Railroad News

Union Pacific Railroad has partnered with startup accelerator Plug and Play to help drive freight transportation innovations, the Class I announced yesterday.

As an accelerator, Plug and Play helps existing startup companies grow with a combination of seed money, mentoring and connections to large companies. UP will serve as an "anchor partner" in Plug and Play's Supply Chain Innovation Platform.

The Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to recommend that Gov. Jay Inslee deny the proposed Vancouver Energy crude-oil terminal project.

The project calls for Tesoro Savage Petroleum Terminal LLC, also known as Vancouver Energy, to construct and operate an energy distribution terminal at the Port of Vancouver, Washington, located on the Columbia River.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has unveiled plans to rebuild GO Transit rail stations in Mississauga and Milton, Ontario.

At the Meadowvale Station in Mississauga, crews will construct a station building, reconfigure parking lots, and repair and replace damaged catch basins and storm sewer lines. In addition, workers will improve pedestrian connections and bicycle storage, according to a press release issued by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has replaced nearly 25,000 feet of track and about 1,000 ties and tie plates on the Green Line.

Using accelerated rail replacement techniques, the agency's track department installed 500 feet of track in three-hour periods during overnight hours. That type of work previously took entire weekends to complete, MBTA officials said in a press release.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has begun holding public hearings on its proposed Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) extension to Newark Liberty International Airport.

The agency has proposed extending PATH's Newark-to-World Trade Center Line from its current terminus at Newark Penn Station to an existing rail station at the Newark airport. The airport station serves as a transfer point on the Northeast Corridor for New Jersey Transit, Amtrak and the airport's monorail system.

Alberta Midland Railway Terminal Ltd. (AMRT) has completed construction of its rail logistics center, which is located in Lamont, Alberta, on CN's Prairie North Line between Edmonton and Winnipeg.

The terminal is designed to store up to 850 rail cars. Its location is close to regional customers that ship liquefied petroleum gas, petroleum products and plastics by rail, according to an AMRT press release.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has awarded a contract to WSP USA to manage the second phase of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system to Silicon Valley.

VTA is managing the overall 16-mile extension from Fremont to Santa Clara, California.  The first phase will run 10 miles from BART's Warm Springs Station in Fremont to San Jose, California.

The American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) announced Monday that a majority of its members voted to ratify the national mediated collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG).

Nearly two-thirds, or 62 percent, of its members voted for ratification, according to an ATDA news release.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. announced today it has strengthened its sales and marketing team by adding two new vice presidents and reorganizing the group's structure to better service customers.

The team will consist of three business units, each led by a vice president reporting to Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks. The units will be grain and fertilizers; energy, chemicals and plastics (ECP), and merchandise; and intermodal and automotive.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded two contracts to RailWorks Corp. subsidiary L.K. Comstock & Co. Inc. to build underground substations for New York City Transit's Canarsie line in Brooklyn. As part of a $39.6 million project, L.K. Comstock will design and build a 5,000-square-foot underground substation and install associated electrical equipment in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood. The company will build a similar substation and install related electrical equipment in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, a project valued at $34.7 million. Both projects are expected to increase power capacity along the Canarsie Line, RailWorks officials said in a press release.

Parsons has begun providing technical advisory services for Metrolinx's enhanced train control and conventional signaling (ETCCS) project. Metrolinx is specifying, procuring and developing ETCCS upgrades, while Parsons is providing design, procurement support, system engineering, system integration and migration management, testing, and commissioning services. The work is related to Metrolinx's plan to electrify the GO Transit rail network. As part of the electrification program, Metrolinx will deliver CA$13.5 billion in capital projects and CA$7 billion in state-of-good-repair work. The program will enable Metrolinx to run electrified GO Transit trains every 15 minutes, according to a Parsons press release.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) on Sunday entered the final stages of testing for its Line 1 subway extension.

Trains offload riders at the line's current terminus at the Sheppard West Station and then continue north to simulate service along the 5.3-mile extension, agency officials said in a press release. Trains then return south.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) received four Neo-Panamax cranes last week for use at the Port of Savannah.

Once commissioned, the cranes will bring the port's fleet to 30. Six additional cranes will arrive in 2020, according to a GPA press release.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) yesterday released five new videos aimed at educating younger adults on the dangers of being near trains and tracks.

The videos were developed as part of OLI's mission to reduce collisions, fatalities and injuries at grade crossings and prevent trespassing on or near railroad property.

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and the North County Transit District (NCTD) have wrapped up a $28 million improvement project at the Oceanside Transit Center in Oceanside, California.

The station has been expanded to allow riders to board Coaster, Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains at the same time. The project was designed to reduce train idling outside the station and boost regional transit service, SANDAG officials said in a press release.

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry last week announced an extension for a proposed light-rail line in the Tennessee city.

The Charlotte Avenue light-rail corridor would be extended beyond its endpoint at Interstate 440 and continue toward White Bridge Pike. The change would help provide better transit coverage for the West Nashville community, according to a press release issued by Barry's office.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) last week approved proposed rail-crossing improvement projects in Fulton, Hardin, Medina, Portage and Stark counties.

In Fulton County, Norfolk Southern Railway will upgrade light and gate circuitry, including new LED lights at the South Munson Road grade crossing in Swanton.

Sound Transit logged 5,596,453 boardings on its Link light-rail system in the third quarter, marking a 13.5 percent increase over the same period last year.

Average weekday ridership grew 13 percent to 76,822 boardings. Year to date, Sound Transit logged 17.5 million total light-rail rides, or a 26 percent increase over the same period in 2016.