LONDON – Thirty-four people had to be evacuated this lunchtime after a fire started on a lorry that was being transported on a freight train in the Channel Tunnel.
Eurotunnel, the operator of the Channel Tunnel, said all services had to be suspended this afternoon due to the small blaze in which nobody was hurt.
John Keefe, [...]

WASHINGTON – Calling it the most significant development in railroad brake technology since the 1870s, Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman announced his intention to propose revised federal rail safety regulations to facilitate the installation of Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brake systems capable of preventing derailments and shortening train-stopping distances.
“ECP brakes are to trains what [...]

CHICAGO – An $8 billion capital investment is needed in the next five years in order to allow the CTA to continue to provide safe and reliable service and meet growing transit need, CTA’s vice-president of capital programs said.
The announcement came after an Aug. 9 Chicago Transit Board meeting. Including all planned rail line extensions [...]

LONDON – The Dutch government presented the Certificate of Availability for the southern section of a high-speed rail connection between Rotterdam and the Belgian border.
The certificate is an important step in achieving The Netherlands’ first high-speed rail link as the southern section is now open for operation. The certificate was presented July 28 to David [...]

WILMERDING, Pa. – Wabtec Corp.’s Wabtec Rail subsidiary has signed a $27 million contract to refurbish 103 passenger cars for high-speed trains operated by Great North Eastern Railway Limited (GNER) of London.
The project will begin immediately, with deliveries scheduled for 2007-08.
“This contract represents an important milestone in the growth of our vehicle refurbishment capabilities at [...]

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) has approved DM&E’s application to utilize a separate subsidiary to build and operate a new 280-mile rail line into the Powder River Basin.
“We’re pleased with this latest victory,” said Kevin V. Schieffer, DM&E president and CEO. “It’s another step closer to our goal of creating [...]

NEW ULM, Minn. – By a 7-to-1 margin, Minnesotans favor Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad’s plan to upgrade its existing tracks in southern Minnesota, according to a new statewide survey of Minnesota voters about the railroad improvement plan. Asked why they favor it, supporters most often said that it would improve rail safety.
The statewide survey [...]

CHICAGO – Amtrak is temporarily adjusting the schedule for the Pere Marquette service on the Chicago-Grand Rapids route to accommodate major track work planned by CSX Transportation, the owner of the train’s route in Michigan.
The temporary schedule will begin Aug. 14 and continue through at least Sept. 7.
The changes will compensate for anticipated delays due [...]

WASHINGTON – Today’s news of a disrupted terror plot quickly translated to increased security measures at rail systems nationwide.
“There is no threat to mass transit, but it’s prudent to step up security given that mass transit has been a terrorist target in the past,” Washington Metro Transit Police Chief Polly Hanson said in a news [...]

WASHINGTON – A suspicious package discovered around 9 a.m. Wednesday (Aug. 9) on the tracks near the New York Avenue-Florida Avenue- Gallaudet U Metrorail station disrupted Red Line service for three hours just after the morning peak period.
Normal Red Line service resumed at 12:10 p.m.
Throughout the police investigation, Metro suspended train service between the Rhode [...]