Railroad News

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has awarded a $98 million contract to L.K. Comstock & Company Inc., an electrical contractor and RailWorks Corporation subsidiary, to upgrade the Brooklyn, N.Y., Kings Highway Interlocking signal system.

The project plan includes a 55-month work schedule with an expected completion in 2021. The contractor is set to install the modernized signal system and equipment suited for communications-based train control (CBTC). RailWorks Transit, another subsidiary of RailWorks Corporation, will conduct necessary track and civil work, representatives say.

BrightBlue, the first trainset for Brightline, began a testing phase Jan. 20 along a nine-mile test track.

The tests will continue for several weeks and will cover three areas including dynamic testing of the rolling stock, system integration tests between the train and railway infrastructure and a series of tests required by the Federal Railroad Administration.

1/27/2017    

Rail News: People

Operation Lifesaver Canada (OL Canada) launched a new safety outreach initiative to educate Canadians of the dangers of trespassing on railway property.

The three new public service announcements (PSAs) focus on people engaging in common behaviors, such as wearing headphones or taking selfies with their mobile devices while walking along railway tracks, and highlight the often tragic results of forgetting about rail safety.

The Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) Executive Committee has promoted Urszula Soucie to chief operating officer and Sean Winkler to director of advocacy. The association says the changes are effectively immediately.

 

1/27/2017    

Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad

1/27/2017    

Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 1/27/2017 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad's employee injury rate declined 14 percent last year compared with the 2015 rate, marking the railroad's best annual employee-safety rate, UP reported Wednesday.The company's employee reportable injury rate is measured by injuries for every 200,000 employee hours worked. UP's rate declined from 0.87 in 2015 to 0.75 in 2016."Union Pacific's employees achieved an incredible milestone reflecting their dedication to operating safely in work areas and the communities we serve," said Rod Doerr, vice president – safety, in a press release. "This unrelenting focus ensures everyone goes home safely as we work toward our ultimate goal of zero accidents."Additionally, UP posted a 3 percent improvement in its 2016 derailment rate compared with 2015. The reportable rail equipment incident rate per million train miles dropped from 3.10 in 2015 to 3.02 in 2016.The Class I applies a variety of safety and risk mitigation activities, such as the "Courage to Care" program that encourages employees to "look out for their peers and 'stop the line' on any operation that could result in an incident," UP officials said. The railroad also occasionally stops systemwide operations for "safety stand-downs," during which employees have candid discussions about safety. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/27/2017

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board of Directors has awarded a $1.37 billion contract to the joint venture Tutor Perini/O & G to construct the second section of its Purple Line Extension Project.

 

1/27/2017    

Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway

1/27/2017    

Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway

Rail News Home Norfolk Southern Railway 1/27/2017 Rail News: Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Corp. assisted 71 businesses in locating or expanding facilities along the Class I's rail lines last year. The projects represented an investment worth $4 billion by NS customers, which are expected to generate more than 50,000 carloads of new rail traffic annually, according to an NS press release."We were pleased to see a steady stream of manufacturing projects and a markedly stronger portfolio overall near the end of the year, and that is an encouraging indicator for activity in the coming year," said Jason Reiner, assistant vice president industrial development. "Sixteen manufacturing-related projects contributed nearly $2 billion in new investment by customers and 3,000 new jobs during 2016."NS works with state and local economic development authorities on projects involving site location and development of infrastructure to connect customers to its rail system. The railroad also provides free and confidential facility location services, including industrial park planning, site layout, track design, and supply chain analysis, NS officials said.During the past 10 years, the company's industrial development department has assisted in the location and expansion of 945 facilities representing an investment of more than $60 billion. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/27/2017

1/27/2017    

Rail News: Amtrak

1/27/2017    

Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals

1/27/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific Railway have completed their Canada-CP Grizzly Bear Research Initiative and will now institute measures aimed at reducing railway related risks to grizzly bears.

 

Union Pacific achieved its best annual employee-safety rate in 2016, improving on the record set in 2015 and making 2016 the safest year in the Class 1's 154-year history.

The company's employee reportable injury rate, measure by injuries for every 200,000 employee hours worked, declined 14 percent from 0.87 in 2015 to 0.75 in 2016. In 2015, the employee reportable injury rate improved 11 percent from 2014.

The Foothill Gold Line light-rail extension from Glendora to Montclair will begin construction in October 2017 and take two years longer to complete according to a new schedule.

The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (construction authority) Board of Directors approved an updated workplan and schedule for the 12.3-mile extension at its January 25 meeting. The updated schedule is based on detailed constructability reviews completed late last year on the project's draft advanced conceptual engineering (ACE) documents.

1/26/2017    

Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation

1/26/2017    

Rail News: BNSF Railway