Railroad News

Ontario has closed its request for proposals to design and build a new Kipling Station in Toronto.

The move marks the start of the project's next phase of procurement, Ontario Ministry of Transportation officials said in a press release.

CSX has been selected as a recipient of the National Defense Transportation Association's (NDTA) 2017 Distinguished Service Award in recognition of the railroad's "invaluable support of the organization's goals and aims."

The NDTA is a nonpolitical, nonprofit educational association that works to benefit national security and defense by sharing information about logistics, transportation and passenger travel services.

The Metropolitan Council has awarded $4.6 million to four transit-oriented development (TOD) projects along Metro Transit's Green and Blue light-rail lines.

The grants support development aimed at improving mobility via mass transit and generating economic investment and jobs.The council's investment leverages almost $216 million in private funds and nearly $26 million from other public sources, Met Council officials said in a press release.

Caltrain today will begin construction on a grade separation project at 25th Avenue in San Mateo, California.

Crews will start building the bridges and walls needed to elevate Caltrain's track above the road. The separation is aimed at reducing local traffic congestion and increasing safety for drivers and pedestrians, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has invested $1 billion to restore and protect its infrastructure since Hurricane Sandy struck five years ago this month.

The authority has plans to invest the remainder of the estimated economic loss of $2.8 billion in the coming years to further rebuild and add resiliency to port assets, according to a PANYNJ press release.

China Railway Rolling Stock Corp.'s (CRRC) new rail-car plant in Springfield, Massachusetts, is expected to be completed by winter, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced late last week.

New rail-cars for the MBTA's Orange and Red lines will be manufactured at the 204,000-square-foot plant. Full rail-car production is slated to begin in April 2018, with the first units built in January 2019.

Amtrak has hired Timothy Griffin as executive vice president and chief marketing officer, the national passenger railroad announced yesterday.

Griffin will be responsible for marketing, passenger experience, product support and management, and business development for the Northeast Corridor, state-supported routes and long-distance services, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has announced additions to its board and executive leadership committee.

Jacksonville Transportation Authority Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel Ford Sr. was named APTA's chair. He succeeds Doran Barnes, who serves as executive director of Foothill Transit in West Covina, California.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal joined Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) officials late last week in announcing record cargo volumes for fiscal-year 2017 and new infrastructure development plans.
 
In a review of the ports' work in FY2017, Deal announced growth of 8.3 percent in total tonnage across all terminals. Savannah handled 3.85 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs), while Brunswick moved 607,000 auto and machinery units. No other Southeast port recorded greater volumes for those commodities, Deal said in a press release. FY2017 covers the period from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017.
 
In his state-of-the-ports speech, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch announced two significant e-commerce developments: National furniture supplier Noble House will build a 630,000 square-foot facility that will serve the eastern United States, while home accessory company Best Choice will build 345,000 square feet.
 
Those plans are in addition to 3 million square feet of distribution center space completed within the last year and 5.2 million square feet now under construction, GPA officials said.
 
Lynch also outlined plans to accommodate record growth and expand new markets. Those plans include:
• a $128 million mega-rail project that will add track on terminal to better handle 10,000-foot-long trains. To start in the first quarter of FY2018 and conclude at 2020’s end, the project calls for adding 97,000 feet of new track, including 18 new working tracks, and bringing all switching operations to the Garden City Terminal;
• ground-breaking in FY2017 of the Appalachian Regional Port, an inland rail yard in Chatsworth. To be completed in fall 2018, the CSX-served inland port is designed to expand the GPA’s reach into Tennessee, northeast Alabama and portions of Kentucky; and
• the Savannah Harbor expansion project, which will deepen the outer harbor to 49 feet at low tide and 56 feet at high tide. The project also will deepen the inner harbor to 47 feet.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) next week will begin renovating its 30th Avenue and 36th Avenue Astoria Line stations.

The "top-to-bottom" renovations include structural repairs, improvements to mezzanines and platforms, waterproofing, and refurbishment of existing railings and stairs, NYCT officials said in a press release.

The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday began a series of public hearings on a draft environmental report for a proposed higher-speed rail line between Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia.

Released last month, the draft report recommends infrastructure improvements that would allow for nine additional daily passenger-rail trips between the two cities.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) on Tuesday announced more than $3 million in grants will be awarded as part of the 2017 Industrial Rail Access Program.

The eight awards will be issued to projects that expand or improve rail or freight access, economic opportunity and job growth. The grants require a private-sector match of at least 40 percent, according to a MassDOT press release.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has awarded a $50 million contract to Spanish manufacturer CAF to supply 10 streetcars.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) board has elected Sue Bauman chair.

Bauman joined the board in 2016 after retiring as DART's vice president of marketing and communication in 2011. Bauman currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at Richland College.

The Panama Canal last week welcomed the COSCO Yantian, the 2000th "Neopanamax" vessel to pass through the expanded waterway.

The ship, which can carry up to 9,504 20-foot equivalent units (TEU), moved through the canal on its journey from Asia to the Caribbean.

Twin Eagle Sand Logistics LLC announced last week it has acquired a frac sand terminal near Bridgeport, West Virginia, from Process Transloading Bridgeport.

The Bridgeport terminal is positioned to serve the southern Utica and Marcellus sand logistics markets with more than 130 rail-car spots and 20,000 tons of flat and silo storage, Twin Eagle officials said in a press release.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation is seeking design concepts for hydrogen-powered trains as an alternative to conventional overhead wires on GO Transit's rail network.

The province has issued a request for proposals for designs that demonstrate how a hydrogen fuel cell system could be integrated into a bi-level electric multiple unit train.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has appointed John Bilich chief security officer, the agency announced yesterday.

A former commissioner of operations for the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Bilich joined PANYNJ in March 2015 as first deputy chief security officer.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has written a preliminary report on the Aug. 22 collision between two Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) trains.

The incident occurred when a SEPTA electrically powered single-car train struck an unoccupied SEPTA single-car train that was stopped at a passenger platform at the 69th Street Transportation Center on the Norristown Line in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.