Railroad News

The construction project will receive $50 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation Capital Investment Grants program, which is included in the Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations bill.

"This is a significant step for the project and signals positive momentum as we move into construction this summer," said Tempe Mayor and Valley Metro Rail Board Chair Mark Mitchell. "Tempe Streetcar is a valuable investment for our community and the region as it serves future rider demand, spurs revitalization and boosts job growth."

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) honored Keith LaPorte and Ron Sparks for their career commitment to safety compliance and culture at the 2017 CONNECTIONS Convention.

Keith LaPorte, the bridge program manager at Old Augusta Railroad (OAR), was honored with the Safety Person of the Year Award. LaPorte's 32-year career with OAR has resulted in zero Federal Railroad Administration-reportable injuries. LaPorte also serves on the Board of the Mississippi Operation Lifesaver to help further the organization's goal of educating the traveling public about the potential dangers involved with railroad crossings at grade.

Local and federal Canadian officials gathered May 5 to break ground on a grade separation project in Winnipeg, MB.

The Waverley Street Underpass project is a CA$155-million (US$113-million) effort to build an underpass at Waverley Street and Taylor Avenue to replace the grade crossing and will also include road enhancements.

A portion of federal funding committed to Sound Transit for the Lynnwood Link Extension was saved as part of the Federal Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations Bill, which gained congressional approval on May 4.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) has selected its consulting team as it begins to plan for the future of the New Haven Line, as well as the state's rail system.

The team will be composed of experts from three firms – AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff and STV – and will initially be tasked with developing a strategy to improve capacity, frequency and speed of rail service on the New Haven Line. ConnDOT says developing the investment program to significantly improve the performance of the rail system is a key element of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's "Let's Go CT" 30-year, $100-billion transportation vision.

The Northeast Corridor Commission on May 3 submitted to Congress two reports detailing short-and-long-term capital investment needs totaling some $38 billion for the 457-mile electrified rail line linking Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

The Central Connecticut Rail Study (CCRS) has been completed and found investment in the rail corridor for freight use would be viable, while passenger rail investment would be cost prohibitive.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) conducted the study in order to identify necessary improvements to the freight rail line between Berlin and Waterbury, Conn., and review improved transit service, including the potential for passenger rail.

Genesee & Wyoming, Inc., (G&W) announced that its subsidiary, GWI UK Acquisition Company Limited, has completed the acquisition of all of the issued share capital of Pentalver Transport Limited from a subsidiary of APM Terminals.

Headquartered in Southampton, U.K., Pentalver operates off-dock container terminals (most under long-term lease) strategically placed at each of the four major seaports of Felixstowe, Southampton, London Gateway and Tilbury, as well as an inland terminal located at Cannock, in the U.K. Midlands, near many of the nation's largest distribution centers. In addition to providing storage for loaded and empty containers on over 100 acres of land, Pentalver also operates a trucking haulage service with more than 150 trucks, primarily providing daily service between the seaports of Felixstowe and Southampton and its inland terminal at Cannock. Pentalver also provides services related to container maintenance and repair (including refrigerated containers) and is one of the largest sellers of new and used containers in the U.K.

Pandrol's FASTCLIP FE fastening system has been chosen as the preferred fastening for a Trafikverket (TRV, Swedish Transport Administration) 20-year framework agreement with Swedish producers of concrete crossties.

Pandrol worked with concrete crosstie manufacturers Strangbetong Rail AB and Abetong AB in responding to a TRV national procurement for Sweden's railways. The tender included delivery of pre-assembled fastening systems and under-tie pads. The contract will cover typical annual volumes of around 400,000 ties.

Hamilton, Ontario's approved LRT line will be extended an additional 1.9 miles to its original eastern terminal, Eastgate Square, an east Hamilton shopping mall. The crosstown line will now total 8.7 miles.

Snap-on, Inc., has acquired Norbar Torque Tools Holdings Limited along with its U.S. and Chinese joint ventures, ("Norbar") for approximately $72 million.

Based in Banbury, United Kingdom, Norbar is a manufacturer of a full range of torque products, including wrenches, multipliers and calibrators and has a strong presence in critical industries, including power generation, oil and gas, mining and railroad.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has extended the implementation dates of Part 243 Minimum Training Standards by one year according to a notice in the May 3 edition of the Federal Register.

Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 243, Training, Qualifications, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees requires each railroad or contractor that employs one or more safety-related railroad employees to develop and submit a training program to FRA for approval and to designate the minimum training qualifications for each occupational category of employee. The rule also requires most employers to conduct periodic oversight of their employees and develop annual written reviews of their training programs to close performance gaps.

A federal budget deal reached by Congress on April 30 includes approximately $150 million for two transit projects in California.

Canadian Pacific joined K+S Potash Canada (KSPC) to celebrate the opening of the Legacy Project mine on May 2.

CP says the mine is the first of its kind built in Saskatchewan in more than 40 years, and the rail infrastructure built to serve it is the most significant engineering project undertaken by railroad since the mid-1980s.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) awarded Tutor Perini a $291.5-million contract for the Mid-Day Storage Yard portion of the East Side Access Project.

The facility encompasses approximately 33 acres and spans 1.5 miles from west to east within the Harold Interlocking in Queens, N.Y. The project will include demolition and removal of existing structures, railroad buildings and the Montauk Cutoff Bridge and ramp, and the construction of the Mid-Day Storage Yard, including excavation and grading of the yard, construction of retaining walls, duct banks, signal troughs and various structures, utilities, track work, pedestrian bridge and electrical substations.

Prepatory work on New York City Transit's (NYCT) L Line Canarsie Tunnel will begin this month to ensure the tunnel remains useable until larger repairs can be made.

Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad is rebuilding the Prospect Hill Road Bridge in Southeast through a $9.5 million investment made possible by the MTA's 2015-2019 Capital Program.

The 270-foot-long bridge, which is 107 years old, is located just south of the Southeast station; it carries Prospect Hill Road over the Harlem Line tracks and parts of Metro-North's Brewster Yard. The bridge has been deemed beyond the point of repair. The MTA Board approved a contract to the firm Halmar International for the design and construction of the replacement bridge on April 26.

The Durham-Orange Light Rail project remains eligible for more than $1 billion in federal funding following approvals of updated county transit plans from several stakeholders.

The counties of Durham and Orange, the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization and GoTriangle Board of Trustees all voted last week to approve new county transit plans and a revised cost-sharing agreement.

WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff has added Jeff Goodling as a senior rail project manager for the West region. Samrithy Thlang has also joined the company as a senior managing overhead contact system engineer.

Goodling will utilize more than 30 years of experience in his new position leading and managing design, delivery and commissioning of rail projects throughout the West with a focus on Southern California. Prior to joining WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff, he served as project director for the design of the light rail transit project in Edmonton, Alberta. He previously served as project director of the Sydney light rail project in Sydney, Australia. From 1993 to 2010, Mr. Goodling was with Tri-Met in Portland, serving in a variety of senior positions, including manager of the agency's design development department, and project director for the development of the Green Line light rail.

A new third track between Kelso and Longview Junction, Wash., is operational and provides expanded capacity for both passenger and freight trains.

The project rids the route of a chokepoint that was formed by freight traffic coming in and out of the Port of Longview that blocked on main line track limiting operations to a single track. The project allows for the separation of freight and passenger rail traffic, which the Washington State Department of Transportation says reduces congestion, as well as passenger/freight rail conflicts, improves reliability for both and allows for better movement of people and goods through the corridor.