Railroad News

Norfolk Southern Corp. is meeting key financial targets, improving operating efficiencies and advancing sustainable growth, Chief Executive Officer and President James Squires told shareholders attending the company's annual meeting held yesterday.

In 2017, the company delivered record results in several key financial measures, including all-time best earnings per share and operating ratio. Additionally, NS achieved productivity savings of $150 million, which were driven by efficiencies that included record locomotive fuel economy, said Squires, according to an NS press release.

By Steve Bolte, Jay Gowan and Trent Marshall

Our friend Robert Nathan (Nate) Henderson of Lexington, Kentucky, tragically passed away April 18. He was 43.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) later this month will begin renovating the East 162nd Avenue light-rail station at the Portland-Gresham border.

Slated to begin May 20, the project includes the installation of larger windscreens, updated lighting and security cameras, new shelter roofs, and new signs and digital TransitTracker displays.

Metra next month will complete a project to replace 10,000 ties along the Rock Island Line's Beverly Branch.

The project began late last week and will continue through June 10. Crews also will replace pedestrian crossings along the branch, including any rail that shows signs of deterioration due to salt spread during the winter months.

Metrolink on May 14 will open its new Burbank Airport-North Station.

The new station will provide daily service to the Hollywood Burbank Airport on the Antelope Valley Line.

Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) became the latest railroad company to announce it has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA).

BiTA was formed to develop and adopt a set of standards for blockchain applications within the trucking, transportation and logistics industries. Founded in August 2017, BiTA's goal is to provide clarity and direction for members in order to encourage widespread adoption of blockchain technology within the industry.

Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday announced it has partnered with startup accelerator Plug and Play to help drive innovations in freight-rail transportation.

NS joined Plug and Play's Supply Chain & Logistics Innovation Platform to work with startup companies that are focused on creating applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the industrial internet of things (IoT) and advanced analytics in supply chains.
 
"As we continually look for technology solutions to improve safety, better serve our customers and improve railroad operations, this partnership will give us greater access to technology startup companies and the broader Silicon Valley ecosystem," said Fred Ehlers, vice president information technology and chief information officer, in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday announced it has partnered with startup accelerator Plug and Play to help drive innovations in freight-rail transportation.

NS joined Plug and Play's Supply Chain & Logistics Innovation Platform to work with startup companies that are focused on creating applications of artificial intelligence, machine learning, the industrial internet of things (IoT) and advanced analytics in supply chains.
 
"As we continually look for technology solutions to improve safety, better serve our customers and improve railroad operations, this partnership will give us greater access to technology startup companies and the broader Silicon Valley ecosystem," said Fred Ehlers, vice president information technology and chief information officer, in a press release.

U.S. railroads posted a 7.5 percent gain in carload and intermodal traffic for the week that ended May 5 compared with the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total carloads for the week were 265,563 units, up 6.4 percent, while total intermodal containers and trailers were 280,374 units, up 8.5 percent, compared with the same week in 2017. Combined, U.S. railroads logged 545,937 carloads and intermodal units.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) officials will be conducting a pilot security screening program this Thursday and Friday at the World Trade Center PATH station.

PANYNJ says the pilot program is part of its ongoing evaluation of new technology to ensure the highest level of safety for the traveling public across all agency facilities.

WSP USA has tapped Maxine Hill as its New York City area manager for transportation and infrastructure.

Cargill is investing CA$20 million (US$15.7 million) to build a rail expansion at its Lethbridge, Alberta, facility.

Cargill says the rail expansion will "move grain more efficiently out of the elevator and toward the West Coast, providing more opportunities for local farmers to sell and deliver their grain." The expansion will more than double loading capacity at the Lethbridge facility and should be finished midway through the 2018 harvest.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) yesterday announced that it has certified West Virginia's transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) program.

Federal law requires states with transit-rail systems to get their SSO programs certified by April 15, 2019. To achieve certification, an SSO must meet statutory requirements, including establishing an agency that's financially and legally independent from the transit agencies it oversees.

West Virginia has joined a small, but growing, number of states to obtain Federal Transit Administration (FTA) certification of its State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program.

West Virginia's certifications bring the total to 12 states that have obtained FTA certification of their SSO Programs ahead of the April 15, 2019 deadline. An additional 11 states have their SSO Program under review by the FTA, two have their SSO Programs submitted to FTA, which leaves only six state certifications not submitted. Should any of the 30 states required to obtain certification fail to do so, FTA would be prohibited from distributing any new federal funds to those states until certification is obtained.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has entered into an agreement with Herzog Technologies, Inc. to supply Positive Train Control (PTC) support to its members.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has entered into an agreement with Herzog Technologies Inc. to provide positive train control (PTC) support to the association's members

The Herzog Hosting solution offers complete PTC back office functionality and is designed to assist railroads with implementation of interoperable PTC systems, ASLRRA officials said in a press release.

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

I’ve covered a number of industries in my years as a reporter and editor, and none are as tightly knit as the rail realm. And when railroaders lose one of their own, the loss is palpable and personal, as we were reminded last month.

voestalpine Nortrak has reached a North American marketing and distribution agreement with Getzner USA to service freight railroads. Getzner engineers and produces groundborne noise and vibration reduction products for the rail industry, while voestalpine manufactures special trackwork, concrete ties, rail fastenings and switch machines. The agreement is aimed at increasing the "performance and longevity" of rail systems, voestalpine officials said in a press release.

To support continued cargo growth and demand for chassis at the Port of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ), TRAC Intermodal is adding 700 new chassis to its Metro Pool. The company previously added thousands of refurbished chassis to the pool. More than 40 percent of TRAC's Metro Pool fleet has been upgraded with new or refurbished chassis, company officials said in a press release. TRAC provides 10 start/stop locations at PANYNJ, including two in Port Elizabeth and one in Bayonne, New Jersey.

The 2.2-mile Kansas City Streetcar in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, has provided more than 4 million trips since its opening day two years ago.

Since the streetcar began operations, at least 20 new businesses have popped up along or near the Main Street route, Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) officials said in a press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday awarded a nearly $7 million contract to Hardesty & Hanover LLC to design a replacement commuter-rail drawbridge over the Saugus River in Massachusetts.

MBTA's Newburyport/Rockport Line trains travel across the century-old bridge. Although repairs have been made over the years, the structure's condition is deteriorating, agency officials said in a press release.