Railroad News

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is halfway finished constructing the $1.75 billion Regional Connector rail line in downtown Los Angeles.

The agency marked the milestone at a May 19 public event, which included construction site tours, according to a Metro press release.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) announced May 22 the launch of the next two major Blue Line station improvement projects, as part of the $492 million Your New Blue program.

iChurchill Inc. is stepping away from its plan to acquire the flood-damaged Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba, Canada, the private company announced yesterday.

Earlier this month, a group of Manitoba First Nations and iChurchill announced they had reached an agreement to buy the rail line, port and associated assets, which are owned by OmniTRAX Inc.

Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. announced yesterday that its Huron Central Railway (HCRY) will halt service on its 176-mile line from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Sudbury, Ontario, by year's end.

The announcement follows the "recent refusal of support" from Transport Canada's National Trade Corridors Fund, according to a G&W Canada press release.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has announced LIRR Forward, a new initiative through which the railroad intends to revamp its operations and efficiency.

Miner Enterprises has acquired Texas-based DFW Grating, a manufacturer of metal grating products.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) on May 26 will begin positive train control (PTC) installation along the Worcester Line.

To give crews space to carry out the work, the agency will halt weekend train service between the Worcester and Framingham stations from May 26 through June 17.

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) announced that Ron Trees has been named to the authority's board.

Trees will represent the town of Little Elm, Texas, on the board. He is a semi-retired military operations research analyst who is on the adjunct staff for the Rand Corp., according to a DCTA press release.

The Chicago-area Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) has appointed Brian Sager to its board to represent McHenry County, Illinois.

Since 2005, Sager has served as mayor of Woodstock, Illinois. He has been on the Woodstock City Council since 1989.

The Center for LNG has become the newest sponsor of TRANSCAER®, which provides hazardous materials education and training to first responders.

The center represents the full liquefied natural gas (LNG) value chain, including producers, shippers, terminal operators and developers.

Operations will cease by the end of 2018 along the Huron Central Railway (HCRY), a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc., which cites a lack of provincial funding needed to maintain service.

HCRY operates a 175.8-mile Northern Ontario route between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. The shortline was established under a 1997 lease agreement with Canadian Pacific. Genesee & Wyoming Canada notes that the railway serves major employers in the region, including Domtar, Algoma Steel and Eacom, which together ship approximately 13,000 annual carloads of freight.

A consortium that expressed interest in purchasing the flood-damaged Hudson Bay Railway (HBR), the Port of Churchill and associated assets, has halted negotiations and cites the government of Canada's "unwillingness to engage in meaningful dialogue."

"We are disappointed to have put so much time, effort and money into what would have been a timely solution for the people of Churchill and the economy of western Canada, but we have apparently run up against politics," said iChurchill CEO Louis Dufresne. "We finally met last week with the government of Canada's negotiator on the file, Wayne Wouters, and he made it clear that the government is willing to deal only with one specific company, a Toronto-based financial firm. We can't understand why this is, given that our partnership meets all of the government's stated criteria to support the restoration of rail service to Churchill."

Amtrak last week announced a $4 million plan to update the interiors of the entire Acela Express fleet operating on the Northeast Corridor (NEC).

The 14-month program will rehab the interiors of 20 trainsets, which include 100 Amtrak cars.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has announced that the agency will add more than 600 new high-definition (HD) security cameras to its rail system as part of its Safe and Secure program.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) President Phil Eng yesterday announced plans to repair faulty infrastructure and boost operating efficiency following a year of poor on-time performance.

In 2017, the railroad logged its worst on-time performance history in nearly two decades, Newsday reported last month.

Kansas City Southern yesterday announced the appointments of Michael Walczak to vice president mechanical, Maquiling Parkerson to vice president labor relations and Adam Godderz to associate general counsel and corporate secretary.

Effective immediately, the appointments were made for professional advancement and organizational development, KCS officials said in a press release.

Kansas City Southern yesterday announced the appointments of Michael Walczak to vice president mechanical, Maquiling Parkerson to vice president labor relations and Adam Godderz to associate general counsel and corporate secretary.

Effective immediately, the appointments were made for professional advancement and organizational development, KCS officials said in a press release.

CSX Corp. will put more resources into safety, company executives said at the annual shareholders meeting held late last week in Jacksonville, Florida.

President and Chief Executive Officer James Foote told shareholders that CSX soon will announce a new chief safety officer and is bringing in an outside consulting firm to help with safety issues, according to a report by WJCT News.

CSX Corp. will put more resources into safety, company executives said at the annual shareholders meeting held late last week in Jacksonville, Florida.

President and Chief Executive Officer James Foote told shareholders that CSX soon will announce a new chief safety officer and is bringing in an outside consulting firm to help with safety issues, according to a report by WJCT News.

Kansas City Southern (KCS) has announced organizational changes with three new appointments, all of which are effective immediately.