Railroad News

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) last week approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) directing CSX, Indiana & Ohio Railway and Norfolk Southern Railway to install and upgrade warning devices at grade crossings in Fayette, Franklin, Montgomery, Putnam and Wayne counties.

CSX will install lights and gates at the Old Webster Road crossing in Vandalia, Montgomery County, while Indiana & Ohio Railway will install the same equipment at the South Elm Street crossing in Washington Court House, Fayette County.

Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. (IAIS) will acquire three new Evolution Series locomotives from GE Transportation, the railroad announced yesterday.

The locomotives will be produced in early 2020 and used to transport grains, ethanol, metals and other commodities across Iowa Interstate's network between Chicago and Omaha, Nebraska.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board this week awarded a $217.7 million contract to Barletta Heavy Division to upgrade and modernize the Red and Orange lines' signal systems.

Coupled with a new fleet of vehicles slated to enter service by 2023, the upgraded signal system will enable the MBTA to boost service reliability and improve peak-hour headways between cars, according to an agency press release.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) promoted Michael Miller to president, North America, the short-line holding company announced yesterday

Miller had been chief commercial officer of North America since joining G&W in 2010. The heads of G&W's seven North American operating regions and the CCO role now report to him as president.

CSX Corp. yesterday announced growth plans for its Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal, which include a haulage agreement that enables BNSF Railway Co. to launch direct intermodal service between Los Angeles and North Baltimore, Ohio.

CSX's plans also include a partnership with NorthPoint Development to construct a logistics park adjacent to the terminal, and expanded eastern access to the facility via new service to and from the Port of New York and New Jersey, according to a CSX press release.

Matthew Rose will step down as executive chairman and retire from BNSF Railway Co. in April 2019, the company announced today.

When he retires, Rose will have been executive chairman for six years and BNSF chief executive officer for the prior 13 years. He also served in senior leadership for marketing and operations before assuming the CEO role in 2000.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) yesterday praised the new trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

NRF officials had expressed concern over the past year about the future of trade between the three nations, as negotiations to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) grew tense.

Metra later this month will close the ticket office at the 103rd Street Beverly Hills Station on the Rock Island Line due to declining on-site ticket sales.

In August, the station sold 1,472 tickets, the lowest number at stops along the Rock Island Line, according to the railroad. Each day, the 103rd Street Beverly Hills Station serves about 750 riders.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) later this week will replace the Buckram Road Bridge, which carries Oyster Bay Branch trains between stations in Locust Valley and Oyster Bay, New York.

The project calls for raising the bridge clearance by nearly 4 feet to reduce truck strikes. The work also is aimed at improving public safety by improving roadway sight-lines, LIRR officials said in a news release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has released the final environmental impact report for its Division 20 portal widening and turnback facility near LA Union Station.

The project is aimed at improving turnaround times for Red and Purple line subway trains at Union Station, and creating more space in the subway car rail yard.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency yesterday introduced new locomotives to the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service at L.A. Union Station.

Manufactured by Siemens in Sacramento, the 14 Charger locomotives have received the Tier IV emissions certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, making the Charger one of the cleanest diesel-electric passenger locomotives in operation, state and local transportation officials said in a press release.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon's (TriMet) board last week recommended that the Portland-area Metro Council adopt the locally preferred alternative for the Southwest Corridor light-rail project between Portland and Tualatin.

The preferred route would run 12 miles between downtown Portland and the Bridgeport Village shopping complex in Tualatin. The preferred option would include 13 stations, along with up to seven park-and-rides. It also would allow for 2 miles of shared transitway for future express bus service, TriMet officials said in a press release.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner yesterday joined other public officials and rail industry representatives at a ceremony to mark the funding of the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project in Chicago.

The $474 million project is a linchpin in the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program, which aims to eliminate a chokepoint at a critical South Side Chicago junction for freight and passenger trains.

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) has teamed up with ride-sharing service Lyft and car-sharing service Zipcar in an effort to tackle the first-and-last-mile challenge of moving riders to and from transit stations without the use of their cars.

Participants who enroll and are selected to participate in RTD's new Ditch Your Car Program will receive various incentives toward the cost of using those services to travel the distance between their homes and workplaces to a train or bus stop. The incentives include credits for using Lyft, Lyft scooters and Zipcar, as well as a one-month RTD pass.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has begun a "hiring blitz" for engineers to manage a slew of major rebuilding projects.

The agency is recruiting engineers to rebuild much of BART's system after voters in November 2016 approved the $3.5 billion Measure RR bond measure.

Milwaukee will launch service on its new streetcar service, dubbed The Hop, on Nov. 2, Mayor Tom Barrett announced late last week.

City officials will host a grand opening ceremony Nov. 2 in Cathedral Square Park in downtown Milwaukee. The park is adjacent to the streetcar's eastbound and westbound platforms on Kilbourn Avenue in the downtown.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York City has appointed Patrick Warren chief safety officer.

He'll work with MTA agencies on improving work practices and investing in new technology and equipment, MTA officials said in a press release.

North American railroads' growing interest in precision scheduled railroading has the potential to improve flagging service levels, according to a new report by Moody's Investors Service.

Last month, Union Pacific Railroad became the latest Class I to adopt precision scheduled railroading principles as part of a new operating model. Under UP's new Unified 2020 plan, the company will roll out precision scheduled railroading in phases across its network starting today.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) and city and county of Honolulu late last week issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a public-private partnership (P3) to help finish the area's planned 20-mile transit-rail system.

The chosen bidder would complete the City Center guideway and stations, as well as the Pearl Highlands Transit Center and Garage. The bidder also would sign a long-term operations and maintenance agreement for HART's rail system.