North America – Page 18
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NewsRevised California high speed rail track and electrification design RFQ issued
USA: California High-Speed Rail Authority has released a new request for qualifications for a contract to provide design services for the track and overhead electrification systems. The contract has an estimated value of up to $131·2m, plus options. It would cover high-level designs for track and ...
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Metro Report InternationalEdmonton’s Valley Line Southeast opens
CANADA: Edmonton’s Valley Line Southeast light rail route opened on November 4, running 13·1 km from 102 Street in the city centre to Mill Woods. The project forms part of the city’s plan to develop accessible, convenient and sustainable travel options, with a target of 50% ...
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NewsCalifornian coastal railway to be relocated inland
USA: San Diego Association of Governments has selected HDR in partnership with Mott MacDonald and SMEs to undertake environmental clearance and advanced conceptual engineering for a project to replace a section of coastal railway by a new inland alignment. The LOSSAN Rail Realignment Project would bypass ...
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NewsAir + High-Speed Rail project launched
INTERNATIONAL: An Air + HSR research project has been launched to analyse and improve the co-ordination of air and rail transport in Europe, the USA and China. The project aims to develop practical approaches improve services, enhance infrastructure and implement regulatory changes in order to maximise ...
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NewsNS deploys digital inspection portals to spot wagon problems
USA: Norfolk Southern has begun deploying digital train inspection portals which use machine vision to identify faults on moving wagons. The portals have been developed under a joint project between the railroad’s Data Science/Artificial Intelligence and Mechanical teams and the Georgia Tech ...
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NewsAmtrak introduces revised fare structure
USA: National passenger operator Amtrak has introduced a simplified fare structure which President Roger Harris said would offer passengers ‘more affordable and flexible’ travel options. The operator has reduced the number of basic fare types from three to two, with the aim of providing a more ...
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NewsNew Orleans – Baton Rouge passenger train agreement signed
USA: Amtrak has signed an agreement with Louisiana’s Department of Transportation to develop a long-planned inter-city service between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. ‘An Amtrak line connecting Louisiana’s capital to the largest metropolitan area in the state will have immense economic benefits for both cities and ...
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NewsFerrari Formula 1 team switches to rail
NORTH AMERICA: CEVA Logistics is organising the rail transport of Scuderia Ferrari’s Formula 1 equipment between three North American Grand Prix races as part of plans to reduce the sport’s carbon emissions. CEVA has been managing Scuderia Ferrari’s logistics since 2022, and says the movement of ...
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Metro Report InternationalHamilton light rail technical adviser appointed
CANADA: Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area transport agency Metrolinx has appointed AECOM as technical adviser for the Hamilton Light Rail Transit project. AECOM has subcontracted WSP to provide Technical Advisory Services including strategic guidance on delivery. The planned 14 km line with ...
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Metro Report InternationalBrakes and couplers ordered as part of New York Subway fleet renewal
USA: Wabtec is to provide braking systems and couplers for 640 R211 metro cars that Kawasaki Rail Car is to supply to New York City Transit. New York MTA ordered the 640 cars in October 2022 as an option on a January 2018 contract which included ...
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NewsCSX to deploy Siemens software to optimise operations
USA: CSX is to use Siemens Mobility’s Controlguide Core Dispatch System and TPS.live traffic planning systems to optimise its operations and maximise network capacity. Controlguide CDS offers granular visualisation of rail operations to support faster decision-making and route optimisation. Siemens Mobility and CSX began working together to ...
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Metro Report InternationalINIT selected for Atlanta fare collection contract
USA: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has selected INIT to supply a new automated fare collection system. The AFC 2.0 contract is expected to be signed in late 2023 or early 2024, with an expected value of over $100m for the initial design, installation and deployment, ...
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NewsMetra awarded funding to buy battery trains
USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra has been awarded a $169·3m federal Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Improvement grant for the purchase of up to 16 battery multiple-units. Metra said the zero-emission trainsets are ‘likely’ to be used on its Rock Island Line, benefiting the air quality ...
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Metro Report InternationalPublic feedback incorporated into Boston Green Line LRV specifications
USA: Public feedback is being incorporated into the specifications for the Type 10 Supercar light rail vehicles which CAF is to supply for Boston’s Green Line. ‘It’s important for riders to know that we care about both their safety and also their experiences on the system’, ...
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Metro Report InternationalPromoter defends Montréal REM cost escalation
CANADA: Despite ‘extraordinary circumstances and exceptional technical challenges’, the construction costs for Montréal’s REM automated light metro have been kept ‘within a very competitive budget compared with other similar major transportation projects around the world’, according to project promoter CDPQ Infra. The first 17 km section ...
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NewsCanada’s High Frequency Rail programme moves to RFP stage
CANADA: National transport minister Pablo Rodriguez has formally launched the Request for Proposals for the planned High Frequency Rail project to create a Québec City to Toronto rail corridor with dedicated passenger tracks. The RFP process will last until summer 2024, the government announced on October ...
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NewsAI and loco cameras to identify railway trespass risks
USA: AI-backed technology to use images from forward-facing locomotive cameras to identify railway trespass risks is to be developed by Wi-Tronix and Florida passenger operator Brightline. The project has been awarded $1·648m from the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure & Safety Improvements grant programme. High-definition ...
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NewsAmtrak Airo train production provides supply chain boost
USA: Amtrak says the production of Airo trainsets at Siemens Mobility’s Sacramento plant is boosting businesses across the country, with more than 3 500 parts being manufactured by nearly 100 suppliers in 31 states. ‘As we build to support the soaring demand for train travel, Amtrak ...
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NewsCalifornia orders hydrogen trains
USA: Stadler has been awarded what it calls a ‘transformative’ contract to supply hydrogen fuel cell multiple-units to California. The contract signed with the California State Transportation Agency and California Department of Transportation on October 12 includes a $80m firm order for four trains, with options ...
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In depthTraction: Intermittent wiring could form path to decarbonisation
Is there a feasible way to decarbonise North America’s railroads? Partial electrification matched with battery-powered traction may offer an answer.