Skip to main content
Mar
12

NRF: Port traffic likely to dip in March

The nation's major retail container ports handled 1.73 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEU) in January, a 0.2 percent increase from December and 1.8 percent increase from January 2017, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

February's numbers are estimated at 1.66 million TEU, up 13.7 percent year over year. However, March is forecast at 1.53 million TEU, down 1.8 percent from the same month last year.

Continue reading
Mar
12

BNSF budgets $90 million for Minnesota capex

BNSF Railway Co.'s 2018 capital expenditure program will include $90 million for maintenance projects in Minnesota.

The largest component of this year's capital plan in the state will be replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, the Class I announced in a press release.

Continue reading
Mar
12

BNSF budgets $90 million for Minnesota capex

BNSF Railway Co.'s 2018 capital expenditure program will include $90 million for maintenance projects in Minnesota.

The largest component of this year's capital plan in the state will be replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, the Class I announced in a press release.

Continue reading
Tags:
Mar
12

UP slates $127 million for Arkansas maintenance

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 3/12/2018 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad will invest $127 million to maintain track and bridges in Arkansas this year.The Class I's 2018 capital expenditure program includes $103 million to maintain track and $9.6 million to maintain bridges in the state.Key projects include $19 million to replace 42 miles of rail between Atkins and Mulberry and $12 million to replace 91,854 ties and install 26,021 tons of ballast between Pine Bluff and Texarkana.Over the past five years, UP has spent more than $584 million on Arkansas infrastructure, UP officials said in a press release.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 3/12/2018


Mar
12

Baltimore subway system reopens after systemwide closure

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 3/12/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Trains resumed passenger service March 9.Photo – Maryland Transit Administration's YouTube account

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) late last week reopened the Metro SubwayLink network in Baltimore following emergency rail repairs that closed the entire system.

Trains began serving passengers on March 9, three days ahead of schedule, MTA officials said in a press release. Last month, the agency closed the subways due to unexpected rail wear throughout the system.

Continue reading
Mar
12

UP slates $127 million for Arkansas maintenance

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 3/12/2018 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad will invest $127 million to maintain track and bridges in Arkansas this year.The Class I's 2018 capital expenditure program includes $103 million to maintain track and $9.6 million to maintain bridges in the state.Key projects include $19 million to replace 42 miles of rail between Atkins and Mulberry and $12 million to replace 91,854 ties and install 26,021 tons of ballast between Pine Bluff and Texarkana.Over the past five years, UP has spent more than $584 million on Arkansas infrastructure, UP officials said in a press release.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 3/12/2018


Mar
12

California high-speed rail project costs soar to $77 billion

The cost to build California's planned high-speed rail system has soared from $64 billion to $77.3 billion, according to the California High-Speed Rail Authority's (CHRSA) 2018 business plan.

Key cost drivers include increased contingency funding for future risks and "escalation" tied to schedule adjustments, CHSRA officials said in the plan.

Continue reading
Mar
12

MDOT MTA reopens subway following extended rail repair

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) reopened service along the entire system three days ahead of schedule on the morning of March 9.

 

Continue reading
Mar
12

EllisDon team awarded Stouffville Corridor Project contract

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx have awarded a fixed-price contract of CA$254.5 million (US$198.3 million) to EllisDon Transit Infrastructure (EDTI) to design, build and finance the Stouffville Corridor Stations Improvement project.

 

Continue reading
Mar
12

Rail to benefit from $96M in TIGER grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a list of recipients of the nearly $500 million in available Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants.

 

Continue reading
Mar
12

USDOT unveils 41 TIGER grant recipients

The U.S. Department of Transportation late last week announced the 41 recipients of nearly $500 million in discretionary grant funding for road, transit, maritime and rail projects through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.

The list included more than $100 million in grants for rail-related projects. More than 64 percent of the funding was awarded to rural projects, a "historic number" that demonstrates the Trump administration's interest in supporting rural communities, USDOT officials said in a press release.

Continue reading
Mar
12

Union Pacific targets $127 million Arkansas capital program

Union Pacific plans to invest $127 million into its Arkansas network in 2018. The Class 1 says the investment will enhance safety, operating efficiency and support customer service.

 

Continue reading
Mar
12

BNSF to spend $90 million to maintain Minnesota network

BNSF Railway is targeting a $90 million capital program for its Minnesota network in 2018. BNSF says maintenance will be the focus of the program with a special attention given to replacing and upgrading rail, crossties and ballast.

 

Continue reading
Mar
12

New plan: Billions of dollars and years more needed for Cali HSR

California's proposed high-speed rail system will cost $13 billion more and take four years longer to build than original estimates.

 

Continue reading
Mar
12

MTA Genius Transit Challenge winners announced

 

"As part of a wide-ranging effort to upgrade the subway system's capacity and reliability, all the winning ideas will be thoroughly vetted and further developed as quickly as possible with future procurements subject to any required MTA Board approval," MTA said. "Given the urgent need to effectuate near term change, the Genius Transit Challenge sought innovative ideas to rapidly modernize the New York City subways signal systems, procure new state-of-the-art subway cars and bring connectivity to underground tunnels and trains. The eight winners were chosen for their ability to deliver quickly maximum positive impact on subway service and customer experience. In some categories, judges gave out multiple awards because more than one proposal had significant promise, or because two proposals utilized similar technological strategies."

Continue reading
Mar
12

From the editor: Batory to use data-driven decision making as FRA administrator

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

About seven months after he’d been nominated, longtime railroader Ron Batory was sworn in as the 14th administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Feb. 28.

Continue reading
Mar
09

Rail supplier news from Thermo King, HOTSTART, Saft and Urban Engineers (March 9)

Rail News Home Railroading Supplier Spotlight 3/9/2018 Rail News: Railroading Supplier Spotlight
Canadian Pacific has ordered Thermo King's SLXi-DRC refrigeration units.Photo – Canadian Pacific

[Editor's note: This story was updated at 2:35 p.m. CST.]

Canadian Pacific has placed an order for more than 400 of Thermo King's SLXi-DRC refrigeration units. The single domestic reefer containers provide room for an extra pallet row to increase cargo capacity. The units use R-452A — a next-generation refrigerant — to help meet sustainability goals, Thermo King officials said in a press release. CP and Thermo King previously performed a four-month field test of an SLXi-DRC unit to verify its performance in CP's rugged environment and climate. The railroad's purchase marked the largest, single domestic reefer container order in Canadian history, Thermo King officials said.

Continue reading
Mar
09

Caltrain to kick off Sunnyvale Station rehab

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 3/9/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The project calls for relocating a pedestrian crossing to allow six-car trains to load and unload at the platform.Photo – Caltrain's Twitter account

Caltrain next week will launch a project to rehabilitate its station in Sunnyvale, California.

The project calls for relocating the north pedestrian crossing to allow six-car trains to load and unload at the station platform without blocking existing crossings. In addition, crews will improve concrete surfaces that have become uneven.

Continue reading
Mar
09

Rail groups deliver 'balanced regs' message to Capitol Hill

Dozens of members of the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) and the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) attended Railroad Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

More than 55 individuals representing more than 30 REMSA member companies participated in the event, which is hosted by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

Continue reading
Mar
09

CSX recognizes Northern Ohio & Western for carload growth

Rail News Home Short Lines & Regionals 3/9/2018 Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals
The Northern Ohio & Western Railway (NOW) received the 2017 CSX Short Line Development Award at the 2018 CSX Short Line Workshop held this week in St. Augustine, Florida.The award recognizes the "cooperative efforts that generated the highest switch carrier carload percentage growth,” said OmniTRAX Inc. officials in a press release. OmniTRAX is NOW's parent company.CSX gives several awards annually to its short line partners. NOW earned the honor for a switching volume increase of more than 150 percent in 2017, which resulted from additional covered hoppers of lime shipped from Carmeuse Lime, OmniTRAX officials said."In the railroad business, it's not easy to double your business in 10 years let alone one, so we're very proud of the hard work and collaboration of Tim Schumm, and the entire NOW team that made it happen," said OmniTRAX Chief Executive Officer Kevin Shuba. The NOW operates more than 25 miles of track southeast of Toledo, Ohio.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 3/9/2018