Railroad News

Las Vegas Railway Express Inc. has appointed Lou Schillinger president.

He is the founder, president and chief executive officer of United Shortline Insurance Services Inc. (USIS), which has provided insurance products for railroads for 26 years.

Metrolink's board late last week approved a 25 percent fare cut on its San Bernardino Line in an effort to increase ridership.

One of the commuter railroad's busiest lines, the San Bernardino Line serves the San Gabriel Valley in California, with stops at Los Angeles Union Station, California State University in Los Angeles, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga and downtown San Bernardino.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has asked Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory to work with freight railroads around the Chicago area to ensure Amtrak's on-time performance improves in Illinois and around the country.

In a letter to Batory sent last week, Durbin noted that Amtrak's Chicago-Champaign-Carbondale route continues to be "one of the worst performing routes" in the country.

Ahead of an event held on Capitol Hill to demonstrate the rail industry's innovations, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) released a white paper highlighting technology's role in making the U.S. rail network safer, more efficient and more reliable.

"America is home to the greatest freight rail network in the world, and we are putting technology to work to keep it that way," said AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. "Next-generation innovations like drones, lasers and automated technologies are revolutionizing how we run a railroad."

Ice jams have caused flooding along parts of Alaska Railroad's line north of Talkeetna resulting in suspended service due to scoured ballast.

The railroad said ice pushed nearly 1,000 feet of track off the track bed by more than 25 feet in some areas, as well as caused scoured track bed ballast. Water was over the rail for approximately two miles between mileposts 247 and 250.

HNTB Corporation has added Vincent Gallagher, PE, to its team as a senior program manager in the firm's national program management and construction management practice for transit and rail, and senior vice president.

Maryland has obtained certification of its State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); bringing the number of states to obtain the certification to 13.

The FTA must certify 30 SSO Programs ahead of the April 15, 2019 deadline. An additional 12 states have their SSO Program under review by the FTA, one has its SSO Programs submitted to FTA, which leaves only five state certifications not submitted. Should any of the 30 states required to obtain certification fail to do so, FTA would be prohibited from distributing any new federal funds to those states until certification is obtained.

The freight-rail industry has invested an estimated $100 billion in infrastructure, equipment and technology over the past four years to prepare for a 41 percent increase in freight shipments by 2040.

The investments have paid off by making U.S. railroads safer, with mainline accidents down 32 percent over the past decade, Association of American Railroads (AAR) officials said today, as they released a white paper highlighting how technology has improved rail network safety.

Bombardier Transportation has tapped The Weitz Company as the design-build contractor for an extension to the PHX Sky Train® guideway and maintenance facility.

The Canadian government last week announced a CA$15.5 million investment in three infrastructure projects at the Port of Quebec.

The first project will upgrade rail and road infrastructure in the port's Anse au Foulon area to increase efficiency. Additionally, electrical network and water system will be upgraded, government officials said in a press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded a $75 million Small Starts grant to Sound Transit for its Hilltop Tacoma Link extension.

The 2.4-mile light-rail extension will run along Commerce Street and Stadium Way to the Hilltop District in Tacoma, Washington. The line will include six new stations.

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

CSX
2018 C&S budget: $44 million
2017 C&S budget: $56.5 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: C&S capital focuses on SRO obsolescence, signal reliability, communications upgrades, defect detectors and hump yard improvements.
Note: The budget doesn’t include $116 million expected to be spent on signal upgrades for positive train control (PTC) implementation this year.

Norfolk Southern Corp.
2018 C&S budget: $31 million
2017 C&S budget: $30.8 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: Replace process control system (PCS), centralized traffic control (CTC) and direct traffic control (DTC) system at Elkhart Yard, and replace PCS system at Enola Yard.

Amtrak
2018 C&S budget: $102.5 million
2017 C&S budget: $69.2 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: For fiscal-year 2018, continue PTC projects on the Empire Corridor and Springfield Line.

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

Canadian elected officials earlier this month gathered to install the final piece of light-rail track for the O-Train Confederation Line in Ottawa, Ontario.

On May 4, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and other leaders boarded a train at the Tremblay Station and traveled into the line's downtown tunnel, where officials hammered rail clips to secure the final piece of rail into position.

Sound Transit's Hilltop Tacoma Link light-rail extension received $75 million from the Federal Transit Administration through its Small Starts grant program. It's the piece of financing needed for the project.

Sound Transit says the grant was awarded "following tireless advocacy by members of Washington's congressional delegation." The transit agency noted key proponents of the project, including U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA-6), who repeatedly urged approval of the funds.

The Port of Québec will receive CA$15.5 million (US$12.1 million) from Canada's National Trade Corridors Fund to upgrade port infrastructure including rail.

Three projects at the port will benefit from the funding that officials say will "help local businesses compete by moving local goods to market and by making improvements to port infrastructure."