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Oct
12

FRA OKs RTD plan to remove flaggers from private crossing

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/12/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has approve the Regional Transportation District of Denver's (RTD) plan to remove grade-crossing attendants on a private crossing on the agency's B Line.RTD and its contractor, Denver Transit Partners (DTP), will begin the removal plan as soon as it's practical, RTD officials said yesterday in a press release.The FRA has jurisdiction over the single crossing because it is privately owned and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission does not regulate privately owned crossings, RTD officials said."We are pleased to reach this milestone on the B Line," said RTD General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Dave Genova. "We have demonstrated our continued commitment to our regulatory agencies by addressing their concerns with at-grade crossings throughout our commuter-rail system. We are continuing to provide safe, reliable service throughout our entire system."Last month, the FRA agreed to RTD's safety and outreach plan and a five-year waiver that allowed the continued operation of the agency's A and B commuter-rail lines. The lines opened last year but have experienced technical issues with crossing arms. To address the concerns, the RTD stationed flag attendants at the crossings.Later this month, the RTD will host four "open houses" to provide a status report on all of its commuter rail lines. The meetings will be held Oct. 23 in Denver; Oct. 25 in Arvada; Oct. 26 in Wheat Ridge and Oct. 28 in Denver.

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Oct
12

Hertwig elected chair of Denver's Transportation Institute

Rail News Home Railroading People 10/12/2017 Rail News: Railroading People
James HertwigPhoto – Florida East Coast Railway

Florida East Coast Railway President and Chief Executive Officer James Hertwig has been elected chairman of the Transportation Institute at the University of Denver (DTI). 

Hertwig was unanimously elected to the position by DTI's 50-member board. His leadership in the transportation industry "promises to deliver even more momentum and enhancements" to DTI's programs, said outgoing Chair Adriene Bailey in a press release.

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Oct
12

West Memphis breaks ground on port rail project

Rail News Home Intermodal 10/12/2017 Rail News: Intermodal
An aerial view of the International Rail Port Logistics Park at the port.Photo – City of West Memphis

State and local leaders last week broke ground on a project to improve and expand rail service to the Port of West Memphis, Arkansas.

The project includes construction of a new facility that will allow various commodities to be transferred between road and rail at the port's International Rail Port Logistics Park, West Memphis officials said in a press release.

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Oct
12

Sound Transit's Rogoff urges Congress to sustain federal funding for transit

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/12/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Rogoff testified before a congressional panel on highways and transit.Photo – House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster's YouTube account

At a congressional hearing yesterday, Sound Transit Chief Executive Officer Peter Rogoff called on lawmakers to continue providing federal funding for transit agencies.

Testifying before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Rogoff said he was encouraged by President Donald Trump's stated goal to rebuild U.S. infrastructure. However, Rogoff said he's disappointed by the administration's fiscal-year 2018 budget proposal that would undermine those goals.

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Oct
12

U.S. rail traffic rose 6.3 percent in Week 40

U.S. railroads posted a 6.3 percent increase in carload and intermodal traffic for the week ending Oct. 7 compared with the same week a year ago, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Total carloads for the week rose 2 percent to 269,336 units, while intermodal volume soared 10.8 percent to 285,490 containers and trailers compared with last year's data, according to an AAR press release.

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Oct
12

FTA signs off on Minnesota's rail safety program

Rail News Home Safety 10/12/2017 Rail News: Safety
Metro Transit operates two light-rail lines and one commuter-rail line in Minnesota.Photo – Federal Transit Administration

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has approved Minnesota's state rail-safety oversight (SSO) program — making it the second state to achieve such certification, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced yesterday.

Federal law requires states with transit-rail systems to establish an FTA-certified SSO program by April 15, 2019. If they fail to meet the deadline, states risk losing federal funding for transportation agencies until certification is achieved, FTA officials said in a press release.

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Oct
12

Hertwig joins DTI board

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Florida East Coast Railway, LLC, Jim Hertwig was unanimously elected chair by the Transportation Institute at the University of Denver (DTI) board of directors.

Hertwig will bring 46 years of freight transportation experience and leadership knowledge to DTI. Prior to joining his current company, Hertwig served for six years as president of CSX Intermodal, Inc., and previous to that he spent nearly nine years as president of Landstar Logistics, a transportation services company.

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Oct
12

Hertwig joins DTI board

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Florida East Coast Railway, LLC, Jim Hertwig was unanimously elected chair by the Transportation Institute at the University of Denver (DTI) board of directors.

Hertwig will bring 46 years of freight transportation experience and leadership knowledge to DTI. Prior to joining his current company, Hertwig served for six years as president of CSX Intermodal, Inc., and previous to that he spent nearly nine years as president of Landstar Logistics, a transportation services company.

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Oct
12

Hertwig joins DTI board

President and Chief Executive Officer of the Florida East Coast Railway, LLC, Jim Hertwig was unanimously elected chair by the Transportation Institute at the University of Denver (DTI) board of directors.

Hertwig will bring 46 years of freight transportation experience and leadership knowledge to DTI. Prior to joining his current company, Hertwig served for six years as president of CSX Intermodal, Inc., and previous to that he spent nearly nine years as president of Landstar Logistics, a transportation services company.

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Oct
12

RTA Lee-Shaker Station upgrades complete

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) along with officials of the City of Shaker Heights will participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the newly upgraded Lee-Shaker Station on the authority's Green Line.

The $1.7-million upgrade to the station, located at the intersection of Shaker Boulevard and Lee Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio, took 11 months. Work by Schirmer Construction of North Olmsted included demolition of the existing station and platform, and the construction of a waiting platforms and tactile surfaces, station waiting shelters, new lighting, signage, railings, sidewalks, landscaping and a new safety security system with cameras and emergency call boxes.

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Oct
12

RTA Lee-Shaker Station upgrades complete

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) along with officials of the City of Shaker Heights will participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the newly upgraded Lee-Shaker Station on the authority's Green Line.

The $1.7-million upgrade to the station, located at the intersection of Shaker Boulevard and Lee Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio, took 11 months. Work by Schirmer Construction of North Olmsted included demolition of the existing station and platform, and the construction of a waiting platforms and tactile surfaces, station waiting shelters, new lighting, signage, railings, sidewalks, landscaping and a new safety security system with cameras and emergency call boxes.

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Oct
12

RTA Lee-Shaker Station upgrades complete

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) along with officials of the City of Shaker Heights will participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the newly upgraded Lee-Shaker Station on the authority's Green Line.

The $1.7-million upgrade to the station, located at the intersection of Shaker Boulevard and Lee Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio, took 11 months. Work by Schirmer Construction of North Olmsted included demolition of the existing station and platform, and the construction of a waiting platforms and tactile surfaces, station waiting shelters, new lighting, signage, railings, sidewalks, landscaping and a new safety security system with cameras and emergency call boxes.

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Oct
12

NJ Transit combats slippery rail

NJ Transit is utilizing its two AquaTrack machines to clean fallen leaves off its rails.

The AquaTrack equipment is a high-pressure power-washing system that removes leaves and oily residue from the tracks in an effort to prevent train delays caused by slippery rail conditions.

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Oct
12

NJ Transit combats slippery rail

NJ Transit is utilizing its two AquaTrack machines to clean fallen leaves off its rails.

The AquaTrack equipment is a high-pressure power-washing system that removes leaves and oily residue from the tracks in an effort to prevent train delays caused by slippery rail conditions.

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Oct
12

NJ Transit combats slippery rail

NJ Transit is utilizing its two AquaTrack machines to clean fallen leaves off its rails.

The AquaTrack equipment is a high-pressure power-washing system that removes leaves and oily residue from the tracks in an effort to prevent train delays caused by slippery rail conditions.

Continue reading

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Oct
11

LRIW's 'Woman of the Year' Lisa Stabler leads rail safety research, culture change at TTCI

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

For Lisa Stabler, being career driven and family oriented aren't mutually exclusive.

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Oct
11

PANYNJ installs phone charging kiosks at six PATH stations

Rail News Home Rail Industry Trends 10/11/2017 Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
The authority added the kiosks at six of PATH's highest-volume stations.Photo – PATH

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has installed 11 new mobile device charging kiosks at six of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson's (PATH) busiest stations.

Three kiosks are located at PATH's Newark Penn Station facility, while the remainder are spread between the Journal Square, Hoboken, 33rd Street, Exchange Place and Newport stations.

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Oct
11

AAR Reports Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending October 7, 2017

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending October 7, 2017.

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Oct
11

RailTrends to feature short-line heavy hitters

Rail News Home Rail Industry Trends 10/11/2017 Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
Prominent leaders in the short-line industry will be among presenters at the RailTrends 2017 conference, which will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 1 in New York City.Among those that will represent short lines are Linda Bauer Darr, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association; John "Jack" Hellmann, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Genesee & Wyoming Inc.; James Hertwig, president and CEO of Florida East Coast Railway; and Rick Webb, CEO of Watco Cos. LLC.Also at RailTrends, Hellmann will be presented the 2017 Railroad Innovator Award, which recognizes an individual's outstanding achievement in the rail industry.Sponsored by Progressive Railroading, RailTrends is the only event of its kind in North America. The conference brings together high-ranking freight-rail professionals to discuss and debate trending topics in the industry. Registration and more information is available on the RailTrends website.

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Oct
11

Ohio panel OKs Norfolk Southern grade-crossing projects

Rail News Home Norfolk Southern Railway 10/11/2017 Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) last week approved Norfolk Southern Railway's request to relocate or modify warning devices at 16 grade crossings on its Fort Wayne Line in Canton.The requested modifications will include the addition, removal and relocation of mast-mounted lights and gates, according to a PUCO press release.The projects are to be competed by April 4, 2019. NS will cover project costs. Commission staff will conduct inspections to verify the modifications have been made as approved.The PUCO is responsible for evaluating Ohio's public grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. Since the commission began implementing these evaluations, the annual number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio has decreased from 123 in 2001 to 64 in 2016, PUCO officials said.

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