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May
25

NS dedicates rail bridge in NY's Letchworth State Park

Norfolk Southern Railway, New York state and local officials yesterday dedicated the new steel arch railroad bridge that spans the Genesee River in Letchworth State Park in Castile.

Built under a public-private partnership, the $75 million bridge expands freight-rail capacity and economic opportunities for businesses and communities across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes, NS officials said in a press release.

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May
25

NS dedicates rail bridge in NY's Letchworth State Park

Norfolk Southern Railway, New York state and local officials yesterday dedicated the new steel arch railroad bridge that spans the Genesee River in Letchworth State Park in Castile.

Built under a public-private partnership, the $75 million bridge expands freight-rail capacity and economic opportunities for businesses and communities across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes, NS officials said in a press release.

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May
25

NS joins BiTA

Add Norfolk Southern to the growing list of railroads that have joined the Blockchain in Transport Alliance.

 

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May
25

Caltrain honored for Los Gatos Creek Project

Caltrain's Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement Project has been recognized with the Construction Management Association of America's (CMAA) Northern California Project Achievement Award in the transportation category.

 

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May
24

DHS announces anti-terrorism grant opportunities

Rail News Home Security 5/24/2018 Rail News: Security
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week announced the availability of $1.6 billion in grant funding for programs used to help prevent acts of terrorism.The grant programs provide funding to several categories of entities, including Amtrak, transit owners and operators, and ports."The DHS grant programs are flexible by design and will be used to help address evolving threats," said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in a press release. "They will go toward building and sustaining capabilities across all levels of government and the whole community to maximize preparedness."Funding opportunities available for fiscal-year 2018 include:
• the Intercity Passenger Rail-Amtrak Program, which provides $10 million to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and increase the resilience of the Amtrak rail system;
• the Port Security Grant Program, which provides $100 million to help protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness, improve port-wide maritime security risk management and maintain or re-establish maritime security mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resiliency capabilities; and
• the Transit Security Grant Program, which provides $88 million to owners and operators of transit systems to protect critical surface transportation and the traveling public from acts of terrorism and to increase the resilience of transit infrastructure.All preparedness notices of funding opportunities can be found here. Final submissions must be made through the Non-Disaster Grants system, which can be accessed here.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 5/24/2018


May
24

CN locomotive engineers ratify five-year contract

Rail News Home Canadian National Railway - CN 5/24/2018 Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN
The agreement modifies work rules that were "of concern to both CN and engineers," CN officials said.Photo – teamstersrail.ca

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) has ratified a new five-year contract with CN, the railroad announced yesterday.

The agreement, which runs through Dec. 31, 2022, provides wage and benefit increases each year that it's in effect. The pact also modifies work rules that were "of concern to both CN and engineers," CN officials said in a press release.

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May
24

CN locomotive engineers ratify five-year contract

Rail News Home Canadian National Railway - CN 5/24/2018 Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN
The agreement modifies work rules that were "of concern to both CN and engineers," CN officials said.Photo – teamstersrail.ca

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) has ratified a new five-year contract with CN, the railroad announced yesterday.

The agreement, which runs through Dec. 31, 2022, provides wage and benefit increases each year that it's in effect. The pact also modifies work rules that were "of concern to both CN and engineers," CN officials said in a press release.

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May
24

NTSB slates two-day hearing on fatal Amtrak crashes

Rail News Home Amtrak 5/24/2018 Rail News: Amtrak
The Amtrak Cascades train derailed on Dec. 18 in Dupont, Washington.Photo – Washington State Patrol

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold an investigative hearing July 10-11 on two recent Amtrak crashes.

The public hearing will explore issues involved in the Amtrak Cascades derailment in DuPont, Washington, on Dec. 18, 2017; and an Amtrak collision with a freight train on Feb. 4 near Cayce, South Carolina, NTSB officials said in a press release.

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May
24

NYCT's Byford unveils 10-year subway repair plan

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) President Andy Byford yesterday unveiled a sweeping plan to modernize the agency's subways and buses.

Titled "Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize New York City Transit," the plan calls for updating the subway system's signals and track infrastructure to boost performance.

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May
24

CN to acquire 1,000 new hopper cars

CN plans to acquire 1,000 new generation high-cube grain hopper cars over the next two years, the Class I announced today.

The investment is aimed at rejuvenating aging equipment needed to serve increasing annual crop yields, CN officials said in a press release. The new jumbo hopper cars will have 5,431 cubic feet of capacity.

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May
24

CN to acquire 1,000 new hopper cars

CN plans to acquire 1,000 new generation high-cube grain hopper cars over the next two years, the Class I announced today.

The investment is aimed at rejuvenating aging equipment needed to serve increasing annual crop yields, CN officials said in a press release. The new jumbo hopper cars will have 5,431 cubic feet of capacity.

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May
24

Réseau de transport métropolitain rebranding itself as exo

The Réseau de transport métropolitain (RTM) officially rebranded itself as exo May 23.

 

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May
24

Intermodal rail volume reaches near-record in Week 20

The growth trend in U.S. freight-rail traffic continued during the week ending May 19, when railroads logged a 3.6 percent increase in carloads and intermodal units compared with the same week last year.

Total U.S. carloads for the week rose 1.2 percent to 261,273 units, while intermodal volume climbed 5.9 percent to 285,142 containers and trailers compared to a year ago period, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

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May
24

ACE to BART rail connection project receives planning grant

Officials announced last week California's approval of a $750,000 grant for planning efforts to connect the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) rail systems.

 

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May
24

Colorado DOT, Virgin advance hyperloop study

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Virgin Hyperloop One and AECOM yesterday announced they're advancing the second half of a feasibility study for a proposed hyperloop line in the state.

In late 2017, CDOT and Virgin Hyperloop One joined forces with AECOM to initiate the study, which is examining the technological and economic feasibility of a hyperloop transportation system in Colorado.

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May
24

RAC calls on Canadian government to boost short-line funding

Rail News Home Short Lines & Regionals 5/24/2018 Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals
The association urged for the increase in funding after the Huron Central Railway announced plans to halt operations.Photo – railcan.ca

Shortly after Huron Central Railway's (HCRY) announcement that it will cease operations by year's end, the Railway Association of Canada (RAC) on Tuesday called on the Canadian government to establish programs to help short lines invest in their infrastructure.

Earlier this week, HCRY owner Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. cited a "lack of necessary provincial funding" among its reasons for shuttering the 176-mile short line, which runs between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, Ontario.

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May
24

RAC reiterates need for dedicated shortline railroad capital funding

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) is calling on the government of Canada and its provinces to support programs that provide shortline railroads with dedicated funding for infrastructure investment.

There have been two high-profile shortline rail issues in Canada in the past year with the closing of the Hudson Bay Rail Line in Manitoba due to flood damage and the recently announced plans to cease operations on the Huron Central Railway in Northern Ontario.

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May
24

NYCT’s Byford: Now is the time to think big

MTA New York City Transit President Andy Byford on May 23 revealed "Fast Forward: The Plan to Modernize NYCT," an estimated $19 billion* program described as "a comprehensive plan to completely modernize every major aspect of the organization and its services, from subways to buses to accessibility to corporate culture."

 

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May
23

Rail supplier news from Miner, Wavetronix, dFuzion, HNTB and Network Rail Consulting (May 23)

Miner Enterprises has acquired DFW Grating, a manufacturer of metal grating products. The acquisition will help expand Miner's existing product line, which includes draft gears, outlet gates, side bearings, brake beams, hatch covers and other rail-car components, Miner officials said in a press release. Financial terms were not disclosed. DFW Grating manufactures bar grating, diamond safety grating and round-hole safety grating. Those products have a range of applications, including rail-car running boards, intermodal platforms, end platforms and brake steps.

Wavetronix has agreed to acquire Island Radar Co. LLC, a developer of radar-based systems used to detect vehicles and trains in rail applications. Under the agreement, Island Radar products and systems will be marketed under the Island Radar brand through Wavetronix Rail, a newly formed division. When finalized, the acquisition will enable the new division to leverage the leadership and strengths of both companies, Wavetronix officials said in a press release. Financial terms of the agreement weren't disclosed.

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May
23

New York City Transit plans subway service increase

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 5/23/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The agency is increasing the number of trains along the A, D, E and F subway lines.Photo – Wikimedia user Bebo2good1 (shared under Creative Commons)

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) in fall will add several trains along the A, D, E and F subway lines to accommodate growing ridership.

The additional trains primarily will run before or after rush hours. The service increase will take effect in November.

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