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Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 2/17/2017 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad was named the most admired among trucking, transportation and logistics companies by Fortune for the seventh consecutive year, the Class I announced yesterday.The designation also marked the 14th time in 18 years the company has been named No. 1, according to a UP press release.UP ranked first in eight performance areas identified by Fortune: innovation, people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness, long-term investment value and quality of products or services.The Korn Ferry Hay Group, Fortune's research partner, surveyed executives, directors and analysts to select companies they most admired from a list that began with 1,500 international and domestic companies."This recognition is a testament to Union Pacific's more than 40,000 employees, who commit daily to working safely and efficiently for the good of our customers, communities, shareholders and their fellow employees," said UP Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Lance Fritz.The magazine's annual "most admired" list will be published in the March edition. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 2/17/2017

2/17/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

2/17/2017    

Rail News: CSX Transportation

2/17/2017    

Rail News: CSX Transportation

Rail News Home CSX Transportation 2/17/2017 Rail News: CSX Transportation
Mantle Ridge LP responded yesterday to CSX's call for a special shareholders' meeting to discuss the hedge fund's proposals, which include installing former Canadian Pacific Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison as the next CEO of CSX.Mantle Ridge CEO Paul Hilal wrote to CSX's board to comment on a CSX press release reported earlier this week that described the state of negotiations between the parties and the railroad's call for the special meeting. In his letter, Hilal took issue with some of the railroad's views of certain issues discussed as part of the negotiations.CSX responded last night by saying the board will carefully review Hilal's letter. "As demonstrated by our recent actions, the CSX board of directors is always willing to engage in constructive dialogue with our shareholders and to consider their views on our company's business and strategy," CSX's latest press release stated. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 2/17/2017

2/17/2017    

Rail News: BNSF Railway

2/17/2017    

Rail News: BNSF Railway

Rail News Home BNSF Railway 2/17/2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
The Illinois attorney general announced a settlement with BNSF over a 2015 crude-oil train derailment in Galena, Ill.Photo – BNSF.com

Three shortlisted teams have been invited to submit a Request for Proposals by Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx to design, build and finance the Highway 401 Rail Tunnel project.

 

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Board of Commissioners approved a $32.3 billion 2017-2026 Capital Plan on Feb. 16.

It is the largest capital plan in agency history and $29.5 billion in direct spending on PANYNJ projects and the $2.7 billion commitment to support debt service on the Gateway passenger rail tunnel project. PANYNJ expects it to result in the creation of 235,400 job years, $20 billion in total wages and $56 billion in overall economic activity.

2/17/2017    

Rail News: Amtrak

Peter Gertler has rejoined HNTB Corporation as a senior vice president in a corporate and national strategic business development role, based in Oakland, Calif.

HNTB calls Gertler a nationally recognized rail and transit expert who brings three decades of infrastructure leadership to the firm's clients across the country. He previously worked at HNTB from 2004 to 2014 as rail and transit market service leader and principal project manager. During that time, he served as national thought leader and subject matter expert on high-speed and intercity passenger rail, as well as serving in leadership roles for projects with a total construction value of over $100 billion.

2/17/2017    

Rail News: Safety

Rail News Home C&S February 2017 Rail News: C&S

TransLink’s SkyTrain extension of the Millennium Line in Vancouver, British Columbia — which opened late last year — features Thales’ SelTrac system.Photo – Thales By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing EditorA train-control technology that’s been employed in North America for more than 30 years is becoming a bit more high-tech. Categorized as communications-based train control (CBTC), it also is evolving into a signaling option for both passenger and freight railroads.CBTC is an automated system that employs continuous, bidirectional train-to-wayside communications to monitor a train’s location and ensure the safe operation of rail vehicles. It differs from conventional signaling by determining a train’s location independent of track circuits via transponder tags or beacons installed along a wayside.To date, CBTC is employed at a dozen or so passenger railroads and airport trams, while several others in the North American rail industry are considering whether to adopt it.To help more railroads meet today’s demanding operational challenges — including the addition of positive train control (PTC) — several suppliers are trying to enhance their CBTC systems for increasingly complex rail environments. In addition, others are working to develop and market their system for broader rail industry applications.Count Siemens among those pursuing system enhancements. The radio and Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) aspects of its Trainguard MT CBTC system are maturing to better provide the functionality transit agencies need, says Bill Conis, director of business development for Siemens Mobility.Trainguard MT is designed to operate at different train-control levels, handle trains with different train control equipment at the same time in the same network, and help reduce lifecycle costs by minimizing the number of outdoor elements and maximizing energy efficiency.Since there are growing concerns in the passenger-rail industry about computer hacking, Siemens recommends that transit agencies use a licensed radio band for their CBTC system instead of a proprietary radio — they need to “stay away from public Wi-Fi bands,” Conis says.“I think more agencies in the future will go with a licensed band. It’s not expensive and you don’t need a lot of bandwidth,” he adds. “It’s critical to ensure others won’t hack your system.”In addition, the ATS portion of CBTC now is much more sophisticated, with greater functionality than there was four or five years ago, he says. Recent enhancements include junction and work-zone management, a graphical user interface, and the ability to access a supervisory control and data acquisition system to determine if track is energized or de-energized.New York state of mindIn terms of ongoing CBTC projects, Siemens continues to work on equipment for MTA New York City Transit’s (NYCT) Queens Boulevard Line (QBL). The transit agency plans to eventually have CBTC systems in place on all of its 24 lines, says NYCT spokesman Kevin Ortiz.Slated to enter service in 2021, the QBL CBTC system will enable the agency to operate more trains per hour on the underground line between Queens and Manhattan and provide more reliable service.Last month, RailWorks Corp. subsidiary L.K. Comstock & Co. Inc. won a $223.3 million contract to install CBTC, upgrade signals and complete new systems work on the line.Siemens will provide 90 percent of the CBTC equipment for the QBL, with the other 10 percent supplied by Thales, says Conis.Siemens previously provided the CBTC system for MTA New York City Transit's Canarsie Line. Siemens

French Railways operator SNCF is busy connecting its entire rail system using IBM Watson Internet of Things (IoT) on IBM Cloud that the tech company said will allow SNCF to enhance customer experiences, operational efficiency and rail safety.

Thousands of specialized industrial sensors are being installed along SNCF's more than 18,600 miles of track, 15,000 trains and 3,000 stations in France. These sensors will securely send tens of thousands of data points to the IBM Watson IoT Platform on IBM Cloud all in real-time. IBM said by connecting the entire rail system and gathering insights from real-time information on data, SNCF will be able to manage its equipment and, thus, improve quality, security and availability of its trains.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is calling for Transport Canada to develop strategies to reduce the severity of derailments involving dangerous goods, following its investigation into the derailment and fire of a Canadian National train near Gogama, Ontario in February 2015.

The TSB's recommendation asks the Department of Transport to "conduct a study on the factors that increase the severity of the outcomes for derailments involving dangerous goods, identify appropriate mitigating strategies including train speeds for various train risk profiles and amend the Rules Respecting Key Trains and Key Routes accordingly."

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has launched the search for a permanent CEO and general manager for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker made the announcement during an address before the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, he recommended that the MBTA's Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) exercise the two-year extension of its governance of the MBTA, as permitted by statute. Chief Administrator Brian Shortsleeve will continue to serve as acting general manager in the interim and will sit on the search panel.

Canadian Pacific Railway on Tuesday launched an awareness campaign highlighting the safety benefits of the preventative use of inward-facing cameras in the cabs of locomotives.

 

2/16/2017    

Rail News: Safety

The head of Amtrak told lawmakers a new era of infrastructure investment is needed to ensure a healthy future for long-distance passenger rail travel in the U.S.

Amtrak President and CEO Wick Moorman urged a hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security to invest in the carrier's infrastructure, fleet, and stations.