Railroad News

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in mid-January will begin phasing out the sale of tokens at cashiers' booths and vending machines in Market-Frankford and Broad Street Line subway stations.

With token sales declining as riders move to the reloadable "Key" card fare payment system, about half of station vending machines on the lines have been removed. During a six-week period, SEPTA will remove the 40 remaining token machines from the lines, with token sales at all these locations expected to end in March.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week announced the state will pursue legal action to try to stop Iowa Pacific Holdings from storing thousands of rail cars in Adirondack Park.

The state's Department of Environmental Conservation has filed a petition for waivers and exemptions with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to support the state's application for "adverse abandonment."

North American rail volume for the week ending Dec. 16 climbed 7.8 percent to 733,320 carloads and intermodal units compared with volume in the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Thirteen U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads hauled 363,454 carloads during the week, a 6 percent year-over-year increase. Intermodal units totaled 369,866 units, up 9.7 percent, AAR officials said in a press release.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) last week tested a new device to detect bombs and explosives.

The testing, which took place at the 7th/Metro Station in downtown L.A., was part of Metro's ongoing efforts to test different technologies to improve security on the transit system, agency officials wrote in a blog post.

Kevin Flaherty, executive vice president for Maintenance of Way at Holland LP, will be retiring effective Dec. 31 after 15 years of leadership within the company and 40 years in the industry.

Holland, based in Crete, Ill., called Flaherty "a driving force" behind the progress it experienced during his tenure, as it grew six times over in revenue and number of employees. He helped expand Holland's fleet and presence on every Class 1 Railroad in North America, where Holland is a leading provider in contract welding and track measurement.

Kevin Flaherty, executive vice president for Maintenance of Way at Holland LP, will be retiring effective Dec. 31 after 15 years of leadership within the company and 40 years in the industry.

Holland, based in Crete, Ill., called Flaherty "a driving force" behind the progress it experienced during his tenure, as it grew six times over in revenue and number of employees. He helped expand Holland's fleet and presence on every Class 1 Railroad in North America, where Holland is a leading provider in contract welding and track measurement.

Several rail-related trade associations endorsed the tax-reform legislation passed by Congress yesterday.

Leaders of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), American Association of Port Authorities and Building America's Future issued statements saying they welcomed passage of the "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act."

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Dec. 20, 2017 – Edward R. Hamberger, Association of American Railroads President and CEO, released the following statement on final passage of tax reform legislation in Congress.

“Tax reform will make our customers and the freight railroads more globally competitive, and we applaud Congress for passing this legislation. Key provisions, namely the reduction of the corporate tax rate and full and immediate expensing for five years, will help support private investment across the 140,000-mile rail network and the entire economy. We look forward to moving on to other policy debates next year that affect our industry and our customers, especially in ensuring that NAFTA remains in place, in making the short line tax credit permanent and in comprehensively addressing U.S. infrastructure and transportation systems."

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has issued its annual sustainability report, which provides an update on the approach to the design, construction and operation of the state's future high-speed rail system.

The report highlights a range of topics including energy, natural resources, infrastructure, station communities, and business and management.

TransLink plans to study the feasibility of providing late-night SkyTrain service on Fridays and Saturdays.

The agency is studying the issue in response to requests from the public, municipal leaders, police and other community stakeholders, TransLink officials said in a press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has added free Wi-Fi service at 24 additional underground rail stations.

The agency now offers the service at 30 total underground stations. In April, WMATA first began providing Wi-Fi service at six stations.

The seven-year, $2 billion project to prepare a high-speed passenger-rail route between Chicago and St. Louis is in its final months, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT).

IDOT Secretary Randy Blankenhorn told the The State Journal-Register this week that he expects the project — to upgrade track, grade crossings and technology to allow high-speed Amtrak trains on the corridor — will be completed on time and on budget.

Arnaud Pierrard is joining Pandrol's senior team in a new position tasked with innovating the company's manufacturing processes.

Pandrol says the new position will support its industrial productivity and improvement strategies across its four product lines: fastenings, aluminothermic welding, equipment and control and electrification.

Arnaud Pierrard is joining Pandrol's senior team in a new position tasked with innovating the company's manufacturing processes.

Pandrol says the new position will support its industrial productivity and improvement strategies across its four product lines: fastenings, aluminothermic welding, equipment and control and electrification.

​The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 16, 2017.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 554,779 carloads and intermodal units, up 5.9 percent compared with the same week last year.

The Canadian Senate has passed legislation aimed at streamlining rail and air travel between the United States and Canada.

Known as C-23, the bill last week received Royal Assent, marking the last step in the Canadian legislative process. The law establishes streamlined customs procedures for air travel — and eventually passenger-rail service — between the United States. and Canada.

Progressive Railroading today opened its nomination process for the sixth annual "Rising Stars" Awards, a recognition program for up-and-coming leaders in North America's railroad industry.

Progressive Railroading defines a Rising Star as someone under the age of 40 who is making a positive difference in his or her company, department or team, and is viewed by others — peers, colleagues, supervisors, clients or associates — as a rising star in the rail industry. Progressive Railroading will select 20 Rising Stars and publish their profiles in the September 2018 issue.

[Editor's note: This story was updated at 10:55 a.m. CST.]

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) board late last week awarded a $91.5 million design-build contract to Halmar International to improve five MTA Metro-North Railroad stations.

Positive train control (PTC) was not implemented on either the rail line or the Amtrak Cascades 501 train that derailed in DuPont, Washington, on Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced yesterday.

NTSB investigators confirmed that the Sound Transit, which owns the track from which the train derailed, had centralized traffic control (CTC), which allows for dispatch direction over the train.