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Jul
30

G&W posts operating revenue, income growth in Q2

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) reported second-quarter 2018 operating revenue rose 10 percent to $595 million from $540.4 million and operating income increased 3.4 percent to $103.1 million compared with the same quarter a year ago.

The company's reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) fell 1.4 percent to 0.73 cents per share for quarter compared with last year's EPS. Adjusted diluted EPS in Q2 2018 jumped 17.5 percent to 94 cents compared with a year ago, according to a G&W press release.

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Jul
30

Rising Stars: Jocelyn Hill, Conrail

Jocelyn Hill, 39

Job description: Acts as the public face of Conrail. In serving in this hybrid role, she is hands-on throughout projects, from providing the initial public outreach to lobbying for grant funding, to papering the transaction and handling media relations.

Education: International Baccalaureate at Escola Americana do Rio de Janeiro; Bachelor of Arts in English at Kenyon College; J.D. at Dickinson Law School, Penn State

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Jul
27

BLET meets with lawmakers over Tex Mex crew dispute

Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 7/27/2018 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
BLET legislative reps talked to members of Congress about their dispute with Texas Mexican Railway, as well as their interest in two-person crew legislation.Photo – BLET

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen's (BLET) legislative representatives visited 150 congressional offices in Washington, D.C., earlier this month to raise awareness of the union's dispute with the Texas Mexican Railway (Tex Mex) and its parent, Kansas City Southern Railway.

On July 9, Tex Mex replaced U.S. crew members with Mexican train crews between Laredo Yard in Laredo, Texas, and the International Bridge located about 10 miles away.

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Jul
27

Rail supplier news from RSI, Bombardier, Alstom and WSP (July 27)

RSI Logistics Inc. has acquired Specialized Transportation Service (STS), which provides bulk liquid intermodal services from Portland, Oregon. The newly acquired company will operate under the name STS Intermodal LLC. The firm's existing equipment, labor and management will remain in place, and Jana Corder will continue her role as general manager of the Portland operations. The acquisition is aimed at complementing RSI's growth strategy in bulk intermodal transportation, RSI officials said in a press release. The acquisition's financial terms were not disclosed.

Bombardier Transportation has awarded a five-year, $290 million contract to global energy and services group ENGIE to deliver integrated facilities management, production maintenance and project services. ENGIE also will deliver capital expenditure projects and energy performance solutions. The services are to be delivered at existing and new buildings, including manufacturing environments, Bombardier officials said in a press release.

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Jul
27

APTA names Houston METRO's Lambert 'outstanding' manager

Rail News Home Railroading People 7/27/2018 Rail News: Railroading People
Lambert joined the agency in 2014.Photo – Houston METRO

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has recognized Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas, President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Lambert as its outstanding public transportation manager of 2018.

Under his tenure, the Houston-area agency has been honored for "everything from financial transparency to emergency response efforts," agency officials said in a press release.

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Jul
27

Sound Transit taps Walsh to build light-rail extension

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 7/27/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The 2.4-mile light-rail extension will run along Commerce Street and Stadium Way to the Hilltop District in Tacoma, Washington.Photo – Sound Transit

Sound Transit's board yesterday awarded a $108 million contract to Walsh Construction Co. to build the Hilltop Tacoma Link light-rail extension and seven new platform stations.

The project calls for extending the existing light-rail line by 2.4 miles from the Theater District in downtown Tacoma, Washington, to the city's Stadium District and Hilltop neighborhoods.

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Jul
27

LRW seeks nominations for 'Outstanding Woman of the Year'

Rail News Home Railroading People 7/27/2018 Rail News: Railroading People
The League of Railway Women (LRW) is seeking nominations for the 2018 Outstanding Woman of the Year Award.Co-sponsored by Progressive Railroading, the award is presented annually to a woman who has made significant contributions to the rail industry through leadership, dedication and vision. Women working in the North American rail industry are eligible for the recognition.Nomination criteria and the nomination form can be downloaded from the LRW website until Aug. 15."This award is an excellent opportunity to recognize the daily impact women have on our industry and a chance to celebrate outstanding women in our field," said LRW President Tanis Peterson in a press release.Past award winners include Transportation Technology Center Inc.'s Lisa Stabler; MTA Metro-North Railroad's Anamaria Bonilla (2016); GO Transit's Mary Proc (2015); Alaska Railroad Corp.'s Wendy Lindskoog (2014); and Norfolk Southern Corp.'s Deb Butler (2013).The 2018 recipient will be honored in September during the general session at the RSI/CMA 2018 Rail Expo & Technical Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 7/27/2018


Jul
27

Amtrak projects aim for a smoother ride along Northeast Corridor

Rail News Home Amtrak 7/27/2018 Rail News: Amtrak
The upgrades will "significantly improve" on-time performance on the corridor.Photo – Amtrak.com

Amtrak is investing $370 million over three years on new equipment that is expected to improve the ride along the Northeast Corridor.

The new equipment will double Amtrak's engineering efforts on the corridor and accelerate maintenance work, according to an Amtrak press release.

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Jul
27

Mineta report highlights terrorist attacks on rail targets

Since 1970, terrorist groups and criminals have made more than 1,000 attempts to derail trains and attack rail infrastructure around the world, according to new Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) research.

Of the 282 attempts at derailing trains, 42 percent actually led to derailments. South Asia, which experienced 58 percent of derail attempts, leads in the number of attempts. There have been only two derailment attempts in North America, according to MTI's report.

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Jul
27

UP promotes Tennison to EVP, chief strategy officer

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday appointed Lynden Tennison executive vice president and chief strategy officer, effective Aug. 1.

A 26-year UP veteran, Tennison has been senior vice president and chief information officer since Feb. 2005. In his new role, he will develop, implement and oversee UP's strategic agenda, according to a UP press release.

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Jul
27

Rising Stars: Nick Edelen, R. J. Corman Railroad Group

Nick Edelen, 35

Job description: Manages the operational, financial and administrative aspects of R. J. Corman's Emergency Services company. Responsible for overseeing more than 200 employees in 18 divisions across the United States.

Education: Bachelor of science in business administration, Georgetown College

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Jul
26

San Mateo County to vote on proposed sales tax to relieve traffic congestion

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 7/26/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Half of the proceeds from the new sales tax would go toward maintaining and enhancing public transit services in the county.Photo – getusmovingsmc.com

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in California this week approved a ballot measure that will ask voters in November to approve a half-cent sales tax to fund a $2.4 billion plan aimed at relieving traffic congestion.

Earlier this month, the San Mateo County Transit District's (SamTrans) board approved an ordinance finalizing the San Mateo County Congestion Relief plan.

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Jul
26

Seattle mayor questions new streetcars' size

The city's streetcar contract calls for the vehicles to be 65 feet to 75.5 feet in length versus the existing 66-foot streetcars.Photo – seattlestreetcar.org

Seattle's streetcar vehicles ordered for the Center City Connector project are heavier, longer and wider than the current units operating on the city's existing two streetcar routes, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan's office announced this week.

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Jul
26

AAR: Rail traffic growth trend continues

U.S. rail traffic continued its upward climb, posting a 4.9 percent increase in carloads and intermodal units during the week ending July 21 compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

U.S. railroads' carload volume rose 3.8 percent to 265,338 units, while intermodal volume increased 5.9 percent to 287,686 containers and trailers for the week compared with a year ago, according to an AAR press release.

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Jul
26

Report: Short lines contribute significantly to U.S. economy

The regional and short-line rail industry added billions of dollars in value to the U.S. economy in 2016, according to an economic impact report released today by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

Prepared for ASLRRA by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the report shows that the industry, composed of 603 Class II and III railroads, provides "significant contributions" to the nation's economy, according to an ASLRRA press release.

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Jul
26

Senate OKs measure to analyze impact of Amtrak's on-time performance

The U.S. Senate has passed an amendment directing Amtrak's Inspector General to update an earlier audit of the impact of the railroad's "poor" on-time performance, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced this week.

The measure was voted on as an amendment to appropriations legislation that the Senate is considering this week.

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Jul
26

Watco promotes four to executive team

[Editor's note: This story was updated at noon CDT.]

Watco Cos. LLC has appointed four new members to its executive team, the company announced yesterday.

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Jul
26

FTA clears rail safety oversight programs in four more states

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has certified transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) programs in Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Wisconsin.

Federal law requires states with transit-rail operation systems to obtain certification of their SSO programs by April 15, 2019. In total, 28 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are required to obtain the certification.

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Jul
26

Feds: CSX to pay $2.2 million in penalties for derailment, oil spill

The federal government and state of West Virginia this week announced a proposed settlement that calls for CSX to pay $2.2 million in penalties for water pollution violations related to a 2015 train derailment and subsequent oil spill.

Under the proposed terms, CSX will pay penalties of $1.2 million to the United States and $1 million to West Virginia, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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Jul
26

Feds: CSX to pay $2.2 million in penalties for derailment, oil spill

The federal government and state of West Virginia this week announced a proposed settlement that calls for CSX to pay $2.2 million in penalties for water pollution violations related to a 2015 train derailment and subsequent oil spill.

Under the proposed terms, CSX will pay penalties of $1.2 million to the United States and $1 million to West Virginia, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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