Railroad News

Rail News Home Amtrak 6/6/2017 Rail News: Amtrak
Amtrak, in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and Norfolk Southern Railway, this week will begin operating non-scheduled trains on track between Lynchburg and Roanoke, Va.Amtrak is operating the trains to help locomotive engineers and conductors learn the track and territory between the two cities. The trains, which will carry no passengers, are expected to operate two times per day, five days a week, according to an Amtrak press release.Operating qualifying trains is a key step in the process to bring intercity passenger-rail service to Roanoke this fall, Amtrak officials said. The railroad's Northeast Regional service will extend from Lynchburg to Roanoke and operate one roundtrip seven days per week.Amtrak, the DRTP and Roanoke officials are working to return passenger-rail service to the city for the first time in 40 years. Northeast Regional service will provide a same-seat trip to and from Roanoke and to Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Philadelphia; New York City; and other cities along the Northeast Corridor.

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 6/1/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The S-Line logged ridership increases every month between January 2014 and December 2016Photo – Utah Transit Authority

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 5/31/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Passengers line up for a GO Transit train test run in 1967.Photo – Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 5/31/2017 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
The FASTLANE grant program was established under the FAST Act in 2015 to fund critical freight and highway projects.Photo – USDOT's Facebook page

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 5/26/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The station will serve as the northern terminus of Brightline's route.Photo – Brightline

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 5/26/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
MBTA Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve (left) and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (right) in 2015.Photo – MBTA

5/16/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

5/16/2017    

Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation

Rail News Home MOW May 2017 Rail News: MOW

Knox Kershaw Inc.’s KSF 940 Snow Fighter features specially designed wings to move heavy snow in harsh environments.Photo – Knox Kershaw Inc. It happens every spring: North American freight railroads and passenger-rail agencies begin to prepare for the upcoming winter. They review snow removal, switch heater and energy management options, and start to determine what they need to do to ensure they’re prepared, whatever the weather. Witness the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and its commuter-rail operator Keolis Commuter Services.Early this year, MBTA unveiled a series of investments (and a few operational changes) to demonstrate the passenger-rail system was prepared for severe winter weather. The agency purchased 52 new pieces of snow removal equipment, including 10 snow fighters. MBTA also outfitted its locomotives with new traction motors designed to withstand the coldest of cold weather. Crews also installed heaters on critical switches.Freight railroads and transit agencies aren't the only ones planning ahead in a weather context. Suppliers, too, prepare to serve railroads that operate in the continent's harshest climates.This month, a sampling of rail industry suppliers share information on products and equipment designed to help railroads contend with the challenges of operating in winter.Solutions range from snow fighters and snow plows to switch heaters and idle-reduction systems.Knox Kershaw Inc.: The KSF 940 Snow FighterDesigned to combat heavy snow and to operate in freezing temperatures, Knox Kershaw Inc.'s KSF 940 Snow Fighter has a 50,000-pound working weight and offers a pressurized cab featuring a second operator’s seat and joystick controls. It also includes specially designed wings, a plow and a broom built for moving heavy snow in the harshest environments.The cab has "unique window placement for unsurpassed operator visibility," the company says. The tilt-cab feature provides access to major components, and the side-mounted heater and A/C offer a clean roof line with no maintenance components on the roof.The four-season plow includes a heavy structural frame that can be used for snow or ballast. The bolt-on curl kits allow for plowing through deep of snow — high capacity, 36-inch snow wings clear snow 16 feet from the track center. The broom and auger motor are series driven with individual drives, allowing the snow switch cleaner to blow snow over 20 feet to either side.The power unit comes equipped with a 260-horsepower Cummins engine, Espar diesel-fired engine block heater and Arctic Fox hydraulic tank heater. Dual 8-D batteries offer "plenty of cranking power" for cold weather starts, the company says. The KSF 940 also can be converted into a ballast regulator and a brush cutter for year-round use.Railway Equipment Co.: Magnum product lineRailway Equipment Co.'s Magnum™ track switch heater product line includes gas hot air blowers, electric hot air blowers, electric rail heaters, fiberglass switch covers and snow detection systems. "Our most recent product advancement to The Magnum product line includes the utilization of an AC drive to reduce power demand during start-up," the company says. "We are also developing a new control module for the track switch heaters that will be backward compatible with current units."Railway Equipment Co.'s MagnumTM track switch heater line includes gas hot air blowers, electric hot air blowers, electric rail heaters, fiberglass switch covers and snow detection systems.Railway Equipment Co.

5/15/2017    

Rail News: Labor

5/15/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

5/10/2017    

Rail News: Intermodal

5/9/2017    

Rail News: Supplier Spotlight

5/9/2017    

Rail News: MOW

5/5/2017    

Rail News: Financials

5/5/2017    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

5/4/2017    

Rail News: Security