Railroad News

Alstom announced that a rail line integrated with the company’s traffic management system has opened between Roskilde and Koge in Eastern Denmark. The line is the first in Denmark to have the system and be equipped with a European rail traffic management system and onboard signaling solutions, Alstom officials said in a press release. Meanwhile, Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent regional trains transported their first passengers at the official inauguration of Leman Express’ Franco-Swiss CEVA line, a cross-boarder service between France and Switzerland. Alstom deployed the complete on-board signal solution on 17 trains for the line, officials said in a press release.

Thales is working with the Hungarian National Infrastructure Development Co. to equip another 68 miles of track from Szajol to Debrecen, Hungary, with its European train control system. Thales previously modernized the Hungarian railway’s signaling system with electronic interlocking solutions, company officials said in a press release.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has created a video to highlight its efforts to expand freight-rail accessibility and improve rail infrastructure.

Among the departments "notable achievements" include breaking ground on the Carolina Connector project in Rocky Mount, and the state Rail Division receiving nearly $122 million in grant funding for safety, freight connectivity and passenger fleet improvements, NCDOT officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit crews will begin construction in early January to integrate new light-rail infrastructure to the eastside of its existing Link light-rail system.

From Jan. 4-5, no light-rail service will operate through downtown Seattle as crews work on the integration. Then from Jan. 6 to March 13, construction will require trains to operate less frequently, Sound Transit officials yesterday said in a press release.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. officials lauded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to renew government support for VIA Rail’s high-frequency rail (HFR) project between Quebec City and Toronto.

In a recent letter to Transport Minister Marc Garneau, Trudeau identified his top priorities for transportation, including continued implementation of the Transportation 2030 strategic plan, which includes support for the HFR.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has adopted its 2020 budget.

In a vote last week, the board approved a $3.4 billion budget for operating expenses and a $3.6 billion budget for capital expenses. The operating budget increased 1.9 percent over the 2019 budget, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

Cando Rail Services has started construction of the Cando Sturgeon Terminal in Sturgeon County, Alberta.

The terminal's first phase, which will provide additional rail capacity to Alberta's industrial heartland, will use a loop-track system to enable the storage of up to 1,900 rail cars, Cando officials said in a press release.

Cando Rail Services has started construction on the Cando Sturgeon Terminal in Sturgeon County, Alberta.

The terminal's first phase, which will provide additional rail capacity to Alberta's industrial heartland, will use a loop-track system to enable the storage of up to 1,900 rail cars, Cando officials said in a press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) last week announced plans to rebuild deteriorating platforms at four Orange Line stations in Virginia in summer 2020.

During the platform reconstruction project, Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Station in Oakton, Dunn Loring-Merrifield Station in Merrifield and East Falls Church Station in Arlington will be closed between May 25 and Sept. 7, 2020. West Falls Church-VT/UVA Station in Idylwood will remain open during the project because it has two platforms that can be reconstructed one at a time, WMATA officials said in a press release. 

Last month, the MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) subway logged improved running times, or the time it takes for trains to travel from terminal to terminal, on every line in its system. 

Overall, A division trains are running close to 4 percent, or about two-and-a-half minutes, faster than last year, while B division trains are running about 2 percent, or about one-and-a-half minutes, faster than 2018, NYCT officials said in a press release.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) yesterday approved a CA$2.14 billion 2020 operating budget that calls for new service, protects recent service improvements and adds 10 cents to most fares. 

The new budget increases spending by nearly CA$85 million from the 2019 budget. 

MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) have improved the safety of their commuter-rail systems by implementing safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) "Most Wanted List" of safety improvements, the federal agency announced yesterday.

The safety recommendations to Metro-North and LIRR were the result of the NTSB's investigation into five accidents involving Metro-North trains in Connecticut and New York that killed six people, injured 126 more and resulted in more than $28 million in damages.  All five accidents occurred in 2013 and 2014.

A tax deal expected to included in major spending legislation and cleared by Congress this week includes a five-year extension of the short-line railroad 45G tax credit, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced today.

Under the legislative proposal, the short-line tax credit would be retroactive from 2018 through 2022.

CSX has appointed Jeffrey Wall vice president of labor relations.

Wall will be responsible for overall labor strategy and working with unions that represent nearly 17,000 CSX employees. He has more than 20 years of labor relations and negotiating experience, CSX officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad has completed implementation of positive train control (PTC) on all of its federally mandated rail lines, including passenger train routes, the Class I announced yesterday.

UP will continue working with partner railroads on interoperability to ensure seamless operation onto UP track, company officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has revealed its intent to award a $790 million grant and $629 million low-interest loan to Sound Transit to enable the start of construction on the Federal Way Link light-rail extension, Sound Transit officials said yesterday.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) late last week transmitted the $790 million full funding grant agreement (FFGA) to Congress, starting a 30-day notification period. The action means that the FTA intends to execute the grant after the 30 days expires, Sound Transit officials said in a press release.

The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) earlier this month partnered with Lyft to offer Metrolink riders a free ride-hailing option between four commuter-rail stations and Ontario International Airport in Southern California. 

SBCTA will cover up to $35 off each Lyft ride connecting a rider from the Montclair, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario-East stations to the airport.

The North County Transit District (NCTD) yesterday completed track repairs on portions of the right-of-way on the Del Mar Bluffs in California, that were damaged by erosion washouts following a rainstorm in late November. 

Last week, Mid-Coast Transit Constructors and DrillTech constructed steel-reinforced shotcrete retaining structures between the existing concrete piles at a section of track near 15th Street in the Del Mar, California. Crews also installed a temporary fix with two steel plates and concrete slurry at a second erosion point, NCTD officials said in a press release.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) board last week approved a development agreement with Trammell Crow Co. to construct an underground parking garage and residential and commercial towers near the SMU/Mockingbird Station in Dallas. 

The transit-oriented development (TOD) will be constructed on surface parking lots at the station, which is one of DART’s busiest. This will be the second TOD to be constructed at the station, DART officials said in a press release.