Railroad News

Amtrak*

Amtrak is the U.S. intercity passenger railroad. It is a federally chartered corporation, with the federal government as majority stockholder. The board is appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Amtrak is operated as a for-profit company rather than a public authority.
Service launched: 1971
Route Miles: 21,400
Rolling stock: As of January 2018, active Amtrak-owned or leased passenger equipment includes 20 Acela Express high-speed trainsets; 1,242 passenger cars including Amfleet, Superliner, Viewliner, Horizon and other types; 80 baggage cars; 80 Auto Train vehicle carriers; 259 road diesel locomotives and 68 ACS-64 electric locomotives. Amtrak Cascades service primarily operates with six Talgo trainsets with cars owned by Amtrak and the states of Oregon and Washington. In FY 2017, Amtrak began receiving new single-level dining cars that are part of a larger 130-car order that also includes sleeping (pending) and baggage (delivered) cars.
Annual ridership: 31.7 million passenger trips (FY2017)
Total revenue: $3.3 billion (FY2017)
Operating earnings: $194 million (FY2017)
Capital and operating expense: $5.9 billion (FY2017)
Major capital improvement projects underway or scheduled to begin in one year:
Amtrak announced in August 2016 that it contracted with Alstom to produce 28 next-generation high-speed trainsets that will replace the equipment used to provide Acela Express service. The first trainset should enter revenue service in 2021, and all trainsets are expected to be in service by the end of 2022. In addition to the trainsets, Amtrak is investing in infrastructure needed to improve the onboard and station customer experience and accommodate increased high-speed rail service levels. Amtrak will invest in significant improvements at Washington Union Station; and Moynihan Station New York, as well as track capacity and ride quality improvements to the Northeast Corridor that will benefit all intercity and commuter customers. Amtrak will also modify fleet maintenance facilities to accommodate the new trainsets.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority*

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Agency (WMATA) was created in 1967 for the purpose of creating and operating a public transit system serving the District of Columbia and areas in Virginia and Maryland. WMATA operates Metrorail.
Miles: 118
Rolling stock: 1,200 rail cars
Cars/locomotives on order: 748 rail cars (7000 series), of which 548 have been delivered
Ridership: 44.9 million (Metrorail, Q1 FY2018)
Operating budget: $1.9 billion (FY2019 budget)
Capital budget: $1.3 billion (FY2019 budget)
Stations: 91
Major active capital projects: Several major capital projects are underway, including the 7000 series rail-car acquisition; construction of the Andrews Federal Center Bus Maintenance and Storage facilities; the Radio and Wireless Infrastructure project, which will facilitate wireless communication in the underground segments of the rail system and upgrade radio communications systemwide; and construction of Silver Line Phase 2 to Dulles Airport and Loudoun County, for which WMATA is providing technical support.

New Jersey Transit

New Jersey Transit is the nation’s largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 944,000 weekday trips on bus, light-rail, commuter-rail and Access Link systems.
Service launched: Commuter rail, 1979; light rail, 1930s
Miles: 1,001 (commuter rail)
Rolling stock: 188 locomotives, average age 16 years; 1,098 rail cars, average age 20 years; 93 light-rail vehicles, average age 16 years
Locomotives on order: 17 ALP 45A dual powered locomotives; first vehicle to be delivered in December 2019; manufacturer is Bombardier
Ridership: commuter rail, 85.4 million; light rail, 23.7 million
Annual operating cost: $2.35 billion budget (systemwide)
Annual capital cost: $1.46 billion budget (systemwide)
Stations: 62 light rail, 165 commuter rail
Major capital improvement projects: Positive train control installation continues; Raritan River Bridge Replacement Project, to advertise this year; Long Slip Fill and Rail Enhancement Project, to advertise this year.

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority

SEPTA is the nation’s sixth largest public transportation system with an extensive network of fixed route services that include bus, subway, trolley, trackless trolley, high-speed and regional rail serving a 2,202-square-mile service region. That service region includes five Pennsylvania counties (Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery) and extends to Trenton, New Jersey and Newark, Delaware. SEPTA employs 9,000 workers, making the agency one of the region’s largest employers.
Service launched: heavy rail, 1968; light rail, 1969; commuter rail, 1983. SEPTA was created by the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1964 to consolidate private regional public transportation operators. SEPTA’s predecessor rail agencies began providing passenger service in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The dates shown here reflect the years that SEPTA began operating those modes.
Route miles per mode: Light rail, 42; heavy rail, 47; commuter rail, 280
Rolling stock: locomotives, 8 (average age 27 years); rail cars, 404 (average age 30 years); light-rail vehicles, 167 (average age 35 years)
Cars/locomotives on order: 45 cars, expected delivery 2022; 13 locomotives, expected delivery fall 2018
Annual ridership: light rail, 24,720,500; heavy rail, 93,524,700; commuter rail, 34,355,300
Operating budget: $1.45 billion (FY2018)*
Capital budget: $727.2 million (FY2018)*
Stations: light rail, 8; heavy rail, 75; commuter rail, 154
Major capital improvement projects underway:
• Southwest connection: SEPTA has designed a series of infrastructure improvements near the University City Station. The project includes replacement of 80-year-old catenary, construction or rehabilitation of four interlockings, retiring an interlocking, tie and surface renewal, and signal improvements along a 3-mile segment of SEPTA railroad that’s adjacent to the Northeast Corridor. The improvements are designed to have a positive impact on service on SEPTA’s Airport, Wilmington and Media lines, and will be constructed between now and 2020. In summer 2018, SEPTA performed a two-week shutdown of the commuter railroad to install major interlocking components.
• Elwyn to Wawa service restoration: SEPTA will restore revenue service on the Media-Elwyn Regional Railroad Line from its current terminus at Elwyn Station to Wawa, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. (Service beyond Elwyn was discontinued in the 1980s.) An early action phase to stabilize embankments on sections of this line was completed in 2010. The second component of this 3-mile service restoration started in spring 2018. This phase will involve significant infrastructure renewal, including retaining walls; the rehabilitation of 9 bridges; and the replacement of track, catenary and structures, and signals. The final component of this project is the construction of a new station, a 600-car parking deck and an intermodal connect.
• Substation program: SEPTA has initiated a multiyear program to rehabilitate the 80-year-old traction power substations that provide electricity to propel vehicles on the Regional Railroad. The first substations to be addressed in this program are under construction and include Lenni and Morton on the Media/Elwyn Line and Jenkintown and Ambler (Main Line). Fourteen additional substations will be overhauled or replaced as part of this program. SEPTA also will be constructing a new substation on the West Trenton Line.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) this week will conduct positive train control (PTC) testing and other routine rail safety tests on the Montauk Branch during off-peak hours.

The tests will take place again Oct. 29 and Nov. 2. A self-propelled Sperry Rail Car fitted with ultrasonic and induction test equipment will perform some of the rail safety tests. The car is designed to detect internal defects inside running rails that aren't readily visible.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. has awarded a CA$16.4 million contract to Rail GD Inc. to refurbish four 1950s-era dining cars for use on long-haul Canadian line trains.

Slated for completion in second-quarter 2020, the work will include installation of a new kitchen and devices to make the cars Wi-Fi ready.

The Port of Long Beach reported a 10.7 percent increase in volume in fiscal-year 2018 ended Sept. 30 compared with the previous year.

The port handled more than 8 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in FY2018 — the most ever during a fiscal year. The port is on track to break its calendar-year record by December's end, said Mario Cordero, the port's executive director, in a press release.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) late last week fined Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) $1.3 million for the death of two track workers during an October 2013 strike.

The commission also placed BART on three-year probation for safety failures that led to the deaths.

Metrolink Chief Executive Officer Art Leahy late last week announced he will retire Jan. 4, 2019.

A 47-year transportation industry veteran, Leahy became Metrolink's CEO in 2015 after leading the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

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

U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minnesota) this week visited Meyer Contracting Inc.'s headquarters in Minnesota to discuss rail-related legislative issues with company, local and industry officials.

During his visit, Paulsen learned about Meyer Contracting's business operations and its impact on the state economy. He also toured the firm's headquarters and manufacturing shop in Maple Grove.

Alstom, software publisher IGE+XAO Group and aerospace-component maker Safran S.A. today announced plans to establish a Center of Excellence in Toulouse, France, for the engineering of onboard rail electrical systems. Located on Safran's site, the center will accommodate up to 100 engineers. Using software packages from IGE+XAO, center staff will develop the "railway electrical systems of today," Alstom officials said in a press release.

German rail company Deutsche Bahn (DB) has ordered 18 7-car ICE 4 trainsets and 50 more power cars from Siemens Mobility. Bombardier Transportation will supply about one-third of the order, which is valued at $704 million, Siemens officials said in a press release. In total, DB will be receiving 1,511 cars it can configure into 12-car, 13-car and seven-car trainsets.

Skyfarm Strategic Capital yesterday announced completion of the first phase of development on its rail-served Florida Commerce Park in Indiantown, Florida.

Located along State Road 710, the planned-unit development industrial site features a 4,000-foot CSX siding. The first phase involved grandfathering all entitlements and completion of horizontal infrastructure, including site work and grading, irrigation, and electrical and fiber optic work.

Skyfarm Strategic Capital yesterday announced completion of the first phase of development on its rail-served Florida Commerce Park in Indiantown, Florida.

Located along State Road 710, the planned-unit development industrial site features a 4,000-foot CSX siding. The first phase involved grandfathering all entitlements and completion of horizontal infrastructure, including site work and grading, irrigation, and electrical and fiber optic work.