US allocates $320m for rail improvement works
The US Government will invest $320.6 million for rail infrastructure and safety improvement works across the country. The funding will be allocated to 50 projects, selected by the USDOT and FRA. The projects will seek to improve the safety and reliability of freight and intercity passenger services on the lines. Nine projects involve works to prevent illegal trespassing at highway-rail grade crossings, while other projects encompass rehabilitation and upgrade of rail infrastructure to streamline operations. [railway-technology.com]
VIA Rail postpones the service resumption of the Canadian and The Ocean
As Covid-19 cases are currently on the rise again and in an effort to continue to follow recommendations from public health authorities, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) has extended the suspension of its long-distance routes, the Canadian (Toronto – Vancouver) and the Ocean (Montréal – Halifax), as well as the Sleeper class on the Winnipeg-Churchill route, which were scheduled to resume on November 1st. No new target date for service resumption was given. [newswire.ca]
Southwest Chief gets more funding
The Federal Railroad Administration has granted $5.6 million in funding to stabilize and rehabilitate the route of the Amtrak Southwest Chief in Colorado and New Mexico. Combined with $4.9 million in Amtrak federal funds and $1 million from the New Mexico DOT, a total of $11.5 million will be invested from Trinidad to south of Lamy, N.M. Combined with earlier projects, when these improvements and others are complete, it will remain a productive route for decades to come. Work is expected to begin in 2021 and carry into 2022. [chieftain.com]
