Railroad News

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Indiana and Ohio Railway (I&O), the union announced yesterday.

The five-year pact covers rates of pay, work rules and health and welfare benefits for 50 engineers, conductors and trainees. Wages will increase 28.6 percent over the life of the contract, which ends Dec. 31, 2020, according to a BLET press release.

Great Lakes Basin Transportation Inc. (GLBT) yesterday filed a response to the Surface Transportation Board's (STB) request for additional information on the company's proposed new freight railroad that would operate through Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

On June 2, the STB told GLBT that it needed to provide more details in its application for regulatory approval to build the new rail line. Among the board's demands was a list specifying the cities and counties through which the railroad would operate.

Valley Metro's Rail Board has approved Kiewit as the construction manager at-risk for the South Central, the agency's next light-rail extension.

Kiewit will partner with Valley Metro, the city of Phoenix, project designer AECOM, station artists and local community to build the extension, Valley Metro officials said in a press release.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) yesterday announced the award of $217,000 in grants for rail safety education projects in 15 states.

The grants, funded by the Federal Railroad Association (FRA), will be distributed to Operation Lifesaver chapters in the states to pay for public education and awareness programs that promote rail-crossing safety and trespass prevention, OLI officials said in a press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) board yesterday approved a $1.4 billion budget to extend the Foothill Gold Line 11.5 miles east to Claremont, California.

The board also approved partnership agreements that establish a funding plan and shared roles and responsibilities between Metro and the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority, the agency tasked with building the extension.

Joseph Lhota will return to lead the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) as chairman, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced.

Lhota served as MTA chairman in 2012 until he stepped down to run for New York City mayor, but lost to Bill de Blasio in 2013.

Minneapolis Metro Transit today will partially close its Blue and Green line light-rail routes to install new tracks.

The closure will continue through July 3.

Calgary Transit earlier this week introduced a new CTrain line inspection car.

Dubbed "Scout," the unit is a retired CTrain car that's been redesigned to record data about rails, tracks and overhead cables as it travels along the agency's light-rail system.

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The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in early July will begin a trolley tunnel repair project in Philadelphia's Center City.

The work will require the agency to close the Center City tunnel July 7-17. During the closure, crews will work around the clock on maintenance and construction tasks, including installation of new trolley wire.

Class Is employed 149,032 workers in the United States as of mid-May, down 0.05 percent from employment in mid-April and down 2.42 percent from the year-ago figure, according to the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

Of the six employment categories, five reported decreases compared with mid-April. They were executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.99 percent to 8,745 employees; professional and administrative, down 1.3 percent to 12,506; maintenance of way and structures, down 0.18 percent to 34,158; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 0.44 percent to 27,726; and transportation other than train and engine, down 0.41 percent to 5,825.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) yesterday marked the retirement of its Nippon Sharyo P865 Blue Line rail cars, which will be replaced with new Kinkisharyo P3010 units.

U.S. railroads moved 543,179 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending June 17, a 5.2 percent increase over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

Total carloads for the week rose 6.2 percent to 266,402 units, while total intermodal volume climbed 4.3 percent to 276,777 containers and trailers compared with traffic for the period last year.

K+S Potash Canada (KSPC) announced yesterday it has accepted its first domestic rail cars built by National Steel Car in Hamilton, Ontario.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) earlier this week kicked off its "ArtBound" program, which is aimed at integrating art throughout its rail system.

To mark ArtBound's launch, the agency hosted a ceremony June 19 at the Five Points rail station, according to a MARTA press release.

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has presented interactive workshops and training programs to dozens of participants in recent months.

The institute developed the sessions to help teach short lines and regionals how to build a strong safety culture at railroads, SLSI officials said in a press release.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) announced yesterday the new members who have joined the nonprofit organization's board.

The new members are John Allberry, Steven Covey, Kenneth Glover, John Irwin, Mark Schultz and Jeffrey Songer, according to an OLI press release.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) on Friday and Saturday will host rallies across the country in support of federal funding for long-distance Amtrak routes.

President Donald Trump's fiscal-year 2018 budget calls for eliminating federal support for Amtrak's long-distance routes. The budget calls these services a "vestige of when train service was the only viable transcontinental transportation option."

Metropolitan Stevedore Co. (Metro Ports) will become the new bulk terminal operator at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on July 1, port officials announced yesterday.

Metro Ports will manage the loading and unloading of shipments along the port's East Harbor for port tenants and outside shippers of bulk cargo, including products for steelmaking, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and construction.