Railroad News

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) last week released final recommendations for a transit service plan that will be implemented when Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) service begins later this year in Santa Clara County, California. 

The plan proposes to create a new Orange Line light-rail route, change two service line names and replace the Ohlone/Chynoweth-Almaden light-rail route in San Jose with bus routes. 

Ironhorse Resources Inc. (IHR) has acquired the Sequatchie Valley Railroad (SQVR) and the Walking Horse and Eastern Railroad (WHOE) in Tennessee, the company announced earlier this week.

The short lines will be renamed the Sequatchie Valley Switching Company (SQSC) and the Walking Horse Railroad (WHRR). Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

A CSX conductor and conductor trainee died in a 2017 accident after they were struck by an Amtrak train while walking on active track, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced in a report yesterday.

The accident, which occurred June 27, 2017, in Washington, D.C., prompted the NTSB to issue a safety alert calling on railroads to prohibit employees from walking or working too closely to adjacent track of another railroad unless the employees are protected by communication between the two railroads.

A CSX conductor and conductor trainee died in a 2017 accident after they were struck by an Amtrak train while walking on active track, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced yesterday.

The accident, which occurred June 27, 2017, in Washington, D.C., prompted the NTSB to issue a safety alert calling on railroads to prohibit employees from walking or working too closely to adjacent track of another railroad unless the employees are protected by communication between the two railroads.

By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) handed out more awards and installed new officers yesterday at its annual meeting in Orlando.

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

Former Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph Boardman died March 7 after suffering a stroke in Florida, where he shared a vacation home with his wife, Joanne. He was 70.

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB) last week named Shamann Walton to serve as a member.

Walton will represent the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors on the JPB, the governing body of Caltrain. He is taking over for former member Monique Zmuda, according to a JPB press release.

Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) crews today will begin a six-week rail profile grinding project on 25 miles of track along the MAX light-rail route. 

The grinding will be done overnight when trains are not running, according to a TriMet press release. Crews will begin in downtown Portland and work toward the Portland International Airport. 

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) yesterday launched a new public awareness campaign to stop harassment.

Advertisements, developed to empower riders to report and intervene if they witness or experience an incident of harassment, were placed in stations today, according to a WMATA press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway is continuing to address service interruptions due to flooding conditions in Hannibal, Missouri, the Class I announced yesterday.

The situation is requiring NS traffic between Decatur, Illinois, and Kansas City, Missouri, to be diverted and operated via St. Louis, NS officials said in an operations alert to customers. Conditions along the route are expected to improve by April 14.

Norfolk Southern Railway is continuing to address service interruptions due to flooding conditions in Hannibal, Missouri, the Class I announced yesterday.

The situation is requiring NS traffic between Decatur, Illinois, and Kansas City, Missouri, to be diverted and operated via St. Louis, NS officials said in an operations alert to customers. Conditions along the route are expected to improve by April 14.

The Port Authority Transit Corp. (PATCO) yesterday marked the completion of its $194 million rail-car overhaul project by placing the last pair of refurbished trains into service. 

As part of the project, Alstom Transport upgraded 120 PATCO rail cars in total. 

CN announced yesterday it has budgeted $505 million for capital projects this year in Illinois, Louisiana, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

In Illinois, CN will spend $190 million to expand and maintain its infrastructure in state. Planned expansion projects will include development of a positive train control (PTC) system and adding capacity to the Joliet Intermodal Terminal.

CN announced yesterday it has budgeted $505 million for capital projects this year in Illinois, Louisiana, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

In Illinois, CN will spend $190 million to expand and maintain its infrastructure in state. Planned expansion projects will include development of a positive train control (PTC) system and adding capacity to the Joliet Intermodal Terminal.

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

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) yesterday handed out its highest individual honors for safety and distinguished service at the organization's annual convention in Orlando.

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

For the second straight year, a representative sampling of North American freight and passenger railroads plan to spend more on infrastructure upkeep, as Managing Editor Jeff Stagl reports this month in our annual MOW Spending Report.

The Regional Council of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) last week approved the appointment of Kome Ajise as executive director. 

The 30-year veteran of regional planning and transportation will assume the role on an interim basis pending the formal contract approval process. 

The SMART Transportation Division has announced that John Whitaker has been named vice president to succeed David Wier, who retired April 1.

Most recently, Whitaker served as an alternative vice president for SMART TD, according to a press released issued by the union. He began his railroad career in 1997 when he joined CSX as a conductor. In 2002, he became certified as an engineer and was elected local chairperson for Local 1106 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.