Railroad News

By Michael Popke

Pandrol has signed a contract to manufacture fastening systems for Shanxi Jingshen Railway Co. Ltd. as part of a national infrastructure project in China. Under the agreement, Pandrol will manufacture FC-16 fastenings to cover 144 miles of track  through Menghua to Central china, Pandrol officials said in a press release. In total, the project involves nearly 880,000 fastening rail sets. Financial details of the contract weren't disclosed.

Stantec has opened an office in the town of Whitby in Ontario's Durham Region. The office will offer infrastructure consulting services in the land development, transportation and water sectors. Experts in the Whitby location also will provide building condition audit and environmental services. Stantec's work in the Durham Region include serving as technical adviser on GO Transit's Bowmanville rail expansion and providing engineering peer review for Whitby.

The Port of Los Angeles processed 725,059 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) last month, marking the busiest February in the port's 111-year history.

February's volumes rose 16 percent compared to last year. For the first two months of 2018, overall volumes climbed 5.6 percent compared to the first two months of 2017, which was the port's best year on record, port officials said in a press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has launched two new programs designed to improve commuter-rail train arrival information on its website and mobile apps.

Known as TrainLoc and Concentrate, the programs simplify and accelerate the processing capacity of real-time data. With TrainLoc, commuter-rail train locations and predicted arrival times are now current within 10 to 40 seconds, MBTA officials said in a press release.

The province of Ontario and the government of Canada have reached an agreement that will provide CA$11.8 billion (US$9.02 billion) toward infrastructure spending.

The two governments say the investments will create economic growth, sustain well-paying jobs, build inclusive communities and support a low carbon, green economy.

Recently released statistics from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reveal a mixed safety story for the rail industry with 2017 marking the lowest rate of track-caused and human factor-caused accidents ever, but the year also saw an increase in crossing incidents and in trespassing casualties.

First, the good news, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) credits rail employee's commitment to safety, as well as investments in maintenance and new technologies from railroads as reasons behind the industry's strong safety record. The AAR points to several notable safety statistics that are on a downward trend since 2000 and include a 44 percent decline in the train accident rate, a 38 percent decline in the equipment-caused accident rate, a 55 percent reduction in the track-caused accident rate, a 45 percent reduction in the human factor-caused accident rate and a 42 percent decline in the derailment rate.

The final design of a new Virginia Railway Express (VRE) train station is making progress, following the recently completed final contract amendment between the Virginia Department of Rail Public Transportation (DRPT) and CSX Transportation (CSX).

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has begun major construction activity for Construction Package 4, a 22-mile rail segment in Kern County.

This week, crews began foundation work for a bridge that will carry high-speed trains over Garces Highway. Drill rigs and heavy machinery have been placed at the site, where workers have begun drilling shafts 80 feet into the ground, CHSRA officials said in a press release.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives has voted to designate federal funding to conduct an in-depth financial, engineering and environmental study of a proposed passenger rail expansion project that would connect Boston, Mass., to Manchester.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy earlier this week proposed tripling state funding for New Jersey Transit as part of his $37.4 billion budget plan for fiscal-year 2019.

Under the governor's proposed budget, NJ Transit would receive an additional $242 million to support rail and bus operations for a total of $383 million, NJ.com reported. The funds also would help fill gaps in staffing.

Union Pacific (UP) has announced plans to invest $85 million in Wyoming's transportation infrastructure in 2018.

Fatalities caused by railroad trespassing soared 22.3 percent and deaths at grade crossings climbed 7.4 percent in 2017 over the previous year, Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) announced yesterday.

Citing recently released Federal Railroad Administration statistics, OLI said that 575 people died and another 505 were injured in railroad trespassing incidents in 2017. Another 274 people died in collisions at grade crossings, while another 807 were injured last year.

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

As many as two-thirds of the 29 commuter railroads required to implement positive train control (PTC) might not meet the federally mandated Dec. 31 deadline or qualify for an extension, according to a new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

By Dan Perley 

Metrolink yesterday rolled out a new blog to share news and information with riders and stakeholders.

A digital extension of the railroad's on-train newsletter, the "Metrolink Matters" blog will feature weekly articles ranging from safety reminders to service updates.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will host a workshop in Nags Head next month on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) — also known as drones — for commercial and government operators

The April 19 workshop will provide an opportunity for attendees to learn more about how emerging UAS technology can benefit their operations, NCDOT officials said in a press release.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has unveiled plans for a real-time service feature on digital advertising screens throughout its rail system.

A passenger information bar will appear across the bottom of digital screens installed at rail stations and remain onscreen even as ads play. The bar will provide arrival times for upcoming trains, as well as real-time information on service delays and disruptions, CTA officials said in a press release.