Railroad News

Jack Stephens, who retired in December 2018 as executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), died June 2 of natural causes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the transit agency announced yesterday. He was 71.

Stephens — who held leadership positions in the public transportation industry for more than 30 years — joined SFRTA in 2003 as deputy executive director and became executive director in 2014 to succeed Joseph Giulietti, who departed to become the leader of MTA Metro-North Railroad. The authority operates Tri-Rail, Florida's commuter-rail system.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. reported first-quarter 2019 rail ridership increased 5.1 percent to 1,145,000 riders and passenger revenue rose 8.4 percent to CA$77.6 million compared with the same quarter a year ago, the company announce yesterday.

The results represent the company’s 13th consecutive quarter of ridership increases and the 20th straight quarter of revenue growth, according to a VIA Rail press release.

Amtrak crews are upgrading 31 miles of track between Washington Union and Baltimore Penn stations as part of infrastructure improvements along the Northeast Corridor, the railroad announced yesterday.

The improvement project is designed to increase track capacity, improve the ride quality and offer greater reliability that will benefit Acela and other Amtrak riders and commuters along the corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

Siemens Mobility has entered into a contract worth $80 million contract to overhaul part of the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon’s (TriMet) light-rail fleet. 

Siemens will overhaul 79 of TriMet’s Siemens SD660 light-rail vehicles, which are at mid-life. The work will allow the fleet to retain safety, performance and passenger comfort standards, according to a Siemens press release.

RailUSA LLC has acquired a 430-mile Florida Panhandle rail line and related real estate from CSX Corp., the independent freight railroad and rail services holding company announced yesterday.

Now named Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad (FGA), the line operates from Baldwin to Pensacola, Florida, and passes through Tallahassee, Florida, with a connection to Attapulgus, Georgia.

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) board last week entered a contract with Stadler US Inc. to assemble and build eight FLIRT trains, as well as design an equipment maintenance facility for the Cotton Belt regional rail project.

The Cotton Beltproject includes construction of a 26-mile alignment planned for DART's northern  service area. The line will serve Grapevine, Coppell, Dallas, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and Plano, Texas, and is scheduled to go into service in 2022, according to a DART press release.

Canadian Pacific continues to set records for transporting Canadian grain and grain products, marking 22.5 million metric tonnes (MMT) moved from the start of the 2018-19 crop year through May 31, the Class I announced today.

Since August 2018, CP moved about 500,000 metric tonnes more grain than ever before, breaking a record set at this time in the 2015-16 crop year, said Joan Hardy, CP's vice president sales and marketing, grain and fertilizers.

Norfolk Southern Corp. is preparing to roll out the Class I’s new precision scheduled railroad operating plan known as TOP21.

The initiative is a key component of NS's new three-year strategic plan to "Reimagine Possible" in all aspects of its business operations. In April, the company announced that the first phase of TOP21 will focus on the general merchandise market.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) partnered with Uber to provide shared on-demand rides to and from light-rail stations in Rowlett, Texas.

Beginning today, light-rail riders in designated service areas in and around DART stations can book an UberPool in addition to DART’s GoLink shuttle bus service. 

Severe weather, heavy rain and historic flooding conditions continue to affect freight and passenger railroads' operations in parts of the U.S. South, Central Plains and Midwest regions.

Amtrak announced late last week that it has cancelled its Texas Eagle trains between St. Louis and Fort Worth, Texas, through June 7 due to flooding conditions on Union Pacific Railroad's network.

Port of Corpus Christi officials last week kicked off the Texas port's historic ship channel improvement project.

Designed to set up the port to become the net exporter of the nation's energy production, the project will deepen the channel from 47 to 54 feet and widen it from 400 to 530 feet.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last week launched a test of a new contactless fare payment system.

Known as OMNY, the fare payment system will allow MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) subway and bus riders to enter the system by tapping contactless credit, debit and reloadable prepaid cards, mobile phones and smart watches against a OMNY reader. By early 2021, the technology is expected to be enabled at Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad stations.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has selected Omaha Track Inc. to operate part of the state-owned Palouse River and Coulee City (PCC) rail system.

WSDOT selected Omaha Track through a competitive evaluation process following a request for proposals to operate the railroad's P&L branch. After an agreement is signed this summer, the Omaha-based contractor will operate the branch line that runs between the Idaho state line near Pullman and Marshall, just south of Spokane, WSDOT officials said in a press release.

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Progressive Railroading and RailTrends® have named Kansas City Southern President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Ottensmeyer the 2019 recipient of the Railroad Innovator Award, which recognizes an individual's outstanding achievement in the rail industry.

 
KCS’s president since 2015 and CEO since 2016, Ottensmeyer has helmed the railroad during a pivotal stretch in its history.

Alstom was awarded a 15-year maintenance contract for Sydney Metro’s North West Metro. The company will maintain the trains, signaling, depot operations and equipment, as well as apply Alstom’s HealthHub predictive maintenance tools, according to an Alstom press release. Under a contract awarded by Northwest Rapid Transit in 2014, Alstom has been responsible for the project management, design, supply, manufacturing, testing and commissioning of the metro’s Metropolis trains and Urbalis 400 communications-based train control signaling systems.

WPA USA completed engineering work on Denver Regional Transportation District’s newly opened southeast light-rail extension project. As a subcontractor, WPA provided civil engineering and rail system engineering design and support for the 2.3-mile extension from Lincoln Station to RidgeGate Parkway in Lone Tree, Colorado, according to a WPA press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) earlier this week announced it installed a new digital communications and advertising network on the Blue Line's southern portion. 

The communication network includes interactive touch screens, which allow riders to view train and bus arrival times, service alerts and system maps. 

Union Pacific Railroad's latest annual report on sustainability includes for the first time cybersecurity efforts taken to protect the Class I's infrastructure and assets.

UP yesterday released its 2018 "Building America Report," the company's 10th annual sustainability report detailing progress toward its social, economic and environmental initiatives. The report highlights corporate strategy changes and impact on UP's customers, investors, employees and communities.

Valley Metro hired Jim Hillyard to lead and coordinate administration and operations functions as chief administrative officer.

Hillyard has more than 20 years of public sector executive experience leading the financial, information technology, business and operations departments of organizations of up to 10,000 employees, according to a Valley Metro press release.