Railroad News

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has restructured the FASTLANE grant program to focus on freight-related infrastructure projects that use funds from the private sector or other non-federal sources.

The Fostering Advancements in Shipping and Transportation for the Long-Term Achievement of National Efficiencies (FASTLANE) program was authorized under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to provide competitive grants or credit assistance to nationally and regionally significant freight and highway projects.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Joseph Lhota yesterday announced he will conduct a top-to-bottom audit to overhaul MTA New York City Transit's (NYCT) subway system.

The agency will work with transit experts and management consultants to perform the audit, which will examine NYCT's challenges and limitations to identify strategies for short- and long-term changes.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) on July 10 will add a waterproof membrane to the exterior of Red Line tunnel walls to help prevent leaks and arcing insulator incidents.

A proprietary, polymer-based material will be installed along a 9-mile tunnel segment that runs from the Farragut North Station in Washington, D.C., to the Grosvenor Station in North Bethesda, Maryland.

Cando Rail Services obtained two contracts to provide rail switching services at Domtar pulp and paper mills in Wisconsin.

The new agreements call for rail switching service at mills in Rothschild and Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Cando has had a contract to provide rail switching service at Domtar's mill in Dryden, Ontario, according to a Cando press release.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has finished installing security cameras in all of its rail cars, the agency announced yesterday.

The new cameras are aimed at bolstering BART's existing security infrastructure network, which includes other cameras on platforms, inside and outside stations and on police officers themselves.

U.S. rail traffic continued its climb in Week 25, with railroads reporting an increase of 3.6 percent in carloads and intermodal units compared with traffic during the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced yesterday.

Total carloads for the week ending June 24 were 263,504 units, up 2.3 percent compared with the same week in 2016. Intermodal volume during the week rose 4.9 percent to 281,190 containers and trailers compared with last year's figure.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has appointed Alene Tchourumoff chair of the Twin Cities-area Metropolitan Council.

Tchourumoff has been serving as Minnesota's state rail director since May 2016. She has a decade of experience in infrastructure planning, transportation policy and finance, according to a press release issued by Dayton's office.

Brightline has formed a partnership with Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL) to provide clean biodiesel to fuel the company's trains.

CN officials yesterday participated in a ground-breaking ceremony at Whirlpool Canada's distribution center now under construction at the railroad's Calgary Logistics Park in Rocky View County, Alberta.

The 425,000-square-foot building will serve as a distribution center for finished Whirlpool alliances coming to Alberta from across North America, CN officials said in a press release.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has presented this year's John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award to Norfolk Southern Railway's Andrew Paul, the association announced yesterday.

The AAR issues the award annually in honor of the late senator from Rhode Island. Chafee was a strong advocate for environmental causes and the eco-friendly benefits of rail transportation.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo today declared a state of emergency for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).

The move will allow the agency to speed up the purchase of material and equipment needed to repair tracks, signals, switches and other components, Cuomo said on Twitter.

Southern California transit agency Omnitrans has appointed Trischelle Baysden director of rail.

Omnitrans made the appointment as it prepares to launch the Arrow passenger-rail service between Redlands and San Bernardino, California. The route is slated to open in 2020.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has named the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) its "outstanding public transportation system" for 2017.

The award recognizes the Toronto agency's "transformative change" over the past five years, TTC officials said in a press release. The TTC's efforts have included developing a five-year plan aimed at putting customers first.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators this week introduced the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) of 2017, a measure that would reauthorize the federal clean-air program through fiscal-year 2022 at current funding levels.

The legislation also would ensure equal funding opportunities between large cities and rural areas, according to a press release issued by U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW).

An MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) A-line subway train derailed yesterday and injured at least 34 people.

None of the injuries were life-threatening, according to the New York City Fire Department's Twitter account.

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) has expedited efforts to repair 10 light-rail cars to increase capacity following a heat wave in the western United States.

Last week, the light-rail fleet's air conditioning systems struggled to perform in the region's triple-digit temperatures, causing "extreme discomfort for both passengers and operators," SacRT officials said in a press release.

TransLink has begun welcoming new retailers to its SkyTrain stations for the first time in eight years.

The agency's retail real estate program generates CA$500,000 each year, a figure that's anticipated to double over the next five years, TransLink officials said in a press release issued last week.