Railroad News

U.S. Reps. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) and Greg Pence (R-Ind.) visited rail-industry suppliers this week to discuss transportation infrastructure and legislation that calls for reviving the short-line tax credit.

On Sept. 30, Ruppersberger visited Oldcastle Infrastructure's plant in Edgewood, Maryland. The company manufactures premium precast concrete crossing and track support systems. The company's rail crossings are engineered for freight-, commuter- and light-rail applications.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) today began a six-weekend closure of the Orange Line between Sullivan Square and Tufts Medical Center stations in Boston, to accommodate station improvements and track replacement. 

The work includes repairs and new signage installations at the Downtown Crossing, Haymarket and State stations; replacement of 2,250 feet of track at Chinatown Station; and removal and replacement of the decades-old pit track.

Metra and Union Pacific Railroad announced that on Oct. 8 crews will begin constructing a third track on the UP West commuter line through Maywood, Illinois. 

The line through Maywood Station is part of a section of a track that becomes bottlenecked, Metra officials said in a press release. UP and Metra are working to add a third track on the north side of the existing tracks and construct a new inbound platform to alleviate congestion.

Melius Energy announced last week that it successfully shipped bitumen from Edmonton, Alberta, to the Port of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, using custom 20-foot shipping containers transported by rail and ocean vessel.

The shipment was the energy company's first BitCrude™ transportation process demonstration, which showed Melius Energy's ability to transport bitumen safely and efficiently as required by Canadian regulations, company officials said in a press release.

Caltrain’s board yesterday adopted its long-term business plan for the next 20 years of commuter-rail service in California. 

The 2040 Service Vision sets a target for the railroad that ensures Caltrain can continue to meet the region's growing mobility needs, while making the best use of the projects and investments planned and under construction along the corridor, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Sept. 30 announced two proposed rulemakings, one affecting the reporting of rail service data and the other relating to the agency's methodology for determining the rail industry's cost of capital.

The board proposed amending its railroad performance data reporting rules to include chemical and plastics traffic as a distinct reporting category to the Class Is' weekly reporting of the "cars-held" metric. That metric tracks the average number of loaded and empty rail cars that have not moved for at least 48 hours.

The New Jersey State Senate earlier this week formed a committee to investigate New Jersey Transit's failures and develop an action plan for improving the commuter-rail service, according to a press release issued by New Jersey Senate Republicans.

The Senate Select Committee will include New Jersey Democratic Sens. Loretta Weinberg, Sandra Cunningham, Patrick Diegnan; and Republican Sens. Tom Kean, Kip Bateman and Kristin Corrado. 

Metrolinx has begun testing the use of specialized rubber panels on track sections as part of a larger effort to deter people from trespassing on rail tracks, the Toronto transit agency announced late last week on the agency’s Metrolinx News blog.

The anti-trespass panels (ATPs) are made of hard rubber in a cone shape pattern making it difficult to walk over. By implementing ATPs, the aim is to reduce the number of times people come into contact with trains within Metrolinx corridors; minimize delays; and increase public safety, agency officials said.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval Carter and other officials yesterday helped mark the start of construction on the first phase of the Red and Purple Line modernization project.

The $2.1 billion project — the largest in CTA's history — is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

CSX yesterday announced the appointments of Kevin Boone as executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Jamie Boychuk as EVP of operations.

Boone was named interim CFO in May. He joined CSX in 2017 as VP of corporate affairs and chief investor relations officer, then was appointed VP of marketing and strategy to lead research and data analysis to advance growth strategies. He has more than 18 years of experience in finance, mergers and acquisitions, and accounting, primarily focused on the transportation and industrial sectors.

U.S. freight-rail traffic fell 6.4 percent to 2,054,025 carloads and intermodal units compared with levels during the same month a year ago, according to Association of American Railroad (AAR) data.

U.S. railroads last month originated 992,542 carloads, down 7 percent, and 1,061,483 intermodal containers and trailers, down 5.9 percent, versus September 2018's levels, AAR officials said in a press release.

Stadler demonstrated a model of a new diesel-electric FLIRT train in Milan at the EXPO Ferroviaria. The model is a mockup of trains Stadler is manufacturing for FNM to be operated on a regional rail line in Lombardy, Italy. First vehicles are scheduled for delivery in late 2021. The FLIRT three-car trains will be powered by a pack containing four low-emission diesel engines and two sets of batteries, and will reach a maximum speed of 87 mph. Meanwhile, Stadtwerke Augsburg awarded Stadler a $62 billion contract to supply and maintain 11 trams, which will operate in Bavaria, Germany, beginning in 2022. The contract includes an option for another 16 trams, Stadler officials said in a press release.

Keolis launched a virtual mobility assistant on the Divia Mobilites multimodal network in Dijon, France. The system provides passengers itinerary, service and traffic information through a conversational, voice-assisted experience via a mobile application. Meanwhile, Keolis’ joint venture Shanghai Keolis last month began operating a new automated metro network at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport. The metro connects two terminals and two satellite halls. Keolis is under contract to operate and maintain the network for 20 years, company officials said in a press release.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam yesterday announced passenger-rail service in the state will be honored this month.

On Oct. 1, 2009, Virginia launched the inaugural daily round-trip from Lynchburg to Washington, D.C., on Amtrak’s Northeast Regional route. 

Next month, Central Florida commuter railroad SunRail will begin tracking fare evasion through its SunCard fare cards, railroad officials announced this week.

SunRail riders are expected to tap their fare cards on a card reader every time they board or get off a train. Some riders are skipping a tap or riding beyond their purchased zone fare, agency officials said in a press release.