Railroad News

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) yesterday announced that Missouri has obtained federal certification of its transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) program.

By law, states with transit-rail systems are required to achieve federal certification of their SSO programs by April 15, 2019. To obtain certification, states must meet certain statutory requirements, including establishing an SSO agency that's financially and legally independent from the transit agencies it oversees.

Watco Transportation Services last week agreed to establish a rail transport facility in Warwick, Queensland, in Australia.

Watco will haul grain from the facility. The company anticipates starting operations in first-quarter 2019, according to a press release issued by the Southern Downs Regional Council.

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an $870 million budget to build a new on-dock rail support facility.

The facility will be designed to shift more shipping containers from trucks to rail for a "more efficient and sustainable transfer of cargo," port officials said in a press release.

The Orange County Transportation Authority's (OCTA) board yesterday awarded a $220.5 million contract to Walsh Construction Co. to build the 4.1-mile OC Streetcar system.

The streetcar will operate between Metrolink's commuter-rail service at the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center and Harbor Boulevard in Garden Grove, California. The streetcar also will connect with several of the county's busiest bus routes along the way, OCTA officials said in a news release.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) yesterday rescinded a mandate that would have required crude-oil trains to use electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) braking systems.

The PHMSA took the action after it conducted a congressionally mandated review of the regulation's impact, and determined that the expected costs of requiring ECP brakes would be "significantly higher" than the expected benefits, according to a PHMSA press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) late last week applied to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a two-year extension of the federally mandated deadline to implement positive train control (PTC).

MBTA submitted the request after completing all federal requirements necessary to qualify for an extension to implement PTC. Railroads are required to implement PTC by Dec. 31, or apply for an extension.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) on Wednesday will hold an open house for its project to modernize Union Station.

Known as Link Union Station, the project calls for transforming the station from a "dead-end" stop into  "run-through" one by extending tracks south over the US-101 highway.

Construction is underway to improve access to the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub near the Port of Savannah, Georgia.

McCall Road, which provides access to the eastern portion of the industrial park, will be widened from Highway 21 toward the park. Completion is expected by March 2019, said Mike Martin, vice president of development at OmniTRAX Inc., the park's developer.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has appointed Marla Blagg executive director of safety and security effective Oct. 22.

Blagg will succeed Harry Saporta, who plans to retire in early 2018 after eight years leading the agency's safety and security efforts.

The boards of the Port of New Orleans and New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Corp. last week approved separate resolutions that authorize nonbinding cooperative endeavor agreements between the port, the short line, Jefferson Parish and Avondale Marine LLC to facilitate the proposed redevelopment of the former Avondale Shipyard.

The port will issue a jurisdictional permit to Avondale Marine for use and development of a port and intermodal facility. When the rail extension is completed — at Avondale Marine's expense — New Orleans Public Belt Railroad will connect and provide service that will ensure the site has neutral access to Class Is operating in the New Orleans gateway, port and railroad officials said in a press release.

As of mid-August, Class Is in the United States employed 148,136 workers, up 0.48 percent since mid-July's employment figure and up 0.55 percent compared with mid-August 2017, according to the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

Four of six employment categories reflected workforce increases compared with mid-July. Those categories were executives, officials and staff assistants, up 0.45 percent to 8,460 employees; maintenance of equipment and stores, up 0.54 percent to 26,946; transportation (other than train and engine), up 0.16 percent to 5,700 workers; and transportation (train and engine), up 0.89 percent to 62,442 employees.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) yesterday kicked off the first joint Rail Safety Week in the United States and Canada.

OLI is running a campaigned called #StopTrackTragedies, which features seven videos that tell the personal stories of people affected by rail crossing or trespassing incidents. The videos will feature victims, their friends and family members, as well as locomotive engineers and first responders, OLI officials said in a news release.

Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. has promoted Joe Parsons to president and chief executive officer.

Parsons joined the railroad in September 2013 as chief operating officer; he was promoted to general manager — his most recent position — in 2017.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) will examine the feasibility of providing passenger-rail service between Altoona and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced late last week.

PennDOT will review several past studies on the Keystone West Corridor, and gather information about the existing right of way, as well as current and projected freight-rail activity on the line. The department also will develop estimated costs of the proposed project, according to a press release issued by Wolf's office.

At InnoTrans 2018 in Berlin, Germany, China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. (CRRC) unveiled its Cetrovo train, a carbon-fiber unit that's 13 percent lighter than traditional steel or aluminum subway trains. The units feature car windows that can be transformed into touch-screen displays and other "advanced technical features," including internet-enabled touch-screen mirrors and self-cleaning seats, company officials said in a press release.

GE Transportation has announced a new high-speed diesel engine program that will serve the locomotive, marine and power generation segments. The engine platform will be designed to provide improved fuel efficiency and reliability, along with lower lifecycle costs, company officials said in a press release. GE is designing the high-speed diesel engine in 12- and 16-cylinder configurations with a maximum-rated horsepower of 2,500 and 3,3300, respectively.

GO Transit on Sept. 24 will add 220 new weekly trips along its Lakeshore East and West commuter-rail lines.

The added trips mark a nearly 18 percent increase in service along the corridors, according to a press release issued by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

Northern Lines Railway (NLR) has received a 2018 Jake with Distinction Award from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) to recognize the railroad's safety standards.

The honor is the railroad's fifth consecutive award for operating with a personal injury, NLR officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit yesterday announced that it will offer 10 percent discounts on rail tickets and passes for travel in November, December and January as positive train control (PTC) installation is completed.

The news comes as the agency prepares for temporarily discontinued trains and modified times to accommodate the installation on locomotives and cab control cars. Starting Oct. 14, some trains will be discontinued or have changes in their origin or destination points, NJ Transit officials said in a news release.

The Port of Long Beach in California has been awarded a $4.2 million federal grant to help pay for physical and cyber security improvements.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the funds from the Port Security Grant Program. The funds will be used for security system maintenance, along with expanding and enhancing physical and cyber security capabilities, Port of Long Beach officials said in a press release.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit's (SMART) board this week approved $24 million for four contracts to advance a 3.2-mile extension from Sonoma County Airport to Windsor, California.

The contracts include a $15.7 million agreement with Modern Railway Systems Inc. to design and construct the train control, communications system and platform communication elements for the project. The company has been a key contractor in the implementation of the system, SMART officials said in an emailed newsletter.