Railway Age magazine

Lake State Railway (LSRC), Railway Age’s 2018 Short Line of the Year and 2021 Regional of the Year, delivers toys and “Christmas cheer” to Michigan communities. Also, OmniTRAX rail affiliate Great Western Railway of Colorado (GWR) performs Santa Claus’s last-mile sleigh service; Santa and Damian Maldonado ride Texas North Western Railway’s (TXNW) holiday train to Sunray, Tex.; and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) kicks off the holidays in Mexico with Tren Navideño.

LSRC Screenshot

LSRC employees recently volunteered to bring Christmas cheer to communities along the Michigan-based Class II’s rail lines.

(Photographs Courtesy of LSRC)

“This year was the biggest year by far for donations, with nearly $10,000 in toys donated to Toys for Tots by our employees, partners, and Antin Infrastructure Partners,” LSRC reported via social media.

(Photographs Courtesy of LSRC)

The LSRC SD70M 1776 (pictured below) also took part in the event. The unit was rolled out earlier this year. Its special red, white, and blue paint scheme celebrating American independence was designed by second-generation LSRC railroader Travis Vongrey, a former conductor, engineer, and yardmaster and now a supervisor of yard operations. Vongrey also designed a locomotive in a heritage scheme inspired by the Pere Marquette Railway, one of LSRC’s antecedents.

(Photograph Courtesy of LSRC)

Separately, LSRC is purchasing four SD70ACeT4 locomotives from Progress Rail, a Caterpillar Company. Delivery is expected by the end of this year.

(Photograph Courtesy of OmniTRAX) GWR

Great Western Railway (GWR) recently delivered Santa to Boardwalk Park in Downtown Windsor, Colo., in a fully refurbished 1898 Yellowstone Pullman Car. According to the OmniTRAX affiliate, an audience of thousands eagerly awaited his arrival, which was followed by a “Holiday Proclamation” from Mayor Julie Cline and a tree lighting ceremony, plus festive activities, live music, and photos with the guest of honor.

GWR and OmniTRAX employees and their families accompanied Santa on the train and passed out train whistles and candy canes to the children in attendance.

“It’s an honor to bring Santa to Northern Colorado,” said Dallas Ramos, Vice President of OmniTRAX, which has been performing Santa’s last-mile sleigh service for more than a decade. “Windsor Wonderland brings neighbors, family, and friends together and we are proud to partner with such a beloved community event.”

(Photographs Courtesy of OmniTRAX) Further Reading:

• For OmniTRAX, Another Wyoming Mining Partnership
• OmniTRAX: Exclusive Switching Partner for Tata Chemicals’ Wyoming Mine
• OmniTRAX Expands into Long Island, NY
• OmniTrax-Coast Belle Rail JV to Run SMVRR

TXNW (Photograph Courtesy of TNW Corporatation)

“Nearly 1,000 Moore County residents gathered in Sunray in the northern Texas Panhandle on Dec. 6 as their hometown railway, TXNW, transformed an ordinary evening into an extraordinary celebration of community spirit and holiday joy,” the short line reported Dec. 10. “The highlight of the evening came when a festively decorated TXNW locomotive pulled into town carrying Santa Claus and special guest of honor Damian Maldonado, whose attendance was made possible through the Make A Wish Foundation. With Sunray Mayor Bruce Broxson serving as Grand Marshal, the Christmas Train’s arrival marked the beginning of an evening that brought together families, local businesses, and community organizations in a celebration of what makes small-town Texas special.”

(Photograph Courtesy of TNW Corporatation)

The event, co-organized by the railroad and the Sunray Volunteer Fire Department, featured complimentary hot cocoa, Christmas music, and an opportunity for children to share their holiday wishes with Santa. But the highlight, TXNW said, was the outpouring of community support that made the evening possible. “Local businesses and organizations rallied to ensure every child went home with a gift and every family felt the warmth of their community,” it noted. Among the contributors: JBS, DevCon, Moore County Hospital District, Trinity Repair, The Plaza, Jack Oldham, Dumas EDC, Dumas Rodeo, Dumas Lions Club, United Supermarket, Walmart, Toot n Totum, Civil Xcavation Contractors, Dumas ISD, Moore County Sheriff’s Department, Emergency Management Services, and Boy Scouts.

(Photograph Courtesy of TNW Corporatation)

“This event represents everything we love about Moore County—neighbors coming together to create something meaningful for our children and families,” said TXNW Superintendent Amber Farley, whose team spent days decorating the train’s locomotive. “Seeing 1,000 smiling faces as that train rolled in, especially knowing Damian was aboard with Santa, reminded us why we’re proud to call Sunray home.”

“There’s a magical connection between Christmas and railroads for children, and we wanted to honor that tradition in a way that brings our entire community together,” said Paul Treangen, CEO of TNW Corporation, which is the privately held operator of TXNW and two other short lines, plus four logistics centers in Texas. “We’re grateful to work alongside so many generous neighbors who share our commitment to making Moore County a special place to raise families.”

Further Reading:

• TXNW Wraps Up Texas Interchange Improvement Project
• Safety First

CPKC (Screen Grab from CPKC video)

“We’re proud to continue our annual Tren Navideño tradition, celebrating the season with our railroader families in Mexico,” CPKC reported via social media on Dec. 9. “This private event features festive lights, holiday activities, a visit from Santa, and the joy of tradition—a special thank you to our dedicated team and their families. Wishing everyone a wonderful and memorable holiday season!”

(Screen Grab from CPKC video)

Meanwhile, the annual CPKC Holiday Train is touring Canada and the U.S. through Dec. 21, presenting musical performances and raising money, food, and awareness to support food banks across its network, and CSX hosted the 83rd running of its Santa Train on Nov. 22, delivering toys, gifts, and winter essentials to 13 communities in Appalachia.

For more “Holiday Briefs,” featuring Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, Genesee & Wyoming events, click here.

The post ‘Holiday Briefs’: LSRC, GWR, TXNW, CPKC appeared first on Railway Age.

OmniTRAX

Infrastructure company OmniTRAX on Dec. 10 announced that Economic Development Director Ashley Wolfe has earned global economic development certification by the IEDC. The gold standard of economic development expertise, IEDC’s Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) accreditation has only been earned by development professionals from three North American railroads: OmniTRAX, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), and Union Pacific (UP).

“Economic development expertise is an invaluable benefit for companies making capital investment decisions,” said OmniTRAX EVP Ryan Dreier. “IEDC certification shows prospective development partners that they are working with trusted, trained professionals and I’m proud that OmniTRAX is the only railroad to have its entire economic development team achieve IEDC certification.”

The global accreditation denotes a mastery of principal skills in economic development, professional attainment, and a commitment to professional growth.  Worldwide, approximately 1,200 economic developers have achieved the prestigious CEcD designation. Certified Economic Developers work with public officials, business leaders and community members to create and retain high-quality jobs and community investment.

Wolfe’s work to grow Arizona’s Sonoran Valley Railroad with customers such as Wright Asphalt and her collaboration with Phelps County Development Corporation to attract projects like Nebraskaland Aviation’s new facilities to the Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado Railway are examples of her recent economic development projects.

“Economic developers play a vital role in shaping the future of their communities. They drive investment, support businesses, create jobs, and improve the overall quality of life,” shared IEDC President and CEO Nathan Ohle. “Becoming a Certified Economic Developer represents the highest standard of excellence in our field. These individuals have invested in their growth as leaders, and in doing so, they strengthen the economic future of the regions they serve.”

LRW

ASLRRA Senior Vice President Law and General Counsel Sarah Yurasko was named the LRW 2025 Member of the Year.

Announcement of the award, which recognizes the “outstanding contributions” of an LRW member, was made during the LRW’s annual membership meeting, noting Yurasko’s “continued dedication to LRW and its mission, her support for LRW members, and her overarching generosity and leadership.”

The post People News: OmniTRAX, LRW appeared first on Railway Age.

We’re partnering with leaders on both sides of the aisle and in both houses of Congress—particularly Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Mike Thompson (D-Calif.)—to find a tax legislative vehicle to modernize the successful 45G short line tax credit. And we’re working to partner with regulatory agencies to ensure that any new initiatives are safety-focused, data supported, and implementable by small business railroads. 

Another critical partnership—that of short lines and Class I’s to create an affordable, reliable, and seamless freight network for our customers—is also top of mind for 2026.

Senior Class I railroad executives came out in force at the most recent 2025 ASLRRA Region meetings in Charlotte and New Orleans, and there was much to like about what they had to say. Presentations by Stefan Loeb of Norfolk Southern, Christina Bottomley of CSX, Jim Gunther of CN, Kenny Rocker of Union Pacific, Coby Bullard of CPKC, and Mark Ganaway of BNSF focused on the importance of their short line connections, the efforts they are making to strengthen those connections, and the work they are doing to accelerate carload opportunities. 

Each presented encouraging operational data, industrial development and real estate initiatives, and technology innovations. Some showcased new programs to track Class I/short line interchange performance, jointly market certified sites, share railcars, or create new short lines. 

Each showcased their short line management teams, which these days have evolved well beyond just managing legal agreements and joint facilities to become potent teams dedicated to creating carload volume growth. The expansion and elevation of these teams into Class I senior management is a relatively new development and one that has significantly benefited short lines and their customers by increasing their visibility throughout the Class I organizations. 

The presentations were first-rate, informative, and encouraging, and there is no doubt that short lines liked what they heard. But as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. 

To quantify success, or the lack thereof, which is just as important to know, short lines would be interested in seeing metrics tracked over time, such as on-time delivery and pickup at Class I/short line interchanges, “same store” volume growth from short line originations and terminations, total short line volume growth (including new short line creations and—God forbid—any short lines that go away), the percentage of Class I volume that touches a short line, the success rate of how often short line business development opportunities turn into actual carloads, the average speed from a requested rate quote to a delivered quote, how often a paper barrier was modified to increase volume or improve service, and how often service frequency was increased to improve volume or service. 

These are admittedly my layman’s version of metrics that might be used to judge success. Some of these already exist but are generally kept private or not widely reported, while for others the railroad experts in the room could no doubt develop better metrics or the best way to measure. And I’m sure I missed dozens more that could be measured. Either way, I would urge short lines and their Class I partners to devote some time and effort to considering how these kinds of metrics could be developed and utilized in measuring the progress envisioned in the presentations made at our Region meetings. 

Recently, ASLRRA worked with Railinc to gather and publish the number of individual carloads that were handled in origination, termination or bridge movement by at least one short line in the U.S. The results for 2017-2023 show Class I U.S. carload originations (non-intermodal) declining from 16.1 million to 14.1 million, while short line carload originations remained flat at 2.7 million. On the termination side, Class I volume decreased from 15.9 million to 14.3 million carloads while short lines remained flat at 3 million. 

There are many ways to look at that data, but what I see is a good news/bad news story: 

The good news is that short lines represent an increasing share of carload volume in the rail industry (from 14.5% to 16% of originations, and from 15.6% to 17.4% of terminations) and thus an obvious place for our Class I partners to focus to grow business. 

The bad news is that total carload volume is down across the industry and even short line volume is mostly flat. That is the needle that needs to be moved. I believe paying closer attention to the kinds of metrics noted earlier will help get those numbers going on the upward trajectory that both the short lines and Class I’s are hoping for.  

An oft-used sentiment is that “a new year is another chance to get it right.” Short lines and their partners have a compelling opportunity to do just that in 2026!

The post The Volume Needle Needs to Move appeared first on Railway Age.

What happened?

“On Oct. 14, 2024, about 5:59 a.m., an Alstom employee operating southbound NJ Transit train 207 was fatally injured when the train struck a tree that had fallen across the tracks of the River Line at milepost (MP) 24.53 near Florence, N.J. (see Figure 1, above). Train 207 was a light rail vehicle (LRV) consisting of two railcars with 41 passengers on board. During the collision, a tree branch penetrated the lead railcar’s forward windshield and struck the operator. Twenty-three passengers were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Alstom estimated damages to equipment to be about $194,000. At the time of the accident, visibility conditions were dark with the train’s headlights providing the only illumination, and the weather was 60°F with no precipitation.

“On the day of the accident, the operator reported for duty at 4:48 a.m. at an NJ Transit maintenance facility in Trenton, N.J. She started her scheduled trip from Hamilton Avenue Station at 5:47 a.m., operating train 207. This was the first train to operate on the River Line that day. About 5:55 a.m., the train departed Bordertown Station, the last station north of the accident area. According to event recorder data, the operator initiated an emergency braking application at 5:58:56 a.m. while rounding a right-hand curve north of the point of impact. The train was traveling 65 mph when the braking application began, and the train decelerated for several seconds before striking the tree. The train came to a stop about 880 feet past the estimated point of impact (see Figure 2, below).”

Figure 2. Satellite image of accident location. (Source: Google Earth.)

According to the final report (download below), which follows a preliminary report issued in November 2024, the NTSB says, “while on-scene, it identified abrasive transfer marks on the rails consistent with emergency braking starting near MP 24.61, or about 430 feet north of the point of impact. Because the head end of the train was about 90 feet from its rearmost axle, this corresponds to an emergency braking application beginning when the head end of the train was near MP 24.59, or about 340 feet from the point of impact. The marks ended at the point of impact.”

The NTSB conducted a partial reenactment of the accident at low speed under predawn lighting conditions (see Figure 3, below). During this reenactment, the fallen tree became visible to an approaching train operator about 350 feet north of the point of impact. “According to waivers NJ Transit filed with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) when obtaining approval to operate, on FRA-regulated track, the type of LRV involved in this collision, the headlights were designed to illuminate a person standing 500 feet away. Daylight observations of the scene found that the point of impact was visible from about 1,400 feet away.”

Figure 3. View from test train cab during reenactment.

Postaccident examinations of the train did not identify mechanical defects, according to the NTSB report. “Examination of the train’s brakes found normal wear patterns on contact surfaces, but damage to the train prevented a brake test and dynamic testing. Braking tests performed by the vehicle’s manufacturer in 2003 indicated the type of light rail vehicle involved in this collision had an emergency braking distance of 499 feet from 60 mph under ideal conditions. The manufacturer did not test braking performance above 60 mph.”

Analysis

The collision, NTSB says, “resulted from the operator having insufficient time and distance to stop the train after the tree became visible. The investigation did not find evidence of defects with the train or track, and the operator was not impaired by drugs or alcohol.

“Postaccident observations and the design specifications of the train’s headlights suggest that the fallen tree became visible when the train was 350–500 feet away. Daylight observations showed that even though the accident happened near a curve, a train approaching from the north, as this train did, would have had a sightline of about 1,400 feet to the fallen tree’s location. The 1,000-foot difference between these observations indicates that darkness and the reach of the train’s headlights were the factors limiting the visibility during the accident.

“Rail abrasions indicate that the operator initiated emergency braking—the appropriate response to a hazardous obstruction—when the train was about 340 feet from the tree. Given the train’s speed of 65 mph (about 95 feet per second), the operator applied the train’s brakes less than two seconds after seeing the tree. The operator’s actions were therefore correct and timely, and they did not contribute to the accident.

“Although available records did not include the train’s minimum braking distance at 65 mph, this distance would have exceeded the 499-foot braking distance expected at 60 mph under ideal conditions because braking distance increases with speed. The tree was therefore already within the train’s minimum stopping distance when the operator saw the tree, and the train retained enough speed at impact for a tree branch to penetrate the forward windshield and fatally strike the operator.

“The train traveled 880 feet after striking the tree and before coming to a stop. There were no marks on the rails after the point of impact consistent with an emergency braking application, which suggests that the train was applying less braking force after the collision. A postaccident inspection found no defects with the train’s brakes, but damage to the train prevented brake tests. The collision damage may have affected the train’s braking systems, but there was not enough evidence to determine exactly how.

“The arborist’s report found that the tree involved in this accident had decayed internally. The tree fell as a result of this decay, but there was no evidence of a specific event that caused the tree to fall when it did. Investigators on the scene did not see external decay or obvious indications that the tree was unhealthy, and it is therefore unlikely that Alstom’s regular track inspections and seasonal surveys could have identified the tree as a hazard.”

Probable Cause

The NTSB determines that the probable cause of NJ Transit train 207 striking a fallen tree, resulting in a tree branch piercing the front windshield and fatally injuring the train operator, “was the predawn low light conditions that prevented the operator from seeing the tree in time to stop the train.”

Lessons Learned

The investigation identified four cases of trains striking downed trees before this accident. These collisions, NTSB says, “were minor but indicated the presence of a risk that, on October 14, 2024, led to a fatal collision. This accident underscores the importance of incorporating all measurable hazards into system safety programs.”

Comprehensive safety oversight programs are required under federal regulations at 49 CFR Part 674. As a result of this accident, NJ Transit and Alstom completed a corrective action plan to remove tree hazards along the River Line, and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), as the state safety oversight agency, “will continue to monitor efforts to identify and remediate hazards along the River Line,” according to the NTSB.

RIR2519Download

The post NTSB Determines Probable Cause for NJ Transit Collision appeared first on Railway Age.

FINANCIAL EDGE, RAILWAY AGE DECEMBER 2025 ISSUE: The holidays always bring the classic tussle between Ebeneezer Scrooge (pre-ghosts) and Santa. In the holiday spirit, Santa (or the true spirit of the holidays) always wins out. (Don’t agree? Name a Holiday movie without a happy ending.) Unfortunately, in the non-cinematic world, reality often gets in the way. 

The Federal Reserve Board of Governors is set to have the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on Dec. 10. The markets are atwitter (yes it was a word before the social media) about what the Fed may or may not do. Will it be a holiday joy or holiday horror? 

The members of the Board seem split, and this is reflected in the market’s probability estimates of a cut moving from 90% to 40% to 75% over a few weeks. (Those of you reading this after Dec. 10 may already know the answer.) It’s a tough job in the moment as the economy fritters between growth, inflation and stagnancy. The choice by the Fed will certainly leave some constituency unhappy.

Generally, the industrial economy is bearing the brunt of a kind of weakness that has led to a great amount of uncertainty about 2026 and its prospects. Strip the rail economy of the low volume cha-cha-cha being played 24/7 as the industry waits for Union Pacific to file its STB application for the acquisition of Norfolk Southern, and there’s not much to be dancing about.

Recent conversations with supply chain professionals across several industrial commodity shippers suggests that many do not see a rebound until late 2026 (best case) or more likely 2027. 

The numbers and fact pattern are bearing this out. With new railcar orders for 3Q25 languishing at just over 3,000 cars, it’s difficult to feel anything remotely bullish. 

Jason Miller, the Eli Broad Professor in Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University, recently noted in a LinkedIn post about Home Depot’s earnings that the mix of three bold factors—a significant slowdown in YOY sales, a slower pace of inventory turnover and a decrease in gross margins—indicates underlying market weakness and tariff related malaise. Furthermore, Home Depot offered no guidance for when demand may begin to accelerate.

Miller also points out recent downward revisions by the Federal Reserve to the index of Industrial Production that lowered August 2025’s numbers to levels not seen since February 2020. The IP numbers posted by the Fed reflect both industrial output and prices.

Need more holiday cheer? The Journal of Commerce reports that western borne shipping capacity from Europe is at peak volumes, the import slump from Asia due to earlier-in-the-year frontloading continues, and truck carriers are shrinking inventory of available (over) capacity to maintain pricing at today’s already low levels. 

It is difficult to anticipate tariff clarity in the next six to nine months. If the Supreme Court rejects the current tariffs, expect 80% of them to be rerouted through other channels and be reinstated. Expect a 2026 push into the reshaping of USMCA with a possible scrapping and redrafting of the entire agreement still on the table. That will lead to continued uncertainty and trepidation about investment.

The news is pretty grim, which from an outsider’s perspective does not lend credence to the railroad mega-merger as creating opportunities for growth. It continues to feel like a consolidation of earnings power without growth (cha-cha-cha). As Paul Denton, retired President and CEO of the Maryland Midland Railway, noted in his recent Railway Age opinion piece, “Fancy wording and expensive lawyer briefs dangled in front of the STB are window dressing. Ask any short line CEO or former rail shipper about ‘benefits’ from any prior rail merger.”

As the carol goes, maybe we just “need a little Christmas now” from the Federal Reserve. The consumer has propped the economy for some time now, and while the wealth gap mixed with stock market growth continues to support affluent spending, no amount of commodity fetishism can fill the gaps in the industrial economy. Consumers are pivoting to discount retailers and buying on early bargains. Anticipated holiday shopping growth YOY is expected to peak at 2%.

David Nahass

Even with its trepidations about the state of the labor market and the higher-than-targeted inflation, the Fed will likely hear the caroling in the hallways and give the gift that they hope will keep on giving: “Yes we need a little discount, need a little step down, we need a little rate cut now,” and provide the juice the economy seems to need. Onward to a better 2026.

Happy Holidays to you and your families and best wishes for a healthy and successful 2026.

Got questions? Set them free at dnahass@railfin.com. 

The post ‘We Need a Little Rate Cut Now’ appeared first on Railway Age.

Railroads may describe outstanding achievement in one or a combination of areas, including but are not limited to: turnaround situations; consistent excellence; innovation in operations or maintenance; marketing; customer service; enhanced productivity; community relations; safety improvement; and ingenuity in dealing with the unexpected.

Small roads in the U.S., Mexico and Canada are eligible for an award. Our 2026 honorees will be recognized at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) 2026 Conference & Exhibition, to be held April 12-14 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Min. Articles covering their achievements will appear in Railway Age’s March 2026 issue, which will be distributed at the show. Railway Age will work with the honorees to publicize the awards in online and national media.

“‘Grass roots’ best defines the service provided by the entrepreneurial short lines and regionals, which meet local needs and drive economic activity at the local level,” Railway Age Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono says. “They are critically important first-mile/last mile rail connections and partners of the Class I railroads, which depend upon them to deliver—literally.”

The entry deadline is Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. Complete this form to submit a nomination.

Photos and other relevant material will be gratefully accepted but are not required for entries. If you wish to submit supporting material, please email it to Railway Age Executive Editor Marybeth Luczak, mluczak@sbpub.com.

Railway Age presented 2024 Short Line and Regional of the Year Awards to Mississippi Export Railroad (right) and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company (left). (Photographs Courtesy of Chip Haffner/MSE, right; and Scott Young/W&LE, left) PRIOR HONOREES

2025
• Short Line: Rochester & Erie Railway LLC
• Regional: Railroad Development Corporation’s Iowa Interstate Railroad LLC 

Honorable Mentions:
• Short Line: Central Montana Rail Inc.
• Short Line: Genesee & Wyoming’s Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road
• Short Line: Regional Rail LLC’s Great Sandhills Railway
• Short Line: R.J. Corman Railroad Company West Virginia Line

2024
• Short Line: Mississippi Export Railroad
• Regional: Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway Company

Honorable Mention:
• Short Line: Eastern Idaho Railroad

2023
• Short Line: Napoleon, Defiance & Western
• Regional: ArcelorMittal Infrastructure Canada Railway

Honorable Mention:
• Short Line: Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railway

2022
• Short Line: Vermont Railway
• Regional: South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad

2021
• Short Line: RJ Corman Memphis Line
• Regional: Lake State Railway

Honorable Mentions:
• Short Line: Belpre Industrial Parkersburg Railroad
• Short Line: Grenada Railroad

2020
• Short Line: Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis
• Regional: Reading & Northern Railroad

Honorable Mentions:
• Short Line: Delmarva Central Railroad Company
• Regional: Vermont Rail System

2019
• Short Line: Louisville & Indiana
• Regional: Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern

2018
• Short Line: Lake State Railway
• Regional: Indiana Rail Road

2017
• Short Line: North Shore Railroad
• Regional: Conrail Shared Assets Operations

2016
• Short Line: New Orleans & Gulf Coast
• Regional: Central Maine & Quebec

2015
• Short Line: Palmetto Railways
• Regional: Reading & Northern

2014
• Short Line: Coos Bay Rail Link
• Regional: Arkansas & Missouri

2013
• Short Line: Gardendale Railroad
• Regional: Montana Rail Link

2012
• Short Line: Vermont Railway
• Regional: Indiana Rail Road

2011
• Short Line: Blacklands Railroad
• Regional: Reading & Northern

2010
• Short Line: Greenville & Western Railway Co., LLC
• Regional: Northern Plains Railroad

2009
• Short Line: Pacific Harbor Line
• Regional: Wisconsin & Southern

2008
• Short Line: Twin Cities & Western
• Regional: South Kansas & Oklahoma

2007
• Short Line: R.J. Corman West Virginia Line
• Regional: Florida East Coast

2006
• Short Line: Georgia Midland
• Regional: Buffalo & Pittsburgh

2005
• Short Line: Cedar Rapids and Iowa City
• Regional: Red River Valley & Western

2004
• Short Line: Nittany & Bald Eagle
• Regional: Wheeling & Lake Erie

2003
• Short Line: San Joaquin Valley Railroad
• Regional: Indiana Harbor Belt

2002
• Short Line: Winchester & Western
• Regional: Reading & Northern

2001
• Short Line: South Buffalo Railway
• Regional: Wisconsin & Southern

2000
• Short Line: Arkansas Midland
• Regional: Bessemer & Lake Erie

1999
• Short Line: South Central Florida Express
• Regional: Providence & Worchester

1998
• Short Line: St. Lawrence & Atlantic
• Regional: Texas-Mexican Railway

1997
• Short Line: Livonia, Avon & Lakeville
• Regional: Red River Valley & Western

1996
• Short Line: Philadelphia, Bethlehem & New England
• Regional: Bangor & Aroostook

1995
• Short Line: Cedar Rapids & Iowa City
• Regional: New England Central

Railway Age in 2023 recognized Aberdeen, Carolina & Western Railway with a Short Line Honorable Mention (Chris Auman Photograph, Courtesy of ACWR).

The post Railway Age: Nominations Welcome for Small-Road of the Year Awards appeared first on Railway Age.

SEPTA

SEPTA on Dec. 8 announced that, following discussions mediated by Governor Josh Shapiro over the weekend, it has reached a tentative contract agreement with TWU Local 234 for employees the union represents in the City, Suburban and Frontier Divisions.

The tentative agreement, the agency says, allows for service to continue without disruption on all SEPTA modes of travel. The agreement will be finalized pending ratification by union members and approval by the SEPTA Board.

The tentative contract, which is for two years, includes wage increases and a temporary pension enhancement for TWU members who retire during the term of the contract, while maintaining healthcare and other benefits. It also adds a program designed to improve absence management and increases the pay differential for night shifts—two measures that, the agency says, “are expected to help SEPTA ensure it has adequate staffing available as it works to improve service reliability.”

“I want to thank Governor Shapiro and his team for their efforts to bring both sides together after talks broke down late last week,” said SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr., who was involved in contract discussions over the weekend. “These negotiations are difficult, and I thank everyone involved for their commitment to reaching an agreement while keeping service moving for SEPTA riders.”

“I greatly appreciate the efforts of negotiators on both sides, and we are grateful to Governor Shapiro and his team for their efforts to help us resolve differences and reach a tentative agreement,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer. “The tentative contract agreement is both fair to our hardworking frontline employees, and fiscally responsible to our fare-paying riders and the taxpayers who fund SEPTA.”

The agreement will now go to union members for ratification, and then to the SEPTA Board for a vote.

Metra

After a five-year hiatus, Metra’s ONP Christmas train is returning to the rails. Metra and ONP encourage Chicago area residents to show their support on Saturday, Dec. 20, and cheer on the families participating in ONP’s annual holiday train trip for seriously and terminally ill children and their families on Metra’s Union Pacific Northwest Line.

Founded in 2009, ONP and its volunteers have helped spread the spirit of the holidays to children and families affected by illness with a day-long Christmas event featuring a ride to see Santa at the North Pole aboard a special train. Since 2011, the exterior of the train has been decorated with a holiday theme sponsored by the charity. This year’s train exterior features characters from the Nutcracker, and Metra employees have decorated the interiors of each car with lights, tinsel, and holiday themes like Santa’s Workshop, the Grinch, and Candyland.

This year, the specially decorated train will also be used in regular service beginning Dec. 8 on Metra’s three Union Pacific (UP) lines and for Metra’s Holiday Train event on the UP-Northwest Line Dec. 13. With the exception of the ONP and Metra holiday train events, the specially decorated train will operate on the UP-Northwest Line Dec. 8-Dec. 14, the UP-North Line Dec. 15-21, and the UP-West Line Dec. 22-Jan. 2.

More information is available here.

After a five-year hiatus, the Operation North Pole (ONP) Christmas train is returning to the rails! Metra and ONP encourage Chicago area residents to show their support on Saturday, Dec. 20. View the news release: https://t.co/CEFFQtv4wm pic.twitter.com/qSRo9zU8KF

— Metra (@Metra) December 8, 2025

In related news, Metra has opened a new online merchandise store to sell official exclusive Metra-branded products, such as Metra station signs, tote bags, T-shirts, and other items.

(Metra)

“This new store is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our connection with riders and the community,” said Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski. “If someone on your gift list loves Metra and rail travel, we encourage you to check out our store.”

The store can be reached at merch.metra.com starting Dec. 10. Customers also can call 888-982-2210. Shoppers will find a variety of Metra-branded products, such tote bags, t-shirts and hoodies, and mugs and water bottles. Other items include:

• 30-inch mini replicas of Metra station signs.
• A personalized plate with images of Metra locomotives and railcars.
• Blankets and shower curtains featuring the Metra system map.
• A kid’s backpack with a winter theme.
• A body pillow featuring an image of a long Metra train.
• A clock with the colors and abbreviations of all Metra lines.

OCTA

OCTA this week released the 2025 update of its Measure M2 Next 10 Delivery Plan, “providing a refreshed and fiscally responsible roadmap for delivering freeway, street, transit, and environmental improvements across Orange County through 2035.”

The plan, approved by the OCTA Board of Directors on Monday, Dec. 8, incorporates the most recent sales tax revenue forecast (now estimated at $13.2 billion through 2041), external funding assumptions, and refined project schedules and costs to ensure OCTA continues meeting the commitments made to voters when the half-cent transportation sales tax measure was approved in 2006.

The 2025 update confirms that the full M2 Program remains deliverable through 2041 and outlines approximately $6.1 billion in transportation investments over the next decade. The plan continues to prioritize early delivery of improvements while maintaining financial sustainability and limiting reliance on future debt.

The Transit Program remains a major area of focus, particularly the sustainability of Metrolink operations. While ridership is growing, performance continues to fall short of forecasts, and rising costs present long-term financial challenges, according to the Authority. OCTA is working closely with Metrolink and partner agencies to develop a financially sustainable service plan that protects Orange County’s rail mobility needs through 2041.

Preparation and testing also continues for the OC Streetcar, scheduled to open in 2026, and the plan, OCTA says, “maintains stable funding for senior mobility programs, community-based transit circulators, and enhancements at the county’s busiest bus stops.”

Railroad track stabilization in south Orange County remains a top priority, OCTA noted, as coastal erosion and storm surges continue to pose risks to the LOSSAN Rail Corridor. OCTA is partnering with state and regional agencies to pursue both short-term protections and a long-term strategy to ensure rail service reliability.

Alto HSR Project

Alto’s Toronto-Quebec City HSR project likely won’t connect to Union Station, according to Alto CEO Martin Imbleau, and as reported by TorontoToday.

According to the report, Imbleau said, “Alto is weighing several options for the location of a future HSR station in Toronto.”

“The objective would be to have a station in the vicinity of Union Station,” Imbleau said Tuesday. “We’re looking at options. It needs to be economical [and it] needs to be reliable.”

Imbleau didn’t definitively rule out Union Station, but reiterated to senators that the “intent” was to find a location nearby “if it’s feasible and we can make it affordable,” according to the TorontoToday report.

Imbleau did not say why Union Station, which connects travelers to national and regional rail systems, including VIA Rail and GO Transit, is not a front-runner to host the HSR station.

In a statement to TorontoToday, Alto spokesperson Crystal Jongeward said the crown corporation is “currently in the development and pre-construction phase” of delivering the HSR corridor and that it is “too early to speculate” on station locations.

During the Senate committee meeting, Imbleau said Alto is “collaborating with Metrolinx on the location of the Toronto HSR station,” according to the report.

In a statement, Metrolinx, which jointly owns Union Station with the City of Toronto, said it is “working closely with Alto about various ways in which HSR can connect meaningfully to the network, including our other transit hubs.”

The post Transit Briefs: SEPTA, Metra, OCTA, Alto HSR Project appeared first on Railway Age.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Dec. 9 nominated Kathryn Garcia as Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ), succeeding Rick Cotton, whose retirement was announced late last month.

Garcia, a lifelong New Yorker who has been Director of State Operations since 2022, will take on her new role in January 2026. She has also served as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Sanitation, Chief Operating Officer at the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and interim Chair and CEO of the NYC Housing Authority. Additionally, on March 22, 2020, she was named “‘food czar’ for New York’s emergency food program during the COVID-19 emergency response, tasked with ensuring that every New Yorker in need had access to food and securing the city’s food supply,” according to Columbia University’s Center for Buildings, Infrastructure and Public Space, where Garcia has served on the Board of Advisors. She was a candidate for New York City Mayor in 2021.

Garcia received a bachelor’s degree in economics and history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Operations Commissioner Jackie Bray will become the new Director of State Operations.

(Courtesy of PANY/NJ)

“I have long believed that my greatest talent is finding talent, and I am fortunate to have two of New York’s most talented public servants as my Director of State Operations,” Gov. Hochul said. “I am incredibly grateful to have had Kathryn Garcia serve in that role for more than four years, during which time she helped us transform New York for the better. From the Gateway Tunnel to Micron, the Interborough Express to our Nuclear Moonshot, Kathryn helped us launch and advance generational infrastructure projects and rebuild our economy following the pandemic with an eye toward the future. I am thankful she will continue serving the people of New York as Executive Director of the Port Authority, where she will help us continue to advance a regional economy that keeps us the global leader in job creation and growth.”

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the first female Governor as her Director of State Operations and Infrastructure,” Kathryn Garcia said. “I’m enormously proud of what we have accomplished over the last four years: launching the largest infrastructure project in modern history with the Gateway Development Commission; reducing traffic and generating critical funding for the MTA through congestion pricing; and advancing the 1-81 Viaduct project to reunite Syracuse’s Southside. I know Jackie Bray will bring expert leadership to the team as she steps into the Director role, and I look forward to continuing to serve Gov. Hochul and New Yorkers as Executive Director of the Port Authority.”

“Gov. Hochul’s nomination of Kathryn Garcia as the next Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is a superb choice,” commented Rick Cotton, who was appointed to the role in 2017 by then New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and confirmed by the PANY/NJ Board of Commissioners. “I have worked closely with Kathryn for many years. She has deep knowledge of city and state government combined with extraordinary insight and judgment and a collaborative spirit. I could not imagine a government executive better suited to advance the Port Authority’s standards of world-class infrastructure and get things done.”

Separately, the PANY/NJ in November proposed a $45 billion 2026–2035 Capital Plan, which would provide $2.6 billion to PATH for service increases, including the return of daily operations on all four rapid transit lines; all new uptown tracks; and new fare gates and technology, including CCTV and artificial intelligence, to identify patterns of fare evasion and develop strategies to deter evasion and enforce fare payment.

The post Garcia Tapped to Lead PANY/NJ appeared first on Railway Age.

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) on Dec. 8 approved $1.1 billion in infrastructure funding, including $53 million to purchase 12 clean energy locomotives to replace older diesel engines across Southern California’s Metrolink system.

Guided by Governor Gavin Newsom’s Build More, Faster – For All infrastructure agenda, the improvements, which also include new zero-emission buses, charging stations, and related infrastructure, as well as investments to restore aging bridges, improve highway safety, and increase mobility on local streets, will make California communities “safer and more climate resilient,” according to the governor’s office.

“The significant investments made today and throughout the year support Caltrans’ ongoing response to the effects of climate conditions on key assets, increased demand on the transportation system, and our continued efforts to enhance mobility for all users,” said Caltrans Director Dina El-Tawansy.

“We are pleased to partner with Caltrans to enhance the economic competitiveness of our state and make commuting more affordable, while protecting our environment,” said CTC Chair Darnell Grisby.

Of the total allocation this month, $463 million has come via Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, and $190 million from the 2021 federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

SB 1 has invested approximately $5 billion annually toward transportation projects since 2017. It provides funding split between the state and local agencies. Road projects progress through construction phases more quickly, depending on the availability of funds, including those partially funded by SB 1.

California is expected to receive nearly $42 billion in federal infrastructure funding over a span of five years. These investments will upgrade the state’s roads, bridges, rail, public transit, airports, ports, and the electric vehicle charging network.

“Today’s investments show what it looks like when California chooses to lead with both urgency and intention,” said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin. “By expanding zero-emission options and strengthening infrastructure in every corner of the state, we are delivering on Governor Newsom’s vision to build a modern, sustainable transportation system for all.”

More information is available here.

The post CTC Approves $1.1B in Infrastructure Funds appeared first on Railway Age.

Total U.S. carload and intermodal traffic for the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, dipped 2.3% from the same point last year, marking the ninth consecutive week of fall offs, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) latest report, released Dec. 10.

For the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, total U.S. rail traffic came in at 508,999 carloads and intermodal units, comprising 228,823 carloads, up 1.7% compared with the same week in 2024, and 280,176 containers and trailers, down 5.4% compared with 2024, AAR reported.

Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included coal, up 3,147 carloads, to 61,026; grain, up 1,952 carloads, to 25,098; and nonmetallic minerals, up 1,161 carloads, to 29,330. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included chemicals, down 1,054 carloads, to 32,548; metallic ores and metals, down 601 carloads, to 19,706; and miscellaneous carloads, down 387 carloads, to 8,897.

For the first 49 weeks of 2025, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,889,132 carloads, rising 1.8% from the prior-year period; and 13,277,231 intermodal units, increasing 1.8% from last year. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 49 weeks of this year was 24,166,363 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.8% gain over 2024.

North American rail volume for the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 335,803 carloads, up 1.9% compared with the same week last year, and 362,093 intermodal units, down 4.0% compared with last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America was 697,896 carloads and intermodal units, down 1.2%. North American rail volume for the first 49 weeks of this year came in at 33,276,063 carloads and intermodal units, a 1.7% increase from 2024.

For the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, Canadian railroads reported 94,333 carloads, rising 2.5%, and 67,986 intermodal units, down 1.8% from the prior-year period. For the first 49 weeks of this year, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 7,943,671 carloads, containers, and trailers, up 2.3%.

Mexican railroads reported 12,647 carloads for the week ending Dec. 6, 2025, up 2.3% from the same week last year, and 13,931 intermodal units, an increase of 18.4%. Their cumulative volume for the first 49 weeks of this year was 1,166,029 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.0% from the same point in 2024.

The post AAR: U.S. Rail Traffic Down in Week 49 appeared first on Railway Age.

NS on Dec. 9 reported that direct rail service and its site development expertise made Huntsville the “top contender” for Eli Lilly’s synthetic medicine active pharmaceutical ingredient facility, which will produce small molecule synthetic and peptide medicines. The multi-building campus will span more than one million square feet, supporting manufacturing, logistics, packaging, lab, and utilities operations, and will be near the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, which is described as an “established bioscience campus that supports workforce training and research.” Construction is slated to begin next year, generating 3,000 jobs, and wrap up in 2032. Some 450 permanent jobs will be created at the facility, according to Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company with operations in more than 110 countries.

We’ve announced plans to build our third new U.S. manufacturing site this year in Huntsville, Alabama. See the details of the $6 billion facility, which will bring an expected 3,450 jobs: https://t.co/bvMEvTjZJ7 #WeAreLilly pic.twitter.com/lybhI8ljDI

— Eli Lilly and Company (@EliLillyandCo) December 9, 2025

“Huntsville’s track record of science and innovation makes Alabama an ideal location for Lilly to expand domestic manufacturing capacity for next-generation medicines,” said Eli Lilly Chair and CEO David A. Ricks, who noted that the company’s investment “continues the onshoring of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production, strengthening supply chain resilience and reliable access to medicines for patients in the U.S.”

(Artist Rendering Courtesy of NS)

“We’re honored to support Eli Lilly’s vision for next-generation medicine manufacturing in Huntsville,” NS Group Vice President of Industrial Development Craig Hudson said. “We invested in a dedicated rail spur to help deliver critical raw materials and finished products, strengthening supply chain resilience and expanding access to life-changing medicines. This project marks a milestone for rail in the biotechnology space, and we’re proud to be part of it.”

(Courtesy of LGIR)

Meanwhile, Laredo Gateway Industrial Railway, LLC (LGIR), a non-carrier subsidiary of Kraus Development, on Dec. 8 petitioned the STB for an exemption from the prior approval requirements of 49 U.S.C. §10901 to construct an approximately 2.6-mile (13,707-foot) common carrier rail line in Webb County, Tex. It would extend from UP’s main line, which runs between San Antonio and Laredo, and terminate within the new Gateway Industrial Park (see map above). LGIR told the Board that it has entered into an agreement with Iron Horse Resources, Inc. to operate the proposed line, which will be supported by sidings and will connect with customers via private industrial tracks as customers locate to the park. LGIR forecasts customer demand to result in train service once per day, with approximately 4,000-6,750 railcars per year.

Kraus Development is developing the park over 3,300 acres of its land near Laredo, where it intends to offer warehousing to serve the logistics industry, “attracting commodities via truck” and “leveraging its location near the U.S. border with Mexico,” LGIR said. The new line would allow commodities to be transloaded between truck and rail and then interchanged with UP.

“The Laredo Port-of-Entry has the largest freight volume of the U.S./Mexico ports of entry,” LGIR told the STB. “Further, Laredo is the fastest growing in terms of truck and rail traffic with more than half of the Laredo truck traffic utilizing local warehouses to transload commodities from truck to truck to then transport commodities between Mexico and the U.S. This transloading activity creates an opportunity for some commodities to be transloaded and transported via rail in place of trucks.

“LGIR sees a need for the proposed line because a large amount of freight at the Laredo Port-of-Entry is transported via truck, yet the number of rail-served industrial facilities in Laredo is in decline. At one time, the Laredo area boasted 52 rail-served facilities. At present, only 15 remain. Of these, only one dedicated rail/truck transload exists, and it is located within the Union Pacific’s Laredo yard. From LGIR’s perspective, neither UP nor CPKC [Canadian Pacific Kansas City] are primarily focused on serving local traffic because both are primarily focused on their own respective cross-border rail traffic originating or terminating on rail beyond Laredo. For all these reasons, LGIR sees a gap in the marketplace for local rail freight accessibility and local rail/truck transloading capacity that will produce manifest carloads of rail traffic.” LGIR noted that UP has recognized its project as one of 42 UP systemwide Focus Sites.

DOWNLOAD LGIR’s STB FILING BELOW: 310457Download

The post Spurring Industrial Development in Alabama, Texas appeared first on Railway Age.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association has inducted Richard Jay Corman, R. Lawrence McCaffrey and Michael V. Smith into the 2026 Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame. Each “have left indelible marks on the short line industry,” ASLRRA said.

Richard Jay “Rick” Corman

Described by ASLRRA as “arailroader with grit, generosity and vision,” the late Rick Corman “was more than a railroad entrepreneur. He was a force of nature whose life story continues to inspire generations of railroad professionals. From the very beginning, Corman embodied the spirit of possibility, believing that with hard work, ingenuity and a little luck, anything was achievable.

“Corman’s professional journey began in 1973, just after graduating high school. With a rented backhoe, a dump truck and fierce determination, he founded R. J. Corman Construction Company. Over time, his signature red trucks and machinery grew to become a symbol of quality, ingenuity, and reliability, recognized across the country.

“The passage of the Staggers Rail Act in 1980 was a turning point. Corman saw opportunity where others saw risk and he acquired his first short line, the Bardstown Line, in 1987. This move marked the birth of R. J. Corman Railroad Company, which currently owns 19 short line operations stretching more than 1,400 miles. Corman’s business model became a prime example of the short line railroad industry’s vital role in America’s infrastructure through its commitment to high-touch service, innovative rail solutions and partnership philosophy.

“Despite battling cancer for more than a decade, Corman remained actively involved in his company, leading major projects and inspiring employees with his resilience and warmth. Corman’s relationships with policymakers, executives, and industry organizations helped shape the future of short line railroading. Corman passed away in 2013 at age 58, but his spirit lives on in every mile of track, every red locomotive or red truck and the nearly 1,400 employees across 70 locations who carry forward his legacy.”

R. Lawrence (Larry) McCaffrey

Described by ASLRRA as “the author of short line growth in the U.S. and abroad,” Larry McCaffrey “quite literally wrote the book on how to create and manage a short line railroad, publishing Starting a Short Line in 1983 with his law partner, [Anacostia Rail Holdings President and CEO] Peter Gilbertson. This was not the first of firsts for McCaffrey. In the early years of his law practice, focused on seeking restructuring financing through USDOT programs, a breakthrough came with an Interstate Commerce Commission decision for one of McCaffrey’s clients. The decision created a policy of permitting acquisition of a rail line by a party that was not a railroad under expedited procedures and without labor protection mandated by other acquisitions. This new policy opened the door to sales of rail lines by Class 1 carriers to non-carriers, which thereby became new railroads. From there the short line industry blossomed with new railroads, most small but some quite large, resulting in among other things the transformation of the American Short Line Railroad Association (ASLRA) into ASLRRA (through merger with the Regional Railroad Association).

“For much of his career, McCaffrey focused on railroad privatizations. McCaffrey was a director and shareholder of ten separate railroads controlled by different ownership groups and worked in 16 different countries. His longest stint was in Bolivia, where he served as board chair and investor in Ferrocarril Oriental for ten years. While every country and state presented unique challenges due to local economy, labor force, and financial conditions, always core to success was delivering operating efficiency and high-quality service learned from the U.S. railroad restructuring of the 1980s.”

Michael V. Smith

Described by ASLRRA as “a transformational marketer for the short line industry,”Mike Smith, President of Finger Lakes Railway, “is an expert at sharing our industry’s value story. While a student at Amherst College, Smith spent his summers working as a trackman for the Delaware & Hudson Railway and the New York Central Railroad. Though Smith majored in political science, a job as an operating management trainee with Penn Central Transportation Company after graduation set him on a career path that has lasted over half a century. After Penn Central, Smith worked as a marketing manager at the Canadian Pacific Railway in Montreal and later the Boston & Maine Railroad. At the Boston & Maine, as the vice president of marketing and sales, he was part of the team that brought the railroad out of bankruptcy. In 1990 Smith and others found an opportunity to take over a nearly defunct 118-mile railroad in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

“With the dogged determination typical of those in the small-railroad industry, Smith and the FGLK team secured Finger Lakes’ transformation into a vital property. Smith shared that part of what helps Finger Lakes continue to flourish is FGLK management’s focus on customer service and the accumulated and applied marketing acumen the team has developed since start-up. Though Smith was intent on guiding Finger Lakes’ growth, he recognized the importance and value of working with organizations like ASLRRA on policies that would be beneficial to the entire short line industry. Smith was a strong proponent of the original 45G short line infrastructure tax credit and advocated persistently for passage of the first tax credit bill.”

Created in 2020, the Short Line Railroad Industry Hall of Fame “recognizes short line railroad visionaries who through their dedication, commitment, and achievement best exemplify the qualities of innovation, entrepreneurialism, perseverance, and service that have advanced the short line railroad industry” and “honors the resilience and vision behind our industry’s great American success story,” said ASLRRA President Chuck Baker. “This year’s inductees—Rick Corman, Larry McCaffrey and Mike Smith—are recognized for their business acumen, and their role in shaping an industry that has succeeded on ingenuity and persistence.”

The post ASLRRA 2026 Hall of Fame: Corman, McCaffrey, Smith appeared first on Railway Age.

Michigan-based Class II Lake State Railway Company (LSRC) is purchasing four SD70ACeT4 locomotives from Progress Rail/EMD, a Caterpillar Company. Numbered LSRC 6451 through 6454, they are former Progress Rail demonstrator units. Delivery is expected by the end of this year.

LSRC received an emissions-reduction grant to replace five older locomotives with four newer EPA Tier 4-compliant units locomotives. LSRC said it selected the SD70ACeT4 and Progress Rail “due to several factors, including delivery timing, parts commonality, and after sale support.” LSRC added it “has a dedicated team of mechanical professionals and maintains the diesel fleet in the modernized locomotive facility in Saginaw, Mich.”

Locomotives being retired are four EMD SD50-3s and an EMD SD40-2, all of which are more than 40 years old. LSRC’s 32-unit roster is all-EMD and includes MP15, GP38, GP40, SD40, SD50 and SD70 variants. “With these new locomotives, the LSRC fleet will be one of the youngest rostered by a short line or regional railroad, and the SD70 model type will represent 40% of our fleet,” LSRC added.

“I have managed several projects in my career that upgraded locomotive fleets for better emissions,” said LSRC Chief Mechanical Officer Roger Fuehring. “I feel very comfortable we will be receiving a great product. We especially value the support Progress Rail has offered after the sale, which is critical given how much more complex these locomotives are compared to the older generation locomotives.”

LSRC President and CEO Mike Stickel said the new locomotives” will be helpful in supporting future growth, as our train sizes and carload volumes continue to grow. These are the first Tier 4 land AC-traction locomotives on our railroad. We appreciate the team at Progress Rail going the extra mile to put together a deal that worked for us within the parameters of our grant. They listened to what was important to us as a regional railroad and were also able to meet critical delivery timelines.”

Lake State Railway Company, Railway Age’s 2018 Short Line of the Year and 2021 Regional of the Year, was established in 1992. LSRC operates on a route structure of approximately 375 track-miles with six connecting interchanges. The company maintains headquarters and shop facilities in Saginaw and terminals in Plymouth, Flint, Midland, Bay City, Gaylord and Alpena. Annual freight volume is approximately 60,000 carloads serving a diversified mix of end markets, among them automotive, aggregates, cement, agriculture, forest products, metals and chemicals. Since 2022, LSRC has been owned by Antin Infrastructure Partners, a private equity firm focused on infrastructure investments in Europe and North America, with offices in New York, London and Paris.

The post LSRC Acquiring SD70ACeT4s appeared first on Railway Age.

Critical to “event success,” transit agencies are “key players in shaping the visitor experience, which leaves a lasting impact on how cities—and the nation—are perceived globally,” according to the FTA. Among such upcoming events, it said, are the 2026 FIFA World Cup (June 11- July 19, 2026) and the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games (July 14-30, 2028 and Aug. 15-27, 2028, respectively).

“While the private sector and industry associations offer agencies many resources and best practices to operationally prepare for planned major events, few focus on regulatory requirements,” FTA Administrator Marcus J. Molinaro noted in the new FTA Major Event Playbook (download below), which he said “fills that gap and includes practical information and key considerations to help public transit agencies navigate federal transit requirements related to hosting planned major events.”

FTA-Major-Event-PlaybookDownload

The 20-page ”playbook” covers such topics as spare, contingency, and loaned transit vehicles; charter service; accessibility and civil rights; safety and security; and incidental use.

FTA also offers the following technical assistance resources to support transit agencies and host cities preparing for major events: 

• Guidance videos for 2026 FIFA World Cup Host Cities
  • Transit Safety and Security 
  • Accessibility
  • Charter Bus Requirements
  • Vehicle Availability
• FTA Charter Bus Webinar to Prepare for Global Sports
• Dear Colleague Letter: Considerations for Transit Systems Providing Service During Major Events
   

The post FTA Issues Major Event Playbook appeared first on Railway Age.

Ian Choudri left the supply industry a year ago to step into the hot seat as the CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. In an exclusive interview with IRJ’s Mark Simmons, he describes his vision for the project to connect San Francisco with Los Angeles by high-speed rail.

California’s Central Valley stretches far to the horizon, a landscape marked by rich farmland and sprawling towns. Within 10 years, if the vision of California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) CEO Ian Choudri comes to fruition, it will also be home to the United States’ first true high-speed line, a transformative corridor that will connect the powerhouse economies of Los Angeles and San Francisco, while driving opportunity deep in the heart of California.

The project’s ambition is matched only by its complexity. Since its inception three decades ago in 1996, CHSRA has wrestled with political headwinds, intense regulatory scrutiny and the ever-present issue of funding. Now, with Choudri at the helm, a bold new effort is under way to overcome these daunting challenges by combining international best practice with resolute leadership.

The 3,700-foot Cedar Viaduct in Fresno. About 70 miles of the 118-mile Central Valley alignment have been completed, with track installation due to start next year. CHSRA photo.

California’s high-speed journey has been tortuous, reflecting the state’s unique challenges and opportunities. Approved by voters in 2008, the high-speed project plan promised to whisk passengers between Los Angeles and San Francisco in under three hours. But as the years went by, the obstacles facing CHSRA became ever clearer: a vast and diverse topography, a tangled web of local and state agencies producing copious amounts of red tape and a national context where the passenger train has long played second fiddle to highways and airlines.

Ian Choudri, who joined the project with a reputation forged in major rail projects in Europe and Asia, understands these challenges absolutely. “This is not just a rail project connecting business travelers between San Francisco and LA,” he says. “It’s a transformation of California’s economy. It’s a corridor of opportunities.” The scale of the task ahead has fired Choudri’s powerful blend of optimism and hard-nosed realism, and is now reflected in every aspect of CHSRA’s approach.

The most pressing problem confronting CHSRA is the instability of its funding streams. In a move that startled the state and reverberated through the rail sector, earlier this year the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) withdrew approximately $4 billion in funding, in a move widely interpreted as being political. The loss cast immediate doubt over how and when sections of the project could be delivered. Choudri describes the shock of the announcement matter-of-factly. “We were informed via various letters, so we knew there was a risk,” he recalls, “but the impact still can’t be overstated.”

Several months of negotiation have so far failed to reverse the funding cut, leaving California to hand the matter over to the state Attorney General’s office, and litigation is now ongoing. The state maintains that the funding withdrawal was illegal, but this is little comfort to the CHSRA team.

Choudri says if funding commitments are withdrawn, entire sections or key infrastructure could be delayed, reshuffled or ultimately abandoned. “It’s about revising strategies and seeing what we can achieve with the funds available,” he says.

Unique strengths

Yet here, too, California’s unique strengths have emerged. The state, under Governor Gavin Newsom, and its supportive legislature has stepped in to shore up confidence. California pledged a clear, long-term pipeline of funding anchored in its own fiscal strength, with the Cap-and-Invest emissions trading program set to generate $1 billion a year until 2046. “That’s never happened before for this project,” notes Choudri. Still, the need for predictable, longer-term funding at federal and state levels remains urgent to avoid a repeat of past instability.

The project’s size is reflected in the phased approach adopted for construction. The initial focus, as set out by statute, is the Central Valley Section (CVS) spine from Merced in the north through to Bakersfield in the south. Recently, however, Choudri and his team have suggested resequencing the project, building the northern link to Gilroy, where the high-speed line will join the Caltrain electrified line to San Francisco, ahead of the spur to Merced. Further phases will build the new line from Bakersfield southward to Palmdale, where there will initially be connections with fast Metrolink commuter services to Los Angeles and through-running onto the planned High Desert Line to Victor Valley that will connect with the planned Brightline West high-speed line to Las Vegas.

Sequencing is more than a logistical necessity. It is an adaptive strategy designed to shelter the project from uncertainty and optimize return on investment. Choudri’s approach borrows heavily from global best practice, tailored to the Californian context. “Build what you need—and only what you need—exactly when you need it,” he says. For example, rather than building large stations or laying six tracks from day one, the plan is to scale up infrastructure as demand and funding support it. This lowers upfront costs, reduces maintenance requirements and gives the project flexibility to respond to changing conditions.

By executing the project in this way, CHSRA can demonstrate early wins, starting passenger services as soon as sections are ready, building public trust and legislative support while buttressing the case for future investment.

Cutting red tape

Building public infrastructure in the U.S. means grappling with bureaucracy. Environmental review, in particular, has become something of an institution, with multiple layers of regulation often duplicating federal requirements. Choudri is forthright about this problem. “We’re at the bottom of a reverse pyramid, performing the work while seven departments hover above us, each needing to review and approve every step,” he says. California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews occur in parallel, consuming years and millions of dollars.

Recognizing this, CHSRA is now seeking legislative relief by requesting authority to pursue streamlined environmental approvals, based on robust federal processes. While minor exemptions have already been secured for certain facilities, the major breakthrough, a general exemption for a renewable power grid and rail infrastructure, remains to be made. “If we can focus on one process, not two or three, we can cut years from the schedule,” Choudri notes. The broader goal is to make green infrastructure easier to deliver in a state that champions action to tackle climate change.

“Build what you need—and only what you need—exactly when you need it.” – Ian Choudri, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Another battleground is California’s complex patchwork of private property, resulting in the need for CHSRA to acquire thousands of individual parcels of land, each with its own history, claims and sometimes, disputes. “Some parcels were easy,” Choudri says, “but the majority ran into notorious litigation, longer than anyone anticipated.” Without special powers, the authority must navigate a maze of legal processes, court hearings and complex domain cases.

At the heart of the current effort is a push for streamlining the legal process, with fast-track courts, dedicated judges and broader domain powers. “We need the tools to move quickly, fairly and transparently,” Choudri says, echoing a growing consensus among his peers working in the United States.

He also laments the fact that few outside the construction industry recognise how much time and money is consumed relocating utilities, often buried unseen along the route. For a new high-speed line, the scale of the task is enormous, with potentially thousands of utility obstacles along each section.

“This is one of the biggest issues, and lawmakers are starting to understand it,” Choudri says. He hopes for new statutes giving CHSRA more direct powers to negotiate and expedite utility relocation. Progress has already been made in selected areas, and if planned legislation is passed next year, the pace of construction could quicken significantly.

Historically, North American infrastructure procurement has leaned heavily on general contractors managing many aspects of a project, but times are changing. Choudri, informed by European practice, is modernizing procurement by having CHSRA buy major quantities of materials, including track, concrete ties and catenary, directly from the manufacturers.

“A rail is a rail, a cable is a cable,” Choudri explains. “Cutting out the middleman on common goods is smart business.” This change not only lowers costs, but also makes supply less vulnerable to external shocks, a lesson underlined by the major disruption to supply chains that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perhaps the most striking change made by Choudri since arriving at CHRSA is embrace of public-private partnerships (P3s). In January, the authority hosted a two-day summit attended by hundreds of potential partners, from financiers to suppliers of materials. “We want to bring in industry at every stage: design, build, finance, operate,” Choudri says. The goal is to use the leverage provided by guaranteed state commitments to generate even greater private investment, multiplying the financial resources available.

While the P3 model is still relatively new for major rail projects in North America, the opportunity is vast. With $20 billion in state backing, private partners could add up to 40% of further funding, accelerating construction timelines and reducing public exposure to risk. By mid-2026, CHSRA hopes to have a committed industry partner for the next phase, and the process alone has already sparked new ideas and alliances.

Revenue streams

Choudri suggests that a high-speed line is only as sustainable as its business model. He is acutely aware that fare revenue alone will never meet the project’s full cost, so his team is examining a range of ancillary revenue streams, including leasing broadband corridors along the right-of-way and commercial developments at stations.

Learning from Spain and Italy, which Chouldri cites as examples of profitable high-speed networks, CHSRA is targeting breakeven and plans to build toward a point where surpluses can be reinvested in further expansion, creating a virtuous cycle of growth.

The ultimate operator for the first services is yet to be decided, but all signs point toward a long-term P3 concession. Critically, Choudri wants competition among operators, as in Europe, preserving incentives for innovation and efficiency. “We want to keep operations competitive and flexible,” he notes, hinting at a business environment richer and more dynamic than traditional public transport.

Despite its size and complexity, California’s high-speed project is, at its heart, people-centric. Choudri is particularly passionate about the opportunities it will provide for all Californians. “It’s not about a business traveler getting from San Francisco to LA,” he says. “It’s about someone in Fresno being able to own a home and commute affordably to the Bay Area—economic opportunity flowing to places that have long been left behind.”

He draws parallels with Europe, Japan and Taiwan, where high-speed rail has breathed new life into regional economies, rebalancing growth and making prosperity accessible beyond the major cities. The environmental benefits are also of central importance: The electricity powering trains in California is becoming greener by the day.

About 460 miles of the 490 miles of high-speed line that will be built have received environmental approval. Photo: CHSRA

The impact will be felt far beyond the rail sector. Improved access to affordable housing, revitalisation of urban areas and job creation by the tens of thousands are among the expected benefits of California’s high-speed programme. The “corridor of opportunity,” as Choudri calls it, means not just a physical journey, but upward mobility as well.

Choudri and his colleagues actively study projects elsewhere and meet with their counterparts in Britain, Spain, Italy and Japan, where lessons can be learned from both success and adversity. The Italian approach, he notes, is refreshingly pragmatic: use existing lines where possible, build new high-speed infrastructure where justified. In contrast, he finds the Japanese model “ruthlessly focused on dedicated high-speed lines,” an approach shaped by geography and operating practice.

For California, adapting and innovating, rather than simply copying examples elsewhere, is paramount. The state’s immense size, economic diversity and political environment make high-speed not just another infrastructure project, but a true proving ground for next-generation public-private collaboration.

With questions still unanswered over future federal funding, the outcome of ongoing litigation awaited and the intense track-laying process and further construction still to come, the path forward for CHSRA is as daunting as ever. Yet with Choudri at the helm, there is a newfound sense of purpose.

“Build smart, build fast, build economically,” he says, encapsulating the new spirit animating CHSRA. If the authority can secure the elusive combination of regulatory clarity, innovative financing, and operational expertise, the long-anticipated vision of high-speed trains racing up and down the California corridor is within reach.

For business leaders, policy observers and passengers, California’s high-speed project is more than an engineering challenge, it is a question of the ability of the United States to develop its transport infrastructure. Choudri’s arrival and the state government’s support have certainly generated new hope. Whether he is prepared to weather the volleys of brickbats likely to be aimed at CHRSA and stay the course to see the first trains run in the early 2030s remains to be seen.

CVS funded

CHSRA says that, despite the withdrawal of $4 billion of federal funding, there is no funding gap facing the CVS. The authority says it has $28.2 billion in capital funding, including $5.5 billion from California’s Cap-and-Invest program to 2030. The proposed additional state funding of $15 billion will bring total capital funding to $U43.2 billion. The total cost of the full San Francisco-Palmdale project is currently estimated at $90.85 billion, of which $62.7 billion is expected to come through capital funding.

Choudri’s Five CHSRA Goals

1. Right-size the project and build in the correct sequence, finding cost savings in a measured, responsible manner while staying laser-focused on starting track-laying, testing,- and operations on the initial 118-mile CVS, and expanding services from there.
2. Build faster, smarter and more economically, rethinking how CHSRA plans and executes construction.
3. Cut red tape and streamline operations, removing unnecessary processes and organizational redundancy that slows progress.
4. Implement a new vision focused on connecting major population centers earlier in the project, creating the conditions necessary to attract private investment into the program.
5. Stabilize state funding and financing mechanisms, working closely with the California legislature to enact the state’s funding commitment.

Delivery timeline

According to Choudri, the first test trains are due to operate on the CVS in 2032, with initial revenue services starting in 2032-33. Services north to San Francisco via Gilroy and south to Palmdale, for connections to Los Angeles, are expected to start running in 2038-39.

To date, about 460 miles of the 490 miles of high-speed line that will be built have received environmental approval and are described by CHSRA as “construction ready.” On the 118-mile CVS, about 70 miles of the alignment have been completed. A total of 58 structures including bridges and viaducts have been completed, with 29 more under construction.

The post Mission Possible, Says CHSR CEO appeared first on Railway Age.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) and its subsidiary MxV Rail on Dec. 8 announced that AAR Senior Vice President of Policy and Economics Dr. Rand Ghayad will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming 31st Annual AAR Research Review, which is scheduled to take place April 28-30, 2026, in Pueblo, Colo.

Dr. Ghayad will open the conference by sharing valuable insights about the pressing policy and economic issues shaping the rail industry. His address, MxV Rail says, is expected to be a significant highlight of the event, providing attendees with expert analysis on the broader economic landscape and its impact on railroad operations and strategy. Given the rapid pace of technological and economic change, Dr. Ghayad’s perspective will offer a crucial framework for understanding the future of rail, MxV Rail noted.

Formerly the Head of Economics and Global Labor Markets at LinkedIn, Dr. Ghayad brings a wealth of experience analyzing complex economic trends. His distinguished career also includes senior roles at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where he advised on international economic policy, and the Brattle Group, where he consulted on financial and regulatory matters for diverse industries, including railroads. His extensive background, MxV Rail says, “uniquely positions him to address the challenges and opportunities facing our industry today.”

(MxV Rail)

The Annual AAR Research Review is the premier industry conference bringing together Class I and short line railroads, university faculty and students, early career engineers, and suppliers from around the world to address the industry’s most pressing technical challenges. The 2026 program features an Early Career Railroader Workshop, technical workshops highlighting the latest findings from the Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI) program, and a tour of the FAST loop track to showcase new experiments.

More information is available here.

The post Ghayad to Keynote AAR’s 31st Annual Research Review appeared first on Railway Age.

Thirteen companies received this year’s honor. They are:

(NS)

A cross-departmental team from NS reviewed applications for measurable progress throughout 2025. Winners were selected based on their program’s novelty, relevance and impact.

Rail is the most efficient and sustainable way to transport goods over land and is a vital component of a low-carbon supply chain, the Class I noted. However, NS says the railroad understands it is not alone, and the Thoroughbred Sustainability Partner Awards “seek to recognize and honor its incredible partners while working toward a shared goal of an efficient, environmentally friendly supply chain.”

Over the last four years, NS has recognized 38 different companies across the three categories. Among the companies recognized, 11 have received recognition more than once with Outokumpu Stainless USA, Schneider and Wabtec Corporation leading the way with four awards each. Outokumpu has been recognized each year since the inaugural year in 2022.

“Each of these partners is helping raise the bar for what a more sustainable supply chain can look like. Their commitment to efficiency, innovation and environmental stewardship strengthens the work we’re doing together and helps move the entire freight ecosystem forward. We’re proud to recognize their leadership, and we look forward to building on this progress as we continue driving meaningful, measurable change across the transportation industry,” said NS Chief Sustainability Officer Josh Raglin.

“Sustainability isn’t a buzzword for us; it’s the blueprint for innovation. Our partnership with Norfolk Southern is proving how advanced technology and responsible operations can directly benefit the communities we serve and make the entire rail network stronger,” said Gina Trombley, Wabtec Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Chief Commercial Officer – Americas.

The post 13 Companies Earn NS Thoroughbred Sustainability Partner Awards appeared first on Railway Age.

Nayee brings more than 30 years of experience leading major rail projects across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. He has partnered with major agencies, including the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Amtrak, NJ Transit and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to deliver programs that “modernize infrastructure, enhance mobility and improve resiliency,” STV noted. “Known for his ability to navigate complex, active rail environments, Nayee has successfully delivered large-scale passenger rail programs through program management, design and construction oversight, project controls, value engineering and innovative delivery methods such as design-build and public-private partnerships (P3),” according to the firm.

“From conception through construction, AJ understands how to bring complex rail programs to life by aligning teams and fostering collaboration,” said Jim Takacs, PE, Vice President and Senior Construction Manager for the Transportation North operating group at STV. “His expertise will be instrumental as STV continues partnering with agencies to modernize aging infrastructure and deliver safer, more resilient transit networks.”

Nayee holds a Master of Science in Transportation and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, as well as a Master of Business Administration in Management from Dowling College. He also served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Civil Engineer Corps.

The post Nayee Tapped as VP of STV’s Transportation North Operating Group appeared first on Railway Age.

The Ontario government on Dec. 5 said the long-delayed Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit, Line 6, attained Substantial Completion status following “successful testing, with independent engineers verifying the line is ready for service.” This development occurred just prior to the Dec. 7 opening of the also-delayed Finch West LRT, Line 6.

Metrolinx

Full operational control of the line is being transferred to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), which is expected to determine the start date of passenger service in early 2026 with the support of Metrolinx. “Service levels will continue to ramp up over the coming months, “reflecting the standard approach for bringing major LRT projects into service worldwide,” the Province noted.

“To achieve Substantial Completion, extensive testing was conducted to ensure the line is prepared for safe and reliable service,” the Province said. “This testing included running the line at full capacity in a variety of weather conditions, including 10 centimeters (approximately 4 inches) of snowfall; operating the fleet more than 11,000 kilometers (roughly 6,800 miles) per week to replicate customer service; maintaining service for 16 hours per day; and ensuring a full complement of staff to proactively manage and mitigate any problems that arise during testing. With this rigorous testing complete and final preparatory works under way, it is expected the Eglinton Crosstown LRT will open to the public in the coming weeks. To ensure a smooth launch, service levels on the line will gradually increase over the first six months.”

Opening Day Service

• Hours of operation: 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
• Peak frequency: Every 4 minutes, 45 seconds

Six-Month Service

• Hours of operation: 5:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
• Peak frequency: Every 3 minutes, 30 seconds

The Eglinton Crosstown LRT is a 19-kilometer (11.8-mile) light rail line with 25 stations and stops along Eglinton Avenue. It runs between Mount Dennis (Weston Road) and Kennedy Station, with more than 10 kilometers (6 miles) of the route underground. The LRT will link to 54 bus routes, three TTC subway stations and two GO Transit regional/commuter rail lines.

The Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, currently under construction, will extend Line 5 by 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) west from Mount Dennis to Renforth Drive, with plans to connect to Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Metrolinx

The post Eglinton Crosstown ‘Substantially Complete’ appeared first on Railway Age.

Liricon Capital Ltd. and Plenary Americas, a portfolio company of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), in July 2022 advanced Phase 4, design, of the C$2.6 billion Calgary Airport – Banff Rail (CABR) project, which was planned to be built within the Canadian Pacific Kansas City right-of-way but not share operations. In June 2024, following eight years of research and planning, the Town of Banff Administration and Banff Town Council approved 6-1 the Banff Railway Lands ARP (Area Redevelopment Plan) and the bylaw to officially adopt the ARP, “marking a pivotal moment for Banff.” In August 2024, Liricon/Plenary announced a restructuring of the project that would significantly change the proposed operation from a separate passenger right-of-way within the CPKC right-of-way main line to a shared-use (freight and passenger) double-track corridor “built to CPKC requirements.” Now, more than one year later, proponents have submitted a plan in the hopes of attaining Canadian federal major project status, but Alberta Province Premier Danielle Smith may have a more pressing prioritiy—an oilsands pipeline, according to a Calgary Herald report.

“Champions of [the] plan … are hoping their vision will be included among Canada’s nation-building infrastructure,” the Calgary Herald’s Bill Kaufmann reported Dec. 3. “CABR [submitted a] proposal on Dec. 2 to Ottawa’s Major Projects Office (MPO), a body meant to fast-track proposals through streamlined approvals and funding. It’s a plan that meets the criteria of the Building Canada Act that is the foundation of the MPO, said Jan Waterous, Managing Principal of Liricon Capital, which is developing the proposal along with infrastructure investor Plenary Americas. ‘We can’t help but be optimistic [it’ll be selected]—it checks off the boxes and has so many benefits not just for the communities along the route but for the country,’ said Waterous.

“So far, 11 projects have been named to the major projects list, including infrastructure for mining, nuclear energy, LNG, a container port and hydro electricity. None of those are located in Alberta, whose government nonetheless signed a memorandum of understanding with Ottawa last week to expedite a bitumen pipeline running from its oilsands to British Columbia’s north coast. Waterous said Premier Danielle Smith had made it clear she wouldn’t focus on the [CABR] project and possibly ultimately lend its approval until after the pipeline MOU had been secured. ‘That’s why we’re submitting now—we want to show the Province we’re serious and that we have the project under [federal] review, maybe to give them confidence to do their part,’ she said. “It’s got a long way to go but we think it’s a really good candidate for the MPO.’”

“[Alberta] recently completed a regional passenger rail master plan that focuses on creating and improving train service around cities while also exploring high-speed rail links. ‘We’re trying to structure this in contemplation of what that master plan will be, but we’ll obviously adapt to that as we see it,’ said Paul Martin, Senior Vice-President of Plenary Americas.”

Background

“We are pleased to announce that we have restructured our CABR project proposal,” Liricon/Plenary said in August 2024. “The updated approach supports the Province’s recently announced plans for the Province to advance development and to potentially build and operate an express passenger train service from the airport terminal to downtown and a ‘Grand Central Station’ in the Rivers District. Specifically, should the Province decide to build the 20-km (12.4-mile) track from the terminal to downtown and Grand Central Station, and provide track access for three CABR trains per hour from the airport terminal to Grand Central Station, then Liricon/Plenary will develop and build the 130-km (80.6-mile) track from Grand Central Station to Banff and operate CABR at no cost to the Province. Structured as a public-private partnership, CABR’s ‘one seat ride’ from the terminal to downtown and on to the mountains will provide reliable, high frequency, multi-class mass transit on a dedicated track in the CPKC rail corridor.”

SPECIFICS

“Incorporating this new information and to support the Province’s vision for regional rail, Liricon/Plenary, with the support of the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), has updated the underlying approach to CABR in its Proposal,” the consortium said. “Specifically, should the Province build the 20-km track from the Airport Terminal to downtown, resolve a CPKC rail corridor downtown pinch point, and construct Grand Central Station, then Liricon/Plenary will :

• Build a 130-km track west from Grand Central Station to Banff by twinning (double-tracking) the existing track in the CPKC rail corridor to CPKC’s specifications.
• “Build platforms or otherwise accommodate stations at Beltline, Calgary West, Cochrane, Stoney Nakoda, Canmore and Banff.
• Operate three CABR trains per hour from the Calgary Airport Terminal to Grand Central Station, and then on to Banff.
• Provide multi-class service (economy and premium).

Alberta Province, Liricon/Plenary noted, “will provide CABR track access at no cost for three trains/hour from Airport Terminal to Grand Central Station and makes no contribution for CABR’s development, capital or operating costs.”

“Liricon/Plenary’s restructured Calgary Airport Banff Rail proposal allows the Province to leverage the government’s investment by integrating with a private sector solution,” commented Liricon Managing Partner Jan Waterous. “In doing so, the Province will maximize the impact of its investment since the Grand Central Station to Banff line will require no Provincial tax dollars.”

A plan that has the Province develop the 20-km route from the airport to downtown, along with a new Grand Central Station, and Liricon/Plenary developing the 130-kilometre route from Grand Central Station to Banff, creates a strong, taxpayer-friendly solution to providing passenger rail service in a critical transit corridor,” said Plenary Americas President Brian Budden.

The Province “can consider our Proposal, as well as other private and public sector proposals, as part of the Rail Master Plan Study the Province announced in May 2024,” Liricon/Plenary said. “Upon the completion of the Rail Master Plan Study, expected in April 2025, should the CABR route be of interest to the Province, it will then be able to evaluate the updated Proposal relative to other private or public sector options for the CABR route. Assuming the Province conducts that evaluation in May 2025, and a private sector option is selected, then the Province can proceed to negotiate a Project Development Agreement (PDA) with a selected proponent in June 2025. Should the Province select Liricon/Plenary’s updated Proposal at that time, then by signing a PDA with Liricon/Plenary by July 2025, the Province will secure the CIB financing required for the updated Proposal prior to the federal election, expected in October 2025. Without CIB financing, the Liricon/Plenary Proposal for CABR will be terminated.

“A PDA for the updated Proposal will be subject to the Province making a subsequent final investment decision (FID) on the Province developing the Airport Terminal to Grand Central Station at a later date. This sequence allows the Province to complete the Rail Master Plan, then evaluate both public and private sector approaches and proposals and then have the option of advancing the updated Proposal that itself will still be conditional on an FID.

“To ensure that the Province’s Terminal to Grand Central Station section and Liricon/Plenary’s Grand Central Station to Banff section provides the CABR traveler a seamless experience and addresses CPKC’s requirements for dedicated track within its corridor, both services would develop heavy-gauge, non-electrified rail, interoperable with freight, which will ensure rolling stock consistency across facilities. This will provide travelers a one seat ride from the airport terminal to downtown Calgary and Banff. The Province may opt to have same system connect the airport to Calgary Transit’s Blue Line [LRT], replacing the contemplated Airport Transit Line. The Province’s airport connection plan provides the opportunity for total airport departures of 15 trains per hour.”

The revised operating plan provides a “route split”: The Province operates two trains per hour, with departures serving downtown and potentially Airdrie and Okotoks. CABR operates three trains per hour, with departures serving downtown and on to Banff, with stops at Beltline, Calgary West, Cochrane, Stoney Nakoda and Canmore.

BACKGROUND

The Banff Railway Lands ARP was to be sent to Parks Canada for review, which will make recommendations to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. The next steps were to include a Strategic Environmental Assessment of the entire plan and then recommendations from Parks Canada to the Government of Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change on whether to proceed.

“This is a profoundly exciting day for our family,” said Liricon Managing Partner Jan Waterous in late June 2024. “While the path to this moment has been a long and winding road, it has been immensely rewarding as we navigated the most extensive community engagement process in Banff’s history.”

Liricon had submitted a draft of the proposed Banff Railway Lands ARP (download below) prepared by Dialog, Shift Consulting, Jackson McCormick Design Group, Donald Luxton & Associates Inc., WSP Canada and Golder Associates, to the Town of Banff on Sept. 29, 2023, along with Technical Appendices and a copy of Liricon’s “What We Heard Report” on their consultation about the ARP.

Draft-Banff-Railway-Lands-ARP_FINAL_September-2023Download

CPKC, which pre-merger as Canadian Pacific signed a non-binding MOU (memorandum of understanding) with Liricon/Plenary, had told Railway Age that it was willing to support the project and was prepared to offer design and engineering assistance, with the requirement that the passenger service have no impact on CPKC’s main line freight operations. As of late June, The MOU still stood, according to Liricon Chairman Adam Waterous.

The coming year will be critical, Adam Waterous told Railway Age on June 29. A formal agreement needs to be in place with Alberta Province by early 2025. Canadian federal elections will occur in the fall of 2025. If the Conservative Party (“Tories”) assumes the majority, replacing Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it is expected to abolish the Canada Infrastructure Bank—and the funding the agency has provided to transportation and other P3 (public-private partnership) projects nationally, among which would be a 50% match (C$1.3 billion) of CABR. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, United Conservative Party, is a CABR supporter, as the project is within the scope of a master Passenger Rail Plan she has launched. Smith discussed the plan and her general views on passenger and freight rail in a June 3, 2024 Rail Group On Air podcast.

CABR BACKGROUND

Liricon/Plenary submitted an Enhanced Unsolicited Proposal in November 2021 to the Government of Alberta Ministry of Transportation, Invest Alberta Corp. and Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) to advance the CABR project from Phase 3, development, to Phase 4. The consortium said in early July 2022 that it had reached 11 milestones:

• Obtaining an improved economic impact analysis.
• Developing a solution for region-wide transportation through a Calgary Airport rail hub.
• Initiating an operations integration strategy with the potential Edmonton-Calgary high speed rail project.
• Furthering a wildlife impact mitigations approach.
• Investigating hydrogen fuel-powered rolling stock and supply alternatives.
• Securing support from affected municipalities/governments.
• Solidifying tourism industry support.
• Receiving business stakeholder support.
• Initiating engagement with Stoney Nakoda First Nations people.
• Advancing construction strategy.
• Improving ridership forecasts.

“These achievements will decrease the time to complete Phase 4, reduce development risk and enhance the proposal’s attractiveness,” Liricon/Plenary said. “This progress supports CABR’s ability to improve the environment, including being North America’s first hydrogen-powered passenger train system; expand the tourism economy by providing passengers seamless travel experiences with airlines, hotel companies and hospitality operations; increase labor mobility through integration with local transit systems, and being the foundation upon which to advance complementary new rail systems including Edmonton-Calgary HSR (Prairie Link Partnership consisting of EllisDon & AECOM); and reduce the impact of vehicles in Banff National Park and support the BANFF NATIONAL PARK NET ZERO 2035 initiative. New analysis indicates that, should Parks Canada adopt policies that encourage Banff National Park visitors to use mass transit options like CABR rather than personal vehicles, there would be an opportunity to reduce or eliminate the proposed Provincial financial contribution.”

CABR needed the Government of Alberta to match funding of up to C$10 million that is being contributed by Liricon/Plenary and CIB to complete the second stage of Phase 4 and achieve a final investment decision. Liricon/Plenary would then fund the third and fourth stages of Phase 4, permitting and financial close, budgeted then at C$75 million. 

“The Government of Alberta can then decide whether to continue to the next stage, based on the more detailed information then available to it, and will ultimately make a final investment decision whether to proceed into permitting and the project’s fifth and final phase, construction and Implementation,” the consortium noted. “This process provides the Government of Alberta with multiple opportunities to decide whether to continue to advance the project, and thereby limits the Government of Alberta’s development risk. The project is uniquely low-risk to Alberta taxpayers since the structure proposed for CABR is a P3 (public-private partnership) designed to share commercial risks across multiple partners, including risks relating to capital costs, ridership and revenue.”

Liricon/Plenary said CABR’s P3 structure “is different from the conventional government approach of using solely taxpayer money to develop, procure and build public transit projects. In 2016, CIB was established to structure and fund P3 projects that take the commercial risk government usually is forced to assume under traditional delivery models. The Government of Alberta had the vision to create an Unsolicited Proposal framework to accommodate this new, innovative P3 structure.”

CP main line, Calgary to Banff. OpenRailwayMap.org

The CABR system will operate on a new, dedicated passenger line built within the existing CPKC freight corridor and “will provide high frequency, reliable service” among seven destinations: Calgary Airport, Calgary Downtown, Calgary Keith, Cochrane, Morley (Stoney Nakoda First Nations), Canmore and Banff. Three service classes are envisioned. Economy class tickets are estimated to be about C$10 from the Airport to Downtown Calgary and C$20 from Downtown Calgary to Banff, taking into account discounts for entry to Banff National Park. The projected start-up date is late 2029. Construction is projected to begin in 2027.

CIB has agreed to provide 50% of the project’s C$2.6 billion capital cost, with the remainder sourced from a combination of debt from private lenders and Liricon/Plenary. A portion of the capital costs and interest would be paid back over 50 years, once service is operational, by Alberta Province, after which Alberta would assume full ownership. A yet-to-be -named private company would build and operate the system. Adam Waterous told Railway Age in 2022 that the province’s then-$30 million in annual payments “may not be needed if Banff National Park supports transit use by raising its entry fee for private passenger cars, or expanding bus and shuttle service between park attractions.” 

Liricon/Plenary engaged Mott MacDonald to undertake an economic impact assessment of CABR. “For perspective, according to a Tourism Economic Impact Study by Grant Thornton in 2016, the overall province-wide gross output economic impact from Banff and Canmore was approximately C$3.145 billion in 2015,” Liricon/Plenary noted. “Banff and Canmore generate C$8.6 million in economic activity each day for Alberta. Provincial and federal taxes generated from Banff and Canmore were roughly C$199 million and C$377 million respectively in 2015. CABR will support and grow these figures.

“The Mott MacDonald report indicates that the project will deliver an economic rate of return on the proposed investment by the Government of Alberta of more than 6.9 times. The study conservatively forecasts the project’s cost benefit ratio to be 2.8 times, and the project is expected to contribute more than 9,880 job-years of employment during construction and an additional 22,500 jobs and C$6.4 billion of gross value added to the Alberta economy once completed. These conservatively estimated economic benefits almost triple when using Liricon/Plenary’s upside ridership projections underpinning the broad and diverse benefits to the Province.” 

Liricon/Plenary describes CABR as “a distinct stand-alone project but also a key part of an overall transportation vision for Alberta that extends beyond the unique benefits to the Calgary region. CABR, as a brownfield project, is capable of being rapidly advanced by Liricon/Plenary to serve as a foundation upon which to develop a rail hub at the Calgary Airport for future greenfield rail projects, including proposed high-speed rail between Edmonton and Calgary and future expansions of Calgary Transit’s light rail network.”

Liricon/Plenary added it has “conducted significant research on the potential for CABR to use hydrogen-powered rolling stock. This research has entailed multiple meetings and site visits with the major hydrogen rolling stock providers including Alstom, Siemens and Sumitomo. While Liricon/Plenary has not yet selected a rolling stock provider, this alternatives study has increased Liricon/Plenary’s confidence that hydrogen-powered systems are feasible for CABR. In subsequent stages of CABR’s Design Phase, the specific rolling stock provider will be selected.”

Alstom Coradia iLint HFC (hydrogen fuel cell) multiple-unit

Alstom’s Coradia iLint HFC (hydrogen fuel cell) multiple-unit, in revenue service in Europe, is featured on CABR promotional materials. Alstom President and CEO Americas Michael Keroullé has been quoted in CABR promotional materials as saying that “hydrogen rolling stock is ideally suited for application on the Calgary-Banff rail corridor in terms of length of alignment, alignment characteristics and capacity. We firmly believe Alberta possess all the characteristics to become the flag-bearer of hydrogen trains on this side of the Atlantic, and we are very keen to help the province realize what will be recognized as an iconic project throughout the world. Alstom is pleased to offer the benefit of our experience and know-how to bring this project to reality for the benefit of Albertans and indeed to the many global visitors to the province. Alstom is the global pioneer of this technology: Alstom’s Coradia iLint train was unveiled in 2016 and has been in passenger service since 2018 in Lower Saxony, Germany. More than 124,000 miles (200,000 km) [worth of operations] have been completed since the iLint’s entry into service.”

Liricon/Plenary has also “studied potential hydrogen supply alternatives in the Calgary Airport vicinity, in particular, with TC Energy and Suncor. Based on this research, CABR is confident that there will be readily available hydrogen supply for CABR’s hydrogen powered systems for a refueling depot, most likely on Calgary Airport lands.” 

In an interview with Railway Age, Adam Waterous said the service will be modeled on Switzerland’s Glacier Express, a popular tourist train in the Alps that connects St. Moritz and Davos with Zermatt. As such, CABR, he said, “will be the only regular passenger rail service in North America to a world-class destination.”

Adam Waterous

Waterous praised CPKC and its willingness to assist, citing President and CEO Keith Creel and Senior Vice President Strategic Planning and Technology Transformation James Clements as highly supportive. “At the outset, we established a ‘CP[KC] First’ mindset,” he said. “We will ensure that freight service is not disrupted. Working with Mott MacDonald, we are developing a construction strategy that relies on using the existing [CPKC] corridor to deliver construction personnel and material and minimize the requirement for new construction access roads. Track construction within Banff National Park will be conducted entirely within the [CPKC] corridor and will not require the disturbance of Park lands.” 

The Calgary to Banff line is 93 miles (150 km) long. James Clements told Railway Age in 2022 that the CABR line will be built to minimum Transport Canada safety standards, with 20-foot track centers and physical barriers separating CPLC’s single-track main and the CABR main, also single-track. CPKC has a non-binding MOU with the project’s developers. Engineering is not expected to be problematic, as the right-of way has ample width to accommodate a dedicated passenger track. “This allows us to protect our freight capacity, both current and future,” he said.

Keith Creel added that “freight capacity and the nation’s commerce is[CPKC‘s] holy grail to protect.”

Calgary’s rail network. CP lines shown in orange. OpenRailwayMap.org

CABR’s “pinch point” will be the 9.3-mile (15 km) line from Calgary Airport to Downtown Calgary, in particular, Calgary Depot, which currently sees only CPLC freight trains. The right-of-way is narrow. Waterous said in addition to Mott MacDonald, Liricon/Plenary has engaged Stantec as an engineering consultant to design a CABR station in Downtown Calgary that will work within the constraints of CPKC’s freight operations.

Prasad Panda

Then-Alberta Transport Minister Prasad Panda, in an interview the Toronto Globe & Mail, said that he admired the intent behind CABR because it could reduce the number of people driving to Banff National Park and help diversify the province’s economy by boosting tourism. But he cautioned that the current plan “underestimates the capital costs and what will be required from the province in terms of an annual financial contribution,” as it “overestimates the potential ridership.” He added that the “construction schedule, which envisions the service running in the mid-2020s, is unrealistic. At this moment, as it’s presented, it’s passing on all the risk to Alberta taxpayers.” 

Panda appeared to be echoing the opinion of his boss, then-Premier Jason Kenney, a Progressive Conservative who the Globe & Mail said will leave provincial politics in October of this year. “We want a realistic proposal, a feasible proposal,” Panda told the Globe & Mail. “If they can assume those risks, and if they can raise private capital, without penalizing Alberta taxpayers, we’ll reconsider it. There’s still an outstanding question of what the federal contribution to the project will be. So far, it’s only Canada Infrastructure Bank that has said it’s prepared to provide a loan for half the C$1.5 billion (now C$2.6 billion) capital cost. Proponents want the Alberta government to backstop early project development costs and assume financial risks for the project that will be outside of the province’s control. The province’s annual costs, based on my department’s analysis, would be much more than C$30 million, as would the upfront capital cost estimate of C$1.5 billion.”

Jan Waterous

“Not surprisingly, the Alberta government wants to reduce the cost to the taxpayer, and our ridership study shows that this is possible,” Jan Waterous told the Globe & Mail, adding she doesn’t believe the province has responded to all of the proponents’ updated plans. “This is just part of the process of a complex project where ongoing dialogue with the government is paramount.”

HISTORY

Canadian Pacific, which reached Banff a few months after it reached Calgary in 1883, was once the only form of transportation to Banff National Park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. CP was instrumental in Banff’s early years, building the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise, and attracting tourists through extensive advertising. In the early 20th century, roads were built in Banff, at times by war internees from World War I, and through Great Depression-era public works projects. Since the 1960s, park accommodations have been open all year, with annual tourism visits to Banff increasing to more than 5 million by the 1990s. Millions more pass through the park on the Trans-Canada Highway. Except for the Rocky Mountaineer luxury tourist train, one route of which operates on the CPKC from Banff/Lake Louise to Vancouver, there hasn’t been any passenger rail through Banff since Via Rail Canada took over the CP’s famous Canadian in 1978, rerouting it onto the CN (replacing CN’s Super Continental flagship long-distance train).

About Liricon/Plenary

Liricon is the family holding company of Banff locals Jan and Adam Waterous, who have been facilitating the planning and stakeholder support for the CABR Project for more than seven years. Liricon entered into a long-term lease of the historic Banff Train Station (built by CP in 1910). Liricon, which also owns the Norquay Ski and Sightseeing Resort, is working with the Town of Banff and Parks Canada to transform the train station into a multi-modal eco-transit hub. Plenary is one of the largest dedicated P3 developers in North America,. Since its founding in Canada in 2005, Plenary has developed and now manages 55 PPP projects in North America, including the Stoney CNG Bus Storage and Transit Facility in Calgary. Plenary is owned by CDPQ (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec), a global investment group managing net assets of more than C$390 billion on behalf of more than 40 public pension and insurance plans.

The post CABR Presses On (Updated December 8, 2025) appeared first on Railway Age.