Railroad News

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Mechanical

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: Canadian National Railway - CN

3/30/2017    

Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN

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.

3/29/2017    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

3/29/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

3/29/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

Rail News Home Passenger Rail March 2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail

University of Utah scientists have installed air quality monitors on two TRAX light-rail vehicles.Photo – Utah Transit Authority By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate EditorTransit agencies often tout the environmental advantages of taking public transportation. Fewer cars on local roads mean less greenhouse gas emissions, the line of thinking typically goes.The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is hoping an ongoing air quality study will help reinforce that idea. As part of the project, University of Utah researchers installed air quality monitors on two TRAX light-rail vehicles. As the rail cars move along the UTA's Red and Green lines, the monitors collect information about airborne pollutants such as ozone, particulate matter and greenhouse gases in the Salt Lake Valley, says University of Utah Postdoctoral Scholar Logan Mitchell. "The idea's been around for a long time to put these kind of instruments on public transit," he says.University scientists installed the first air quality monitor on a single TRAX car in 2014. Last year, a second car was equipped with a monitor. Since the trains are powered by electricity, they don't release emissions that could interfere with the air quality data. In addition, researchers are able to evaluate air quality across different altitudes and population densities throughout Salt Lake City."The Red Line ends up being really ideal from an atmospheric science standpoint because it draws a diagonal across the whole city," Mitchell says. "We're able to capture the dense urban center and much more rural areas, which ends up being really interesting."One finding of interest? Researchers learned that particulate matter is highest in the city center during the winter time, while ozone is higher on the edges of the city in the summer. In general, the project is helping helping university scientists understand the variation of air pollutants across the region, Mitchell says.While similar studies have been carried out in Europe, the TRAX project is a first in the United States. And the TRAX study is unique because most of the air quality data that's been gathered so far has come from a single stationary monitor set up by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mitchell says. The monitor has been collecting data since the 1990s, he estimates."It's really valuable to have that long-term record of information, but you just can't see all the spatial patterns that you can see in the TRAX data," he says.UTA's role in the project is simply to provide the rail cars and schedule monthly preventative maintenance inspections of the monitoring equipment; the university takes care of the actual maintenance work.The agency also is responsible for ensuring that the trains are running on different lines to maximize coverage and data collection throughout the Salt Lake Valley, said UTA spokesman Remi Barron in an emailAlthough UTA's role is limited, the project could help locals learn about the environmental benefits of public transit, agency officials believe."UTA's hope is that not only will the study goals and objectives result in a greater understanding of the air quality challenges facing the Wasatch region, but it will also increase awareness of the green benefits of public transportation and encourage the next generation of UTA riders," Barron said.Eventually, University of Utah scientists hope to team up with health researchers to compare air pollutant data and local health impacts, Mitchell says."There's new research coming out that's showing that air quality can affect dementia. So there's some serious health impacts and a lot of premature mortality that goes along with air pollution," he says.The study also could be replicated in other cities with above-ground light-rail systems, such as Denver and Portland, Mitchell says.University researchers are looking for funding to keep the project going. At present, the university is funding the study with money borrowed from other projects, Mitchell says, but he's hopeful the air quality project will continue for decades to come."The longer it goes, the more valuable it gets," he says.
Keywords Browse articles on Utah Transit Authority UTA University of Utah air quality greenhouse gas emissions TRAX TRAX light rail UTA light rail Salt Lake City Salt Lake City transit Salt Lake Valley Logan Mitchell Remi Barron Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

3/29/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

3/29/2017    

Rail News: High-Speed Rail

3/29/2017    

Rail News: People