Railroad News

Sound Transit is one-third finished with construction of its East Link light-rail tunnel under downtown Bellevue, Washington, the agency announced Tuesday.

Crews continue to excavate at the south portal site at 112th Avenue Northeast and Main Street in Bellevue. When completed, the 2,000-foot tunnel will connect the future East Main and Downtown Bellevue stations.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials yesterday held a hearing to gather stakeholders' perspectives on what's needed to improve the nation's rail infrastructure.

Several representatives of railroad and transportation labor organizations testified before the subcommittee members. The hearing was held as the subcommittee and committee prepare for the Trump administration's infrastructure package proposal.

U.S. railroads' intermodal volumes boosted combined rail traffic to a 0.7 percent gain last month compared with traffic in September 2016, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Carload traffic for U.S. railroads declined 2.3 percent to 1,044,563 units, while intermodal volumes rose 3.8 percent to 1,080,444 containers and trailers in September compared with the same month last year, according to an AAR press release.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Cap Metro) in Austin, Texas, late last week approved the agency's $418.8 million budget for fiscal-year 2018, which began Oct. 1.

The budget includes $250 million for operating expenses and $151.5 million for capital investments. Major capital projects include rail improvements to double the frequency and capacity of MetroRail service, as well as positive train control (PTC) implementation for the system.

Amtrak yesterday unveiled its "Ready to Build" campaign, which features a series of short films showcasing five critical investments that Amtrak officials believe are key to developing a modern passenger-rail system.

The campaign emphasizes investments in major Amtrak rail stations, as well as in infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor (NEC), where the majority of Amtrak-owned assets are located, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

Wabtec Corp. has acquired AM General Contractor, a manufacturer of safety systems for passenger-rail cars. AM primarily builds fire protection and extinguishing systems, including patented infrared technology. The company also provides aftermarket services and components for both rail and industrial markets. The acquisition will open up growth opportunities in an expanding retrofit market over the next five years, said Wabtec President and Chief Executive Officer Raymond Betler in a press release. Financial details of the transaction weren't disclosed.

Fort Worth & Western Railroad (FWRR) has selected Herzog Technologies Inc. to provide positive train control (PTC) hosting services, which are designed to simplify and accelerate PTC implementation. Herzog's hosting services also will help make the short line interoperable with its host railroads, company officials said in a press release. FWRR is implementing PTC on a number of locomotives as required by federal legislation. The railroad operates 276 miles of track through eight counties in North Central Texas.

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has launched its "UTA GoRide" mobile ticketing app, which enables riders to purchase light-rail, streetcar and bus fares on their smartphones.

The app enables riders to buy single-ride fares or day passes for themselves or other passengers. GoRide isn't yet available on UTA's FrontRunner commuter-rail routes.

Juan Reyes has been appointed chief counsel of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), according to a press release issued by Seyfarth Shaw LLP, a law firm where Reyes has served as partner.

As the principal legal adviser to the FRA, Reyes will manage a legal department of 50 attorneys and provide executive direction to the general law and safety law divisions, Seyfarth officials said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has returned to service the first round of rail cars that were refurbished as part of the agency's recent subway improvement plan.

Before the R-160 cars re-entered service on the E line, crews replaced each trainset's "master controller," which is the system responsible for braking and accelerating the trains.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has begun considering a series of public-private partnerships to deliver new transportation projects faster than expected.

The partnerships, which will be established through competitive bids, could help accelerate three projects funded by the Measure M sales tax, Metro officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. has appointed Fredric Ehlers as chief information officer.

A 32-year railroad veteran, Ehlers will continue serving as vice president of information technology, a position he's held since 2013. Based in Atlanta, Ehlers also will continue reporting to Executive Vice President Finance and Chief Financial Officer Cynthia Earhart, who previously served as CIO.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) on Sunday began upgrading commuter-rail overhead wire and tracks between the Fern Rock Transportation Center and Glenside Station.

The agency's in-house crews are carrying out the work, which will take place on three consecutive Sundays beginning Oct. 1.

Pacific Harbor Line Inc. (PHL) and Progress Rail yesterday hosted Port of Long Beach and American Association of Port Authorities officials for a look at the EMD24B switcher locomotive that PHL will lease for use on its line.

Progress Rail's EMD24B has been completing its California Air Resources Board verification testing with PHL, and the companies announced that as a result, PHL has confirmed it plans to lease the unit, according to a Progress Rail press release.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last week launched a new performance dashboard to keep riders informed about the status of the agency's subway system.

The tool provides data about major incidents, customer wait times, subway car performance and station environment standards. The dashboard is designed to improve communication with the millions of riders who use MTA New York City Transit's subways each day, MTA officials said in a press release.

The Port of Portland will receive a $1.25 million federal grant to upgrade marine terminal security systems.

The port will use the grant to rebuild key components of the security systems at terminals 4 and 6, port officials announced in a press release.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHRSA) has finished investing $2.55 billion worth of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds by the required Sept. 30 deadline.

The agency released a report that details how it spent the ARRA funds. A little more than $2 billion went toward construction of the Central Valley segment.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) reduced its structural deficit by 65 percent in fiscal-year 2017 compared with the previous year's deficit, the agency announced yesterday.

The MBTA's deficit was $30 million in FY2017 versus $86 million in FY2016. In addition, core operating expenses for the most recent fiscal year were $6 million less than they were in the prior year.