Access to the 2019 eBook is available here.
Railroad News
Access to the 2019 eBook is available here.
MTA is rebuilding the crossing at Covert Avenue as a two-way grade separated underpass with a sidewalk.Photo – MTA
The MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) yesterday began construction on a two-way grade separated underpass at the Covert Avenue crossing in Long Island, New York.
MTA is rebuilding the crossing at Covert Avenue as an underpass with a sidewalk on the east side, according to an MTA press release.
Metra Police yesterday launched a mobile application to enable riders on the Chicago commuter-rail service to discretely report crimes and suspicious activity from a train or station.
The Metra COPS app allows riders to send a description along with a photo or video of the issue being reported. The app automatically disables the user’s smartphone flash to ensure discretion, and reports can be made anonymously, according to a Metra press release.
An additional round trip will be added to the Acela Express on Saturdays, starting May 4.Photo – amtrak.com
Next month, Amtrak will expand Acela Express weekend service between Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C.
An additional round trip will be added on Saturdays, starting May 4. Train 2252 will depart Washington, D.C., mid-morning and Train 2255 will depart Boston in the early afternoon, filling gaps in the current schedule. Regular, scheduled service on the weekends will continue.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) board has named Sam Ruda port director. Ruda has served as interim port director for the past five months.
Ruda succeeded Molly Campbell, who left the authority in late 2018 to accept a fellowship at Harvard University.
A railroad safety bill introduced earlier this month in Ohio's House of Representatives includes a provision that requires trains be operated by at least two crew members.
House Bill 186 includes the two-person crew provision, as well measures addressing blocked public grade crossings, rail-yard lighting and rail-yard walking conditions.
Americans took more commuter-rail trips in 2018 than in 2017, but overall ridership on commuter-, heavy- and light-rail systems decreased by 550,585 passenger trips last year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reported yesterday.
Nationally, commuter-rail ridership increased in 18 out of 31 transit systems, while overall ridership increased slightly by 0.41 percent in 2018 versus 2017. Two commuter-rail systems logged double-digit increases in 2018: Orlando, Florida, 30.9 percent; and Stockton, California, 11.9 percent.
CN will appeal a Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ruling issued yesterday that determined the Class I had breached its freight-rail service obligations last year in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The CTA found that CN violated its service obligations by announcing its intention to impose embargoes on wood pulp shipments in September 2018, several months before rail congestion and other challenges emerged in the Vancouver area. The Class I imposed those embargoes in December 2018, "rather than making every reasonable effort to deal with those challenges before unilaterally restricting the transportation of the shippers' traffic," according to a CTA press release.
CN will appeal a Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ruling issued yesterday that determined the Class I had breached its freight-rail service obligations last year in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The CTA found that CN violated its service obligations by announcing its intention to impose embargoes on wood pulp shipments in September 2018, several months before rail congestion and other challenges emerged in the Vancouver area. The Class I imposed those embargoes in December 2018, "rather than making every reasonable effort to deal with those challenges before unilaterally restricting the transportation of the shippers' traffic," according to a CTA press release.
ASLRRA's 106th annual meeting drew more than 1,700 attendees.Photo – Jeff Stagl
By
Collins Aerospace has implemented and currently maintains cybersecurity solutions across North America. Solutions are custom-built to meet rail customers’ needs, the company says.Photo – SOURCE: Collins aerospace
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BNSF Logistics LLC late last week announced its annual Supplier Excellence Award recipients.
The honorees are among the more than 60,000 suppliers that BNSF Logistics uses globally across all modes of transportation. BNSF Logistics operations team members nominate the suppliers for recognition.
STM credited the ridership increase to the city’s economic vitality, sustained employment growth, tourism, the expansion of reduced fares to full-time students, and measures to encourage motorists to use public transit.Photo – STM
Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) logged ridership growth last year, including 3.5 percent more riders using electronic ticketing and nearly 5 percent more riders using traditional paper ticketing, agency officials said in a press release announcing STM's 2018 annual report.
STM credited the ridership increase to the city’s economic vitality, sustained employment growth, tourism, the expansion of reduced fares to full-time students, and measures to encourage motorists to use public transit.
Herrin Railroad LLC last week filed a notice of exemption with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to lease 3.7 miles of rail line from the city of Herrin, Illinois.After it obtains necessary regulatory approvals, Herrin Railroad intends to operate as a common carrier rail service to shippers on the line. The railroad seeks to become a Class II rail carrier, according to the STB notice. Herrin Railroad's projected annual revenue will not exceed $5 million, according to the document.The railroad's lines intersect with BNSF Railway Co. in Herrin.
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More News from 4/15/2019
CN expects to spend more than $80 million this year on infrastructure projects in Minnesota, the Class I announced last week.Planned expansion projects in the state will include development of the positive train control system and construction of a new train passing siding near Glendale, Minnesota, according to a CN press release.Maintenance projects will include replacement of more than 10 miles of rail; installation of 85,000 new ties; the rebuilding 23 road crossing surfaces; and work on bridges, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure.CN has invested more than $185 million on capital expenditure projects in the state over the past five years."Following a record capital program in 2018, CN has been able to take on more traffic from different commodity sectors based on contracts with our customers," said Derek Taylor, vice president of CN’s southern region. "This year, we are continuing to invest to boost capacity and network resiliency and to meet growing traffic on our corridors across Minnesota."The Minnesota projects are part of CN’s 2019 record $2.9 billion capital expenditure program.
Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.
More News from 4/15/2019
CN expects to spend more than $80 million this year on infrastructure projects in Minnesota, the Class I announced last week.Planned expansion projects in the state will include development of the positive train control system and construction of a new train passing siding near Glendale, Minnesota, according to a CN press release.Maintenance projects will include replacement of more than 10 miles of rail; installation of 85,000 new ties; the rebuilding 23 road crossing surfaces; and work on bridges, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure.CN has invested more than $185 million on capital expenditure projects in the state over the past five years."Following a record capital program in 2018, CN has been able to take on more traffic from different commodity sectors based on contracts with our customers," said Derek Taylor, vice president of CN’s southern region. "This year, we are continuing to invest to boost capacity and network resiliency and to meet growing traffic on our corridors across Minnesota."The Minnesota projects are part of CN’s 2019 record $2.9 billion capital expenditure program.
Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.
More News from 4/15/2019
BART General Manager Grace CrunicanPhoto – BART
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) General Manager Grace Crunican last week informed the agency's board she will retire July 6.
Cruncian was appointed general manager of the San Francisco agency in 2011.
BNSF has used rotorcraft drones to complete a variety of tasks, from collecting images to general surveying.Photo – BNSF Railway Co.
By Vesna Brajkovic, Associate Editor
CSX and the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) plan to hold an April 24 groundbreaking ceremony for the Carolina Connector (CCX) intermodal facility that will be built near Rocky Mount, North Carolina, the Class I confirmed late last week.The ceremony is scheduled to take place at Gateway Technology Center at North Carolina Wesleyan College, Rocky Mount.Last year, CSX and NCDOT agreed to pursue a revised plan for a $160 million, 330-acre intermodal center in Edgecombe County. NCDOT will provide up to $118.1 million for site development and roadway construction.The CCX facility is slated for completion in 2020. CSX originally aimed to build a larger hub-and-spoke intermodal facility at the site, but those plans were reassessed in 2017.
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