Railroad News

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Brandt Road Rail

The Brandt Rail Tool is designed for a variety of rail construction and maintenance applications, ranging from weed and brush control to undercutting to material handling to moving dirt.

By Michael Popke

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

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver officials last week recognized the agency's 50th anniversary at an event at Union Station. 

To mark the anniversary, which officially is July 1, RTD officials unveiled an anniversary logo and redesigned website to showcase historical photos and an interactive timeline of RTD highlights. 

Metrolinx and Ontario government officials announced last week a partnership with Woodbine Entertainment to build a new GO Transit station on the Kitchener GO rail line.

Located in the Toronto area, the new station at Woodbine will increase transit access to nearby locations including Woodbine Mall, Humber College, University of Guelph-Humber and Etobicoke General Hospital, Ontario officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit and the Federal Transit Administration have extended until April 2 the public and agency comment period on route and station alternatives for the West Seattle and Ballard Link extension projects.  

The comments will help Sound Transit officials determine which alternatives should be studied in the next phase of its project development, the environmental impact statement (EIS). In May, the agency’s board will identify a preferred alternative and other alternatives to study in a draft EIS.

Twelve new container stacks have begun operating at the Port of Virginia's Norfolk International Terminals (NIT), port officials announced late last week.

The announcement marks the completion of the first phase of a project to reconfigure the NIT's south container stack yard, according to a port authority press release.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will invest nearly $4 million into track improvements at Addison Station on the Red Line, one of Chicago's busiest rail lines.

Construction, which began March 8 and is scheduled to be completed April 1, includes track renewal on the two western-most tracks that carry southbound Red and Purple Line express service, and replacement of concrete plinths, plates, fasteners, contact rail chairs and mounting blocks. 

Canadian Pacific was the only Class I to receive an "A" for hosting Amtrak trains on freight-rail tracks, according to Amtrak's latest "Host Report Card."

Released last week, the card reports grades the six Class Is that host Amtrak trains based on how much the Class Is delay passenger trains. CP's "A" grade means that most Amtrak passengers traveling on CP tracks arrive on time at their destination, according to an Amtrak spokeswoman.

The Alberta Community Transit Fund will award a total of CA$215 million to communities for the purchase of light-rail vehicles, electric buses and a dedicated bus lane, the Alberta government announced late last week.

Of the total, the government awarded CA$101.8 million to Calgary Metropolitan Region, CA$95.4 million to Edmonton Metropolitan Region and CA$17.8 million to other communities, according to an Alberta government press release.

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

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

Collins Aerospace has been awarded a $68 million contract by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to serve as the prime contractor for MTA New York City Transit's information management modernization project, according to a Collins Aerospace press release. This multiphase project includes an upgrade of the existing manual system to an intelligence-based computer system designed to provide consistent data regarding train locations and real-time status information. The company will also provide data analytics and management tools to monitor and analyze route operations. 

Trainyard Tech LLC has received a purchase order from Conrail to install the Classmaster hump yard process control system at Oak Island Yard in Newark, New Jersey. The system will include a rail yard reporting tool called TyT Reporter that will be customizable by all levels of Conrail users to simplify troubleshooting, analyze yard trends and review historical performance. Oak Island Yard has 30 classification tracks with three leads that may be routed to feed one master retarder, three intermediate retarders and five group retarders. 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) temporarily closed Urban Avenue in New Cassel, New York, today to rebuild a railroad crossing as a two-way grade separated underpass with a sidewalk, MTA officials said in a press release. 

The crossing reconstruction, which is set to be completed in the fall, is part of the MTA Long Island Rail Road’s main line expansion project, which calls for eliminating seven street-level grade crossings from Floral Park to Hicksville. 

The city of Phoenix has named Markus Coleman as its new light-rail administrator. 

Coleman has 23 years of experience with the city, working on development projects and in transportation, according to a press release. Prior to his new role, he was an engineering technician, plan review coordinator, project manager and had a previous rotation of acting deputy public transit director over transit operations.  

U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) earlier this week introduced a bill to require California to return $3.5 billion in federal funds the state received for its high-speed rail program.

H.R. 1515, the High-Speed Refund Act, would direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to retrieve discretionary grant funds provided to California for high-speed rail development and return the money to the federal government for use toward "nationally significant freight and highway projects," according to the legislation.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is seeking approval from its board to select The Boring Co. (TBC) to design, construct and operate autonomous electric passenger vehicles in underground express-route tunnels around the Las Vegas Convention Center, the authority announced in a press release earlier this week.

Upon approval from the board on March 12, the project would have the potential to connect the Las Vegas Convention Center, downtown Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Boulevard Resort Corridor and McCarran International Airport. Following approval, specific plans and contracts would be negotiated in a meeting to be held by June.

Rail industry representatives are reacting to the news of former Amtrak leader Joseph Boardman's death, which the railroad announced yesterday.

Boardman, 70, died this week after suffering a stroke while on vacation with his wife and family in Florida, the Rome Sentinel reported. He led Amtrak from 2008 until 2016, when he retired. He also served as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) from 2005 to 2008 during President George W. Bush's administration.