Report: Rail Safety Failing
Washington — Federal regulators are failing to refer serious safety violations involving freight rail shipments of crude oil and other hazardous cargo for criminal prosecution, and are going lightly on civil fines, according to a report released Friday by a government watchdog. The Federal Railroad Administration routinely applies only modest civil penalties for hazardous materials safety violations, even though inspectors request...
A Rail Line for R.I., Mass.
Providence, r.i. — A Boston company wants to offer the first private passenger rail line in the nation in more than 30 years, reviving a once-popular business model that was stopped dead in its tracks decades ago. Boston Surface Railroad Co. is planning a commuter rail line that would shuttle passengers between Worcester, Mass., and Providence in about an hour. No private passenger rail line has existed since 1983, and it’s been even...
Rail Giant to Buy Short Line: Genesee & Wyoming Has Deal for Claremont Concord Railroad
White River Junction — The Claremont Concord Railroad, one of the smallest railroad lines in the country, is getting hitched to one of the world’s biggest rail carriers. The Upper Valley short line that shuttles freight over the Connecticut River between White River Junction and West Lebanon and over a stretch of track in Claremont is being acquired by Genesee & Wyoming, the Dar ien, Conn.-based railroad giant that owns or leases...
Emergency Fix on Hartford’s Route 4 Rail Bridge Begins Today
Hartford — State and local authorities in Vermont have announced an emergency project to replace the Route 4 railroad bridge, which was damaged in June by a passing truck. The town of Hartford, VTrans, the Vermont Rail System and their contractors are scheduled to begin construction on the Maple Street bridge at noon today and finish on Monday. Hartford police Maj. Brad Vail said the bridge was damaged on June 15 when the boom of a...
