Railroad News

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has completed all required testing for five of its next-generation light-rail trains.

President Donald Trump yesterday signed a resolution that gives final approval for a safety commission to oversee the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

The resolution is the final legislative requirement before a safety oversight organization can be created for agency, The Washington Post reported.

U.S. Senate Democrats have asked the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to reconsider its recent decision to withdraw an Obama-era proposal to mandate sleep apnea testing for train operators and commercial truck drivers.

In a letter sent Monday to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the senators asked for the data the USDOT used to make the decision to withdraw the rule, along with the department's plan to identify and treat rail operators and truckers diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea.

GE and the Port of Los Angeles are expanding a pilot program launched last year to use a digital solution to keep cargo flowing more efficiently.

As a result of the pilot's success, the parties have committed to new commercial agreements worth up to nearly $12 million and extended their relationship for at least five years, GE officials said in a press release.

With California's population projected to grow by 21 million by 2050, rail transportation will be vital to the state's efficient movement of freight and people, a new research report concludes.

Titled "Rail and California Economy," the report presents case studies and analysis of freight- and passenger-rail transportation on land use, freeway congestion and the movement of commodities, and those factors' effects on the state's economy.

Amtrak's repairs at Penn Station in New York City have helped drive a record average weekday ridership for Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH).

Ridership last month rose 9.2 percent year over year to nearly 298,000 passengers, which is the highest average weekday ridership for any month since the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey took over the rail line in 1962, PATH officials said in a press release.

Port Freeport in Texas hosted a groundbreaking ceremony last week to mark the start of construction on the first phase of the Parcel 14 Rail Development project.

Part of the port's long-term strategy, the $21 million rail project is designed to enhance land-side accessibility and supply chain efficiency for Brazoria County's petrochemical industry and other port users, port officials said in a press release.

CN moved a record 21.8 million metric tons of Western Canadian grain during the 2016-17 crop year, the Class I announced today.

Among the crop year's highlights, CN reported that it shipped 7 percent more tonnage on its network than the prior three-year average.

New York Air Brake LLC has announced plans to move its peripheral product assembly in Watertown, New York, to Salisbury, North Carolina. The shift consolidates less complex assemblies into the North Carolina manufacturing hub, company officials said in a press release. The Watertown facility will remain the sole location for the design, testing and manufacture of freight-car brakes. Retaining the more complex assemblies enables New York Air Brake to create a "high-tech manufacturing hub," company officials said. The transition is scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter and conclude in first-quarter 2018. The shift will affect 40 of the 425 workers at the Watertown plant.

The Watermill Group has acquired Andaray Holdings Ltd. and its Cooper & Turner subsidiary, which is a United Kingdom-based global manufacturer and distributor of large-diameter industrial fastener systems. Cooper & Turner will continue offering its existing product lines from its manufacturing sites and distribution centers. The company also will pursue new product, service and market opportunities around the world, Watermill Group officials said in a press release. Financial details of the transaction weren't disclosed.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on Sept. 1 will wrap up reconstruction of the M Line's Fresh Pond Bridge.

The work is part of a $163 million project to replace two deteriorating M line overpasses. The first phase involves rebuilding the century-old Fresh Bond Bridge. Crews began reconstructing the bridge project in July.

Class Is employed 147,540 workers in the United States as of mid-July, down 0.7 percent from mid-June's level and 3.4 percent from mid-July 2016's mark, according to Surface Transportation Board data.

All six employment categories reflected workforce decreases on a month-over-month basis. The number of executives, officials and staff assistants declined 0.24 percent to 8,678; professional and administrative staff, 0.3 percent to 12,643; maintenance of way and structures workers, 0.57 percent to 33,849; maintenance of equipment and stores employees, 0.97 percent to 27,036; transportation (other than train and engine) ranks, 0.26 percent to 5,790; and transportation (train and engine) workers, 0.92 percent to 59,544.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx late last week issued a request for proposals (RFP) to three teams to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Hurontario light-rail project.

The agencies in October 2016 released a request for qualifications to identify firms interested in leading the project. IO and Metrolinx picked the top three teams based on their construction, design, operation and maintenance capabilities, as well as their financial capacity.

Canadian Pacific has readied its Dedicated Train Program (DTP) in preparation for grain service during the 2017-18 crop year, the Class I announced today.

More than 75 percent of CP's grain service will employ the DTP this season. The program offers customers greater control of rail-car supply to manage their supply chain, CP officials said in a press release. Grain is the Class I’s largest line of business.