Railroad News

Failure to provide effective mitigation of a hazardous curve and the inadequate training of the locomotive engineer led to the deadly derailment of an Amtrak train near Dupont, Washington, in late 2017, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced yesterday.

Three of 77 passengers were killed and 65 others were injured on Dec. 18, 2017, when Amtrak Cascades train 501, on its inaugural run on the Point Defiance Bypass between Seattle and Portland, Oregon, derailed on an overpass as the train entered a 30-mph curve at about 78 mph.

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U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao yesterday announced appointments to the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Drone Advisory Committee (DAC).

The committee provides the FAA with advice on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) integration issues by helping to identify challenges and prioritize improvements. The committee helps to create broad support for an overall integration strategy and vision, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) press release.

Nearly 76 percent of New Hampshire residents support passenger-rail service expansion from Boston to Nashua and Manchester, New Hampshire, according to a survey conducted by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center. 

The poll indicates that 75.5 percent of residents support the expansion, 14.5 percent oppose it and 10 percent had no opinion. 

The Georgia Ports Authority's (GPA) board yesterday elected William McKnight chairman to succeed Jimmy Allgood.

McKnight, who has served as vice chairman since 2018, will assume his new role July 1. He is president of his family's construction company in Augusta, Georgia.

Metro Transit last week began a $4 million improvement project at a commuter-rail operations and maintenance facility in Big Lake, Minnesota. 

The facility serves as a maintenance, inspection and wash station for 19 rail cars and six locomotives that run on the Northstar Line between downtown Minneapolis and Big Lake, according to the Metro Transit website.

The Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) on Friday will begin its seasonal weekend rail service on the CapeFLYER. 

The CapeFLYER passenger-rail service runs from Boston to Cape Cod every summer. This year's season-run will end Sept. 2. 

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is calling on the U.S. Department Commerce to investigate whether a Chinese rail-car manufacturer that has obtained contracts to build subway cars in major U.S. cities poses a threat to national security.

Schumer wants the federal government to "thoroughly investigate" the Chinese state-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. (CRRC), which was among the winners of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) 2018 design contracts for new subway cars that could include modern train control technology.

CN today announced Rob Reilly will become executive vice president and chief operating officer and Michael Foster will be promoted to EVP and chief information and technology officer as of July 1.

Reilly has 30 years of experience in the rail industry, starting in 1989 when he joined the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Co., now known as BNSF Railway Co. His industry experience includes a succession of increasingly senior positions in markets across the United States, most notably in Chicago and on the West Coast.

CN today announced Rob Reilly will become executive vice president and chief operating officer and Michael Foster will be promoted to EVP and chief information and technology officer as of July 1.

Reilly has 30 years of experience in the rail industry, starting in 1989 when he joined the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Co., now known as BNSF Railway Co. His industry experience includes a succession of increasingly senior positions in markets across the United States, most notably in Chicago and on the West Coast.

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

Hitachi Rail Italy must retrofit the floors of 24 rail cars provided to the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) following a failed roof and floor testing in February, according to a Star Advertiser report citing HART officials. 

Following the retesting of the failed rail car by Hitachi Rail, the company found that it would need to retrofit the rail car floors with a thin layer of stainless steel to ensure they pass fire testing. 

[Editor's note: This story has been clarified to reflect that the timeline for running Yellow Line trains to Greenbelt, Maryland, was moved up to May 25 from an original date in July.]

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will begin running all Yellow Line trains to Greenbelt, Maryland, on May 25, more than a month earlier than expected, when the platform improvement project begins at six Yellow and Blue line stations south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will begin running all Yellow Line trains to Greenbelt, Maryland, more than a month earlier than expected when the platform improvement project begins at six Yellow and Blue line stations south of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

The trains will begin running to Greenbelt on May 25, WMATA officials said in a press release.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) last week began a $6.4 million track upgrade project funded by the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Transit Preservation Partnership, a funding program to support public transportation services.

The project — which calls for extending 3.6-miles of rail between the West Park Station and the airport tunnel — will replace 12,275 timber cross ties, improve track drainage, add signal systems, repair the Puritas Station platform and provide for a full rehabilitation of the railroad track, said RTA’s Interim Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Flounsay Caver in a press release.

Cimarron Valley Railroad (CVR) has received a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to help cover the cost of replacing the railroad's 13 aging locomotives with a "more modern and efficient fleet" of seven engines.

The upgrade will benefit CVR's rural customer base through lower fuel costs, enhanced service and better reliability, CVR officials said in a press release. In addition, the newer locomotives will offer a significant increase in hauling capacity, they said.