(Kurtis Lindsey, Watco Photograph, Courtesy of Watco)

2024 SHORT LINE HONORABLE MENTION: EIRR

RAILWAY AGE, MARCH 2024 ISSUE: Partnering with customers, plus the in-house Watco team, helps this small road win business and support communities.

Railway Age’s 2024 Short Line Railroad of the Year is Mississippi Export Railroad (MSE). (Chip Haffner Photograph, Courtesy of MSE)

2024 SHORT LINE OF THE YEAR: MSE

RAILWAY AGE, MARCH 2024 ISSUE: After more than 100 years, MSE continues to lead the way in its commitment to safety, growth and community outreach.

Commentary

FRA L-D Study: Two Outreach Issues

On Feb. 21, I reported on 15 potential long-distance routes that Amtrak could operate someday, in theory, anyway. These routes resulted from a two-year evaluation and selection process sponsored by the Federal

How to Implement Your FRMP—With Minimal Ops Impact

In 2008, the Rail Safety Improvement Act was enacted to address safety concerns after the tragic accident in Chatsworth, Calif., and in response to several fatal accidents between 2002-2008. This regulation governed

New FRA Data Confirms Past Decade ‘Safest Ever for Rail’

Newly released data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) “confirms that the industry’s safety-centered approach to investments and operations delivered overall improvements that have made the past decade the safest ever for

Hernando, Miss.-based Rock Island—a rail carrier and short line holding company that offers switching, railcar storage, locomotive maintenance, railcar fleet management, and railroad management services—will take over for BNGR and provide local rail service through March 31, 2024, along a 37.26-mile line in Oklahoma. (Rock Island Photograph)

Rock Island to Operate Temporarily for BNGR in Oklahoma

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) is permitting the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (Rock Island) to provide service for 30 days over rail line owned by the state of Oklahoma and the

“Rescue Engine 1413 is currently on scene with a train derailment in the area of Riverside Dr. in Lower Saucon. It is reported there are no injuries, with train cars into the river. Lower Saucon Fire Rescue and Northampton County Emergency Management Services are working with multiple local and state agencies on this incident,” the Nancy Run Fire Company of Bethlehem, Pa., reported early March 2 on Facebook. (Photograph Courtesy of Nancy Run Fire Company, via Facebook)

NTSB Investigating NS Collision, Derailment in Pennsylvania (UPDATED)

Three Norfolk Southern (NS) trains were involved in a derailment March 2 just east of Steel City, Pa., along the Lehigh River. There were no reported injuries to crews. An eastbound train

FRA Issues Tech Reports, Research Results

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently released three technical reports and a research results report covering communications and train control, rolling stock, and automation, which the agency’s Office of Research, Development & Technology (RD&T) is studying with its partners to help improve rail safety.

“The tremendous growth in ridership is a result of the substantial investments North Carolina and Virginia are making to expand and improve passenger rail,” Amtrak Vice President Ray Lang said on Feb. 28. “Customers are taking advantage of a sustainable way to travel to the many destinations our network offers.” (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, NYMTA, Metrolinx

Virginia and North Carolina are home Amtrak’s busiest stations in the Southeast. Also, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) provides an update on expanding Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer; New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Chief Accessibility Officer earns Presidential Volunteer Award; and Metrolinx’s maintenance and storage facility for the Finch West LRT project in Toronto receives LEED Silver Certification.

With a Delivery Partner Selected, Hudson Tunnel Project Moving Into ‘High Gear’

MPA Delivery Partners, a joint venture of Parsons Corporation, Arcadis of New York, Inc., and Mace North America Limited, will serve as Delivery Partner for the $16 billion Hudson Tunnel Project, the

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