Railroad News

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

St. Louis city leaders this week unveiled potential routes and other details of a proposed Northside-Southside light-rail line.

At community meetings, officials shared maps, ridership figures and budget options for the proposed route, according to the Northside-Southside Twitter account.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon's (TriMet) board has chosen Doug Kelsey as the single finalist for the agency's next general manager.

The board will interview Kelsey on Jan. 24. After considering public comments, the board will convene a special meeting on Jan. 31 to authorize its chair to negotiate a contract with Kelsey or to continue the search.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce this week proposed increasing the federal gas tax by 25 cents per gallon to help pay for critical infrastructure projects.

The proposed increase was among a series of principles the business lobby is offering in a bid to help shape the debate about upgrading U.S. roads, bridges, airports and other significant infrastructure projects, U.S. Chamber officials said in a press release.

U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) have asked Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson for a detailed update on the railroad's safety culture and implementation of positive train control (PTC).

In a letter sent yesterday, the congressmen said they want to know what safety culture weaknesses Amtrak has identified in its organization and the specific steps it is taking to resolve them immediately. The letter was copied to labor unions that represent Amtrak employees.

The Feb. 16 deadline to nominate individuals for Progressive Railroading's Rising Stars program is fast approaching.

Now in its sixth year, the program recognizes up-and-coming leaders in North America's railroad industry. The magazine defines a Rising Star as someone under the age of 40 who is making a positive difference in his or her company, department or team.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) yesterday raised questions about the effectiveness of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) maintenance programs following a derailment earlier this week.

In a letter to WMATA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul Wiedefeld, Comstock said the Jan. 15 derailment on the Red Line exemplifies the "unacceptable condition of WMATA and the dire need for fundamental reform."

U.S. rail traffic ticked up 0.5 percent to 511,937 carloads and intermodal units in the second week of 2018 compared with the same week a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

For the week ending Jan. 13, total carloads declined 4.1 percent to 241,351 units compared with the same week in 2017, while total U.S. intermodal containers and trailers increased 5 percent to 270,586 units, according to an AAR press release.

By Michael Popke

Valley Metro has taken delivery of rail for its 1.9-mile Gilbert Road light-rail extension in Mesa, Arizona.

Over the next few weeks, the 80-foot rail sticks will be welded together into 400-foot strings. Progress Rail supplied the rail, which is valued at $500,000, Valley Metro spokeswoman Corinne Holliday said in an email.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has released a design guide for modernizing the Philadelphia-area trolley system.

Operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the trolley system serves nearly 100,000 people on weekdays. However, the 36-year-old trolley vehicles are nearing the end of their useful life and cause expensive stresses on the system, according to the guide.

Imports at the nation's major retail container ports rose 7 percent in 2017 over 2016, as retail sales grew throughout the year and ended with a strong holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The 2017 total for ports covered by the Global Port Tracker is expected to be 20.1 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), topping last year's record of 18.8 million TEUs by 7 percent, according to an NRF press release.

GE Transportation has signed two contracts with Kazakhstan's state-run railroad Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) to supply 300 shunter locomotives and provide maintenance services for 175 passenger Evolution™ Series locomotives.

A Cloud Peak Energy subsidiary has entered into a term coal export sales agreement with Singapore-based JERA Trading Ltd.

Coal produced at Cloud Peak Energy's Spring Creek mine near Decker, Montana, will be carried by BNSF Railway Co. to Westshore Terminals at Roberts Bank, Vancouver, where it will be loaded and shipped to two new integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plants in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has named Brian Kelly chief executive officer, effective Feb. 1.

Kelly succeeds Jeff Morales, who left the job in early summer. Kelly has served as secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) since it was created in 2013.

CSX Corp. yesterday reported fourth-quarter 2017 revenue declined 6 percent to $2.86 billion compared with a year ago, as the Class I hauled less freight during the period.

The company posted net earnings of $4.1 billion, or $4.62 earnings per share, compared with $458 million, or 49 cents per share in Q4 2016. The 2017 earnings include a $3.6 billion net tax reform benefit under the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, as well as a $10 million net restructuring charge.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

Despite a decrease in the number of grade crossing accidents in the United States over the past three years, the number of fatalities resulting from those incidents has been on the rise. The number of train and motor vehicle accidents at U.S. grade crossings dropped from 2,295 in 2014, to 2,075 in 2015 and to 2,025 in 2016, according to Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data. However, the number of fatalities resulting from those accidents jumped in 2016 to 265 — up from 233 in 2015 and 262 in 2014.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) Rail Division has selected Dewberry to provide general rail engineering support. Contract services could include rail project management and technical support, as well as track, roadway and structure design and associated planning. Other services may include engineering feasibility studies for rail corridor projects and program management support for federal grant programs.

Iowa-based Environmental Lubricants Manufacturing Inc. (ELM) has chosen Chugoku Kogyo Co. Ltd. Hiroshima to serve as its exclusive nationwide distributor in Japan. Before the venture, the two companies studied the market potential for biobased grease and lubricants in Japan and determined the country is ready for biobased products, ELM officials said in a press release. It's expected that biobased grease and lubricants will become a growing commodity in Japan, ELM officials said.