Railroad News

Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario have signed a CA$2.5 billion contract with Mosaic Transit Group to design, build, finance and maintain the Finch West light-rail project in Toronto.

The contract reflects payments during construction, along with a "substantial completion payment" and monthly service payments during the 30-year maintenance period, IO officials said in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co. reported first-quarter 2018 total revenue rose 8 percent to $5.6 billion from $5.2 billion a year ago as a result of a 5 percent increase in unit volume.

First-quarter net income net income soared 37 percent to $1.1 billion from $838 million a year ago, while operating income climbed 11 percent to $1.7 billion from $1.6 billion, BNSF reported in a press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has released its Metro Vision 2028 plan, which outlines steps to improve local mobility and quality of life over the next decade.

The plan includes improvements to Metro's state-of-good-repair program to help reduce rail and bus service disruptions. Over the next decade, the agency aims to build a "state-of-the-art, condition-based asset management practice" for maintaining mission-critical assets and upgrading to current technologies, Metro officials wrote in the plan.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has scheduled a meeting June 12 in Washington, D.C., to solicit input from stakeholders in the railroad and trucking industries on whistleblower issues.

OSHA is looking for comments and suggestions on how it can better deliver "whistleblower customer service," as well as assistance it can provide to better explain the whistleblower laws it enforces. The meeting will be the first in a series requesting public input on the whistleblower program, OSHA officials said in a press release.

Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) this month will begin weekend tunnel and station closures to finish installing and testing positive train control (PTC) equipment and software.

The closures will begin May 19 and resume July 7 through October's end. PATH conducted a similar weekend closure program during 2016's second half for the first phase of PTC implementation, which involved equipment and signal installation.

Sally Librera has been appointed to lead MTA New York City Transit's (NYCT) department of subways.

She will oversee the development and delivery of a long-term strategy to modernize the system, NYCT officials said in a press release.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating a passenger fatality last month involving an MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train at the station platform in Lynbrook, New York.

The NTSB late last week issued a preliminary report of the April 5 incident, in which a passenger on the platform came into contact with the side of the train, fell and died as the train was leaving the station.

Murex LLC and Cetane Energy LLC have agreed to a major capacity expansion of a crude-oil transloading facility in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Expected to be completed in the third quarter, the expansion will include a 100,000-barrel tank, additional lease automated custody transfer units for offloading trucks and expansion of the existing rail-car loading rack, Murex and Cetane officials said in a press release.

Amtrak and high-speed rail developer Texas Central have reached an agreement that will enable passengers to use Amtrak's reservation system to buy tickets for the future Dallas-to-Houston bullet train.

The "through-ticketing" option is aimed at facilitating transfers between the high-speed route and Amtrak stations in the area, Texas Central officials said in a press release.

U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) earlier this week joined representatives of Tensar International Corp., Genesee and Wyoming Inc., and other transportation stakeholders for a tour, product demonstration and transportation policy discussion at Tensar's plant in Morrow, Georgia.

Tensar Chief Executive Officer Mike Lawrence and Executive Vice President Global Operations Mark Koepsel led the tour of the company's production and research and development facility, which is located close to the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Railinc Corp. has joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance (BiTA), a consortium of more than 250 transportation and logistics companies aiming to create a forum for the development of blockchain technology standards and education. Blockchain is a digital ledger technology capable of recording transactions and storing data in blocks across a distributed network. The technology "presents interesting opportunities for the freight-rail industry," said Railinc President and Chief Executive Officer Allen West in a press release. BiTA was formed in 2017. BNSF Railway Co. and Kansas City Southern recently became the first Class Is to join BiTA.

FreightCar America Inc. reported a first-quarter 2018 net loss of $6.4 million compared to net income of $600,000, or 5 cents per diluted share, in Q1 2017. Revenue in the quarter fell to $83 million from $140 million a year ago. FreightCar America delivered 1,094 rail cars in Q1 2018 compared with 1,525 rail cars Q1 2017. Although challenging industry dynamics "continue to put pressure on pricing," the company continues to focus on areas it can control, said President and CEO Jim Meyer in a press release. That includes implementation of its "back-to-basics" operational excellence program that began in Q4 2017. The company also is observing increased demand for rebuild capabilities as it relates to coal-car conversions, Meyer said.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) has awarded a $45 million contract to Ahern Painting Contractors Inc. to perform structural steel repair work and overcoat painting along a segment of the Flushing Line in Queens.

The work, which will take place between 72nd and 104 streets, involves the capture and removal of paint, dirt, grease and grime from the elevated structure, NYCT officials said in a press release. That will be followed by painting of all structural steel surfaces.

Dennis Pierce was re-elected to a third term as president of the Teamsters Rail Conference at its Fourth Quadrennial Convention held in Las Vegas this week.

He serves as national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).

The executive committee of the Utah Transit Authority's (UTA) board on Tuesday recommended appointing Steve Meyer as interim executive director.

The agency's full board will review his appointment on May 23, UTA officials said in a press release.

Amtrak has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) from master developers interested in making improvements to the railroad's 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

With the release of the RFQ, Amtrak begins a two-phase process that will result in the selection of a preferred developer that will assist in introducing new customer amenities, reinvigorating the retail and commercial potential of the station, enhancing transit and pedestrian circulation, and expanding the station's concourses to accommodate anticipated increases in ridership, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

A group of Manitoba First Nations — through a newly formed partnership with private Canadian company iChurchill Inc. — has entered into an acquisition agreement with OmniTRAX Inc. and the Port of Churchill to acquire the Hudson Bay Railway Co. in Manitoba.

The rail line, which operates between Gillam and Churchill, has been inoperable since portions of it were washed out by floods in May 2017.

(Editor's note: This story was updated at 4:32 p.m. Friday with a statement from OmniTRAX.)

A group of Manitoba First Nations — through a newly formed partnership with private Canadian company iChurchill Inc. — say they have entered into an acquisition agreement with OmniTRAX Inc. to acquire the Hudson Bay Railway Co. and Port of Churchill in Manitoba.