Railroad News

12/5/2016    

Rail News: People

Union Pacific completed installation of a new bridge at Bayou Lafourche in Donaldsonville, La., over the weekend.

The new 102-foot steel bridge is a key part of Louisiana's efforts to reintroduce freshwater from the Mississippi River into Bayou Lafourche. The original crossing was made up of box culverts that limited the amount of water that could pass through in the levee. The project is part of a multi-organizational partnership led by the Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District (BLFWD).

12/5/2016    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

Vossloh has acquired Rocla Concrete Tie, a manufacturer of concrete ties, switch ties, concrete low vibration track blocks and crossing panels.

Vossloh said that the acquisition strengthens its presence in the USA market and further expands its position as a global rail infrastructure supplier. The $117.2 million deal has been approved by the Supervisory Board of Vossloh AG and is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2017.

12/5/2016    

Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation

The Chicago City Council has approved the use of a tax-increment financing (TIF) district to allocate funding needed for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red and Purple Modernization Program (RPM).

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), will establish a new University Transportation Center (UTC) to study rail infrastructure with funds from a federal grant.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) announced the $1.4 million grant on Dec. 1 and said the Tier-1 UTC will improve rail infrastructure in Nevada and throughout the country.

12/5/2016    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

12/5/2016    

Rail News: MOW

12/5/2016    

Rail News: Safety

12/5/2016    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

12/2/2016    

Rail News: Supplier Spotlight

12/2/2016    

Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals

WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff  (WSP) has named Michael Harris-Gifford as a senior principal technical specialist for organization’s the Orange, Calif., office.

Harsco Rail, Harsco Corporation’s railway track maintenance division, has announced new sales of its track grinders throughout North America for service in contract rail grinding programs.

12/2/2016    

Rail News: People

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued its accident report on the July 2016 derailment of a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) train traversing a crossover in the East Falls Church interlocking.

The NTSB report confirms what a WMATA-led preliminary investigation found a few days after the derailment: Deteriorated ties allowed track gauge to widen resulting in the derailment. However, NTSB's official probabe cause places culpability on WMATA's maintenance practices writing in the report, "the probable cause of this accident was a wide track gauge condition resulting from the sustained use of deteriorating wooden crossties due to [WMATA's] ineffective inspection and maintenance practices and inadequate safety oversight."

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been released for the B&P Tunnel replacement project, which would rebuild this critical link on the Northeast Corridor (NEC) that was originally built in 1873.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board of Directors has voted to certify the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for its Airport Metro Connector 96th Street Station.