Railroad News

Alberta Midland Railway Terminal Ltd. (AMRT) has completed construction of its rail logistics center, which is located in Lamont, Alberta, on CN's Prairie North Line between Edmonton and Winnipeg.

The terminal is designed to store up to 850 rail cars. Its location is close to regional customers that ship liquefied petroleum gas, petroleum products and plastics by rail, according to an AMRT press release.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has awarded a contract to WSP USA to manage the second phase of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system to Silicon Valley.

VTA is managing the overall 16-mile extension from Fremont to Santa Clara, California.  The first phase will run 10 miles from BART's Warm Springs Station in Fremont to San Jose, California.

The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) announced Monday that a majority of its members voted to ratify the national mediated collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG).

Nearly two-thirds, or 62 percent, of its members voted for ratification, according to an ATDA news release.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. announced today it has strengthened its sales and marketing team by adding two new vice presidents and reorganizing the group's structure to better service customers.

The team will consist of three business units, each led by a vice president reporting to Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks. The units will be grain and fertilizers; energy, chemicals and plastics (ECP), and merchandise; and intermodal and automotive.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded two contracts to RailWorks Corp. subsidiary L.K. Comstock & Co. Inc. to build underground substations for New York City Transit's Canarsie line in Brooklyn. As part of a $39.6 million project, L.K. Comstock will design and build a 5,000-square-foot underground substation and install associated electrical equipment in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood. The company will build a similar substation and install related electrical equipment in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, a project valued at $34.7 million. Both projects are expected to increase power capacity along the Canarsie Line, RailWorks officials said in a press release.

Parsons has begun providing technical advisory services for Metrolinx's enhanced train control and conventional signaling (ETCCS) project. Metrolinx is specifying, procuring and developing ETCCS upgrades, while Parsons is providing design, procurement support, system engineering, system integration and migration management, testing, and commissioning services. The work is related to Metrolinx's plan to electrify the GO Transit rail network. As part of the electrification program, Metrolinx will deliver CA$13.5 billion in capital projects and CA$7 billion in state-of-good-repair work. The program will enable Metrolinx to run electrified GO Transit trains every 15 minutes, according to a Parsons press release.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) on Sunday entered the final stages of testing for its Line 1 subway extension.

Trains offload riders at the line's current terminus at the Sheppard West Station and then continue north to simulate service along the 5.3-mile extension, agency officials said in a press release. Trains then return south.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) received four Neo-Panamax cranes last week for use at the Port of Savannah.

Once commissioned, the cranes will bring the port's fleet to 30. Six additional cranes will arrive in 2020, according to a GPA press release.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) yesterday released five new videos aimed at educating younger adults on the dangers of being near trains and tracks.

The videos were developed as part of OLI's mission to reduce collisions, fatalities and injuries at grade crossings and prevent trespassing on or near railroad property.

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the North County Transit District (NCTD) have wrapped up a $28 million improvement project at the Oceanside Transit Center in Oceanside, California.

The station has been expanded to allow riders to board Coaster, Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains at the same time. The project was designed to reduce train idling outside the station and boost regional transit service, SANDAG officials said in a press release.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry last week announced an extension for a proposed light-rail line in the Tennessee city.

The Charlotte Avenue light-rail corridor would be extended beyond its endpoint at Interstate 440 and continue toward White Bridge Pike. The change would help provide better transit coverage for the West Nashville community, according to a press release issued by Barry's office.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) last week approved proposed rail-crossing improvement projects in Fulton, Hardin, Medina, Portage and Stark counties.

In Fulton County, Norfolk Southern Railway will upgrade light and gate circuitry, including new LED lights at the South Munson Road grade crossing in Swanton.

Sound Transit logged 5,596,453 boardings on its Link light-rail system in the third quarter, marking a 13.5 percent increase over the same period last year.

Average weekday ridership grew 13 percent to 76,822 boardings. Year to date, Sound Transit logged 17.5 million total light-rail rides, or a 26 percent increase over the same period in 2016.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has proposed a $1.51 billion operating budget for 2018 that would increase rail and bus fares for the first time in several years.

Under the proposal, a ride on the agency's rail system would increase 25 cents to $2.50, while the price of a bus ride would increase from $2 to $2.25. Additionally, the CTA would raise the cost of a 30-day unlimited pass by $5.

The Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council last week issued the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the proposed Vancouver Energy crude-oil terminal project.

The council is scheduled to vote tomorrow on its recommendation regarding the project. Council members will send their recommendation to Gov. Jay Inslee, who will have 60 days to make a final decision.

U.S. railroads moved 554,066 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending Nov. 18, a 1.2 percent increase compared with the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Total carloads for the week declined 1.6 percent to 266,927 units, while the number of intermodal containers and trailers rose 3.9 percent to 287,139 units compared with the same week in 2016, according to an AAR press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board last week awarded a $723 million contract to a Cubic-John Laing consortium for the design, integration and implementation of an automated fare collection system.

Known as AFC 2.0, the new system will enable riders to pay fares by tapping debit and credit cards at fare gates and fare boxes. In addition, a new contactless fare card will replace the existing CharlieCard. What's more, passengers will be able to buy tickets may on mobile phone apps.

Former Conrail President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Batory has been selected as a rail adviser to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) spokesman Marc Willis confirmed late last week.

Earlier this year, Batory was nominated to serve as FRA administrator. The Senate has yet to confirm his appointment.

The number of people killed in U.S. rail accidents increased to 733 last year from 708 in 2015, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced last week.

Among the rail incidents, 487 of the deaths were due to trespassing on freight-, passenger- or commuter-rail property, according to the NTSB's annual report on U.S. transportation fatalities.