Railroad News

Metra and Operation Lifesaver Inc. this year will conduct 54 safety "blitzes" at stations across the Chicago commuter railroad's six-county region.

During a blitz, Metra safety employees hand out educational materials about train and grade crossing safety at a station during the morning commute. This year, the railroad will hold safety blitzes at 54 train stations.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has appointed Bryan Sastokas chief information officer.

Currently, Sastokas is CIO and head of technology and innovation for the city of Long Beach, California. His previous positions include CIO for the cities of Oakland and Modesto, California, as well as Coral Springs, Florida.

Norfolk Southern Railway's safety train will visit 23 cities this year as part of its Operation Awareness and Response program, which provides first responders with free training on how to safely respond to a potential rail incident.

The train kicked off this year's schedule earlier this week with three days of training at NS' rail yard in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, according to an NS press release.

BNSF Railway Co. has filed an application to construct a second train bridge next to and west of an existing train bridge across Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek in Idaho.

The Idaho Department of Lands has scheduled public hearings on the application for May 23, according to a department press release.

Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) have issued a request for qualifications for a team to build, design, finance, operate and maintain a major GO Transit rail expansion project.

The scope of work includes operation of train services, timetable planning, procurement of new rolling stock, construction of a new maintenance facility and reconstruction of Toronto Union Station's track and platforms.

U.S. carload traffic rose 3.6 percent to 1,050,653 units and intermodal volume increased 6.5 percent to 1,082,239 containers and trailers last month compared with traffic in March 2017.

Combined, U.S. carload and intermodal traffic climbed 5 percent to 2,132,892 units for the month compared to a year ago, according to Association for American Railroads (AAR) data.

The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) over the weekend will replace a rail bridge over Bear Creek in Irving, Texas.

The replacement marks a major step in TRE's ongoing double-track upgrade, according to a press release issued by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which jointly owns TRE with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. has awarded a CA$54 million contract to Bombardier to make 17 rail cars more accessible for people with disabilities.

Each car will be equipped with two wheelchair lifts, two accessible spaces with anchoring devices and an accessible restroom. In addition, Bombardier will add announcement display screens on all the cars.

Union Pacific Railroad on Monday announced plans to invest $45 million in its infrastructure in Oklahoma this year.

Key investments include $24 million to replace 50 miles of rail between the Kansas-Oklahoma line and Pryor, Oklahoma. The Class I also will invest $3.6 million to replace 26,250 ties and install 18,548 tons of ballast between Gore and Wagoner.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) announced the appointments of Bruce Carter and Cynthia Hostetler to its board.

Their appointments expand the number of G&W board directors to 12, 11 of whom are independent directors, company officials said in a press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board on Monday awarded a $102.7 million contract to Barletta Heavy Division to rebuild the Wellington rail yard in Medford, Massachusetts.

The contract also calls for upgrading the Orange Line's signal system. The 36-month project is needed to support the arrival of 152 new Orange Line subway cars, MBTA officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway's service "is not where we or our customers need it to be," the Class I's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires acknowledged in a letter to the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

Squires' letter was sent April 2 in response to the STB's recent request for the Class Is to submit 2018 service outlook reports, as the board looks into shippers' complaints about deteriorating freight-rail service.

Former New Jersey Transit Executive Director Steven Santoro has joined Dewberry as director of rail and transit. In the new role, he'll help grow Dewberry's practice by mentoring employees, expanding relationships with rail and transit agencies on costs and assisting with project delivery. Santoro had worked at NJ Transit for 18 years. The agency him in 2000 to manage the Hudson-Bergen light-rail project. He became executive director in fall 2016.

Peaker Services Inc. has acquired Energy Conversions Inc. (ECI), a firm that develops natural gas conversion kits for high horsepower diesel engine applications. Those applications include using multipoint direct gas injection and custom engine modifications in dual-fuel natural gas EMD locomotives. ECI will continue to operate out of its plant in Tacoma, Washington, as Engenious Engineering LLC, Peaker Services officials said in a press release. PSI was founded in 1971 to repair and maintain EMD diesel generators. The company grew and diversified into complete locomotive remanufacturing, marine propulsion service and other industrial EMD applications. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Metra in June will stop selling tickets on its website in an effort to save money.

Rolled out in September 2009, the railroad's Ticket-by-Internet program allows riders to buy monthly passes and 10-ride tickets on Metra's website. The program also allows passengers to set up recurring orders to receive tickets on a monthly schedule.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan has halted all work related to the Center City Connector streetcar project pending an independent review of its proposed cost.

Last week, Durkan called for an independent technical review of the proposed costs of the project. In conducting a preliminary assessment, it was discovered that the project could face a "significant capital shortfall," according to a press release issued by Durkan's office. The release didn't state who or what organization conducted the assessment.