Railroad News

Sound Transit has awarded a design-build management contract to the South County Transit Partners joint venture for the 7.8-mile light-rail extension to Federal Way, Washington.

The team is composed of Mott MacDonald and SNC-Lavalin. The agreement initially covers the preconstruction period up to the award of the actual design-build contract, SNC-Lavalin officials said in a press release.

U.S. railroads logged a 6.2 percent traffic increase in the week ending March 10, with growth reported in both carload and intermodal activity compared with the same week a year ago.

Total carloads for the week rose 1.6 percent to 256,075 carload compared with the same week in 2017, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume soared 10.8 percent to 278,207 containers and trailers, according to the Association of American Railroads' data.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

Transport for London has awarded a $149 million contract extension to Bombardier Transportation to service trains operating on the London Overground network. The agreement extends the length of an existing train services contract from December 2023 to May 2030. Bombardier will provide maintenance and support services for its Electrostar Class 378 fleet. Maintenance will occur at four locations in and around London, Bombardier officials said in a press release.

Alstom has completed its first all-electric locomotive at its plant in Madhepura, India. The unit is part of a $4.33 billion order for 800 electric double-section locomotives. Signed in 2015, the agreement is one of the biggest contracts in Alstom's history. Each 12,000-horsepower locomotive has a hauling capacity of 6,000 metric tons and speed of 75 mph. The units were developed with the support of six Alstom sites in France, according to a company press release.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) next week will kick off a project to renew 1970s-era track along its Route 36 trolley line.

Slated to run through June 9, the project will take place on Elmwood Avenue between 59th and 65th streets in Philadelphia. The street structure supporting the tracks has deteriorated due to weather, traffic and the age of the road surface, SEPTA officials said in a press release.

Metra next month will replace 17,000 ties over a 17-mile single-track span along the Milwaukee District North Line.

The Chicago commuter railroad also will replace five switches, perform brush clearing and continue to upgrade the signal system in preparation for a positive train control (PTC) system.

The infrastructure needs and value brought by the shortline railroads in the United States were the topic of testimony given at two Congressional hearings this week.

Sound Transit has awarded South County Transit Partners, a joint venture of Mott MacDonald and SNC-Lavalin, a design-build contract for the project management of its Federal Way Link Extension in the Seattle area, SNC-Lavalin announced.

The North County Transit District (NCTD) late last week marked the 10th anniversary of its Sprinter light-rail system.

Since Sprinter opened a decade ago, it has provided more than 23 million trips, NCTD officials said in a press release.

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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 10, 2018.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has raised concern over the small amount of transit projects that received federal funds in the U.S. Department of Transportation's latest round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant awards.

The department recently announced the fiscal-year 2017 TIGER awards, with only 3.6 percent going to public transit projects, said APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Skoutelas in a prepared statement issued yesterday.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has appointed Darrin Lambrigger director of construction management.

He had been serving as acting director of construction management since June 2017. As part of the role, he oversees construction of Port of Long Beach projects, including the $1.5 billion Middle Harbor redevelopment program, which calls for a major on-dock rail yard expansion.

Texas Central Partners officials are striking back at comments made last week by SNCF America Inc. about the private Texas-based company's plans to build a Dallas-to-Houston bullet train service.

In a statement issued in response to the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) draft environmental impact statement on Texas Central's proposal, SNCF officials claimed the project would "doom Texas' passenger-rail future." SNCF is the national operator of France's passenger rail service and a global operator of high-speed rail.