Railroad News

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined the probable cause of a 2017 fatal accident involving a BNSF Railway Co. train in South Dakota was caused by the improper use of a train approach warning.

The accident occurred Jan. 17, 2017, in Edgemont, South Dakota, when a BNSF train struck and killed two roadway workers, including the watchman/lookout. A three-member roadway crew had been cleaning snow and ice from the track switch on the main track to prepare for the movement of a train that was to have its brake system tested.

Union Pacific Corp. announced yesterday that William DeLaney has been elected to the company's board.

DeLaney, 62, served as Sysco Corp. chief executive officer from March 2009 until he retired at the end of 2017.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) yesterday outlined the process to transfer federal safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) rail system to the newly established Metrorail Safety Commission (MSC).

In October 2015, FTA assumed temporary and direct safety oversight of the system at the order of then-U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has announced $7 million in matching grant funds that will be awarded to 14 short lines to help pay for infrastructure improvements.

The grants are part of the state's Short Line Improvement Program, which supports short-line rail infrastructure health and performance, according to an NCDOT press release.

By Gina Doyle

Hub Group Inc. has sold its Mode Transportation LLC subsidiary to an affiliate of York Capital Management for $238.5 million. The sale does not include the Temstar business. Although Hub Group has reported success with the Mode subsidiary, there was a "lack of strategic alignment with Hub's centralized business model," said Hub Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Yeager in a press release. Mode is a non-asset-based third-party logistics company delivering truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal, rail, ocean, air and managed transportation services.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has chosen Greystone Management Solutions to provide real estate management services for a five-year term. Services will include account management, construction management, accounting and collections, insurance compliance and dispute resolution. The MTA's portfolio consists of 4,000 occupancies that include retail agreements, utility right-of-way agreements, parking agreements and easements stretching from Montauk to Poughkeepsie, New York, according to a Greystone press release.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) is contemplating closing four downtown Portland MAX light-rail stations to help improve the flow of trains through the area.

The agency picked the four stations based on low ridership and proximity to other MAX stops. Each station is less than a quarter mile from another light-rail station, according to a TriMet press release.

Union Pacific Railroad announced yesterday its plans for marking National Rail Safety Week, Sept. 23-29.

UP is working with Safe Kids Worldwide as well as local organizations across the Class I's 23 states to improve the safety of drivers and pedestrians. In the United States, a person or vehicle is hit by a train about every three hours, UP officials said in a press release.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) yesterday marked the end of an improvement project of the commuter-rail station in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

The $5 million project made the station compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, SEPTA officials said in a press release.

Kansas City Southern has published its 2017 sustainability report, which highlights how the company implements "responsible business practices."

The report follows the Global Reporting Initiative's latest standards for disclosing governance, economic, social and environmental topics. The standards provide for the disclosure of measurable data and specific information related to sustainability.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) broke ground on its $2.6 billion third-track expansion project, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday.

The effort includes 50 projects aimed at modernizing 9.8 miles of track along the congested Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, New York.

U.S. rail traffic rose 4.5 percent in August compared with the same month a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads' (AAR) data.

U.S. railroads moved 2,828,946 carloads and intermodal units during the month. Carload activity rose 3.8 percent to 1,386,026 units, while intermodal volume climbed 5.1 percent to 1,442,920 containers and trailers compared with August 2017, AAR reported in a press release.

Paterson Grain last week unveiled its new Foothills Terminal in Bowden, Alberta.

Served by Canadian Pacific, the facility includes a 150 rail-car loop track capable of loading a full unit train in eight hours, Paterson officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway and Amtrak yesterday announced service alerts for trains operating in Gulf Coast areas that potentially could be affected by Tropical Depression Gordon.

NS is monitoring the storm's path and the potential impact heavy rain may have on operations in and around New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, NS officials said in a service alert.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. served 1.13 million passengers in the second quarter, marking a 10 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

The Canadian passenger railroad's revenue increased 8.4 percent to CA$87.8 million compared with the same quarter last year, according to VIA Rail's second-quarter report.

Denton County Transportation Authority's (DCTA) board yesterday named Raymond Suarez president.

His appointment will take effect Sept. 14, pending contract negotiations, according to an agency press release.

Two rail unions have filed a joint petition against the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) alleging that the agency is allowing Mexican crews from Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) to operate trains in the United States in violation of federal law and safety practices.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Transportation Division (SMART TD) filed the petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Court, according to a BLET press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the design and construction of at least 256 new 8000-series rail cars.

The new units would allow WMATA to retire 2000- and 3000-series cars, which are nearing the end of their 40-year service life, according to a WMATA press release.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Columbia Premier John Horgan yesterday announced more than CA$3 billion in federal and provincial funding for two major passenger-rail projects in Vancouver.

The money will fund construction of the Surrey-Newton-Guildford light-rail project and the Broadway Subway extension of TransLink's Millennium SkyTrain line.