Railroad News

New Jersey Transit yesterday announced a pilot program to test new fare collection technology on trains.

Launched this week, the program enables train crews to use handheld mobile devices to scan and validate tickets. Now, crews visually inspect all electronic tickets and paper passes, and use manual punches for paper tickets.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has released a draft of its $17.3 billion capital investment plan for fiscal years 2019-2023.

About 57 percent of the total amount will go toward improving the reliability of the state's "core transportation system," said MassDOT Secretary and Chief Executive Officer in the plan's introduction.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Paul Wiedefeld yesterday ordered an independent contractor to assess the condition of concrete panels being used to build stations for the second phase of the Silver Line rail project.

The agency learned that defective concrete panels were installed at five new Silver Line stations, radio station WTOP reported.

On the one-year anniversary of an Amtrak conductor's shooting in Illinois, U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and John Hoeven (R-N.D.) introduced a bill aimed at improving public safety and discouraging violence on passenger trains.

The Passenger Rail Crew Protection Parity Act would provide passenger-rail crew members with the same federal protections provided to airline crew members. Under those protections, any assault or intimidation of a rail crew member — including engineers, conductors and on-board service personnel — would be charged under federal law, according to a press release issued by Duckworth's office.

CN has pleaded guilty to violating the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and will pay a CA$25,000 fine as well as a CA$1.1 million sum to promote environmental protection, according to a government press release.

The violation relates to CN importing a fuel that did not meet federal Renewable Fuels Regulations, government officials said in a press release. An investigation by Environment and Climate Change Canada found that between July 1, 2011, and Dec. 31, 2012, CN imported more than 224 million liters of diesel fuel.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has determined that the Metropolitan Council's proposed changes to the Southwest Green Line light-rail extension in the Minneapolis area meets federal environmental requirements.

The council had earlier determined that 10 design modifications to the project that were identified during the final design and permitting process would not have a significant impact on the environment, according to a press release issued by the Metropolitan Council.

The Canadian government this week announced federal funding for several projects at the Port of Vancouver and Ashcroft Terminal in British Columbia that include freight-rail infrastructure improvements.

Yesterday, Minister of Transport Marc Garneau announced a CA$55.8 million investment for four projects led by the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, three of which will help improve rail service, according to Transport Canada press releases.

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

If the United States' $90 billion public transit repair backlog isn't addressed soon, it could result in a $340 billion loss to the country's economy over the next six years.

The city of Milwaukee earlier this week took delivery of its second streetcar vehicle from Brookville Equipment Corp.

Metro Transit's Southwest light-rail project has jumped in price by $145 million to more than $2 billion, Metropolitan Council Chair Alene Tchourumoff said Tuesday in a project update.

The cost increase is due to factors such as freight-rail negotiations, additional environmental analysis and the rebidding of the civil contracting, Tchourumoff wrote to the council's corridor management committee.

A Blacklands Railroad subsidiary has opened a transloading and storage terminal at the Northern Nevada Railport and Logistics Center in Fernley, Nevada, the Northern Nevada Development Authority (NNDA) announced yesterday.

The subsidiary, Black Gold Rail Terminals: Northern Nevada, will help the short line meet its intermodal, logistics and distribution needs in a cost-effective manner, according to an NNDA press release.

Quebec government leaders have adopted special legislation that will pave the way for the Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) to acquire new Azur subway trains.

U.S. railroads posted a 5.8 percent increase in carload and intermodal traffic for the week ending May 12 compared with the same week in 2017, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total carloads for the week increased 5.3 percent to 267,196 units, while intermodal volume climbed 6.3 percent to 282,833 containers and trailers compared with the same period a year ago.

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

The National Mediation Board (NMB) has reorganized.

The Office of Chief of Staff, the position of chief of staff and the position of assistant chief of staff have been eliminated, while two new offices have been created: Fiscal Services and Information Services.

Duos Technologies Group Inc. has obtained a "multimillion-dollar" contract with CN to provide the Class I with high-resolution train imaging systems for security and mechanical inspection.

The award includes four complete rail inspection portals and deployment of Duos' first commercial thermal undercarriage inspection system, which recently was beta-tested at the rail-testing facility in Pueblo, Colorado, Duos Technologies officials said in a press release.

Brightline has partnered with ride-hailing company Lyft to provide first- and last-mile services at its stations.

As part of the agreement, Brightline's three stations will feature designated Lyft pickup and drop-off zones. Brightline passengers will be able to use the Brightline mobile app to see their Lyft driver's estimated time of arrival and check the approximate cost of a ride.