Railroad News

U.S. freight railroads reported 481,597 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending July 18, an 8.5 percent decrease compared with volumes during the same week in 2019, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Carloads fell 15.7 percent to 214,685 units, while intermodal units dipped just 1.7 percent to 266,912 containers and trailers.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced yesterday it is undertaking the largest cost-cutting program in the agency’s history to help solve billions of dollars in deficits the agency is facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

MTA is projecting a deficit of $16.4 billion by 2024, including $3.2 billion for 2020, $5.8 billion for 2021, $3.5 billion for 2022, and between $1.8 billion and $2 billion for the following two years, MTA officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Corp. posted a 24 percent decline in second-quarter operating revenue and a 28 percent decline in net income as the Class I faced a 20 percent drop in volume due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class I reported second-quarter 2020 net income of $1.1 billion, or $1.67 per diluted share, compared with $1.6 billion, or $2.22 per diluted share, a year ago.

American Railcar Industries (ARI) has rebranded as American Industrial Transport Inc. (AITX). “The new name conveys a respect to its longstanding heritage, while showing an ongoing commitment in shaping the modern rail car leasing and repair business,” AITX officials said in a press release. AITX's rail-car repair business now is named AITX Railcar Services LLC in the United States and AITX Railcar Services of Canada Inc. in Canada. The Greenbrier Cos. acquired ARI’s car manufacturing division from ITE Management LP in July 2019.

Leclanche SA earned an International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS) Group certification for the design manufacturing and maintenance of its hybrid and electric locomotive power system drive units and auxiliary systems. The IRIS standard enables railway component suppliers to meet globally recognized levels of quality for their components.

American Railcar Industries (ARI) has rebranded as American Industrial Transport Inc. (AITX). “The new name conveys a respect to its longstanding heritage, while showing an ongoing commitment in shaping the modern rail car leasing and repair business,” AITX officials said in a press release. AITX's rail-car repair business now is named AITX Railcar Services LLC in the United States and AITX Railcar Services of Canada Inc. in Canada. The Greenbrier Cos. acquired ARI’s car manufacturing division from ITE Management LP in July 2019.

Leclanche SA earned an International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS) Group certification for the design manufacturing and maintenance of its hybrid and electric locomotive power system drive units and auxiliary systems. The IRIS standard enables railway component suppliers to meet globally recognized levels of quality for their components.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in August will begin rehabilitation work on the Rutgers Tube New York City Transit subway tunnel that allows the F Line to run under the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Contracted crews from TC Electric LLC will work to repair systems and components within the tunnel that were damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and replace other parts that have reached the end of their useful lives.

Portland, Oregon’s Metro Council last week approved a $5 billion regional transportation investment measure for greater Portland voters to consider on the November ballot.

Known as Get Moving 2020, the measure includes plans to extend the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon MAX light-rail system from downtown Portland to Tualatin. 

Class Is employed 116,128 workers in mid-June, down 2.31 percent from May's employment levels and down 17.99 percent year over year, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data.

All employment categories logged month-to-month decreases. They were maintenance of equipment and stores, down 6.13 percent to 19,985 people; transportation (train and engine), down 2.57 percent to 42,536; transportation (other than train and engine), down 1.36 percent to 5,135; professional and administrative, down 0.77 percent to 10,512; executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.46 percent to 7,591; and maintenance of way and structures, down 0.45 percent to 30,369.

Metra yesterday asked the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to issue a preliminary injunction to prevent Union Pacific Railroad from taking steps that the Chicago commuter railroad says would "degrade or halt" service on the three Metra lines operated by UP.

In a separate filing, Metra also asked the STB to determine whether UP has a legal obligation to provide commuter service. UP maintains that it has no such obligation, but Metra "strongly disagrees," Metra officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Build America Bureau yesterday announced it provided the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) a $851.15 million loan for positive train control (PTC) implementation. 

The loan was provided under the bureau’s Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad LLC (WNYP), the union announced today.

The contract, which governs a dozen members, was approved unanimously, BLET officials said in a press release.

Volkswagen Group of America Inc. yesterday began operations at the Tradepoint Atlantic Inc. vehicle terminal at the Port of Baltimore.

Volkswagen's port operations were made official with the arrival of the first vehicle transport vessel delivering 797 vehicles from Europe.

The State-Amtrak Intercity Passenger Rail Committee (SAIPRC) last month elected Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority Managing Director Rob Padgette as chair.

Padgette will oversee the committee’s annual work plan to support growth of the nation’s intercity passenger-rail network, and support collaboration among its 20 member agencies in 17 states, Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration.

Reading & Northern Railroad yesterday announced it's expanding its coal marketing department with the hire of Karl Laubenstine as vice president of coal marketing and sales.

Laubenstine joins the railroad from the Atlantic Carbon Group Inc., an anthracite mining and processing company in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, where he was responsible for marketing, sales and logistics. During his tenure, the company logged a 39 percent increase in tons sold to the domestic steel industry and export markets.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will restore most service to pre-COVID levels starting Aug. 16, the agency announced yesterday. 

WMATA will add 15 hours more of service per week on the Metrorail, return opening times to normal and close two hours later in anticipation of potential ridership increases after Labor Day, WMATA officials said in a press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded the Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) a $600,000 grant to conduct preliminary planning for a transit-oriented development (TOD) along a 25-mile segment of a Kansas City Southern line in Denton County, Texas.

The planning will help determine if the KCS corridor could provide mobility and economic opportunity, DCTA officials said in a press release. The study area is a separate right-of-way for freight rail and is proposed for commuter-rail service that would connect to DCTA's A-train and Dallas Area Rapid Transit.