Railroad News

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) is considering delaying a planned 2018 fare hike for at least another year to complete a comprehensive fare study.

The agency's operational planning and infrastructure committee recommended putting the fare increase on hold after yesterday's meeting of the full GCRTA board.

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $110 million this year on network maintenance projects in Oklahoma.

The Class I's Oklahoma capital expenditures program in 2018 will primarily focus on replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, according to a BNSF press release.

As of mid-January, Class Is in the United States employed 144,329 workers, down 0.75 percent since mid-December's employment figure and down 2.76 percent compared with mid-January 2017's level, according to the Surface Transportation Board.

Five of six employment categories reflected workforce decreases in mid-January compared with mid-December. Those categories were executives, officials and staff assistants, down 3.62 percent to 7,830 employees; transportation (train and engine) down 1.29 percent to 59,684; maintenance of way and structures, down 0.99 percent to 32,132; transportation (other than train and engine) down 0.78 percent to 5,581; and maintenance of equipment and stores, down 0.12 percent to 26,564.

Sound Transit has chosen Siemens to supply 13 traction power substations and two medium-voltage substations for the Northgate and East Link light-rail extensions.

The company also will provide a cross-passage tunnel tie station on the extensions and upgrade an existing substation it supplied in 2008.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certified an emissions-reduction system for one of the North Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) passenger locomotives.

Known as a blended after-treatment system (BATS), the technology uses catalytic reduction to chemically remove diesel engine emission pollutants from the locomotive's exhaust before it's released into the air.

In 2017, 1,090 railway accidents were reported to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), a 21 percent increase over 2016 but close to the five-year average of 1,028, the board reported yesterday.

There were 77 rail-related fatalities in 2017 — 11 more than the previous year and two more than the five-year average, according to the TSB's preliminary statistics report on transportation occurrences.

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The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) late last week marked its 25th anniversary.

Board members, elected officials and community stakeholders joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for a Feb. 15 ceremony to mark the occasion. The event took place at Los Angeles Union Station.

North Florida Warehouse FTZ, a division of JZ Expedited Cos., last week marked the opening of Freight Trade Zone No. 64's first outdoor storage facility near the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT).

Located minutes from JAXPORT's North Jacksonville terminals, the 3.7-acre facility provides flexible short- and long-term outdoor storage options for vehicles, high and heavy, tracked units, project and over-dimensional cargo, containers, breakbulk and other cargo varieties, company officials said in a press release.

Caltrain last week began construction to improve three grade crossings in Redwood City, California.

Crews are installing new pedestrian gate arms, as well as new guard rails and signage to channel pedestrians toward crosswalks. Workers also will install roadway markers and bumps along the crosswalk so vehicles don't accidentally turn onto the tracks, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

The North Dakota Public Service Commission (PSC) earlier this month released 2017 inspection data from the agency's Railroad Safety Program, which identifies defects and violations that may result in accidents.

The program's two inspectors focus on two disciplines: track and motor power and equipment (mechanical). Statistics show those areas contribute to the largest number and most severe accidents in the state, PSC officials said in a press release.

Ontario and electricity provider Toronto Hydro have awarded a contract to Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. to design and build a battery energy storage facility for the future Eglinton Crosstown light-rail line.

The facility will store energy generated at night during off-peak hours and supply energy the following day to reduce peak energy usage. The facility also will provide emergency power to Crosstown line in the event of a power interruption, according to a press release issued by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

The North Carolina Railroad Co. and city of High Point have agreed to work together on $5.1 million worth of improvements to the railroad's corridor and drainage in the city's downtown.

The rail line through downtown High Point is located within a cut below street level and includes bridges crossing above the track. The company will partner with the city and Norfolk Southern Railway on improvements to the railroad slopes and the stormwater drainage on the streets adjacent to the railroad.

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

Unexpected rail wear led to last week's systemwide closure of the Maryland Transit Administration's (MTA) subway network in Baltimore.

Inspectors found that the gauge face angle (GFA) — a factor used to calculate rail wear —exceeded internal standards on 11 sections of elevated track. GFA is the measurement of wear that occurs on the part of the rail that comes in contact with trains' wheels.