Railroad News

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) recently experienced a cyberattack that erased key pieces of data from the agency's computers, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The hack last weekend erased certain components of computer programs that affect internal operations, such as the ability to use computers to dispatch employees, according to the newspaper.

A truck driver's failure to properly secure his unattended truck led to an Amtrak derailment that occurred in March 2016 near Cimarron, Kansas, according to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) latest briefing on the accident.

The day before the incident, the unattended truck rolled downhill and struck BNSF Railway Co. tracks, causing them to misalign. The Amtrak train then crossed the misaligned tracks and derailed.

Andy Byford, who has forged a rail transit career on three continents, will join the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as President of New York City Transit, the agency responsible for New York City subways, buses, paratransit services and the Staten Island Railway, effective in January 2018.

"A seasoned and highly regarded transportation professional whose work has taken him across three continents over nearly three decades, Byford joins NYC Transit after a widely hailed five-year stint as the CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the third largest transit system in North America," NYMTA said in announcing his appointment. Byford began his transit career at London Underground where, over 14 years, he rose to the position of General Manager of the Central, Bakerloo and Victoria Lines, three of its busiest subway lines. He oversaw increases in customer satisfaction and operational performance. Byford then became Chief Operating Officer of Australia's largest transit system, in Sydney.

Andy Byford, who has forged a rail transit career on three continents, will join the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as President of New York City Transit, the agency responsible for New York City subways, buses, paratransit services and the Staten Island Railway, effective in January 2018.

"A seasoned and highly regarded transportation professional whose work has taken him across three continents over nearly three decades, Byford joins NYC Transit after a widely hailed five-year stint as the CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the third largest transit system in North America," NYMTA said in announcing his appointment. Byford began his transit career at London Underground where, over 14 years, he rose to the position of General Manager of the Central, Bakerloo and Victoria Lines, three of its busiest subway lines. He oversaw increases in customer satisfaction and operational performance. Byford then became Chief Operating Officer of Australia's largest transit system, in Sydney.

Andy Byford, who has forged a rail transit career on three continents, will join the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority as President of New York City Transit, the agency responsible for New York City subways, buses, paratransit services and the Staten Island Railway, effective in January 2018.

"A seasoned and highly regarded transportation professional whose work has taken him across three continents over nearly three decades, Byford joins NYC Transit after a widely hailed five-year stint as the CEO of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the third largest transit system in North America," NYMTA said in announcing his appointment. Byford began his transit career at London Underground where, over 14 years, he rose to the position of General Manager of the Central, Bakerloo and Victoria Lines, three of its busiest subway lines. He oversaw increases in customer satisfaction and operational performance. Byford then became Chief Operating Officer of Australia's largest transit system, in Sydney.

Parsons has begun providing technical advisory services for Metrolinx's Enhanced Train Control and Conventional Signaling (ETCCS) project, part of the Canadian agency's 10-year GO Transit regional/commuter rail expansion program consisting of C$13.5 billion in capital projects and $7 billion in state-of-good-repair works.

The GO Transit network spans more than 2,500 square miles in southern Ontario and carries more than 200,000 passengers each day through more than 40 municipalities.

Parsons has begun providing technical advisory services for Metrolinx's Enhanced Train Control and Conventional Signaling (ETCCS) project, part of the Canadian agency's 10-year GO Transit regional/commuter rail expansion program consisting of C$13.5 billion in capital projects and $7 billion in state-of-good-repair works.

The GO Transit network spans more than 2,500 square miles in southern Ontario and carries more than 200,000 passengers each day through more than 40 municipalities.

Parsons has begun providing technical advisory services for Metrolinx's Enhanced Train Control and Conventional Signaling (ETCCS) project, part of the Canadian agency's 10-year GO Transit regional/commuter rail expansion program consisting of C$13.5 billion in capital projects and $7 billion in state-of-good-repair works.

The GO Transit network spans more than 2,500 square miles in southern Ontario and carries more than 200,000 passengers each day through more than 40 municipalities.

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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 18, 2017.

Class Is employed 146,342 workers in the United States as of mid-October, down 0.2 percent since mid-September's employment figure and down 3.7 percent compared with mid-October 2016's level, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data.

Five of six employment categories reflected workforce decreases last month compared with mid-September levels: Executives, officials and staff assistants, down 3.3 percent to 8,217; professional and administrative, down 1.6 percent to 12,197; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 0.6 percent to 26,567; maintenance of way and structures, down 0.6 percent to 33,270; and transportation (other than train and engine), down 0.2 percent to 5,666.

Progress Rail has signed an agreement to acquire Downer EDI's freight-rail business, which is based in North Ryde, Australia.

Downer Freight Rail provides a suite of rolling stock, aftermarket parts and services.

Congress is missing the opportunity to use tax reform legislation to address the nation's infrastructure investment "crisis," according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

AASHTO officials told congressional leaders that the proposed "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act" legislation not only misses the opportunity to address infrastructure funding, but would make it "nearly impossible" to later fund a major infrastructure package, the AASHTO Journal reported.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has appointed Andy Byford president of MTA New York City Transit (NYCT). He will assume the post in January.

Byford joins the agency after a five-year stint as chief executive officer of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the third-largest transit system in North America. During his TTC tenure, Byford spearheaded a number of initiatives, such as the development of a plan to modernize the agency and improve all aspects of operational performance.

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.

A peer review panel convened by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has recommended a twin-bore option for a BART extension into Silicon Valley.

A peer review panel convened by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has recommended a twin-bore option for a BART extension into Silicon Valley.

A peer review panel convened by Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has recommended a twin-bore option for a BART extension into Silicon Valley.

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.

Union Pacific (UP) gave an update on its progress toward implementing Positive Train Control (PTC) and also announced plans to increase track speeds in southwest Minnesota following completion of a project.