Railroad News

OptiFuel Systems LLC is in the process of finalizing a $2.6 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to demonstrate a pre-production renewable natural gas (RNG) hybrid, 4,300-horsepower line-haul locomotive. The program aims to demonstrate that a suite of commercially available engines present a near-term, low risk solution to create an affordable RNG hybrid line-haul locomotive with near zero emissions while simultaneously improving fuel cost by 50 percent, OptiFuel officials said in press release. Partially funded with the DOE grant, the program will allow pre-production testing at the Transportation Technology Center Inc.

The Federal Railroad Administration, in conjunction with the Small Business Innovation Research Program, awarded Wi-Tronix LLC a contract to evaluate the ability of forward-facing cameras in locomotives to detect and analyze grade crossing infrastructure. Wi-Tronix will also evaluate the use of video analytics and visual intelligence tools. 

Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC) will shorten the travel season for one train and decrease operating days for another due to reduced ridership caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ARRC’s Coastal Classic, which provides passenger-rail service between Anchorage and Seward, will end daily operations on Sept. 7, one week earlier than originally scheduled, ARRC officials said in a press release.

Development projects near Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light-rail stations created $10.27 billion for the economy in the Dallas-Forth Worth region, according to a University of North Texas (UNT) study. 

The UNT Economics Research Group reviewed 81 development projects completed between 2016 and 2018 within a quarter mile of DART stations with a total property value of $5.1 billion. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced earlier this week that the state's Intermodal Cargo Growth Incentive Program will be extended through 2022. 

The program, which aims to increase cargo activity by incentivizing shippers to move cargo through Pennsylvania ports, was previously scheduled to end in June.

Officials from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia Department of Transportation and city of Newport News earlier this week broke ground on a $47 million transportation center in the Virginia city. 

The transportation center — which will replace the Newport News Amtrak station — will be located at Bland Boulevard between Warwick Boulevard and Interstate 64. 

CN today announced it will spend about CA$100 million in Wisconsin and CA$55 million in Michigan this year to bolster infrastructure.

The Wisconsin investments will focus on a new auto compound in New Richmond, maintenance of vessels, replacement of rail and ties, and maintenance of bridges, grade crossings, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure. The Class I plans to replace more than 9 miles of rail, install more than 60,000 ties and rebuild 48 crossing surfaces.

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Office of Railroad Safety has completed a yearlong reorganization to improve the regulation of railroad safety, regulators announced in the agency's newsletter.

Two key aspects of the reorganization are the creation of safety management teams (SMTs) for Class Is, short lines and commuter railroads, and the "re-alignment" of safety inspectors' reporting responsibilities, the newsletter states.

Metrolink earlier this week completed the installation of 133 new ticket machines at its stations across Southern California.

The new touchscreen ticket machines include a feature that predicts possible destination stations, automatic screen brightness, voice enabled technology, a headphone jack and braille keypads. The machines also dispense new tickets with added security features.

Rocky Mountaineer will suspend its excursion passenger-rail service between Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Canadian Rockies through Oct. 11 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and government travel restrictions. 

“We are incredibly disappointed to announce the suspension of our rail operations through to the end of the 2020 season. Like so many in the tourism and hospitality industry, the pandemic has had an overwhelmingly negative impact on our business,” said Steve Sammut, Rocky Mountaineer president and chief executive officer, in a press release.

Clark County, Nevada Commissioners earlier this week took steps to advance financing of Virgin Trains’ proposed high-speed rail project that would link Las Vegas and Southern California. 

The commission unanimously approved findings made by the Nevada Department of Business and Industry related to the financing of the project being proposed by DesertXpress Enterprises LLC, Clark County officials said in a press release. DesertXpress Enterprises is an affiliate of Virgin Trains USA.

OmniTRAX Inc. is partnering with the Frederick County Economic Development Authority in Virginia to identify and market rail-served sites along the Winchester & Western Railroad.

The initial three sites total 182 acres. Located along the rapidly growing Interstate 81 corridor, the sites are "ideal" for advanced manufacturing, food processing and agribusiness facilities, OmniTRAX officials said yesterday in a press release.

U.S. freight railroads reported 481,597 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending July 18, an 8.5 percent decrease compared with volumes during the same week in 2019, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Carloads fell 15.7 percent to 214,685 units, while intermodal units dipped just 1.7 percent to 266,912 containers and trailers.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced yesterday it is undertaking the largest cost-cutting program in the agency’s history to help solve billions of dollars in deficits the agency is facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

MTA is projecting a deficit of $16.4 billion by 2024, including $3.2 billion for 2020, $5.8 billion for 2021, $3.5 billion for 2022, and between $1.8 billion and $2 billion for the following two years, MTA officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Corp. posted a 24 percent decline in second-quarter operating revenue and a 28 percent decline in net income as the Class I faced a 20 percent drop in volume due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class I reported second-quarter 2020 net income of $1.1 billion, or $1.67 per diluted share, compared with $1.6 billion, or $2.22 per diluted share, a year ago.

American Railcar Industries (ARI) has rebranded as American Industrial Transport Inc. (AITX). “The new name conveys a respect to its longstanding heritage, while showing an ongoing commitment in shaping the modern rail car leasing and repair business,” AITX officials said in a press release. AITX's rail-car repair business now is named AITX Railcar Services LLC in the United States and AITX Railcar Services of Canada Inc. in Canada. The Greenbrier Cos. acquired ARI’s car manufacturing division from ITE Management LP in July 2019.

Leclanche SA earned an International Railway Industry Standard (IRIS) Group certification for the design manufacturing and maintenance of its hybrid and electric locomotive power system drive units and auxiliary systems. The IRIS standard enables railway component suppliers to meet globally recognized levels of quality for their components.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in August will begin rehabilitation work on the Rutgers Tube New York City Transit subway tunnel that allows the F Line to run under the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Contracted crews from TC Electric LLC will work to repair systems and components within the tunnel that were damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and replace other parts that have reached the end of their useful lives.

Portland, Oregon’s Metro Council last week approved a $5 billion regional transportation investment measure for greater Portland voters to consider on the November ballot.

Known as Get Moving 2020, the measure includes plans to extend the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon MAX light-rail system from downtown Portland to Tualatin. 

Class Is employed 116,128 workers in mid-June, down 2.31 percent from May's employment levels and down 17.99 percent year over year, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data.

All employment categories logged month-to-month decreases. They were maintenance of equipment and stores, down 6.13 percent to 19,985 people; transportation (train and engine), down 2.57 percent to 42,536; transportation (other than train and engine), down 1.36 percent to 5,135; professional and administrative, down 0.77 percent to 10,512; executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.46 percent to 7,591; and maintenance of way and structures, down 0.45 percent to 30,369.