USA railroad industry news – Page 12
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Metro Report InternationalPCC trolley cars return to service in Philadelphia
USA: Presidents’ Conference Committee trams dating back to 1947 have re-entered service on Philadelphia’s Route 15 following refurbishment. The 1 581 mm gauge vehicles were originally built by St Louis Car Co and remained in service until 1992. In 2005, 18 cars which had been extensively ...
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NewsHow to launch a US high speed rail project
USA: The US High Speed Rail Association has published a ‘first-of-its-kind action plan’ designed to equip advocates with practical tips, realistic expectations and strategic support as they work to launch new projects for 300+ km/h railways. High-Speed Rail Project Initiation: A Roadmap for Advocates focuses on ...
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NewsAdvanced Polymer Coatings targets wagon market
USA: Advanced Polymer Coatings has launched TriFLEX, a direct-to-metal exterior coating system for wagons which it has developed in collaboration with the chemical sector and ‘major rail rolling stock operators’ to offer chemical resistance, mechanical toughness, UV stability and weather resistance. ‘We believe there’s a gap ...
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Metro Report InternationalSubway investment in doubt as New York ‘indefinitely pauses’ congestion pricing programme
USA: State Governor Kathy Hochul has directed New York MTA to ‘indefinitely pause’ the central Manhattan congestion pricing programme which had been scheduled for introduction on June 30. According to the June 5 announcement by the governor’s office, the decision was made to ‘address New Yorkers ...
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Metro Report InternationalVTA starts work on Eastridge connector light rail extension
USA: San José light rail operator VTA has started work on a southern extension of its Orange Line from Alum Rock to Eastridge. Celebrations were held at the Eastridge Transit Center on June 8 to mark the start of construction on the 3·9 km extension, which ...
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NewsFRA studies the behaviour of very long freight trains
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has produced three reports into the safety and performance of trains more than 7 500 ft (2 286 m) in length. Testing found that air brake systems performed largely as expected when in a controlled environment, but FRA says further testing ...
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NewsVirginia looks to boost passenger services
USA: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is in preliminary discussions with Norfolk Southern for the purchase of the route used by Manassas Line commuter services, and to introduce passenger services to the New River Valley in the southeast of the state. Purchasing the Manassas Line would enable ...
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Metro Report InternationalLos Angeles metro train upgrading contract awarded
Source: AveryTheComrade/CC0/Wikimedia Commons USA: Los Angeles County MTA has awarded South Korean company Woojin Industrial Systems a $214m contract to modernise 74 metro cars ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics. The A650 vehicles were originally supplied by Italian company Breda in the late 1990s. The modernisation ...
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Metro Report InternationalMetro-North Railroad workshop modernisation project completed
USA: New York Governor Kathy Hochul attended an event on May 10 to mark the completion of the 23-year Harmon Yard project to modernise MTA Metro-North Railroad’s commuter train maintenance depot at Croton-on-Hudson. The fifth and final phase of the project was undertaken by a joint ...
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Metro Report International3D Fare Gates aim to deter evasion
USA: Conduent Transportation is working with Philadelphia’s SEPTA to trial its 3D Fare Gates which aim to detect, deter and quantify the fare evasion which costs the transport agency an estimated $30m to $40m a year. The gates are based on a design deployed in Paris ...
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NewsUS announces federal rules on certification of dispatchers and signalling employees
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has announced two final rules that will require railways to develop certification and training programmes for dispatchers and people who install and maintain signalling systems. Unlike with train crews, there have previously been no federal regulations mandating specific training requirements, safety ...
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NewsRailmark takes over Mississippi freight line
USA: Railmark Industrial Railway is to take over operation of an 18 km freight branch in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, which interchanges with Norfolk Southern and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The railway was built in 1980 to serve a planned nuclear power station. The nuclear project was cancelled ...
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NewsWheel lathe company announces US acquisition
USA: Spanish wheel lathe and machine tool manufacturer Danobat has acquired Michigan based Delta Wheel Truing Solutions, which designs and manufactures rolling stock wheel re-profiling equipment and has several patents as well as an established customer base. The acquisition announced on May 8 ‘is an important ...
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NewsActivist investors shake up Norfolk Southern board
USA: Activist hedge fund investor Ancora Holdings has won three seats on the board at Norfolk Southern in a vote at the annual shareholder meeting on May 9, ousting the railroad’s Board Chair, Governance Committee Chair and Compensation Committee Chair. Ancora holds a $1bn stake in ...
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Metro Report InternationalPlaybook sets out SEPTA’s sustainability vision
USA: Philadelphia transport agency SEPTA has published a Sustainability Playbook setting out its latest seven-year vision to embed environmental, social and economic best practices within its operations. Plans include: transitioning revenue and non-revenue vehicles to zero emissions, and right-sizing the non-revenue fleet vehicles for efficiency ...
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NewsGulf & Atlantic Railways rebrands
USA: Short line and regional railway group Gulf & Atlantic Railways has rebranded as Pinsly Railroad Company. The name change announced on May 1 comes after Gulf & Atlantic’s October 2023 acquisition of Pioneer Valley Railroad, which was Pinsly Railroad Co’s last short line. ...
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NewsLas Vegas – California high speed train supplier selected
USA: Private sector project promoter Brightline West has named Siemens Mobility as preferred bidder to supply 355 km/h electric trainsets for its planned high speed line between Las Vegas and California. The order, which is still to be finalised, would cover 10 American Pioneer 220 trainsets ...
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Metro Report InternationalSound Transit opens Eastside light rail 2 Line
USA: The initial section of Seattle’s light rail 2 Line on the east side of Lake Washington opened on April 27, the first of a number of openings expected over the next year. The initial section runs 10·6 km from South Bellevue to Redmond Technology, with ...
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NewsUnion Pacific ready to test hybrid locomotive
USA: Union Pacific is to begin testing the first of six diesel-battery-hybrid shunting locomotives during May. The railway has produced a prototype locomotive at its workshop in North Little Rock, Arkansas, working with loco control technology supplier ZTR which designed the hybrid propulsion system. A second ...
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Metro Report InternationalImproved wayfinding to simplify navigating Philadelphia’s public transport
USA: Philadelphia transport operator SEPTA has begun rolling out wayfinding improvements, which CEO & General Manager Leslie S Richards said ‘will make the system easier to navigate for all passengers, regardless of language, ability, or familiarity with public transportation’ as part of preparations for the city ...