Railroad News

The Georgia Port Authority has selected RailComm LLC to provide a yard management system for the Port of Savannah's multimodal connector. The system will allow for remote control of 83 powered rail switches and 38 powered derail devices, according to a RailComm press release. Switches can be thrown by a yardmaster or work crews from either a centralized office location or from a remote touchscreen kiosk. The yard control system will also allow crews to queue a set of routes as needed to assemble and disassemble trains on the appropriate tracks.

Koppers Inc. has named Travis Gross vice president of North American railroad products and services. Gross will oversee sales, operations, procurement and profit and loss management, according to a Koppers press release. Gross joined Koppers in 2007, and served as VP of commercial sales since 2016.  

Trinity Railway Express (TRE) this week began operating TRE Link, a new bus connection to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. 

The buses, which are painted similar to the commuter-rail train, will replace existing shuttles that connect the TRE CentrePort Station in Forth Worth, Texas, to the airport. 

The GO Transit commuter-rail service today expanded express train service on the Lakeshore East line in the greater Toronto area. 

The expansion will serve riders in the Ontario communities of Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax and Pickering. 

The Canadian government will provide CA$16.5 million through the Rail Safety Improvement Program to support 136 new rail-safety improvement projects and initiatives, Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced yesterday.

The projects and initiatives are designed to increase safety at grade crossings and along rail lines, and prevent serious incidents through education and awareness, according to a Transport Canada press release.

Sound Transit this month will begin pre-construction work on the 8.5 mile Lynnwood Link extension, which will extend light-rail service from the Northgate Link station in Seattle to the Lynnwood Transit Center in Lynnwood, Washington. 

The work includes removal and replacement of 77 percent of the existing trees located in the right of way, removal of sound walls and utility relocation, according to a Sound Transit press release.

Kansas City Southern today reported record first-quarter revenue of $675 million, up 6 percent from the prior year on a 1 percent decline in volume.

KCS attributed an overall decline in carload volumes primarily to service interruptions at Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico that were caused by teacher protests, company officials said in a press release.

Kansas City Southern today reported record first-quarter revenue of $675 million, up 6 percent from the prior year on a 1 percent decline in volume.

KCS attributed an overall decline in carload volumes primarily to service interruptions at Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico that were caused by teacher protests, company officials said in a press release.

CSX yesterday posted record results for the first quarter, including an operating ratio (OR) that fell below 60 percent.

Net income during the quarter soared 20 percent to $834 million, or $1.02 per share, versus $695 million, or 78 cents per share a year ago.

CSX yesterday posted record results for the first quarter, including an operating ratio (OR) that fell below 60 percent.

Net income during the quarter soared 20 percent to $834 million, or $1.02 per share, versus $695 million, or 78 cents per share a year ago.

The MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) yesterday began construction on a two-way grade separated underpass at the Covert Avenue crossing in Long Island, New York.

MTA is rebuilding the crossing at Covert Avenue as an underpass with a sidewalk on the east side, according to an MTA press release.

Metra Police yesterday launched a mobile application to enable riders on the Chicago commuter-rail service to discretely report crimes and suspicious activity from a train or station. 

The Metra COPS app allows riders to send a description along with a photo or video of the issue being reported. The app automatically disables the user’s smartphone flash to ensure discretion, and reports can be made anonymously, according to a Metra press release.

Next month, Amtrak will expand Acela Express weekend service between Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C.

An additional round trip will be added on Saturdays, starting May 4. Train 2252 will depart Washington, D.C., mid-morning and Train 2255 will depart Boston in the early afternoon, filling gaps in the current schedule. Regular, scheduled service on the weekends will continue.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) board has named Sam Ruda port director. Ruda has served as interim port director for the past five months. 

Ruda succeeded Molly Campbell, who left the authority in late 2018 to accept a fellowship at Harvard University. 

A railroad safety bill introduced earlier this month in Ohio's House of Representatives includes a provision that requires trains be operated by at least two crew members.

House Bill 186 includes the two-person crew provision, as well measures addressing blocked public grade crossings, rail-yard lighting and rail-yard walking conditions.

Americans took more commuter-rail trips in 2018 than in 2017, but overall ridership on commuter-, heavy- and light-rail systems decreased by 550,585 passenger trips last year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reported yesterday.

Nationally, commuter-rail ridership increased in 18 out of 31 transit systems, while overall ridership increased slightly by 0.41 percent in 2018 versus 2017. Two commuter-rail systems logged double-digit increases in 2018: Orlando, Florida, 30.9 percent; and Stockton, California, 11.9 percent.

CN will appeal a Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) ruling issued yesterday that determined the Class I had breached its freight-rail service obligations last year in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The CTA found that CN violated its service obligations by announcing its intention to impose embargoes on wood pulp shipments in September 2018, several months before rail congestion and other challenges emerged in the Vancouver area. The Class I imposed those embargoes in December 2018, "rather than making every reasonable effort to deal with those challenges before unilaterally restricting the transportation of the shippers' traffic," according to a CTA press release.