Railroad News

Two rail data and information security bills passed the U.S. House of Representatives on April 10, 2018. The two pieces of legislation, STB Information and Security Act (H.R. 4921) and The FRA Safety Data Improvement Act (H.R. 4925), now move to the Senate.

At its 2018 Connections Convention in Nashville, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) yesterday presented Mortimer Fuller III with the Thomas L. Schlosser Distinguished Service Award for demonstrating long-term, significant service to the ASLRRA.

In the late 1980s, Fuller was a founding member of the Regional Railroads of America (RRA), a group of a dozen short-line railroaders that sought to change New Deal-era laws that treated railroads differently than all industries. RRA gradually grew in size and prominence as a short-line lobbying organization, according to an ASLRRA press release.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) annual meeting April 9-10 gave the Louisville & Indiana Railroad reason to celebrate, as the railroad was honored with three awards.

The National Surface Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that a fatigued train conductor's failure to properly line a switch is the probable cause for a 2015 collision of two Southwestern Railroad freight trains near Roswell, New Mexico.

The engineer of the striking train died, and the conductor was seriously injured in the April 28, 2015, collision that derailed 11 locomotives and three empty hopper cars. The crash caused about $2 million in property damage, according to an NTSB press release.

Amtrak will continue its Infrastructure Renewal program at New York Penn Station this summer, performing reconstruction work on The Empire Tunnel and the Spuyten Duyvil Bridge, as well as carrying out renewal work on Track 19.

Canadian prime minister, Mr Justin Trudeau, and the premier of Quebec, Mr Phillippe Couillard, announced on April 9 that federal and provincial funding will be made available for the extension of the Montreal metro Blue Line from Saint-Michel to Anjou.

The United States Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded California's Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (Smart) a $US 22.5M grant to help fund the extension of its Santa Rosa - San Rafael commuter rail line to Larkspur ferry terminal.

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It happens every just-before-spring: Railroaders, suppliers and other industry supporters climb Capitol Hill to talk legislative and regulatory issues with Congressfolk. And by all accounts, this year’s Railroad Day on Capitol Hill — held March 7 in Washington, D.C. — was a big success. It attracted a record attendance of nearly 700 industry representatives, according to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

Bane NOR SF, Norway's rail company, has chosen Siemens to equip its 2,600-track-mile rail network with the European Train Control System Level 2-type Trainguard. Siemens also will provide Sinet, an interlocking-type Simis W and IP-based wayside network communication solution. The contract is valued at $989 million. The agreement also includes maintenance services for 25 years, Siemens officials said in a press release Bane NOR plans to invest more than $2.4 billion to digitize and automate its rail network over the next decade.

Thales has obtained a contract to provide computer-based interlocking systems across Societe de transport de Montreal's underground rail lines. The agreement includes replacement of eight interlocking systems, with the option to replace eight more at 15 existing stations and one new depot. The new systems are designed to ensure service quality and support future network developments, Thales officials said in a press release. The contract's value was not disclosed.

The Teamsters' rail conferences in the United States and Canada yesterday joined with unionized Mexican freight-rail workers in calling for fair and equitable treatment of all industry workers under a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In a letter sent to top U.S., Canadian and Mexican trade officials, the Teamsters Rail Conference USA, Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and Mexican Railwaymen's Union said the unions are standing in solidarity in support of a new NAFTA that looks out for workers' interests across sectors, as well as for much-needed infrastructure investment, according to a press release issued by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) has appointed Lois Pittman director of operations and maintenance.

She will lead the team charged with oversight of the Tri-Rail commuter-rail system, which will include operations and maintenance providers and contracts, agency officials said in a press release.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has named Ward McCarragher vice president of government affairs.

McCarragher has served as the majority/minority chief counsel for the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the past 20 years. Prior to that, he served as as minority counsel for the subcommittees on Surface Transportation and Economic Development and Public Buildings.

Union Pacific (UP) announced plans to invest $31 million in its Washington network and $26.5 million in Arizona's network during 2018.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) announced last week the appointment of Cynthia L. Hostetler and Bruce J. Carter to its board of directors.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) yesterday released a report that evaluated the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) and the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) rail safety oversight programs.

While the report found strengths and limitations for each agency's programs, GAO noted that the FTA has not provided states with the guidance needed to ensure they develop appropriate and effective transit-rail safety inspection programs of their own.

The Federal Transit Administration has awarded a $22.5 million grant to the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District (SMART) for a 2.1-mile extension of the Larkspur commuter-rail line.

The new line will run from downtown San Rafael, California, to the Golden Gate Transit Larkspur Ferry terminal in Marin County, California. The extension will serve as an alternative to travel on U.S. Highway 101, FTA officials said in a press release.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) yesterday honored Jeremy Kramer of Louisville and Indiana Railroad Co. (LIRC) and Mitch Harris of Rio Grande Pacific Corp. (RGPC) for making career commitments to "safety compliance and culture."

ASLRRA recognized Kramer as the Safety Person of the Year and Harris as the Safety Professional of the Year. The awards were announced yesterday at ASLRRA's 2018 Connections Convention in Nashville.

Kansas City Southern President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Ottensmeyer has responded to the Surface Transportation Board's (STB) request for information about Class Is' service outlooks for 2018.

In his April 5 letter to the STB, Ottensmeyer said KCS Railway Co. (KCSR) is "adequately staffed and adequately equipped to meet expected service demand in 2018, and service demand is generally in line with our internal forecasts."