Railroad News

Carloads moved by U.S. railroads slipped 0.6 percent to 1,019,239 units last month compared with July 2016, marking the first decline in U.S. carload activity since October 2016, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

When combined with intermodal volumes — which rose 5.6 percent to 1,058,354 containers and trailers — the total traffic moved by U.S. railroads last month climbed 2.5 percent to 2,077,593 units compared with July 2016, according to an AAR press release.

CSX President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison has emailed customers a letter apologizing for recent service disruptions that have occurred as the Class I goes through its restructuring.

The email was sent in response to recent customer complaints about the quality of CSX service. The complaints prompted the Surface Transportation Board last week to contact Harrison and ask the company to address the situation.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Joseph Lhota today announced the appointment of Patrick Foye as the agency's president and Veronique Hakim as managing director.

Foye and Hakim will serve in the newly created office of the chairman, which also will include MTA Chief Development Officer Janno Lieber.

Michele Malski, 28

Job description: Malski’s role includes communications, strategic planning, new programs, project and grant management, and railroad outreach. She also develops training and education about components of safety culture.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in industrial labor relations with a minor in law and society, Cornell University

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has agreed to purchase CH2M Hill Cos. Ltd. for $2.85 billion. The transaction is aimed at providing Jacobs a "leading position" and new expertise in the high-growth infrastructure and government services sectors, Jacobs officials said in a press release. In addition, Jacobs will be able to deliver more solutions to more clients by applying CH2M's advanced design, technical and program management expertise, company officials said. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of Jacobs' 2018 fiscal year.

Vertex Railcar Corp. has obtained an order for its 2480 CF aggregate car from a rail industry lessor. The lessor chose Vertex after visiting its facility in Wilmington, North Carolina. The deal marks the second time a rail lessor has chosen the company's aggregate car in recent months, Vertex officials said in a press release. In addition, another lessor has recently chosen Vertex's 7500CF wood chip car. Although Vertex didn't disclose the quantity of cars or terms of either order, company officials described both deals as "significant." The cars will begin shipping in early fall.

Amtrak and Lyft yesterday announced a new partnership aimed at helping riders complete the first- and last-mile segments of their journeys.

Passengers now can use the Amtrak mobile app to request a ride with the ride-sharing service. First-time Lyft users can receive a $5 credit on each of their first four rides with the service.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has begun evaluating ideas to modernize its business model and increase revenue.

The association's total number of members and yearly revenue have remained generally flat for more than 10 years, APTA Chair Doran Barnes wrote in his "Observations and Aspirations" newsletter.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority in Austin, Texas, yesterday announced that Linda Watson will retire as the agency's president and chief executive officer by year's end.

She's held the position for more than seven years. Watson came to Austin from Orlando, Florida, where she served as leader of LYNX, the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority.

Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Chris Christie of New Jersey yesterday announced new leadership appointments at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).

Kevin O'Toole has been named chairman of the board, while Rick Cotton has been appointed the authority's executive director, according to a press release jointly issued by the governors.

Michael Lefevre, 28

Job description: As director of the Operations Control Center (OCC) of the Brightline intercity passenger-rail service in southeastern Florida, Lefevre designed and implemented procedures for monitoring, reporting and streamlining daily operations. With the support of the five teammates who staff the OCC, Lefevre is responsible for delivering real-time updates on train performance, fielding all situational calls from Brightline trains and stations, and initiating schedule changes as necessary.

Education: Bachelor of Arts degree, Duke University

The number of riders who said they were satisfied with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) commuter-rail service has nearly doubled over the past two years, according to a recent survey.

Of the riders who participated in the survey, 32 percent said they're satisfied with the MBTA's commuter-rail service. That marks an increase from another survey conducted in spring 2015, when just 18 percent of passengers said they were satisfied with the agency's commuter rail.

Gulf & Ohio Railways Inc. (G&O) announced leadership appointments effective today at locomotive manufacturer Knoxville Locomotive Works Inc. (KLW).

Michael Wester has been named executive vice president; Tom German, general manager; and Scott Gatewood, chief design engineer, said KLW President Pete Claussen in a press release.

Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) have issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for firms to design, build and finance GO Transit rail station improvement projects.

The infrastructure upgrades are needed to accommodate service increases resulting from the GO Regional Express Rail (RER) project, which calls for electrifying core segments of GO Transit's network.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has issued a draft environmental impact report for its proposed Livermore extension in California.

The project involes adding 5.5 miles of rail along Interstate-580 and building a new station. The extension would link an existing station in Pleasanton to a new one in Livermore.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) yesterday announced a proposal that would make it easier for public-private partnerships to be formed in public transportation projects.

The proposed Private Investment Project Procedures for public transportation capital projects will help the federal government develop "more effective approaches" to spurring private participation and investment in project planning, development, finance, design, construction, maintenance and operation, according to an FTA press release.

Rail-car orders in the second quarter totaled 17,665 units compared with 4,814 units in the first quarter and 7,555 units in second-quarter 2016, according to quarterly statistics released last week by the Railway Supply Institute's American Railway Car Institute Committee (ARCI).

Car deliveries in Q2 increased to 10,625 units from Q1 deliveries of 10,042 units. However, they decreased in the last quarter compared with Q2 2016's deliveries of 15,655 units.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today will begin holding hearings to solicit public input the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the Hudson River rail tunnel project.

The FRA will hold two sessions today. Hearings also are scheduled for Thursday and 10. Each meeting will include afternoon and evening sessions.