Railroad News

American railroads earned a grade of B for infrastructure while the rest of the U.S. sectors got a barely-passing D+ in the latest report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers.

The quadrennial report depicts the condition and performance of American infrastructure across 16 sectors, assigning letter grades based on the physical condition and needed investments for improvement.

British Columbia Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone announced on March 9 that the Canadian province will study options for establishing commuter rail services on Vancouver Island.

A plan to expand the scope of the Stage 2 light-rail project has been approved by the Ottawa City Council in Canada.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) provided an update on its progress to install and implement Positive Train Control (PTC).

MBTA will have all hardware required for PTC installed on all commuter rail lines and two pilot lines by the end of 2018, with full PTC implementation by 2020.

Conrail's Board of Directors has named Timothy Tierney president and chief operating officer, effective April 1. Tierney succeeds Ronald Batory, who is retiring after nearly 46 years in the railroad industry.

Jacob "Jake" Argiro, PE, joined HNTB Corporation as Connecticut office operations manager and associate vice president. He is based in the firm's Rocky Hill office, where he manages HNTB's operations throughout the state, including project management, budgeting, quality control and staffing.

Metra announced that it will conduct Operation Lifesaver Safety Blitzes at 51 train stations in 2017 as part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the importance of safe behavior around its trains and tracks.

Trimble announced that it is partnering with Illinois-based Railhead Corporation to integrate real-time remote monitoring, diagnostics and on-board video to maximize locomotive asset utilization and productivity for railway operators.

Brightline, the private operator of intercity passenger rail service in Florida, announced that Dave Howard has joined the company as chief executive.

The company also said Michael Reininger will lead new development and growth opportunities as executive director at Florida East Coast Industries, Brightline's parent company, and Patrick Goddard has been elevated to Chief Operating Officer of Brightline.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy sent a letter to the Federal Railraod Administration asking for its continued focus on repairing the Northeast Corridor (NEC) rather than working to realign or expand it.

Metra is seeking bids for the next phase of the multi-year Union Pacific North bridge project, which will replace bridges over 11 streets on the North Side of Chicago, as well as construct the inbound half of the new Ravenswood Station.

"We see this project as a major investment in the future of the UP North Line," said Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno. "Our riders, both from the city and the northern suburbs, will reap the benefits for many years to come."

ProVision Partners Co-op has been awarded a $1.7 million Freight Railroad Infrastructure Improvement (FRIIP) loan from Wisconsin to help build a rail spur as part of an expansion project.

The loan will construct almost 6,300 feet of railroad spur tracks at the co-op's Auburndale, Wis., facility. The rail construction project is part of a $24 million expansion project to ProVision Partners' existing grain elevator and fertilizer storage capacity. The project also will add feed mill facilities and a convenience store to this location. This project is expected to result in approximately 30 new jobs.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has received an unsolicited proposal from Fluor Enterprises, Inc., to accelerate conversion of the Orange Line from bus rapid transit to light rail through a public-private partnership.

This is the first proposal LACMTA has received for this Measure M project and the tenth proposing an alternative delivery method for a major capital project. The transit agency recently advanced unsolicited proposals for two mega projects in the Los Angeles region.

A record number of rail industry participants came to Washington, D.C., on March 2, 2017 to take part in the 18th annual Railroad Day on Capitol Hill.

The group of 456 railroaders, suppliers and customers attended 367 congressional appointments to discuss three talking points that included supporting a tax code built for growth, opposing bigger and heavier trucks and preserving balanced regulation.

In addition to gaining a new CEO, CSX reached an agreement with Mantle Ridge LP, an investment firm formed by Paul Hilal that saw the appointment of five new directors to CSX's Board of Directors, mutually agreed upon by CSX and Mantel Ridge. CSX's board now grows to 13 with three incumbent directors intending to complete their service for the board and the appointments of Harrison, Hilal, Dennis Reilley, Linda Riefler and Johnn Zillmer. CSX's current Presiding Director Edward J. Kelly, III, will become chairman of the board and Hilal will become vice chairman.

Harrison, said, "I am proud to join the dedicated and talented railroaders at CSX. Together, we will implement Precision Scheduled Railroading – a model proven to improve safety, create better service for customers, produce a proud and winning culture for employees and generate exceptional, lasting value for shareholders."

Representatives from Garden City, Chatham County and the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) discussed a proposal that would reduce the use of grade crossings around GPA's Garden City Terminal during a public meeting Feb. 28.

Current plans call for the installation of an overpass at State Route 25. The road improvement will take vehicular traffic over planned new rail lines and Pipemakers Canal. It is proposed in conjunction with an on-terminal project that will double GPA's rail capacity to 1 million containers per year. The new port infrastructure will remove the need to stop trains off terminal to switch rail cars, an activity which has impacted traffic on commuter routes.

Legislation was introduced to both houses of Congress last week that would repeal a final U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) rule aimed at reforming areas where multiple Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) exist.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is beginning the next major construction phase of its signature 95th Terminal Improvement Project, which will expand and greatly improve the 95th/Dan Ryan Red Line station.

The next phase will include work on the tracks, existing station platform and the new North and South Terminal buildings. To complete this work, the CTA will need to make some minor changes to Red Line service during the construction period. Separately, construction work will again require the extended closure of the left northbound lane on the Dan Ryan near 95th Street beginning as soon as March 18, 2017, dependent on weather.

Hill International (prime) and CH2M (principal sub-consultant) have been selected by Valley Metro as program and construction management consultants on future high-capacity transit projects in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

The high-capacity transit projects include the region's first streetcar, a new light rail station on the existing Valley Metro Rail system and a five-mile light-rail extension. The new station and extension are part of Phoenix's voter-approved 35-year multi-modal transportation plan, T2050, which will triple the number of light-rail miles in Phoenix.