Railroad News

U.S. rail traffic ticked up 0.5 percent to 511,937 carloads and intermodal units in the second week of 2018 compared with the same week a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

For the week ending Jan. 13, total carloads declined 4.1 percent to 241,351 units compared with the same week in 2017, while total U.S. intermodal containers and trailers increased 5 percent to 270,586 units, according to an AAR press release.

By Michael Popke

Valley Metro has taken delivery of rail for its 1.9-mile Gilbert Road light-rail extension in Mesa, Arizona.

Over the next few weeks, the 80-foot rail sticks will be welded together into 400-foot strings. Progress Rail supplied the rail, which is valued at $500,000, Valley Metro spokeswoman Corinne Holliday said in an email.

Valley Metro accepted delivery of rail for its Gilbert Road light-rail extension in Mesa, Ariz.

The 80-foot sticks will be welded together into 400-foot strings over the next few weeks, in preparation for installation. The $18-million extension will add 1.9 miles of light rail on Main Street from Mesa Drive to Gilbert Road. Valley Metro notes that there are significant transit connections at Gilbert Road and the extension will grant the transit authority the ability to serve the growing transit demand in the East Valley.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority's (CHSRA) Board of Directors named Brian P. Kelly as its new chief executive officer, effective Feb. 1, 2018.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has released a design guide for modernizing the Philadelphia-area trolley system.

Operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the trolley system serves nearly 100,000 people on weekdays. However, the 36-year-old trolley vehicles are nearing the end of their useful life and cause expensive stresses on the system, according to the guide.

Imports at the nation's major retail container ports rose 7 percent in 2017 over 2016, as retail sales grew throughout the year and ended with a strong holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The 2017 total for ports covered by the Global Port Tracker is expected to be 20.1 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), topping last year's record of 18.8 million TEUs by 7 percent, according to an NRF press release.

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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 13, 2018.

GE Transportation has signed two contracts with Kazakhstan's state-run railroad Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) to supply 300 shunter locomotives and provide maintenance services for 175 passenger Evolution™ Series locomotives.

A Cloud Peak Energy subsidiary has entered into a term coal export sales agreement with Singapore-based JERA Trading Ltd.

Coal produced at Cloud Peak Energy's Spring Creek mine near Decker, Montana, will be carried by BNSF Railway Co. to Westshore Terminals at Roberts Bank, Vancouver, where it will be loaded and shipped to two new integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

A Cloud Peak Energy subsidiary has entered into a term coal export sales agreement with Singapore-based JERA Trading Ltd.

Coal produced at Cloud Peak Energy's Spring Creek mine near Decker, Montana, will be carried by BNSF Railway Co. to Westshore Terminals at Roberts Bank, Vancouver, where it will be loaded and shipped to two new integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has named Brian Kelly chief executive officer, effective Feb. 1.

Kelly succeeds Jeff Morales, who left the job in early summer. Kelly has served as secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) since it was created in 2013.

CSX Corp. yesterday reported fourth-quarter 2017 revenue declined 6 percent to $2.86 billion compared with a year ago, as the Class I hauled less freight during the period.

The company posted net earnings of $4.1 billion, or $4.62 earnings per share, compared with $458 million, or 49 cents per share in Q4 2016. The 2017 earnings include a $3.6 billion net tax reform benefit under the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, as well as a $10 million net restructuring charge.

CSX Corp. yesterday reported fourth-quarter 2017 revenue declined 6 percent to $2.86 billion compared with a year ago, as the Class I hauled less freight during the period.

The company posted net earnings of $4.1 billion, or $4.62 earnings per share, compared with $458 million, or 49 cents per share in Q4 2016. The 2017 earnings include a $3.6 billion net tax reform benefit under the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, as well as a $10 million net restructuring charge.

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

Despite a decrease in the number of grade crossing accidents in the United States over the past three years, the number of fatalities resulting from those incidents has been on the rise. The number of train and motor vehicle accidents at U.S. grade crossings dropped from 2,295 in 2014, to 2,075 in 2015 and to 2,025 in 2016, according to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data. However, the number of fatalities resulting from those accidents jumped in 2016 to 265 — up from 233 in 2015 and 262 in 2014.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) Rail Division has selected Dewberry to provide general rail engineering support. Contract services could include rail project management and technical support, as well as track, roadway and structure design and associated planning. Other services may include engineering feasibility studies for rail corridor projects and program management support for federal grant programs.

Iowa-based Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing Inc. (ELM) has chosen Chugoku Kogyo Co. Ltd. Hiroshima to serve as its exclusive nationwide distributor in Japan. Before the venture, the two companies studied the market potential for biobased grease and lubricants in Japan and determined the country is ready for biobased products, ELM officials said in a press release. It's expected that biobased grease and lubricants will become a growing commodity in Japan, ELM officials said.

The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) has been released for the Port of Long Beach's (POLB) proposed redeveloped of a rail yard to transition more cargo to rail.

Currently, POLB says the ability to build long trains is limited due to the lack of adequate yard tracks and the configuration of mainline tracks. The proposed Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility would change this by providing track space to join together trains assembled at terminals. No cargo trucks would visit the facility, which POLB says would enhance the environmental benefits of the facility by pushing more cargo to rail transportation. Further environmental benefit would be seen from the rail facility's operator, Pacific Harbor Line, a switching railroad that has converted its fleet to clean diesel locomotives that reduce air pollution and save fuel.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Cap Metro) Board of Directors in Austin, Texas, has named Randy Clarke as the agency's next president and CEO.

January will see the final five miles of rail installed as part of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Double Track project.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) explains that the utilization of design-build construction along with a specialized New Track Construction machine lays rail more than 10 times faster than the agency has ever done. The accelerated construction has saved MTA more than $7 million and the project is expected to be complete in August 2018, 16 months ahead of schedule.