Railroad News

The opportunities to use Big Data to drive efficiency and improve safety are plentiful, but railroaders may face a steep learning curve when it comes to sorting through the sheer volume of information produced by new technologies.

For instance, data generated by automated track geometry units can be “overwhelming to a lot of people,” said Amtrak Principal Engineer-Track Geometry Michael Craft during his presentation at the University of Delaware’s Big Data in Railroad Maintenance Planning conference, which ran Dec. 14-15.

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

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on Feb. 15 examining the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC).

Juan D. Reyes III, chief counsel, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Edward Hamberger, president and CEO, Association of American Railroads (AAR), Richard Anderson, CEO, Amtrak, Paul Skoutelas, president and CEO, American Public Transportation Association (APTA), John P. Tolman, vice president and national legislative representative, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and Robert Sumwalt, chairman, National Transportation Safety Board all testified at the hearing.

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on Feb. 15 examining the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC).

Juan D. Reyes III, chief counsel, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Edward Hamberger, president and CEO, Association of American Railroads (AAR), Richard Anderson, CEO, Amtrak, Paul Skoutelas, president and CEO, American Public Transportation Association (APTA), John P. Tolman, vice president and national legislative representative, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and Robert Sumwalt, chairman, National Transportation Safety Board all testified at the hearing.

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is explaining the reason behind its extended shutdown of its SubwayLink system for rail repair work.

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is explaining the reason behind its extended shutdown of its SubwayLink system for rail repair work.

Stantec will serve as the lead engineer on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) expansion project that will revamp the railroad's Main Line.

Stantec will serve as the lead engineer on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) expansion project that will revamp the railroad's Main Line.

Brookville Equipment Corp. this week delivered the first of seven Liberty streetcars to Oklahoma City. The off-wire capable units were delivered as part of a $33.7 million contract, which covers the design, engineering and manufacturing of the vehicles, along with spare parts, training, and service and warranty support. The city's streetcar system is slated to begin revenue service later this year. The Liberty streetcars will operate in downtown Oklahoma City on two routes: a 2-mile east-west loop and a 4.9-mile north-south loop. The city is the third American city to receive Brookville's modern streetcar since 2015. The company also has delivered streetcars to Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Detroit's QLINE system.

Stantec was selected as lead engineer on a $1.9 billion design-build expansion project for MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in Nassau County, New York. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board in December approved a contract with the 3rd Track Constructors consortium, which includes Dragados USA Inc., John P. Picone Inc., CCA Civil Inc., and Halmar International LLC. As the consortium's lead engineer, Stantec will lead all rail, building and infrastructure improvements for the project, which involves adding a third track along a 9.8-mile stretch of LIRR's track between Floral Park and Hicksville. The project is among Stantec's largest transportation programs, according to a company press release.

Kevin Corbett will serve as the next executive director for New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) following a unanimous vote by the Board of Directors supporting the appointment.

Kevin Corbett will serve as the next executive director for New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) following a unanimous vote by the Board of Directors supporting the appointment.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Advisory Board elected William Lyons as national division trustee. He succeeds outgoing trustee Matt Wilson, who has retired.

Lyons serves as general chairman of the CSX-Northern Lines' General Committee of Adjustment, which represents nearly 3,000 active and retired members.

BNSF Railway Co. this week continued to roll out its 2018 capital expenditure plans for individual states where the Class I's network operates. BNSF's latest announcements: Texas, Kansas and Missouri.

In Texas, BNSF expects to spend $375 million this year on maintenance of rail, ties and ballast, as well as expansion projects designed to enhance the network's capacity and fluidity, BNSF officials said in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co. this week continued to roll out its 2018 capital expenditure plans for individual states where the Class I's network operates. BNSF's latest announcements: Texas, Kansas and Missouri.

In Texas, BNSF expects to spend $375 million this year on maintenance of rail, ties and ballast, as well as expansion projects designed to enhance the network's capacity and fluidity, BNSF officials said in a press release.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday issued three urgent safety recommendations based on the agency's findings in two ongoing railroad accidents.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) received one urgent recommendation based on the NTSB's findings in the board's investigation of the Feb. 4 collision between an Amtrak train and a CSX train near Cayce, South Carolina. The Amtrak conductor and engineer died as a result of the collision.

The Metropolitan Council has reported $8.4 billion in developments along existing and planned light-rail transit lines in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

The council tracks developments proposed, under construction or completed along Metro Transit's Green and Blue lines. The council also keeps tabs on projects being developed along the lines' extensions.

Amtrak will consider suspending service on tracks that don't have positive train control (PTC) in place by the Dec. 31 deadline, the railroad's president told a House subcommittee yesterday.

President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson told the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials that there will be carriers over which Amtrak operates that are unlikely to have made "sufficient progress" by year's end to qualify for a two-year extension of the 2018 deadline.

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