Articles by Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board announced it has granted the request of the Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC, a state-owned railroad) to construct and operate a new, 80-mile railroad line—the Northern Rail Extension—in the State of Alaska, subject to extensive environmental-mitigation conditions. After considering the entire public record before it, including both the transportation aspects of ARRC’s proposal and potential environmental issues, the Board was satisfied that the proposed line would provide reliable, year-round freight and passenger service to the region south of North Pole, Alaska; access to training areas used by the United States military; and an alternative to

WASHINGTON — The Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) now has a dedicated unit devoted to deterring a terrorist attack in the Metro system. The new anti-terrorism team will increase surveillance of the Metro system, conduct more frequent security sweeps of Metro facilities and tunnels, and provide greater visibility of uniformed officers. Using a $9.56 million Transit Security Grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), MTPD formed the 20-member, anti-terror team in December. The team, whose mission is to deter terrorists from selecting Metro as a target, will use tactics such as increased surveillance and random, unpredictable patrols of

WASHINGTON — Surface Transportation Board Chairman Daniel R. Elliott, III announced that the agency designated Board Member Francis P. Mulvey as its Vice Chairman. He succeeds former Board Chairman Charles D. Nottingham, who most recently served as Vice Chairman from March 13, 2009 to Jan. 4, and continues to serve as a Board Member.  The Board’s Vice Chairmanship rotates among the Members on an annual basis. Vice Chairman Mulvey, the eighth Member since the Board’s creation in 1996, was nominated to the agency by President George W. Bush on November 17, 2003, and was confirmed by the Senate on May