PPP contract to design, build and partially finance the 14 km Valley Line West light rail extension. Following final discussions, the contract is expected to be signed off by the end ...
-
Urban news
Monterrey metro train unveiled
MEXICO: Chinese manufacturer CRRC Zhuzhou has unveiled the first of 26 two-car articulated light metro trainsets ordered by Monterey operator Metrorrey. The trainsets are intended for use on the existing lines 1 and 2 as well as Line 3 which is under construction for opening ...
-
Urban news
Ticket validators give operator multiple options
CANADA: Software-agnostic ticket validator supplier Access-IS is supplying more than 1 000 of its VAL1000 devices for the roll-out of Masabi’s MyFare contactless mobile ticketing at Calgary Transit. The validation units are powered by Masabi’s Justride Inspect software. Passengers scan dynamic and encrypted mobile passes when ...
-
In depth
North America: Pandemic undermines Amtrak revival
Service reductions and staff layoffs are in prospect as Amtrak seeks to cut costs in the face of a coronavirus-led collapse in ridership, reports Joseph M Calisi.
-
News
Patriot Rail to acquire the Salt Lake, Garfield & Western Railway
USA: Short line and regional freight railway group Patriot Rail is to acquire the privately-owned Salt Lake, Garfield Western Railway in Utah, along with storage and transload service providers Caballero and Caballero 2. The transaction announced on October 28 is subject to customary closing ...
-
News
San Diego NCTD orders more Charger locomotives
USA: San Diego’s North County Transit District has ordered a further two Siemens Mobility Charger locomotives, taking its total order to nine. The latest order announced on October 26 will complete NCTD’s project to replace the locomotives currently used on Coaster commuter services with a ...
-
Urban news
Updating information for the ‘less-stressed traveller’
USA: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a contract to supply a real-time passenger information system for the Muni light rail and bus network. This will include upgraded software for more accurate prediction of vehicle arrival times, multimedia LCD signs at rail ...
