Railroad News

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Legislation aimed at making the 45G tax credit permanent has reached majority support in the U.S. House and Senate, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced today.

The Building Rail Access for Customers and the Economy (BRACE) Act has achieved 226 co-sponsors in the House (H.R. 721) and 51 co-sponsors in the Senate (S. 407), according to an ASLRRA press release.

U.S. Rep. Trey Hollingsworth (R-Ind.) earlier this week joined R. J. Corman Railroad Services LLC representatives to tour a trackwork project on the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (L&I).

The 106-mile short line has contracted R. J. Corman to perform improvements that will enable the railroad to increase rail-car weight capacity to 286,000 pounds. From 2015 through 2017, 94 miles of continuous-welded rail and more than 80,000 ties will be installed.

Rail Construction Equipment Co. has rebranded itself as RCE Equipment Solutions Inc. The new name reflects the company's "growth and diversification goals," RCE officials said in a press release. Although the company has been primarily focused on rail maintenance equipment, RCE within recent years has received several requests for custom equipment design projects outside the rail market. RCE Equipment Solutions will serve as the umbrella company for three different divisions: RCE Rail, which continues to cater to the rail market; RCE Energy, which develops machinery for the energy sector; and RCE Engineering. Meanwhile, RCE's facility in Rockford, Illinois, is undergoing an "extensive" expansion, company officials said. To support the additional products, the company added 11,000 square feet of production space and 6,000 square feet of additional engineering and support space.

In Alstom's first fiscal quarter, the company booked $2.18 billion worth of orders compared to $1.03 billion for the same period in its last fiscal year. The quarter runs from April 1 through June 30. In addition, Alstom logged sales of $2.13 billion, up 6 percent. The company's orders this year include two contracts for almost 100 light-rail vehicles in Canada, a fleet modernization project in the United States and a metro system contract in Vietnam. By 2020, Alstom expects its sales to grow by about 5 percent each year.

A complex crossing design and distracted ambulance driver were contributing factors to a fatal grade crossing accident that occurred in September 2015 in Langley, British Columbia, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada's (TSB) just released investigation report.

On Sept. 11 2015, a CN train struck an ambulance at the Crush Crescent–Glover Road crossing in Langley. Two paramedics, including the driver, were injured. The patient who was being transported later died due to injuries sustained in the accident.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) on Wednesday celebrated its 31 billionth ride since the agency was established in 1921.

The TTC estimates the trip took place last month. The agency selected a random rider to represent the 31 billionth trip who received a year's worth of complimentary monthly passes.

Workers at intermodal rail transportation firm Parsec Inc. in Illinois recently voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining the the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Employed at Parsec's Elwood terminal near BNSF Railway Co.'s Logistic Park Chicago, the more than 500 workers will form their own union as Teamsters Local 179. Parsec provides contracted terminal management services at more than 30 locations in the United States and Canada.

The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) reached an all-time high in May at 126.8, besting the previous record of 126.0 set in February 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).

The index — which is based on the amount of freight carried by for-hire transportation entities — rose 2.2 percent from April's mark, posting a gain after two straight monthly declines. The Freight TSI also registered its largest month-over-month gain since it rose 2.9 percent from November to December 2011, BTS officials said in a press release.

In late June, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation (SFDF) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first project in its new industrial park: a refrigerated warehouse and distribution center that will be served by BNSF Railway Co.

The 205,000-square-foot facility will be operated by Win Chill LLC and situated on a 54-acre parcel in Foundation Park, which is located near Interstates 90 and 29 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Win Chill expects the distribution center to be operational by spring 2018.

Metro Transit on Aug. 15 plans to open bids for the first construction contract for the Southwest light-rail line in Minnesota.

The work includes building 29 miles of track, 15 stations, eight park-and-ride facilities and two cut-and-cover light-rail tunnels, and modifications to seven existing bridges. The agency anticipates that the contract will be awarded in November.

New Jersey Transit's board yesterday adopted a $1.367 billion capital program for fiscal-year 2018.

The plan will continue the agency's financial commitment to implementing positive train control, NJ Transit officials said in a press release. In addition, the budget provides funds for railroad bridge rehabilitation, track replacement, signal upgrades, and repairs to overhead lines and electric substations.

Crews have kicked off the demolition of a 1970s-era Amtrak station in Schenectady, New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced earlier this week.

The demolition will make way for a new $23 million station that will connect travelers to New York City, Niagara Falls and elsewhere.

Denver-based freight-rail company Alpenglow Rail LLC yesterday announced it completed the acquisition of VIP Rail LLC, a short line in Sarnia, Ontario.

The transaction is the first for Alpenglow Rail, which is backed by private equity firm Stonecourt Capital, and recently was formed to seek acquisitions of and partnerships with short lines and related transportation businesses.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday released a record of decision for the NEC FUTURE project, which is aimed at improving reliability and capacity for passenger-rail service along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) through 2040 and beyond.

The document marks the completion of the Tier 1 environmental review process under the National Environmental Policy Act, and establishes a long-term strategy for the NEC.

For the week ending July 8, U.S. railroads registered 453,080 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.4 percent compared with total volume from the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. Both comparative weeks included the July 4 holiday.

U.S. carloads in the period totaled 229,501 units, up 1.1 percent, while intermodal volume totaled 223,579 containers and trailers, up 3.7 percent.