Railroad News

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of Harris County's (METRO) board yesterday approved the METRONext Moving Forward plan, which includes 16 additional miles of light rail.

Now, a referendum will be placed on the Nov. 5 ballot for voters to consider $3.5 billion in bonding authority for METRO to finance the plan, agency officials said in a press release. 

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

Luke Olson, 38

Vice president of marketing and sales

Loram Maintenance of Way Inc.

Nominator's quote: "Luke has a passion for problem solving and resolving issues facing every market of the rail industry, from Class I and heavy-freight customers to short lines, transit and commuter lines. He is committed to continually exceeding customer expectations and drives his team to do the same by delivering innovative and creative solutions. He possesses a steely resolve and has built a team of leaders to manage for the long term."
— Barb Christensen, Loram Maintenance of Way Inc.

Loram Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of Loram Maintenance of Way Inc., forged an agreement to acquire the rail grinding business assets of Aurizon Operations Ltd. Upon completion of the acquisition, which remains subject to certain conditions, Loram will provide rail grinding services to four Australian customers, including mainline and turnout rail grinding for Aurizon Network Pty Ltd. Loram will retain all Aurizon employees, Loram officials said in a press release. 

Shanghai Keolis, a joint venture between Shanghai Shentong Metro Group and Keolis, has opened an 8-mile section of the Songjiang tram network in Shanghai. The complete 19-mile tram network is due to be completed by year's end. The joint venture is responsible for operating and maintaining the network, Keolis officials said in a press release. 

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) Interim Chief Executive Officer Flounsay Caver today announced the launch of free Wi-FI at select Red Line Stations in East Cleveland, Ohio.

The service is now available at Tower City Station platforms and the rail lobby at Cedar University Station in Cleveland, as well as the the interior lobby and rail platform at Louis Stokes/Windermere Station, GCRTA officials said in a press release. 

Transport Canada yesterday announced CA$18.5 million in federal dollars will be awarded to a project to increase efficiency, capacity and security at the Port of Montreal.

The project includes building a rail bridge outside the truck entrance to improve truck traffic at the port, Transport Canada officials said in a press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board yesterday approved accelerated work plans for 11 system construction projects. 

The new plans will allow MBTA crews to undertake multiple projects at the same time as opposed to performing projects one after the other during the limited overnight hours, MBTA officials said in a press release. 

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker late last week signed a bill that will require freight trains operating in the state to have at least two crew members.

The law will take effect Jan. 1, 2020. The measure was proposed by Illinois State Rep. Jay Hoffman.

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) announced yesterday that effective Aug. 26 positive train control (PTC) will be implemented on the A-train commuter-rail line in Denton County, Texas. 

The PTC implementation will increase the A-train's run time by 12 minutes. To accommodate the extra time and to provide better connections to Dallas Area Rapid Transit's Green Line, DCTA added midday service and will run trains at a 30-minute frequency, authority officials said in a press release. 

Norfolk Southern Railway has chosen Alfred Benesch & Co. and TranSystems to provide program management and track design service on one of four projects that are part of the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (CIP) in the Chicago area.

Alfred Benesch and TranSystems will work on a portion of the Belt Junction and 80th Street Junction replacements, a project known as EW2. That project, along with the 75th Street CIP, are part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE), a long-term effort to reduce train delays and address passenger and freight congestion on converging rail lines in Chicago.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) board last month approved a reorganization plan for its entire system, including measures aimed at improving subway service, ending cost overruns and project delays, and reducing waste and inefficiencies.

Brian O’Donnell, 30
Accident investigator
MTA Metro-North Railroad

Nominator's quote: "Brian was part of a team that won Metro-North's 2016 Safety Excellence Award. He helped to train a group of people with little to no EMT/firefighter experience and established a working fire brigade for Metro-North's Stamford shop. His goal was to promote safety and to teach his co-workers to help others in an emergency."
— Justin Vonashek, MTA Metro-North Railroad, 2013 Rising Stars Winner

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) rail, bus and paratransit riders pay too much for transferring between service lines in the agency’s current fare structure, according to a recent analysis conducted by LTK Engineering Services Inc.

The study found that riders, especially minorities and people with low income, pay “excessively” for transfers under GCRTA’s current fare structure, and that they are not purchasing the “best choice” fare option for their trips.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. logged more than 94,900 passenger boardings for its Canada Day weekend between Aug. 1 and Aug. 6, an increase of 3,300 passengers compared to the same period last year. 

The 3.7 percent increase in ridership marks the sixth consecutive year of increases for the six-day holiday, VIA Rail officials said in a press release. 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last week determined the probable cause of a fatal Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) train incident in 2018 was a flagperson moving equipment outside of a restricted area without authority and on-track protection.

The incident occurred June 3, 2018, when a MARTA northbound train struck on-track equipment about 120 yards north of the Medical Center Station near Sandy Springs, Georgia, according to an NTSB accident brief.

Metro Transit-St. Louis last week selected three hires to lead the system’s public safety team: Stephen Berry, Kevin Scott and Vernon Summer.

The team will assume responsibility for Metro Transit’s security operations from MetroLink General Manager Scott Grott on Sept. 9. Grotto has been overseeing daily operations for public safety on an interim basis for the past seven months, Metro Transit officials said in a press release.

Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) members on July 30 ratified a new four-year contract with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) that governs rates of pay, work rules and health care benefits for 200 locomotive engineers.

The contract, which was ratified by 96 percent of BLET members, includes a 2 percent general wage increase, BLET officials said in a press release.  

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) elected Jeremy Ferguson president of the Transportation Division (TD) at the union's second convention Aug. 11.

Ferguson was elected TD vice president at SMART TD's first convention in 2014. A member of Local 313 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Ferguson started his career in railroading in 1994 as a conductor at CSX in Grand Rapids. He was promoted to engineer in 1995, according to his biography on SMART TD's website.

The Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) and its member Gallagher Asphalt Corp. hosted U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) last week for a tour of the company's facility in Thornton, Illinois.

During the visit, Kelly met with Asphalt President Charles Gallagher, senior company executives and employees, community leaders and rail industry representatives to discuss the importance of passing a surface transportation reauthorization bill.