Railroad News

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan yesterday announced the state will receive a $125 million Infrastructure For Rebuilding America Program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation that will enable the long-planned Howard Street Tunnel project to start soon in Baltimore.

To be conducted in partnership with CSX, the more than $450 million project calls for eliminating height restrictions in the 121-year-old tunnel to allow double-stack trains to move to and from the Port of Baltimore. The work will create double-stack clearance in the tunnel and under 22 bridges between Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Cathrin Banks, 34
President
Maryland and Delaware Railroad Co.

Nominator’s quote: Progressive Railroading’s editorial staff nominated Banks for the Rising Stars Award for being one of the youngest women in the United States to be put in charge of running a railroad.

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

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's (GCRTA) board last week finalized funding for repairs to stabilize a retaining wall on the Red Line between the West 117th-Madison and West Boulevard-Cudell stations in Cleveland.

The board ratified a change order to the project's construction contract for an additional $650,000, bringing the project’s total cost to $1.3 million, GCRTA officials said in a press release.

The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMV) marked its 108th anniversary on July 11.

The 14-mile short line operates in Guadalupe, California, and serves Santa Maria and the Santa Maria Valley. SMV interchanges with Union Pacific Railroad in Guadalupe and provides transloading, rail-car storage, track repair and other services.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) won the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) 2019 Innovation Award for its GoPass mobile ticketing application. 

The Innovation Award recognizes a public transit agency that demonstrates innovative concepts in public transportation. Entries this year needed to show how the transit system demonstrated excellence between 2016 and 2018, DART officials said in a press release.

The Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) recently appointed Roland Hackl vice chairman for a five-year term, effective July 2.

Hackl has served Teamsters Canada for the past 27 years, including a stint as vice president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference from 2015 to 2019. He was involved in countless collective bargaining and interest arbitration cases, and represented the union before the CIRB and at virtually all levels of provincial and federal courts, Teamsters Canada officials said in a press release.

Aeroports de Montreal (ADM) last week held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on the Reseau Express Metropolitain (REM) metro station at the Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

The station construction is expected to be completed by 2023, ADM officials said in a press release. 

Longtime railroader and Morristown & Erie Railway Inc. (M&E) leader Wesley "Wes" Weis died July 13. He was 78.



Weis was president and chief executive officer of the M&E. He also was the founder and CEO of Mikab Corp., which provides project management and general contracting services for cellular/PCS, microwave and tower installations.



Pioneer Railcorp has announced that its shareholders approved a previously announced merger agreement with BRX Transportation Holdings LLC through which BRX will acquire all outstanding shares of Pioneer's Class A common stock. 


Formed by Brookhaven Capital Partners, Related Infrastructure and Stephens Capital Partners LLC, BRX will pay Pioneer stockholders $18.81 per share in cash. The deal excludes and cancels shares held by Pioneer subsidiary Heartland Rail Investments LLC.



Terry Atkinson, 39
General director of marketing and sales
Union Pacific Railroad

Nominator’s quote: “His team is responsible for leading several key initiatives to drive industry leading customer experience and develop creative solutions to promote growth in rail transportation. As a leader, Terry displays a high level of energy and selfless leadership by coaching and teaching his team members the key attributes of a successful and cohesive group. He has had several key accomplishments throughout his 13 years at Union Pacific.” — Beth Whited, Union Pacific Railroad

Late last month, U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) met with Lake State Railway officials to tour the short line's headquarters in Saginaw, Michigan, and discuss federal rail policy.

The tour was led by Lake State President and Chief Executive Officer John Rickoff and Vice President of Marketing and Sales Shasta Duffey. The group toured Lake State facilities and locomotives before discussing federal legislation and policy related to rail.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) earlier this week approved construction authorization from the the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing Norfolk Southern Railway, Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway Co. and CSX to upgrade six rail crossings.

By July 17, 2020, NS will install lights and gates and expand the crossing surface at the Jefferson Street/State Route 103 grade crossing in the village of Bluffton, Ohio. NS also will install flashing lights, bells, sidelights and curbing at the Penn Street/Township Road 1383 crossing in Wells Township, PUCO officials said in a press release.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation (AASHTO) officials announced yesterday that Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Deputy Administrator Brandye Hendrickson is joining the organization as its new deputy director.

Hendrickson, who was appointed to FHWA's deputy administrator position in July 2017, also served as its acting administrator in 2017 and 2018.

CSX has been recognized as a "Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion" by Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).

The Class I scored 100 percent on the 2019 Disability Equality Index (DEI), which serves as the nation's most comprehensive annual benchmarking tool on disability inclusion efforts in the areas of culture, leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices and community engagement, according to the Disability:IN website.

Sound Transit yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of Link light-rail service that connects Seattle to SeaTac, Washington. 

Over the past decade, the Link has logged more than 134 million total boardings, Sound Transit officials said in a press release. 

Wisconsin's new 2019-21 budget includes $75 million in one-time funding for local transportation projects, the state's Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced yesterday.

The new program will enable local communities to prioritize their most immediate transportation needs, said Craig Thompson, WisDOT secretary-designee, in a press release.

Kansas City Southern today reported record second-quarter revenue of $714 million, a 5 percent increase on flat volumes compared with the previous year's same quarter.

Year-over-year revenue growth for the quarter was led by a 19 percent increase in chemicals and petroleum shipments, particularly to Mexico, as well as a 5 percent increase in automotive, KCS officials said in a press release.