North America – Page 3
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Metro Report International3D Fare Gates aim to deter evasion
USA: Conduent Transportation is working with Philadelphia’s SEPTA to trial its 3D Fare Gates which aim to detect, deter and quantify the fare evasion which costs the transport agency an estimated $30m to $40m a year. The gates are based on a design deployed in Paris ...
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NewsUS announces federal rules on certification of dispatchers and signalling employees
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has announced two final rules that will require railways to develop certification and training programmes for dispatchers and people who install and maintain signalling systems. Unlike with train crews, there have previously been no federal regulations mandating specific training requirements, safety ...
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NewsRailmark takes over Mississippi freight line
USA: Railmark Industrial Railway is to take over operation of an 18 km freight branch in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, which interchanges with Norfolk Southern and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. The railway was built in 1980 to serve a planned nuclear power station. The nuclear project was cancelled ...
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NewsAlberta to develop passenger rail master plan
CANADA: The government of Alberta has allocated C$9m for the development of a Passenger Rail Master Plan as a foundation for the development of commuter and regional services to meet the needs of the growing population. ‘World class’ consultants are to be appointed to produce the ...
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NewsWheel lathe company announces US acquisition
USA: Spanish wheel lathe and machine tool manufacturer Danobat has acquired Michigan based Delta Wheel Truing Solutions, which designs and manufactures rolling stock wheel re-profiling equipment and has several patents as well as an established customer base. The acquisition announced on May 8 ‘is an important ...
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NewsActivist investors shake up Norfolk Southern board
USA: Activist hedge fund investor Ancora Holdings has won three seats on the board at Norfolk Southern in a vote at the annual shareholder meeting on May 9, ousting the railroad’s Board Chair, Governance Committee Chair and Compensation Committee Chair. Ancora holds a $1bn stake in ...
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Metro Report InternationalPlaybook sets out SEPTA’s sustainability vision
USA: Philadelphia transport agency SEPTA has published a Sustainability Playbook setting out its latest seven-year vision to embed environmental, social and economic best practices within its operations. Plans include: transitioning revenue and non-revenue vehicles to zero emissions, and right-sizing the non-revenue fleet vehicles for efficiency ...
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NewsGulf & Atlantic Railways rebrands
USA: Short line and regional railway group Gulf & Atlantic Railways has rebranded as Pinsly Railroad Company. The name change announced on May 1 comes after Gulf & Atlantic’s October 2023 acquisition of Pioneer Valley Railroad, which was Pinsly Railroad Co’s last short line. ...
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NewsLas Vegas – California high speed train supplier selected
USA: Private sector project promoter Brightline West has named Siemens Mobility as preferred bidder to supply 355 km/h electric trainsets for its planned high speed line between Las Vegas and California. The order, which is still to be finalised, would cover 10 American Pioneer 220 trainsets ...
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Metro Report InternationalSound Transit opens Eastside light rail 2 Line
USA: The initial section of Seattle’s light rail 2 Line on the east side of Lake Washington opened on April 27, the first of a number of openings expected over the next year. The initial section runs 10·6 km from South Bellevue to Redmond Technology, with ...
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NewsUnion Pacific ready to test hybrid locomotive
USA: Union Pacific is to begin testing the first of six diesel-battery-hybrid shunting locomotives during May. The railway has produced a prototype locomotive at its workshop in North Little Rock, Arkansas, working with loco control technology supplier ZTR which designed the hybrid propulsion system. A second ...
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Metro Report InternationalImproved wayfinding to simplify navigating Philadelphia’s public transport
USA: Philadelphia transport operator SEPTA has begun rolling out wayfinding improvements, which CEO & General Manager Leslie S Richards said ‘will make the system easier to navigate for all passengers, regardless of language, ability, or familiarity with public transportation’ as part of preparations for the city ...
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NewsCSX rolls out hydrogen fuel cell locomotive
USA: CSX has rolled out the first hydrogen-powered locomotive it has produced as part of a partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City which was announced last year. The rebuilt EMD GP40-2 was modified to work with fuel cells and batteries at CSX’s Huntington, West Virginia workshop. ...
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NewsAmtrak seeks fleet decarbonisation options
USA: National passenger operator Amtrak on April 16 issued a Request for Information from suppliers as part of its efforts to decarbonise its rolling stock fleet. Amtrak said that the RFI would ‘seek options to help transform the company’s rail fleet with zero-emissions technology’. In September ...
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NewsCeremony launches Brightline West’s high speed link to Las Vegas
USA: Project promoter Brightline West held a groundbreaking ceremony on April 22 in Las Vegas to launch its project to build a high speed line from the city to southern California.
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NewsKnorr-Bremse enters signalling market with North American acquisition
NORTH AMERICA: Knorr-Bremse announced on April 19 that it had agreed to buy Alstom’s North American conventional signalling business, with a deal that is expected to be formally concluded ‘in summer 2024’. The former General Railway Signal Co was established in 1904 through the merger of ...
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Metro Report InternationalCubic to upgrade ticketing in the Twin Cities
USA: Metro Transit has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems a contract to upgrade the fare payment system in Minneapolis-St Paul to enable the use of contactless bank cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay. The existing Go-To smart card will be enhanced with an account management system. This ...
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NewsArcadea Group invests in Railroad Software
NORTH AMERICA: US-based yard management and regulatory compliance software development company Railroad Software has announced a majority recapitalisation with Toronto-based investor Arcadea Group. Founder Jeff Birmingham will retain a significant stake and remain as a director, with Steve Yoder continuing as CEO. ‘The past 10 years ...
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Metro Report InternationalSkyTrain station contractors selected
CANADA: The Province of British Columbia has selected the South Fraser Station Partners consortium of Acciona, Aecon and Pomerleau as ‘preferred proponent’ to design and build the stations for the Surrey Langley SkyTrain Project to extend Vancouver’s automated light metro network. The Expo Line is to ...
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NewsBNSF trials virtual reality training
USA: BNSF is working with Roundtable Learning to integrate virtual, augmented and mixed reality technology into its training programmes for staff undertaking mechanical works. The simulations being tested are designed to show the importance of personal protection equipment and improve risk awareness. ...