Railroad News

MTA Metro-North Railroad on Aug. 23 will host a public hearing on a proposal to permanently increase service at two Harlem Line stations in the Bronx, New York.

The plan would make permanent a pilot program from October 2016. In an effort to build ridership and provide Bronx residents with more travel options, Metro-North previously implemented a program that provided hourly service at the Tremont and Melrose stations during off-peak and weekend travel times. The stations previously were served at two-hour intervals.

The Alberta Midland Railway Terminal Ltd.'s (AMRT) project to build a rail logistics center in Lamont County is well underway, the company announced earlier this week.

The facility will be located on CN's Prairie North Line between Edmonton and Winnipeg. It is designed to store up to 850 rail cars and is located next to customers in Edmonton who ship liquified petroleum gas, petroleum products and plastics, AMRT officials said in a press release.

North Carolina state and local officials on Tuesday christened two rebuilt locomotives for use on Amtrak's daily Piedmont service.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), which operates the service with Amtrak, names its locomotives for cities along the Raleigh-to-Charlotte corridor. The two rehabbed locomotives were dubbed the "Town of Cary" and the "City of Kannapolis."

CSX is working closely with first responders to manage rail cars that derailed and caught fire yesterday morning in Hyndman, Pennsylvania.

The derailment involved at least 32 cars, some of which contained hazardous materials, CSX officials said in a press release. At least one car that contained liquified petroleum gas and at least one car that contained molten sulphur leaked and caught fire.

CSX is working closely with first responders to manage rail cars that derailed and caught fire yesterday morning in Hyndman, Pennsylvania.

The derailment involved at least 32 cars, some of which contained hazardous materials, CSX officials said in a press release. At least one car that contained liquified petroleum gas and at least one car that contained molten sulphur leaked and caught fire.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation's (HART) board has appointed Andrew Robbins executive director and chief executive officer.

Robbins has experience in urban passenger rail, rail equipment, infrastructure, construction management, systems integration and airport transit, HART officials said in a press release.

Carloads moved by U.S. railroads slipped 0.6 percent to 1,019,239 units last month compared with July 2016, marking the first decline in U.S. carload activity since October 2016, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

When combined with intermodal volumes — which rose 5.6 percent to 1,058,354 containers and trailers — the total traffic moved by U.S. railroads last month climbed 2.5 percent to 2,077,593 units compared with July 2016, according to an AAR press release.

CSX President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison has emailed customers a letter apologizing for recent service disruptions that have occurred as the Class I goes through its restructuring.

The email was sent in response to recent customer complaints about the quality of CSX service. The complaints prompted the Surface Transportation Board last week to contact Harrison and ask the company to address the situation.

CSX President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison has emailed customers a letter apologizing for recent service disruptions that have occurred as the Class I goes through its restructuring.

The email was sent in response to recent customer complaints about the quality of CSX service. The complaints prompted the Surface Transportation Board last week to contact Harrison and ask the company to address the situation.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Joseph Lhota today announced the appointment of Patrick Foye as the agency's president and Veronique Hakim as managing director.

Foye and Hakim will serve in the newly created office of the chairman, which also will include MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Science, Commerce and Transportation on Aug. 2 favorably recommended, by voice vote, the appointment of Ronald L. Batory as the next Federal Railroad Administrator.

Batory's nomination now goes to the full Senate, where he is likely to be confirmed as FRA Administrator by a voice vote. When that vote will take place is unknown, as the Senate is due to recess for a summer break shortly following an extended session called for by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The U.S. Senate Committee on Science, Commerce and Transportation on Aug. 2 favorably recommended, by voice vote, the appointment of Ronald L. Batory as the next Federal Railroad Administrator.

Batory's nomination now goes to the full Senate, where he is likely to be confirmed as FRA Administrator by a voice vote. When that vote will take place is unknown, as the Senate is due to recess for a summer break shortly following an extended session called for by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The U.S. Senate Committee on Science, Commerce and Transportation on Aug. 2 favorably recommended, by voice vote, the appointment of Ronald L. Batory as the next Federal Railroad Administrator.

Andrew Robbins will serve as the next executive director and chief executive officer of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART).

The board interviewed seven finalists after narrowing a global search of more than a hundred applicants to succeed HART's current Interim Executive Director and C.E.O. Krishniah Murthy. Murthy will remain with HART for a period to allow for Robbins' successful transition into his new role leading Honolulu's Rail Transit Project.

Andrew Robbins will serve as the next executive director and chief executive officer of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART).

The board interviewed seven finalists after narrowing a global search of more than a hundred applicants to succeed HART's current Interim Executive Director and C.E.O. Krishniah Murthy. Murthy will remain with HART for a period to allow for Robbins' successful transition into his new role leading Honolulu's Rail Transit Project.

Andrew Robbins will serve as the next executive director and chief executive officer of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART).

The board interviewed seven finalists after narrowing a global search of more than a hundred applicants to succeed HART's current Interim Executive Director and C.E.O. Krishniah Murthy. Murthy will remain with HART for a period to allow for Robbins' successful transition into his new role leading Honolulu's Rail Transit Project.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) that formally adopts the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Portal Bridge Project.

The project is seeking to replace a century-old swing bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey with a high-level, fixed bridge. The existing Portal Bridge hosts close to 450 trains per day traveling between Newark, N.J. and Penn Station, New York. It has become a major bottleneck and source of delay of train traffic due to the aging mechanical components that sometimes malfunction while opening and closing for maritime traffic. The new bridge, estimated to cost $1.64 billion, will eliminate the movable components and risk of malfunction.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) that formally adopts the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Portal Bridge Project.

The project is seeking to replace a century-old swing bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey with a high-level, fixed bridge. The existing Portal Bridge hosts close to 450 trains per day traveling between Newark, N.J. and Penn Station, New York. It has become a major bottleneck and source of delay of train traffic due to the aging mechanical components that sometimes malfunction while opening and closing for maritime traffic. The new bridge, estimated to cost $1.64 billion, will eliminate the movable components and risk of malfunction.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) that formally adopts the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Portal Bridge Project.

The project is seeking to replace a century-old swing bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey with a high-level, fixed bridge. The existing Portal Bridge hosts close to 450 trains per day traveling between Newark, N.J. and Penn Station, New York. It has become a major bottleneck and source of delay of train traffic due to the aging mechanical components that sometimes malfunction while opening and closing for maritime traffic. The new bridge, estimated to cost $1.64 billion, will eliminate the movable components and risk of malfunction.