Railroad News

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) late last week put its first Siemens-built light-rail vehicle into revenue service. In total, Siemens will deliver 219 rail cars for the Muni light-rail system, marking the company's largest order for light-rail cars in the United States. Built at Siemens' manufacturing hub in Sacramento, California, the units feature a new seating configuration and new interior and exterior design. Earlier this month, the first five new light-rail vehicles were cleared for passenger service.

RATP Dev North America will integrate Ideagen's Coruson software into its new drive2zero™ safety and security framework. RATP will use the Coruson cloud-based software system to directly manage safety, risk and operational performance across all bus, paratransit and rail services. In particular, Coruson will enable RATP to pinpoint locations of incidents, provide real-time status of incidents and conduct root-cause analysis, Ideagen's Coruson Project Lead Andrew McIntyre said in a press release.

Michael Lewis will become the next executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Gov. John Hickenlooper announced yesterday.

Lewis will start his new role in December. Most recently, he served as deputy executive director and chief operating officer for CDOT, where he provided policy, technical, organizational and operational direction for the $1.4 billion organization with 3,000 employees.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) last week opened a new bike parking facility at L.A.'s Union Station.

The $2.5 million bike hub is one of the largest secure-access bicycle parking facilities of its kind on Metro's system, agency officials said in a press release.

Amtrak earlier this month unveiled a final preferred concept for its Philadelphia 30th Street Station Plaza.

The plan addresses future needs and shortcomings of the area surrounding the historic station. Built in 1934, 30th Street is Amtrak's third-busiest station, with direct rail connections to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and New Jersey Transit, as well as bus, subway and trolley connections.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has certified Utah's transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) program.

Utah is the third state to achieve the certification; Ohio was the first in August, followed by Minnesota in October.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has chosen a Fluor Corp.-led joint venture to serve as the design-build team for the $2 billion Green Line light-rail extension.

Known as GLX Constructors, the team includes Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc., Herzog Contracting Group and The Middlesex Corp. The project calls for extending the Green Line from its terminus in Cambridge to Somerville, Massachusetts.

Metrolink's leaders have asked Congress to maintain a tax deduction benefit for businesses that provide transit passes to their employees.

A proposal in the U.S. House's version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Bill would remove the federal deduction for public transportation benefits. The change could eliminate the incentive for employers to encourage their workers to use public transit, Metrolink officials said in a press release.

The North County Transit District (NCTD) in San Diego, California, next month will enable positive train control (PTC) on all of its Coaster commuter trains.

The agency will implement the technology on the trains over several weeks in December.

Metra, local and federal officials last week broke ground on the Chicago commuter railroad's $34 million project to construct a new bridge over the Fox River in Elgin, Illinois.

The project is designed to remove a rail chokepoint between freight and passenger trains. The bridge construction is being funded in part by a $14 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. Metra will contribute $14 million, while Canadian Pacific will provide $6 million toward the project.

The Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) 5.3-mile subway extension to southern Ontario's York region will open Dec. 17.

Late last week, Ontario Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca joined local officials to announce the opening date during a tour of the extension's Vaughan Metropolitan Center and Downsview Park stations.

Mike O'Malley, a former vice president of CSX, will become president of the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) on Feb. 1, 2018. He will succeed Tom Simpson, who is retiring.

O'Malley's career includes experience in the railroad industry, federal and state government, and international trade organizations. He joined CSX in 2007 as vice president, state government and community affairs, before being named vice president, procurement and supply chain management, in 2013.

The American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) board has appointed Paul Skoutelas president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 8, 2018.

Skoutelas has served as CEO of transit agencies in Pittsburgh and Orlando, Florida. Most recently, he was senior vice president at WSP USA. Skoutelas currently serves on APTA's board and the association's business member board of governors.

The Delachaux Group has combined its rail divisions under the Pandrol brand. The companies that will now operate under the Pandrol name include Railtech, Vortok, Pandrol CDM Track, Rosenqvist, Matweld and RSS. The rebranding effort is aimed at creating "synergy from the combined strengths of the market-leading businesses within the rail division, and to make the products and services more streamlined for customers," Delachaux officials said in a press release. The Pandrol organization will focus on four key product lines: rail infrastructure, fastening systems, aluminothermic welding, equipment and control, and electrification. The combined company has been operating in the rail sector for more than a century.

Cubic Transportation Systems has signed a $185 million contract with Transport for London for a three-year extension of services for the agency's Oyster and contactless ticketing system. Cubic will continue to provide operational and maintenance services to the ticketing system and invest in "further innovations" to benefit riders, company officials said in a press release. Meanwhile, Cubic also finalized a $553.8 million contract with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for the design and implementation of New York City's new fare payment system. The MTA contract was awarded in October, and Cubic President Matt Cole signed the agreement Nov. 1. Cubic was chosen to replace the agency's MetroCard with a next-generation fare payment system similar to the one used by Transport for London.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has launched a new version of its app for Apple and Android devices.

The updated app includes a refreshed version of "TrainView," which provides visual location updates for Regional Rail trains every 30 minutes, the agency announced yesterday. The app also features an improved layout for selecting and viewing schedules and the duration of trips.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) rail system experienced 2,585 service disruptions in 2016, according to a recent audit.

Of that total, 441 delays involved passenger health incidents or policing issues, while the remaining 2,144 occurred due to equipment problems and staffing shortages.