Railroad News

U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) have announced $120 million in federal funding through the Federal Transit Administration for the construction of the Purple Line light-rail route in Maryland.

This grant is part of the $900 million federal grant agreement for the Maryland Purple Line light-rail project, $568 million of which has been appropriated through the 2019 fiscal year, according to a press release issued by Hollen's office.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)’s contractor Kiewit will begin construction later this month of temporary bus loops in preparation for platform improvements at six stations this summer. 

The bus loops will accommodate free shuttle services for WMATA passengers during construction at the Huntington, Van Dorn Street, Braddock Road and Eisenhower Avenue stations, according to a WMATA press release.

CN last week announced capital expenditure plans of CA$45 million worth of projects in New Brunswick and CA$5 million in Nova Scotia this year.

In New Brunswick, CN's 2019 capex program includes installation of 8 miles of new rail and 20,000 ties, and rebuilds of road crossing surfaces and maintenance on bridges, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure, company officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. posted strong growth and best-ever operating results for operating ratio and income from railway operations last week, the Class I reported late last week in releasing its 2018 annual report online.

For the year, the company achieved an all-time-best operating ratio of 65.4 percent, the third consecutive year of improvement; grew total railway operating revenue 9 percent year-over-year to $11.5 billion; and increased income from railway operations 12 percent to $4 billion, a record.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has named Patrick Foye chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). 

Foye was named MTA president in August 2017 and previously served on the board from 2010 to 2012. Prior to joining the MTA, Foye was executive director of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for six years.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel marked the completion of the $17 million Belmont Blue Gateway project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony late last week. 

The Belmont Blue Gateway project is part of the $492 million Your New Blue (YNB) program to modernize and improve the O’Hare brand of the CTA's Blue Line. 

Trainyard Tech LLC obtained a purchase order from Norfolk Southern Railway to update its hump yard process control system at Lamberts Point coal dumping facility in Norfolk, Virginia. The upgrade includes new computers and process control systems software. Trainyard will add automatic equipment identifier radio frequency readers to monitor cars during the coal dumping process and a rail yard reporting tool that will help simplify troubleshooting.

FirstGroup ordered five new AT300 125 mph intercity electric trains from Hitachi Rail for an open access, high-speed train service linking London and Edinburgh, Scotland, that will begin in the fall of 2021, FirstGroup announced in a press release. The 100 million euro deal also includes ongoing maintenance. 

New Jersey Transit hosted contractors, small business owners and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) earlier this week to showcase $800 million in contracting opportunities in capital construction projects available in the coming year.

It was the first such open house that NJ Transit has held in a decade. About 150 attendees heard from NJ Transit officials, who emphasized the state's commitment to rebuilding infrastructure, investing in state-of-good-repair projects and building capacity in the contracting pool, according to a NJ Transit press release.

Metra will conduct Operation Lifesaver "safety blitzes" at 59 of its 242 stations through the end of the year to raise public awareness of safe behavior around trains and tracks.

During a safety blitz, Metra employees will distribute safety educational materials at stations throughout the Chicago area. The materials will address train and grade crossing safety. The employees also will be available to answer commuters' questions and listening to their safety concerns, Metra officials said in a press release.

Amtrak has dedicated and renamed its train station in Rochester, New York, after the late U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), a longtime Amtrak supporter.

The station opened in October 2017, the result of a 15-year process of planning by several stakeholders including Slaughter, who secured a $15 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant for the work, according to an Amtrak press release.

Charah Solutions Inc. will open a facility at Watco Cos.' Greens Port Industrial Terminal on the Houston Ship Channel in Texas.

The facility will use new technologies for grinding blast furnace slag to create supplementary cementitious materials, according to a Charah press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday broke ground on its new Atlanta headquarters and named three company officers to executive positions.

NS Chairman President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires was joined by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms at a groundbreaking ceremony held in Atlanta's Midtown area.

The Western Carolina Railway Service Corp. (WCRS) has hired Dolly Durham as director of community engagement.

Durham has more than 25 years of nonprofit development experience, including in community involvement, event planning, grant writing and management of benevolent giving, according to a WCRS press release.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Apple announced that later this year CTA transit riders can add a fare card to the Apple Pay iPhone app. 

The feature will enable passengers using the Ventra fare payment system to load card information onto their iPhone, then scan the phone to enter rail stations or board a bus.