Railroad News

Caltrans has allocated $34.5 million in funding from the Low Carbon Transit Operations Program that will benefit 125 California projects.

Caltrans says the projects, which are a part of the California Climate Investments Program continue the state's effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve the sustainability of public transportation systems.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Build America Bureau will provide a $537.1 million loan to the New York State Urban Development Corp. for the Moynihan Train Hall redevelopment project.

The loan was issued through the department's Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program.

Steel Dynamics, Inc., is expanding its Structural and Rail Division located in Columbia City, Ind., by $75 million to "utilize excess melting and casting capability and further diversify its product portfolio and market sector exposure."

Steel Dynamics, Inc., is expanding its Structural and Rail Division located in Columbia City, Ind., by $75 million to "utilize excess melting and casting capability and further diversify its product portfolio and market sector exposure."

Steel Dynamics, Inc., is expanding its Structural and Rail Division located in Columbia City, Ind., by $75 million to "utilize excess melting and casting capability and further diversify its product portfolio and market sector exposure."

The Railroad Advancement of Innovation and Leadership with Safety (RAILS) Act, S. 1451, would allow for performance-based safety standards in place of traditional command-and-control prescriptive regulation, and mandate that future Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rulemakings be based on data-driven sound science validated through transparent peer review.

More specifically, performance-based safety standards mean rather than the FRA prescribing particular actions, such as mileage-based brake tests and specific operations and maintenance procedures, the agency would specify a safety outcome—such as a maximum accident-type rate or component failure rate—and allow each railroad to devise its own cost-effective means of achieving that target.

The Railroad Advancement of Innovation and Leadership with Safety (RAILS) Act, S. 1451, would allow for performance-based safety standards in place of traditional command-and-control prescriptive regulation, and mandate that future Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rulemakings be based on data-driven sound science validated through transparent peer review.

More specifically, performance-based safety standards mean rather than the FRA prescribing particular actions, such as mileage-based brake tests and specific operations and maintenance procedures, the agency would specify a safety outcome—such as a maximum accident-type rate or component failure rate—and allow each railroad to devise its own cost-effective means of achieving that target.

The Railroad Advancement of Innovation and Leadership with Safety (RAILS) Act, S. 1451, would allow for performance-based safety standards in place of traditional command-and-control prescriptive regulation, and mandate that future Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rulemakings be based on data-driven sound science validated through transparent peer review.

More specifically, performance-based safety standards mean rather than the FRA prescribing particular actions, such as mileage-based brake tests and specific operations and maintenance procedures, the agency would specify a safety outcome—such as a maximum accident-type rate or component failure rate—and allow each railroad to devise its own cost-effective means of achieving that target.

The New York State Urban Development Corporation D/B/A Empire State Development (ESD) has secured a $537.1 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for the Moynihan Train Hall Redevelopment Project.

The New York State Urban Development Corporation D/B/A Empire State Development (ESD) has secured a $537.1 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for the Moynihan Train Hall Redevelopment Project.

The New York State Urban Development Corporation D/B/A Empire State Development (ESD) has secured a $537.1 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for the Moynihan Train Hall Redevelopment Project.

A $30-million grade separation will be built in Columbus, Ind., in anticipation of increased train traffic following planned upgrades CSX is making on the Louisville & Indiana (L&I) Railroad line between Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind.

A $30-million grade separation will be built in Columbus, Ind., in anticipation of increased train traffic following planned upgrades CSX is making on the Louisville & Indiana (L&I) Railroad line between Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind.

A $30-million grade separation will be built in Columbus, Ind., in anticipation of increased train traffic following planned upgrades CSX is making on the Louisville & Indiana (L&I) Railroad line between Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind.

Leica Geosystems has acquired InfraMeasure, a company specializing in rail measurements. Financial details of the transaction weren't disclosed. InfraMeasure designed and developed the patent-pending SafeLoad® system, which is a portable, laser-based measurement and documentation solution. The system, which has been implemented by four Class Is, can help reduce high-wide measurement time and labor by at least 50 percent, according to a Leica Geosystems press release.

Harsco Rail has received an order for seven Stoneblower track geometry machines from Network Rail, the owner and manager of mainline rail infrastructure in Great Britain. The Stoneblower units automate the process for restoring track geometry by using pneumatic stone insertion below the cross ties. The latest generation units are equipped with a computerized measurement and design system and automatic stone metering system, Harsco officials said in a press release. The Network Rail order calls for deliveries over two years beginning in late 2019. The new units will succeed a fleet of retiring Stoneblower units that have logged more than two decades of service for Network Rail, which operates 20,000 miles of track in England, Scotland and Wales. Under a long-term agreement, Harsco Rail will ensure availability of spare parts and software support.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County has postponed implementation of a cashless, proof-of-payment system for its light-rail network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The decision is the result of several factors, including a delay in the delivery of additional "ConnectCard" machines that dispense the new fare cards and tickets at system stations.

CIT Group Inc. announced last week it reached an agreement to sell its European rail leasing business unit NACCO to German firm VTG Aktiengesellschaft for $890 million.
The deal includes NACCO’s fleet of 14,000 freight cars and its car investments made between Jan. 1, 2017, and the transaction’s closing date that could total $160 million.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter pending customary closing conditions.

The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) board has elected Suzanne Klapp chair.

Klapp serves as vice mayor of Scottsdale, Arizona. She began her first term on the Scottsdale City Council in January 2009 and was re-elected to a second term that began in January 2013.

In late May, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) members ratified their first-ever labor contract with the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad LLC (WNYP).
 
The four-year contract governs about a dozen WNYP workers and runs through Dec. 31, 2021. The pact establishes hourly wage rates, overtime pay, and health and welfare benefits. It also provides due process protections for BLET members that define a process to be followed when disciplinary charges are levied due to an alleged rule violation, union officials said in a press release.

Prior to the contract ratification, there were three pay rates for both locomotive engineers and conductors at WNYP. The new pact transitions wage scales to a single engineer hourly rate and a conductor hourly rate by 2021. Over the term of the contract, wage increases will range from 15.91 percent to 28.44 percent for engineers, and from 15.91 percent to 33.75 percent for conductors, BLET officials said.