Railroad News

Sound Transit's board yesterday awarded a $108 million contract to Walsh Construction Co. to build the Hilltop Tacoma Link light-rail extension and seven new platform stations.

The project calls for extending the existing light-rail line by 2.4 miles from the Theater District in downtown Tacoma, Washington, to the city's Stadium District and Hilltop neighborhoods.

Amtrak is investing $370 million over three years on new equipment that is expected to improve the ride along the Northeast Corridor.

The new equipment will double Amtrak's engineering efforts on the corridor and accelerate maintenance work, according to an Amtrak press release.

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday appointed Lynden Tennison executive vice president and chief strategy officer, effective Aug. 1.

A 26-year UP veteran, Tennison has been senior vice president and chief information officer since Feb. 2005. In his new role, he will develop, implement and oversee UP's strategic agenda, according to a UP press release.

Since 1970, terrorist groups and criminals have made more than 1,000 attempts to derail trains and attack rail infrastructure around the world, according to new Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) research.

Of the 282 attempts at derailing trains, 42 percent actually led to derailments. South Asia, which experienced 58 percent of derail attempts, leads in the number of attempts. There have been only two derailment attempts in North America, according to MTI's report.

Nick Edelen, 35

Job description: Manages the operational, financial and administrative aspects of R. J. Corman's Emergency Services company. Responsible for overseeing more than 200 employees in 18 divisions across the United States.

Education: Bachelor of science in business administration, Georgetown College

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in California this week approved a ballot measure that will ask voters in November to approve a half-cent sales tax to fund a $2.4 billion plan aimed at relieving traffic congestion.

Earlier this month, the San Mateo County Transit District's (SamTrans) board approved an ordinance finalizing the San Mateo County Congestion Relief plan.

Seattle's streetcar vehicles ordered for the Center City Connector project are heavier, longer and wider than the current units operating on the city's existing two streetcar routes, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan's office announced this week.

U.S. rail traffic continued its upward climb, posting a 4.9 percent increase in carloads and intermodal units during the week ending July 21 compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

U.S. railroads' carload volume rose 3.8 percent to 265,338 units, while intermodal volume increased 5.9 percent to 287,686 containers and trailers for the week compared with a year ago, according to an AAR press release.

The regional and short-line rail industry added billions of dollars in value to the U.S. economy in 2016, according to an economic impact report released today by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

Prepared for ASLRRA by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the report shows that the industry, composed of 603 Class II and III railroads, provides "significant contributions" to the nation's economy, according to an ASLRRA press release.

The U.S. Senate has passed an amendment directing Amtrak's Inspector General to update an earlier audit of the impact of the railroad's "poor" on-time performance, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced this week.

The measure was voted on as an amendment to appropriations legislation that the Senate is considering this week.

[Editor's note: This story was updated at noon CDT.]

Watco Cos. LLC has appointed four new members to its executive team, the company announced yesterday.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has certified transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) programs in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Wisconsin.

Federal law requires states with transit-rail operation systems to obtain certification of their SSO programs by April 15, 2019. In total, 28 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are required to obtain the certification.

The federal government and state of West Virginia this week announced a proposed settlement that calls for CSX to pay $2.2 million in penalties for water pollution violations related to a 2015 train derailment and subsequent oil spill.

Under the proposed terms, CSX will pay penalties of $1.2 million to the United States and $1 million to West Virginia, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The federal government and state of West Virginia this week announced a proposed settlement that calls for CSX to pay $2.2 million in penalties for water pollution violations related to a 2015 train derailment and subsequent oil spill.

Under the proposed terms, CSX will pay penalties of $1.2 million to the United States and $1 million to West Virginia, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Jeffrey Brauner, 27

Job description: Conducts operational and financial data analysis; develops and plans new initiatives; manages projects and grants; and coordinates marketing and support business development in support of New York New Jersey Rail LLC (NYNJR), a short line of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).

Education: Bachelor of Arts in political science and Master of Public Administration, University at Albany, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

In May, Sound Transit's Link light-rail system averaged 81,000 riders on weekdays, which marked the first time weekday ridership topped 80,000 boardings for an entire month.

The May figure also marked a 10.8 percent increase over average weekday ridership in the same month last year.

A thermite weld failure resulted in a Canadian Pacific train derailment in Manitoba in August 2017, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) announced yesterday.

On Aug. 11, 2017, a CP unit train was heading north on the Emerson Subdivision when 22 covered hopper cars loaded with corn derailed while exiting a bridge over the Roseau River near Dominion City, Manitoba.