Railroad News

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has talked with Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk about the possibility of digging a tunnel for a high-speed rail line that would extend from downtown Chicago to O'Hare International Airport, according to Chicago news media.

Emanuel described the discussions as "preliminary," according to the Chicago Tribune. The mayor told the newspaper he will have Musk's team visit Chicago to see if digging a line makes more sense than other options such as using an existing railroad right of way or double-decking the Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line to transport riders to the airport.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has named the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) its "outstanding public transportation system" for 2017.

The award recognizes the Toronto agency's "transformative change" over the past five years, TTC officials said in a press release. The TTC's efforts have included developing a five-year plan aimed at putting customers first.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators this week introduced the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) of 2017, a measure that would reauthorize the federal clean-air program through fiscal-year 2022 at current funding levels.

The legislation also would ensure equal funding opportunities between large cities and rural areas, according to a press release issued by U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW).

An MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) A-line subway train derailed yesterday and injured at least 34 people.

None of the injuries were life-threatening, according to the New York City Fire Department's Twitter account.

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) has expedited efforts to repair 10 light-rail cars to increase capacity following a heat wave in the western United States.

Last week, the light-rail fleet's air conditioning systems struggled to perform in the region's triple-digit temperatures, causing "extreme discomfort for both passengers and operators," SacRT officials said in a press release.

TransLink has begun welcoming new retailers to its SkyTrain stations for the first time in eight years.

The agency's retail real estate program generates CA$500,000 each year, a figure that's anticipated to double over the next five years, TransLink officials said in a press release issued last week.

U.S. Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) last week introduced a bipartisan bill that would create a dedicated funding source for freight-related infrastructure projects.

H.R. 3001, the National Multimodal and Sustainable Freight Infrastructure Act, would build on the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which outlines for the first time a national freight policy, according to a press release issued by Lowenthal's office.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on July 1 will begin a $163 million project to rebuild and improve century-old sections of the M rail line.

Contractors will demolish and rebuild a crucial segment of the line between the Fresh Pond Road and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue stations in Queens, New York. The segment includes a 100-year-old metal bridge that crosses over the New York & Atlantic Railway's tracks.

The Commonwealth Transportation Board yesterday approved a six-year, $18.6 billion improvement program for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT).

The allocation will cover more than 3,600 projects that will improve highways, roads, bridges, rail, transit and bicycle and pedestrian paths across the state over the next six fiscal years.

Amtrak yesterday named former airline industry executive Richard Anderson as the national passenger railroad's next president and chief executive officer.

Anderson, who most recently was executive chairman of Delta Air Lines after serving as the airline's CEO from 2007 to 2016, will begin his new duties at Amtrak on July 12, Amtrak officials announced in a press release.

Metra has hired Jayne Deno as chief human resources officer.

Deno most recently served as vice president of human resources at Americas for Oerlikon Fairfield in Lafayette, Indiana.

Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) board has approved a $1.92 billion budget for fiscal-year 2018 that includes funds to acquire new rail cars.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has executed an $87.7 million low-interest loan for Sound Transit's new light-rail operations and maintenance facility in Bellevue, Washington.

The 25-acre operations and maintenance shop is needed to accommodate expansion of the Puget Sound region's light-rail system, Sound Transit officials said in a press release. By 2024, the system will grow from 22 miles to 62, with the existing light-rail fleet slated to grow from 62 cars to 214.

VTG Rail Inc. has acquired the fleet of Redwood Rail LLC, a transaction that will add 1,135 rail cars to VTG's fleet, the company announced today.

The acquisition will enlarge VTG's fleet to 5,200 rail cars. VTG also assumed the associated leases as well as Redwood Rail's existing customer relationships, according to a VTG press release.