Railroad News

[Editor's note: This story was updated at 2:35 p.m. CST.]

Canadian Pacific has placed an order for more than 400 of Thermo King's SLXi-DRC refrigeration units. The single domestic reefer containers provide room for an extra pallet row to increase cargo capacity. The units use R-452A — a next-generation refrigerant — to help meet sustainability goals, Thermo King officials said in a press release. CP and Thermo King previously performed a four-month field test of an SLXi-DRC unit to verify its performance in CP's rugged environment and climate. The railroad's purchase marked the largest, single domestic reefer container order in Canadian history, Thermo King officials said.

Caltrain next week will launch a project to rehabilitate its station in Sunnyvale, California.

The project calls for relocating the north pedestrian crossing to allow six-car trains to load and unload at the station platform without blocking existing crossings. In addition, crews will improve concrete surfaces that have become uneven.

Dozens of members of the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) and the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) attended Railroad Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

More than 55 individuals representing more than 30 REMSA member companies participated in the event, which is hosted by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-IBT (BMWE) and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-Mechanical Division) have reached an agreement with the National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC) to achieve a final and binding agreement in the current round of contract bargaining.

The NCCC represents the nation's major freight railroads.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has chosen Jeffrey Parker as the sole finalist in its search for a permanent general manager and chief executive officer.

Parker currently serves as vice president at HNTB Corp. and leads the firm's Atlanta office. Before joining HNTB, he led the Connecticut Department of Transportation. Parker also has served as MARTA's senior director of transportation.

Canadian Pacific has hired Joan Hardy as vice president sales and marketing, grain and fertilizer. She will begin her new job April 1.

Hardy joins CP after 12 years at Richardson International — one of Canada's largest agri-businesses and a global leader in agriculture and food processing — where she served as vice president, transportation.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a finding of no significant impact on the Tier 2 project level environmental assessment for the Northern Lights Express higher-speed rail project between Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota.

The FRA's finding enables project staff to seek funds for final design and construction, Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) officials said in a press release.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) has appointed Roland Hoskins executive director of maintenance operations, effective April 9.

He now is assistant general manager of administration at Lane Transit District (LTD) in Eugene, Oregon.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor handled an 8 percent increase in cargo shipments in 2017, port officials announced today.

Last year represented a "landmark" year for actions taken to accommodate future growth. Those steps included doubling the size of its bulk terminal, attracting a nationally known stevedore, handling its most valuable cargo ever and announcing a $20 million expansion, port officials said in a press release.

Senate Democrats yesterday unveiled a $1 trillion national infrastructure plan to cover a wide range of needs, including $180 billion to replace and expand rail and bus systems.

The Democrats' "Blueprint to Rebuild America's Infrastructure" is being presented as an alternative to President Donald Trump's infrastructure plan unveiled in January. The Democrats call for financing their infrastructure proposals by reversing much of the recently passed tax cuts.

TEXRail leaders yesterday joined local elected officials in Grapevine, Texas, to break ground on a $105 million transit-oriented development (TOD) project.

Known as "Grapevine Main," the TOD will consist of a 38,000-square-foot outdoor plaza next to a 42,000-square-foot rail station, as well as a 121-room boutique hotel and 552-space parking garage.

The intermodal upswing continued last month, as U.S. railroads' intermodal volume grew 6.9 percent to 1,104,001 containers and trailers compared with February's volume.

However, the roads' carload volume slipped 0.3 percent to 1,028,141 units for the month. U.S. railroads reported a combined 2,132,142 carloads and intermodal units, marking a 3.3 percent increase over last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Announcements for the latest round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants continue to leak out, with $46 million worth of grants identified for projects in Maryland, Indiana and New Mexico.

Baltimore County, Maryland, was among the awardees. The county has received a $20 million TIGER grant to help TradePoint Atlantic redevelop a former Sparrows Point steel mill site.

Knoxville Locomotive Works (KLW) has chosen Rolls-Royce to provide MTU Series 4000 and 2000 engines for its SE Series four- and six-axle locomotive designs. Produced at the MTU America plant in South Carolina, the engines can deliver a power output of 1,050 to 3,218 horsepower, Rolls-Royce officials said in a press release. Each KLW model uses a single drive train system that consists of either an MTU Series 4000 or Series 2000 high-speed engine powering a traditional intermediate speed AR-10 Series alternator. In addition, KLW's locomotive configurations meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Tier 4 emissions standard. The MTU engines are ideal for the demands of switching and road-switching operations, said KLW President Jim Wurtz.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has certified TransRail Innovation Group's XLOAD sensor to begin pilot trials on tank cars shipping hazardous commodities such as crude oil and refined fuels. TransRail has begun pilot trials with four refineries and shippers in Canada and the United States. The digital sensor is used to measure and track commodities inside of moving tank cars. For example, shippers can use it to automatically detect, measure and report on the specific level and volume of crude oil that is loaded into a closed and sealed tank car. The sensor also could help shippers safely increase the volume of rail cars, which are often under-filled due to poor visibility of the commodity levels inside, according to a company press release.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) employees today joined the agency's police officers and fare enforcement workers to inform riders about new security initiatives.

The agency has assigned more police and security officers to some of its busiest locations. In addition, DART is deploying 29 contracted and uniformed security officers on rail platforms in strategic locations, with plans to add another 30 guards this year.

Norfolk Southern Railway has released its next generation of AccessNS, an e-commerce tool that enables customers to use a one-stop digital platform to conduct business with the railroad.

The revamped portal features faster functionality and a modern, intuitive user interface that's easier to navigate. By selecting digital "widgets," customers can create personalized dashboards that give them quick access to information they consider most vital to their logistics needs, NS officials said in a press release.

GE Transportation and the Port of Long Beach, California, have partnered to roll out a new data-based pilot program aimed at improving cargo flow.

As part of a two- to three-month pilot, GE will implement its Port Optimizer™ solution at the port's marine terminals, including the Long Beach Container Terminal.