Railroad News

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has asked the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) to submit an updated recovery plan that addresses funding shortfalls for its more than $8 billion passenger-rail project.

In late June, the FTA sent a report to HART noting that the project is estimated to cost nearly $8.3 billion, which is $134 million above HART's own cost estimate.

The North County Transit District (NCTD) of San Diego announced yesterday that it's on track to fully implement its positive train control (PTC) system by the Dec. 31 deadline.

Late last week, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) gave conditional approval to the NCTD's PTC safety plan.

Cenovus Energy Inc. announced yesterday it has signed three-year pacts with Canadian Pacific and CN to move crude oil by rail from terminals in Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The agreements call for the transport of 100,000 barrels of heavy crude per day. CN will transport oil from the Cenovus Bruderheim Energy Terminal starting in the fourth quarter. CP will transport oil through USD Partners' terminal in Hardisty, Alberta, starting in second-quarter next year, with both ramping up through 2019.

RailTrends® organizers have added three prominent rail industry leaders — Ronald Batory, Marc Brazeau and Peter Gilbertson — to the presenters lineup for this year's conference to be held Nov. 29-30 in New York City.

Batory is administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration; Brazeau is president and chief executive officer of the Railway Association of Canada (RAC); and Gilbertson is president and CEO of Anacostia Rail Holdings Co.

RailWorks Corp. has finalized an agreement to acquire steel-tie manufacturer NARSTCO, which employs about 90 people at its U.S. facilities. NARSTCO will continue to operate independently and work with its current customer base, which includes end users, contractors and engineering firms. In addition, Anthony Musa will continue to serve as NARSTCO's chief executive officer, RailWorks officials said in a press release. The acquisition's financial terms were not disclosed.

Pyrotek is adding equipment and ramping up production of acoustic thermal products at its plant in Cortland, New York. The effort is aimed at complementing the company's global manufacturing footprint and providing value-add services for rail, marine and industrial customers in the Americas, said Kevin Bacon, manager of Pyrotek's U.S. acoustic and thermal sales team, in a news release. Pyrotek's offerings include vibration damping and isolation products, as well as sound absorbers, noise barriers and condensation control solutions.

The Community Streetcar Coalition (CSC) recently announced its executive committee and new board members.

Serving as incoming chair is Adelee Le Grand, vice president at Transdev and chief strategic officer at the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. Le Grand is responsible for finding solutions to address access and mobility challenges facing the New Orleans region, coalition officials said in a press release.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) yesterday recognized individuals and transit agencies for excellence and leadership in public transportation in North America.

The honorees were winners of this year's APTA Awards, which were presented at the association's annual meeting being held this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

The rail supply industry represented by several associations released a report today that highlights the economic and workforce impact of their products and services.

Titled "The Power of Rail Supply: The Economic Impact of Rail Suppliers in the U.S.," the report examines the "importance of the industry to the U.S. economy in terms of jobs, tax revenue and gross domestic product on the state and national level," according to a press release issued by the Railway Supply Institute (RSI).

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) announced James Tymon executive director at its annual board meeting held Sept. 20-24 in Atlanta.

Tymon is currently association's chief operating officer and director of policy and management. He joined AASHTO in 2013.

Amtrak police and Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) yesterday partnered for their second annual "Operation Clear Track" event, the largest rail-safety law enforcement operation in the United States.

During the event, police reported to hundreds of grade crossings around the country deemed "high-incident" locations by the Federal Railroad Administration. Once onsite, law enforcement officials enforced grade crossing and trespassing laws during a three-hour safety detail, writing citations and warnings to violators, OLI officials said in a press release.

Canadian Pacific announced yesterday that Edward Monser has been appointed to its board of directors effective Dec. 17.

Monser will retire Oct. 1 as president of global technology and engineering company Emerson, where he began his engineering career in 1981. He also has served as the company's executive vice president and chief operating officer.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) last week approved the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) request to be reimbursed for early work activities for the Purple Line extension's third section between Century City and the Westwood/VA Hospital.

The FTA's "letter of no prejudice" permits Metro to incur costs on the project using non-federal resources, with the understanding that the costs incurred after the letter's approval may be reimbursable if the project is chosen for federal funding later.

This year's InnoTrans Convention held in Berlin last week attracted more than 153,000 trade visitors from 149 countries, marking a record participation rate, conference planners announced yesterday.

The event featured record exhibitor numbers, a total attendance of 161,157 visitors and an increase in business volume, InnoTrans officials said in a press release.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has elected Carlos Braceras as president and Patrick McKenna as vice president.

Braceras is executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation; McKenna is director of the Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT).

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) yesterday announced that Missouri has obtained federal certification of its transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) program.

By law, states with transit-rail systems are required to achieve federal certification of their SSO programs by April 15, 2019. To obtain certification, states must meet certain statutory requirements, including establishing an SSO agency that's financially and legally independent from the transit agencies it oversees.

Watco Transportation Services last week agreed to establish a rail transport facility in Warwick, Queensland, in Australia.

Watco will haul grain from the facility. The company anticipates starting operations in first-quarter 2019, according to a press release issued by the Southern Downs Regional Council.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an $870 million budget to build a new on-dock rail support facility.

The facility will be designed to shift more shipping containers from trucks to rail for a "more efficient and sustainable transfer of cargo," port officials said in a press release.

The Orange County Transportation Authority's (OCTA) board yesterday awarded a $220.5 million contract to Walsh Construction Co. to build the 4.1-mile OC Streetcar system.

The streetcar will operate between Metrolink's commuter-rail service at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove, California. The streetcar also will connect with several of the county's busiest bus routes along the way, OCTA officials said in a news release.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) yesterday rescinded a mandate that would have required crude-oil trains to use electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) braking systems.

The PHMSA took the action after it conducted a congressionally mandated review of the regulation's impact, and determined that the expected costs of requiring ECP brakes would be "significantly higher" than the expected benefits, according to a PHMSA press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) late last week applied to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a two-year extension of the federally mandated deadline to implement positive train control (PTC).

MBTA submitted the request after completing all federal requirements necessary to qualify for an extension to implement PTC. Railroads are required to implement PTC by Dec. 31, or apply for an extension.