Railroad News

Kansas City Southern yesterday announced a new weekly intermodal service between the Port of New Orleans and Wylie, Texas, will begin in May.

The Class I previously offered intermodal service in the lane, but it was discontinued following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) 10-mile extension to Antioch, California, will begin passenger service on May 26.

The extension will feature diesel multiple units (DMU) that will operate on standard gauge track instead of BART's wider gauge rails. The new line will run in the median of State Route 4 and connect to the agency's station in Pittsburg, California.

Union Pacific (UP) has shared recent strides it has made toward the required implementation of positive train control (PTC) as federal deadlines loom ahead.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) yesterday announced that CSX Director of Design and Construction Engineering Charles Bailey won the 2017 John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award.
 
The award is named in honor of the late Rhode Island senator, who was a strong advocate for sustainability and rail’s environmental benefits. The Chafee award recognizes a railroad employee who has demonstrated the highest level of environmental stewardship in the previous year.

Bailey developed a culture at CSX where design and construction methodologies benefit both the environment and the railroad, AAR officials said in a press release. His collaborative approach with environmental teams has had a significant impact on the environmental performance of the Class I, they added.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), elected officials and community members gathered April 25 for a ceremonial naming and unveiling of the tunnel boring machines (TBMs) that will dig twin four-mile tunnels under Wilshire Boulevard for the Purple Line Extension Project.

Today, Union Pacific Corp. announced its first-quarter net income totaled $1.3 billion — or a Q1 record $1.68 per diluted share — compared with $1.1 billion and $1.32 per diluted share, respectively, in first-quarter 2017. Diluted earnings per share jumped 27 percent year over year.

The Class I's other financial results for the quarter show operating revenue rose 7 percent to $5.5 billion, operating income climbed 8 percent to $1.9 billion and the operating ratio improved 0.6 points to 64.6, although higher fuel prices negatively impacted the ratio by about 0.2 points, UP officials said in a press release.

Today, Union Pacific Corp. announced its first-quarter net income totaled $1.3 billion — or a Q1 record $1.68 per diluted share — compared with $1.1 billion and $1.32 per diluted share, respectively, in first-quarter 2017. Diluted earnings per share jumped 27 percent year over year.

The Class I's other financial results for the quarter show operating revenue rose 7 percent to $5.5 billion, operating income climbed 8 percent to $1.9 billion and the operating ratio improved 0.6 points to 64.6, although higher fuel prices negatively impacted the ratio by about 0.2 points, UP officials said in a press release.

Belt Railway Company of Chicago (BRC) President Pat O'Brien will be retiring this summer after 32 years with the railroad, the past 16 years as president. Norfolk Southern veteran Mike Grace will replace him.

Kansas City Southern (KCS) has announced a new weekly intermodal service between the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and Wylie, Texas, beginning in May.

Last month, tie production increased 4.3 percent to 1.47 million units and tie purchases inched up 0.2 percent to 1.84 million units compared with February levels, according to the Railway Tie Association’s latest market report.

On a year-over-year basis, purchases were up 2.7 percent in March, but production was down 21.1 percent.

The Port of Brownsville has signed an optional lease agreement with Big River Steel LLC that could lead to the development of a $1.6 billion steel mill.

Yesterday, the Brownsville Navigation District Board of Commissioners (BND) — the governing body for the Port of Brownsville — signed an option agreement covering up to 800 acres of property with Big River Steel. The pact enables the steelmaker to pursue the development of a LEED-certified steel manufacturing plant, storage and distribution facility, BND announced in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad plans to spend more than $8 million this year to bolster infrastructure in Minnesota and Montana.

The Class I has budgeted $6 million to improve infrastructure in Minnesota, including $3.4 million to maintain track and $1.8 million to maintain bridges.

Union Pacific Railroad plans to spend more than $8 million this year to bolster infrastructure in Minnesota and Montana.

The Class I has budgeted $6 million to improve infrastructure in Minnesota, including $3.4 million to maintain track and $1.8 million to maintain bridges.

Rail-car orders in the first quarter totaled 10,348 units compared with 8,501 units in fourth-quarter 2017 and 4,814 units in first-quarter 2017, according to quarterly statistics released yesterday by the Railway Supply Institute's American Railway Car Institute Committee (ARCI).

Yesterday, the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) released its annual peer performance measure reports, and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Metra continue to perform well in relation to comparable U.S. systems, RTA officials said in a press release.

The reports, which cover 2016 performance, show that the agencies rank high in service coverage, efficiency and effectiveness, they added. 

The Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA) and AutoMobile International Terminal last week announced they signed a memorandum of understanding to develop and operate a rail-served automotive processing facility at the Port of Mobile.

The $60 million project calls for converting 57 acres of a former bulk material handling facility into a state-of-the-art automotive processing and logistics terminal. The facility will be built near interstates 10 and 65, and have access to five Class Is: BNSF Railway Co., CN, CSX, Kansas City Southern and Norfolk Southern Railway.

Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania have obtained federal certification of their transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) programs, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced yesterday.

Federal law requires states with transit-rail systems in operation to obtain FTA certification of their SSO programs by April 15, 2019. States with transit-rail systems in the engineering or construction phase also must get their SSO programs certified by the deadline.

Norfolk Southern Corp. this morning announced its first-quarter financial results, which include four records.

The Class I set new Q1 highs or lows for: earnings per share at $1.93, up 30 percent year over year; net income at $552 million, up 27 percent; income from operations at $835 million, up 10 percent; and the operating ratio at 69.3, down 1.3 points. A lower effective income tax rate helped boost net income, NS officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. this morning announced its first-quarter financial results, which include four records.

The Class I set new Q1 highs or lows for: earnings per share at $1.93, up 30 percent year over year; net income at $552 million, up 27 percent; income from operations at $835 million, up 10 percent; and the operating ratio at 69.3, down 1.3 points. A lower effective income tax rate helped boost net income, NS officials said in a press release.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) will send crews out along several of its system's branches this weekend to perform enhancement work and positive train control (PTC) testing.