Railroad News

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The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in California will launch a redesigned website focused on light rail and multimodal trip planning later this month.

Before the official launch, riders are being encouraged to familiarize themselves with the new site and provide feedback via a test link, according to a VTA press release.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) yesterday approved the installation of lights and other upgrades at three rail crossings in Ohio. 

The PUCO approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing Norfolk Southern Railway to upgrade to LED lights and improve circuitry at the Waller Street crossing in Portsmouth by June 5, 2020, and Grand River Railway to install lights and gates at the Headlands Road and Stage Avenue crossings in Lake County by March 5, 2020.

Lacassine Operating Co. will invest $12.5 million to build a catalyst blending plant in Lacassine, Louisiana, to serve oil refineries worldwide, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and the company announced this week.

The plant will become the anchor tenant of the Lacassine Rail Terminal operated by Rail Logix in Jefferson Davis Parish, according to a press release issued by Edwards' office.

Metra is gathering public input before creating a pilot program designed to improve connections between its trains and the Pace bus system.

The project’s focus is to improve access to jobs and schools for south suburban Chicago commuters, make transportation more affordable and convenient, and simplify transfers between the trains and buses, according to a Metra press release.

Amtrak has named Tracie Winbigler executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Stephen Gardner chief operating and commercial officer.

Winbigler, who will join Amtrak on June 24, will be responsible for Amtrak's finance, treasury, accounting and control functions. Most recently, she was CFO at Recreational Equipment Inc., where she led the financial, procurement, and asset protection teams for the $2.7 billion cooperative. Before that, she spent three years at National Geographic, joining the company as CFO and later promoted to chief operating officer.

Several factors contributed to the 4.1 percent decline in U.S. railroads' combined traffic volume last month compared with May 2018, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

U.S. carload traffic fell 2.1 percent to 1,291,671 units, while intermodal volume dropped 5.9 percent to 1,315,684 containers and trailers in May versus a year ago, according to AAR data. Combined, U.S.railroads logged 2,607,355 carloads and intermodal units, down 110,586 units.

The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. has appointed Adrian Downes chief financial officer. Previously, Downes was acting CFO and senior vice president. Downes joined Greenbrier in 2013 as chief accounting officer and has more than 30 years of accounting and finance experience in a variety of industries, according to a Greenbrier press release. 

Alstom unveiled its proposed train design for HS2 Ltd.’s high-speed railway in the United Kingdom. The train is designed to be modern and provide smooth operation on the conventional rail network, as well as the new HS2 infrastructure, according to an Alstom press release. In a separate announcement, Alstom provided integrated systems, tracks, catenaries, telecommunication and signaling systems, substations and ticketing equipment to Enterprise du Metro d’Alger’s tramway line extension in Constantine, Algeria. The extension's first phase, currently in commercial service, connects the existing Zouaghi Station to the entrance of Ali Mendjeli. 

Modesto & Empire Traction Co. President and Chief Executive Officer John Bienvenu has been elected chairman of the short line's parent, Beard Land and Investment Co.

Bienvenu has been on Beard's board since May 2011. As chairman, he succeeds Richard Sipos.

TransLink has appointed Michel Ladrak as president and general manager of the British Columbia Rapid Transit Co. Ltd. (BCRTC) to succeed Haydn Acheson, who will retire Aug. 15.

Ladrak has over 20 years of experience in transportation. Currently, he is managing director for Auckland Transit Metro Rail in New Zealand, which is managed by Transdev on behalf of Auckland Transport. 

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) announced that construction on the $3.1 billion, 4-mile subway section between Koreatown and Beverly Hills, Cailfornia, has reached the halfway mark.

The subway section includes three stations and is one of three sections to be built as part of LA Metro’s Purple Line Extension. The project will ultimately extend the route nine miles westward of the line’s current terminus and add seven new stations in 2023.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the Association of American Railroads' (AAR) challenge to a federal statute that allowed Amtrak to help set Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) performance and scheduling standards on the nation's railroads.

The court denied the AAR's petition for writ of certiorari that sought to reverse the District of Columbia Court of Appeals' July 2018 decision that granted Amtrak a say with the FRA in determining on-time performance metrics and standards for passenger trains.

The League of Railway Women (LRW) has opened nominations for its 2019 Railway Woman of the Year Award, which is co-sponsored by Progressive Railroading.

For two decades, the LRW has recognized women who have made significant contributions to the rail industry through their leadership, dedication and vision. Women working in the North American rail industry are eligible to receive the award, LRW officials said in a press release.

Jack Stephens, who retired in December 2018 as executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), died June 2 of natural causes in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the transit agency announced yesterday. He was 71.

Stephens — who held leadership positions in the public transportation industry for more than 30 years — joined SFRTA in 2003 as deputy executive director and became executive director in 2014 to succeed Joseph Giulietti, who departed to become the leader of MTA Metro-North Railroad. The authority operates Tri-Rail, Florida's commuter-rail system.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. reported first-quarter 2019 rail ridership increased 5.1 percent to 1,145,000 riders and passenger revenue rose 8.4 percent to CA$77.6 million compared with the same quarter a year ago, the company announce yesterday.

The results represent the company’s 13th consecutive quarter of ridership increases and the 20th straight quarter of revenue growth, according to a VIA Rail press release.

Amtrak crews are upgrading 31 miles of track between Washington Union and Baltimore Penn stations as part of infrastructure improvements along the Northeast Corridor, the railroad announced yesterday.

The improvement project is designed to increase track capacity, improve the ride quality and offer greater reliability that will benefit Acela and other Amtrak riders and commuters along the corridor between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Amtrak officials said in a press release.