USA railroad industry news
Business news about railway and urban transit infrastructure, operations, policy, projects and the supply industry in the United States of America.
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Metro Report InternationalProgramme manager selected to oversee Austin’s starter light rail line
USA: Austin Transit Partnership has appointed consultancy Aecom to support Phase 1 of the Texas state capital’s light rail network. Responsibilities will include programme management oversight and initiation, environmental services, design management, railway systems commissioning and operational readiness. The 15·7 km Phase 1 of the light ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew York Subway battery-diesel maintenance locos approved for use
USA: New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority has approved the operation of battery-diesel hybrid locomotives ordered from Wabtec to haul maintenance trains on the Subway network. The R255 locos will be able to use power from the 500 kWh battery in the tunnels and at worksites when ...
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NewsAmtrak track renewals train ready for delivery
USA: Swiss plant manufacturer Matisa is ready to deliver a novel track renewals train to Amtrak to support work to modernise the US national passenger operator’s upgrading of the 735 km Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington DC. Matisa says the diesel-powered P95 machine will be ...
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NewsUS rail industry supplier rebrands subsidiaries
USA: All subsidiaries and divisions of railway sector component supplier A Stucki Company began operating under the parent company’s name on January 1. The company was founded in 1911 by Arnold Stucki, a Swiss engineer who moved to the USA, and in recent years has expanded ...
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NewsChicago commuter rail network upgrades communications
USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra’s legacy 900 MHz communications system is to be upgraded to the dot16 standard, in what suppliers Siemens Mobility and Ondas Networks say is a ‘milestone’ first for a major railway. Designed for mission-critical private industrial networks, dot16 provides an upgrade path ...
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In depthNorth America: Keeping track of long freight trains
As the rail sector increasingly embraces longer trains to drive efficiencies, advanced telematics are helping to ensure safety and reduce maintenance costs, opening up the prospect of intelligent and more sustainable rail freight transport.
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Metro Report InternationalWashington metro reinstates automatic train operation after 15 year hiatus
USA: Automatic train operation has resumed on the Washington DC metro after a 15 year gap. ATO was installed when the metro opened in 1976, but it was turned off following a fatal collision in June 2009. This was caused by a track circuit failure that ...
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Metro Report InternationalMore walk-through Subway cars in latest New York MTA procurement
USA: New York MTA has approved a $1·27bn firm order for a further 435 Kawasaki Rail Car R211 Subway cars, including 80 R211T cars with open gangways. This takes the total number of R211 cars ordered under the 2018 framework agreement to 1 610, of which ...
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NewsCalifornia high speed rail promoter seeks outside expertise as DOGE threat looms
USA: The California High Speed Authority is seeking external specialists in a range of rail-related disciplines to attend a bespoke forum in late January as speculation mounts about the prospects of the project under the incoming Trump administration.
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NewsFuel cells orders for passenger and freight traction
NORTH AMERICA: Ballard Power Systems has signed two agreements to supply fuel cells for use on freight locomotives in Canada and passenger trains in the USA. On December 5 Ballard announced a long-term supply agreement to provide Canadian Pacific Kansas City with 200 kW fuel cells ...
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NewsAlstom awarded California Metrolink operation and maintenance contract
USA: Southern California Regional Rail Authority has awarded Alstom a combined Train Operation & Maintenance Services contract for its Metrolink passenger rail services. Alstom is to take over on July 1 2025 when its current fleet maintenance contract and the separate operating contract with Amtrak expire. ...
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Metro Report InternationalStadler awarded ‘breakthrough’ Atlanta CBTC contract
USA: Stadler has announced an ‘international breakthrough’ in the signalling sector with the award of a $500m eight-year contract to supply its NOVA Pro communication-based train control to replace Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority’s current metro signalling equipment. Stadler said the MARTA order announced on December ...
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NewsWind Point Partners acquires Velocity Rail Solutions
USA: Chicago-based private equity firm Wind Point Partners has completed a corporate carveout of locomotive services business Velocity Rail Solutions from Stellex Capital Management’s A Stucki Company. Velocity’s services include mobile refuelling, inspection, maintenance and light repairs and replenishment of consumables such as oil, sand and ...
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Metro Report InternationalContract let to build Newark airport peoplemover as successor to monorail
USA: The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has selected a joint venture of Tutor Perini and O&G for a $1·2bn contract to design and build a 4 km peoplemover with three stations to replace the existing AirTrain Newark monorail serving the New Jersey ...
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NewsStadler trains ordered to expand TEX Rail fleet
USA: Trinity Metro has ordered four more Stadler Flirt diesel multiple-units to increase capacity on the TEX Rail line from central Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. They are to be delivered from Stadler’s Salt Lake City factory in 2027, as an option on the ...
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Metro Report InternationalWest Seattle Link light rail route approved
USA: Sound Transit’s board has approved the route and location of stations on the 6·6 km West Seattle Link Extension. The three-station light rail branch is planned to open in 2032. The project now enters the design phase, covering detailed work to finalise the route ...
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NewsNorfolk Southern revives battery traction ambitions with Alstom partnership
USA: Class I railroad Norfolk Southern Corp is to convert two diesel prime movers to hybrid operation through a partnership with Alstom.
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Metro Report InternationalDrones and social media partnerships tackle deadly ‘Subway surfing’
USA: The Operation Lifesaver safety campaign has expressed concern over an increase in illegal ‘Subway surfing’, where people ride on the outside of metro trains, and New York City Transit has deployed drones to back up a publicity campaign developed with teenagers to tackle the problem ...
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NewsLegal changes aim to streamline Californian rail electrification projects
USA: The Governor of California has signed legislation designed to accelerate electrification by exempting zero-emission railway projects on existing lines from requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act, which can lead to legal delays. The bill passed with bipartisan support was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom ...
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Metro Report InternationalHudson-Bergen Light Rail operating contract awarded
USA: NJ Transit has awarded a joint venture of ACI and Herzog a contract to operate and maintain the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail network after the current design-build-operate-maintain contract expires. The new contract runs for 15 years from September 15 2025, with two five-year extension options. The ...