Railroad News

Amtrak says rail infrastructure improvements along its Chicago – Detroit/Pontiac line have been made to enable safe, faster travel along the Michigan passenger and freight corridor.

U.S. Class Is continued to shrink their workforce last month.

As of mid-December, Class Is in the United States employed 145,416 workers, down 0.37 percent since mid-November's employment figure and down 3.19 percent compared with mid-December 2016's level, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data.

Trains on Amtrak's Wolverine and Blue Water lines in Michigan have begun traveling faster following recent rail infrastructure improvements, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced yesterday.

Amtrak staff now dispatch trains on the rail corridor between Porter, Indiana, and Dearborn, Michigan — a move that "ensures the efficient movement of passenger trains," said MDOT Office of Rail Director Tim Hoeffner in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. has elected Jennifer Scanlon to its board of directors.

Scanlon is president and chief executive officer of USG Corp. She has been appointed to the NS board's Compensation Committee and the Finance and Risk Management Committee.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is slated to sign a $3.7 billion contract with Kawasaki for 1,612 new subway cars, The New York Times reported late last week.

Freight-rail industry representatives from the United States, Canada and Mexico are calling for "constructive negotiations" on a new version of the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In an open letter to policymakers, freight-rail associations from each country stressed the importance of trade and the need for a continental railroad network to provide businesses with access to economic markets.

Walter Winzen, founder and chief executive officer of Missouri-based Transportation Products Sales Co. (TPSC), died Jan. 19 of heart failure, the company has announced.

"We are saddened by the passing of Walter Winzen, but confident his leadership will live on in all aspects of the business operations, especially his mission to find solutions that advance the rail industry," said TPSC President Sid Bakker in a press release.  

The Chicago Regional Transportation Authority's (RTA) board last week approved its 2018-2023 regional transit strategic plan, which calls for pursuing public funding for transit.

Titled "Invest in Transit," the plan makes the case for pursuing dependable funding streams that would enable the RTA, the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace to continue providing service.

California Gov. Jerry Brown has named Joseph Hedges chief operating officer of the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA).

Hedges will ensure that all construction and engineering elements of the high-speed rail program are delivered within scope, quality standards, budget and schedule throughout the duration of the project, CHSRA officials said in a press release.

Kansas City Southern estimates its 2018 capital program will be between $5530 million and $550 million; down approximately four percent from 2017.

Railroad executives explained during the 2017 Q4 earnings call that the slight reduction in the planned capital program is due to a number of large projects wrapping up in 2017 rather than an indication that growth opportunities are limited.

The freight rail associations representing Mexico, the United States and Canada, sent a joint letter to negotiators ahead of the sixth formal round of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) discussions being held in Montreal, Quebec, Jan. 23-28.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has announced the appointment of Joseph Hedges as its new chief operating officer and Pamela Mizukami as chief deputy director.

Harsco Rail has announced the promotion of Allen Branham to vice president of its North America Sales and Global Contracting Services division.

R. J. Corman Railroad Group LLC has completed the sale of Roadway Worker Training (RWT) to RailPros, a privately held consulting firm specializing in rail engineering design and management.

The sale is part of Corman's effort to accelerate growth by reinvesting and refocusing on its core competencies, according to a company press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) late last week proposed a $3.2 billion budget for fiscal-year 2019, which starts July 1.

Although the proposal doesn't include fare hikes or service cuts, WMATA is seeking additional funding from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., to balance the budget, agency officials said in a press release.

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U.S. Freight Rail Industry Partners With Canadian and Mexico Counterparts to Urge Successful NAFTA 2.0 Negotiations

Brightline executives are expanding safety outreach efforts following recent deaths on the private passenger railroad's new route in South Florida.

Two deaths occurred after Brightline trains struck individuals on the railroad's route during the service's first week of operation. Some political leaders have since called for federal transportation officials to investigate the deaths and Brightline's safety efforts.