Railroad News

5/9/2017    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno met with State Rep. Luis Arroyo and other officials to break ground on a $7.3-million renovation of the Healy Station on the Milwaukee North Line.

The project includes the removal of the existing platforms, shelters, structural steel, ramps, stairs and railings and the construction of new platforms, shelters with on-demand heat, canopies, retaining walls, ramps (including a ramp to the outbound platform), stairs, LED lighting, gutters and storm sewer system. It also includes painting and waterproofing the adjoining rail bridge over Fullerton Avenue. The station will be fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Union Pacific (UP) plans to invest approximately $57 million in Kansas infrastructure in 2017. The investment is part of UP's $3.1-billion capital plan.

UP's investment plan funds a range of initiatives: $43 million to maintain railroad track and $12 million to maintain bridges in the state. The Class 1's key initiatives include a $13-million investment in the rail line between Topeka and Herington to replace 102,740 crossties and install 53,137 tons of ballast and a $4.8-million investment in the rail line between Junction City and Salina to replace 33,828 crossties and install 327 tons of ballast.

The largest container vessel to call Canada arrived on May 5 at Global Container Terminals (GCT) Deltaport, located in the Port of Vancouver. The port was able to attract the vessel due in part to its enhanced rail connections.

GCT Canada said the Hapag-Lloyd vessel is the first of a progressive ship upsizing that has been deployed as part of the Transport High Efficiency ("THE") Alliance's Transpacific mainline West Coast PN3 service.

Canada will headquarter its new infrastructure bank in Toronto, ON, and has also launched an intense search for the bank's senior leadership.

"We are excited to be taking this next step towards the creation of the bank," said Canadian Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Amarjeet Sohi. "We will be looking for talented and experienced leaders from across the country to ensure that the Bank meets its mandate: build more infrastructure for Canadians that will create growth and equip our communities for a more sustainable and productive future."

WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff Inc. will conduct preliminary engineering and other planning work for the new AirTrain connection to LaGuardia Airport.

 

Rail News Home Rail Industry Trends May 2017 Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., EditorOn April 26, Canadian Premier Christy Clark of British Columbia asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to end the export of U.S. coal out of B.C.'s ports. Clark's request followed President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs of up to 24 percent on Canadian lumber shipped into the United States.In a letter to Trudeau, Clark — who was running a re-election campaign as this issue went to press (the election was scheduled for May 9) — said she told her constituents she would use "every tool at our disposal to ensure we get a fair deal on softwood lumber." Clark also expressed interest in working with Trudeau to ban U.S. thermal coal shipments to Asia via B.C.'s ports. Despite the environmental concerns she has about thermal coal, Clark hadn’t pressed the issue because "friends and trading partners cooperate.""Clearly, the United States is taking a different approach," she wrote.About the only thing clear in this context as the calendar turned to May was that the rhetoric surrounding trade — NAFTA-related talk in particular, and global partnerships in general — was ratcheting up. Given the way trade patterns have evolved, and given the interconnectedness among the links in the transport chain, that ratcheting-up matters in rail country.At Railroad Day on Capitol Hill on March 2, I asked a number of railroaders if they were concerned about the trade agreement and tariff talk coming from the Trump administration. The question was considered rhetorical by some, negative by a few. But if their companies did cross-border business or served markets overseas, the subject was on their minds. Officials at North American railroads that ship automobiles to and from Mexico certainly have been thinking about it.On March 29, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) issued a press release headlined "New Report Confirms Freight Railroads Are Deeply Connected to International Trade.""Efforts that curtail overall trade would threaten thousands of U.S. freight-rail jobs that depend on it and limit essential railroad revenues used to modernize railroad infrastructure throughout North America," AAR President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Hamberger said in the release, citing data that he said "validate our view that U.S. policymakers should proceed with caution in their quest to reverse some impacts of globalization."It's a sentiment that resonates in at least some circles in Canada and Mexico, as well. But if the lines between campaigning, negotiating and governing continue to blur — maybe this particular brand of rhetoric is a short-term thing, or maybe it’s the way things are going to be for awhile — it'll make it that much more challenging for links in the transport chain to read the trade tea leaves. And easier, perhaps, to think about reconsidering their strategic options.
Keywords Browse articles on Christy Clark Justin Trudeau Association of American Railroads Ed Hamberger Railroad Day Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

5/8/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

5/8/2017    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

5/8/2017    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

5/8/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

5/8/2017    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

5/8/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) issued a Request for Proposals for the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel Tier II Environmental Impact Study. The study will explore a cross-harbor freight tunnel that would offer New York City a direct link to the national freight rail network.

 

5/8/2017    

Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation

The construction project will receive $50 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation Capital Investment Grants program, which is included in the Fiscal Year 2017 appropriations bill.

"This is a significant step for the project and signals positive momentum as we move into construction this summer," said Tempe Mayor and Valley Metro Rail Board Chair Mark Mitchell. "Tempe Streetcar is a valuable investment for our community and the region as it serves future rider demand, spurs revitalization and boosts job growth."

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) honored Keith LaPorte and Ron Sparks for their career commitment to safety compliance and culture at the 2017 CONNECTIONS Convention.

Keith LaPorte, the bridge program manager at Old Augusta Railroad (OAR), was honored with the Safety Person of the Year Award. LaPorte's 32-year career with OAR has resulted in zero Federal Railroad Administration-reportable injuries. LaPorte also serves on the Board of the Mississippi Operation Lifesaver to help further the organization's goal of educating the traveling public about the potential dangers involved with railroad crossings at grade.

Local and federal Canadian officials gathered May 5 to break ground on a grade separation project in Winnipeg, MB.

The Waverley Street Underpass project is a CA$155-million (US$113-million) effort to build an underpass at Waverley Street and Taylor Avenue to replace the grade crossing and will also include road enhancements.

5/8/2017    

Rail News: BNSF Railway

5/8/2017    

Rail News: BNSF Railway