Railroad News

VIA Rail Canada Inc. has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a supplier to replace its fleet that operates along the Quebec-Windsor corridor.

Starting today, the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Cotton Belt corridor regional rail project in North Texas is now available for a 45-day public review and comment period, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officials announced.

The 26-mile Cotton Belt Corridor extends between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano, Texas. The project's primary purpose is to provide passenger-rail service in Tarrant, Dallas and Collin counties, Texas.

In 2017, public transit ridership in the United States dropped 2.9 percent to 10.1 billion trips compared to 2016, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced this week.

While heavy-rail ridership in the country declined 2 percent to 3.8 billion trips, light- and commuter-rail ridership held mostly steady. Last year, U.S. transit riders took 497 million commuter-rail trips and 548 million light-rail trips, marking 0.19 percent and 0.83 percent decreases, respectively.

Kansas City Southern reported record first-quarter 2018 results, including a 5 percent increase in revenue and a 4 percent hike in operating income compared with last year's first quarter, the Class I announced today.

KCS' revenue in the quarter rose to $639 million from $609.5 million a year ago. The Class I posted record Q1 diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.40, up 1 percent, and record Q1 adjusted diluted EPS of $1.30, up 11 percent over Q1 2017.

Kansas City Southern reported record first-quarter 2018 results, including a 5 percent increase in revenue and a 4 percent hike in operating income compared with last year's first quarter, the Class I announced today.

KCS' revenue in the quarter rose to $639 million from $609.5 million a year ago. The Class I posted record Q1 diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.40, up 1 percent, and record Q1 adjusted diluted EPS of $1.30, up 11 percent over Q1 2017.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, alongside Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner James P. Redeker and numerous federal and state officials, held a ceremony to commemorate the grand opening of the new CTRail Hartford Line Meriden Station on April 19.

The station will provide service to existing Amtrak trains and future Hartford Line trains when the CTRail Hartford Line passenger rail service launches in June 2018.

U.S. Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) sent a letter April 19 to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, which urged him to advise President Trump to rescind recent funding that could be used to move the Gateway Program forward.

Rep. Budd's letter was signed by 26 GOP members of the House, which represents a bit more than 11 percent of the seats currently held by Republicans in the House and just shy of 6 percent of the total 435 seats.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) Board of Governors approved an advocacy strategy on April 19 to accelerate completion of the SkyTrain line to UBC's Point Grey campus.

The university said the need for improved regional transit connectivity emerged as a key theme during consultations on UBC's new Strategic Plan and pursuing an accelerated investment in rail rapid transit to campus directly supports the plan's three themes: collaboration, inclusion and innovation.

Ben Tripousis has joined HNTB Corporation as associate vice president and senior program manager. He is based in the firm's San Jose, Calif., office.

Prior to joining HNTB, Tripousis was Northern California regional director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, responsible for the management and oversight of the planning, design, construction and operation of the Northern California segment of the project. He also has worked on development of the Caltrain Centralized Equipment, Maintenance and Operations Facility, the Bay Area Rapid Transit extension to San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's light-rail system.

Metrolinx and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) have agreed to study potential connections between GO Transit's Kitchener commuter-rail corridor and Toronto Pearson International Airport's future transit and passenger center.

The agencies also will explore other potential transit connections to the airport, such as the Eglinton Crosstown West light-rail project.

The Regional Plan Association (RPA) yesterday released more details on its proposal to combine three commuter-rail networks in the New York City area.

The association's Trans-Regional Express (T-REX) plan outlines a set of investments to combine MTA Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and New Jersey Transit's commuter-rail operations into a unified system.

U.S. railroads reported a 4.3 percent increase in traffic for the week ending April 14, logging 534,198 carloads and intermodal units compared with the same week last year, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

Intermodal volume outpaced growth in carload activity during the week, with railroads moving 276,075 containers and trailers, up 6.9 percent, and 258,123 carloads, up 1.6 percent compared with the same week in 2017, according to AAR data.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) yesterday awarded a $152.9 million contract to Kiewit-Aldridge AJV for a Blue Line track signal improvement project.

The contractor will replace the line's original 34-year-old signal system between Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood and Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

Norfolk Southern Railway has awarded its 2017 Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award to 52 chemical customers for safely handling rail-shipped products.

Last year, the honorees shipped 153,213 carloads of chemical products regulated as hazardous material on NS rail lines without incident, company officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway has awarded its 2017 Thoroughbred Chemical Safety Award to 52 chemical customers for safely handling rail-shipped products.

Last year, the honorees shipped 153,213 carloads of chemical products regulated as hazardous material on NS rail lines without incident, company officials said in a press release.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) awarded a signal improvement contract that will allow for work to begin on the next stage of Your New Blue – a project that will overhaul the O'Hare branch of the Blue Line.

The $492 million modernization program includes major station and track improvements. CTA also plans to upgrade the rail signal system between Jefferson Park and O'Hare airport; replacing original 34-year-old system to improve quality of Blue Line service for customers.