Railroad News

The Sound Transit Board of Directors authorized award of a contract to Hoffman Construction Company to build the U District Station finishes for the Northgate Link opening in 2021.

David Strong has joined Parsons as vice president and rail systems lead for the New York and New Jersey region.

Union Pacific will increase the maximum track speed limit from 40 to 49 mph on the rail line paralleling Highway 60 in northwest Iowa next month.

Train speeds at Sibley, Ashton, Sheldon and Hospers crossings will increase in weekly five mph increments beginning the week of March 20 until reaching the 49 mph speed limit on April 1. The track speed limit increase follows a tie and rail improvement project in October 2015.

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) allocated more than $217 million to 72 projects in the state including more than $60 million for state rail projects.

Work begins this month on the first group of stations that are part of the ongoing Enhanced Station Initiative (ESI) to create new and improved subway stations throughout New York. The R line stations, along 4th Ave. in Brooklyn, will close in both directions for renovations.

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has directed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to use design-build procurement for these renovations. MTA notes that when compared to previous projects using a piecemeal method that allowed limited service at affected stations but stretched the construction timeline, often to several years, the new method should cut construction time and save money. The process will inform future projects planned for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad.

U.S. railroads had the lowest train accident rate on record in 2016, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Derailment rates, which declined 10 percent in 2016 from 2015, as well as track-caused accident rates, are also both all-time lows. The 2016 rail safety statistics continue a string of record-setting years, showing this period has been the safest ever for the rail sector. The freight rail industry believes there is a strong correlation between safety gains and the research, development and implementation of new technologies, as well as sustained private spending averaging $26 billion annually in recent years.

Bridge engineering firm Modjeski and Masters announced the start of steel construction on the main arch span of the Portageville Bridge across the Genesee River in Letchworth State Park in Portageville, New York.

The Portageville Bridge, also known as the High Bridge, is considered to be the vital link along Norfolk Southern Corporation's Southern Tier Route, a railroad line that runs between Binghamton and Buffalo, New York. Built in 1875, the historic 820-foot steel viaduct can no longer meet the demands of a Class 1 Heavy Freight Railroad. Construction to replace the bridge began in 2015. To date, construction has been focused on the preparation of the foundations and approach piers, which has included blasting of the gorge walls.

A ribbon cutting was held Tuesday for a project that elevated two miles of Metrolink, Amtrak and freight tracks in Burbank, Calif. eliminating a street level crossing at Buena Vista Street and San Fernando Road.

The Port of Prince Rupert announced an expansion project for containerized cargo on Ridley Island that will help crops from the Canadian agricultural industry reach international markets while expanding intermodal logistics capacities at the Port of Prince Rupert.

Ray-Mont Logistics is developing an integrated logistics and container loading operation at the south end of the Ridley Island Industrial Site on the recently constructed road, rail and utility corridor. The operation will involve specialty agricultural crops transported in hopper cars by rail from Western and Central Canada and the US Midwest. The cargo will be transferred to ocean containers for export via the Fairview Container Terminal, which is currently undergoing expansion.

Metra has started the next round of its in-house railcar rehabilitation program, where Metra workers with decades of know-how and experience transform old railcars to like-new condition at the agency's 49th Street Car Shop.

The first round of the program, which began in 2010 and cost $115 million, renovated 176 railcars. The 176th and final railcar rolled out of the facility earlier this month.

TriMet will kick off a switch renewal and replacement project to improve MAX on-time performance and operation of trains. This will be the first in a series of switch machine upgrades to be completed this year. The project will begin late-night Saturday, March 25 and will require service adjustments early Sunday morning, March 26.

This is the first in series of replacements early Sunday, March 26. The machine being replaced is west of the Gateway Transit Center (TC) and moves trains from the track serving the center platform at Gateway TC to the single mainline westbound track. It will require service adjustments on MAX blue, green and red lines.

Norfolk Southern's safety train will stop in 23 cities during 2017 as part of its Operation Awareness & Response (OAR) program, which provides first responders with free training on how to respond to a railroad incident.

The safety train kicks off March 21 in Hagerstown, Md., with three days of training at Norfolk Southern's rail terminal. Additional stops include communities in Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina.

The Operation Lifesaver, Inc., (OLI) Board of Directors named Robert C. VanderClute as chair, following the recent resignation of previous OLI board chair William "Bill" Barringer.

"We are thrilled to have Bob VanderClute leading Operation Lifesaver, Inc.'s board of directors," said Bonnie Murphy, OLI president and CEO. "He is a respected expert with a deep understanding of rail safety issues and the importance of OLI's role in urging drivers and pedestrians to stay safe near railroad tracks and crossings."

BROWZ announced the launch of a new software service to assist shortline railroads and their contractors to become compliant and maintain compliance with new Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Part 219 requirements.

The FRA Part 219 requirement, which requires mandatory drug and alcohol testing upon hire, as well as random and for cause testing.

Sound Transit launched light-rail service to Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium, contributing to an 89-percent growth in average weekday ridership on Link from February 2016 to February 2017.

Sound Transit also noted that weekend ridership on Link is also strong, averaging 39,400 on Saturdays and 29,200 on Sundays—a 73-percent increase since last year. In February alone, 1.5 million people rode light rail—a 78-percent increase for the month compared to last year.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) seeks board approval this week to award a contract to accelerate the rehabilitation of the L train's Canarsie Tunnel under the East River.

The Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority (MBTA) has release a draft Request for Proposal regarding its Green Line Extension (GLX). The draft includes an affordability limit of $1.319 billion, base scope of work and additive options.

Passenger rail advocates called out the Trump Administration's proposed budget for perceived hypocrisy and undermining the voters who put him in office while the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) response was more moderate.

Acting American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President and CEO Richard A. White issued a statement that noted APTA's surprise and disappointment with what he dubbed the "Skinny Budget" for Fiscal Year 2018, especially with talk from the administration about investing $1 trillion into infrastructure.