BNSF ready to work with Montana rail advocates
Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) says it’s looking forward to working with advocates hoping to return passenger rail service to Montana’s “Southern Route.” That message came as representatives of BNSF and Montana Rail Link (MRL) and the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority met for the first time. MRL is turning over all freight operations to BNSF. U.S. law requires freight haulers to coordinate passenger rail with Amtrak and local organizations.[kpax.com]
Chicago CTA pegged for $912.1M rescue grant
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a $912.1 million award of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). CTA employs approximately 10,600 workers who provided nearly 200 million trips in 2020. The ARP funds will support jobs across the Chicago metro area and allow CTA to continue providing low-carbon transportation service critical to the region’s 8.6 million residents. [rtands.com]
Scotland to nationalize train services in April
Scotland’s train services will be run by a public sector body beginning April 1st, the Scottish government has confirmed. Details of the transition are still to be announced. Dutch firm Abellio will stop running the ScotRail franchise at the end of March and an “arms-length” Scottish government company will take over. Abellio has run the franchise since 2015 but its contract ended early amid criticism over performance issues. All ScotRail staff will transfer to the new government-owned entity. [bbc.com]
Petition supports Amtrak return to the Gulf Coast
Mississippians are circulating a public petition in support of restoring Amtrak service between New Orleans and Mobile with stops along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. More than 900 people have already signed in support. The petition will be presented and testimonies heard during a virtual, public hearing set by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) for February 15th. The STB will hold an evidentiary hearing on March 9th. After all the hearings, the board will make their final decision. [wxxv25.com]
Germany’s DB network due for $15.59B upgrade
German national railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) is planning to enhance its network this year, with the aim of making existing infrastructure more efficient. As part of this initiative, DB, along with the federal and regional governments, plan to invest $15.59bn (€13.6bn) to further improve the railway infrastructure. The railway company intends to upgrade and review nearly 1,800 km of its rail network, 140 bridges and 800 stations. [railway-technology.com]
