On December 8, 2023, a grade crossing accident occurred in downtown Ocotlan, Mexico. A westbound Ferromex freight train was heading through the inadequately-protected grade crossing at Madero Street. While this photographer was filming the passing train a quarter of a mile away, the train suddenly went into emergency. After walking around the stopped train, it was discovered that an SUV had struck and shoved into the bushes! The paramedics arrived and transported the injured family to the hospital. Hopefully no one was seriously injured. The railroad crossing lacked gates, bells, or flashers. This is a busy downtown area, with Mexican automobiles, bikers, cyclists, and pedestrians pouring across the tracks like water from a broken dam. Such a setup like this would be inconceivable in America.

  Full list of passenger routes in FRA Corridor program released By David Lassen | December 8, 2023 Thirty-four new routes among 69 selected, which also include high speed projects, those seeking to increase frequencies The routes selected for the Federal Railroad  Administration Corridor   Identification and  Development Program.  New routes are dotted blue lines; existing routes  seeking service  increases are solid blue;  high speed routes are dotted red. FRA WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has released its list of routes selected for the first step of its Corridor Identification and Development Program, a catch-all group of 69 potential future Amtrak routes, possible extensions to existing routes, efforts to increase service on existing routes, and future high speed rail systems. Thirty-three of these routes had previ...