1/13/2017
Rail News: Kansas City Southern
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Rail News Home Kansas City Southern 1/13/2017 Rail News: Kansas City Southern
Patrick OttensmeyerPhoto – Kansas City Southern
Patrick OttensmeyerPhoto – Kansas City Southern
Kansas City Southern President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Ottensmeyer has been tapped to lead a U.S.-Mexico strategic trade initiatives working group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced yesterday.
The working group is part of the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue, a mechanism through which U.S. and Mexican business leaders seek to improve trade flow and economic collaboration between the two nations.
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1/13/2017
Rail News: Amtrak
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Jan
13
Rail News Home Passenger Rail January 2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
ByThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , Associate EditorA technological revolution is sweeping through the U.S. passenger-rail industry. Transit agencies are developing, refining and launching mobile applications aimed at improving riders' overall traveling experiences. And the latest apps aren't just run-of-the-mill trip planners; they've evolved to enable passengers to purchase fares digitally, check real-time arrival status, connect with ride-sharing services and even report criminal activity.To accommodate these apps, agencies are overhauling their legacy fare payment systems, collaborating with tech start-ups and doing what they can to make their services as mobile friendly as possible.In Chicago, for example, riders can use the Ventra app to purchase fares for the area's three transit systems: the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and the Pace bus system. Launched in November 2015, the app enables passengers to use their phones to load money onto their Ventra cards.The app includes mobile ticketing capabilities for Metra — a first for the commuter railroad. When the Ventra card payment system launched in 2013, riders could use the cards to purchase CTA and Pace fares, but Metra maintained its legacy fare system. Now, passengers can buy digital Metra tickets directly on the Ventra app."This is the first time [the three agencies] have had any kind of universal fare payment system," says CTA Director of Revenue and Fare Systems Mike Gwinn, adding that such a system has long been a goal for local transit advocates.But it was a challenge to meet the needs of three different service providers, especially those that didn't have a history of close collaboration on fares, Gwinn says.Gathering feedbackAnother hurdle: ensuring a positive user experience. To clear it, CTA and its partners in May 2015 recruited Smart Collaborative Chicago's Civic User Testing Group to beta test the Ventra app. The group provided a pool of testers to use the app to purchase fares, manage their Ventra accounts, and check real-time arrival and departure information from their smartphones.CTA, Metra and Pace launched the Ventra app in November 2015.Photo: Chicago Transit Authority
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"We were able to get really good, in-depth feedback from people who think about how apps should work," Gwinn says. "They could confirm when assumptions we made were appropriate."
Currently, tickets purchased on the app account for around 10 percent of all fare sales. That number continues to increase — a trend that CTA officials welcome.
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Jan
12
Jeff Davis, a railroad industry veteran, has joined TNW Corporation (TNW) as its chief operating officer (COO). Davis assumed the role effective Jan. 1.
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Jan
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1/12/2017
Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
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Jan
12
1/12/2017
Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
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Jan
12
METRORail celebrated Jan. 9 the first passenger rail ride across its recently completed Harrisburg Overpass.
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Jan
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1/12/2017
Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
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Jan
12
The Chicago Transit Authority is moving forward with the Garfield Gateway project, through which the transit agency plans to make major enhancements to its Garfield Green Line station.
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Jan
12
1/12/2017
Rail News: Passenger Rail
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Jan
12
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has introduced a proposal to invest $120 million in “state-of-the-art” improvements at 16 Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) stations and efforts to bolster system connectivity with the addition of a terminal at MacArthur Airport and a new stop at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
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Jan
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1/12/2017
Rail News: CSX Transportation
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Jan
12
1/12/2017
Rail News: CSX Transportation
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Jan
12
1/12/2017
Rail News: Kansas City Southern
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Jan
12
1/12/2017
Rail News: Kansas City Southern
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Jan
12
Rail News Home Kansas City Southern 1/12/2017 Rail News: Kansas City Southern
Kansas City Southern, Watco Cos. LLC and WTC Industrial announced a joint venture investment to aid and expand the exportation of liquid fuels from the United States to Mexico.The project will include the construction of a unit-train liquid fuels terminal to be located in the WTC Industrial Park in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Kansas City Southern de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (KCSM) will be the only railroad to serve the new terminal, KCS officials said in a press release.The joint venture stems from energy reform legislation Mexico passed in 2013 to open the nation's energy markets to foreign investment and the importation of refined energy products, including gasoline and diesel, KCS officials said.“Not only will the terminal provide Mexico with vitally needed refined energy products, it will also serve to boost job creation in both the U.S. and Mexico," said KCS President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Ottensmeyer. "This project perfectly aligns the goals of Mexican energy reform with the desire of U.S. refining companies to expand their operations and enter new markets.”The joint venture partners will invest $45 million in this phase of the project, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter. The project also is anticipated to eventually include a storage facility to provide retail fuels to Central Mexico.“KCS looks forward to serving this major fluids distribution terminal in San Luis Potosi,” said Ottensmeyer. “It provides us with excellent cross-border line haul opportunities as well as moving product within Mexico on KCSM."Construction on the new rail terminal at the WTC Industrial park is "well underway and on schedule," said Allen Roach, Watco’s senior vice president of network strategy. "The location adjacent to the KCSM mainline ensures easy access to the terminal and quick cycle times of customer rail cars," he said. "The terminal is located in a Free Trade Zone, which provides an added economical advantage to rail shippers."The terminal will support 24-hour, seven-days-a-week operations for secured, fully automated unit-train and manifest shipments, Roach added. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/12/2017
Kansas City Southern, Watco Cos. LLC and WTC Industrial announced a joint venture investment to aid and expand the exportation of liquid fuels from the United States to Mexico.The project will include the construction of a unit-train liquid fuels terminal to be located in the WTC Industrial Park in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Kansas City Southern de Mexico S.A. de C.V. (KCSM) will be the only railroad to serve the new terminal, KCS officials said in a press release.The joint venture stems from energy reform legislation Mexico passed in 2013 to open the nation's energy markets to foreign investment and the importation of refined energy products, including gasoline and diesel, KCS officials said.“Not only will the terminal provide Mexico with vitally needed refined energy products, it will also serve to boost job creation in both the U.S. and Mexico," said KCS President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Ottensmeyer. "This project perfectly aligns the goals of Mexican energy reform with the desire of U.S. refining companies to expand their operations and enter new markets.”The joint venture partners will invest $45 million in this phase of the project, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter. The project also is anticipated to eventually include a storage facility to provide retail fuels to Central Mexico.“KCS looks forward to serving this major fluids distribution terminal in San Luis Potosi,” said Ottensmeyer. “It provides us with excellent cross-border line haul opportunities as well as moving product within Mexico on KCSM."Construction on the new rail terminal at the WTC Industrial park is "well underway and on schedule," said Allen Roach, Watco’s senior vice president of network strategy. "The location adjacent to the KCSM mainline ensures easy access to the terminal and quick cycle times of customer rail cars," he said. "The terminal is located in a Free Trade Zone, which provides an added economical advantage to rail shippers."The terminal will support 24-hour, seven-days-a-week operations for secured, fully automated unit-train and manifest shipments, Roach added. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 1/12/2017
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Jan
11
Kansas City Southern (KCS), Watco Companies, LLC (Watco) and WTC Industrial (WTC) have announced a joint venture investment through which they will facilitate and expand U.S. exports of liquid fuels to Mexico.
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Jan
11
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced the formation of an advisory committee focused on automation across several modes.
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Jan
11
1/11/2017
Rail News: Supplier Spotlight
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