Railroad News

VIA Rail Canada Inc. served 1.13 million passengers in the second quarter, marking a 10 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

The Canadian passenger railroad's revenue increased 8.4 percent to CA$87.8 million compared with the same quarter last year, according to VIA Rail's second-quarter report.

Denton County Transportation Authority's (DCTA) board yesterday named Raymond Suarez president.

His appointment will take effect Sept. 14, pending contract negotiations, according to an agency press release.

Two rail unions have filed a joint petition against the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) alleging that the agency is allowing Mexican crews from Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) to operate trains in the United States in violation of federal law and safety practices.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Transportation Division (SMART TD) filed the petition in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Court, according to a BLET press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the design and construction of at least 256 new 8000-series rail cars.

The new units would allow WMATA to retire 2000- and 3000-series cars, which are nearing the end of their 40-year service life, according to a WMATA press release.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Columbia Premier John Horgan yesterday announced more than CA$3 billion in federal and provincial funding for two major passenger-rail projects in Vancouver.

The money will fund construction of the Surrey-Newton-Guildford light-rail project and the Broadway Subway extension of TransLink's Millennium SkyTrain line.

CN will purchase another 60 GE Transportation locomotives, expanding the Class I's 200-unit order placed in December 2017, the Class I and GE announced today.

All the CN locomotives will be produced at GE's plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The new purchase includes a multiyear service agreement.

CN will purchase another 60 GE Transportation locomotives, expanding the Class I's 200-unit order placed in December 2017, the Class I and GE announced today.

All the CN locomotives will be produced at GE's plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The new purchase includes a multiyear service agreement.

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

The Cincinnati Bell Connector streetcar system on Sept. 9 will mark its second anniversary.

As of Aug. 19, the 3.6-mile system had logged 1,221,606 trips since it opened, according to ridership statistics from the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA).

Sound Transit helped save as much as 48 million gallons of gasoline last year as a result of passengers taking transit instead of driving automobiles, according to the agency's 2017 sustainability report.

Last year, more than 47 million people rode Sound Transit's trains and buses, up 10 percent over the prior year and 87 percent since 2011.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (SDMTS) has received the first light-rail car from Siemens as part of a 45-unit order placed in 2016.

Denton County Transportation Authority's (DCTA) board will meet today to discuss last week's resignation of President Jim Cline.

"Our board is committed to identifying a successful plan of action that will enable the agency to continue to be a leader in advancing public transportation," said Nicole Recker, DCTA's vice president of marketing and communications, in a press release.

The Chicago Transit Authority last week reopened the Illinois Medical District (IMD) Blue Line station, following the completion of a $23 million modernization project.

Begun in early 2017, the project called for improvements to the station house, its concourse and the station-to-platform ramp.

OmniTRAX Inc. has sold the Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill to the Arctic Gateway Group LP and a consortium of First Nations and communities in association with Missinippi Rail LP. The sale closed Aug. 31.

The Arctic Gateway Group consists of Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. and AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. The financial value of the acquisition was not disclosed.

U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) on Wednesday toured Ontario Trap Rock's Middle River Marine facility in Chicago.

The company produces durable rock suited for railroad applications, including ballast. Ontario Trap Rock is a member of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA).

Sound Transit has tapped WSP USA to perform design-build project management services for its Link light-rail extension to downtown Redmond, Washington. The 3.4-mile, elevated line will run from the Redmond Technology Station near Microsoft's  headquarters to the Redmond Town Center. The extension is the final segment of Sound Transit's East Link light-rail corridor. WSP's preconstruction services will include preparation and review of the design-build contract request for proposals, company officials said in a press release. The contract's financial value was not disclosed.

Harsco Rail obtained a contract from Singapore's Land Transport Authority to deliver a 16-stone grinder. Designed to accommodate electric motors, the grinder will operate on Singapore's new Thomson-East Coast passenger-rail line. Harsco has had a "strong partnership" with LTA for the past 15 years, said Harsco Rail President Jeswant Gill in a press release. The contract's value was not disclosed.

R. J. Corman Railroad Services completed 17.2 miles of surfacing and performed rail adjustments on two curves during a recent 48-hour shutdown of the Charlotte Area Transit Systems (CATS) light-rail system.

The project was the first time the company performed such work on a light-rail system, R. J. Corman officials said in a press release.