Railroad News

Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5) joined representatives from Knife River Corporation and the Portland and Western Railroad to tour Knife River's Salem sand and gravel pit, learn about its extensive railway products and services and discuss public policy priorities for the business and rail communities in greater Salem, Ore.

Knife River Corporation Materials Manager Fred Sondermayer lead the group tour through the Knife River Reed facility. The facility is made up of more than 300 acres of sand and gravel pit that produces construction aggregates for the mid-Willamette Valley and Portland-metropolitan areas. The aggregates are also used in the production of hot mix asphalt and concrete. The mine has an estimated 25 million tons of aggregates reserves.

Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5) joined representatives from Knife River Corporation and the Portland and Western Railroad to tour Knife River's Salem sand and gravel pit, learn about its extensive railway products and services and discuss public policy priorities for the business and rail communities in greater Salem, Ore.

Knife River Corporation Materials Manager Fred Sondermayer lead the group tour through the Knife River Reed facility. The facility is made up of more than 300 acres of sand and gravel pit that produces construction aggregates for the mid-Willamette Valley and Portland-metropolitan areas. The aggregates are also used in the production of hot mix asphalt and concrete. The mine has an estimated 25 million tons of aggregates reserves.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is moving forward with improvements at the Wollaston Red Line Station.

The MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board approved the beginning of new construction earlier this summer. Work includes major accessibility improvements, state-of-the-art safety features and additional parking. Currently the only non ADA-accessible station on the Red Line, Wollaston will be transformed into a modern, fully accessible facility, making the entirety of the Red Line 100-percent accessible. New features and upgrades to the station include new elevators, additional customer paths, upgraded stairways, new bathrooms and additional lighting. New electrical, fire protection, security, flooding mitigation and site utility upgrades will also occur to support the accessible improvements. The estimated construction value of the Wollaston Station improvements is $33 million.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is moving forward with improvements at the Wollaston Red Line Station.

The MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board approved the beginning of new construction earlier this summer. Work includes major accessibility improvements, state-of-the-art safety features and additional parking. Currently the only non ADA-accessible station on the Red Line, Wollaston will be transformed into a modern, fully accessible facility, making the entirety of the Red Line 100-percent accessible. New features and upgrades to the station include new elevators, additional customer paths, upgraded stairways, new bathrooms and additional lighting. New electrical, fire protection, security, flooding mitigation and site utility upgrades will also occur to support the accessible improvements. The estimated construction value of the Wollaston Station improvements is $33 million.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is moving forward with improvements at the Wollaston Red Line Station.

The MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board approved the beginning of new construction earlier this summer. Work includes major accessibility improvements, state-of-the-art safety features and additional parking. Currently the only non ADA-accessible station on the Red Line, Wollaston will be transformed into a modern, fully accessible facility, making the entirety of the Red Line 100-percent accessible. New features and upgrades to the station include new elevators, additional customer paths, upgraded stairways, new bathrooms and additional lighting. New electrical, fire protection, security, flooding mitigation and site utility upgrades will also occur to support the accessible improvements. The estimated construction value of the Wollaston Station improvements is $33 million.

U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) earlier this week toured construction of Sound Transit's Northgate light-rail extension.

When it opens for service in 2021, the 4.3-mile extension will provide a 14-minute ride between Seattle's Northgate neighborhood and downtown.

A University of Maryland undergraduate team has won the Intermodal Association of North America's (IANA) seventh Intermodal EXPO academic challenge in Long Beach, California.

The competition required students to respond to a case study challenge focused on mitigating congestion at marine terminals. A panel of IANA board members evaluated the teams' presentations and selected the winning university.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has resumed inspections of its latest generation of rail cars after receiving a safety concern about its inspection procedures.

The agency yesterday temporarily halted inspections of its 7000-series rail cars after the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 voiced concerns about a worker receiving an electric shock while inspecting one of the units. The union represents WMATA's operators and clerical and maintenance workers.

Class Is employed 147,319 employees as of mid-August, down 3.56 percent year-over-year and 0.15 percent compared with mid-July employment numbers, according to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB).

Five of the six employment categories reflected workforce decreases in mid-August compared with mid-July. The number of transportation (other than train and engine) employees declined 1.50 percent to 5,703; maintenance of way and structures, down 0.68 percent to 33,620; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 0.67 percent to 26,855;
executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.53 percent to 8,632; and professional and administrative, down 16 percent to 12,623.

CSX was able to quickly restore service throughout the areas affected by Hurricane Irma and continues to improve in key service metrics as the railroad implements its new model of precision scheduled railroading, President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison announced yesterday.

After the hurricane slammed Florida on Sept. 10 with devastating winds and flooding, CSX re-established rail service in most of the Southeast United States within hours, into and out of northern Florida within 24 hours, and throughout the vast majority of the state within a week, according to a CSX press release.

CSX was able to quickly restore service throughout the areas affected by Hurricane Irma and continues to improve in key service metrics as the railroad implements its new model of precision scheduled railroading, President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison announced yesterday.

After the hurricane slammed Florida on Sept. 10 with devastating winds and flooding, CSX re-established rail service in most of the Southeast United States within hours, into and out of northern Florida within 24 hours, and throughout the vast majority of the state within a week, according to a CSX press release.

The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) approved a recommendation September 20 to reject all four civil construction bids for the Southwest LRT project, due to price and responsiveness concerns.

The move will delay the application for and receipt of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Additionally, the start of revenue service will be delayed until 2022.

The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) approved a recommendation September 20 to reject all four civil construction bids for the Southwest LRT project, due to price and responsiveness concerns.

The move will delay the application for and receipt of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Additionally, the start of revenue service will be delayed until 2022.

The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) approved a recommendation September 20 to reject all four civil construction bids for the Southwest LRT project, due to price and responsiveness concerns.

The move will delay the application for and receipt of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Additionally, the start of revenue service will be delayed until 2022.

New Jersey Transit yesterday outlined rail safety upgrades it has developed in the wake of a commuter train crash at the Hoboken Terminal last year.

The agency's rail operations team is replacing all stub-end tracks at the terminal with new sliding friction bumper blocks. The team also is "advancing a speed control system for trains entering the Hoboken Terminal," NJ Transit officials said in a press release.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) joined Ouachita Railroad Company (OUCH) Sept. 20 for a tour of the railroad and to discuss issues facing the shortline rail industry.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) joined Ouachita Railroad Company (OUCH) Sept. 20 for a tour of the railroad and to discuss issues facing the shortline rail industry.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) joined Ouachita Railroad Company (OUCH) Sept. 20 for a tour of the railroad and to discuss issues facing the shortline rail industry.

The operators of two commuter trains involved in separate New York City-area crashes in the past year were both suffering from undiagnosed sleep apnea, according to records made public yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The NTSB made public the dockets of the fatal New Jersey Transit commuter-rail collision that occurred Sept. 29, 2016, in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the MTA Long Island Rail Road collision that occurred Jan. 4 at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York. The board's investigations into both accidents are ongoing.