Railroad News

Union Pacific Railroad ranked as the top performer while Canadian Pacific ranked last in the Soy Transportation Coalition's (STC) seventh annual survey of Class I performance.

UP was regarded as the top performing railroad for the fifth time. Survey respondents ranked CP in seventh place for the six year in a row, STC officials said in a press release.

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) on Monday issued a notice to proceed on planning work for a southern extension to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

An HDR Engineering-led team will perform planning and engineering services. The planning work will include collecting data on area conditions and utilities, refining alignment details, determining station locations and updating cost estimates.

Siemens today will open a new, 44,000-square-foot locomotive service hub in Delaware that will use digital and predictive technology to remotely maintain the units for several railroad operators.

Located in New Castle, the facility will use "Internet of Trains" digital and predictive technology to train service technicians and remotely monitor more than 140 Siemens-built locomotives for customers across the United States, company officials said in a press release.

Danielle Ross, 35

Job description: Ross sets Spectrum’s direction and oversees operations. She assesses staffing needs, anticipates and plans for growth, and creates short- and long-term strategies for the marketing and manufacturing of the company's products.

Education: Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish literature from Ohio State University

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

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

The Seattle Office of Housing yesterday announced $15 million in funding to build affordable homes near Sound Transit's future Roosevelt light-rail station.

The office has joined Sound Transit in issuing a request for proposals (RFP) for the project. The RFP is for one of several transit-oriented development (TOD) plans that Sound Transit is advancing this year, Sound Transit officials said in a press release.

Longshore workers at 29 ports in California, Oregon and Washington officially ratified a three-year contract extension with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) announced late last week.

The union's coast balloting committee reviewed voting results from all longshore local unions and confirmed that 67 percent of members have approved the extension, ILWU officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Senate late last week confirmed Robert Sumwalt's nomination to a two-year term as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Sumwalt, who succeeds Christopher Hart, has served on the board since 2006. Prior to joining the board, he was manager of aviation for the SCANA Corp.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday proposed a new tax on the city's highest earners to fix the region's deteriorating subway and bus system.

The proposal would increase the income tax rate from 3.867 percent to 4.41 percent on taxable incomes above $500,000 for individuals and above $1 million for couples.

[Editor's note: This story was updated after its original posting.]

Amtrak and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) have reached a new agreement for the operation, maintenance and use of the 37.9-mile Attleboro Line between Boston and the Rhode Island state border.

BNSF Railway Co. reported revenue jumped 14.5 percent to $5.3 billion on higher volumes and increased average revenue per car during the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago.

BNSF's pretax net earnings rose 24 percent to $1.5 billion in Q2 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, according to the second-quarter earnings report of BNSF's parent company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Annka Robinson, 33

Job description: Robinson is responsible for ensuring safety related to maintenance-of-way activities on the Trinity Railway Express.

Education: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, bachelor's degree in civil engineering

GE Transportation has unveiled the first of 1,000 Evolution Series locomotives for Indian Railways. The ES43ACmi unit underwent nearly two months of testing and validation before receiving a coat of red and yellow paint, GE officials said in a press release. With the new paint job completed, the company is preparing to ship the locomotive in a few weeks. Expected to arrive in India later this year, the unit is part of a $2.5 billion locomotive order from Indian Railways.

Rail Partners Management Group LLC has acquired the assets and operations of Tactical Cleaning Co. from Strategic Environmental & Energy Resources. Tactical Cleaning provides fixed-base and mobile rail-car cleaning services to large and small rail-car customers throughout North America. Rail Partners will retain the company's brand name and all Tactical Cleaning operational personnel will remain in place, according to a Rail Partners press release. Financing for the transaction was provided by Seneca Partners and Uniprop. Other financial details were undisclosed.

The North East Association of Rail Shippers announced last week it is recognizing North Shore Railroad Co. Chairman Emeritus Richard Robey as the Transportation Person of the Year.

"Dick was a true pioneer in the short-line industry at a time when few believed that railroading had much of a future," association officials said in a press release.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) interim General Manager Steve Poftak over the weekend visited several infrastructure improvement project sites.

One stop included the site of a railroad drawbridge replacement in Beverly, Massachusetts. To accommodate the work, the MBTA on July 17 shut down Newburyport/Rockport Line service north of Salem, Massachusetts. Train service is slated to return to normal tomorrow, MBTA officials said in a press release.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has found that an August 2016 collision between two Canadian Pacific trains occurred when one of the trains ran a stop signal.

The investigation highlights the need for onboard voice and video recorders, TSB officials said in a press release.