Railroad News

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to update the regulation governing locomotive engineer qualification and certification.

The proposed change would make the rule consistent with the corresponding regulation for conductors, FRA officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway in 2019 is "reimagining possible" in all aspects of its business to improve customer service, increase efficiency, drive growth and create shareholder value, President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires Squires said today at the company's annual shareholders meeting.

"We are moving full speed ahead with a new plan for the future that provides a clear path to continued success — success that benefits our customers, our employees, and our shareholders,” said Squires in a press release.

CN is expanding its operations in western Canada with two additional major export supply chain projects, the Class I announced yesterday.

Both projects are focused on maximizing the use of rail into the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia. The first train of thermal coal from Coalspur Mines Ltd.'s Vista Mine in Hinton, Alberta, has shipped to Ridley Terminals. CN is also delivering the first unit train of propane from Alberta for export via the new AltaGas Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal, according to a CN press release.

Loram Maintenance of Way Inc. has acquired the rail division business of Roadscanners Oy, a Finland-based company. The purchase included Roadscanners’ Rail Doctor software and related intellectual property rights. Roadscanners Oy will continue its asset management business in other sectors.

Railhead Corp. has been awarded a contract to supply the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) with locomotive digital video recorder systems and seven cameras to be installed on 300 series bi-level gallery cars. The Railhead system, including forward and passenger facing cameras, is being installed to support NICTD’s safety initiative, according to a Railhead press release.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), which is pursuing $2.5 billion in rail projects, has launched the DART Plus program to communicate progress on the projects.

In a report this week, DART officials outlined progress on its downtown light-rail replacement, platform extensions, the Cotton Belt regional rail project and the D2 Subway project. 

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) board in California last week unanimously approved the final recommendations outlined in the 2019 New Transit Service plan. 

The plan includes 70 changes across light-rail and bus services, and an expansion of VTA’s core network of frequent routes to serve an additional 266,000 county residents.

Boston Surface Railroad Co. Inc. (BSRC), a private intercity passenger railroad that has proposed a new route in the U.S. Northeast, is developing a pilot to prove new enhancements to positive train control (PTC) capabilities.

BSRC is working with Siemens Mobility to test prototype technology on Siemens' Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System-II (ACSES) and 9-Aspect Cab Signal Systems, according to a BSRC press release.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) yesterday hosted its second annual RailxTech event on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to demonstrate new technologies for improving rail industry safety.

At the event, Class I representatives met with lawmakers, congressional staff and other transportation stakeholders to learn more about the implementation and testing of new rail innovations, including positive train control (PTC) safety technology, drones, advanced digital imaging and ultrasonic inspection tools.

Canadian Pacific's board yesterday elected Isabelle Courville as its new chair to succeed Andrew Reardon, who announced last year he is retiring.

At the company's annual shareholders meeting in Calgary, Alberta, the board also reelected Courville as a director. She is the first woman to hold the position at CP, as well as among other North American Class Is, said CP President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel in a press release.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) has created a community outreach program as part of an analysis of public transit options on Staten Island’s West Shore and to explore potential improvements.

The NYCT study will examine West Shore residents' transportation needs and patterns, as well as identify transit improvements to bring better mass transit options and connections between key locations on Staten Island and Manhattan. 

OneRail Coalition has hired Devon Barnhart to serve as deputy director effective May 13.

A lawyer and civil engineer focused on transportation policy, Barnhart understands both freight and passenger rail. Most recently, she served as the subcommittee staff director for the Transportation and Safety Subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, according to a OneRail press release.

Denton County Transportation Authority’s (DCTA) board last month approved a new suite of on-call contracts that will enable the agency to allocate up to $2.4 million of its annual operating budget to mobility services in Denton County, Texas.

DCTA’s "Mobility as a Service" (MaaS) contract model utilizes on-demand, real-time, platform-based services that can include a combination of mobility options such as car and bike sharing, taxis and driverless vehicles.

Watco Cos. LLC has entered into a joint venture with SCH Services LLC to create an inland bulk terminal network in the four rivers area of Illinois and Kentucky.

The SCH terminal network will consist of Watco's Cora Terminal, located on the Mississippi River in Rockwood, Illinois; the SCH's Calvert City Terminal on the Tennessee River in Calvert City, Kentucky; and Four Rivers Terminal on the Ohio River in West Paducah, Kentucky.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) agency in California last week released a report examining the feasibility of implementing passenger-rail service in the corridor between Marin, Sonoma, Napa, and Solano counties. The agency found that the link would be possible.

Requested and funded by the California State Transportation Agency, the study found that an east-west connection would expand transit connectivity in northern California and could be completed “relatively quickly,” SMART General Manager Farhad Mansourian wrote in the report. 

Allegheny Valley Railroad Co. (AVR) has filed a notice of exemption with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to acquire from CSX 47.5 miles of rail lines that AVR has leased and operated since 2003 in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

AVR stated in its application that it expects to execute a purchase and sale agreement with CSX shortly, according to the notice. AVR's leasehold interest in the lines will then be converted to an ownership interest.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) proposed a $7.2 billion budget for the coming fiscal year from July 1 to June 30, 2020, a $600 million increase over the current budget of $6.6 billion. 

The increase is due mostly to LA Metro expecting more revenue from its sales taxes, grants and bonds. Increased expenses are due in part to costs involving labor and benefits, debt and the planning and construction of road, transit and active transportation projects, according to LA Metro’s official blog “The Source.” 

BNSF Railway Co. reported its first-quarter 2019 operating income rose 2 percent to $1.8 billion, total revenue climbed 2 percent to $5.76 billion and net income jumped 9 percent to $1.25 billion compared with the same period a year ago.

The Class I attributed its growth in total revenue to higher rates per car, a favorable outcome of an arbitration hearing and higher fuel surcharges, according to a quarterly financial summary posted on bnsf.com.