Railroad News

Superior Silica Sands LLC has signed an agreement with Price River Terminal LLC (PRT) to use its existing multi-commodity terminal in Wellington, Utah, for frac sand handling.

Operated by Watco Supply Chain Services, the terminal handles crude oil and other bulk commodities across 6 miles of existing rail track. Additional track will be built as part of the new agreement, according to a press release issued by Emerge Energy Services LP, the parent of Superior Silica.

The Port of New York and New Jersey's cargo volumes set a new record in the first half of 2018, with volume up 6.8 percent over the same period a year ago, when the previous six-month record was set.

The port handled 3,450,469 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) between Jan. 1 and June 30, up from 3,229,675 TEUs handled during the same period in 2017, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) officials said in a press release.

Victor Meyers, 35

Job description: Leads and guides the company's long-term strategy. Responsible for ensuring the railroad provides safe, effective and efficient freight-rail transportation services to customers and communities.

Education: B.S. in economics, Rocky Mountain College; M.B.A., Texas Christian University

The Andersons Inc. has signed an agreement to purchase FreightCar America Inc.'s rail-car facility in Danville, Illinois. The Andersons' goal is to turn the former freight-car manufacturing plant into a full-service freight and tank rail-car repair shop, company officials said in a press release. At the updated facility, the Andersons Rail Group will provide rail-car repair, painting, blasting, cleaning, tank-car certification and scrapping. The new plant will be the rail group's 21st U.S. shop. Situated along the CSX network, the 308,000-square-foot facility can store up to 400 rail cars.

Carboline Co. has acquired Strathmore and American Coatings. A manufacturer of high-performance coatings primarily for the rail industry, Strathmore in 2014 acquired American Coatings, which provides interior and exterior coatings to industrial manufacturers, contractors, tank builders, floor coating applicators and equipment owners. Strathmore will remain a stand-alone brand within Carboline, according to a company press release. Financial details of Carboline's acquisition of Strathmore weren't disclosed.

Last month, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority's (SFRTA) Tri-Rail service achieved the highest on-time performance in its 29-year history.

During the month, a record 96.6 percent of all trains arrived at their final destination within five minutes of their scheduled time, SFRTA officials said in a press release.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is calling on the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to add more railroad bridge safety inspectors.

The senator's demand comes weeks after a portion of a rail bridge collapsed on a street in downtown Syracuse, New York. Although no one was injured, the July 5 incident sheds light on the fact that the agency has just six specialists tasked with overseeing rail bridge inspections and audits, he said.

The Buckingham Branch Railroad yesterday launched its new Norfolk division, providing freight-rail service between Coleman Place in Norfolk and Little Creek in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The new division will expand transportation options in the most industrial area in Virginia, said Buckingham Branch President Steve Powell in a press release.

CN has posted on its website a plan for servicing the 2018-19 grain crop.

The report is what the Class I is calling a first annual public Grain Plan, developed after "extensive consultation with key stakeholders," according to the website.

CN has posted on its website a plan for servicing the 2018-19 grain crop.

The report is what the Class I is calling a first annual public Grain Plan, developed after "extensive consultation with key stakeholders," according to the website.

In July, U.S. railroads moved 2,156,435 carloads and intermodal units, marking a 5.2 percent increase over the same month in 2017.

The roads' intermodal volume grew 6.9 percent to 1,108,142 units, while carload volume ticked up 3.5 precent to 1,048,293 units, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

The U.S. Senate yesterday approved a fiscal-year 2019 appropriations bill that provides $16.1 billion for public transit and intercity passenger rail.

The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act of 2019 also dedicates $2.5 billion for intercity passenger-rail grants.

Total intermodal volume rose 6.2 percent to 4.7 million units in the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) reported yesterday.

The second-quarter growth follows a 7.2 percent increase in volume during the first quarter, IANA officials said in a press release.

Yifeng Mao, 38

Job description: Manages the LIRR's track standards, specifications, procedures, best practices and management controls that govern more than 500 maintenance-of-way employees in day-to-day track inspection, track maintenance and track construction activities.

Education: Bachelor of Engineering, civil engineering, City College of New York; certificate in railway track design, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Wireless mesh network provider Rajant has entered a strategic partnership with Wabtec Corp. to "accelerate rail industry innovation," the companies announced yesterday. As part of the agreement, the firms will jointly develop and market Rajant's Kinetic Mesh® wireless network products to rail operators worldwide. In addition, Wabtec has made a minority equity investment in Rajant. The Kinetic Mesh product employs node-to-node capabilities to route data via the best available traffic path and frequency, according to Rajant's website.

Houston-based Strathmore has agreed to sell Advanced Polymer Coatings Inc.'s linings to the North American rail industry. The exclusive distribution agreement will bring new custom linings solutions to the industry, Advanced Polymer Coatings officials said in a press release. As part of the pact, Advanced Polymer Coatings will use its ChemLINE® coatings technology to formulate and produce specialty rail linings that will be privately labeled to Strathmore and sold in Strathmore's family of coatings.

The Twin Cities' Metropolitan Council has named Cyrenthia Jordan director of the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Jordan, an attorney, joins the council from Minnesota State University, Mankato, where she served as director of equal opportunity and Title IX since 2015. In that role, she guided the university on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, affirmative action review in employee hiring, recruitment and retention.

Transport Canada yesterday announced CA$5.6 million in government funding for a rail infrastructure project at the Central Manitoba Railway's Pine Falls subdivision.

The project consists of upgrades to track and supporting infrastructure along nearly 9 miles of the subdivision from CN's Symington Yard to the Imperial Oil terminal at Birds Hill, Transport Canada officials said in a press release.

Valley Metro in Phoenix has launched an experiment with Waymo, Google's self-driving car project, to help connect riders with their local light-rail stations.

Announced yesterday, the two-year pilot project aims to address the transit agency's first-and-last-mile challenge by helping passengers get to and from the rail station. The effort also could be used to expand Valley Metro's services for people with disabilities and seniors, according to a Valley Metro press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. is deploying 3D simulation-based training apps built in partnership with application developer Heartwood 3D.

The apps are part of the Class I's efforts to "reimagine an even safer, more effective employee-training program," NS officials said in a press release.

[Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:10 p.m. CDT.]

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) tomorrow will begin running more test trains at more frequent intervals along the long-awaited G Line to Arvada, Colorado.