Phoenix Valley Metro will receive $16 million for the Rio East-Dobson Streetcar Study, which eyes a 4.35-mile extension from Tempe into Mesa, Ariz. (Valley Metro Photograph)

First Look: Rail-Related RAISE Grantees for FY24

More than $310 million in FY 2024 RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) program grants will be distributed to 23 freight and passenger rail-related projects in 19 states, according to a U.S. Department

Shenandoah Seeks Qualified Operator of Existing NS ‘B Line’

The Northern Shenandoah Valley Transportation Preservation Corporation (Shenandoah), in partnership with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Historic District, has released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a professional, qualified rail operator for the

UIPA reported that its Board, in collaboration with Utah’s Carbon and Emery counties, approved a 2,185-acre industrial development project after consultations and environmental reviews to ensure the development aligns with community needs and regulatory requirements. (UIPA Photograph)

UIPA Adopts New industrial Development Project Area

Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) on June 24 adopted the Castle Country Project Area for industrial development in Carbon and Emery counties, which are served by Union Pacific (UP) and Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary Utah Railway.

(FRA Logo)

CN Eyes Expansion of ‘In-Train Wheelset Replacement Program’

CN subsidiary Illinois Central (IC) has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a waiver of compliance to add a new location to its “in-train wheelset replacement program,” according to an FRA notice in the Federal Register’s June 25 edition. The program currently operates under a waiver at a facility in Fulton, Ky., and has been “a resounding success,” the railroad told FRA.

In August 2021, the STB Office of Environmental Analysis issued a Final EIS for the project, identifying the 88-mile Whitmore Park Alternative as the environmentally preferred route for the Uinta Basin Railway, one of three analyzed. It would extend from two terminus points in northeastern Utah’s Uinta Basin near Myton and Leland Bench to a connection with the existing Union Pacific Provo Subdivision near Kyune (see map above).

Will SCOTUS Review Uinta Basin Railway Case? (UPDATED 6/24)

Utah’s Seven County Infrastructure Coalition in March petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review an appellate court’s decision that “derailed” the Uinta Basin Railway project, according to Colorado Newsline. SCOTUS on June 24

Cathcart was selected by CORP, a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary, to provide railcar inspection and repair services across the 362-mile railroad’s major yards in Roseburg, Cottage Grove, and Medford, Ore. (G&W Photograph)

Small-Road Briefs: CORP/Cathcart; OmniTRAX/SLSI; R.J. Corman

Central Oregon & Pacific (CORP) contracts Cathcart Rail (Cathcart) for railcar inspection and repair. Also, OmniTRAX hosts emergency response training in Colorado with the Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) and local fire departments; and R.J. Corman Railroad Group (R.J. Corman) holds its annual RJC Gives Week.

Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad Photograph (top) Courtesy of Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659; and Pacific Harbor Line Photograph Courtesy of Anacostia Rail Holdings.

BLET Advances Agreements With CF&E, PHL

Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have ratified an agreement with Genesee & Wyoming’s Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad (CF&E) and reached a tentative agreement with Anacostia

“We heard first-hand from firefighters that were responding to the Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine that they and other first responders need hazardous materials train consists as soon as an incident occurs,” PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown reported during the June 24 announcement of the agency’s final rule requiring railroads to provide train consist information. (PHMSA Photograph)

PHMSA Finalizes Rail Safety Rule to Aid First Responders in Hazmat Incidents

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on June 24 reported finalizing a new rule that would require railroads “to proactively provide” real-time, electronic information about rail hazmat shipments to first

TSB Releases Annual ‘Safety Recommendations’ Assessment

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) on June 20 issued an annual assessment of responses to its “outstanding safety recommendations” in the rail, marine and air transportation sectors.

Commentary

How Freight Rail Sets the Benchmark for Safety Standards, Performance

Innovation and a strong culture are driving a safer future for freight rail.

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