Railroad News

Trinity Metro in Fort Worth, Texas, has hired Mike Stolzman as vice president and chief operating officer of rail.

He has more than 20 years of railroad experience. In 1995, he joined the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Co., which was later purchased by Union Pacific Railroad.

GE Transportation and Ukrainian Railways earlier this week marked the completion of the first of 30 GE Evolution Series locomotives to be built under a framework agreement signed early this year. The TE33A locomotive features a 12-cylinder, 4,500-horsepower Evolution Series engine. Compared to the legacy Ukrainian fleet, the unit can "significantly reduce" emissions, economize fuel and oil costs, and increase time between maintenance overhauls, GE officials said in a press release. Production is occurring in the United States, with final assembly in Ukraine.

Siemens, South Korean train manufacturer Hyundai Rotem and Taiwanese construction company BES Engineering have obtained a contract to deliver electrical and mechanical solutions to the Green Line metro route in Taoyuan, Taiwan. Siemens' share of the project includes the Trainguard MT communications-based train control system, traction drives for the trains and direct-current traction power supply. The signaling system will enable full automation of the metro line, Siemens officials said in a press release.

Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory earlier this week toured CSX's Virginia Avenue Tunnel reconstruction project in southeast Washington, D.C.

Joining Batory on the tour were CSX officials, along with representatives of Clark Construction, Delta Railroad Construction and Parsons, which are members of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC).

On July 1, Watco Cos. LLC marked its 35th anniversary. The company was launched in 1983 by founder Dick Webb as an industrial switching operation in DeRidder, Louisiana.

Now, Watco has grown from one to more than 4,000 customers, from 14 to 5,200 employees, and from one to 202 operations, including 38 short lines. The company provides rail, switching, terminal and port, mechanical and other services in 37 states and four countries.

President Donald Trump has nominated former Metra Chairman Martin Oberman as a Surface Transportation Board (STB) member.

If his nomination is approved by the Senate, Oberman will serve the remainder of a five-year term that expires Dec. 31, 2023. The open Democratic seat on the board was vacated by former STB Chairman Dan Elliott last year.

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

Jessica Mefford-Miller has been named interim executive director of Metro Transit-St. Louis.

She succeeds Ray Friem, who retired July 1. Mefford-Miller previously served as Metro Transit's assistant executive director of transit planning and system development, according to a press release issued by Bi-State Development, Metro-Transit's parent agency.

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority's (SFRTA) governing board has elected Esteban Bovo Jr. as chairman and Tim Ryan as vice chair.

Last month, the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners tapped Bovo to serve as its representative on SFRTA's governing board. Ryan was added to the agency's governing board in January 2015.

Construction of Sound Transit's East Link light-rail tunnel in downtown Bellevue, Washington, is more than 90 percent completed, the agency announced late last week.

Crews are on track to finish the tunnel within 15 months, or about five months earlier than scheduled, Sound Transit officials said in a press release.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy announced $1 million in state grants to fund projects that will return blighted areas to productive use.

The funds are being awarded by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development through the recently launched Brownfield Area-Wide Revitalization Grant program. This is the second round of grants being awarded under the program.

Stillwater Central Railroad and its operator Watco Cos. LLC are seeking proposals from rail providers interested in operating the Eastern Flyer or "Sooner Sub" passenger-rail service between Sapulpa and Del City, Oklahoma.

Interested parties are asked to send an email requesting a nondisclosure agreement. Once the agreement is completed, a bid package will be mailed to the provider.

City leaders in Gatineau, Quebec, earlier this week unveiled plans for a CA$2.1 billion, 16-mile light-rail system to connect with Ottawa's transit-rail network.

The project would include 30 stations and connect Chemin Eardley in the east to the future Rideau station along Ottawa's Confederation Line light-rail route, CBC News reported Wednesday.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) next month will close three Manhattan subway stations to fix structural defects and deterioration.

The 57th Street, 28th Street and 23rd Street stations are in "various states of disrepair," with crumbling concrete and deteriorated structural steel columns and beams, cracked or missing tiles, water leaks and deficient lighting, NYCT officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit has named Kimberly Farley deputy chief executive officer.

Working alongside current Deputy CEO Mike Harbour until his retirement late next year, Farley will play a vital role in expanding transit service across the Central Puget Sound region, agency officials said in a press release.

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) yesterday adopted a $277.6 million capex plan for fiscal-year 2019.

The largest capital plan in the authority's history, the program includes funds for projects to modernize terminals, increase capacity and accommodate intermodal growth, SCPA officials said in a press release.

The Port of Long Beach, California, last week released a draft environmental study on Toyota Logistics Services' proposed reconfiguration of its Pier B auto facility, including new power and fueling infrastructure.

The study found that the project would have no significant impacts on the environment. The public can submit comments on the draft study until July 10.

Brightline late last week announced the appointment of four new executives, including a former Amtrak officer.

The company named Jeff Swiatek chief financial officer; Ravneet Bhandari, chief commercial officer; Michael Cegelis, executive vice president of infrastructure development; and Jeff Schappert, senior VP of technology.

American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) President Linda Bauer Darr will step down next month to become the chief executive officer of another trade association, ASLRRA Chair Judy Petry announced yesterday in a memo to members.

Darr joined ASLRRA in 2014. She leaves the association on July 27 to start her new position in August, according to Petry.