North America – Page 6
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In depthComment: Turbulence on the tracks
The US rail market must adjust to the unpredictable world of ’Trumponomics’, where major projects are scorned, yet domestic manufacturing and ‘onshoring’ is welcomed, says our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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NewsVPRA breaks ground on New River Valley passenger rail project
USA: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority launches a $264·5m project to extend the Washington DC – Roanoke Amtrak service over a Norfolk Southern-owned line to the university city of Christiansburg.
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NewsMardi Gras Service train to link New Orleans and Mobile
USA: Amtrak is to launch a twice-daily Mardi Gras Service passenger train linking New Orleans with Mobile via the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
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NewsAmtrak takes helm of New York Penn rebuild
USA: The Trump administration has stripped New York MTA of its role in redeveloping New York Penn Station, leaving the federal government in charge through the Department of Transportation and Amtrak. MTA manages two commuter rail operators with an interest in operations at Penn, as well as the Subway lines.
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Metro Report InternationalInglewood peoplemover project put on hold
USA: The Inglewood Transit Connector project to build an automated peoplemover in the Greater Los Angeles area has been put on hold.
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Metro Report InternationalNew York subway map restyled
USA: The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority introduced a redesigned network map on April 2. The first such full redesign since 1979 sees a more diagrammatic style introduced, with lines shown either on a rectilinear grid or at 45°, instead of the previous flowing curves and irregular geometry.
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Metro Report InternationalLatin America: Unlocking multimobility
Reliance on proprietary technology and fragmented ticketing systems can constrain the value of public transport. The adoption of open standards in Mexico City offers an example of how integrated multimodal networks can enhance access and contribute to wider economic prosperity.
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NewsTexas high speed rail project grant cancelled
USA: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has cancelled a $63·9m Federal Railroad Administration grant for the Amtrak Texas High-Speed Rail Corridor, with the main investor in Texas Central saying the ’project should be led by the private sector’. The grant funding will now be allocated to other rail projects.
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NewsCEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility dies in helicopter crash
INTERNATIONAL: Agustin Escobar, CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, his wife and three children and the pilot were killed when a New York sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River on April 10.
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NewsHydrogen loco commercialisation in sight after successful trial
USA: Californian short line Sierra Northern Railway has completed testing of a hydrogen fuel cell shunting locomotive, and says its technology is suitable for widespread commercialisation ‘in the immediate future’. The successful trial ‘marks another major milestone in Sierra’s mission to bring hydrogen-powered zero emission switcher ...
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NewsStates seek to emulate Virginia passenger rail expansion model
USA: The Commonwealth of Virginia is making progress with its passenger rail investment initiative, which will see the number of passenger trains operating in the state double from 2019 to 2030.
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NewsContactless payment deployed on commuter rail
USA: Philadelphia’s SEPTA says it is the first commuter rail operator in the USA to deploy contactless payment, which went live on its Regional Rail services on April 4. Passengers can tap on and tap off at fare gates and platform validators using credit or debit ...
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NewsRailGreen verifies rail freight emission reductions with biofuels
USA: Norfolk Southern has launched RailGreen, offering freight shippers verified certification of supply chain emissions reduction through the use of biofuels for carbon insetting. Insetting directly reduces emissions by funding sustainable fuel initiatives, in contrast to carbon offsets which reduce emissions outside of a company’s operations, ...
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NewsKansas City West Bottoms Railroad to provide short-haul services
USA: Union Pacific has entered into an agreement for Jaguar Transport Holdings’ newly-formed Kansas City West Bottoms Railroad to provide short line services on around 6 km of track in the Central Industrial District of Kansas City, Missouri.
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NewsSouth Coast Rail commuter services launched
USA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and operator Keolis Commuter Services have launched passenger services on Phase 1 of the South Coast Rail project, providing Fall River and New Bedford with trains to Boston for the first time in more than 65 years.
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NewsCounty Line Rail acquires Sabine River & Northern Railroad
USA: Gulf Coast area yard operator County Line Rail has acquired the Sabine River & Northern Railroad. The 64 km short line runs from Bessmay to Echo in Texas, with a branch line from Buna to Evandale and connections to Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Union Pacific ...
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NewsRocky Mountaineer’s US operation to become Canyon Spirit
USA: Canadian and US luxury rail operator Rocky Mountaineer is to expand its Rockies to the Red Rocks route for the 2026 season, and rebrand its US operation from Rocky Mountaineer to Canyon Spirit. The Rockies to the Red Rocks service launched in 2021 runs from Denver ...
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NewsAmtrak CEO Gardner leaves as operator pushes back against Musk’s privatisation drive
USA: Amtrak CEO Stephen Gardner announced on March 19 that he was stepping down from the national passenger operator with immediate effect.
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NewsClear answer to NJ Transit’s cloudy window problem
USA: NJ Transit has worked with the Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure & Transportation to asses damage to the polycarbonate coating on rolling stock windows caused by acid rain, heat and ultraviolet rays. It was determined that refurbishing the windows on its double-deck push-pull trainsets was ...
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NewsWatco to acquire Great Lakes Central Railroad
USA: Watco is to acquire the 650 km Great Lakes Central Railroad, which runs north from Ann Arbor in Michigan to Cadillac with branches to Thompsonville, Traverse City and Petoskey. It interchanges with CSX, Mid-Michigan Railroad, Huron & Eastern Railway, Canadian National and Watco’s Ann Arbor ...