Prototype News

Industry veteran Eric Olson, P.E., has joined STV Inc. as Senior Vice President and Rail Director, West Operating Group. Olson comes to STV from Gannett Fleming, which he joined in 2016 as Transit & Rail Business Line Leader, West Region.

“With more than three decades of experience, Olson has been at the helm of several high-profile transit initiatives in California, and his expertise in managing complex, design-build transit programs has established him as a trusted leader in the industry,” STV said. “For example, he previously oversaw the $2.5 billion LA Metro Expo Line Extension and played a pivotal role in the Pasadena Gold Line and its Eastside Extension.  

“Eric’s track record in delivering complex rail programs across Los Angeles and beyond is unmatched,” said Liz Justison, P.E., P.M.P., President of STV’s Transportation West Operating Group. “His leadership and insight will strengthen our rail practice in the West and help us continue delivering projects that transform mobility for our local communities.” 

Olson holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from California State Polytechnic University and an MBA from the University of Southern California. He is a member of the Design-Build Institute of America, the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Public Transportation Association. 

STV noted that it “has delivered projects in the West for more than 30 years, serving as a leading provider of comprehensive engineering, planning and design services for commuter rail, light rail, bus, zero-emissions vehicles and maintenance facilities. Recent projects include the LA Metro Zero-Emissions Bus Program LA Metro Purple Line Extension Section 2 and Section 3 and the Sound Transit East Link and Northgate Link Extensions Systems Construction.”

The post Olson Joins STV West Ops Group appeared first on Railway Age.

On Sept. 17, 2025, the BNSF Executive Train was seen heading east at Depew, N.Y. (just south of Buffalo) on CSX’s Chicago-New York main line, “giving folks a chance to see something not often seen on eastern railroads,” notes frequent Railway Age contributor Stephen C. Host, who hails from nearby Hamilton, Ont.

But don’t jump to conclusions. This was not a pre-merger exploratory inspection trip. The BNSF business consist was heading to Long Island for the PGA Ryder Cup, where it will be used for a BNSF customer event in Uniondale, N.Y. The train is expected to be parked for eight days on MTA Long Island Rail Road property at Hempstead, N.Y., from Sept. 21 to 29, as a hospitality/staging area.

Warren Buffett was not on board. Just sayin’.

The post It’s Just Golf. Honest! appeared first on Railway Age.

Class III Savage Tooele Railroad (STR), an 11-mile line connecting with Union Pacific’s Shafter Subdivision in Utah, is now ready for service.

Described as “Utah’s first new short line railroad in more than a century,” STR links UP directly to Lakeview Business Park, Grantsville, Utah, a 1,700-acre master-planned site developed by The Romney Group and Prologis. In addition to rail service, the park offers immediate access to I-80 and I-15, proximity to the Salt Lake City International Airport, and is a 20-minute drive to UP’s Salt Lake City intermodal terminal. Savage, a privately held global provider of supply chain infrastructure and solutions, developed the railroad in partnership with UP, The Romney Group and Prologis.

The Surface Transportation Board approved STR in April 2024; construction started in November. The railroad will operate five days a week with a 286,000-pound GRL (gross rail load) capacity. Lakeview Business Park, whose tenants have only able to receive and ship commodities by truck, will begin receiving rail shipments later this month.

“We know this is a much-needed link for the supply chain in northern Utah,” said Jeff Roberts, president and CEO of Savage. “Now that the Savage Tooele Railroad is operational, we’re excited to see it add value for our customers and support businesses in the area.”

“Integrating rail service into Lakeview Business Park creates a logistical competitive advantage,” said Gus Gradinger, Vice President, Customer Led Development, Prologis. “This new connection expands options, reduces transportation costs and enables faster distribution—making the park an even more attractive place to do business.”

“Lakeview has always been about building long-term value for users and the surrounding community,” said Josh Romney, President of The Romney Group. “The Savage Tooele Railroad expands what’s possible here and reinforces our commitment to forward-looking development.”

“This is a win-win as we work together to meet growing demand in Salt Lake City,” said Kenny Rocker, Executive Vice President Marketing and Sales, Union Pacific. “Short line partnerships like this one with Savage Tooele Railroad allow us to deliver innovative rail solutions that help our customers connect to our premier network and get to market faster.”

The post Savage Tooele Railroad Debuts in Utah appeared first on Railway Age.

Union Pacific filed a lawsuit in federal court in September against Metra, claiming the Chicago-based commuter railroad owes $2.3 million in track fees. The suit comes just months after Metra officially took control of passenger operations on the UP-North, UP-Northwest, and UP-West routes. 

Although trains have long had Metra branding and equipment, UP crews have been operating passenger trains to Waukegan, Harvard/McHenry, and Elburn since 1995, when it took over the Chicago & North Western.

Since 2019, the freight railroad has been trying to avoid its obligation to provide passenger service itself, but the two sides have not been able to agree on how much Metra would pay to use UP’s tracks. When the previous contract expired earlier this year, Metra took control of the operation without settling the key payment detail. As a result, Metra is operating under the terms of a previous contract, but UP says that’s not sufficient. 

While the payment issue is pending in a federal court, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board has approved a request from Metra for trackage rights over UP lines to ensure service can continue regardless of what happens in the courtroom. 

—Justin Franz 

The post UP Sues Metra appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Intramotev, developer of the TugVolt autonomous battery-electric railcar, has entered into a new commercial agreement with short line holding company Watco, which will deploy the technology within its network, beginning with the Wood River Transload Terminal in Illinois, just north St. Louis, Mo.

The Wood River Transload Terminal has a geodesic dome used for indoor storage and transloading commodities like soda ash and steel, and a 450-spot railcar storage yard.

“At Watco, we’re always exploring new ways to support our customers,” said Watco Senior Vice President of Operations Solutions and Support Aaron Jensen. “This program with Intramotev reflects our commitment to evaluating innovative technologies that could help us better meet the needs of our shipper customers.”

Intramotev describes itself as “the first company in the world to commercially deploy autonomous freight railcars.” TugVolt technology is currently in revenue service for Carmeuse Americas in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The company has moved more than 250,000 tons of material this year and has delivered more than 3,500 carloads in production.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to create value for Watco’s customers with the TugVolt and its corresponding technology,” said Intramotev CEO and Co-Founder Tim Luchini. “Our technology brings new levels of flexibility to yard operations, helping customers move freight exactly when and where they need it. That means fewer delays, lower costs, and supply chains that work on the customer’s schedule.”

The post Intramotev, Watco Forge TugVolt Commercial Agreement appeared first on Railway Age.

SECDOT Duffy will not appreciate this: The American Public Transportation Association awarded its 2025 Innovation Award to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for the agency’s controversial—but effective and sensible—Congestion Relief Zone (CRZ) Tolling Program.

The first in the U.S. but one of many around the world, all of which have worked well, the CRZ initiative, implemented by MTA Bridges and Tunnels, defines the MTA as an organization that has “demonstrated significant leadership, is an outstanding role model of excellence, whose accomplishments and innovations have greatly advanced public transportation.” APTA’s award “recognizes excellence, leadership and innovation that have had transformative impact, honoring organizations that demonstrate innovative concepts or effective problem-solving techniques and are recognized as outstanding role models whose accomplishments and projects have a significant impact and inspire others.”

“Since its launch on Jan. 5, 2025, the Congestion Relief Zone Tolling Program has succeeded in reducing traffic, speeding up the flow of traffic and reducing delays, not just in the CRZ but throughout the region, while generating revenue to fund critical transit improvement projects,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “Since the program started, more than 17.6 million fewer vehicles have entered the zone compared to last year, down by 12%. Every day, 87,000 fewer vehicles enter the zone. This is a win not only for the MTA team but for everyone trying to make cities work better. The positive results of congestion pricing show that state and local government can still take big swings on policy and succeed, and that should give us all hope.”

Need more numbers? Here they are:

“Congestion pricing has had notable benefits reducing gridlock on bridges and tunnels crossing the East River and Hudson River, making commutes faster,” the MTA recently noted. “Every crossing entering the congestion relief zone has seen morning peak travel times reduced in 2025 when compared to 2024.” 

• Brooklyn Bridge: 13% faster.
• Holland Tunnel: 36% faster.
• Hugh L. Carey Tunnel:16 % faster.
• Lincoln Tunnel: 10% faster.
• Manhattan Bridge: 5% faster.
• Queens-Midtown Tunnel: 4% faster.
• Queensboro Bridge: 21% faster.
• Williamsburg Bridge: 23% faster.

Transit ridership across all modes has increased from January to August 2025 when compared to the same period last year:

• NYCT Subway: 9%.
• NYCT Bus: 13%.
• Long Island Rail Road: 10%.
• Metro-North: 7%.
• Access-A-Ride: 22%.

In July, the MTA achieved its best summer subway ridership week since 2019, hitting four million three days in a row in a summer season, “a first since the start of the pandemic.“ The LIRR exceeded its post-pandemic daily ridership record twice in July, carrying 298,419 passengers July 23 and 295,419 passengers July 22.

By the way, motor vehicle accidents in the CRZ are down 14%. Traffic injuries are down 15%. Earlier this summer, the New York City Department of Transportation released data showing that pedestrian fatalities on New York City streets “are at historic lows, matching levels last seen in 2018.”

APTA’s award followed a series of previous honors for Congestion Relief Zone Tolling, including the Outstanding ITS Project of the Year Award from the Intelligent Transportation Society of New York (ITS-NY), the Best Project in the Specialty Construction Category (Regional Award Level) by Engineering News-Record (ENR), and the Toll Excellence Award in Social Responsibility from the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA).

The CRZ Tolling Program gets my personal IPDASN (Ignoring Politically Driven Anti-Sustainability Nonsense) and TISHH (There is Still Hope for Humanity) Awards.

Ebbene, cosa ne sai! Doing something for the public good! What a concept!

The post APTA Lauds NYMTA CRZ Tolling appeared first on Railway Age.

Regular freight service resumed on an Idaho short line for the first time in seven years on September 10. The Washington, Idaho & Montana operates on 18 miles of track between Harvard, Idaho, and the Idaho-Washington border, where it interchanges with the Spokane, Spangle & Palouse. 

WI&M is actually the second railroad company to use the Washington, Idaho & Montana name. The Potlatch Lumber Company built the original line between 1905 and 1907 to connect eastern Washington with some of the best white pine stands in the Pacific Northwest. The WI&M ran 50 miles from a connection with the Northern Pacific in Palouse, Wash., to Bovill, Idaho, where it met the Milwaukee Road. In 1962, the WI&M became a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road. After Milwaukee abandoned its lines west of Miles City, Mont., in 1980, the line became part of Burlington Northern before being spun off as a short line in the 1990s. The previous operator, the Washington & Idaho, last ran in 2018. By then, there was only one customer on the line, Bennett Lumber Products in Potlatch. In a case of history repeating itself, in 2023, the lumber company purchased the remaining 18 miles of the WI&M from the Idaho border east to Harvard.

Since 2023, the “new” WI&M has been working to rehabilitate the line, and the railroad made its first run back in February. This summer, it brought in a cut of empty centerbeam cars using its recently acquired GP9, former Central Montana 1838. Railroad officials said they expect to operate as needed, but usually at least once a week. The railroad is actively seeking additional traffic. 

The post Freight Service Resumes on Washington, Idaho & Montana appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, or Metro) has been named 2025 Outstanding Public Transit Agency of the Year by APTA (American Public Transportation Association). APTA presented the award to the Metro team, board members and management Sept. 16 during its TRANSform Conference in Boston. The award recognizes 12 qualitative and quantitative measures such as ridership, safety, operations, customer service and financial management.

“The APTA Awards recognize organizations and leaders in the public transportation industry in North America who have demonstrated significant leadership, are outstanding role models of excellence, and whose accomplishments and innovations have greatly advanced public transportation over the past three years,” WMATA said. “Metro was selected for its record customer satisfaction and ridership growth; redesign of the entire Metrobus network; a dramatic increase in rail service; opening of seven new stations; improved customer amenities such as better wayfinding signage and more digital screens in stations; and public safety achievements, including an eight-year low in crime, 82% drop in fare evasion, and new in-house police academy.”

WMATA last won Outstanding Public Transportation System in 1997; prior to that in 1987. The agency took home APTA’s Innovation Award in 1986, 2004, and 2012, and the Gold Safety Award in 2024 and 2025. This year, WMTA also won the Outstanding Partnership in Public Transportation award with Kimley-Horn and Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning for the Better Bus initiative.

“We are honored to be recognized for the hard work and dedication the Metro team has put into transforming America’s Metro System and proving our immense value to the region we serve,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. “This award is more than just a recognition; it is a call to keep pushing forward and continuing to provide the service excellence our customers deserve.” 

“The achievements and legacies of our awardees inspire us all to continue striving for excellence in our industry and to making a lasting impact on the lives of countless individuals,” APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas said. “Congratulations to all who have been recognized for their accomplishments and for making positive impacts in their communities and our industry.”

To commemorate the award, WMATA will unveil a specially wrapped bus, train and MetroAccess van. Additionally, all trains, buses and Metro Access vehicles will feature new decals to celebrate the award. 

The post WMATA Garners Top APTA Award appeared first on Railway Age.

This year, Railway Age and RT&S are pleased to venture to Pittsburgh on Oct. 1-2 for the much-anticipated 2025 Light Rail Conference, featuring a packed lineup of LRT (light rail transit) professionals who are significantly influencing today’s rail transit industry. Among the reasons to attend is “LRT Train Protection on the Boston Green Line,” presented by Robert Hanczor, CEO and Founder of Piper Networks Rail North American Streetcar Market Sales Manager.

Piper is currently deploying the Green Line Train Protection System for the MBTA in Boston. The system includes three critical safety deliverables, including: collision avoidance for Green Line trains, overspeed protection, and full territory response to signals and speed changes. The GLTPS relies on Piper’s Cenelec SIL-4 Ultra-Wideband positioning technology to localize trains operating both at grade and in the underground central subway areas. Onboard displays provide safety alerts for operators, and the system implements safety braking to ensure safe operations. This presentation will describe the deployment strategy for surveying the Green Line territory, building comprehensive onboard databases for relevant speed, grade, and infrastructure points. Robert will also cover wayside installation methods as well as back office integrations for control center oversight of rail operations.

Robert Hanczor, Ph.D. is the CEO and Founder of Piper Networks. He leads a team dedicated to improving transportation safety with advanced sensor technologies for precision localization, collision avoidance, rail network surveying, digital twin software, maintenance vehicle protection, intrusion detection, and track worker visibility. A 30-year software engineering veteran, Robert guides the research and development of new technologies that can accelerate safety advancements for both transit and freight rail applications. Under Robert’s leadership, Piper has expanded its portfolio of expertise with an emphasis on safety certification of its product line. Piper is currently deploying the Green Line Train Protection System for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

This edition of our annual in-person Light Rail Conference will be filled with dynamic panels and the chance to network with a wide-reaching group of like-minded professionals. It offer a comprehensive review of the specialized technical, operational, environmental, and socio-economic issues associated with LRT in an urban environment. All this will take place at the Fairmont Pittsburgh.

Presented Oct. 1-2 at the Fairmont Pittsburgh, the 2025 Railway Age and RT&S Light Rail Conference is a must-attend premier conference on LRT for transportation professionals in planning, operations, civil engineering, signaling and train control, and vehicle engineering. Students at the undergraduate and graduate levels are also welcome.

Key sessions will focus on:

• Strategic insights into major new-builds and expansion projects.
• Engineering sessions illustrating how to best support long-term efficiency and safety.
• Capital program oversight, risk mitigation, and performance tracking.
• Resilience planning, sharing adaptive strategies for extreme weather events.
• Improvements to customer-facing technologies such as fare collection, communications and security.
• The viability and scalability of alternative propulsion technologies.
• Confronting funding challenges.

In addition to Robrt Hanczor, transit leaders on the program include Andy Lukaszewicz and Justin Selepack of Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), Bryan K. Moore and Casey Blaze of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), Henry Posner, Ida Posner and Nate Asplund of Railroad Development Corporation (RDC), Harry Skoblenick of Alstom, Barbara M. Schroeder of Benesch, Rachel J. Burckardt of WSP USA, and many more.

Industry support for the Railway Age / RT&S 2025 Light Rail Conference is strong, including sponsorships from 4AI Systems, Piper Networks, Benesch, RDC and Stadler. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jonathan Chalon at jchalon@sbpub.com or (212) 620-7224.

The post 2025 Light Rail Conference Focus: MBTA Green Line Train Protection appeared first on Railway Age.

For 2025’s 37th week, North American freight rail traffic declined marginally, with carloads falling 0.5% and intermodal down 1.3%, compared to 2024, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Sept. 17. U.S. traffic declined slightly in both categories; Canadian traffic grew a little. Mexico was another story entirely, with intermodal loads growing nearly 15% and carloads plummeting almost 11%. Cumulative 2025 volume saw U.S. traffic growing 3.1%, Canadian growing 2.2%, Mexican falling 7.5%, and North American climbing 2.5%

Total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 514,167 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.6% compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week ending September 13 were 231,237 carloads, down 0.5% compared with the same week in 2024, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 282,930 containers and trailers, down 2.6% compared to 2024.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included chemicals, up 2,446 carloads, to 34,891; motor vehicles and parts, up 765 carloads, to 17,608; and nonmetallic minerals, up 732 carloads, to 32,754. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included coal, down 2,321 carloads, to 60,817; miscellaneous carloads, down 1,947 carloads, to 8,776; and farm products excl. grain, and food, down 834 carloads, to 16,382.

For the first 37 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 8,194,763 carloads, up 2.3% from the same point last year; and 10,007,894 intermodal units, up 3.8% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 37 weeks of 2025 was 18,202,657 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.1% compared to last year.

North American rail volume for the week ending September 13, 2025, on 9 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 336,615 carloads, down 0.5% compared with the same week last year, and 369,524 intermodal units, down 1.3% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 706,139 carloads and intermodal units, down 0.9%. North American rail volume for the first 37 weeks of 2025 was 25,051,904 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.5% compared with 2024.

Canadian railroads reported 92,231 carloads for the week, up 1.2%, and 71,932 intermodal units, up 1.1% compared with the same week in 2024. For the first 37 weeks of 2025, Canadian railroads reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 5,978,337 carloads, containers and trailers, up 2.2%.

Mexican railroads reported 13,147 carloads for the week, down 10.9% compared with the same week last year, and 14,662 intermodal units, up 14.6%. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 37 weeks of 2025 was 870,910 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 7.5% from the same point last year.

The post AAR Week 37: Rail Traffic Dips Slightly Overall appeared first on Railway Age.

Andy Byford, Amtrak Senior Vice President and Senior Board of Directors Advisor, Penn Station New York, is a featured speaker at Next-Gen Rail Systems, the communications, signaling and advanced technology conference presented by Railway Age, and formerly known as Next-Gen Train Control. Byford’s talk, “Penn Station New York Megaproject,” will focus on the modernization and transformation of Penn Station New York, the nation’s busiest passenger rail facility.

“The transformation of Penn Station must be much more than bricks and mortar. It must be about making the station operationally sound, safe, clean and easy to navigate,” Byford notes. “Customers need to feel like they know where to go. Everybody recognizes that what we have now is not good enough.”

Andy Byford, well-known to Railway Age  conference attendees, is a globally acclaimed authority in public transit with an esteemed record of leading large transportation systems worldwide. Now Amtrak SVP and Senior Board of Directors Advisor, Penn Station New York, he previously led Amtrak’s High-Speed Rail Program. Prior to his roles at Amtrak, Byford served as Commissioner of Transport for London, President of MTA New York City Transit, and CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission. His accomplishments include overseeing completion of London’s Elizabeth Line and modernization of the New York City subway. His work on the MTA earned him popularity among New Yorkers, who nicknamed him “Train Daddy.”

“Next-Gen Rail Systems expands the focus of Next-Gen Train Control, the communications, signaling, and advanced technology conference presented by Railway Age since 1995,” saysEditor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono. “The new name reflects the evolving state of rail technology. Over the years, rapid technological developments such as AI (artificial intelligence), deep data analysis, machine learning, cybersecurity and telematics have transformed train control to become just one element of a complex, integrated platform. That’s why we’ve expanded the program to encompass the entire system. Sessions will examine how signaling and train control is constantly undergoing improvements and enhancements that deliver better safety, functionality, interoperability, versatility, and reliability, at lower life-cycle costs.

“Next-Gen Rail Systems is an essential gathering for all those involved in the growing rail systems market—whether your focus is transit, main line passenger, or freight. We are proud to present a rebranded, expanded event that features the same in-depth technical sessions and comprehensive project updates that attendees have come to expect. This conference, since its inception, has always been a ‘must attend’ event.”

In addition to Andy Byford, leading experts in the NGRS lineup are keynote speaker Tom Prendergast, CEO of Gateway Development Commission; Kris Kolluri, President and CEO of New Jersey Transit; Mario Peloquin, President and CEO of VIA Rail Canada, Dustin K. Lange, P.E., Senior Director of Engineering, Norfolk Southern, Mark Salsberg, Co-Principal of WDG Consulting; Michael Godfrey, Co-Principal and Chief Technology Officer, WGD Consulting; Matthew Kim, Assistant Vice President Enterprise Strategy, Canadian Pacific Kansas City; Wilson Milian, P.E., President and CEO of Milian Consultants, LLC; Pete Tomlin, Independent Consultant, Jonathan Kirby, Senior Director, NJT PTC, New Jersey Transit; Clarelle DeGraffe, General Manager, PATH; Steven Vant, Chief Signal Engineer, Conrail, Mike Palmer, Senior Project Manager, Parsons; Brian Yeager, Director Advanced Technology & Train Reliability, Norfolk Southern; Yousef Kimiagar, Vice President, Institution of Railway Signal Engineers; and Catherine Campbell-Wilson, Principal, StrategyFive.

Register now for Next-Gen Rail Systems, to be held Oct. 30-31, 2025, in Jersey City, N.J.

Railway Age conferences are known for providing valuable opportunities: networking with professionals from around the world; learning about innovative approaches to implementing advanced technologies; discovering new methods for procurement and contracting; providing input on standards development; becoming better-informed about ongoing and planned projects; and discovering what regulations are coming and how they could impact business.

Industry support for Next-Gen Rail Systems is strong, including sponsorships from: 4AI Systems, Alstom, CSA – Critical Systems Analysis, Druid Software, Hitachi Rail, HNTB, KB Signaling, Milian Consultants, LLC., Parsons, Piper, SATS, and Siemens Mobility. To inquire about sponsorship opportunities, contact Jonathan Chalon at jchalon@sbpub.com or (212) 620-7224.

The post Back by Popular Demand at NGRS: ‘Train Daddy’ Andy Byford appeared first on Railway Age.

We believe a unified Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern sees potential upside to disclosed revenue synergies as we quantify the watershed opportunity. Our analysis of more than 4,000 watershed O-D (origin-destination) pairs suggests that even ~10% truck conversion exceeds UP’s net synergy target disclosed in a recent S-4 filing. We introduce our UP merger model, and, using a 2029 EV/EBITDA valuation, PT moves up to $258. Reiterate Buy.

Conversion of trucked volumes in the watershed region of the U.S. underpins a part of UP’s $1 billion net revenue synergy estimate in the proposed transcon merger with NS. Watershed freight refers to shorter-haul transport moves occurring around the Mississippi River that are predominantly handled by trucks. Rail penetration of these O-D pairs is historically limited as the move involves two rails (one Western and one Eastern), necessitating revenue sharing and an interchange switch.

Our analysis of more than 4,000 O-D lanes in the watershed region indicates significant upside potential to the $1 billion in net revenue synergies disclosed by UP and NS. We classify lanes by truck dominance and assume rates of rail conversion. We conservatively estimate that ~10% total share gain from the truck mode would correspond to ~$1.35 billion in EBITDA only from watershed capture (see table below for detailed assumptions). Further upside should not be ruled out, given rails’ price advantage over truck. Recall, UP’s $1 billion net synergy estimate also includes volume gains from long-haul and ports. We note our analysis excludes lanes of less than 250miles and ignores the possibility that some rail volumes could be gained from short lines.

The table below depicts EBITDA sensitivities to truck conversion and associated yields. Our simplified analysis shows that every 5 points in watershed share gain from truck corresponds to ~$550 million in EBITDA gains. As such, UP’s $1 billion disclosed synergy estimate implies ~ low-single-digit to mid-single-digit percentage capture from watershed. We believe a transcon faces significant conversion TAM (total addressable market) but outcomes hinge on execution, which will occur over a multi-year period. The former Class I CEO we hosted recently highlighted the opportunity to strike contracts with customers (auto mainly) for ~75%-80% of their volumes. Such outcomes likely represent the upside scenario, given that our 10% capture assumption yields outsized EBITDA gains.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics data for watershed lanes reveals that ~400,000 ton-miles of freight was trucked in the watershed region in 2024, of which more than 200,000 (~50%) was on lanes for which more than9 0% of ton-miles were trucked. For reference, this amounts to ~35% of UP and NS combined RTMs in 2024 (see chart below). ~80% of ton-miles traveled on lanes for which more than 70% was trucked. This validates the rails’ claims of truck dominance in these lanes. For reference, RTMs on truck dominant watershed lanes are compared to UP and NS’s 2024 figures below.

In a 300-plus-page SEC S-4 filing released Sept. 16 (download below), new information regarding the merger, timeline, concessions and financial outlook give us a closer look into financial implications of a combined company.

UP assumes $750 million of concessions, creating a new net synergy number of $2.0 billion (1.75 revenue + 1.0 cost – 0.75 concessions). These concessions were not created after speaking with customers specifically but looking at potential business loss, change in profitability on certain lanes, traffic rights and other marketing access agreements. We will ultimately get a more granular view of concessions when UP files with the STB, but we view the first look at concessions as notable but manageable.

The filing contained the long-term financial outlook for the two separate companies to 2031. For UP, the filing has a net revenue CAGR of 3.7% and an adjusted EBITDA CAGR of 5.75%. UP’s 2026 estimates were slightly below our previous forecast on both the top and bottom line, and we tweak our estimates accordingly. UP models 20bps of annual OR improvement over the long-term, likely below consensus views of margin gains. For NS, CAGRs were largely similar, and the combined EBITDA CAGR was ~5% through 2031, before synergies. We acknowledge conservatism in estimates.

3UP and NS began talking in December 2024, right after the Presidential election. As heard from recent conference appearances and the timeline provided in the filing, both companies acknowledged the ability to do this merger given the [POTUS 47] Administration. The filing does not address any details into shipper remedies though acknowledges the possibility of “substantial concessions or remedies” to meet a merger agreement. Any “overly burdensome” concessions give UP the ability to get out of the deal for a fee if the concessions exceed synergies. In a way, this may try to cap any significant remedies the STB may try to propose for shippers.

We introduce a UP merger model incorporating NS’s operations and roll estimates out to 2029, i.e., Year 3 of the merger (assuming low-single-digit volume and yield growth, and stable EBITDA margins). Given our analysis depicting upside potential to revenue synergies, we take a favorable view of value accretion by the Year 3 time frame. Risks to our call include integration challenges/service disruptions, STB-mandated concessions surprising to the onerous side, though our former Class I panelist sees both as mitigated. Using an 11x EV/ EBITDA multiple (in line with LT FY4 average), our PT moves up to $258. Reiterate Buy.

The post Watershed Moment: Unpacking the Transcon Rail Opportunity appeared first on Railway Age.

The Norfolk & Western Business Car 300 Preservation Society announced in September that it had raised the $35,000 needed to acquire the last surviving N&W American Car & Foundry 12-4 sleeping car. The non-profit, which owns and operates a former N&W office car, plans to restore the car on the Hoosier Valley Railroad in Indiana. 

The car was built in January 1950 for the Wabash Railroad. It joined the N&W fleet in 1964 and was later assigned to the railroad’s business train in 1972. There, it received the name Hollins College. 

The non-profit is expected to take ownership of the car in January, when it will be moved west from its current home on the Morristown & Erie. The organization is presently raising money for that move.  For more information and to learn how to help, visit nw300.org.  

—Railfan & Railroad Staff

The post Non-Profit Raises Money to Acquire N&W Sleeper appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by David Zeman/photos by the author

A few months back, I wrote about my experience using an AI-powered “denoise” program (my results were mixed). This month, Chicago-area photographer Dave Zeman shares how he’s using these new tools. I think you’ll be impressed. Now excuse me while I fire up my own computer to see what I can do with them in the camera bag… —J.A.F.

One could argue there has never been a better time to be a photographer than the present. Incredible mirrorless cameras with unprecedented low-light sensitivity produce clearer and more vibrant images than ever before. Plus, new lens technology has delivered the sharpest images ever seen at all focal lengths and apertures. But when it comes to nighttime photography, there is one new tool in the last two years I find revolutionary and transformative — Adobe Lightroom’s AI-powered “Denoise” tool.

As a longtime Speedlight user for photography after sunset, this new post-processing feature has completely transformed my approach. When there’s enough existing light and several other key factors are in my favor, I can shoot moving trains at night without needing to set up a bunch of flashes around the scene.

ABOVE: WAMX SD40-2 4173 leads a westbound Wisconsin & Southern manifest train through Rondout, Ill. Locomotive 4173 is the only PTC-equipped SD40-2 on Wisconsin & Southern’s roster, making the locomotive a special treat for Chicago-area railfans when the locomotive leads a train to or from Belt Railway of Chicago’s Clearing Yard.

Denoise is the third item in a trifecta of the most important pieces of my camera gear. For two years, I have been shooting with my Nikon Z 6ii, a 24.5mp, full-frame, mirrorless camera. My two go-to lenses for almost all of my low-light night photography are my Nikkor Z 50mm ƒ/1.8 S prime lens, and my Tamron 28–75mm ƒ/2.8 Di III VXD G2. The 50mm offers incredible exposure speed, along with a very shallow depth of field when set to ƒ/1.8, making it perfect for capturing a moving subject with an inherent artsy or dramatic effect. The 28–75mm is the quintessential walk-around zoom lens for any low-light situation and works well for certain situations where trains are moving slowly through well-lit areas.

In many cases, I find my typical settings for capturing moving trains at well-lit Chicago Metra stations to be around 1/320th second shutter speed, ƒ/1.8 aperture, and ISO 8,000. Some situations have required increasing the ISO even further, sometimes up to 10,000 or 20,000 in rare cases of very dark scenes or faster-moving subjects. While my Z 6ii generally has enough power to capture most of the detail at these ultra-high ISO levels, there is usually a significant amount of noise (the digital equivalent of grain in film) visible throughout the RAW images from the camera. This is when I turn to Denoise during editing…

The post Night Photography and AI-Powered ‘Denoise’ Software appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

This month is Railfan & Railroad’s annual homage to the diesels of the American Locomotive Company. Founded as a steam locomotive manufacturer, Alco entered the diesel-electric market in the 1920s and its achievements were many. Long before its rivals, Alco produced turbocharger-equipped locomotives, starting with the HH-900 switcher in 1937. The company pioneered the concept of the “road switcher” with the 1941 introduction of the RS-1. Its PA-1 passenger locomotive was an Art Deco masterpiece designed by Ray Patten — as a result, these were widely regarded as one of the most beautiful streamlined passenger locomotives of all time.

Yet Alco has been gone for more than a half-century, its U.S. operations closed in 1969. Its Canadian counterpart, Montreal Locomotive Works, persisted a little longer, with its designs produced by Bombardier until 1985. With this closure, the lifespan of the surviving Alcos shortened radically due to the lack of parts and trained service technicians.

In the railroad world, the lack of parts was a serious problem. It often resulted in the wholesale retirement of Alcos, even the newest, youngest examples. For example, Southern Pacific leased out its big C-628 and C-630 units in 1970 and converted some of them to lower-rated yard power units by the mid-1970s, before scrapping most of them by the end of the decade. Union Pacific, meanwhile, sold its big C-630s by 1974, not even 10 years old. The buyer, in this case, was Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range, a regional ore hauler.

They spent only a few years at Missabe, filling in as emergency stand-ins while waiting for newer, younger power to arrive.
Another possibility was to keep using Alco power for as long as the existing parts supply could hold out. Burlington Northern helped extend the longevity of its fleet by consolidating Alco power to Vancouver, Wash. This was formerly the main shops of Spokane, Portland & Seattle, which operated the largest fleet of Alco-powered locomotives in the Northwest, and its personnel were intimately familiar with keeping these smoke-belchers running. Yet, it was parts as much as personnel that drove this decision; by consolidating BN’s Alco power to a single maintenance base, the dwindling parts supply could be consolidated as well, maximizing the odds that an engine could be successfully maintained or repaired. As a result, BN managed to keep much of its Alco fleet in operation for another decade.

The recession of the early 1980s proved to be the last straw for many Alco fleets. With dwindling traffic, most railroads chose to sideline older, less reliable, or less economical locomotives — and the Alcos were at the top of the list. Most went to the scrapper’s torch. Some railroads chose to rebuild their Alcos with EMD prime movers and electrical cabinets, but this only prolonged the inevitable. Many of these oddballs met their demise in the 1980s and 1990s.

On smaller regionals and short lines, Alcos fared a little better, but often, these lines bought more power than they actually needed to maintain a sort of in-house junkyard source of parts. And, for those roads that still roster Alcos, this often remains the case, for there are few pragmatic alternatives. In many cases, scrap-line parts donors are the only reason any locomotives still survive in operating condition.

What might the future hold after there are no more donors to part out? In the automotive world, vehicles produced by long-gone marques continue to be viable because there are enough sentimental owners to support third-party parts suppliers. It is doubtful that there are enough Alcos left, much less sentiment in the railroad industry, to see something similar occur, especially as the government incentivizes more efficient diesels that meet stringent emissions standards. These programs often call for the destruction of the older, inefficient diesels in trade. Time will tell, but unless there is some drastic change in pollution policy, we may see the last few Alcos turn a wheel in revenue service within the coming decade.

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

The post The Longevity of Alco appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

by Ted Benson/photos by Ted Benson and Dave Stanley

“Play, guitar, play,
Take me back to yesterday…”
—“Play, Guitar, Play,” Conway Twitty, 1977

Monday, November 14, 1977
Sunlight fades fast on an autumn afternoon, shadows stealing across the high desert as a silver Ford van skirts the Pequop Mountains south of Wells, Nev. It’s day three in a week-long photographic exploration of railroading’s “outlaw” state and the trip has locked into the “company notch,” capitalizing on short days rich in eloquent light.

Steel belts humming on the asphalt of U.S. Route 93, stone-cold country music rises above the eight-cylinder purr of the year-old Club Wagon’s 351 Windsor, Conway Twitty’s rich baritone flowing out of the tape deck in spare, plaintive verse.

“…Let me hear my mama callin’
Look a-yonder, y’all who’s comin’
Down the road, he’s comin’ home
But they know I never will”

ABOVE: The following morning, after picking up the interchange from Southern Pacific at Cobre, RS-2 101 returns south, again passing through the small village of Currie. The local will end its day 75 miles south at East Ely. —Dave Stanley photo

Describing the journey as a homecoming would be a stretch for two shaggy 20-somethings rolling into the Goshute Valley this chilly Indian Summer’s eve. Dave Stanley and I are a long way from our central California homes, the distance growing greater and the sky growing darker with every note of Twitty’s Telecaster-driven melodies.

Following an itinerary devoted to paired main lines and copper mines, we’re well past the limit of Bobby Bare’s “500 Miles Away From Home.” With Ely another 75 miles away and Nevada Northern’s twice-weekly local freight headed in our direction, our sights are set on Currie for tonight’s food and lodging. Two-plus hours lie between us and the train bound for transcontinental connections at Shafter and Cobre. There’s plenty of time to set up a night shot at the old railroad depot.

As twilight turns to dusk, the only visible sign of civilization is a handful of lights flickering by the highway where 93 intersects the NN tracks 63 rail miles south of Cobre. Resting at 5,800 feet above sea level, the hamlet of Currie is the brightest thing on the horizon — at least for the time being.

ABOVE: The 750-foot-tall smokestack at Kennecott’s McGill smelter towers over Alcos 102 and 103 passing Hiline milepost H-6 with a train of empties on November 16, 1977. KCC smelter emissions were a major source of regulatory misery for the company’s Nevada operations in the late 1970s. —Ted Benson photo

It’s been 36 years since a passenger train called at Currie, though you’d never know it. With fresh yellow paint, white trim, and train order signal intact, the building looks much the same as it did between 1906 and 1941, when an estimated 4.5 million people passed through on NN passenger trains. In 1977, the structure serves as a section house.

Acquiescing to our request in broken English, the section foreman grants permission to string wire and reflectors around his home. With 550 feet of lamp cord and six No.2 flashbulbs lighting the scene, a simple composition comes together in the usual 90 minutes. Now it’s time to don jackets, pour some coffee from the thermos, and have a seat in the truck as the temperature drops into the high 20s.

Shortly after 6:00pm, a glow appears to the south, its intensity growing with each passing minute. Dave is a newcomer to The Ely Route, and I’ve been priming him for the moment when Nevada Northern’s handsome SD7 rolls onto center stage. Dressed in an EMD-styled “Desert Warbonnet” of cream, red, and black, 401 has to be the prettiest Cadillac to ever roll out of LaGrange. An earlier phone call to Chief Dispatcher Jack Whitehurst in East Ely has alerted the train crew to expect some excitement at Currie. There’ll be no surprise aboard the 401 when night turns to day a few hundred feet north of Highway 93. The real surprise has been saved for the photographers waiting outside the depot.

ABOVE: On November 17, 1977, the northbound Nevada Northern local with KCC RS-2 101 clears the main at East Ely, to allow the westbound KCC shuttle train to pass, bound for the mines south of East Ely. For two young railfans from California, this rural outpost in the Silver State was a little slice of Alco-powered heaven. —Dave Stanley photos

Anticipating the rhythmic chant of an Electro-Motive 567 prime mover coming through the night, we soon realize that whatever’s chugging our way is no graduate of Dick Dilworth’s drawing board. The single-bell air horn calling for the crossing is clearly not the mellow Hancock air chime of the 401. A few lumen seconds later, Kennecott Copper 101 fills our viewfinders in a solid orange flash. Are you kidding? What’s an Alco doing here?

Darkness reclaims the depot as 25 cars rumble by in the RS-2’s smoky wake. Simultaneously excited and mystified by the Alco’s appearance, we roll up the flash kit and retire to the warm tranquility of Tom and Donna’s Currie Store. Half-pound Currie burgers and cold beer satisfy our physical needs while the second half of Monday Night Football playing on a TV above the bar serves up succor to the soul for two long-suffering San Francisco 49er fans. Having no love lost for Dallas and the presumptive pretense of “America’s Team,” we revel in the St. Louis Cardinals handing the Cowboys their first loss in a 12-2 Super Bowl season. Judging by the reaction of Tom and Donna’s regular patrons, we’re not alone in our sentiments. Sleep in a cozy two-bed tourist cabin comes easy this evening…

The post Alcos in Indian Summer appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Sept. 12 announced that the SIR fleet is now entirely made up of the standard R211 subway cars, “a critical part of the MTA’s ongoing modernization efforts systemwide.”

The cars include pre-installed security cameras in each car and feature 58-inch-wide door openings that are eight inches wider than standard door openings on the existing car fleet, which are designed to speed up boarding and reduce the amount of time trains sit in stations, according to the agency. In addition to wider doors, these cars provide additional accessible seating, digital displays that will provide more detailed station-specific information, and brighter lighting and signage, among other features that improve the customer experience.

The R211S cars will replace 52 R44s on the SIR, which joined the railway in1973. In line with best industry practices, R44 cars will be available for a few years as the new fleet is introduced. The new railcar has an average mean distance between failure (MDBF) rate of approximately 125,000-250,000 miles, compared to the R44’s 50,000 miles. The MDBF is a measure of how far the railcar can travel before a mechanical issue occurs and requires unscheduled maintenance. 

Since the new cars were introduced, the SIR says it has seen improved customer satisfaction in waiting times, frequency of delays, cleanliness on board trains, announcements on board trains, service reliability and overall satisfaction on board.

“New rolling stock is a huge part of the MTA’s fully funded Capital Plan, and now Staten Island is the first borough to get a full fleet of R211S train cars” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “The new models not only look great, but they’re key to running more reliable service for the borough’s thousands of daily riders.”

BART ridership saw steady growth this summer with August ridership up 10% compared to a year ago, “a reflection of the ongoing success of BART’s efforts to enhance safety, cleanliness, and customer experience, including the new fare payment system Tap and Ride,” according to the agency.

Tuesday, Aug. 26, was BART’s third-highest ridership day since 2020 at the time, with 210,818 exits. This record was soon bested in the first two weeks of September, which experienced BART’s first and second highest ridership days since 2020 (219,918 exits on Sept. 10 and 213,313 exits on Sept. 9).

Weekend ridership, the agency says, continues to trend upward with Saturdays in August seeing an 11% increase over a year ago and Sundays an 8.1% increase. These increases, BART adds, were bolstered by major events, including a three-day Dead & Company residency at Golden Gate Park, Outside Lands, and the Bay FC vs. Washington Spirit match that sold out Oracle Arena. 

A big win for customers was the launch of Tap and Ride on Aug. 20, which gives BART riders the ability to pay adult fares at BART fare gates using contactless-enabled debit or credit cards and mobile payment methods. Tap and Ride trips accounted for 6.5% of total BART trips after the payment system launched in late August. Weekend Tap and Ride usage was higher than weekdays as tourists and infrequent riders took advantage of this new feature. Twenty-four percent of entries at SFO Station were paid for using Tap and Ride after it launched. 

Also in August, San Francisco city workers began returning to their downtown office and local schools returned to session. With the start of the fall semester at UC Berkeley in mid-August, Clipper BayPass ridership more than doubled from the previous August as the all-in-one transit pass rolled out to the entire Cal student body, according to BART. In March, students approved a referendum that increases annual student fees to provide 50,000 undergraduates and graduate students with unlimited travel on Bay Area transit agencies for two years.

DART President & CEO Nadine Lee on Sept. 12 announced that the official grand opening of the Silver Line will be Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025. To commemorate the opening, riders, families, and community partners are invited to join in a day of festivities that showcase the future of mobility in North Texas.  

The 26-mile Silver Line links Plano, Richardson, Dallas, Addison, Carrollton, Coppell, and Grapevine with DFW International Airport, “transforming the way residents travel for work, school, and entertainment,” the agency noted. With state-of-the-art Stadler trains, new stations, and seamless transfers, the Silver Line “delivers convenience and opportunity to one of the fastest growing regions in the nation.”

To mark the milestone, DART is offering free rides across the entire system all day on Saturday, Oct. 25. In addition, the Silver Line will be free to ride from Oct. 25 through Nov. 8, giving everyone the chance to experience the service firsthand.

“The Silver Line opening is a realization of a promise kept to our riders and our region,” said Lee. “This state-of-the-art train will improve connections, create new access to jobs, and drive economic growth across North Texas, with a fitting theme to ‘Discover New Horizons.’ Most importantly, this line shows our riders that we heard them, and we delivered.”

The Silver Line opening date announcement was made at the conclusion of the third annual State of the Agency briefing from Lee on Sept. 12. The briefing included an update on agency priorities and progress from Lee and DART Board of Directors Chair Gary Slagel.

“The Silver Line is a major step forward in building a stronger, more connected region. It is an investment in both today’s riders and future generations. We are proud to open its doors and welcome the community aboard,” added Slagel.

The event also included a panel conversation on how transit ties to “Live, Work, and Play” in the North Texas region. Lee was joined by Dallas Stars President and CEO Brad Alberts and Inspire Dallas CEO Carlos F. Aguilar, in conversation with D Magazine Partners President Gillea Allison. 

The Silver Line Grand Opening Celebration on Oct. 25 will feature festivities at select stations, including live music, cultural performances, family programming, and recognition of the sponsors and partners who made the project possible. DART extends its deepest appreciation to its sponsors: Platinum Sponsor Stadler; Gold Sponsors WSP and Ardurra; Bronze Sponsors Cypress Waters – Billingsley and NTX Partners; and General Sponsors AECOM and Archer Western. “Their support reflects a shared commitment to connecting communities and advancing North Texas into the future,” the agency noted.

More information is available here.

The MBTA recently announced that the CapeFLYER train has reached a record number of tickets sold for the Summer 2025 season. More than 10,800 passengers purchased tickets between Boston and Hyannis on summer weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day this year, compared to about 9,700 last year.

The CapeFLYER is a partnership between Keolis, the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), and the MBTA to improve access to Cape Cod for residents and visitors.

CapeFLYER service has operated since 2013. The train travels between Boston’s South Station, Braintree, Brockton, Lakeville, Wareham, Buzzards Bay, Bourne, and Hyannis. The train includes a bicycle car with racks and tools as well as a café car featuring snacks and beverages.

The trip from South Station to Hyannis takes about two hours and forty minutes.

“The continued rise in CapeFLYER ticket sales shows how vital this service is to residents, visitors, and the communities it serves,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “By providing an affordable and reliable alternative to driving, the Cape Flyer expands access to the Cape, supports local economies, reduces traffic congestion, and delivers a more sustainable way to travel,”

“Massachusetts has so much to offer to residents and visitors. Under the leadership of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, we are privileged to have the ability to provide connected mass transportation services to Cape Cod with our partners at MassDOT, Keolis, and CCRTA. The CapeFLYER finished this year with record ridership and demonstrates how access to mass transportation improves quality of life. To the thousands of passengers that chose the CapeFLYER as their preferred choice of travel, a big thank you for letting us serve you!” said MBTA General Manager and CEO Phillip Eng. “This is a great reminder that public transit supports all kinds of travels. Not just during the summer, but all seasons, all year long. Take advantage of our $10 Weekend Pass and keep an eye out for robust service to Salem’s Haunted Happenings and so much more.”

The California Legislature passed legislation on Sept. 13 authorizing a ballot measure to create a 14-year, sub-regional sales tax in five Bay Area counties to generate revenue to support Bay Area public transportation systems, Caltrain recently reported. If signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, the bill, Senate Bill (SB) 63, introduced by State Senators Scott Wiener and Jesse Arreguín, will allow voters to decide on the revenue measure on the November 2026 ballot.

If voters qualify a measure for the ballot under SB 63 and a majority approve it, the measure will provide critical operating funding for Caltrain, Muni, BART and AC Transit. It will also support rider improvements, smaller bus and ferry services, and dedicate funds to return-to-source projects identified by individual counties. The regional measure, Caltrain says, “is intended to establish a stable funding source that addresses the fiscal shortfalls many Bay Area transit agencies continue to face after the pandemic.”

The passage of the legislation comes as Bay Area transit agencies face looming fiscal cliffs that threaten service. Caltrain projects an average annual deficit of about $75 million beginning in fiscal year 2027. Without new funding, the agency says it would face difficult decisions, including drastic service reductions, station closures and cuts to service frequency. “These challenges stem largely from shifting travel patterns that have changed how people commute, leaving Caltrain with structural budget shortfalls,” the agency noted.

While Caltrain says it has made “significant strides” to regain ridership, reduce costs and increase non-fare revenue, there remains a structural need for ongoing funding sources. Caltrain would receive an average of about $75 million annually from the measure—a 7% allocation of the total funds generated—resulting in Caltrain’s operating deficit being fully funded and Caltrain maintaining its half-hourly service.

SB 63 would:                                           

• “Authorize a sales tax in five counties in the Bay Area including the three counties that Caltrain operates in: San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara.
• “Dedicate percentages of revenue in each of Caltrain’s counties to cover the railroad’s operations deficit, allowing for the preservation of Caltrain’s service level.
• “Establish accountability measures and efficiency reviews to ensure that transit agencies are acting responsibly and appropriately with the funds they are receiving.
• “Allow voters to decide the future of transit in the Bay Area, if the new district’s legislative body places a measure on the ballot, or if the voters circulate petitions to qualify a measure for the ballot.”

“SB 63 is critical for Caltrain and other Bay Area transit systems. We are grateful to the bill authors Senators Weiner and Arreguin as well as the Caltrain delegation for strengthening and passing this critical legislation,” said Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard. “Thanks to electrification, we’re seeing our ridership grow faster than ever before because of the faster, more frequent, and more reliable service. Without SB63, we risk having to make service cuts that would put those gains at risk and push more cars back onto already congested roads. SB63 offers a light at the end of the tunnel to keep riders moving, reduce traffic, and build the sustainable transit system our region needs.”

“In May, the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board of Directors (Caltrain) voted to support SB 63 because of its vital ability to provide funding to support our transit operations,” said Caltrain Board Chair Steve Heminger. “Next year, voters will have the choice to establish sustainable funding mechanisms that will ensure Caltrain, and other Bay Area transit systems are able to keep running reliably and safely while supporting our local and surrounding communities.”

Local and state officials and leaders of the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority will join LA Metro on Sept. 19 to celebrate the grand opening of the agency’s A Line Extension from Azusa to Pomona, bringing new local rail service to the San Gabriel Valley cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona for the first time since 1951 when the Pacific Electric Railway ceased operations.

The ribbon-cutting celebration will be followed at 11:30 a.m. by Rock the Rails, an event that invites the community to visit each new station while enjoying DJs, live local bands and food trucks from the San Gabriel Valley area. Revenue service will begin at noon.

The $1.5 billion light rail project adds another 9.1 miles to the 48.5-mile Metro A Line, already the world’s longest light rail line, expanding access to regional destinations, including 19 nearby colleges and universities, the Pomona Fairplex, regional parks, historic downtowns, museums, hospitals, medical centers, shopping, dining and entertainment venues.

The project is the ninth project to be completed in LA Metro’s Twenty-Eight by ‘28 initiative, “an ambitious, comprehensive plan to enhance the region’s transit infrastructure in time for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and leave an infrastructure legacy for Angelenos.”

The post Transit Briefs: NYMTA/SIR, BART, DART, MBTA, Bay Area Transit Systems, LA Metro appeared first on Railway Age.

The tentative agreement with the larger SMART-TD group, which includes conductors, is subject to member ratification and provides:

• “Wage increases of 18.8% over five years. Based on current inflation projections, this increase will translate to real wage growth for covered railroaders, along with pay certainty for the life of the contract
• “Enhancements to world-class health and welfare benefits with no increase to the employee contribution rate. Employees’ 2025 health care premiums have decreased to about $277/month, well below the national average of more than $500/month for employer-provided family coverage.
• “Access to more paid vacation time for employees earlier in their careers.”

“This tentative national agreement with SMART-TD will extend the benefits established by the industrywide pattern—including wage increases and improved benefits—to thousands more freight rail employees,” said Jeff Rodgers, Chairman of the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) and NCCC. “This represents a substantial advancement, and we value SMART-TD’s participation in a productive process that is expected to benefit rail employees, foster high-quality careers, and contribute to the continued success of America’s freight rail sector.” 

The separate agreement with Yardmasters provides four consecutive annual general wage increases:

• July 1, 2025 – 4.0% increase
• July 1, 2026 – 3.75% increase
• July 1, 2027 – 3.5% increase
• July 1, 2028 – 3.25% increase
• July 1, 2029 – 3.00% increase

By the end of the agreement, Yardmasters will see a compounded increase exceeding 18.75%, “strengthening economic security and reflecting the essential work performed every day in yards across the country,” SMART-TD noted.

“Quality of life for our Yardmasters was at the heart of everything we fought for in this Tentative Agreement,” explained SMART-TD’s Alternate Vice President Chris Bartz, who is an active Yardmaster on the CPKC railroad. “Everyone in this union knows that historically, the youngest of our craft have been on call seven days a week, with no rest days at all when assigned to the guaranteed extra board. This provision finally rights decades of wrongs against our Yardmasters.

“By securing guaranteed rest days, we’re giving members the ability to plan for time off without worrying about the Carrier calling. This is something that has been a very long time coming. Just as importantly, we won language that requires the Carriers to come to the table to negotiate sick days on a clear timeline. Our goal is to ensure Yardmasters achieve the same protections as our T&E brothers and sisters,” Batz added.

For the first time, Yardmasters will have guaranteed rest days on the extra board built into their schedules. This, the union says, “ensures members receive predictable time away from work to recharge, spend time with family, and reduce fatigue.”

The tentative agreement also provides a path for the negotiation of paid sick days, “a major step forward in recognizing the need for Yardmasters to recover,” according to the union. This provision of the tentative agreement “creates a structured negotiation between the carriers, and SMART-TD aimed at bringing the same sick day structure our T&E members have to our Yardmasters,” the union said.

Quality of life improvements in the tentative agreement extends into wins on vacation time, as well, with SMART-TD having secured additional vacation time for its Yardmasters, as well as accelerated accrual of vacation time for newer members. 

The tentative SMART-TD and Yardmasters agreements “continue the steady progress of the 2025 bargaining round, mirroring national agreements already ratified by nine other unions,” including IBEW, BMWED, SMART-MD, IAM, IBB, ATDA, NCFO, TCU and BRC, covering the period through Dec. 31, 2029. These national agreements are in addition to dozens of local agreements reached and ratified this round.

Upon ratification of these agreements and a separate tentative agreement with the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen (BRS), more than 80% of the union-represented freight rail employees at railroads participating in national handling will be covered by a ratified collective bargaining agreement that follows the industry-wide pattern, SMART-TD said.

More information is available here.

The post NCCC Reaches Tentative Agreements With SMART-TD, Yardmasters appeared first on Railway Age.

by Justin Franz and Otto M. Vondrak/photos by the author

A saga that began 25 years ago in the Pacific Northwest came to a triumphant end in Scranton, Pa., this summer. On a warm July night beside Bridge 60 Tower, the sleek silhouette of an Alco PA stood gleaming in the floodlights, its blue and white paint recalling the glory days of mid-century Nickel Plate Road passenger trains. Almost a half-century since a PA led a passenger train in the U.S., NKP 190 was chomping at the bit to show everyone what it’s made of. But the road to its revival was not an easy one, making the improbable return all the more remarkable.

From Santa Fe to Scranton — Via Mexico
A total of 297 Alco PA and PB locomotives were built between 1946 and 1953. “Nickel Plate Road 190” was built as Santa Fe PA-1 62L in October 1948. For 20 years, 62L and its sister units led some of the Santa Fe’s finest trains before being retired in the late 1960s. The locomotive was headed for scrap when it received a new lease on life, thanks to Delaware & Hudson, which acquired four ex-Santa Fe PAs for passenger and excursion service. In 1975, the four units were rebuilt by Morrison-Knudsen in Boise, Idaho. During the rebuild, the locomotives had their 244 prime movers replaced with the more reliable 251 and were redesignated as PA-4s.

ABOVE: While mechanical and electrical assembly continued inside the body, McCormack completed the exterior in 2014 to get ready for the “Streamliners at Spencer” event in North Carolina. —Justin Franz photo 

The four units were removed from passenger service on D&H and briefly leased to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority for commuter service in 1977. With a change in management at D&H, the four units were sold to Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México (FNM) for passenger service in Mexico in 1978. Two of the PA-4s, 17 and 19, eventually found their way into museums south of the border, where they remain today (one is reportedly even operational). However, the other two, 16 and 18, did not fare as well.

Within a few years of arriving in Mexico, both units were involved in accidents and were parked in the deadline at Empalme. Ultimately, they were parted out to keep other units operational. While little remained of the units beyond the skeletal frame, the FNM mechanical staff couldn’t bear to see them go, so they kept them hidden from management, who might have ordered them scrapped. Unwittingly, this was the first step toward the units being saved.

ABOVE: After a brief period of public display, NKP 190 was moved to GVT’s Von Storch Shops in the Green Ridge neighborhood of Scranton on June 21. Doyle shakes hands with Chief Mechanical Officer Bill Strein shortly after its arrival. —Otto M. Vondrak photo

Coming to America
Beginning in the 1990s, American preservationists started exploring ways to bring a PA home to the U.S. Mexican officials refused to part with the two locomotives already in museums, but were willing to send the remains of 16 and 18 back north to the right home. The effort to save one was led by the late Smithsonian Curator William Withuhn, who hoped Mexican officials would agree to send one of the units to a public museum. Negotiations dragged on for years, but Withuhn finally secured an agreement by 2000.

Unfortunately, by then funds allocated for such an acquisition were no longer available. Gulf & Ohio Railways CEO Pete Claussen, Steamtown National Historic Site Engineer Seth Corwin, and preservationist and railroader Doyle McCormack, who had been seeking a PA to restore for years, all contributed significant money to close the deal. The scarred frames were loaded onto flatcars and shipped north.

ABOVE: NKP 190 and recently restored Delaware & Hudson Alco RS-3 4098 power the initial run near Moscow, Pa., on July 11. —William Sternitzke photo

Meanwhile, McCormack (perhaps best known as the caretaker of Southern Pacific 4-8-4 4449) discovered two sets of A1A trucks necessary for eventual restoration that came from a Fairbanks-Morse “Erie-Built” passenger diesel that ended up powering a welded rail train in Canada. He offered Withuhn one set in exchange for one of the shells. Withuhn accepted, and McCormack became the proud owner of what remained of one of the most famous passenger locomotives ever built….

The post From Relic to Runner appeared first on Railfan & Railroad Magazine.

Dockworkers and terminal operators processed 901,846 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in August, a relatively flat decline of 1.3% from the record set in August 2024. Imports were down 3.6% to 440,318 TEUs and exports decreased 8.3% to 95,960 TEUs. Empty containers moving through the Port of Long Beach rose 3.7% to 365,567 TEUs.

The Port has moved 6,592,708 TEUs through the first eight months of 2025, up 8.3% from the same period last year.

“Shifting trade policies continue to create uncertainty for businesses and consumers,” said Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero. “Our Supply Chain Information Highway digital tracker is projecting our peak shipping season to be on pace with last year as retailers start to stock their warehouses in preparation for the winter holidays.”

“I commend our dockworkers for their continued hard work to keep goods moving through the Port during the peak shipping season,” said Long Beach Harbor Commission President Frank Colonna. “Our reputation as a primary gateway for trans-Pacific trade relies on our ability to safely ensure the secure and speedy shipment of goods.”

Complete cargo numbers are available here.

The post Port of Long Beach: Second-Busiest August on Record appeared first on Railway Age.