Railroad News

U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) on Monday introduced legislation that calls for reforming the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) Metro system.

The "Metro Accountability and Reform Act" would substantially increase funding for WMATA, but on the condition of "making fundamental changes necessary to meet reasonable benchmarks of a functional mass transit system," said Comstock in a press release.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) yesterday marked the completion of Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accessibility improvements at its 40th Street subway station in Philadelphia.

The agency has installed two new elevators that provide direct access from the street to the subway level. The $9.23 million improvement project also included upgrading doors, gates and employee facilities.

Bi-State Development and the St. Louis County Department of Public Health last week unveiled Links 2 Health, a new mobile health van that will visit four Metro Transit centers once a week to help improve North St. Louis County residents' access to health care services.

The Links 2 Health van's weekly visits include the Rock Road MetroLink Station in Pagedale, Missouri. Health screenings and assessments — such as blood pressure and diabetes testing — will be offered free of charge to adults 18 years and older.

The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority's (HART) board yesterday named Jeffrey Seward interim chief executive officer.

He'll succeed Katharine Eagan Kelleman, who has been appointed CEO of the Port Authority of Allegheny County. Kelleman's last day at HART will be Jan. 5.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has begun installing new switches near the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn.

The work is aimed at making operations more efficient by allowing trains to access the Atlantic Yards directly from the terminal, LIRR officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit announced yesterday that it has finished winterizing hundreds of rail cars and locomotives.

The work included checking the units' on-board heating systems, ventilation, thermostats, weather stripping and electronic components. The agency also changed locomotive filters and switched fuel from a summer blend to a winter one.

Preferred Proppants LLC subsidiary Preferred Sands has sold a frac sand plant in Bloomer, Wisconsin, to Frontier Sand.

The acquisition includes access to frac-sand reserves through lease agreements and royalty rights, as well as corresponding facilities and equipment. The value of the cash transaction was not revealed.

Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) repealed a May 2015 rulemaking that would have required the installation of electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes on certain tank cars, according to U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.). The USDOT had until Dec. 4 to publish a determination that the ECP rule either was justified or should be repealed.

The Federal Railroad Administration rulemaking had set a timetable for requiring ECP brakes on newer tank cars trains used to haul certain hazardous or flammable materials, such as ethanol and crude oil. ECP brakes issue electronic signals to simultaneously apply and release brakes throughout the length of a train instead of each car applying brakes individually —  a system the government considers more effective in emergency situations.

The Andersons Inc. Rail Group President Rasesh Shah will retire in July 2018. Shah, who began his career with the company in 1978, was "instrumental" in creating the Rail Group in 1989, according to a press release issued by The Andersons. The company has selected Joseph McNeely to serve as the new president of the Rail Group, effective Jan. 8. Shah will provide transition assistance until he retires. McNeely has more than three decades of experience in the financial, manufacturing and distribution industries, specializing in the rail-car business. Most recently, he served as president and chief executive officer of FreightCar America Inc. McNeely also held vice president roles at Mitsui Rail Capital and GATX Corp.

Wabtec Corp. has acquired turbocharger manufacturer Melett Ltd., which has operations in Europe, North America and China. Melett, which has annual sales of around $40 million, provides turbochargers and repair parts to more than 100 countries in the world, Wabtec officials said in a press release. The acquisition is aimed at complementing Wabtec's overall turbocharger strategy and its overall product portfolio. Financial details of the transaction weren't disclosed.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. served 1.2 million passengers in the third quarter, a 12 percent increase compared with the same period in 2016.

The railroad's revenue in the quarter rose 14 percent to CA$113 million, while operating expenses increased 5 percent to CA$147 million.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has appointed infrastructure consultant Paul Karas to be commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).

Most recently, Karas served for four years as vice president and manager of RS&H Inc., a transportation buildings infrastructure consulting firm, according to a press release issued by the governor's office.

The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority on Saturday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a $1.5 billion light-rail extension between Glendora and Montclair, California.

The 12.3-mile line will be an extension of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) Gold Line light-rail route.

Members of the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART TD) voted to ratify the new national contract with the freight carriers, the union announced Dec. 1.

The contract will cover more than 35,000 SMART TD members employed by BNSF Railway Co., CSX, Norfolk Southern Railway, Kansas City Southern, Union Pacific Railroad and numerous smaller carriers, union officials said in a press release.

The Regional Plan Association (RPA) late last week unveiled a proposal for sweeping changes to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) subway and commuter-rail services in the New York City area.

The association recommends that the MTA expand the subway system into neighborhoods with densities to support fixed-rail transit, particularly in low-income areas where residents dependent on public transit. For example, in Queens, fewer than four in 10 residents live within walking distance to the subway, according to the report.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) late last week filed comments with the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) called for a federal regulatory approach that recognizes the railroad industry's private investments in infrastructure and technology that improve safety and performance.

The AAR submitted its comments in response to the Trump administration's directive to reform industry regulations and processes.

Miami-Dade Transit yesterday placed its first new Hitachi Rail Italy train into passenger service.

The four-car consist is the agency's first new train to enter service since the Metrorail system opened in 1984, Miami-Dade County officials said in a press release.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced today that its membership has voted to ratify a new contract with the National Carriers Conference Committee, representing the nation's freight carriers.

The BLET is the third union among the six represented by the Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG) to ratify the five-year agreement, which covers rates of pay, health and welfare, and other fringe benefits for 25,000 BLET members nationwide.