Railroad News

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) this week released a report detailing the agency's strategies behind passage of its November 2016 ballot initiative.

The report documents Metro's three-year process of developing and building support for the Measure M sales tax increase in Los Angeles County. The measure, which was approved by more than 70 percent of LA County voters, provides a no-sunset transportation sales tax that's slated to generate $120 billion in revenue over the next four decades.

The National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) last week announced that an arbitration board has ruled that the pattern health-care terms adopted by the freight railroads and nine unions in national bargaining should apply to the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-Mechanical Division).

The two unions previously agreed to the other terms of the pattern agreement, which now covers 137,000 of the 145,000 employees in the current bargaining round.

IRIS USA Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of injection-molded plastic products, has purchased a 34-acre site along the Reading & Northern Railroad in an industrial park in Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

The company will soon begin construction on a 500,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution plant. Reading & Northern assisted in locating the future plant along its network in the Humboldt Industrial Park, railroad officials said in a press release.

More than 2,000 construction jobs have been created since California began its high-speed rail project in January 2015, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHRSA) announced yesterday.

The authority is building a high-speed rail line to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles. Currently, more than 119 miles are under construction as part of three separate construction packages.

Central Maine & Quebec Railway (CMQ) subsidiary Katahdin Railcar Services LLC has opened a new tank car facility in Derby, Maine.

The 24,000-square-foot building will be used for the cleaning, repair and fleet management of railroad tank cars. The building is part of the railroad's 110-acre facility in Derby, CMQ officials said in a press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has allocated $277.5 million in emergency relief funding for transit systems damaged last year by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

The bulk of the funding will go to Puerto Rico, which will receive $223.5 million. The 10.7-mile Tren Urbano subway system operates on the island, which was heavily damaged during hurricanes Irma and Maria. 

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) yesterday broke ground on a $7.2 million upgrade to its East 116th-St. Luke's station on the Blue and Green light-rail lines.

The new design will include enhanced security features, emergency call buttons and better lighting, said GCRTA Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Joe Calabrese in a press release.

Amtrak has begun offering assigned seating for riders traveling first class on Acela trains.

On select departures, passengers may now choose a single or double seat, a window or an aisle, or a two- or four-person conference table. After evaluating the offering, the railroad aims to introduce seat assignments on more departures this year, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

U.S. railroads moved 565,502 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending May 26, marking a 4.4 percent increase over the same week last year.

Total carloads ticked up 3 percent to 273,226 units during Week 21, while intermodal traffic grew 5.8 percent to 292,276 containers and trailers, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

CSX Corp. has named James Schwichtenberg as the Class I's new vice president and chief safety officer.

A "recognized leader in rail safety," Schwichtenberg will lead the company's renewed focus on safety, CSX officials said in a press release. He will report to Ed Harris, executive vice president of operations.

Positive train control (PTC) technology is in the testing phase, in revenue service demonstration or fully operational on 30 percent of the 3,339 miles of commuter rail in the United States, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced yesterday.

In addition, U.S. commuter railroads have installed 81 percent of the 15,192 pieces of onboard equipment needed for PTC. They've also installed 79 percent of PTC-related track equipment, APTA officials said in a press release.

Missinippi Rail Partners and Fairfax Financial Holdings have obtained a tentative agreement with OmniTRAX Inc. to transfer ownership of the Port of Churchill and restore rail service to northern Manitoba, the Canadian government announced yesterday.

Two organizations representing northern communities and First Nations — OneNorth and Missinippi Rail Ltd. Partnership — worked with Fairfax to secure the agreement. Fairfax announced in November 2017 that it would partner with OneNorth and Missinippi Rail in an attempt to buy OmniTRAX's Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba.

Canadian Pacific and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Train & Engine (TCRC) have reached a tentative contract agreement, ending a strike that began Tuesday night.

The TCRC represents more than 3,000 conductors and engineers. A four-year tentative pact was reached with CP conductors and locomotive engineers, and a five-year tentative deal was reached with Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) conductors and locomotive engineers, according to a CP press release.

Railinc Corp. has promoted Joan Smemoe to chief information officer and vice president of information technology (IT). She will begin her new position June 11.

A member of Railinc's executive management team, Smemoe will lead the company's data, product development and information systems platforms. She will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Allen West in her new role.

The Oregon Senate has confirmed three new board members for the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet).

Nominated by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, the new directors bring experience in community involvement, construction, labor, business and education, agency officials said in a press release.

The first new cab car shell in Caltrain's electrified fleet has undergone first article inspection and has been cleared for painting.

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday released its ninth annual sustainability report, which details the company's progress on social, economic and environmental initiatives during 2017.

UP applies the Global Reporting Initiative's reporting standards to report the company's social responsibility issues, including economic impact, operating safely, strengthening communities, engaging employees and preserving the environment.