Railroad News

The Seattle Office of Housing yesterday announced $15 million in funding to build affordable homes near Sound Transit's future Roosevelt light-rail station.

The office has joined Sound Transit in issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for the project. The RFP is for one of several transit-oriented development (TOD) plans that Sound Transit is advancing this year, Sound Transit officials said in a press release.

Longshore workers at 29 ports in California, Oregon and Washington officially ratified a three-year contract extension with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced late last week.

The union's coast balloting committee reviewed voting results from all longshore local unions and confirmed that 67 percent of members have approved the extension, ILWU officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Senate late last week confirmed Robert Sumwalt's nomination to a two-year term as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Sumwalt, who succeeds Christopher Hart, has served on the board since 2006. Prior to joining the board, he was manager of aviation for the SCANA Corp.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday proposed a new tax on the city's highest earners to fix the region's deteriorating subway and bus system.

The proposal would increase the income tax rate from 3.867 percent to 4.41 percent on taxable incomes above $500,000 for individuals and above $1 million for couples.

[Editor's note: This story was updated after its original posting.]

Amtrak and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) have reached a new agreement for the operation, maintenance and use of the 37.9-mile Attleboro Line between Boston and the Rhode Island state border.

BNSF Railway Co. reported revenue jumped 14.5 percent to $5.3 billion on higher volumes and increased average revenue per car during the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago.

BNSF's pretax net earnings rose 24 percent to $1.5 billion in Q2 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, according to the second-quarter earnings report of BNSF's parent company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Annka Robinson, 33

Job description: Robinson is responsible for ensuring safety related to maintenance-of-way activities on the Trinity Railway Express.

Education: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, bachelor's degree in civil engineering

GE Transportation has unveiled the first of 1,000 Evolution Series locomotives for Indian Railways. The ES43ACmi unit underwent nearly two months of testing and validation before receiving a coat of red and yellow paint, GE officials said in a press release. With the new paint job completed, the company is preparing to ship the locomotive in a few weeks. Expected to arrive in India later this year, the unit is part of a $2.5 billion locomotive order from Indian Railways.

Rail Partners Management Group LLC has acquired the assets and operations of Tactical Cleaning Co. from Strategic Environmental & Energy Resources. Tactical Cleaning provides fixed-base and mobile rail-car cleaning services to large and small rail-car customers throughout North America. Rail Partners will retain the company's brand name and all Tactical Cleaning operational personnel will remain in place, according to a Rail Partners press release. Financing for the transaction was provided by Seneca Partners and Uniprop. Other financial details were undisclosed.

The North East Association of Rail Shippers announced last week it is recognizing North Shore Railroad Co. Chairman Emeritus Richard Robey as the Transportation Person of the Year.

"Dick was a true pioneer in the short-line industry at a time when few believed that railroading had much of a future," association officials said in a press release.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) interim General Manager Steve Poftak over the weekend visited several infrastructure improvement project sites.

One stop included the site of a railroad drawbridge replacement in Beverly, Massachusetts. To accommodate the work, the MBTA on July 17 shut down Newburyport/Rockport Line service north of Salem, Massachusetts. Train service is slated to return to normal tomorrow, MBTA officials said in a press release.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has found that an August 2016 collision between two Canadian Pacific trains occurred when one of the trains ran a stop signal.

The investigation highlights the need for onboard voice and video recorders, TSB officials said in a press release.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has arrested 536 fare evaders during a recent six-week crackdown, the agency announced late last week.

Over the past six weeks, plainclothes officers have actively monitored fare gates across MARTA's 38 rail stations for riders hopping on board without paying. The effort led to hundreds of arrests and suspensions from the agency's system, MARTA officials said in a press release.

Caltrain's board has awarded a $32 million contract to Proven Management Inc. for the South San Francisco Station improvement project.

The project involves track and signal work, along with the installation of a new 700-foot center boarding platform. The work also will provide a connection to a new pedestrian underpass from the platform to Grand Avenue/Poletti Drive.

CSX violated federal law by implementing a physical abilities battery that discriminates against women, according to a lawsuit field by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last week.

The EEOC alleges that since at least 2008, CSX has conducted isokinetic strength testing as a requirement for workers to be selected for various jobs. Known as the IPCS Biodex, the strength test causes a discriminatory impact on women seeking jobs as conductors, material handlers/clerks, and a number of other job categories, the EEOC said in a press release.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao late last week informed Congress that the U.S. Department of Transportation has proposed nearly $79 million in grants for freight-related rail, port and roadway infrastructure projects under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

The notification to Congress, sent Aug. 2, initiates a 60-day period in which Congress could vote to disapprove the proposed projects if it finds a project objectionable, according to a report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Myat Ohn, 34

Job description: Ohn serves as the deputy segment lead for the the San Jose-Merced section of California’s high-speed rail project. In her role, she manages the project’s scope, schedule, budget and sub-consultants. Ohn also designs the track plan and profile as track and guideway lead for the section. In addition, she coordinates with other rail agencies, cities, counties and stakeholders.

Education: Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering, University of California-Berkeley

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) joined representatives of Omaha Track Inc. and local railroads to tour the company's facilities in Omaha this week.

Omaha Track President and Owner Terry Peterson led the tour, which included visits to the new corporate office and the Omaha Track Equipment facility, where maintenance-of-way equipment is custom built, fabricated and maintained.

Solaris Oilfield Infrastructure Inc. on Wednesday announced a new seven-year transloading agreement with an exploration and production operator in the Sooner Trend Anadarko Basin Canadian and Kingfisher Counties (STACK) oil play in Oklahoma.

Under the agreement, the operator will provide minimum quarterly proppant volumes through a new facility that Solaris is developing in Kingfisher, Oklahoma.