Railroad News

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $80 million this year on maintenance and expansion projects in New Mexico.

About half of BNSF's New Mexico capital expenditures plan will focus on upgrading rail, ties and ballast. The remainder of the plan will go toward track expansion, including in the Gallup Subdivision.

The Maryland Department of Transportation's Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) has awarded Amtrak a five-year contract to continue providing train operations services for the Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Penn Line, which operates between Washington, D.C., and Perryville, Maryland.

Amtrak was chosen based on the "strength of [its] technical proficiency, which was rated highest among all the bidders," Amtrak officials said in a press release. MDOT MTA initiated the contract bidding process a year ago.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao told a U.S. Senate committee yesterday that federal loans should not count toward states' financial contributions to replace the Hudson River rail tunnels between New Jersey and New York.

Chao's statement appears to be the latest indication that the Trump administration is backing away from a 50-50 funding commitment that New Jersey and New York officials believed they had with the U.S. Department of Transportation for the proposed $12.7 billion project.

FreightCar America Inc. has agreed to purchase Navistar Inc.'s rail-car operations assets at its Shoals facility in Cherokee, Alabama.

North American railroads' intermodal traffic continued on a growth path for the week ending Feb. 24, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

North American rail volume for the week on 12 reporting  U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 363,753 intermodal units, up 6.4 percent compared with the same week a year ago. However, combined carload volume fell 2.7 percent to 346,089 units compared with 2017.

Ronald Batory was sworn in yesterday as the 14th administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Prior to his nomination, Batory served as president and chief operating officer of Conrail until his retirement in April 2017. Before that, he was president of the Belt Railway Co. of Chicago.

The fatal Amtrak-CSX train collision in Cayce, South Carolina, caused $25 million in damage, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) preliminary report on the accident.

The Feb. 4 incident occurred when a southbound Amtrak train diverted from the main track through a hand-thrown switch and collided with a CSX train parked on a siding.

Amtrak and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have partnered to test new devices that can help detect explosives, including suicide vests.

Known as a stand-off explosive detection unit, the system triggers an alarm if someone carrying or wearing an improvised explosive device passes by.

BNSF Railway Co. has requested to join Lighthouse Resources' lawsuit against Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and key members of his administration over permit denials for Millennium Bulk Terminals' proposed Longview coal terminal.

BNSF's complaint contends that Washington state officials unduly violated interstate commerce, a violation of the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause and the ICC Termination Act (ICCTA) by using supposed rail impacts to deny permits for Millennium Bulk Terminals.

CSX will aim for a 60 percent operating ratio by 2020 and revenue growth at a compound annual rate of 4 percent by 2019-20, the company announced today at its annual investor and analyst conference in New York City.

At the conference, CSX officials were expected to outline plans to build on the scheduled railroading model, increase efficiency, control costs and grow the business.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) earlier this week held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its soon-to-open Blue Line light-rail extension.

The event's attendees included CATS Chief Executive Officer John Lewis, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois, according to CATS' Twitter account.

Metrolinx this spring will roll out a "click-and-collect" grocery shopping service at GO Transit commuter-rail stations — marking the first time the service will be offered at transit stations in Canada.

The Toronto-area agency is working with Loblaw Cos. Ltd. to establish the service, which enables riders to shop online and pick up groceries when they arrive at their GO station.

Quebec Iron Ore Inc. (QIO) announced last week that the first train loaded with 16,500 metric tons of high-grade 66 percent Fe iron concentrate left the Bloom Lake Iron Ore Mine near Fermont, Quebec.

The first train represents a "tangible step toward realizing Bloom Lake's potential to become a major supplier of high quality iron ore to global markets," QIO officials said in a press release. QIO is a subsidiary of Champion Iron Ltd.

A rail siding project along a Norfolk Southern Railway line in Central Bridge, New York, has qualified for a $200,000 grant through the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).

The project calls for installing rail siding along the NS line to allow Hoober Feeds to receive ingredients by rail. The increase in shipments will enable Hoober Feeds to expand its operations, according to a press release issued by New York State Sen. James Seward.

Dewberry has obtained a design-build contract for MTA Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) second track expansion project on the Ronkonkoma Branch.

The firm will serve as the lead designer on L.K. Comstock & Co. Inc.'s design-bid-build and design-build team for the project. The design-build portion of the project includes major updates to two stations.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has published a report on the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at railroads around the world.

Commonly known as drones, UAS can be deployed for inspecting track, assessing damage after natural disasters and a host of other applications.

Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would roll back a state law that prevents certain counties from purchasing, leasing, acquiring, constructing or operating a light-rail project.

Introduced by State Rep. Justin Moed (D-Indianapolis), House Bill 1080 would repeal the current state law that prevents the Indianapolis area from exploring the option of pursuing light-rail as a mass transit option.