Railroad News

The New York State Urban Development Corporation D/B/A Empire State Development (ESD) has secured a $537.1 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan for the Moynihan Train Hall Redevelopment Project.

A $30-million grade separation will be built in Columbus, Ind., in anticipation of increased train traffic following planned upgrades CSX is making on the Louisville & Indiana (L&I) Railroad line between Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind.

A $30-million grade separation will be built in Columbus, Ind., in anticipation of increased train traffic following planned upgrades CSX is making on the Louisville & Indiana (L&I) Railroad line between Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind.

A $30-million grade separation will be built in Columbus, Ind., in anticipation of increased train traffic following planned upgrades CSX is making on the Louisville & Indiana (L&I) Railroad line between Louisville, Ky., and Indianapolis, Ind.

Leica Geosystems has acquired InfraMeasure, a company specializing in rail measurements. Financial details of the transaction weren't disclosed. InfraMeasure designed and developed the patent-pending SafeLoad® system, which is a portable, laser-based measurement and documentation solution. The system, which has been implemented by four Class Is, can help reduce high-wide measurement time and labor by at least 50 percent, according to a Leica Geosystems press release.

Harsco Rail has received an order for seven Stoneblower track geometry machines from Network Rail, the owner and manager of mainline rail infrastructure in Great Britain. The Stoneblower units automate the process for restoring track geometry by using pneumatic stone insertion below the cross ties. The latest generation units are equipped with a computerized measurement and design system and automatic stone metering system, Harsco officials said in a press release. The Network Rail order calls for deliveries over two years beginning in late 2019. The new units will succeed a fleet of retiring Stoneblower units that have logged more than two decades of service for Network Rail, which operates 20,000 miles of track in England, Scotland and Wales. Under a long-term agreement, Harsco Rail will ensure availability of spare parts and software support.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County has postponed implementation of a cashless, proof-of-payment system for its light-rail network in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The decision is the result of several factors, including a delay in the delivery of additional "ConnectCard" machines that dispense the new fare cards and tickets at system stations.

CIT Group Inc. announced last week it reached an agreement to sell its European rail leasing business unit NACCO to German firm VTG Aktiengesellschaft for $890 million.
The deal includes NACCO’s fleet of 14,000 freight cars and its car investments made between Jan. 1, 2017, and the transaction’s closing date that could total $160 million.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter pending customary closing conditions.

The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority (RPTA) board has elected Suzanne Klapp chair.

Klapp serves as vice mayor of Scottsdale, Arizona. She began her first term on the Scottsdale City Council in January 2009 and was re-elected to a second term that began in January 2013.

In late May, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) members ratified their first-ever labor contract with the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad LLC (WNYP).
 
The four-year contract governs about a dozen WNYP workers and runs through Dec. 31, 2021. The pact establishes hourly wage rates, overtime pay, and health and welfare benefits. It also provides due process protections for BLET members that define a process to be followed when disciplinary charges are levied due to an alleged rule violation, union officials said in a press release.

Prior to the contract ratification, there were three pay rates for both locomotive engineers and conductors at WNYP. The new pact transitions wage scales to a single engineer hourly rate and a conductor hourly rate by 2021. Over the term of the contract, wage increases will range from 15.91 percent to 28.44 percent for engineers, and from 15.91 percent to 33.75 percent for conductors, BLET officials said.

​The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 1, 2017, as well as volumes for June 2017.

U.S. railroads originated 1,065,976 carloads in June 2017, up 4.4 percent, or 45,174 carloads, from June 2016. U.S. railroads also originated 1,113,575 containers and trailers in June 2017, up 4.6 percent, or 49,425 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in June 2017 were 2,179,551, up 4.5 percent, or 94,599 carloads and intermodal units, from June 2016.
 
In June 2017, eight of the 20 carload commodity categories tracked by the AAR each month saw carload gains compared with June 2016. These included: coal, up 40,333 carloads or 13.2 percent; crushed stone, gravel, and sand, up 16,747 carloads or 18.5 percent; and chemicals, up 4,888 carloads or 4.1 percent.  Commodities that saw declines in June 2017 from June 2016 included motor vehicles and parts, down 7,168 carloads or 9.5 percent; petroleum & petroleum products, down 6,724 carloads or 15.2 percent; and metallic ores, down 2,025 carloads or 7.7 percent.
 
“Rail traffic indicators of the economy remain mixed. While some commodity groups, such as intermodal, chemicals, and crushed stone and sand (driven heavily by frac sand) set new all-time first half records and a few others like grain and coke set post-recession records, several other traffic categories continue to struggle,” said AAR Senior Vice President John T. Gray.  “All of this indicates an industrial economy that may not yet have a clear direction forward and one that continues to undergo structural change. It is a sign of the reality railroads constantly face: changing markets that are difficult to foresee and plan for.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) re-opened the South Ferry Terminal Complex July 2, marking a major milestone in its Superstorm Sandy recover and resiliency efforts.

The South Ferry Terminal's electrical and mechanical systems were completed destroyed when 15 million gallons of salt water entered the station during the storm in October 2012. Waterfilled the entire station from the track level to the mezzanine and caused extensive damage to critical equipment throughout the station, which sits a few hundred feet from New York Harbor.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) re-opened the South Ferry Terminal Complex July 2, marking a major milestone in its Superstorm Sandy recover and resiliency efforts.

The South Ferry Terminal's electrical and mechanical systems were completed destroyed when 15 million gallons of salt water entered the station during the storm in October 2012. Waterfilled the entire station from the track level to the mezzanine and caused extensive damage to critical equipment throughout the station, which sits a few hundred feet from New York Harbor.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) re-opened the South Ferry Terminal Complex July 2, marking a major milestone in its Superstorm Sandy recover and resiliency efforts.

The South Ferry Terminal's electrical and mechanical systems were completed destroyed when 15 million gallons of salt water entered the station during the storm in October 2012. Waterfilled the entire station from the track level to the mezzanine and caused extensive damage to critical equipment throughout the station, which sits a few hundred feet from New York Harbor.

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has selected Thomas Murta as its executive director, effective July 10, 2017.

"Tom comes to the SLSI with significant industry knowledge in the areas of compliance assessment, risk reduction, crisis management and emergency planning. In addition to his rail expertise, Tom has experience working in and with government agencies, as well as serving on not-for-profit boards, which will provide important context for his work in taking the Safety Institute to the next level," said Linda Bauer Darr, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and SLSI Board of Directors member.

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has selected Thomas Murta as its executive director, effective July 10, 2017.

"Tom comes to the SLSI with significant industry knowledge in the areas of compliance assessment, risk reduction, crisis management and emergency planning. In addition to his rail expertise, Tom has experience working in and with government agencies, as well as serving on not-for-profit boards, which will provide important context for his work in taking the Safety Institute to the next level," said Linda Bauer Darr, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and SLSI Board of Directors member.

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has selected Thomas Murta as its executive director, effective July 10, 2017.

"Tom comes to the SLSI with significant industry knowledge in the areas of compliance assessment, risk reduction, crisis management and emergency planning. In addition to his rail expertise, Tom has experience working in and with government agencies, as well as serving on not-for-profit boards, which will provide important context for his work in taking the Safety Institute to the next level," said Linda Bauer Darr, president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and SLSI Board of Directors member.

SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. completed the CA$3.6-billion (US$2.77-billion) acquisition of WS Atkins plc on July 3.

SNC-Lavalin says the acquisition of Atkins creates a global fully integrated professional services and project management company – including capital investment, consulting, design, engineering, construction, sustaining capital and operations and maintenance.

SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. completed the CA$3.6-billion (US$2.77-billion) acquisition of WS Atkins plc on July 3.

SNC-Lavalin says the acquisition of Atkins creates a global fully integrated professional services and project management company – including capital investment, consulting, design, engineering, construction, sustaining capital and operations and maintenance.