Railroad News

TNW Corp. this week unveiled a new design for the short-line and logistics company's locomotive fleet.

The new design features the railroad's classic red, black and gray colors divided by a wavy line of white and black. Because Texas Rock Crusher Railway (TXR) is part of the community in Brownwood, Texas, the city's logo was painted on the locomotive, company officials said in a press release.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval Carter Jr. yesterday announced the start of construction to modernize the nearly 50-year-old Jefferson Park Blue Line Transit Center Terminal.

The $25 million rehabilitation project includes new bus and rail station canopies, new LED lighting and additional security cameras. Crews also will repair and refinish all station and platform surfaces, CTA officials said in a press release.

In August, tie production jumped 20.2 percent to 1,695,000 units and purchases rose 16.8 percent to 2,247,000 units compared with July levels, according to the Railway Tie Association's (RTA) latest market report.

On a year-over-year basis, production fell 15.2 percent and purchases dropped 10.7 percent.

Gulf Inland Logistics Park, a 1,050-acre industrial and commercial development near Dayton, Texas, has signed initial user land sales with two global chemical companies.

BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad serve the park, which eventually will include more than 10 million square feet of rail-served industrial facilities and storage for more than 1,850 rail cars.

The Phoenix City Council on Wednesday voted to build Valley Metro's two-lane South Central light-rail extension as planned.

The city approved the 5.5-mile project in spite of resistance from a grassroots group known as "4 Lanes or No Train," which formed earlier this year to stop the project, The Arizona Republic reported.

The Hoffman Team has been selected as the design-build "best value proposer" for the road portion of the Willmar Rail Connector and Industrial Access Project, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced this week.

Known as Willmar Wye, the project is a public-private partnership between BNSF Railway Co., MnDOT, Kandiyohi County and the city of Willmar to build a new rail line bypass on the city's west side.

Sound Transit's board yesterday selected an elevated light-rail alignment for its Link light-rail extension in downtown Redmond, Washington.

The move brings the Redmond Link extension one step closer to the start of construction in 2019, with service slated to start in 2024, agency officials said in a press release.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has approved a contract with Skanska-ECCO for the final phase of rebuilding MTA Metro-North Railroad's Croton-Harmon Shops and Yard complex in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

The final stage involves completing demolition and replacement of the main shop, where Metro-North previously performed most of its train maintenance. Slated to wrap up in 2022, the work will make room for a new electric car shop and support shop facility.

The growth in U.S. rail traffic continued unabated for the week ending Sept. 22, with railroads moving 567,078 carloads and intermodal units, a 4.9 percent increase compared with the same week a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

For the week ending Sept. 22, U.S. railroads moved 272,615 carloads, up 4.2 percent compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume was 294,463 containers and trailers, up 5.7 percent compared to 2017, according to an AAR press release.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has completed and opened a second track on the CTrail Hartford Line between Hartford and Windsor.

The work marks the completion of 4 miles of track construction as part of the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) rail program, although some follow-up construction activity will occur through mid-November.

American Honda Motor Co. recently honored BNSF Railway Co. with the auto manufacturer's Premier Partner Award for excellence in transportation.

The Class I was among 15 of Honda's suppliers to receive the award. BNSF was recognized for "efficient and reliable railway transport of finished vehicles," according to a BNSF press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has asked the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) to submit an updated recovery plan that addresses funding shortfalls for its more than $8 billion passenger-rail project.

In late June, the FTA sent a report to HART noting that the project is estimated to cost nearly $8.3 billion, which is $134 million above HART's own cost estimate.

The North County Transit District (NCTD) of San Diego announced yesterday that it's on track to fully implement its positive train control (PTC) system by the Dec. 31 deadline.

Late last week, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) gave conditional approval to the NCTD's PTC safety plan.

Cenovus Energy Inc. announced yesterday it has signed three-year pacts with Canadian Pacific and CN to move crude oil by rail from terminals in Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

The agreements call for the transport of 100,000 barrels of heavy crude per day. CN will transport oil from the Cenovus Bruderheim Energy Terminal starting in the fourth quarter. CP will transport oil through USD Partners' terminal in Hardisty, Alberta, starting in second-quarter next year, with both ramping up through 2019.

RailTrends® organizers have added three prominent rail industry leaders — Ronald Batory, Marc Brazeau and Peter Gilbertson — to the presenters lineup for this year's conference to be held Nov. 29-30 in New York City.

Batory is administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration; Brazeau is president and chief executive officer of the Railway Association of Canada (RAC); and Gilbertson is president and CEO of Anacostia Rail Holdings Co.

RailWorks Corp. has finalized an agreement to acquire steel-tie manufacturer NARSTCO, which employs about 90 people at its U.S. facilities. NARSTCO will continue to operate independently and work with its current customer base, which includes end users, contractors and engineering firms. In addition, Anthony Musa will continue to serve as NARSTCO's chief executive officer, RailWorks officials said in a press release. The acquisition's financial terms were not disclosed.

Pyrotek is adding equipment and ramping up production of acoustic thermal products at its plant in Cortland, New York. The effort is aimed at complementing the company's global manufacturing footprint and providing value-add services for rail, marine and industrial customers in the Americas, said Kevin Bacon, manager of Pyrotek's U.S. acoustic and thermal sales team, in a news release. Pyrotek's offerings include vibration damping and isolation products, as well as sound absorbers, noise barriers and condensation control solutions.

The Community Streetcar Coalition (CSC) recently announced its executive committee and new board members.

Serving as incoming chair is Adelee Le Grand, vice president at Transdev and chief strategic officer at the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority. Le Grand is responsible for finding solutions to address access and mobility challenges facing the New Orleans region, coalition officials said in a press release.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) yesterday recognized individuals and transit agencies for excellence and leadership in public transportation in North America.

The honorees were winners of this year's APTA Awards, which were presented at the association's annual meeting being held this week in Nashville, Tennessee.

The rail supply industry represented by several associations released a report today that highlights the economic and workforce impact of their products and services.

Titled "The Power of Rail Supply: The Economic Impact of Rail Suppliers in the U.S.," the report examines the "importance of the industry to the U.S. economy in terms of jobs, tax revenue and gross domestic product on the state and national level," according to a press release issued by the Railway Supply Institute (RSI).

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) announced James Tymon executive director at its annual board meeting held Sept. 20-24 in Atlanta.

Tymon is currently association's chief operating officer and director of policy and management. He joined AASHTO in 2013.