Railroad News

Twin tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being constructed in Germany and are expected to arrive this fall to help construct The Los Angeles Country Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Purple Line Extension project.

The machines will be used to dig the tunnels for the first section of the project that is now under construction and will extend the subway for 3.9 miles from Wilshire/Western to Wilshire/La Cienega.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao says the administration's forthcoming infrastructure proposal will cover more than infrastructure and reiterated the belief that regulatory red tape, not funding, is responsible for holding up projects.

The Government of Québec has committed CA$1.28 billion (US$96 million), which represents 24.5 percent total equity, to the Réseau électrique métropolitain (REM) project.

CDPQ Infra, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, is proposing to construct the 67-km (41.6-mile) REM automated light-rail network to link downtown Montréal, the South Shore, the West Island (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue), the North Shore (Laval and Deux-Montagnes) and the airport.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will advance initiatives to renew critical infrastructure, replace aging portions of its fleet, expand capacity for growing ridership and make technology improvements under its proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Budget.

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) has appointed David Friss to the position of director of process improvement. In this role, Friss is responsible for the streamlining of processes as GREX continues to develop the rail industry's most innovative technologies.

In this new role, Friss will partner with department leaders to identify process improvement opportunities to align with the growth vision for GREX. The role reports to Greg Grissom, chief operating officer, with the purpose of leading the continuous improvement culture that both aligns to the company's core values and positions the company for continued growth. Friss joined GREX on March 20, 2017 in the company's Georgetown, Texas, headquarters.

Bruce McCuaig is stepping down as president and CEO of Metrolinx to accept a new federal role in the Privy Council Office as executive adviser (Infrastructure Bank) effective April 24, 2017 to support the launch of the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

"Bruce's decision is a big loss for Metrolinx but an equally big win for Canada's ambitions to finance and build infrastructure nationally for the 21st century. Bruce came to Metrolinx after 26 years in the Ontario public service‎ that culminated in his three years as Deputy Minister of Transportation" said Chairman of the Metrolinx Board of Directors J. Robert S. Prichard. "When he arrived at Metrolinx in 2010, he took the helm of an organization in its early days with a mandate to build a fully integrated organization able to deliver on our mission to champion, develop and implement an integrated transportation plan for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area."

Ontario is partnering with Toronto Hydro to build a battery energy storage system for the Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) line, which will increase the reliability of the line, lower operating costs and reduce emissions.

The power system, which is equivalent to a large battery, will be capable of providing backup and emergency power to the LRT line for up to four hours in the event of a wide-spread power outage, and replaces previous plans for a natural gas facility.

An assessment released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) found that the impact of trade on the freight railroad industry is responsible for at least 42 percent of rail carloads and intermodal units, and more than 35 percent of annual rail revenue, are directly associated with international trade.

Approximately 50,000 domestic rail jobs, accounting for more than $5.5 billion in annual wages and benefits, depend directly on international trade, the analysis of 2014 data also found. If rail traffic indirectly associated with trade was included, the figures would be notably higher.

The American Public Transportation Association called on the Trump Administration to fully fund the FAST Act for fiscal 2017 and 2018 and public transit must be part of the administration's proposed $1 trillion infrastructure investment.

"The American economy and communities of all sizes would be losers if the proposed reductions in the FTA Capital Investment Grants, the TIGER [grant] program, and Amtrak are enacted," said APTA Acting President and Chief Executive Richard A. White. "As it stands now, America is already underinvesting in public transportation, as noted in the recently released American Society of Civil Engineers infrastructure report card. These proposed cuts would make the existing $90 billion of state of good repair gap even worse."

FERROMEX owner Grupo México confirmed in a statement to the Mexican stock exchange on March 27 that it has reached an agreement to acquire a 100% stake in Florida East Coast Railway Holding Corporation (FEC).

The cash transaction, which is subject to approval by authorities in the United States, has an estimated value of around $US 2 billion, including debt.

Canadian National (CN) and Duluth Cargo Connect announced a new alliance establishing the first rail-served intermodal container ramp in the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minn. and Superior, Wis.

Two temporary bridges will be installed in downtown Middlebury, Vt., to support a rail tunnel project.

Inspections performed on the existing bridges at Main Street/VT 30 and Merchants Row shown they are safe for travel, but evidence of accelerated deterioration prompted the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) to seek approval of the temporary bridges as a precautionary measure. Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn approved the emergency order authorizing the VTrans to install the temporary bridges in advance of a long-planned tunnel project.

Community members joined elected officials and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) representatives for a ribbon cutting of BART's Warm Springs/South Fremont Station, which opened for service March 25.

BART noted that the project finished more than $100 million under the original $890 million budget and serves a fast-growing Silicon Valley community. BART will run 10-car trains between Fremont and Daly City each weekday morning during commute hours.

R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC, has ended its efforts to establish an intermodal port on the Cumberland River in Clarksville, Tenn., citing a $3.5 million funding gap.

The port project has been in development since 2004 and was in partnership with Nyrstar Clarksville, a zinc production company located on R.J. Corman Railroad Company's Memphis Line. The project would have developed an intermodal port to serve businesses located in the Clarksville/Montgomery County area. R.J. Corman says many industries in this region could benefit from the transportation of raw goods via barge, which would be transferred to railcars and moved to their destination. Nyrstar owns and operates a dock and conveyor system on the river that R.J. Corman intended to utilize and expand into a larger facility. The expansion would have included a 55-railcar capacity loop track, on-site storage space, several additional conveyors and multiple pieces of heavy equipment.

Ontario is making it easier for commuters and families to get around York Region and the Greater Toronto Area with the construction of a new GO station at Highway 404 and Bloomington Road.

The new station will extend the Richmond Hill GO rail line north from the current terminus at Gormley GO Station, and will offer commuters living in Aurora and Whitchurch-Stouffville convenient access to GO Transit service.

Canada's federal 2017 budget was released March 22 in a move the government called "the next step in the government's long-term plan to create jobs and strengthen the middle class."

The budget contained few surprises and little new spending that had not been previously discussed, but it continues the federal government's push toward public transit projects with inclusion of CA$25 billion (US$18.7 billion) through various avenues.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx have issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Lakeshore East - East Corridor Expansion project.

The RFQ scope of work calls for the construction and finance of 6.8 miles of third track to be built between Beechgrove Road and Durham Junction; the expansion and upgrade of two rail bridges; the expansion and rehabilitation of existing culverts and the construction of retaining walls to support additional track grading for the corridor.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said the commonwealth would take on an independent review of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) "to identify potential changes to governance and funding, and help position WMATA to support growth in the region."

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board of Directors is moving forward with an environmental study that will look into building run through tracks at Union Station.

The Link Union Station project would expand the station's passenger concourse with retail and passenger amenities; reconfigure the station entry tracks or "throat," as well as the elevation of the rail yard, run-through tracks and loop track.

Julie Tufte, a certified safety professional, recently joined TKDA as safety manager.

Tufte will help expand TKDA's in-house safety program and assist clients in developing or managing their own safety programs.