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Engineering and architecture firm Wilson & Co. Inc. has promoted Andrew Leifheit to senior vice president and leader of the rail services division; and Scott Waterman, Steve Salazar and  Dave Olson to VP. Leifheit helps develop key business partnerships and implement strategic business planning initiatives. Waterman, who has 28 years of transportation management experience, will lead transportation services in Colorado and Utah, while Salazar will lead municipal services in Colorado, Kansas and Utah. Olson has 20 years of engineering experience and is an operations manager in the rail division.

Alstom announced the first MP14 train is undergoing tests on RATP's driverless line 1 in France. Following static tests designed to validate basic functions, dynamic tests will be carried out until summer to check the train's performance, including braking, traction, electromagnetic compatibility, acoustic comfort and climate comfort, Alstom officials said in a press release. RATP will carry out tests on the trains' automatic control system and onboard audio-visual equipment on line 14. Depending on how the tests progress, the trains will enter service at the state-owned metro sometime between the end of 2019 and beginning of 2020, Alstom officials said.

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority's (CCJPA) board has elected Rebecca Saltzman as chair and Don Saylor as vice chair. They each will serve two-year terms.

Saltzman has served on the CCJPA board since January 2014 and also serves as vice president on Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) board.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., senior associate editor

President Donald Trump has called on the state of California to give back $3.5 billion in federal dollars it received for its high-speed rail (HSR) project, which Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week would be scaled back.

Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Cap Metro) President and Chief Executive Officer Randy Clarke earlier this week updated the agency's regional partners on an upcoming study of the MetroRail Green Line, a proposed commuter-rail line between Austin and Manor, Texas.

To be funded by a $600,000 grant received from the Federal Transit Administration in December 2018, the study will examine the potential for transit-oriented development along the route. The Green Line has been identified as a potential corridor to be developed under Project Connect, a long-term vision for a regional public transportation system, Cap Metro officials said in a press release.

Metra has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for onboard camera digital video recorder systems.

The chosen firm will provide up to 700 interior passenger seating area camera systems for Metra's cab, trailer and electric multiple unit cars, with associated software, hardware, materials, equipment, spare parts and accessories, and training and support.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday issued five safety recommendations following its investigation of an August 2016 chlorine release from a ruptured tank car near New Martinsville, West Virginia.

Eight people were injured in connection with the accident, in which 178,000 pounds of liquefied compressed chlorine was released over two-and-a-half hours after a DOT-105 tank car sustained a 42-inch crack in its tank shell. The crack occurred shortly after the car was loaded at the Axiall Corp. Natrium plant, according to an NTSB press release.

CN, the Canadian government and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority have signed an agreement calling for upgrades to the Burrard Inlet rail corridor that serves the south shore port area in Vancouver.

The work is necessary to increase capacity on a critical segment of trade infrastructure in the Vancouver area, according to a press release. The project calls for double tracking a 2.5-mile section of rail that links expanding import and export terminals on the Burrard Inlet's south shore to the national rail network.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Milwaukee streetcar system The Hop has introduced a new real-time app aimed at improving the rider experience.

Developed by TransLoc Inc., the TransLoc Rider app provides real-time positioning of all streetcars along the route and vehicle arrival time estimates for each station. Riders also can receive alerts when a streetcar is nearing a particular station or when service is impacted or delayed.

Port Authority Transit Corp. (PATCO) will mark its 50th anniversary tomorrow by rolling back fares to 1969 prices.

On Feb. 15, 1969, PATCO completed its first trip from Lindenwold, New Jersey, to Center City in Philadelphia. From 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. tomorrow, fares will cost 30 cents to 60 cents, depending on the destination.

Compiled By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) in January named Chuck Baker president. He assumed the post Feb. 4.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

Passing a permanent extension of the 45G short-line tax credit. Maintaining existing truck size and weight restrictions. Introducing a comprehensive infrastructure package that includes funding priority for freight and passenger rail. Shoring up the federal Highway Trust Fund. Continuing existing "balanced" regulations for freight railroads.

For the U.S. rail realm, this year’s legislative priorities — passing a permanent extension of the 45G short-line tax credit, maintaining existing truck size and weight restrictions, keeping the regulatory playing field “balanced” for freight railroads — are, for the most part, of the usual-suspect variety, as Senior Associate Editor Julie Sneider reports in this month’s cover story. But rail advocates have a few other concerns they’ll be talking about with lawmakers and their staffers — including the potential monitoring of railroads that implement precision scheduled railroading (PSR).

Last month, Railway Supply Institute Vice President of Government Affairs Nicole Brewin told Sneider she’d heard rumblings that congressional hearings could be in the offing on such topics as PSR. We heard similar comments about oversight interest in PSR late last fall during our annual RailTrends summit.

By Michael Popke