Railroad News

By Michael Popke

In February, BNSF Railway Co. became the first Class I to join the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA). A handful of other rail companies, including GE Transportation and Bourque Logistics — and rumblings of more to come — also are among BiTA’s more than 230 members. In addition to rail realmers, BiTA comprises truckload carriers, third-party logistics companies, tech firms, major retailers, OEMs, parcel carriers, financial services providers and data analytics specialists collaborating to define new blockchain standards for the logistics industry. 

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB) has authorized an agreement with Stanford University to further develop Caltrain's business plan.

Under the pact, Stanford's Land, Buildings and Real Estate group will contribute in-kind technical assistance to support the business plan and help secure independent technical resources.

Bi-State Development has promoted Mark Vago to senior vice president and chief financial officer.

He'll succeed Kathy Klevorn, who's scheduled to retire July 1. Vago and Klevorn will work together to ensure a smooth transition, Bi-State Development officials said in a press release.

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has developed a hazardous materials instructor training program, which will be provided at no cost to short lines and regionals.

The new program will complement training railroads currently offer to their hazmat employees, said SLSI Executive Director Tom Murta in a press release.

The province of Ontario will invest more than CA$11 billion to build the first phase of a Toronto-to-London high-speed rail line, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced late last week.

The funding comes from the province's 2018 budget. The initial phase of the high-speed rail route will run between Toronto and London, Ontario.

Virginia and Colorado have obtained federal certification of their transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) programs, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced late last week.

Federal law requires states with transit-rail systems in operation to obtain FTA certification of their SSO programs by April 15, 2019. States with transit-rail systems in the engineering or construction phase also must get their SSO programs certified by the deadline.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has announced the appointment of Capitol Hill veteran Ward W. McCarragher as vice president of Government Affairs, effective April 9.

Virginia and Colorado have obtained Federal Transit Administration certification of their rail transit State Safety Oversight (SSO) Programs, well in advance of the 2019 deadline.

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) will be accepting applications for scholarships through Aug. 31, 2018.

Bombardier Transportation has signed a $452 million contract to supply 40 high-speed electric multiple unit trains to Swedish public transit agency Vasttrafik. The agreement includes an option for 60 additional trains, Bombardier officials said in a press release. Delivery is slated to begin in 2021. The units, which can operate at speeds up to 124 mph, will help address growing ridership in Sweden's Vastra Gotaland region, according to Bombardier.

Rio Grande Pacific Dispatch (RGPD) and PS Technology have announced the first implementation of the CrewPro Short Line™ crew management system. The cloud-hosted system provides a subscription-based, dynamic platform for crew scheduling, RGPD officials said in a press release. CrewPro Short Line handles hours-of-service requirements, and handles tie-up, work list/pool management, seniority move bumps and Federal Railroad Administration certification requirements. RGPD will use the system to manage crew calling for multiple railroads. The technology is expected to improve cost savings and accuracy by preventing errors that occur with legacy crew management methods, according to RGPD.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has asked President Trump's administration to "stop playing chicken with the economy" after the White House yesterday ordered the U.S. Trade Representative to consider tariffs on an additional $100 billion of Chinese products.

Trump's proposal would impose tariffs on a large portion of Chinese goods that entered the United States — about $505.6 billion last year, according to The Washington Post.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is soliciting public comments on an updated version of the state's long-range transportation plan.

The Long Range Transportation Plan is a federally required process that sets the state's 25-year vision for transportation.

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.