Railroad News

Texan by Nature named Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) an honoree of the second annual TxN 20, a ranking of Texas companies that have demonstrated a commitment to conservation.

The second annual TxN 20 recognizes 20 Texas-based businesses and operations across 12 industries that are forging new, beneficial paths in conservation, DART officials said in a press release.

The Virginia Port Authority Board of Commissioners this week introduced Stephen Edwards as the next leader of the Port of Virginia.

Edwards succeeds John Reinhart as chief executive officer and executive director on Jan. 19, 2021. In May, Reinhart announced plans to retire.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) moved 2,016,797 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the third quarter, a 2.5% increase from the same period last year.

In September, the port logged 720,969 TEUs, a 15.4% year over year increase.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) yesterday formally launched a new initiative that will allow subway riders to communicate with New York City Transit (NYCT) representatives in real time using the messaging platform WhatsApp. 

WhatsApp will expand the number of customer service channels available to the system's riders, and is expected to improve NYCT’s communication with riders who don't speak English, MTA officials said in a press release.

Wabtec Corp. appointed Nicole Theophilus as executive vice president and chief human resources officer. She will be responsible for leading Wabtec’s global human resources organization. Theophilus succeeds Scott Wahlstrom, who will retire after nearly 30 years at Wabtec. Meanwhile, the company released its 2020 Sustainability Report, which highlights recent efforts to develop the FLXdrive™ battery electric locomotive. The locomotive includes 20,000 battery cells that can reduce train fuel usage and emissions by 10% to 30%. The report also cites the installation of the Trip Optimizer™ cruise control system on 11,000 locomotives that helped save 400 million gallons of fuel.

Stadler US Inc. awarded Astronics Test Systems (ATS) an approximately $30 million contract to develop and supply consolidated test systems to Stadler US Inc. ATS will work collaboratively with Stadler and its major systems suppliers to design and deploy automatic testers and diagnostics that ensure passenger safety by verifying that critical rail-car systems remain in a state of good repair. ATS will supply post-delivery maintenance support equipment for metro cars being delivered by Stadler to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The cars are scheduled to be delivered to MARTA starting in 2024. 

The New Jersey Transit Police Department yesterday announced it will expand its community outreach unit from two to five officers.

The community outreach unit is a community-based policing approach that helps bridge the gap between law enforcement and social services to improve the health and well-being of those in need who frequent mass transit facilities, NJ Transit officials said in a press release.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) yesterday announced it has completed construction of the Poso Creek Viaduct in Kern County, the first completed structure in the 22-mile segment of high-speed rail from the Tulare-Kern county line to Poplar Avenue in Kern County. 

The more than 240-foot-long viaduct, which will allow high-speed trains to cross over Poso Creek, is the fourth high-speed rail structure completed in California’s Central Valley since August.

The Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Wireless Telecommunications Bureau last week authorized the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) to deploy an interoperable positive train control (PTC) system on its rail lines serving California’s Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Under a license modification, the FCC granted SCRRA permanent authority to operate 17 PTC wireless radio base stations, 546 PTC wireless radio wayside stations, and related mobile locomotive stations.

Indiana officials yesterday signed a full funding grant agreement between the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Northern Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) that finalizes federal funding for a project to expand the South Shore Line commuter-rail service from the West Lake Corridor to Chicago.

The $354.6 million grant, provided through the FTA Capital Investment Grant program, will help fund a project that will "better connect northern Indiana residents to jobs, education and critical services," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in a press release issued by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb's office.