Railroad News

Bombardier Transportation signed a 10-year, $113 million contract with Fraport AG to continue operating and maintaining the Bombardier Innovia automated people mover system at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany. The contract also calls for Bombardier to install its CITYFLO 650 communication-based train control signaling technology on the system.

The Skanska, Costain and STRABAG joint venture signed a contract with HS2 Ltd. to design and construct tunnels in the approach to Euston Station in London by 2026. The project is part of Phase 1 of the United Kingdom’s high-speed railway.

Sound Transit this week will begin demolishing buildings in Federal Way, Washington, to make way for the agency’s future Link light-rail station near the Federal Way Transit Center. 

The demolition work, which will continue for several weeks, is part of critical construction on the agency's 7.8-mile Federal Way light-rail extension project, agency officials said in a press release. 

The Kansas City City Council last week approved $7.4 million in design and construction contracts that will enable the Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) to begin pre-construction work on its Main Street extension later this year. 

About $4.7 million was allocated for design services and $2.7 million for pre-construction activities for the 3.6-mile streetcar extension that would connect Union Station to 51st Street in Kansas City, Missouri. 

The Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad (DMVW) last week received approval from the South Dakota Railroad Board to install a switch and access to track on a state-owned rail line.

The project is necessary so that soybeans can be hauled by rail from the Wheaton Dumont grain terminal in Britton to the Ag Processing Inc. (AGP) plant on the east side of Aberdeen, South Dakota, according to a report on keoland.com. 

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) last week released a framework for the allocation of more than $780 million of federal funds for transit agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief an Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law last month.

The proposed allocations, which were developed through a partnership between MTC and transit agency staff, represents the first of two distributions of the estimated $1.3 billion in CARES Act funding for which Bay Area transit agencies are eligible and will be considered by the commission on April 22, MTC officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit Senior Vice President and General Manager of Rail Operations Raymond Kenny died last week from complications of COVID-19, Newsday reported. He was 68.

Kenny had nearly 50 years of rail industry experience, including a stint as acting president of MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).

PT Kereta Indonesia (PT KAI) ordered 36 EMD® GT38AC freight locomotives from Progress Rail. The locomotives will enter service at PT KAI’s coal haulage operation in South Sumatra, Indonesia. Delivery will begin in late 2021.

Cambridge Systematics Inc. launched Mobility Forward, a suite of services designed to help transit agencies support riders during the COVID-19 pandemic and through recovery. The suite addresses how agencies can assess impacts on finance and performance; plan for modified operations; prepare grant and funding applications; and transform service to meet future mobility trends, Cambridge Systematics officials said in a press release. The company also is deploying an open-source trip planning software to help riders plan safe trips to essential places.

The Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) earlier this week announced it is deferring the application fee for all new Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) No. 64 applications received by July 31. 

An FTZ is a secured site within the United States, but technically considered outside of U.S. Customs' jurisdiction, allowing shippers to clear cargo as it leaves the FTZ while saving on import clearance costs.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) yesterday issued a letter to the New York State Congressional Delegation requesting an additional $3.9 billion in federal funding as Congress considers its next COVID-19 relief package. 

Last month, the MTA secured nearly $4 billion in federal funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, MTA is projecting significant additional losses as the pandemic in New York City worsens, MTA officials said in a press release.

Today, Progressive Railroading announced the names of 25 people chosen for recognition this year as Rising Stars in the North American railroad industry.

This is the eighth year Progressive Railroading has sponsored the Rising Stars Awards program. The magazine defines a Rising Star as someone under the age of 40 who has made, or is making, a positive impact on his or her company, organization, department or team, and is viewed by others — peers, colleagues, supervisors, clients or associates — as an up-and-coming leader in the rail industry.

The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. has suspended new rail-car production at its Gunderson manufacturing plan in Portland, Oregon, due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. About 200 workers will be affected by the suspension, company officials said in a press release. Greenbrier is adjusting production and staffing levels in response to current and anticipated levels of new freight-car demand.

Transfesa Logistics has launched a refrigerated express 72-hour rail route to transport essential, hygiene and medical products from Valencia and Murcia, Spain, to London. A lighter rail box car allows around 30 containers per train to be moved, Transfesa officials said in a press release. 

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) is looking to fill three vacancies on its Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC).

The 17-member citizens group advises the agency on RTD’s strategies, initiatives and transportation programs.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) crews earlier this week began replacing rail power cables on weekdays in downtown San Francisco, a project made possible by reduced ridership due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Previously, power cable replacement work was performed late at night and on Sundays. With reduced ridership on the system, BART crews are now able to start replacements earlier. 

TNW Corp. has hired Bobby Franklin as general manager of the Texas North Western Railway (TXNW) in Sunray, Texas.

Franklin has extensive experience in the rail industry, most recently serving as vice president at the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad. His previous roles include chief transportation at the New Orleans railroad, as well as terminal manager and superintendent during a 12-year career at CSX.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) earlier this week reached an agreement with its labor unions on family benefits for transportation workers who died of COVID-19.

The benefits include a payment of $500,000 from the MTA to the surviving family of any worker who lost their life as a result of COVID-19. The agency will also provide health insurance to the spouse and dependents of the worker for three years. 

American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Chairwoman Nuria Fernandez has established a task force to guide the transit agency's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The APTA Mobility Recovery and Restoration Task Force will be led by Phillip Washington, chief executive officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and former APTA chair. Serving as task force co-chairs are Joanna Pinkerton, president and CEO of Central Ohio Transit Authority; and Paul Wiedefeld, general manager and CEO of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.