Railroad News

In October, the Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) reached an all-time high of 129.2, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). The previous record index of 129.0 was set in August.

The Freight TSI inched up 0.6 from September’s level and climbed 5.3 percent from October 2016’s mark. The index measures month-to-month changes in shipments moved by rail, truck, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.

Amtrak and the Illinois Department of Transportation have opened a new station in Carlinville, Illinois, along the Chicago-St. Louis passenger-rail corridor.

The $3.76 million project was funded by a federal grant administered by IDOT to introduce higher-speed passenger-rail service on the Union Pacific Railroad line between Chicago and St. Louis. Amtrak trains started serving the station last month.

For the week ending Dec. 9, U.S. railroads registered 560,756 carloads and intermodal units, up 4 percent compared with volume in the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Their carloads increased 3.4 percent to 267,963 units and intermodal volume rose 4.6 percent to 292,793 containers and trailers.

Rail Partners Management Group LLC affiliate AllTrans Terminal Cos. LLC recently completed the acquisition of AllTrans Port Services LLC, Texas Transloaders LLC and their subsidiaries.

The acquired companies will be consolidated under AllTrans Terminal Cos. and managed by Mark Brown, Texas Transloaders’ owner who will serve as president of the consolidated entity.

New Jersey Transit's board yesterday approved the purchase of 17 dual-powered locomotives from Bombardier Transit Corp. that will enable the agency to retire some of its oldest units.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) board yesterday approved a $1.8 billion design-build contract with 3rd Track Constructors (3TC) for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) expansion project.

A joint venture, 3TC includes Dragados USA Inc., John P. Picone Inc., CCA Civil Inc., Halmar International LLC, Stantec and Cameron Engineering.

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A year ago, railroad contractors were looking ahead to 2017 with the requisite cautious optimism and a modicum of hope. Optimistic that the industry would be entering a less onerous regulatory era. And slightly hopeful that business would pick up.

GE Transportation has agreed to deploy its Trip Optimizer train control system on Kazakhstan Railways Freight Transportation's fleet of TE33A Evolution Series locomotives. The system analyzes routing and cargo data, and calculates optimum speed and fuel consumption profiles in real time. The agreement comes after GE and Kazakhstan Railways signed a memorandum of understanding in June to explore the use of digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption, optimize power distribution, enhance operational safety and improve fleet utilization. More than 700 new and modernized locomotives in Kazakhstan are powered by GE engines, company officials said in a press release.

Wabtec Corp. has signed a $5 million contract to design, install, test and commission a yard train control system for Brazilian freight railroad RUMO. Under the agreement, Wabtec will provide its train management and dispatching system associated with wayside signaling interlocking, training and systems integration. Installation is slated to be completed by 2018's end. The system will help boost safety and efficiency at a port in Santos, Sao Paulo, Wabtec officials said in a press release. In addition, the initiative will enable the port to prepare for future technology upgrades and to integrate with other railroads.

Metrolink and the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) announced new board appointments this week.

Metrolink announced Vivian Romero has joined its board. Romero serves as mayor of Montebello, California, which is located on Metrolink's Riverside Line. She was appointed to Metrolink's board by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Eric Garcetti, who also serves as mayor of Los Angeles.

The District of Columbia Chapter of WTS International last week gave its Secretary Ray LaHood Award to Bud Wright, the executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Named after former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the award honors someone who is an outstanding role model and advocate for women in transportation.

The Port of Virginia continued investing in its Richmond Marine Terminal (RMT) this week, with new equipment put into service at the terminal and on the Richmond Express.

Port crews put into service a portable, 40-plug central power unit that can be mounted on the Richmond Express barge and a specialized, heavy-lift forklift that will be used in the cargo operation at RMT, port officials said in a press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is limiting the number of trains on certain segments of the Red Line due to problems with an aging communications cable.

The 40-year-old cable is used by the signal system to transmit train speed and location data between control rooms located in the Brookland, Fort Totten and Takoma stations. WMATA crews in the coming weekend will replace the cable, which dates back to the original construction of the Metrorail system.

Kansas City Southern yesterday released its 2016 sustainability report, which highlights the company's "commitment to sustainable operations and community engagement."

Titled "For the Long Haul: Delivering Prosperity, Valuing People, Protecting the Planet," the report outlines how the company delivered financial results to its customers and investors; demonstrated a commitment to safety; and took steps to protect the environment.