Railroad News

By Vesna Brajkovic, Associate Editor

Amtrak yesterday marked the 90th anniversary of the Empire Builder route, which travels across the northern United States from Chicago to Seattle and Portland.

Inaugurated by the Great Northern Railway (GN), the first westbound Empire Builder departed Chicago on June 10, 1929. It was christened the next day in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the GN had its headquarters and where its mainline to Seattle began, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

The Orange County Transportation Authority's (OCTA) board this week approved a $1.5 billion budget for fiscal-year 2020.

To take effect July 1, the budget advances a number of capital improvements, including the OC Streetcar and Interstate 5 and 405 projects in Orange County, California. OCTA has allocated $48.5 million for ongoing streetcar construction and $366.4 million for the freeway work.

In May, the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) completed one of its largest construction projects over the past 10 years, and in a speedy fashion.

The agency replaced 18-year-old tracks and switches at two Main Street locations in 27 days, work that typically would take two months to complete.

The Coos Bay Rail Line has completed a $2.3 million rehabilitation project on 37 timber bridges along its line, which is owned and operated by the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay.

The port contracted Scott Partney Construction to complete the bridge work. Engineering firm Stantec Inc. will conduct the final inspections, port officials said in a press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) announced that Chief of Security Alex Wiggins has resigned to accept the chief executive officer position at the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority.

In addition, the authority announced a series of appointments to fill Wiggins' post and other vacancies on the senior leadership team. Metro named Nadine Lee chief of staff; James de la Loza, chief planning officer; Yvette Zoe-Robles Rapose, chief communications officer; Jonaura Wisdom, chief civil rights programs officer; and Aston Greene III, interim chief systems security and law enforcement officer.

Louisville & Indiana Railroad (LIRC) and Great Western Malting Co. have developed a new 33 rail-car transload facility in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

The rail-to-truck transfer facility, which will open tomorrow, features a covered, open-ended structure enclosing a 90-foot section of track with a concrete pad. A concrete pit below allows conveyors to load trucks for delivery of malting grain to customers.

The Florida Department of Transportation will receive a $17 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to improve safety at seven grade crossings in Jacksonville.

The $35.2 million project also involves CSX, Florida East Coast Railway and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA). The partners aim to address conflicts between freight trains and vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle traffic at major arteries in downtown Jacksonville, including the heavily used San Marco Boulevard interchange. Crossing delays can last from several minutes to several hours due to the lack of appropriate storage track, communications and signaling, and switching infrastructure in the area, the project partners said.

A bill that would make the 45G short-line tax credit permanent has received support from a majority of U.S. House members, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced yesterday.

As of yesterday, 219 representatives are cosponsors of the Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy (BRACE) Act, which would make permanent the tax credit that short lines and regionals can receive for investing in infrastructure maintenance. The credit expired in December 2017 and has not yet been extended.

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Metropolitan Council officials have narrowed the field of candidates for the position of Metro Transit police chief to two finalists: Minneapolis Police Inspector Eddie Frizell and Metro Transit Acting Chief of Police AJ Olson.

Frizell has served as a Minneapolis police officer since 1993 and is currently the inspector of the downtown's First Precinct. Olson has served as the acting chief of Metro Transit's police department since John Harrington resigned to lead the Minnesota Department of Public Safety earlier this year. He has nearly 38 years of law enforcement experience, having worked for Metro Transit since 2005, with 12 of those years as deputy chief of the department.

Amtrak's Northeast Regional, Lake Shore Limited and Vermonter trains returned to Union Station in Springfield, Massachusetts, yesterday after previously using a temporary stop as part of a station upgrade project.

Riders traveling in western Massachusetts will now see passenger information display boards, hear train announcements in the station and access a customer service desk that will be staffed from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. daily, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

Arrows Up Inc. founder John Allegretti has retired as the company's chief executive officer. Justin Renfro, president of Arrows Up affiliate OmniTRAX Energy Solutions (OES), has assumed leadership responsibilities for both entities, the companies announced yesterday.

The management and operations teams of Arrows Up have over 65 years of combined experience in the packaging and logistics industry, company officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit last week announced a call for bids on the first phase of construction to fill and level a canal adjacent to the Hudson Bergen light-rail tracks and the Hoboken yards.

In 2012, a storm surge from Hurricane Sandy created a long canal alongside the tracks at NJ Transit’s Hoboken yards in New Jersey to overflow its banks. The overflow resulted in significant flood damage to the yard and required weeks of remediation, according to an NJ Transit press release.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) last week approved the final supplemental environmental impact report (EIR) for the Eastridge-to-BART Regional Connector project, which will extend the light rail 2.4 miles from Alum Rock Station to the Eastridge Transit Center in San Jose, California.

The final supplemental EIR includes design changes made since 2016 and an analysis of how those changes impact the environment. The revised extension design eliminates grade crossings, which will  allow light-rail service to travel at faster speeds, according to a VTA press release.

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MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) officials last week announced that construction of a new Penn Station entrance at 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue in New York City will begin June 17. 

As part of a more than $6.6 billion state investment into the LIRR, construction will include widened corridors in the existing LIRR concourse, heightened ceilings, improved natural light and improved safety, according to an LIRR press release.