State legislation calls for privatization of Alaska Railroad
A state legislator has introduced a bill calling for privatization of the ALASKA
RAILROAD, although sponsor Jesse Sumner (R-Wasilla) says it is as much about inspiring discussion as a potential sale. State House Transportation Committee Chair Kevin McCabe (R-Big Lake) said the railroad “has not built one single mile of track” since it was transferred to state ownership in 1985 and that resource development has been stifled as a result, although he admitted fault might be with the legislature, as well as the railroad. McCabe subsequently introduced legislation to allow the Alaska Railroad Corp. to issue bonds for a 32-mile spur to reach PORT MACKENZIE, a deepwater facility near Anchorage.
A proposal by contract operator KEOLIS would introduce battery-electric commuter trains on the MASSACHUSETTS BAY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY’s Fairmount line, a nine-station, 9.2-mile route. The proposal calls for the equipment to be in service by the end of 2027, and for service to be increased to 20-minute frequencies on weekdays and 30 on weekends, up from the current 45-minute headways on weekdays and 90 on weekends. Under the proposal,
Keolis would develop specifications for the equipment and choose a manufacturer.
The STADLER RAIL hydrogen-powered trainset bound for commuter use in Southern California set a record by covering 1,741.7 miles on a single tank of fuel at the loop at the TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGY CENTER in Pueblo, Colo. The run, certified by the Guinness World Records team, took more than 46 hours, using the FLIRT H2 trainset built for the SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY’s ARROW
service between San Bernardino and Redlands, Calif.
BRIGHTLINE announced it would build two new intermediate stations on its Orlando extension. The company chose Stuart, Fla., from five candidates for a stop in the “Treasure Coast” area of Martin and St. Lucie counties, and said it would build a station in Cocoa, Fla., near the spot where trains leave the FLORIDA EAST COAST RAILWAY main line for the 120-mph passenger-only route to Orlando. A document for refinancing of company bonds also confirmed that 10 additional coaches are due to be delivered from SIEMENS later this year.
Amtrak’s PACIFIC SURFLINER and METROLINK commuter rail service through San Clemente, Calif., resumed on March 25 after a two-month disruption because of a landslide — the latest in a series of sliderelated issues that have plagued service since September 2022. The ORANGE COUNTY
TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY constructed a temporary 200-foot-long catchment wall at the site of the latest slide. The OCTA is also considering a proposal for a half-mile-long wall as a long-term solution as well as an additional three-quarters of a mile of revetment, or a armoring material, for the San Clemente bluffs. San Clemente residents have expressed reservations, preferring more sand to build up the beach as a protective move.
The EAST BROAD TOP in March began the first steps toward restoring the 20-mile route south of Rockhill Furnace, Pa., to Robertsdale that has not seen trains since 1956, beginning work on the right-of-way about a mile south of the railroad’s headquarters. Brush has been cleared on the right-of-way as far as Pogue, about 3 miles away; a longer-term goal is to reach Saltillo, another 5 miles south.