Railroad News

International Rail Partners (IRP) announced yesterday it has acquired Grenada Railroad from Iowa Pacific Holdings.

IRP will operate the railroad through a lease-purchase agreement with the North Central Mississippi Regional Railroad Authority, according to an IRP press release.

The failure of CSX and the city of Biloxi, Mississippi, to mitigate known safety hazards at a grade crossing is the probable cause of a 2017 fatal crash at the crossing, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced yesterday.

Four people died March 7, 2017, when a chartered ECHO Transportation motorcoach grounded on the "high profile" grade crossing in Biloxi was struck by a CSX freight train. The four killed were among the 49 passengers on the motorcoach, NTSB officials said in a press release.

Przemyslaw Rakoczy, 34

Job description: Serves as research project manager and lead researcher in crashworthiness, blast-worthiness and structural integrity of rail vehicles at TTCI. Also creates project schedules and budgets, and oversees test planning, execution and analysis.

Education: Bachelor of Science in civil engineering, University of Technology and Sciences in Bydgoszcz, Poland; Master of Science in civil engineering-structures from the same university; and Ph.D. in civil engineering-structures, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has begun training operators on its new Orange Line rail cars, as the agency preps to launch train service on the line by year's end.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has recognized three more transit agencies for sustainability.

APTA bestows platinum, gold, silver and bronze levels of recognition based on organizations' specific measurable achievements.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has ratified a new agreement with the Cedar River Railroad, a CN subsidiary.

The contract, which BLET members ratified July 30, governs the railroad's six locomotive engineers. It expires Dec. 31, 2019, according to a BLET press release.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) General Manager Grace Crunican on Thursday will present to the agency's board a safety and security action plan.

Crunican's proposal follows a fatal stabbing that occurred late last month at BART's MacArthur Station in Oakland, California. Another stabbing occurred at the same station late last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) General Manager and Director of Rail Transit Michael Marino will retire in January 2019, the agency announced late last week.

Appointed to PATH's top post in July 2015, Marino oversaw the railroad's positive train control implementation and directed ongoing efforts to rebuild the system after it was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials on Thursday will hold a field hearing in Sacramento, California, to review the status of the state's high-speed rail project.

The subcommittee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), will also examine the most recent modifications to the project's business plan, which were released in June.

CSX Corp. today announced a new operating management structure that will decentralize operational and support functions.

The changes — a continuation of the Class I's transition to scheduled railroading — are designed to "enhance safety, improve service, accelerate decision-making and drive operating efficiency," CSX officials announced in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co. reported second-quarter net income rose 37 percent to $1.3 billion and total revenue climbed 12 percent to nearly $5.9 billion compared with the same quarter a year ago.

The Class I attributed the revenue growth to a 5 percent increase in unit volume, according to a performance summary posted on BNSF's website.

Becca Nagorsky, 37

Job description: Leads the team that does early stage planning and preliminary design for new subway, light-rail and bus-rapid transit projects.

Education: Bachelor of Arts, McGill University; Master of Urban Planning, New York University

The North County Transit District (NCTD) in San Diego, California, is soliciting public opinion on new branding and logos, including a new paint scheme for the Coaster commuter-rail trains.

The new design will be rolled out on NCTD's new fleet of Siemens locomotives, which are slated to begin arriving in 2021. The agency also may update its existing fleet of coach and cab cars to match the chosen design, NCTD officials said in a press release.

A delegation of American Public Transportation Association (APTA) representatives visited four Canadian cities last month to learn how major investments in public transit infrastructure in those cities are structured, developed and financed.

APTA members participated in presentations, panel discussions and site visits with Canadian public transportation authorities, government officials and business leaders during the six-day mission, according to a report in APTA's Passenger Transport newsletter.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) this month continued a project to rebuild the mainline infrastructure on its Media/Elwyn commuter-rail line between Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and the Arsenal Interlocking beneath the University City Station.

That section of track also supports the Wilmington/Newark and Airport lines.

South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) Executive Director Jack Stephens last week announced that he'll retire when his contract ends Dec. 31.

During Stephens' tenure, the agency opened its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified Tri-Rail station. Last month, the agency achieved the highest on-time performance in its 29-year history.

Sheila Kuehl has been appointed chair of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).

As chair, she succeeds LA Mayor Eric Garcetti. An LA County supervisor, Kuehl previously served as Metro's first vice chair.

A Norfolk Southern Railway freight train derailed yesterday near Station Square in Pittsburgh, sending rail cars down a hill and onto light-rail tracks operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

No one was injured in the incident, according to an NS statement. Light-rail riders experienced delays today heading to and from downtown Pittsburgh, as crews continued to clean up damage and debris from the derailment, authority officials said in a website post.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, last week received the Railroad Achievement Award from the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and GoRail.

Denham — who chairs the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials — was recognized for his "continued leadership on issues affecting both freight and passenger railroads," according to an AAR press release.