Railroad News

Tomorrow morning, the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit will hold a hearing on the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) implementation of the Capital Investments Grant Program (CIG).

The hearing's purpose is to examine how the agency is implementing the CIG program. Scheduled to speak are FTA officials and representatives of the American Public Transportation Association, the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, and the Kansas City Streetcar Authority, according to a press release issued by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) last week suspended an automatic door-opening feature two days after launching it on the Red Line trains.

Part of the Metrorail’s original design, the feature was launched July 7 to open doors more quickly and stop doors from opening on the wrong side of the platform as a result of operator error. During the rollout, operators remained responsible for manual door closings to ensure safe boardings.

Metro Transit in Minneapolis has selected veteran police officer Eddie Frizell as the agency's next police chief.

Frizell, who has served as the Minneapolis police inspector for the city’s First Precinct since 2017, will become chief Aug. 5, Metro Transit officials said in a press release. 

Canada has reached an agreement to sell 90 percent of its shares in federal Crown corporation Ridley Terminals Inc. (RTI) in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, to a company owned by Riverstone Holdings and AMCI Group, the Canada Development Investment Corp. (CDEV) announced last week.

The remaining 10 percent of Canada's shares in RTI will be transferred to a limited partnership owned by the Lax Kw'alaams Band and the Metlakatla First Nation at the close of sale, CDEV officials said in a press release.

Miner Enterprises Inc. will supply outlet gates and hatch covers for 3,800 new high-capacity grain hopper cars ordered by Canadian Pacific and CN. The new cars – 2,800 for CP and 1,000 for CN – are being built by National Steel Car Ltd., Miner officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit has selected Parsons to provide final design and construction engineering services for the $1.3 billion Federal Way Link Extension in Seattle, Parsons officials said in a press release. Parsons will work as part of a team led by Kiewit Corp. The contract includes 7.8 miles of dual-track, at-grade and elevated light-rail transit; three stations; rail systems; and associated ancillary facilities.

The Southern Rail Commission (SRC) will host a briefing today in Mobile, Alabama, to discuss the Gulf Coast regional passenger-rail service that's been proposed to operate between Mobile and New Orleans.

The meeting will include presentations from Amtrak, the Rail Passengers Association, Transportation for America and the commission.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) crews on Aug. 3 will begin construction on the second phase of positive train control (PTC) infrastructure along the Needham commuter-rail line. 

Needham Line service will be suspended on Saturdays through Oct. 12 to accommodate the work.

Cando Rail Services Ltd., as a result of a new customer relationship with Pembina, is producing daily outbound revenue loads of over 200 rail cars per day at the energy company's natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation facility in Redwater, Alberta.

Cando anticipates outbound revenue loads eventually will increase to the mid-200s of rail cars per day, Cando officials said in a press release.

Northern Plains Rail Services (NPRS) yesterday held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its rail-car servicing and repair center now under construction in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The NPRS Grand Plains Rail Center will be located on 283 industrial-zoned acres near Interstate 29 and accessed by BNSF Railway Co., NPRS officials said in a press release.

The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) has begun construction on the $355 million Redlands Passenger Rail Project, an effort to construct a 9-mile regional route that will operate between San Bernardino and Redlands, California. 

To mark the milestone, SBCTA will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on July 19 in Redlands. 

The Port of Los Angeles moved 9,688,252 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in fiscal-year 2019, a 5.7 percent increase from the previous year, port officials announced this week.

The fiscal year, which ended June 30, was the busiest 12-month period in port history, said Executive Director Gene Seroka.

By Julie Sneider, Senior Associate Editor

In 2018, several Class Is and other rail companies announced they were joining the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA) to develop new standards for using blockchain technology to enable a faster, more cost-efficient and transparent freight supply chain.

New Jersey Transit has named attorney Michael Rubin as the agency's employee court advocate.

The newly created role is designed to help rail conductors and bus operators who are victims of on-the-job assaults navigate the criminal justice system. 

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) board announced yesterday it will advance an agreement with the city of Dallas to consolidate existing contracts and establish responsibilities for maintaining and operating the Dallas Streetcar.

Under the agreement, the city’s responsibilities, as the streetcar owner, will include project scope, planning funding, grant management, design and construction funding, utility relocations, operations and maintenance and streetcar vehicle funding.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) yesterday announced that nearly 80,000 customers used the Virginia-sponsored Amtrak Northeast Regional intercity rail service in May, a 10 percent increase over May 2018. 

The ridership numbers also mark a year-to-date increase of more than 5 percent over the same travel period last year, DRPT officials said in a press release.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) on Tuesday unveiled its Port Master Plan 2050, which lays out a roadmap for the next generation of land-use and infrastructure development projects.

Among the plan's primary objectives: provide growth opportunities; improve the port's commercial value; continue to serve as a regional economic engine; and promote safe, environmentally sustainable operations.
 
Master Plan 2050 will build on previous planning in the 1990s that led to the deepening of port channels to 50 feet, the raising of the Bayonne Bridge, container terminal expansions, realignment of and capacity enhancements to port roadways and the completion of the port’s $600 million ExpressRail network, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.