Railroad News

Texas Central, developer of the proposed bullet train between North Texas and Houston, has signed engineering firm Bechtel to provide project management services.

Bechtel will support the company in managing the project as it moves from development to implementation, Texas Central officials said in a press release.

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) late last week toured Aaron Enterprises Inc.'s facility in York, Pennsylvania.

He was joined by representatives from Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and other York-based businesses, according to a press release issued by the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA), which coordinated the event.

The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission has awarded Siemens a contract to build four diesel-electric Charger locomotives, with an option to purchase four additional units. The contract, which includes additional services and equipment, is valued at about $30 million, Siemens spokeswoman Elizabeth Cho said in an email. The locomotives will operate on the Altamont Corridor Express, a commuter-rail service that runs between Stockton and San Jose, California. Delivery of the units is slated to begin in December 2019. The 4,400-horsepower Charger locomotives will meet the Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 4 emissions standard, Siemens officials said in a press release. The locomotives are currently in use in other parts of California, as well as in Illinois, Maryland and Washington.

TRAC Intermodal has announced that it's doubling the size of its mobile service unit (MSU) truck fleet to help accelerate chassis repairs and increase intermodal shipment velocity at key rail ramps across the United States. The company established its MSU program in 2016 to ensure that chassis are readily available for customers. The program provides needed repair capacity in select markets and has been expanded each year since it was launched, TRAC Intermodal officials said in a press release. The MSUs are staffed by TRAC mechanics trained in repairing chassis brakes, lights, tires and other equipment at rail ramp locations.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on Friday announced a new infrastructure project funding program that will supplant the popular Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program.

The USDOT published a notice of funding opportunity for interested parties to apply for $1.5 billion in discretionary grants through the new Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) transportation grant program. The BUILD grant program will replace the TIGER program, which was introduced in 2009.

Canadian Pacific late Friday negotiated its way out of a strike two unions were set to launch shortly after midnight. The Class I reached an agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Train & Engine (TCRC) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which planned to begin a work stoppage at CP at 12:01 a.m. on April 21.

Per a recommendation from federal mediators, Canadian Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labor Patty Hajdu directed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to administer a ratification vote on each of the railroad’s final offers to the TCRC and IBEW, CP officials said in a press release. The parties didn’t release any details on the pacts. The TCRC and IBEW represent 3,000 conductors and 360 signal maintainers at CP, respectively.

BNSF Railway Co. recently recognized its 2017 Employees of the Year at an awards ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.

This year, the Class I recognized 73 of its 41,000 workers for individual and team achievements, BNSF officials said in a press release.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has proposed a $1.45 billion operating budget for fiscal-year 2019.

The proposal would maintain current service levels with no fare increases, SEPTA officials said in a press release.

Metro Transit-St. Louis last week unveiled a personal safety app that enables train and bus riders to discreetly contact law enforcement in emergencies.

Passengers who believe they are in an unsafe situation can open the "SafeTrek" app and hold their thumb on a "safe" button. Once safe, the rider releases the button and enters a customized four-digit number.

An $8.2 million project is underway to replace the U.S. Route 11 bridge over CSX track in the town of Dekalb in St. Lawrence County, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) announced late last week.

The project begins east of State Route 812 and ends near County Route 19. The new bridge will be founded on driven piles and have reinforced concrete substructures, which will provide greater lateral clearance for the CSX rail line that passes beneath, NYSDOT officials said in a press release.

As part of its effort to attract millennial riders, Metrolink has begun conducting a new online survey of Southern California college and university students.

The survey asks questions that gauge how students get to school, work and other destinations. It also asks what features would make public transit a better commuting option.

U.S. rail traffic climbed 3.8 percent to 524,905 carloads and intermodal units in the week ending April 7 compared with traffic the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

U.S. carload traffic during the week rose 4.6 percent to 261,898 units, while intermodal volume increased 3.1 percent to 263,007 containers and trailers compared with the same week in 2017.

Patriot Rail Co. has promoted Alin Campian to chief commercial officer.

Campian, previously senior vice president of business development and commercial strategy, will now oversee all commercial efforts related to the transportation, services and ports business units across the company's growing business platform, Patriot Rail officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit's board yesterday approved a $71 million plan to reconstruct a commuter-rail station in Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Crews will construct new inbound and outbound station buildings and longer platforms for more boarding capacity. In addition, the project calls for improving security and communication systems, as well as accessibility for riders with disabilities.

The Georgia General Assembly late last week passed a bill that would establish a regional governance and funding framework for Atlanta area transit systems.

Under the legislation, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and four other regional transit systems would operate under a new entity known as the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, or The ATL.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx have issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a team to design, build and finance the GO Transit Milton corridor project.

The agencies submitted the RFP to three teams that were identified through an earlier request for qualifications process.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) this month will test a new signal system as part of its East Side Access project to connect to Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

The tests will be performed at the Harold Interlocking in Queens, New York. Based on microprocessor technology with built-in redundancies, the new system is designed to ensure smooth and improved train service through the interlocking, LIRR officials said in a press release.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) board late last week authorized agreements with Jersey City that will make way for construction of a new power substation for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail system.

The authority has agreed to turn the Washington Street Powerhouse over to Jersey City for possible future redevelopment. The aging powerhouse and adjacent substation had been the primary source of power for PATH, but it has "outlived its usefulness," PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

Positive train control (PTC) systems are operating on about 56 percent of freight railroads' route miles that are required to be governed by PTC systems, up from 45 percent in third-quarter 2017 and 16 percent on Dec. 31, 2016, the Federal Railroad Administration announced yesterday.

Passenger railroads have made less progress, with PTC systems in operation on 24 percent of required route miles as of Q4 2017 — the same as in Q3 2017, FRA officials said in a press release.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) yesterday released its fiscal-year 2019 proposed budget, which includes continued investments in the MAX light-rail system.

The proposal details $710.1 million for the agency's overall operating expenses, along with $274.2 million for TriMet's capital improvement program.