Railroad News

Metrolinx's board has appointed Phil Verster as the agency's new president and chief executive officer.

He'll begin his duties Oct. 1. Verster succeeds Bruce McCuaig, who earlier this year stepped down to serve in the Privy Council Office in support of the Canada Infrastructure Bank.

COFCO International Ltd. (CIL) and grain cooperative Growmark Inc. have formed a new partnership that includes joint ownership and operation of a rail, barge and truck terminal on the Mississippi River in Cahokia, Illinois.

The pact includes a grain origination agreement. Additionally, Growmark will staff a grain merchandiser in CIL's St. Louis office to originate grain and service patron accounts, company officials said in a joint press release.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao today will participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Purple Line light-rail route.

The event will take place in Hyattsville, Maryland, according to a media advisory issued by Hogan's office.

Cargill announced last week its investment of $18 million to upgrade a grain facility on Union Pacific Railroad's line in Gibbon, Nebraska.

Once completed, the expansion will add 2 million of upright grain storage space and increase unload capacity of 65,000 bushels per hour, Cargill officials said in a press release.

The Quebec government has pledged CA$330 million to build an underground garage for trains at the Cote-Vertu Station on the Societe de transport de Montreal's (STM) subway network.

Service for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line service is expected to resume on Sept. 2, five weeks ahead of schedule.

The MBTA made the announcement last week along with Keolis Commuter Services (KCS). The train route, which services the Northshore, was temporarily shut down on weekends to install positive train control (PTC). MBTA and KCS utilized the weekend shutdowns to perform maintenance, safety and infrastructure repair projects, including new track and grade crossings.

Service for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line service is expected to resume on Sept. 2, five weeks ahead of schedule.

The MBTA made the announcement last week along with Keolis Commuter Services (KCS). The train route, which services the Northshore, was temporarily shut down on weekends to install positive train control (PTC). MBTA and KCS utilized the weekend shutdowns to perform maintenance, safety and infrastructure repair projects, including new track and grade crossings.

Service for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line service is expected to resume on Sept. 2, five weeks ahead of schedule.

The MBTA made the announcement last week along with Keolis Commuter Services (KCS). The train route, which services the Northshore, was temporarily shut down on weekends to install positive train control (PTC). MBTA and KCS utilized the weekend shutdowns to perform maintenance, safety and infrastructure repair projects, including new track and grade crossings.

Class Is, Amtrak and Houston METRO suspended service and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) declared an emergency event this past weekend due to Hurricane Harvey's impact on the Texas Gulf region.

The FRA declared the emergency Aug. 24, noting that the storm's threat of flooding rains, power outages and flash flooding conditions.

State lawmakers will take up the issue of funding the Honolulu rail project this week in a special session.

A proposed bill would extend the general excise tax (GET) surcharge and increase the hotel room tax in order to provide the city and county of Honolulu with enough funding to complete the $8.2-billion project. The bill would also require a state run audit of the rail project, as well as annual financial reviews.

State lawmakers will take up the issue of funding the Honolulu rail project this week in a special session.

A proposed bill would extend the general excise tax (GET) surcharge and increase the hotel room tax in order to provide the city and county of Honolulu with enough funding to complete the $8.2-billion project. The bill would also require a state run audit of the rail project, as well as annual financial reviews.

State lawmakers will take up the issue of funding the Honolulu rail project this week in a special session.

A proposed bill would extend the general excise tax (GET) surcharge and increase the hotel room tax in order to provide the city and county of Honolulu with enough funding to complete the $8.2-billion project. The bill would also require a state run audit of the rail project, as well as annual financial reviews.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) earlier this week met with Miller Ingenuity staff for a product demonstration of ZoneGuard, the company's roadway worker protection system.

Walz also joined representatives from Operational Lifesaver Inc. and local railroads to tour Miller's manufacturing plant in Winona, Minnesota.

Florida East Coast Railway outranked other rail-intermodal service providers for outstanding performance in Logistic Management's annual Quest for Quality survey, the railroad announced earlier this month.

The Quest for Quality poll examines key criteria used when evaluating and using transportation and logistics service providers. The survey then ranks the providers based on evaluation and purchase criteria, according to a press release issued by the railroad.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has begun installing the final wave of new PRESTO fare gates at 25 remaining subway stations that have decades-old turnstiles.

A key part of the TTC's overall modernization plan, the new "paddle-style" gates are designed to provide an unobstructed path into and out of stations, agency officials said in a press release.

Lower gasoline prices and discounted airline fares have weakened demand for Amtrak and intercity express bus service over the past three years, according to a study released this week by DePaul University.

The study by the university's Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development found that despite a recent increase in traffic, new service offerings have lagged and not kept pace with the nation's population growth.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx have issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for firms interested in building and financing the GO Transit Lakeshore East-Central Corridor Expansion project.

The chosen firm will build all supporting infrastructure, including retaining walls along the central segment of the corridor, IO and Metrolinx officials said in a press release.

Vista Proppants & Logistics recently received its first unit train at a new terminal in Pecos, Texas, that will be used for rail-to-truck frac sand transloading services, the company announced this week.

The terminal is located on 200 acres, features 21,000 feet of track and is the first unit train-capable facility in the southern Delaware Basin that is served directly by Union Pacific Railroad, Vista Proppants officials said in a press release.