Railroad News

Brightline yesterday announced plans to continue its rail safety efforts as it prepares to launch service to downtown Miami.

The passenger railroad has begun crew testing on the Florida East Coast Railway corridor between Fort Lauderdale and downtown Miami. Simulated service is expected to begin shortly, Brightline officials said in a press release.

Earlier this week, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA)  recognized short lines for success in marketing and military veteran recruitment.

The Veterans Recruitment Award was presented to Louisville & Indiana Railroad Co. (LIRC), a subsidiary of Anacostia Rail Holdings. The short line has a 30 percent ratio of veterans in its workforce, and 30 percent of its 2017 new hires are veterans, according to an ASLRRA press release. LIRC now has won the award for two straight years.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) President Patrick Nowakowski will resign tomorrow.

In a statement, he said now is a good time to "step aside and allow new leadership to continue the progress we've begun to make on improving customer service."

Amtrak this week announced its plans for infrastructure renewal work at New York Penn Station during the summer.

The projects will feature what Amtrak describes as critical reconstruction of three major rail assets in New York City: the Empire Tunnel and Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, which provides access between Upstate New York and Penn Station, as well as renewal work on the station's Track 19.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications in the rail industry can help improve efficiency and safety, said ARC Advisory Group Research Analyst Pranav Misal during a webcast yesterday.

U.S. rail traffic climbed 3.8 percent to 524,905 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending April 7 compared with traffic the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

U.S. carload traffic during the week rose 4.6 percent to 261,898 units, while intermodal volume increased 3.1 percent to 263,007 containers and trailers compared with the same week in 2017.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is applying for $1.4 billion from California's Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) to build six major transit projects.

The project list includes building the West Santa Ana Branch light-rail line between Artesia and downtown Los Angeles, as well as extending the Green Line light-rail route to Torrance. The funds also would go toward building a light-rail line or bus rapid transit route in the East San Fernando Valley.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

From Berlin to San Francisco, hackers continue to launch cyber attacks on rail industry targets. Earlier this year, the Ontario government confirmed that Metrolinx was the victim of a cyberattack originating in North Korea. In May 2017, Germany’s Deutsche Bahn rail network was swept up in the worldwide “WannaCry” ransomware attack, while the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) endured a different ransomware attack only six months earlier.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) has unveiled a pilot program to offer discounts on Lyft rides at two light-rail stations.

CATS will provide $4 toward Lyft fares for passengers that need a ride to or from the JW/Clay UNC Charlotte Station or the Parkwood Station in Charlotte, North Carolina.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Monday joined President Donald Trump and other cabinet members in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that calls for federal departments to follow Trump's One Federal Decision framework for processing environmental reviews and other permits for major infrastructure projects.

Under the memorandum, the agencies commit to working together to make the necessary environmental and permitting decisions for major infrastructure projects with a goal to complete the entire process within two years, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) press release.

Patriot Rail Co. has promoted Alin Campian to chief commercial officer.

Campian, previously senior vice president of business development and commercial strategy, will now oversee all commercial efforts related to the transportation, services and ports business units across the company's growing business platform, Patriot Rail officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit's board yesterday approved a $71 million plan to reconstruct a commuter-rail station in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Crews will construct new inbound and outbound station buildings and longer platforms for more boarding capacity. In addition, the project calls for improving security and communication systems, as well as accessibility for riders with disabilities.

Union Pacific Railroad this year will invest nearly $60 million in its infrastructure in Arizona and Washington.

In Arizona, the Class I has budgeted $26.5 million to improve rail infrastructure. That sum includes $14.5 million to maintain track and $3.2 million to maintain bridges in the state.

At its 2018 Connections Convention in Nashville, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) yesterday presented Mortimer Fuller III with the Thomas L. Schlosser Distinguished Service Award for demonstrating long-term, significant service to the ASLRRA.

In the late 1980s, Fuller was a founding member of the Regional Railroads of America (RRA), a group of a dozen short-line railroaders that sought to change New Deal-era laws that treated railroads differently than all industries. RRA gradually grew in size and prominence as a short-line lobbying organization, according to an ASLRRA press release.

The National Surface Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that a fatigued train conductor's failure to properly line a switch is the probable cause for a 2015 collision of two Southwestern Railroad freight trains near Roswell, New Mexico.

The engineer of the striking train died, and the conductor was seriously injured in the April 28, 2015, collision that derailed 11 locomotives and three empty hopper cars. The crash caused about $2 million in property damage, according to an NTSB press release.

— By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Editor

It happens every just-before-spring: Railroaders, suppliers and other industry supporters climb Capitol Hill to talk legislative and regulatory issues with Congressfolk. And by all accounts, this year’s Railroad Day on Capitol Hill — held March 7 in Washington, D.C. — was a big success. It attracted a record attendance of nearly 700 industry representatives, according to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

Bane NOR SF, Norway's rail company, has chosen Siemens to equip its 2,600-track-mile rail network with the European Train Control System Level 2-type Trainguard. Siemens also will provide Sinet, an interlocking-type Simis W and IP-based wayside network communication solution. The contract is valued at $989 million. The agreement also includes maintenance services for 25 years, Siemens officials said in a press release Bane NOR plans to invest more than $2.4 billion to digitize and automate its rail network over the next decade.

Thales has obtained a contract to provide computer-based interlocking systems across Societe de transport de Montreal's underground rail lines. The agreement includes replacement of eight interlocking systems, with the option to replace eight more at 15 existing stations and one new depot. The new systems are designed to ensure service quality and support future network developments, Thales officials said in a press release. The contract's value was not disclosed.

The Teamsters' rail conferences in the United States and Canada yesterday joined with unionized Mexican freight-rail workers in calling for fair and equitable treatment of all industry workers under a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In a letter sent to top U.S., Canadian and Mexican trade officials, the Teamsters Rail Conference USA, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and Mexican Railwaymen's Union said the unions are standing in solidarity in support of a new NAFTA that looks out for workers' interests across sectors, as well as for much-needed infrastructure investment, according to a press release issued by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) has appointed Lois Pittman director of operations and maintenance.

She will lead the team charged with oversight of the Tri-Rail commuter-rail system, which will include operations and maintenance providers and contracts, agency officials said in a press release.