Prototype News

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has awarded approximately $97 million to ten rail-related projects that it said prioritize public transit in communities most affected by pollution. They will be funded by the California Climate Investments (CCI) initiative through the Low Carbon Transit Operation Program (LCTOP).  

Another 134 non-rail-related projects will receive $123 million, Caltrans reported Jan. 14 (scroll down to download the complete list).

“The CCI steers billions of Cap-and-Invest dollars toward strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment—particularly in disadvantaged communities,” according to the government agency. “It is designed to reduce greenhouse gases from the largest emission sources in California, drive innovation and guide the state towards a clean energy economy.”

Following are rail-related projects receiving awards (listed by transit agency/commission):

• Sacramento Regional Transit District, $2.4 million: Blue Line Light Rail Station Conversions – Phase 2. This project will convert up to 19 light rail stations to low-floor platforms on the SacRT Blue Line. “In order for low-floor light rail vehicles to be accessible, light rail stations platform must be at least eight inches above the top of rail,” Caltran’s reporrted. “This allows the ramp to deploy from the vehicle to the station platform with the proper slope for passengers to board.”

• San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, $10.8 million: BART-to-Antioch Operating Funds (2.0 Year 1). The funding will be used for the operation of the BART-to-Antioch Extension that Caltrans said uses DMUs (Diesel Multiple Units) to connect BART’s Pittsburg/Bay Point station to Antioch.

• Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, $7.8 million: Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension SVBX (BART to San Jose) Operating Funds. According to Caltrans, the funds will be used for the operation of the SVBX project, which extends service from the existing BART rail system at the Warm Spring/South Fremont Station to new stations in Santa Clara County at Milpitas Station in the City of Milpitas and Berryessa Station in the City of San Jose.

• Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit District, $760,918: SMART Transit Operations. This project supports operations of commuter rail services in the SMART system, according to Caltrans. SMART operates 42 weekday trips as of FY24-25, an increase of four weekday trips from the prior year. SMART in FY24-25 opened a new station at Petaluma North; it opened an additional new station in Windsor, which included three new miles of track.

• Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, $48.8 million: Metro A Line Operations. Funding will support the operations of LACMTA’s A Line (light rail). The new and expanded transit service serves 44 stations and runs seven days per week.

• Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), $4.2 million: FY26 Student/Youth Discount. Metrolink will provide 50% discounted passes to secondary, college, and university students. The program will attract new riders and help occasional riders become regular riders, Caltrans noted, “thus reducing roadway VMT, traffic congestion, GHGs, and air pollution.”

• Riverside County Transportation Commission, $1.3 million: SCRRA Service Optimization in Riverside County. The Commission will use the funding “to expand rail service by increasing the number of weekday trains as part of SCRRA’s Metrolink regional passenger rail service,” Caltrans reported. New trains were added in October 2024.

• San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, $602,220: ACE Operational Support Program (Year 5). This program will provide operational funding related to the continued operation of the four ACE round trips from Stockton to San Jose, according to Caltrans.

• Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, $2.6 million: Ridership Recovery Service Enhancement. Caltrans reported that the funding will “[c]ontinue and maintain enhanced rail service, while supporting alternative transportation services (Operations).”

• City of San Francisco, $18.4 million: Free Muni for seniors, people with disabilities, and youth. According to Caltrans, this program is available to San Francisco residents aged 65 and above, whose gross annual family income is at or below 100% of the Bay Area Median Income. San Francisco residents with disabilities and a gross annual family income at or below 100% of the Bay Area median income can also participate. Muni fares for regular service for all individuals aged 18 and younger are eliminated.

“Partnering with local transportation agencies, we’re building a thriving, more connected California by investing in projects that will improve outcomes for all roadway users and help the state achieve its ambitious climate goals,” Caltrans Director Dina El-Tawansy said. “These clean transportation projects will better serve communities most affected by air pollution, expand bus and rail service and support free or reduced fare programs and encourage fewer, shorter automobile trips.”

The post California Investing $97MM in Rail Transit Projects appeared first on Railway Age.

Changes will be coming to train schedules on New Jersey Transit (NJT) during the second half of February and the first half of March, as the agency and Amtrak prepare for the cutover from the current century-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River to the newly constructed Portal North Bridge. Officials from both railroads gave a briefing on Jan. 15, describing the scope of work and some of the changes that will affect riders in the Garden State over the four-week period. It concerns a segment of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC), but NJT operates most of the trains that use it.

NJT CEO Kris Kolluri said the railroad will be running on a single-track segment between Newark Penn Station and Secaucus Junction and stressed the importance of maximizing capacity during this period, making sure that all communities maintain rail service, and emphasizing safety. According to the agency, the project will require reducing the number of weekday moves along that segment from 332 to 178; a 53% reduction, including redirecting many trains that have been originating/terminating at Penn Station New York to Hoboken Terminal.

“While the transfer, or ‘cutover,’ of Amtrak-owned [catenary] and electrical systems will ultimately deliver substantial benefits, it means customers on all rail lines except the Atlantic City Rail Line will experience temporary adjustments to rail service beginning Feb. 15 and continuing for approximately four weeks,” NJT said. “Expect modified train schedules to include some train consolidations or cancellations, and others with changed departure times and/or stopping patterns. NJT worked closely with Amtrak and regional partners to develop a customer-focused service plan prioritizing capacity, continuity and safety.”

“We understand that this work will disrupt the way our customers travel during the cutover period, which is why every element of our service plan was designed to keep people moving as safely and efficiently as possible,” Kolluri said. “While the disruption is temporary, the benefits, including a far more reliable and resilient commute along the Northeast Corridor, will last for generations.”

NJT has posted information about the project on a new section of its website as a “Major Service Update” on the Portal North Bridge Cutover under the headline “Portal Bridge Cutover: What it Means for You” with a project summary. It includes a link to a 20-slide “Stakeholder Briefing” that also provides a project outline of the project and a summary of the presentations (download below), along with information on schedule changes that will occur during the four-week project.

The “Overview” section begins by saying: “Amtrak will perform a critical series of construction and operational activities to transfer, or ‘cutover,’ rail operations from the existing Portal Bridge to the new Portal North Bridge over the Hackensack River. This cutover represents a major milestone in the Gateway Program and is essential to advancing long-term reliability and capacity improvements along the Northeast Corridor … While this work will ultimately deliver substantial benefits, the cutover process is complex and operationally intensive, requiring temporary but significant changes to rail service. NJ Transit has worked closely with Amtrak and regional partners to develop a customer-focused service plan that prioritizes capacity, continuity and safety throughout the transition.”

According to NJT, the new schedules will become effective Feb. 15. The agency expects the project to be completed by March 14, with the current schedules going back into effect the next day. The agency also said that customers should expect “modified train schedules, largely including earlier departures, reduced service frequencies on certain segments, longer travel times due to operational constraints, [and] some train consolidations or cancellations.” There will be additional customer support, including staff at Hoboken and Secaucus.

According to NJT’s schedule information, there will be some reductions in service on most lines, and schedules on weekdays and weekends will change while work continues. Hourly service is the standard on the North Jersey Coast Line, Raritan Valley Line, and Main/Bergen Lines. Trains on those lines will leave each station at different times past the hour, on weekdays and on weekends. Trains to Port Jervis, south of Long Branch on the North Jersey Coast Line, and on the Pascack Valley Line run less frequently, and some schedules will also change. Trains to and from Trenton on the NEC will also have new schedules. Weekend connections to or from Philadelphia on SEPTA trains will be less convenient than under the “regular” schedule. Raritan Line trains on weekdays that currently run to and from New York Penn Station will be cut back to Newark for the duration, so riders will not have a one-seat ride to their destinations along the line.

The biggest change will occur on the Morris & Essex (M&E), Gladstone and Montclair-Boonton Lines. Since 1996, some trains on those lines have run to or from Penn Station, New York in Midtown Direct service, while other trains run to or from Hoboken. On weekdays, all trains on those lines will originate or terminate at Hoboken. For riders bound for New York City, NJT tickets will be cross-honored on PATH trains (only at Hoboken and 33rd Street Station, as a substitute for Penn Station), ferries to 39th Street on weekdays, and the #126 bus, which runs between Hoboken and Manhattan’s Port Authority Bus Terminal. The agency advises riders to purchase Hoboken tickets, rather than New York tickets. Hoboken fares are about 25% lower than New York fares. Midtown Direct trains will continue to run between Dover and Penn Station on weekends, but trains will leave each station at a different time after the hour than on the “regular” schedule. Convenient Hoboken connections to and from the M&E will not be available at Newark Penn Station during the outage, and NJT suggests changing trains at Secaucus.

“The cutover of the Portal North Bridge represents more than just work to connect railroad infrastructure; it signifies a whole new level of reliability on the Northeast Corridor and New Jersey that has never previously existed,” Amtrak President Roger Harris said. “In just a few short weeks, we will reward the patience of Amtrak and NJ Transit customers by helping eliminate a cause of long delays and unreliable commutes. The new modern, high-level fixed span bridge will make future Amtrak and commuter trips more reliable, safer and smoother with increased service and train speeds. Thanks to a strong partnership between Amtrak and NJT, the project remains on schedule and on budget.”

Amtrak did not specify any schedule changes for its trains.

Some longtime riders on the Morris & Essex, Montclair and Gladstone Lines will soon have a month to repeat the experience of the way they commuted (or otherwise went into the New York City) 30 or more years ago. There will be a similar outage in the fall for cutover of the second track, possibly in October.

The post Portal North Bridge Cutover Coming Soon appeared first on Railway Age.

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has awarded a $1.66 billion (C$2.3 billion) contract to Alstom for the supply of 70 six-car subway trains. The contract also includes options for another 150 trains.

TTC will deploy 55 of the Metropolis trains on Subway Line 2, replacing the existing fleet. The other 15 trains will provide the additional fleet capacity needed to serve the under-construction extensions of Line 2 to Scarborough and Line 1 to Yong North.

The new trains will be designed and engineered in Canada, with final assembly taking place at Alstom’s Thunder Bay facility and testing at its Kingston site. TTC confirmed that 55% of the content used to manufacture the trains will be sourced from Canadian suppliers and that procurement is the first under the Canadian government’s new Buy Canadian Policy. The contract is expected to create up to 945 high-paying jobs in Canada, including more than 600 at Alstom, along with more than 1,700 indirect jobs.

Alstom says the trains incorporate eco-design features such as an advanced propulsion system, smart air-conditioning controls, and the use of virtual reality design tools that will collectively improve sustainability and reduce environmental impact across the entire product lifecycle. The new trains will also feature energy-efficient lighting and wireless smartphone charging.

The Canadian government confirmed that it will increase its previous $545 million (C$758 million) commitment towards the cost of procuring the 55 trains for Line 2 to $648.2 million (C$950.9 million), a contribution that the government of Ontario will match.

Separately, TTC on Jan. 13 celebrated its 60th new LRV entering service, completing delivery of the Alstom Flexity low-floor vehicles ordered in 2021.

The post Toronto Orders New Subway Train Fleet appeared first on Railway Age.

On January 1, 2026, Genesee & Wyoming’s Connecticut Southern Railroad assumed control of the state-owned Armory Branch. The 14 miles of track were formerly operated by short line Central New England Railroad. 

Central New England (CNZR) was established in 1995 to operate a pair of former New Haven/Conrail lines around Hartford. One of those lines, the Griffins Secondary, has been inactive since its last customer moved in 2021, and service was only sporadic on the Armory Branch. CNZR had an eclectic fleet of locomotives, including Alcos and EMDs. Its last unit in regular service was a former Southern Pacific/New Brunswick Southern GP9 still in NBSR green and yellow. 

CSOR is expected to operate the Armory Branch as needed. The branch connects with CSOR at East Windsor. 

—Justin Franz 

The post G&W Takes Central New England Track appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Brightline Trains on Jan. 14 named former Eurostar CEO Nicolas Petrovic as CEO of Brightline Holdings, succeeding Michael Reininger, who has led the development of Brightline, Florida’s private-sector passenger railroad, from 2012-2018 and again since 2021. Petrovic, based in Miami, will focus on “driving long-term value and sustained growth” for Brightline’s Florida operations, according to the company.

“Petrovic is a globally recognized name in the rail industry with more than 25 years of experience in multiple leadership positions in Europe and the Middle East,” Brightline Trains reported. “He originally joined Eurostar, the iconic rail service connecting London, Paris and Brussels, in 2003. From 2006 to 2010, he was responsible for all aspects of train operations, safety, and service delivery across three countries. From 2010 through 2018, Petrovic served as CEO of Eurostar. Under his leadership, Eurostar achieved record passenger numbers while navigating complex international regulatory environments and intensifying competition from low-cost airlines. He is credited with transforming the company by overseeing major fleet modernization programs, network expansion into the Netherlands, and significant improvements in operational performance and customer experience.”

Petrovic was the Chief Executive of Siemens France from 2018-2021, where he led the mobility, infrastructure, and digital industries divisions. Most recently, he was CEO of Etihad Rail Mobility in the United Arab Emirates.

Reininger will continue with the company as Managing Director and member of the Board of Brightline West, the planned 218-mile high-speed passenger rail system connecting Las Vegas and Southern California. As Managing Director, he will be dedicated to delivering the $21 billion Brightline West project, according to Brightline Trains, which noted that Reininger “successfully launched Brightline’s Florida operations and established the company as America’s only private intercity passenger rail service.”

Brightline covers 235 miles between Miami and Orlando (see map below). It launched the first phase of its South Florida operations in 2018, connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Stations in Boca Raton and Aventura opened in 2022. Construction of its 170-mile, $6 billion phase two extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando began in 2019 and service launched in September 2023.

Patrick Goddard and Sarah Watterson will continue in their leadership roles at Brightline Florida and Brightline West, according to Brightline Trains.

Brightline Trains also reported that Mauricio Anderson has been tapped as Chief Financial Officer of Brightline Holdings and its subsidiaries (other than Brightline West). He will replace Jeff Swiatek who joined the company in 2018 and departed in January “to pursue other opportunities,” according to Brightline Trains. Anderson has served with one of Brightline’s indirect parent entities, Florida East Coast Industries, LLC, since 2013 and as CFO since 2019. Additionally, Bruce Snyder has been promoted from Deputy Chief Financial Officer to Chief Financial Officer of Brightline West.

“We are excited about the future of Brightline, and these moves will align our executive leadership with the specific needs to support both of our businesses” said Wes Edens, founder of Brightline Holdings. “As Brightline continues to pioneer a new era in American transportation, the insights that Nicolas [Petrovic] brings from around the globe will strengthen our operating company as it continues to grow and expand, while Mike [Reininger] concentrates his focus once again on implementing an unprecedented infrastructure development.”

“Brightline has introduced new and elevated expectations for the passenger rail industry in America, and it is an honor to lead the company’s next stage of growth,” Petrovic said. “With the tools and experiences from a global peer group, I believe Brightline will continue to show the way forward for profitability and customer experience that will firmly position the business in America’s transportation landscape.”

“I’m energized to devote all my time and attention to Brightline West, one of the nation’s biggest privately led infrastructure investments,” Reininger said. “This is exactly the kind of bold project our country needs, and I’m confident we’ll set a new standard for how major rail projects are executed in the United States.”

Railway Age Contributing Editor David Peter Alan recently reported on Brightline’s finances and examined some of the challenges that now face the railroad company, which is cutting service between its South Florida stations and the Orlando airport and is seeing costs skyrocket for its project to build a high-speed railroad between Southern California and Las Vegas.

• Brightline Financial Woes Continue
• Brightline Loses Nearly $550MM in 2024, but Keeps on Going
• FEC, Brightline Fight in Court Over Rail Capacity
• Report: Brightline West Costs Balloon to $21.5B
• Brightline: Something Different on the Rails

UTA on Jan. 14 reported via social media that Paul Ray has signed on as Government Relations Director. He will lead the Government Relations Department and serve as a key liaison between the transit agency and state and federal policymakers.

With decades of public service experience, Ray served most recently as Director of Legislative Affairs for the Utah Department of Health and Human Services, where he guided government relations strategy and advised executive leadership. Prior to that, he represented Davis County’s District 13 in the Utah House of Representatives for 20 years, chairing committees including Social Services Appropriations and the 2021 Redistricting Committee.

“His deep policy expertise, collaborative leadership style, and proven ability to advance complex legislation will be invaluable as we continue advocating for our riders and the communities we serve,” reported UTA, which offers TRAX light rail, FrontRunner commuter rail, bus, and on-demand services and serves six counties and more than 80 cities along the Wasatch Front.

Separately, UTA last spring opened a new station on the TRAX Red Line.

NCTD has elevated Adrienne L. Johnson to Deputy Chief People Officer. She will oversee the Human Resources and Learning and Development departments for the agency, which operates Coaster commuter rail, Sprinter hybrid rail, Breeze bus, Flex on-demand, and Lift paratransit services.

With more than 17 years of HR experience, Johnson has served since January 2025 as NCTD’s Human Resources Director, managing and overseeing all aspects of HR operations, including compensation, benefits, labor relations, and recruitment. Prior to joining NCTD, she held leadership roles for organizations such as CVS Health and Starbucks.

Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science in speech pathology and is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Society for Human Resource Management. She is Vice President of the San Diego Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.

“Adrienne brings a wealth of experience to this role, and we’re excited to have her on board to advance critical initiatives at NCTD,” said Lori A. Winfree, NCTD Deputy CEO and Chief General Counsel. “Providing a world-class employee experience is a key facet of NCTD’s North Star, and I have no doubt that Adrienne will work diligently to move us forward toward our goals.”

“I am delighted to move into this leadership role at NCTD and look forward to enhancing the incredible work the organization is already doing,” Johnson said. “I am motivated to champion a workplace where employees feel valued, engaged and empowered to thrive. As I continue my journey with NCTD, I will lead with a deliberate and people-centered approach guided by the principle of treating others the way they want to be treated.”

NCTD last fall marked 50 years of service.

Jamie Snook has transitioned to Executive Director of Capital Project Delivery at TriMet, following service in an interim capacity since September. She joined the transit agency in 2019 as Capital Projects Planning Manager and was elevated to Major Projects Director in 2021.

Snook now oversees capital improvement and maintenance projects across TriMet, which provides MAX light rail, WES commuter rail, bus, and LIFT paratransit services across 533 square miles of Oregon’s three most populous counties (Multnomah, Washington and Clackamas).

Before joining TriMet, Snook worked for Oregon Metro for 14 years, and at a private engineering and design firm for six years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in geography and regional planning from Westfield State University in Massachusetts.

“I am honored to lead this amazing team in Engineering & Construction,” Snook said. “I want to thank everyone for the commitment they bring to this work every day. I know there are tough times ahead, but I believe that by working together—with honesty, care and respect—we can navigate these challenges and continue to improve and move our system forward.”

“There is hardly a major transit project in our region over the last 20 years that Jamie hasn’t been a part of or worked on directly,” said Claire Khouri, TriMet’s Chief Strategy & Planning Officer. “It has become evident that she tirelessly works to build partnerships internally, across the region and within our industry. Jamie knows how to deliver projects for the benefit of TriMet’s riders and our entire community.”

TriMet in June adopted a $1.96 billion overall budget for FY2026. At that time, the agency said it was taking steps to address a $50.2 million deficit projected for next fiscal year, “tightening spending ahead of a fiscal cliff projected in 2031.”

Separately, TriMet in November took delivery of its last Type 6 MAX LRV on order from Siemens Mobility.

The post People News: Brightline, UTA, NCTD, TriMet appeared first on Railway Age.

AmeriStarRail (ASR), through Chief Operating Officer Scott R. Spencer, has proposed a new fleet for Amtrak’s long-distance trains, the latest of several proposals that ASR has made recently. Spencer has already suggested that Amtrak rebrand its Nextgen Acela consists as Libertyliner 250 trains and offer a “Freedom Pass” that would allow seven days of travel on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor (NEC) for $250.00 per person (suggested at the December 4 Amtrak Board meeting). He has also suggested that NEC trains, especially if they become Libertyliner 250 trains, add a stop at New Jersey Transit’s Secaucus Junction Station which is now used only for NJT’s local services, if that agency and Amtrak agree to add the stop. Now ASR is proposing what Spencer calls a “Grand Conveyance” for Amtrak’s skeletal network of long-distance trains he has revealed designs for long-distance equipment to run on those trains.

Paul H. Reistrup, former President of Amtrak, is AmeriStarRail’s Senior Advisor. Reistrup led Amtrak from 1975 and until 1978, ordered the Amfleet I cars that still run on the NEC and other corridors, as well as the Superliner I cars that run on the long-distance trains west of Chicago and New Orleans, and on the Auto-Train.

Spencer and Reistrup call the proposed fleet “AmeriStarliner.” ASR sent a three-page letter to Amtrak President Roger Harris on Jan. 9 that introduced the proposal and described the cars (download below). The letter began by saying: “As you know, AmeriStarRail (ASR) is an LLC based in Wilmington, Delaware that has developed several infrastructure and operating solutions to improve Amtrak’s rail passenger service utilizing private financing. Our proposed partnership with Amtrak includes serving Coach passengers on Amtrak Libertyliner 250 high-speed trains, the Baltimore Grand Slam tunnels, a bi-level Susquehanna River bridge to eliminate the busiest junction with freight trains on the Northeast Corridor at Perryville, Md., and the New York-Los Angeles Transcontinental Chief.”

Although Amtrak has recently rejected the Transcontinental Chief plan, Spencer and Reistrup went on to say: “AmeriStarRail has been developing alternative concepts for Amtrak’s Long Distance Fleet Replacement, to improve passenger safety, comfort, and the economic viability of Amtrak’s long-distance fleet. AmeriStarRail’s goal is to ensure Amtrak passengers have the finest trains available for long-distance travel across America.”

ASR then mentioned its goals: “Maximizing Passenger Safety, Amenities, and Comfort, Maximizing Available Seat Miles (ASM) per Train Mile (TMI) to generate at least 200 passenger miles per train mile, maximizing operating efficiency to improve the financial performance of Amtrak’s long-distance routes, [and] Minimizing trainset complexity for trainset manufacturing and fleet maintenance.” The proposal then said: “As America’s 250th birthday approaches, AmeriStarRail is proud to offer Amtrak a grand conveyance, the AmeriStarliner long-distance trainset, to usher in a golden age of travel for Amtrak with the finest way to travel across America.”

The proposal then described the seven types of cars that AmeriStarRail plans to order: “The AmeriStarliner trainsets for Amtrak long-distance trains are a mix of single and articulated cars in a simpler design of just seven car types to design, manufacture, and maintain.” Here is the list of car types:

• Utility Car (Single-Level).
• SkyView Observation Car (Multi-Level).
• SlumberCoach End Car (Multi-Level/Semi-Articulated).
• SlumberCoach Intermediate Car (Bi-Level, Articulated).
• SkyView Dining Car (Multi-Level).
• Sleeper End Car (Multi-Level/Semi-Articulated).
• Sleeper Intermediate Car (Bi-Level/Articulated).

In summarizing the core benefit proposal of the AmeriStarliner fleet, Spencer and Reistrup described an important feature: that the cars can fit through the tunnels on the NEC, including the North River Tunnels, which bring the line into Penn Station, New York: “the AmeriStarliner long-distance trainset will provide Amtrak with a standard, bi-level, long-distance fleet that can be operated nationwide, including through the tunnels of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. The bi-level cars will have a maximum height of 15 feet above top of rail (TOR), which is based on the height of the Pennsylvania Railroad’s GG1 locomotives, which operated for decades on the Northeast Corridor.”

Superliner cars are too tall to clear the tunnels on the NEC, so all trains that go to or from New York Penn Station must use single-level Amfleet II equipment, which is used exclusively on trains whose routes extend as far as Miami and New Orleans. If the entire fleet could fit through the tunnels, a single fleet could equip all of Amtrak’s long-distance trains throughout the country. While Amtrak has started the process for separate procurements of single-level and bi-level long-distance fleets, a single fleet that could be used everywhere on the system would simplify the procurement process and save money on maintenance and operations, too.

ASR’s letter then described the seven types of cars that the company proposes to order, including descriptions of some of the features that the cars would have. All cars would be accessible, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and all passengers (including those who need ADA accommodation) and crew would walk through the train on the lower level. On today’s Superliners, everyone passes from one car to another on the upper level. The trainsets would accommodate high-level or low-level platform boarding, with fold-out ramps for boarding, like those used on transit buses for passengers who need wheelchairs or other mobility-assisted devices.

AmeriStarRail said “The entire upper level of the passenger cars will have SkyViewDome glazing to create an exciting travel experience for passengers,” apparently like the curved glass between bulkhead and roof on today’s Superliner lounge cars. Seats in the SlumberCoach cars would recline sufficiently to lay flat. Although AmeriStarRail said: “The capacity and configuration of AmeriStarRail’s proprietary long-distance fleet replacement designs, the AmeriStarliner trainsets, are subject to design, engineering, and commercial considerations.” The proposal also said: “The Ameristar line will utilize technology to easily flex trainset capacity from 300 to 600 passengers, split trains for specific destinations or connecting routes or remove bad order cars enroute.”

Spencer and Reistrup then mentioned that AmeriStarRail is negotiating with a carbuilder and has an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and added “The intent of the NDA is to partner with AmeriStarRail to provide Amtrak with up to 85 12-car trainsets for a total of 1020 cars. ASR also proposed an ambitious delivery schedule: “If Amtrak commits to the AmeriStarliner trainsets before the end of 2026, delivery of the first 12-car trainset will take place no later than the 4th quarter of 2031 and be delivered at the rate aof 204 cars per year over five years. Under an AmeriStarRail – Amtrak joint venture, AmeriStarRail will utilize private financing to consider ordering three additional options for a total of 612 additional cars to support Amtrak’s goal of doubloing ridership by 2040 with more capacity to expand Amtrak’s long-distance service.”

AmeriStarRail concluded its pitch this way: “With exciting new passenger amenities to compete with air and highway travel such as the SkyView Observation Cars, private dining rooms, Children’s Play Areas, lay-flat SlumberCoach seats, full ADA accessibility and the SkyViewDome throughout the entire train, the AmeriStarliner long distance fleet is designed to be a grand conveyance for Amtrak passengers traveling throughout America.” The final paragraph said: “As we get ready to celebrate the upcoming Bicentennial of American Railroading, we look forward to Amtrak’s consideration of the AmeriStarliner’s innovations and imaginative features to inspire a new golden age of rail passenger travel in America.”

The letter included a summary of the features of the various types of proposed cars.

Download design proposals. Drawings by Tom Hickey.

In recent years, advocates at the Rail Users’ Network (RUN), the Rail Passengers’ Association (RPA) and elsewhere have been concerned that it is taking so long for Amtrak to move the procurement process forward and purchase new equipment for its long-distance routes that a sufficient fleet of the current equipment might not last long enough to keep the current network running, much less allow for any additional routes or additional frequencies on existing routes. Nearly two years ago, Jim Tilley, President of the Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers, raised the issue in a letter to Amtrak Board Chair Anthony Coscia. At a conference sponsored by RUN on Nov. 14, 2025, Michelle Tortolani, Amtrak’s Assistant Vice-President for Project Delivery – Fleet and Facilities, discussed Amtrak’s fleet generally and mentioned the 2023 Request for Proposals (RFP) to replace the bilevel Superliner cars and the recent one to replace the single-level Amfleet II equipment. However, she also said: “the target date for new bilevel cars is not until ‘the 2030s’ and she did not say exactly when.”

Much of the equipment in both fleets is now more than 40 years old, and advocates wonder how many of those cars will last to age 50 and beyond. If the proposed AmeriStarliners can be delivered and placed into service by the end of 2031 and the 204 cars per year that AmeriStarRail predicts can be added for the following five years, there could be enough equipment in service to keep the national network intact well into the future. It won’t be easy, because some trains, especially Superliner trains in the West, are running with short consists. Still, as a best-case scenario, AmeriStarRail might be able to deliver.

Before that can happen, there are a few challenges in the way. Is AmeriStarRail’s potential funding from private-sector investors sufficiently secure and stable to order such a large fleet and see the project through until all the new equipment is built, tested, certified, and placed into service? Is there a car builder that can fulfill such a large order on the schedule AmeriStarRail proposes? We also don’t know how serious Amtrak is about continuing to run the existing and skeletal long-distance train network, much less augmenting it someday with new routes such as the ones proposed in the FRA’s Long Distance study, or additional frequencies on some or all the existing routes. At this point, we don’t even know if we will see the return of the Silver Star and Capitol Limited that ran until 14 months ago. We also don’t know what the FRA might say about the design if similar cars have not operated in this country before. It’s also too soon for any of us to know about financing such a deal and who pays.

There are other questions and concerns. While the proposed fleet appears to have some positive features like seats that lay almost flat, minimum consists with plenty of passenger capacity, and features for easy boarding and alighting, there are also concerns. Some managers and advocates are not sure if a bilevel configuration is better than a single-level configuration, especially for long-distance service. Amtrak has increased class-segregation in recent years, with moves like serving meals to sleeping-car passengers only, so coach passengers are not allowed to eat in the dining car. Spencer told Railway Age that all passengers will have access to the dining car “in the railroad tradition,” although each class will have a separate private dining room: the “Turquoise Room for sleeping cars and the “Rainbow Room” for coach riders. We also know is that half of the seats in “SlumberCoach” class will face backwards, rather than toward the direction of travel. Facing that way is uncomfortable for many riders (including this writer), but Amtrak has mandated that half of all seats on trains running corridor-length routes face backwards. Will riders taking trips of a full day, or even two-day duration be willing to tolerate facing backwards for all those miles and all those hours? Time will tell but, overall, AmeriStarRail will need to surmount many challenges before we will know the answer to that question.

At least AmeriStarRail has suggested a plan, and we have reported the proposal made that was made to Amtrak, as well as drawings of what the proposed cars would look like, inside and out. We don’t know how well Amtrak would do replacing the current fleets if nobody else had suggested a procurement plan. On the surface, at least, it appears that AmeriStarRail is making its pitch, despite an apparent lack of demonstrable interest elsewhere. If the actual objective is to build new cars and get them into service in time to save the long-distance network, then AmeriStarRail and the two longtime railroaders who run it might have started the process with a new and interesting idea. The next move is up to Amtrak.

The post AmeriStarRail’s Amtrak L-D ‘Grand Conveyance’ Trains appeared first on Railway Age.

UP hosted U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer on Jan. 14 at its state-of-the-art Training Center and Harriman Dispatching Center in Omaha, Neb., where she was shown firsthand the “innovative and world-class” training that goes into developing the railroad’s highly skilled workforce, “expected to grow with the creation of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad,” according to the Class I. UP and NS have proposed a landmark merger to create the nation’s first coast-to-coast railroad, which they estimate “will lead to the creation of approximately 900 net new union jobs to meet anticipated growth in rail demand.”

The tour is part of Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s 50-state ‘America at Work’ listening tour that began last April to promote economic development and job creation.

“It is an honor to be a part of Secretary Chavez-DeRemer’s impressive nationwide tour and to talk about growing and developing America’s workforce,” said UP CEO Jim Vena. “It also gave me a chance to showcase the men and women who are the backbone of America’s supply chain and the extensive safety and operating training they undergo to work on a modern, high-tech railroad.”

Chavez-DeRemer toured both UP’s Training Center and the Harriman Dispatching Center, which serves as the railroad’s central nervous system, dispatching trains and crews 24/7 across the Class I’s 23-state network.

“Union Pacific is helping power our economy by investing in the skilled workforce that keeps our supply chains moving, and I enjoyed seeing that commitment up close as part of my 50-state America at Work listening tour,” said Chavez-DeRemer. “I appreciate their efforts to strengthen our skilled workforce and keep America competitive for decades to come.”

The day ended with Vena giving Chavez-DeRemer a chance to see UP’s newest commemorative locomotive, No. 1616 Abraham Lincoln, which honors the Class I’s founder and will be on tour this year to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary.

NS has joined the Smart Freight Centre, a global nonprofit dedicated to more sustainable logistics. This partnership, the Class I says, “underscores NS’s commitment to sustainable rail and building a greener supply chain.”

Both organizations, NS says, share a common goal: lowering emissions and improving efficiency across freight transportation. By collaborating with the Smart Freight Centre, NS says it is “reinforcing its pledge to help customers meet their climate goals.”

The Smart Freight Centre co-founded an organization that brought together industry leaders and freight stakeholders to develop standards and tools for how the heavy transport industry reduces supply chain emissions. That work helped create the framework to which NS’ own RailGreen program aligns, the Class I noted.

As part of its membership, NS will be included on the Global Logistics Emissions Council, which drives widespread, transparent and consistent calculation and reporting of emissions, and the Clean Cargo group in which NS will learn and share best practices.

“Together, Norfolk Southern and Smart Freight Centre are paving the way for a cleaner and more resilient supply chain. Rail is already the most sustainable way to move freight over land, and our collaboration with the Smart Freight Centre allows us to better meet our customers’ sustainability goals,” said NS Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin.”

“Partnership is key to advancing sustainable shipping. By engaging with maritime collaborators and cargo owners, we’re reducing supply chain emissions and delivering smarter logistics solutions that benefit our customers and the environment,” said NS EVP and Chief Commercial Officer Ed Elkins.

The post Class I Briefs: UP, NS appeared first on Railway Age.

POTUS 47 has established a second PEB, effective Jan. 16, to help resolve disputes between commuter railroad LIRR (see map below) and five labor organizations (Transportation Communications Union; Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers; and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers).

The five-union coalition on Jan. 12 reported requesting the second PEB to resolve a nearly three-year contract dispute. Members, it said, “have been without a pay raise for over three years,” since April 2022.

“Although more than half all LIRR union workers have already settled a contract that guaranteed 9.5% in wage increases over three years, the five remaining unions have held out for more, arguing that their raises should be more in line with what other railroads in the United States have offered workers in recent years, including Amtrak and Philadelphia’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA,” according to an Aug. 19, 2025 Newsday report.

The LIRR-coalition contract dispute has been in National Mediation Board-sponsored mediation since February 2024. The NMB on Aug. 18, 2025, released the parties from mediation, triggering a 30-day cooling off period under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), ending at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 18. The labor coalition requested the first PEB at that time.

“Our coalition’s proposals are not extreme, and they are supported by the findings of the first PEB,” said Michael Sullivan of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. The first PEB “recommended raises of 14% over four years along with other improvements,” according to the coalition.

That recommendation, Newsday reported Jan. 9, 2026, “was closer to the 16%, four-year contract sought by the unions than it was to the 9.5%, three-year deal offered by the MTA.”

“We felt compelled to request a second PEB because of LIRR and the MTA’s refusal to bargain in good faith,” said Gilman Lang, the General Chairman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen at LIRR.

“We didn’t agree with everything in the first PEB … but those recommendations should have been used as the foundation for further negotiations,” pointed out Nick Peluso, National Vice President of the Transportation Communications Union. “We are only asking for what’s fair and consistent with agreements reached across the rail industry.”

According to the coalition, no direct negotiations between labor and management have been held since July 2025.

LIRR President Rob Free said in a statement to Long Island Life and Politics: “We have said repeatedly the best way to settle this is at the negotiating table, which we’ve been ready to do. We look forward to them showing up to negotiate a contract that includes meaningful improvements to work rules so we can better serve LIRR riders.”

Railway Age Capitol Hill Contributing Editor Frank N. Wilner provided the following explanation of the commuter rail provisions of the RLA:

“Major Disputes on commuter railroads, including Amtrak commuter operations, are resolved under distinct procedures. Amtrak intercity passenger operations are subject to the RLA’s freight-railroad provisions. 

“The NMB, a commuter rail authority, labor union, or a governor of a state through which the commuter railroad operates may request creation of a PEB. If appointed, there is imposed a 120-day status quo (no strikes; no lockouts) requirement.

“If, within the first 60 days, there is no resolution, the NMB must conduct a public hearing at which parties to the dispute testify.

“If a voluntary agreement is not reached by the end of the second 60-day period, the commuter authority, labor union, or governor may request a second PEB be created.

“If a second PEB is created, a new 30-day status quo period commences. If, by the end of that period, a voluntary settlement is not reached, the parties present to the second PEB a ‘last, best and final offer,’ with the PEB selecting, without modification, the one it finds most reasonable. The PEB’s selection is not binding. If a settlement still is not reached based upon the second PEB’s non-binding recommendations, a strike, unilateral promulgation of carrier-desired changes, or an employer lockout may commence. As with Major Disputes on freight railroads, the RLA at that point has run its course. Congress then may legislate settlement terms.

“Should labor commence a work stoppage, striking employees are denied, for the duration of the strike, unemployment benefits payable under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA). Should the commuter railroad reject the non-binding recommendations, precipitating a work stoppage, the commuter railroad may not take advantage of a carrier strike insurance plan.”

Click here for a mediation overview and FAQ from the NMB.

• BLET Givebacks to NJT a “New Normal” for Labor?
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• President Biden Signs H.J. Res. 100 Into Law

The Chicago Transit Board on Jan. 14 approved the award of an agreement to Sandbox Carbon for a pilot project: the installation of “activated carbon filters” on eight 5000-series CTA rapid transit cars. This will help “mitigate the smell of cigarette smoke and other odors that negatively impact the customer experience,” according to the transit agency. The new filters “include substantially more activated carbon than traditional HVAC filters, which is especially helpful in providing a better transit riding experience for vulnerable populations, particularly children, seniors, and people with chronic illnesses,” it said. Typical HVAC filters “can capture harmful particles, but many gases responsible for odors can pass through,” it noted.

The filters will be installed in the railcars’ return air ducts, which pull air from the cabin for the HVAC system; there are four such ducts per railcar. Each filter will have a custom-designed protective metal grate to prevent debris from entering, according to CTA. To monitor filter performance throughout the pilot, CTA said it will also install two industrial air quality sensors in each railcar to monitor two common byproducts of cigarette smoke; these sensors will also monitor air flowing through the HVAC system.

CTA said the one-year pilot is part of its Innovation Studio, which last summer “launched a problem statement seeking solutions to help mitigate the smell associated with smoke and other unpleasant odors.” CTA said it sought solutions that were “low maintenance, easily installed and capable of performing in a variety of outdoor weather conditions.” The agency will fund the pilot with a stipend not to exceed $65,054.24. CTA anticipates filter installation to begin this spring following a baseline air quality test to help compare the effectiveness of the new filters. The agency said it will also evaluate the time it takes for filters “to completely remove the odor from cigarette smoke in the air and by ensuring the filters remain effective for the full period between maintenance cycles.”

According to CTA, over the past few years there has been “a significant increase in the number of people smoking on vehicles.” This “is not only a violation of CTA’s Code of Conduct,” it said, but also “degrades the rider experience and creates a strong incentive for riders to choose modes other than transit if they are able.”

The new pilot will compliment the agency’s ongoing efforts to combat the issue of smoking on trains and buses, including “working closely with local law enforcement and security personnel to confront the issue in real-time through strategic anti-smoking missions in which violators are issued citations, plus ongoing amplification of both visual and audio reminders that smoking is prohibited,” CTA reported.

“We are excited to move forward with this pilot for Innovation Studio,” CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen said. “We employ a multifaceted approach to confronting the issue of smoking aboard CTA buses and trains, including in-system campaigns and working closely with local law enforcement and security personnel to execute anti-smoking missions. This pilot complements those efforts and seeks to use technology to enhance air quality in our railcars.”

“Sandbox Carbon is thrilled to partner with the CTA on a pilot project that addresses air quality for transit riders,” said Aaron Rose, CEO and Co-Founder of Chicago-based Sandbox Carbon. “This project will test our advanced odor control technology while fitting seamlessly into existing CTA operations, helping make public transportation more comfortable. We thank the CTA for its commitment to testing new solutions that elevate public transportation for all.”

Among CTA’s other Innovation Studio challenges: “How can CTA provide rail station attendants with tools to welcome and assist riders with limited English proficiency?” and “How can CTA provide simulated training opportunities for rail operators to gain additional hands-on experience?”

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• Chicagoland Transit Gets Reprieve

Trinity Metro on Jan. 14 reported that TEXRail, the 27-mile commuter railroad operating between Fort Worth and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal B, surged to a new monthly ridership high. There were 129,115 rides in December, it said, up 25% from December 2024. Ridership also increased for the last quarter and the full calendar year. When comparing passengers carried for October, November, and December with the previous year, the total ridership was almost 14% higher, Trinity Metro said. Ridership for calendar year 2025 was up 12% over 2024.

“Peak holiday travel places unique demands on airport infrastructure, and the continued growth of TEXRail ridership shows the value of giving travelers more choices,” said Ken Buchanan, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer for DFW Airport. “During the airport’s busiest travel periods, public transportation plays an important role in improving the customer experience by reducing congestion on the roads and at the terminal curbs. By encouraging the use of public transit, we help customers move through the airport more smoothly while easing pressure on roadways and airport facilities. It’s a win-win-win for the traveler, the airport and the region.”

“This season was incredible!” added Paul W. McCallum, Executive Director of the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Trains arrived filled with families and couples using the convenience of TEXRail. We’re thrilled to see more people experiencing TEXRail and seeing just how easy it is to safely arrive at Historic Main Street without the drive, making the ride part of the fun!”

Separately, Trinity Metro last spring approved a 10-year, $324 million contract extension for TEXRail and Trinity Railway Express.

• Inside Trinity Metro’s ROI Playbook

The post Transit Briefs: LIRR, CTA, Trinity Metro appeared first on Railway Age.

The investment is spread across 44 projects in 16 states, and are expected to generate more than 700 new jobs and add 82,000-plus carloads, according to G&W. While the lion’s share of projects are in the agriculture, chemical, and minerals and stone sectors, G&W’s short line and regional railroads assisted in bringing projects to fruition across such industries as auto, food, and lumber, the company reported Jan. 14.

Highlights include:

• New facilities have come on line for soybean processor and biodiesel manufacturer Incobrasa Industries in Illinois, aggregate construction materials company BURNCO in Texas, and grain and feed byproduct merchant Penny Newman Grain in Georgia, as well as an expansion for soybean processor Ag Processing Inc. (AGP) in Washington.

• Several projects, including one along G&W’s Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad in Oregon, also involved the establishment of rail-to-truck transloading sites, which G&W said is “an increasingly growing way for bulk commodity shippers to take advantage of rail economics for first- and last-mile delivery while using truck for longer-haul portions of their transportation.”

“Incobrasa Industries’ $400 million expansion represents a bold commitment to innovation and sustainability in the agricultural and energy sectors,” said Aluizio Ribeiro, CEO of Incobrasa Industries. “G&W’s Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway and Illinois & Midland Railroad are integral to this growth, providing the critical infrastructure to move more product efficiently and connect global markets. This partnership exemplifies how strategic investments in rail unlocks economic opportunity and strengthens supply chains for decades to come.”

“We greatly valued the opportunity to collaborate with G&W’s Dallas, Garland & Northeastern Railroad on the development of our new facility in Trenton, Tex.,” BURNCO CEO Tom Zais said. “Both of our organizations share similar attributes of professionalism, industry expertise and commitment to operational excellence. This new location represents another growth milestone in our rich 113-year history and will play a significant role in supporting our strategic plan in the region.”

“G&W’s Georgia Southwestern Railroad has been a great partner to Penny Newman Grain throughout the development of our new cottonseed unit train facility in Bainbridge, Ga.,” commented Todd Parker, Director of Cottonseed Merchandising for Penny Newman Grain. “Their professionalism, reliability and commitment to supporting our logistical needs made this project a success from start to finish.”

Leonard Barnes, Executive Director of the Port of Grays Harbor, which handles export soybean meal from AGP, noted: “This is a transformative time at the Port and the $200 million-plus terminal expansion we’re undertaking will significantly enhance AGP’s export capabilities and add capacity to support auto shipments. We deeply value our partnership with G&W and its Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad. They make it easy to do business, and their collaboration is instrumental in delivering improvements.”

“Industrial development projects are a key component of our growth strategy,” G&W CEO Michael Miller summed up, “and whether customers are constructing new plants, expanding existing facilities or even re-opening shuttered sites, the recent projects along our footprint demonstrate that they view rail transportation as critical to their success. Customers recognize the safety, efficiency and economic benefits of using rail to transport their raw materials or finished goods, and they trust G&W railroads to meet their needs and grow alongside them.”

G&W provides current and prospective customers a database of more than 700 industrial development parks and sites along the company’s railroads.

• G&W, King Milling Celebrate Partnership
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The post For G&W, $1B in 2025 Industrial Development appeared first on Railway Age.

This is the first in a five-part series about railroad growth coming from truck conversions. Given Union Pacific’s proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern, their Dec. 19, 2025 Surface Transportation Board application estimates there will be more than two million trucks converted to rail from this new network within three years. Based on my professional experience as a former Union Pacific executive focused on growth during much of my tenure, I want to analyze and opine based on my own experiences.

Part 2 of this series will dive deeper into carload watershed growth; Part 3 into intermodal conversion challenges; Part 4 into competition among railroads in general; and Part 5 into the proposed Committed Gateway Pricing (CGP) relative to competition and effects on shippers. 

Two million new truck conversions to rail from UP’s acquisition of NS: The premise is that, without this transaction, the existing railroads can’t get this freight converted from truck. From the carload watershed perspective, I tend to agree, but it’s more complicated than it seems—hence, Part 2 of this series. From an intermodal perspective, I’m perplexed, based on my professional experience in UP’s intermodal business running interline container programs (EMP and UMAX). I am a “plank owner” in the UP/CSX UMAX container program in addition to being responsible for UP’s intermodal growth in some capacity from 2006-2016—10 years.

As of Week 50 2025, the UP and NS franchises combined are 51% intermodal and 49% carload freight across 15.1 million revenue moves. If the growth were allotted along these proportions, (which per the Dec 19 filing they roughly are), it would be 1.02 million trucks converted to intermodal and 0.98 million trucks converted to carload. This assumes a 4:1 railcar-to-truck conversion ratio (UP used 4.5:1 except for motor vehicles), or 245,000 new railcar moves. Note that UP’s submission has 1.17 million trucks converted to intermodal and 188,000 railcars from trucks due to the 4.5:1 conversion. Regardless, the postulate is this traffic isn’t convertible without the transaction.

UP and NS combined moved 7.7 million intermodal loads through Week 50 2025. Converting 1.17 million trucks to intermodal is a 13% growth goal, which is significant. Let’s say it takes five years to reach that goal. Note that UP’s application assumes three years, which is even harder. The 13% amounts to 2.5% average net growth per year. If the UP/NS international/domestic split is 50/50, and the truck conversions unlocked from the merger are largely a function of domestic intermodal—not international intermodal, which picks ports first—then we’re looking at 5% net domestic intermodal growth every year for five years on average. That’s 26% net growth over five years, or 5.2% per year for five years. It seems like a lot. Has domestic intermodal ever grown that fast in history? The answer per IANA (Intermodal Association of North America) data is no. What do you think? Let’s put a pin in this until Part 3.

UP and NS mathematically combined to move 7.39 million carloads through Week 50 2025. Converting 980,000 trucks to 245,000 carloads is a 3.3% carload growth goal. This is seemingly more reasonable than what feels like a high domestic intermodal goal noted above, which hasn’t happened during the past 15 years. Spread out over five years, this equates to 0.75% or three-quarters of a point of net growth per year. Given there will need to be significant capital investment made by shippers who will make decisions based on total cost and return, this 3.3% conversion goal could be aggressive. What do you think?

To explore the carload growth goal further, we need to dive deeper into why there is rail carload growth opportunity in the watershed markets and how the UP-NS transaction can unlock it. In addition, we need to understand the factors that inhibit rail development and growth. Supply chains develop over years, requiring significant capital investments and customers with opportunities. Production and receiving facilities are located geographically based on competitive access to providers. The watershed markets are the result of an ecosystem built during the 45-plus years since the 1980 Staggers Rail Act. More on this in Part 2.

The North American rail industry has not grown since 2017 and has consistently lost market share to trucking and other modes since 2018. Rail is a precious commodity, and the benefits of rail transportation—cost savings, access to capacity, environmental benefits and better jobs—aren’t in question. The UP-NS STB application is the beginning of a long process.

Per the merger rules established in 2001, this transaction must enhance competition to be approved. We want what’s best for the industry and ultimately our country, as our rail system is a key factor in its economic success. Professionally, at Russell-Kroese Partners, we are neither for nor against the merger. We stand for our clients to help them navigate through this proposed acquisition to help them do business with rail. Two million truck-to-rail conversions gave me a headache and required some independent math. Is the conversion opportunity that massive? Probably, per a dataset UP’s consultants used, much like I used during my tenure there doing market studies. The percentage likely to convert and how long it takes are the right follow-up topics to be explored. See you in Part 2.

Rob Russell, Managing Partner, Russell-Kroese Partners (RKP), is a seasoned transportation executive who operates fluidly from the boardroom to the shop floor. A certified six sigma black belt and a LEAN champion, Rob is a proven business leader who has a track record of strategy development, financial planning, business development, operations and performance management to accomplish an organization’s desired goals. RKP partners with railroads, ports, shippers and land developers on growth strategy, market development, competitive positioning and operational execution. They help clients translate complex transportation dynamics into clear, execution-ready business decisions.  You can learn more about RKP at www.russellkroese.com.

The post Rail Growth from Truck Conversions: Projected vs. Realistic – Part 1 of 5 appeared first on Railway Age.

The Siliguri Maintenance Shed will support an Indian Railways’ fleet of 250 Wabtec Evolution Series locomotives. Wabtec, which currently employs approximately 3,000 people in India, will provide regular maintenance, supervision, material and warehouse management, shed control, logistics, and remote diagnostics. These services, the company says, will support the locomotive fleet deployed on critical freight operations hauling commodities like food grains, fertilizers, cement and containers along the strategic gateway to eight northeastern states of India.

“The Siliguri Maintenance Shed represents another milestone in our partnership with Indian Railways,” said Sandeep Selot, Managing Director and Vice President, Wabtec Freight Business. “It will play a critical role in supporting reliability and availability of state-of-art locomotives deployed for border and strategic operations in the Northeast region of India and the gateway to Southeast Asia. This shed adds to our existing maintenance operations at Roza, Gandhidham, and Gooty, which combined will service Indian Railways’ 1,000 Wabtec locomotives across the country.”

“The Siliguri shed represents a unique partnership where Indian Railways provides the infrastructure and manpower, while Wabtec leads the technical supervision to ensure the fleet meets the key performance metrics including availability, reliability, and fuel efficiency,” said Rajneesh Sah, Senior Director, Freight Services, Wabtec. “We are focused on implementing maintenance practices that drive faster turnaround for the locomotive fleet in the critical Northeast region.”

• Wabtec Expands Locomotive Operations in India
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• Wabtec Acquires India-Based Rail Friction Business
  
  
  
  

The post Wabtec, Indian Railways Celebrate Start of Locomotive Service in West Bengal appeared first on Railway Age.

by David Zeman/photos by the author

For many railfan photographers, a large part of the motivation for taking photos of trains is documenting a subject before it is gone forever and lost to history. However, when the stars align, it is possible to bring history back to reality. Bringing back to life the late 1950s and early 1960s on Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad was the main objective for myself, Ralph Durham, James Keats Jr., and the Illinois Railway Museum Diesel Department, when we hosted the “Nebraska Zephyr Night Photo Shoot” in October 2025.

For the last handful of years, Ralph and I, plus a handful of other dedicated IRM volunteers, have coordinated several special night photo shoots with a variety of equipment, having mostly focused on highlighting the museum’s steam locomotive, Frisco 2-10-0 1630. This year, as 1630 undergoes a mandatory 1472-day inspection, we shifted our focus ahead to the diesel era with the 1935-built Nebraska Zephyr for an all-CB&Q evening featuring other miscellaneous pieces of Burlington Route equipment. Our main goal for the event was to take our guest photographers back to the golden age of passenger rail travel on one of America’s most famous streamlined trains by incorporating actors and crew members in period dress plus appropriately placed memorabilia items and props into our photo setups.

Because I started visiting IRM when I was young, I have always been mesmerized by anything related to CB&Q, the railroad referred to by us diehard Burlington fans as “God’s railroad.” Seeing the Zephyr and EMD E5 9911A pull out of Barn 9 in the morning and rushing to the museum’s East Union depot for a ride in observation car Juno was always top priority on any day the train was running. SD24 504 was also a favorite locomotive in its vibrant “Chinese Red” paint scheme, and SW7 9255 is a treat to see operate as well. As I started to do my own research about the Burlington, I learned that the railroad’s employees had an unparalleled amount of pride in the company. IRM has kept this tradition alive with its group of dedicated Zephyr crew members, all sharply dressed in their blue suits and stovepipe-style hats each day the train operates. I am proud to have joined this crew in the last few years and help carry on the Burlington Route tradition for future generations to enjoy.

After leading several successful past photo shoots with the IRM Steam and Electric Car departments, fellow museum volunteers and I had high hopes of putting together an exclusive Nebraska Zephyr or all-CB&Q night shoot for a long time. In the middle of the summer, a group of us put our heads together and talked loosely about what we wanted to do and which pieces we wanted to incorporate. We concluded that the main focus of the event would be the Zephyr itself, and any other CB&Q equipment would be considered an added bonus. It was mutually agreed that we wanted to have as many era-dressed models as possible, plus plenty of appropriately placed Burlington memorabilia items for smaller setups, and a few “large” scenes featuring multiple trains and/or locomotives.

Bringing It Together
Once we had solidified our date for the event, we pursued inviting models to act as Zephyr passengers. Over the years, Ralph has built a significant network of actors who have agreed to be on our call list in case of events like this. Some of the models are regular IRM visitors, and some became acquaintances through other social avenues, but all simply enjoy dressing up and posing for photographers for special events. Luckily, I was able to twist a couple of my friends’ arms as well, and convinced them to dress for the part. We were absolutely thrilled to have recruited a total of 12 wonderful models for the event.

In addition to passengers, we needed to align a sufficient crew dressed properly for the Nebraska Zephyr. Thankfully, many of us IRM volunteers are collectors of all types of CB&Q memorabilia, and several of us have been lucky enough to acquire Zephyr uniforms, hats, badges, and appropriate jewelry. Not all the Zephyr crew members own uniforms with all the matching badges and buttons, so it was a team effort to mix and match bits of our own collections to ensure our crew of Nebraska Zephyr trainmen and conductors wore the prototypically correct paraphernalia. It would have been difficult for me to lead the event, pose for Zephyr crew photos, and take my own photos at the same time, so I lent my conductor’s outfit to one of our other IRM conductors. All in all, the train crew consisted of three conductors (identifiable with gold buttons and hat badges) plus four trainmen (silver buttons and hat badges).

In addition to all of the necessary uniform paraphernalia, we CB&Q enthusiasts dug deep through our drawers and closets to find anything relevant to the Burlington, or specifically the Nebraska Zephyr, to help add an extra layer of authenticity to the photographs. In observation car Juno, era-appropriate timetables, matchbooks, playing cards, ticket books, seat checks, ashtrays, coffee cups, and other assorted pieces were carefully distributed as both subject pieces and background items to accompany our well-dressed models. On a table in the dining car Ceres, an assortment of surplus Burlington Route artifacts was set for an additional small photo opportunity as well…

The post Camera Bag: Organizing a Night Photo Session appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

This month, Andrew Nelson leads us on a fond look back at the Lake States Division of Soo Line. Our story is set in the mid-1980s, when the Soo began preparations to “spin off” a portion of its original main line as a condition of absorbing the remnants of the bankrupt Milwaukee Road.

The names “Milwaukee Road” and “Soo Line,” though, are old ones in railroading, and crucially, both are nicknames. Like many railways founded in the 19th century, both companies went through multiple re-incorporations and mergers, their identities an unstable litany of place-names joined by an ampersand. A shorter “handle” became a favored marketing tool. The origin of the Milwaukee’s is self-evident, as “Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific” indicated the Upper Midwest cities linked with the Pacific Coast. Focusing on the largest city in Wisconsin as the epicenter, it becomes “The Milwaukee Road.” Soo Line requires a bit more explanation. Originally founded as Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie & Atlantic in the 1880s, the railway’s middle place-name referred to a Quebecois-founded town on Michigan’s upper peninsula, with the French word “Sault” pronounced “Soo.” While the “Soo Line” nickname came early, it wasn’t until 1961 that the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad adopted it as its legal moniker.

Beyond the nicknames, the Milwaukee and the Soo are both railways that grew up with what was called — a century ago — the “Old Northwest,” a region that stretches from the Great Lakes to the plains of the Dakotas. For much of the 19th century, numerous railways criss-crossed this space, fighting to control traffic in the region’s rich grain-growing lands. The Milwaukee traces its founding to the 1840s in an attempt to connect Great Lakes and Mississippi River shipping, cutting out business that might otherwise have gone via Chicago. The Soo, founded more than a generation later, had similar designs; its St. Paul backers planned the new line running due east toward Great Lakes ships at its namesake town on the passage between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. It was so successful that the transcontinental Canadian Pacific picked up a majority stake in the company in the 1890s.

The Old Northwest, then, is a region that is intimately tied up not merely in its grain-rich landscape, but also in its proximity to Great Lakes ships and (through them) to the Atlantic Seaboard. Today, we are apt to see the hills and dales of Wisconsin or the lake-studded woods of Minnesota and think them insulated from the wider world, but in fact the Old Northwest was, thanks to lake steamers and railways, one of the most connected parts of North America. It is little wonder that, for much of the 19th century, immigrants from Germany, Sweden, and Finland saw this region as a place to start over and make good. The fact that they, like the railways they rode, largely succeeded is part of why today the idea of this region as a northwestern edge of anything is difficult to perceive. Every railway line, every new small town, every growing downtown office tower in Chicago and Milwaukee and St. Paul made it all the harder to see this as anything other than a contiguous part of the wider Midwest.

Likewise went the Milwaukee and the Soo. The former suffered bankruptcy after bankruptcy in the latter half of last century. It was not, perhaps, so much a marker of failure as it was a symptom of having grown too far, too fast, connecting too much of the Northwest — both “old” and “new” — at the expense of making a sustainable profit. The Soo acquired it in 1986, but just four years later, Canadian Pacific bought out the remainder and converted it into a subsidiary that exists only on paper. Just as the Old Northwest had grown into the larger Midwest, the region’s flag carriers disappeared into the larger railway network.

—Alexander Benjamin Craghead is a transportation historian, photographer, artist, and author.

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A Northern Pacific 4-6-0 was fired up on New Year’s Day for the first time in over 70 years, following an extensive restoration. NP 1364 has been the marquee restoration project of the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, Wash., for over a decade. 

In spring 2025, volunteers installed a new steam dome, laying the groundwork for a hydrostatic test in September. Afterward, volunteers kept reassembling the locomotive for a successful steam-up on January 1. 

“The recent steam-up test was an important step, not the finish line,” the group wrote on social media. “It allowed us to see how systems performed under steam and helped identify what adjustments and fine-tuning are still needed.”

Locomotive 1364 was one of 40 S-4 class 4-6-0s that the NP purchased in 1902 from Baldwin. NP 1364 was assigned to the Tacoma Division and spent most of its operating life in Washington State. It was retired in 1954 but was set aside for preservation and donated to the City of Tacoma. It was on display for several years before being moved to Nallys Valley for an ultimately unsuccessful restoration. Later, it was relocated to the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad. In 1994, it was moved to the Northern Pacific Railway Museum in Toppenish, and volunteers have been gradually working on it ever since. For more information, visit nprymuseum.org.

—Justin Franz 

The post Northern Pacific 4-6-0 Fired up in Washington appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

LACMTA will receive Proposals for AE136840EN090 – Environmental Waste Handling and Construction Services RFPat the 9th Floor Receptionist Desk, Vendor/Contract Management Department, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012.

A Pre-Proposal conference will be held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 10:00 a.m., virtually by visiting: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/29386520537194?p=mkyHfKup0JuFrR69XU. Microsoft Teams is required. All Proposals must be submitted to LACMTA, and be filed at the reception desk, 9th floor, V/CM Department, on or before 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Monday, March 16, 2026. Proposals received after the above date and time may be rejected and returned unopened. Each proposal must be sealed and marked Proposal No. AE136840EN090.

For a copy of the Proposal/Bid specification visit our Solicitation Page on our Vendor Portal at https://business.metro.net or for further information email John Tor at torj@metro.net.

1/21/26

CNS-4004000#

RAILWAY AGE

The post LOS ANGELES COUNTY METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY (LACMTA) REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL appeared first on Railway Age.

Eastern railroad volumes finished 2025 weaker than expected, and we have lowered 4Q25 estimates. We remain below consensus on Union Pacific, and lower 2026 EPS estimates below consensus for all U.S. rails, given tepid growth expectations. Our recentl railroad roundtable pointed to weak demand trends in 2026. The UP-NS STB merger application will remain the focus for investors, particularly with CGP (Committed Gateway Pricing). We remain cautious on the near-term industry outlook. Our 4Q25 Rail Shipper Survey indicate that pricing and growth expectations recovered off troughs but are still at low levels as demand expectations are soft to start the year. M&A remains the focal point for the rail group during 4Q earnings, and shares should continue to trade on the STB review outlook and truck-conversion narrative. Our rail panel unanimously sees the merger application passing despite concerns and desire for more operational details.

U.S. carriers saw carloadings decline 3.5% in 4Q25, led by Forest Products (–8.5%). We lower 4Q25 estimates for both Eastern carriers, cutting carloadings expectations as a seasonal slowdown was evident. We lower our 2026 estimates below consensus expectations, primarily driven by our lowered volume assumptions.

CSX had the best volume performance in the quarter (roughly flat), helped by merchandise. 4Q25 EBIT was negatively impacted by $40MM from a coal derailment and auto supply chain impacts; most of this should be a one-time cost and some volumes are expected to be recovered in ’26. Howard Street Tunnel is on track for completion by end of 1Q26, unlocking new lanes, and CSX is positioned to win back some business it had previously lost. CSX is relatively bullish on ’26 volumes after having to deal with a lot of closures last year that should be in the rearview mirror. Recent headlines of workforce reductions suggest CEO Steve Angel is looking to drive cost/ productivity initiatives into ‘26.

NSC saw carloads decline 4.5% in4Q25, an impact from softening international demand (intermodal –8%), and ag products declining 9%. Mix should be ~neutral for the company in 4Q25. NSC’s quarter is the least important in our view given the stock is trading on deal probability; we expect management to be transparent about the 2026 outlook given their 3Q25 commentary about a deteriorating industrial pipeline.

UNP volumes are holding up marginally better than we had modeled (recall we were the low on the Street given Consensus was not capturing the difficult December comps). UNP expects earnings to decline in 4Q25 (in line with our previous estimates) and called out a $30-$40MM charge on merger-related expenses that will likely be GAAPed out. UNP’s call will likely focus on its application to the STB, particularly surrounding CGP.

We recently hosted a railroad roundtable. Our panelists unanimously expect weak core demand trends in 2026. Tariff clarity will be necessary for underlying volume trends. Chemical and building materials shippers on the call attested to a weak demand environment. The intermodal outlook was subdued as well. On a positive note, all panelists said rail service is expected to hold up well.

The STB filing will likely be the topic du jour during rail earnings. We hosted a call with a former Class I CEO to review the recent merger application. He believes UNP/NSC have put forward a very strong application that is likely to be accepted, though the final word is likely in 2027. Review could likely take longer than planned, and a 1Q27 timeframe for a final decision is reasonable with little possibility that the process can be expedited. CGP effectively does the job of enhancing competition by offering shippers more choices. Traditional gateway pricing has been limited to some lanes in the I-5 corridor and allows a captive shipper to gain access to a competing railroad at pre-determined prices. We believe, and as discussed on railroad panel, that more details may be expected by the STB as it related to CGP. This catch-all approach by UNP has had very little uptake from shippers generally.

JBHT saw a peak season that met expectations in 4Q25, with no major surprises. Despite market weakness, JBHT has idiosyncratic operational initiatives that should drive the stock in 2026, with $100MM targeted, 80% of which was achieved by 3Q25. We believe there will be more wood to chop in 2026, largely within their intermodal business. We continue to see HUBG as the best positioned to capture growth from a UNP/NSC merger.

Panelists on our railroad outlook call offered subdued outlook for 2026. International intermodal will likely continue to rationalize into 1Q (pull forward ahead of tariffs last year) and trade deficit data pointing to a declining number of U.S. goods imports. Domestic intermodal hinges on the truckload market inflection that is gaining steam but has not impacted contract rates to date and is unlikely to materially impact bid season this year (we hosted a truck panel that pointed to LSD rate increase expectations in 2026, with more carriers already looking toward 2027 as the rapid-growth year). We lower 2026 estimates for both JBHT and HUBG below consensus given our view of more tepid growth expectations. Another year of anemic contract rates on the TL side should limit pricing upside for intermodal carriers come Spring.

Both Eastern carriers are trading above their forward average, while UNP trails marginally. We continue to view NSC and UNP a special situation that will trade in line with deal probability and synergy targets. We broadly lower 2026 EPS forecasts for all U.S. rails given our view of tepid growth expectations, while rolling out 2027 estimates.

The survey results were modestly positive for the U.S. rail players, but M&A remains the focal point for the U.S. rail group during 4Q25 earnings, and shares should continue to trade on STB review outlook and the truck-conversion/merger competition narrative. Pricing and growth expectations ticked up 30bps each off troughs, but absolute levels are still quite low and track with relatively subdued sentiment expressed on our recently hosted railroad roundtable.

Rate hike expectations for the next 6-12 months came in at 3.3%, up 20bps vs. our 3Q25 survey but still below the survey’s five-year average of 3.7%. Participants on our recent railroad roundtable maintained that tightening transport capacity has been evident but not large enough to gain confidence in a stronger rail pricing cycle just yet. Trough truckload rates had seen the trucking premium dwindle through the freight recession, but the 4Q25 surge in spot rates produced some normalization. The share of participants answering that truck is a cheaper mode than rail dropped sharply for both carload and intermodal shippers (down 7 and 4 points, respectively).

Shipper estimates of business growth increased to 1.5%, a 30bps sequential increase but still close to trough levels. The results line up with commentary from our railroad panel, which suggested a sluggish 2026 demand environment. Economic confidence fared better with the share of those more confident up 10 points but off very low levels. Given relatively subdued responses on growth in our panel call as well as our Quarterly Carrier Survey, we believe survey results on the macro picture are uninspiring for the near term.

Following many quarters of shippers citing elevated tariff uncertainty, 70% of shippers surveyed responded that they expect “business as usual” in ordering practices. This is up 16 points sequentially and speaks to some normalized uncertainty, in our view, potentially reflected in the economic confidence response discussed above. This aligns with a comment made by North America’s largest short line railroad company on our panel call, but we remain cautious with a SCOTUS 1/14 ruling looming.

M&A remains the focal point for U.S. rail group, and shares should continue to trade on STB review developments and the truck-conversion narrative for the foreseeable future, in our view. Survey results are a slight positive for underlying U.S. rail industry health as pricing and growth expectations tick up off troughs, but absolute levels are still quite low and track with relatively subdued sentiment expressed on our recently hosted railroad roundtable. Stable rail service is positive but an expected outcome amid a transformational merger review.

The post TD Cowen: Lowering ’26 Expectations Amid Modest Shipper Optimism appeared first on Railway Age.

The New York MTA on Jan. 13 announced its plan to advance two significant transit projects to improve New Yorkers’ commutes as part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State (download below).

As part of her FY27 Executive Budget, Gov. Hochul will propose $50 million to fund the design of a reimagined Jamaica Station, better integrating Subway, Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and AirTrain service for the 200,000 daily riders who pass through the transit hub every day. The MTA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) have already begun a joint effort to coordinate this project.

In addition, Gov. Hochul will propose building on her investment in the FY25 Enacted Budget funding a feasibility study for westward expansion of the Second Avenue Subway by advancing the preliminary engineering and design process to continue tunneling across 125 Street to Broadway. According to the MTA’s 20 Year Needs Assessment, this proposed expansion would have a daily ridership of nearly 240,000 and would save riders more than 30 minutes of travel time each week on average.

Jamaica Station is integral to the commutes of millions of New Yorkers, enabling workers and students in Queens to get to school and jobs, allowing travelers to get to and from Long Island, ensuring travelers from around the world can efficiently and affordably get to JFK Airport, and connecting New Yorkers to world-class sporting and entertainment events, the MTA said. More than 1,000 trains and 200,000 passengers transit Jamaica Station every weekday, making it the fourth busiest commuter rail station in North America—surpassed only by Grand Central Station, Penn Station and Toronto’s Union Station. Yet Jamaica Station has been left far behind in terms of customer experience and investment; it was last upgraded 23 years ago, when the AirTrain JFK began operation in 2003.

The reimagined Jamaica Station, the MTA says, “will help create better traffic flow, reduce crowding, and build out a world class station complex providing seamless connection between the LIRR Main Line, NYC Transit, and AirTrain JFK for the millions of commuters who depend on it.”

In her 2024 State of the State address, the Governor proposed a “bold and innovative” solution to enhance the potential of one of the most promising expansion projects in the MTA’s service area—extending the Q line west along 125th Street, with three new stops at Lenox Avenue, St. Nicholas Avenue, and culminating at Broadway. Gov. Hochul funded a feasibility study which found that it is not only possible to extend the Second Avenue Subway line construction west to Broadway, serving hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, but that performing the tunneling work as a follow-on to the current East Harlem extension “would save substantial time and money.”

Gove. Hochul will support the next phase of this project with funding for design and preliminary engineering to advance tunneling across 125th Street. The extension along 125th Street, the MTA says, will improve commutes for millions of New Yorkers, save significant time for commuters benefiting from intersections with seven north-south subway lines across Manhattan, and connect underserved communities to jobs.

Yesterday’s announcement “builds on Gov. Hochul’s record of investing in New York’s infrastructure and improving its transit system over the last year,” which include:

• “Awarding major construction contracts to dig the tunnels for Second Avenue Subway Phase 2 to East Harlem.
• “Breaking ground on the New Midtown Bus Terminal Project after decades of failed attempts to advance redevelopment.
• “Beginning the engineering and design phase of the Interborough Express (IBX).
• “Fully funding the MTA’s historic 2025-2029 Capital Plan, which commits $68 billion to modernize, improve and expand transit across the New York City region.
• “Successfully launching New York City’s first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program, which in one year has reduced traffic, cut pollution, made streets safer, and generated revenues for critical transit upgrades.
• “Completing several milestones in the transformative I-81 Viaduct project in Syracuse.
• “Advanced the project to reimagine I-787 in Albany into the Environmental Review phase.”

“New Yorkers deserve a world-class transit system,” Gov. Hochul said. “By advancing projects like the Second Avenue Subway and reimagining Jamaica Station, we’re building on past investments to deliver more reliable, efficient, and modern transit options for riders today and for generations to come.”

MARTA streetcar will return to service Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, at the completion of underground utility repairs by Georgia Power.

The streetcar vehicles were suspended Sept. 8, 2025, to accommodate urgent underground utility repairs by Georgia Power and align with scheduled infrastructure upgrades along the streetcar route. MARTA shuttle vans have continued providing service along the route.

The work required a lane closure between Courtland Street and Peachtree Center Avenue, where Georgia Power has been excavating and repairing underground electrical lines. For safety reasons, streetcars cannot operate alongside open construction areas.

In addition to Georgia Power’s work, MARTA has taken advantage of the closure to complete:

• Catenary inspection and repair.
• Track maintenance.
• Tree trimming.
• Station refurbishment.
• Signage and vehicle update.
• Deep cleaning along the route.

NJ Transit has launched a language survey to assess the needs of Limited English Proficient (LEP) customers to improve the agency’s services and programs.

The survey, NJ Transit says, is intended to gather feedback from people who do not speak or read English well, on how they navigate the agency’s programs and services. Also, the survey will ask LEP customers what they think of NJ Transit’s tools for providing language assistance, and how those tools can be improved and refined.

The survey will be offered in eight languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Gujarati, and Korean.

The survey is designed to take approximately 10 minutes to complete on a desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile phone. All participants who complete the survey will be entered in a drawing to win a free monthly pass or $100 gift card. To qualify for the gift card, survey respondents must complete the survey and provide a name, phone number and email. However, it is not necessary to provide personal information to complete the survey.

The post Transit Briefs: NYMTA, MARTA, NJ Transit appeared first on Railway Age.

The Indiana Rail Road Company (INRD) Board has elevated Derrick Wright to President and CEO, effective Jan. 16. He has served since November 2022 as Vice President, Operations and Mechanical for the 500-mile railroad, a two-time Railway Age Regional of the Year honoree.

Wright has more than 20 years of leadership experience. Prior to joining INRD, he served as Chief Operating Officer at Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, overseeing the South Shore Line between South Bend and Chicago. He was also Vice President, Operations at Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services, Inc., where he managed operating departments for 15 short lines and regionals. Wright began his railroad career at CSX, rising through the ranks as Yardmaster, Trainmaster, Terminal Manager, and Superintendent.

“Derrick’s deep industry knowledge and leadership experience make him the ideal choice to guide INRD into its next chapter,” the INRD Board said. “We are confident that under his leadership, INRD will continue to deliver safe, efficient, and innovative transportation solutions for our customers.”

Joe Gioe was the most recent President and CEO of INRD; he signed on last year as Vice President Service Delivery for Manitoba, Canada-based Cando Rail & Terminals.

• Powering Possibilities: INRD-CN Intermodal Partnership

Separately, Railway Age is inviting all Class II and III railroads to submit entries for its annual Short Line and Regional Railroad of the Year awards program. The deadline is Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at 5 p.m. ET.

The post Wright to Lead INRD appeared first on Railway Age.

PASSENGER RAIL OUTLOOK, RAILWAY AGE JANUARY 2026 ISSUE: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … in short, the period was … like the present period.” So went part of the opening paragraph of Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. It could also describe Amtrak during “the present period.”

At a Board meeting held in New Orleans and streamed Dec. 4, Amtrak President Roger Harris described 2025’s record levels of ridership, ticket revenue, customer miles traveled and capital investment by Amtrak and expressed his hope that 2026 will be another record-breaking year for “America’s Railroad.” Yet, Amtrak moves forward, in some ways at restricted speed, as there could be solid red signals ahead outside the Northeast Corridor (NEC). 

Rail transit, including “transit railroads” in the United States, is heading for red signals in many places, too. Some transit-rich places are seeing a clear indication for now, with the possibility of an “approach limited” or even a “restricted” indication some distance ahead. In this article, we will take our annual look at the passenger train and rail transit picture in the U.S. and Canada.

Amtrak management said joyfully that it set records in a number of areas in 2025. Ridership was back to pre-COVID levels, revenue was at its height, and there was plenty of capital investment. Board Chair Anthony Coscia said more people are interested in trains than had been the case ten years ago and even encouraged the prospect of new Public Private Partnerships (P3s) in terms of funding and innovation that could help Amtrak prosper. 

When Scott R. Spencer of AmeriStarRail suggested rebranding Acela trains on the NEC as Libertyliner 250 trains and offering a “Freedom Pass” that would allow seven days of unlimited travel on the NEC for $250 per person, Coscia appeared open to considering those ideas. The acid test of Amtrak’s willingness to implement suggestions by outsiders will come soon, because Spencer’s suggestions are tied in with the country’s 250th birthday, which will happen this coming summer. AmeriStarRail is prepared to license trackage rights and run enhanced service on the NEC and its branches, whether Amtrak keeps control of the lines, as it exercises today, or another entity manages them in the future. 

Rail Infrastructure Management, a different entity (through its RAILnet-21 plan) is proposing a different approach for the NEC: an Infrastructure Management Organization (IMO), using investors’ funds to make capital improvements. The plan would license trackage rights to various operating entities, including Amtrak and others, which could include AmeriStarRail. RAILnet-21’s proponents say that relieving Amtrak of the burden of having to maintain and manage the NEC’s infrastructure will enable Amtrak to spend its money on operating trains, which is its greatest strength, and acquiring rolling stock, which is its greatest need. In any event, the NEC and its branches will have to survive somehow, because it would be impossible to move all Amtrak’s riders and those on the local “transit railroads” along Amtrak’s NEC any other way.

The January 2025 Passenger Rail Outlook article was the grimmest I had written in more than 21 years reporting on the rail and transit beat. Elsewhere on Amtrak, not much has changed. Amtrak’s skeletal long-distance network is the smallest it has ever been: Only 13 trains that motorists and non-motorists alike can ride. The loss of the Silver Star and the consolidation of part of its route with the now-defunct Capitol Limited to form the new Floridian killed direct service between the NEC north of Washington D.C., and places in the Carolinas and Florida. It also resulted in disastrous on-time performance, even though it liberated some Superliner cars for service on trains further west. 

Death by attrition is the hazard the entire long-distance network faces. Amtrak keeps talking about purchasing new equipment for its few long-haul trains, but officials, both at the December Board meeting and at a conference sponsored by the Rail Users’ Network (RUN) in November, had little to say about a long-distance fleet, but plenty about new cars for the NEC and state-supported trains and corridors. They acknowledged that Amtrak needs trainsets, and a 1,379-page Request for Proposals (RFP) for long-distance equipment has been released. Still, actual procurement, construction and other activities required before new equipment can be certified and placed into service could take so long that the current fleet might not last long enough to keep the existing network of trains running every day (except for the two tri-weekly trains). While Amtrak is catching up on repairing wreck-damaged cars, the best-case scenario is that those cars can relieve the short consists that Amtrak is running on its long-distance trains only for a limited time. Another decade is a stretch.

Amtrak officials are talking about placing new equipment into service “in the 2030s,” a long time from now. By 2033, more than half of the Superliner and Amfleet II equipment in service today will be 50 years old, the same age as the Superliner I cars that now run on the NEC and state-supported corridors, and that Amtrak has announced plans to scrap. The current network might survive by running short trains and charging high fares until new equipment arrives, but every month of delay in the procurement process makes that result less likely. There is a limit to how long those cars can last.

In April 2021, Amtrak announced its Connects US program for developing new corridor-length routes, which the states would support. Two services running today demonstrate that, and once trains of that sort start running, they attract riders. The new Borealis train between Chicago and St. Paul is a great success, even though its schedule is only a few hours apart from that of the Empire Builder on the same route. A third frequency that would leave Chicago early in the morning, turn quickly at St. Paul in the afternoon and return to the Windy City before Metra trains and much of the CTA shut down for the evening would also perform successfully. The new Mardi Gras Service trains that run along the Gulf Coast between New Orleans and Mobile are also doing well, but it took a four-year war to get them running. I covered that war in its entirety for Railway Age and dubbed it the “Second Battle of Mobile.” 

Amtrak had hoped to see almost 40 new corridor-length routes established by the end of 2035, but in the first five years since the program was announced, there is just one new round trip on an established route and only one new route, with only ten years to go until the end of the original planning frontier. With the fight that CSX, Norfolk Southern and the Port of Mobile waged to prevent the new Gulf Coast trains from running, in addition to Amtrak’s requirement that local agencies must pay an increasing share of the costs of running new trains during the first six years and the full cost after that, it seems unlikely that many other state and/or local entities will go to the trouble and expense to start new routes. With the current decline of federal funding for many programs forcing the states to pick up the tab for them, the prospect of those states or local agencies paying to run new trains for several years appears remote. 

What I said at the beginning of 2025 still holds true at the beginning of 2026 for Amtrak. The long-term survival of the long-distance network seems questionable, and it still appears that only a few new state-supported routes will begin operation. The future of the NEC looks great in Amtrak’s view now, but, truth be told, it’s unsettled. The infrastructure needs massive state-of-good repair programs, and while Amtrak has several NEC projects planned or under way, they are expensive. New P3s with entities like AmeriStarRail or RAILnet-21 could spur investment and innovation, from which Amtrak and the region’s riders would benefit. Still, it will survive, for better or worse. If for no other reason, nothing else could serve all Amtrak riders.

Brightline, the nation’s only private-sector passenger railroad, now runs between Miami and Orlando Airport and is building Brightline West between Las Vegas and southern California, which would have a connection to Los Angeles on Metrolink. Brightline’s model appeared to serve as a viable alternative to the public-sector model of Amtrak and transit providers until recently, but now Brightline is facing severe financial problems and has cut service in Florida, while the anticipated cost of completing Brightline West is rising fast. It appears that Brightline needs to embrace the public sector similarly to how Amtrak must embrace the private sector, which leads to the inference that the P3 model is the only way to build or run a passenger railroad today. Whether the feds or Florida would go along is another question.

The Dickensian opening does not quite hold for rail transit in the U.S., because transit riders and providers everywhere face a severe challenge. It comes from the fiscal cliff that has resulted from the loss of federal money that kept many transit systems going during the COVID-19 pandemic. As things stand for transit today, agencies that can’t get a financial reprieve face drastic service reductions. 

Still, there is a bit of good news, even if it is somewhat anomalous. Before I came on board at Railway Age, there were more new transit starts and expansions than there are today, and I reported a “New Starts Roundup” every year at this time. For the first time in many years, there were several such events around the country. MBTA’s South Coast Rail between Boston and the historic cities of New Bedford and Fall River opened. DART in Dallas opened a new line on former Cotton Belt right-of-way. The South Shore Line (NICTD) is opening its Monon Corridor between Hammond and Munster, Ind., although the schedule only works well at peak commuting times. SMART in California’s North Bay is a few miles longer than it used to be. In Buffalo, the old DL&W terminal, the other end of the historic Lackawanna Railroad from Hoboken, N.J., is served by rail again, but it’s light rail. New rail transit segments are also running in Phoenix, Kansas City, Washington D.C.’s Maryland suburbs, and even Honolulu.

While the above-mentioned list should be greeted warmly as good news, it is questionable how many more years like 2025 will follow. In 2023 there were 64 grant applications before the FTA, 39 for busways and 25 for rail. That represented 40%, but they included mega-projects like the Gateway tunnel between Manhattan and New Jersey. Two years later there were 58 applications; 39 for busways and only 19 for rail, which amount to less than one-third. Percentagewise, that is a precipitous drop. It could herald the gradual phaseout of new rail starts over the next several years. 

The fiscal cliff remains the biggest challenge on the transit side. Money from the one short federal infusion of operating funds during the COVID-19 pandemic has or soon will run out at essentially every U.S. transit agency. It is now up to the states and their political subdivisions to find a way to keep local transit going with service that residents of the impacted areas now have. The alternative would be service cuts so severe that their likes have not been seen since the middle of the past century. Without new funding, transit managers have threatened to eliminate 35% to 45% of existing service.

Some states have implemented solutions that are keeping local transit going, either by enacting new fees or corporate taxes to generate money for transit (New York and New Jersey for the next three years), or moved money from the capital side to the operating side (Pennsylvania for the next two years). It cannot be stated too strongly that these are not permanent solutions, but reprieves. Illinois has regionalized the governance for transit in Chicagoland and enacted new levies. It remains to be seen whether those measures will result in a permanent solution or will only manifest a reprieve.

In some other places, politicians who make decisions that affect transit and its riders have not come up with solutions. Transit managers are concerned and riders, especially those who depend on transit for all their mobility, are understandably upset. Essentially every official who has the power to help fund transit in their jurisdictions is a motorist who does not personally need transit. If they can be convinced that the local economy would be thrown into a downward spiral if they allow severe service cuts by inaction or indifference, they might be persuaded to come up with the money to keep transit going at present levels. Still, the best-case scenario will probably be a series of reprieves. In New York City, officials know that, without strong transit, the local economy would be devastated, although that city is the only place in the nation where non-motorists outnumber motorists. 

Canada had some new extensions in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, including conversion of the Deux-Montagnes line from traditional “commuter” rail to the REM mode. There is not much new on VIA Rail, although “Canada’s railroad” has strengthened its accessibility measures for persons with disabilities and has ordered new equipment for its skeletal long-distance network. It will be several years before it can be built and placed into service, so there is time to ride the transcontinental Canadian, which runs twice a week with Budd-built “Streamliner” equipment that has been in service for 70 years. Now, if Amtrak would just follow suit and order new cars for its own skeletal (but much more robust than VIA Rail’s) long-distance network, the riding public might feel more assured that the trains they enjoy will keep going for many more years. 

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Editor’s Note: For rail traffic purposes, a week that bridges two different years is assigned to the year in which most of the days of that week fall. The week ending Jan. 3, 2026, had most of its days in 2025, so it is assigned to 2025. Because of the way the calendar fell in 2025, the week ending Jan. 3, 2026, was week 53 of 2025. A year having 53 weeks happens every few years. Rail traffic comparisons are always made to the corresponding period 52 weeks earlier. This means the comparison week for a week 53 is Week 1 of the same year. To ensure comparability across years, Week 53 is ignored when computing annual totals. Instead, annual totals are always weeks 1-52. The first week of 2026 ended Jan. 10.

For the week ending Jan. 10, 2026, North American rail volume on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads came in at 696,484 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers. Cumulative volume in the U.S. was 510,457 carloads and intermodal units, up 9.7% from the same point in 2025; in Mexico, 27,802 carloads and intermodal units, up 53%; and in Canada, 158,225 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.8%.

For the first week of 2026 (ending Jan. 10), U.S. Class I railroads carried 232,803 carloads, up 16.7% compared with the same week in 2025, and 277,654 containers and trailers, up 4.4% percent compared with 2025, according to the AAR.

Nine of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2025. They included coal, up 14,178 carloads, to 66,374; nonmetallic minerals, up 6,539 carloads, to 28,766; and grain, up 4,956 carloads, to 26,204. One commodity group posted a decline: forest products, down 748 carloads, to 7,838.

North American rail volume for the week ending Jan. 10, 2026, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 333,712 carloads, up 11.1% from the same week last year, and 362,772 intermodal units, up 4.8% from last year.

Canadian railroads reported 87,561 carloads for the week ending Jan. 10, 2026, down 4.2%, and 70,664 intermodal units, down 1.0% compared with the same week in 2025.

Mexican railroads reported 13,348 carloads for the week ending Jan. 10, 2026, up 41.5% from the same week last year, and 14,454 intermodal units, up 65.5%.

• AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Down 4% for Week Ending Jan. 3
• Flat Traffic Figures For Week 52: AAR
• AAR: U.S. Carloads, Intermodal Down for Week 51
• AAR: Downward U.S. Rail Traffic Trend Continues in Week 50
• AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Down in Week 49

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