WASHINGTON — Amtrak has initiated a two-step process to seek a “delivery partner” for the Dallas-Houston high speed rail project, the former Texas Central effort it joined in 2023.

A notice on the company’s procurement website says that partner “will be responsible for facilitating Amtrak’s delivery of the project.” The company selected “will provide advice, leadership and support to Amtrak … and will undertake, direct and coordinate” management of design, construction, and quality management; third party and stakeholder coordination; procurement; commercial strategy” and other services.

The first step in the process is a Request for Qualifications, where interested companies submit a statement of qualifications for the work. Based on those submissions, Amtrak will invite eligible companies to participate in the Request for Proposals. The Request for Qualifications will be released via a private Amtrak website. The notice visible to the public does not indicate a date the Request for Qualifications is due.

Amtrak, in a brief statement to Trains News Wire, said it is “working to confirm the viability of the concept of a dedicated high-speed rail route between Dallas and Houston.  As part of these efforts, we are seeking to identify the interest of potential partners through responses to this Request for Qualifications process.”

The group Texas Rail Advocates first reported the launch of the Request for Qualifications on its website.

Amtrak announced it was joining the Texas Central effort in August 2023, saying then — as it did in its latest comment — that it was working to establish the project’s viability [see “Amtrak working with Texas Central …,” Trains News Wire, Aug. 9, 2023]. That came after Amtrak had hired Andy Byford, a respected former official at New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority, for the newly created role of senior vice president of high-speed rail development programs.

The Texas effort now appears to be solely an Amtrak project. A press release on Amtrak’s involvement is the only discernible activity on the Texas Central website since 2022; it lists no employees, and shows its address in a Houston office building as one also listed for a company called FTI Consulting. Michael Bui, listed as the Texas Central CEO in Amtrak’s 2023 press release, had previously been identified as a senior manager at FTI Consulting in an online article.

The Texas Central effort dates to at least 2012, and cleared several governmental hurdles before running aground in the face of legal opposition from property owners over company effort to acquire right-of-way. The Texas Supreme Court eventually ruled the company had eminent domain authority to acquire land [see “State Supreme Court affirms …,” Trains News Wire, June 27, 2022]. By then, however, the company appeared to exist in name only.

NEW YORK — Metro-North’s latest heritage locomotive, honoring predecessor New York, New Haven & Hartford, will make its operating debut on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, the commuter railroad has announced.

The locomotive will debut on train No. 1841, a 7:51 a.m. departure from Danbury, Conn., arriving at Grand Central Terminal on 9:55 a.m.

“The Heritage Series honors and educates Metro-North customers about the railroad’s rich history,” Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi said in a press release.  “We hope our customers enjoy the addition of the vintage colors of the then New Haven Railroad and that the new locomotive sparks some curiosity about the predecessor railroads that paved the way for Metro-North.”

The locomotive was announced last week  [see “News photos: Latest Metro-North heritage unit …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 21, 2025]. Its design, with colors described by Metro-North as Olive Green and Dandelion Yellow, was used on New Haven locomotives until 1954. It joins a heritage fleet launched in May 2023 with a locomotive wrapped with the original Metro-North design. Others honor Conrail, New York Central, Penn Central, and Metro-North employees.

Colorado’s Royal Gorge Route Railroad has returned its F7A and F7B locomotives to service. With an impressive plume of smoke, F7A No. 403, built for the Chicago & North Western in 1949, and former Alaska Railroad F7B No. 1503 lead a train out of Cañon City, Colo., on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. It was the first revenue run for the two locomotives, stored since 2021 but back after a restoration and “a comprehensive tune-up,” according to the railroad. The F7s will be handling trains through March 28, the railroad says in a post on its website regarding its “Ride with the Engineer” cab-ride program.

HB 146, introduced by Rep. Dayan Hochman-Vigil (D-Albuquerque), is one of three bills set for consideration today (Feb. 27, 2025) by the House Transportation, Public Works & Capital Improvements Committee.

The bill would require railroads to have the detectors in place and report their location and other details to the state Department of Transportation by Jan. 1, 2027. It also requires crew members to report safety violations, prohibits railroads from taking retaliatory action against those who do, and enables the state DOT to investigate such reports and assess fines of $5,000 to $25,000 for violations.

Resolution of the legislation should come quickly; this year’s legislative session began Jan. 21 and concludes March 22.

YUMA, Ariz. — Approximately a dozen cars of a Union Pacific intermodal train derailed Tuesday evening just north of Yuma, closing a grade crossing overnight and significantly delaying the Sunset Limited.

No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred about 6:15 p.m., UP said in a statement to TV stations KYMA and KECY. Rural Metro Fire of Yuma County responded to the incident and found no hazardous materials were involved.

The derailment closed Fortuna Road crossing near U.S. Route 95; it reopened Wednesday morning. The incident delayed the westbound Sunset Limited that departed New Orleans on Monday, Feb. 24; as of 7:15 a.m. CT, it was projected to arrive in Los Angeles 24 hours late, according to Amtrak’s website.

Yuma is the junction point of UP’s Yuma Subdivision from Loma Linda, Calif., to the west and the Gila Subdivision to Tucson, Ariz., to the east.

In this episode, David Popp continues working on the barn and surrounding farm scene on his Olympia & Sand Creek On30 display layout. Efforts include fabricating and installing a new, detailed barn door, extending and amending the barn’s roof, and even taking time to audit the height, shape, fit, and finish of his background trees! Be sure to explore the entire Olympia series, appearing exclusively on Trains.com Video!

]]> https://www.trains.com/vid/modeling/series/layout-builds/olympia-projects/olympia-sand-creek-episode-23-barn-door-bash-and-other-structure-enhancements/feed/ 1 https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/fta-says-it-will-delay-enforcement-of-rail-transit-safety-rule/ https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/fta-says-it-will-delay-enforcement-of-rail-transit-safety-rule/#comments Thu, 27 Feb 2025 11:02:30 +0000 https://www.trains.com/?post_type=trn&p=222890 Read More...

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WASHINGTON — The Federal Transit Administration this week announced it would not enforce a safety regulation finalized last October until at least March, citing an executive order signed last month by President Donald Trump calling for a freeze of new regulations.

The FTA rule in question allows state agencies with oversight of rail transit operations to conduct inspections of those operations without advance notice, and requires them to identify safety risks and develop inspection programs accordingly [see “FTA updates rules rules regarding safety oversight …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 21, 2024].

The rule took effect Jan. 1. The FTA, in a notice published on Monday, Feb. 24, in the Federal Register, said that while its regulation was not specifically covered by the executive order, it will not exercise enforcement “consistent with the intent” of that order until March 20.

The executive order calls for a 60-day postponement of rules that had been published but had not yet taken effect, and says that postponement is to review “any questions of fact, law, and policy that the rules may raise.” It also calls for delaying proposed rules for the same 60-day period.

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SAN CARLOS, Calif. — A new poll shows strong general support for Caltrain, as well as support for funding for the commuter rail operation in the wake of its launch of electrified operation.

The poll, presented on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to a meeting of Caltrain’s Advocacy and Major Projects Committee, shows 82% of likely voters polled in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties have a favorable view of the transit operator. Among occasional riders, that rose to 84%, while 91% of frequent riders show a favorable view.

The poll also found 73% agreed there is some need or a great need for additional funding for public transit, while a majority of respondents in all three counties indicated they would support a Caltrain funding measure. That included 65% of those in San Francisco County and 63% in San Mateo County.

“Caltrain is proud to see that the people we serve are overwhelmingly in support of the services we provide up and down the Peninsula,” Caltrain Executive Director Michelle Bouchard said in a press release. “The results of this survey reveal that Bay Area residents understand the need to support public transit, and they are seeing the results of the service improvements we have been able to deliver through electrification.”

Said Caltrain Board Chair Steve Heminger, “These results show strong public support for transit funding and we as a region need to work together to find a way to make that a reality,” said Caltrain Board Chair Steve Heminger. “We must ensure that the promise of electric service is fulfilled, now and in the decades to come.”

The poll of 1,500 likely voters in the three counties was conducted Jan. 8-23 by EMC Research.

WASHINGTON — U.S. rail traffic fell below 2024 levels for the week ending Feb. 22, 2025, ending a string of three weeks where traffic was ahead of prior-year levels.

According to statistics from the Association of American Railroads, total volume was 458,514 carloads and intermodal units, down 5.1% from the same week a year ago. That included 193,252, a 13.6% decrease, and 265,261 containers and trailers, up 2.3%.

The last time 2025 traffic was below 2024 levels was the week ending Jan. 25, when it was down 2.5% [see “Weekly U.S. rail volume shows slip …,” Trains News Wire, Jan. 30, 2025].

Through eight weeks, carload volume is down 2.4% compared to the same period in 2024, while intermodal traffic is up 8.4%. The total traffic of 3,797,081 carloads and intermodal units represents a 3.4% increase compared to the first eight weeks of 2024.

North American volume for the week, from nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads, was 288,166 carloads, a 14.4% decrease from the same week a year ago, and 334,375 intermodal units, a 2.1% decline. The total traffic of 622,374 carloads and intermodal units represent a 8.2% drop. Through eight weeks, the total volume of 5,207,293 carloads and intermodal units is up 2% from the same period in 2024. That includes a 0.6% decline in Canada and an 8.3% drop in Mexico.