Railroad News

SunRail yesterday began passenger service along its 17-mile southern expansion into Orange and Osceola counties, Florida.

The extension, which includes four new stations, runs from the existing Sand Lake Road station in Pine Castle, Florida, to a new terminus in Poinciana, Florida. As part of the project, SunRail double-tracked most of its corridor and upgraded grade crossings.

Amtrak's improvement projects at Washington Union Station face risks of delays and cost overruns due to weaknesses in scheduling, cost estimates and project management, according to a new report by the Amtrak Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Amtrak agrees with all the OIG's recommendations for the station projects, an Amtrak spokeswoman said in an email.

The New Jersey Transit Police Department late last week began using social networking app Nextdoor to boost community policing efforts.

Using the app's public agency platform, NJ Transit police will be able to geo-target Nextdoor users who live within a mile of commuter- and light-rail lines, as well as bus terminals.

All three of Amtrak's Michigan routes now accept bicycles on board.

Last week, the Wolverine Service became the last Michigan Department of Transportation-sponsored line to allow riders to bring their bikes on board. Wolverine trains provide three daily-round trips between Pontiac, Michigan and Chicago, via Detroit, Dearborn, Jackson and other stops in Michigan.

John Lesniewski, vice president and successor president of the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART TD), retired earlier this month.

A member of Chicago Local 1534, Lesniewski began his railroad career on the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad in October 1972, according to a SMART TD press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) board late last week approved a plan to install up to 35 crossing gates along the San Fernando Valley's Orange Line bus rapid transit route.

The improvements are necessary to prepare the line for its eventual conversion to light rail, Metro officials said in a press release. Orange Line buses operate along an exclusive right of way between North Hollywood and Chatsworth, California.

RailTrends® today announced the agenda for its 2018 conference, which will be held Nov. 29-30 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City.

Confirmed participants include Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Hamberger, who will be presented with this year's 2018 Railroad Innovator Award.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) reported second-quarter 2018 operating revenue rose 10 percent to $595 million from $540.4 million and operating income increased 3.4 percent to $103.1 million compared with the same quarter a year ago.

The company's reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) fell 1.4 percent to 0.73 cents per share for quarter compared with last year's EPS. Adjusted diluted EPS in Q2 2018 jumped 17.5 percent to 94 cents compared with a year ago, according to a G&W press release.

Jocelyn Hill, 39

Job description: Acts as the public face of Conrail. In serving in this hybrid role, she is hands-on throughout projects, from providing the initial public outreach to lobbying for grant funding, to papering the transaction and handling media relations.

Education: International Baccalaureate at Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro; Bachelor of Arts in English at Kenyon College; J.D. at Dickinson Law School, Penn State

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen's (BLET) legislative representatives visited 150 congressional offices in Washington, D.C., earlier this month to raise awareness of the union's dispute with the Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex) and its parent, Kansas City Southern Railway.

On July 9, Tex Mex replaced U.S. crew members with Mexican train crews between Laredo Yard in Laredo, Texas, and the International Bridge located about 10 miles away.

RSI Logistics Inc. has acquired Specialized Transportation Service (STS), which provides bulk liquid intermodal services from Portland, Oregon. The newly acquired company will operate under the name STS Intermodal LLC. The firm's existing equipment, labor and management will remain in place, and Jana Corder will continue her role as general manager of the Portland operations. The acquisition is aimed at complementing RSI's growth strategy in bulk intermodal transportation, RSI officials said in a press release. The acquisition's financial terms were not disclosed.

Bombardier Transportation has awarded a five-year, $290 million contract to global energy and services group ENGIE to deliver integrated facilities management, production maintenance and project services. ENGIE also will deliver capital expenditure projects and energy performance solutions. The services are to be delivered at existing and new buildings, including manufacturing environments, Bombardier officials said in a press release.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has recognized Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Lambert as its outstanding public transportation manager of 2018.

Under his tenure, the Houston-area agency has been honored for "everything from financial transparency to emergency response efforts," agency officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit's board yesterday awarded a $108 million contract to Walsh Construction Co. to build the Hilltop Tacoma Link light-rail extension and seven new platform stations.

The project calls for extending the existing light-rail line by 2.4 miles from the Theater District in downtown Tacoma, Washington, to the city's Stadium District and Hilltop neighborhoods.

Amtrak is investing $370 million over three years on new equipment that is expected to improve the ride along the Northeast Corridor.

The new equipment will double Amtrak's engineering efforts on the corridor and accelerate maintenance work, according to an Amtrak press release.

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday appointed Lynden Tennison executive vice president and chief strategy officer, effective Aug. 1.

A 26-year UP veteran, Tennison has been senior vice president and chief information officer since Feb. 2005. In his new role, he will develop, implement and oversee UP's strategic agenda, according to a UP press release.

Since 1970, terrorist groups and criminals have made more than 1,000 attempts to derail trains and attack rail infrastructure around the world, according to new Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) research.

Of the 282 attempts at derailing trains, 42 percent actually led to derailments. South Asia, which experienced 58 percent of derail attempts, leads in the number of attempts. There have been only two derailment attempts in North America, according to MTI's report.