Railroad News

​​The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 9, 2017.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 560,756 carloads and intermodal units, up 4 percent compared with the same week last year.

The Port of Virginia continued investing in its Richmond Marine Terminal (RMT) this week, with new equipment put into service at the terminal and on the Richmond Express.

Port crews put into service a portable, 40-plug central power unit that can be mounted on the Richmond Express barge and a specialized, heavy-lift forklift that will be used in the cargo operation at RMT, port officials said in a press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is limiting the number of trains on certain segments of the Red Line due to problems with an aging communications cable.

The 40-year-old cable is used by the signal system to transmit train speed and location data between control rooms located in the Brookland, Fort Totten and Takoma stations. WMATA crews in the coming weekend will replace the cable, which dates back to the original construction of the Metrorail system.

Kansas City Southern yesterday released its 2016 sustainability report, which highlights the company's "commitment to sustainable operations and community engagement."

Titled "For the Long Haul: Delivering Prosperity, Valuing People, Protecting the Planet," the report outlines how the company delivered financial results to its customers and investors; demonstrated a commitment to safety; and took steps to protect the environment.

Kansas City Southern yesterday released its 2016 sustainability report, which highlights the company's "commitment to sustainable operations and community engagement."

Titled "For the Long Haul: Delivering Prosperity, Valuing People, Protecting the Planet," the report outlines how the company delivered financial results to its customers and investors; demonstrated a commitment to safety; and took steps to protect the environment.

Sound Transit crews this week began construction of the first elevated section of the East Link light-rail extension in downtown Bellevue, Washington.

Crews placed two 117-foot precast girders, the first of a series that will form the base of the aerial guideway. When the girders are set, they'll support a cast-in-place concrete deck under the light-rail tracks and power system, agency officials said in a press release.

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After voters approved a number of local transportation initiatives in the November 2016 elections, many transit agency leaders felt energized about the future. Since then, however, some of their momentum seems to have sputtered out as agencies struggle to secure federal funding commitments for major expansion plans. On top of that, the Dec. 31, 2018, deadline to implement positive train control (PTC) looms on the horizon.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has joined New York City-based developer Related Cos., where he will help build an infrastructure business.

The firm appointed both Foxx and transportation investment executive Andrew Right as managing partners of Related Infrastructure, "which will focus on transportation opportunities and businesses that drive efficiency and affordability for state and local governments," according to a company press release.

President Donald Trump yesterday met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) to discuss the administration's potential infrastructure proposal, according to The Hill.

Both Chao and Shuster are expected to be key players in the president's plan to bolster the nation's infrastructure. The administration has proposed using $200 billion in federal "seed money," as well as permit and regulatory reform, to leverage $1 trillion worth of infrastructure.

Norfolk Southern began operating trains across its new Portageville Bridge on Dec. 11, following two years of construction.

The new 963-foot steel arch, single-track bridge was constructed across the 235-foot-deep Genesee River Gorge in Letchworth State Park and is located on the Norfolk Southern Southern Tier Line. 

Norfolk Southern began operating trains across its new Portageville Bridge on Dec. 11, following two years of construction.

The new 963-foot steel arch, single-track bridge was constructed across the 235-foot-deep Genesee River Gorge in Letchworth State Park and is located on the Norfolk Southern Southern Tier Line. 

Norfolk Southern began operating trains across its new Portageville Bridge on Dec. 11, following two years of construction.

The new 963-foot steel arch, single-track bridge was constructed across the 235-foot-deep Genesee River Gorge in Letchworth State Park and is located on the Norfolk Southern Southern Tier Line. 

Amtrak today marks the fifth anniversary of the return of passenger-rail service to Norfolk, Virginia.

In December 2012, the national intercity passenger railroad extended its Northeast Regional service to Norfolk. Amtrak, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the city of Norfolk partnered to bring passenger rail back to the city for the first time since 1977.

It took Conrail maintenance-of-way forces less than three days to repair heavy damage to its Lehigh Line, a busy main line used by New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line (RVL) passenger trains and CSX and Norfolk Southern freights, following the derailment of a 141-car CSX mixed freight late on the afternoon of Dec. 8.

NJT service was operating with only minor delays on Monday morning. Conrail crews worked over the weekend during a snowstorm to repair the damage as well as stage NJT equipment in preparation for the Monday morning inbound rush.

It took Conrail maintenance-of-way forces less than three days to repair heavy damage to its Lehigh Line, a busy main line used by New Jersey Transit Raritan Valley Line (RVL) passenger trains and CSX and Norfolk Southern freights, following the derailment of a 141-car CSX mixed freight late on the afternoon of Dec. 8.

NJT service was operating with only minor delays on Monday morning. Conrail crews worked over the weekend during a snowstorm to repair the damage as well as stage NJT equipment in preparation for the Monday morning inbound rush.

Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President-Communications Patricia Reilly will leave the association at the end of the year to start a consulting business.

She will be succeeded by Kristin Smith, who was recently promoted to vice president-communications, according to an AAR press release.

“It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning…”
— Winston Churchill on railroads facing up to IT challenges
(or maybe he said it after the second 1942 battle of El Alamein)
 

Transportation industry groups late last week asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to delay by one year the deadline for state and local agencies to begin reporting on their transportation performance management measures.

The chief executives of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations made the request in a Dec. 7 letter to Chao.

Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx late last week issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a team to build and finance infrastructure improvements on the GO Transit's Lakeshore West rail line.

The upgrades include track improvements and other work to enable increased service at the Exhibition Station in Toronto, as well as a rehabilitation of the Mimico Station on the line.