Railroad News

Rail News Home CSX Transportation 3/31/2017 Rail News: CSX Transportation
A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit this week that said the state of Alabama does not discriminate against railroads by requiring them to pay a diesel fuel sales tax while trucking and barge companies are exempt.CSX and three other railroads contended in 2008 lawsuits that Alabama's 4 percent diesel fuel tax on railroads was discriminatory because the state exempts motor and water carriers from paying the tax, according to a report on AL.com.On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Abdul Kallon issued a decision that said the state did not violate the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976. He dismissed the lawsuit by CSX, which has been through the federal court system, including the U.S. Supreme Court, for nearly a decade.CSX is reviewing the court's decision and considering other options, CSX Manager of Media Relations Laura Phelps told AL.com in a prepared statement.The three other railroads' lawsuits have been stayed pending the outcome of CSX's lawsuit, according to the news report. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 3/31/2017

3/31/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

The government of Canada will provide CA$1.8 billion (US$1.35 billion) to the GO Transit Regional Express rail (GO RER) project in the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area.

 

Diana Mendes, HNTB Corporation transit/rail practice leader and senior vice president, was named 2017 Training Professional of the Year Award by the National Transit Institute (NTI). HNTB also welcomed Robert James to the firm's Parsippany, N.J. office as a senior project manager for electrical engineering.

 

3/31/2017    

Rail News: People

Twin tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being constructed in Germany and are expected to arrive this fall to help construct The Los Angeles Country Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Purple Line Extension project.

The machines will be used to dig the tunnels for the first section of the project that is now under construction and will extend the subway for 3.9 miles from Wilshire/Western to Wilshire/La Cienega.

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Supplier Spotlight

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Mechanical

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN

Rail News Home Canadian National Railway - CN 3/30/2017 Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has determined a broken wheel, caused by a service-related failure, led to a CN train derailment in January 2016 near Webster, Ontario.The accident occurred Jan. 9, 2016, as the train was moving west on the Redditt Subdivision and experienced a train-initiated emergency brake application near Webster. A total of 26 cars derailed, including six Class 111 residue tank cars that last contained diesel fuel. There were no injuries and no product was released, according to a TSB press release.In its investigation report released yesterday, the TSB found that a progressive fracture on a wheel of the second car from the head end eventually allowed the wheel to move inboard on the axle and derail.The train continued to travel on the track about 8 more miles before the cars derailed, setting off the train-initiated emergency brake application.About 14 minutes before the accident, the train passed a wayside inspection system (WIS) where a wheel impact load detector (WILD) recorded the impact load of the defective wheel. While the reading exceeded the Association of American Railroads (AAR) condemning limits, CN WILD guidelines permitted the wheel to remain in service without restriction until it reached its certified car inspection location. The development and implementation of WILD technology has been an industry initiative to enhance rail safety by proactively identifying wheels with defects that can cause derailments or damage to track infrastructure. However, if railway WILD guidelines do not provide adequate guidance for dealing with wheel impacts that are condemnable under AAR rules, there is an increased risk that wheels with emerging defects will not be identified and removed from service before progressing to failure, TSB officials said.In response to a 2011 TSB rail safety advisory, Transport Canada (TC) indicated it would create a joint TC-industry forum to comprehensively review WIS and WILD criteria. However, TC has made no progress on guidelines, standards or rules for use of WILD technology, according to the TSB."In the absence of WILD condemning limits within the TC-approved Railway Freight Car Inspection and Safety Rules and/or other related TC guidance, WILD company guidelines may not be sufficiently robust to consistently protect against wheel failures," the TSB concluded. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 3/30/2017

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Financials

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao says the administration's forthcoming infrastructure proposal will cover more than infrastructure and reiterated the belief that regulatory red tape, not funding, is responsible for holding up projects.

 

The Government of Québec has committed CA$1.28 billion (US$96 million), which represents 24.5 percent total equity, to the Réseau électrique métropolitain (REM) project.

CDPQ Infra, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, is proposing to construct the 67-km (41.6-mile) REM automated light-rail network to link downtown Montréal, the South Shore, the West Island (Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue), the North Shore (Laval and Deux-Montagnes) and the airport.

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will advance initiatives to renew critical infrastructure, replace aging portions of its fleet, expand capacity for growing ridership and make technology improvements under its proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Budget.

 

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) has appointed David Friss to the position of director of process improvement. In this role, Friss is responsible for the streamlining of processes as GREX continues to develop the rail industry's most innovative technologies.

In this new role, Friss will partner with department leaders to identify process improvement opportunities to align with the growth vision for GREX. The role reports to Greg Grissom, chief operating officer, with the purpose of leading the continuous improvement culture that both aligns to the company's core values and positions the company for continued growth. Friss joined GREX on March 20, 2017 in the company's Georgetown, Texas, headquarters.