Railroad News

The Canadian government has pledged CA$1.09 billion toward the second phase of Ottawa's light-rail transit project, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced late last week.

Expected to cost CA$3.6 billion total, the project's next phase involves building 23 miles of rail and 23 new stations. The second phase calls for extending both the Confederation and Trillium lines. 

Port Manatee and the nation of Chile are pursuing new opportunities to boost trade, port officials announced last week.

The announcement followed a Chilean trade official's visit to the Palmetto, Fla.-based port on Tampa Bay last week.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo late last week announced the closing of a financial arrangement that sets the stage for construction to begin on the $1.2 billion redevelopment of the Farley Post Office into a train hall connected to Penn Station in New York City.

The project will be a collaboration between the Empire State Development Corp. and Related Cos., Vornado Realty LP and Skanska USA.

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

Thales announced it will develop a "digital factory" to accelerate the company's digital transformation. The new entity will host an incubator for internal and external startups, as well as a "digital academy" to promote digital culture across the company, Thales officials said in a press release. The factory will bring together experts in key digital technologies to serve Thales' five core markets, including ground transportation. By 2018, Thales will recruit 150 experts internally and externally. To finance the new initiative, Thales will invest more than $160 million over three years. Meanwhile, startup campus STATION F selected Thales to manage its cybersecurity program. Thales' initial mission will be to accelerate 20 startups by providing advice, technical expertise and access to technology.

CTC Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas, will mark its 10th year of business this year. Since it began operations in 2007, the communication and signal systems provider has grown from a three-employee shop to a network of more than 50 offices across the United States. CTC's products are deployed on some of North America's most complex grade crossing intersections, company officials said in a press release. CTC's services and products include grade crossing design, quiet zone implementation, and rail signal engineering and design.

Metro Transit-St. Louis late last week held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Cortex MetroLink Station.

Situated between Grand Station and Central West End Station in St. Louis, the new facility will be the 38th station on Metro Transit's light-rail system, agency officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad announced plans for $14 million worth of infrastructure projects this year in Minnesota.

The funds cover track and bridge maintenance and signal projects in the state.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) today will issue a request for proposals (RFP) to study current and future commuter-rail needs as part of the agency's "commuter-rail vision."

The study will examine topics that include the type of fleet needed to optimize the existing network and deliver new service, system upgrades and locations for future stations.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Amtrak have released a "finding of no significant impact" for the Susquehanna River rail bridge project, the agencies and railroad announced yesterday.

The study's purpose was to determine the best way to provide continued rail connectivity along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, according to an MDOT press release.

The Canadian government will invest CA$1.3 billion to help build a new light-rail network in Montreal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced yesterday.

The funds will make it possible to finalize the proposed project's financing and meet the construction schedule established by the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec (CDPQ), according to a press release issued by Trudeau's office.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said yesterday that Amtrak should pay for "mitigation expenses" related to a summer of altered commuter-rail schedules as the railroad makes emergency repairs to Penn Station in New York City.

Although the amount of mitigation expenses is not yet known, the cost should not be paid for by commuters or New York state taxpayers, Cuomo said in a prepared statement.

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

The Pacific Harbor Line (PHL) has received the Patriotic Employer Award from the U.S. Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program.

The award honors employers' efforts to support members of the National Guard and Reserve.

The probable cause of an Amtrak train derailment in Vermont in October 2015 was the train's collision with debris that had fallen on the track after a rock slide, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced last week.

The incident occurred the morning of Oct. 5, 2015, when Amtrak Train 55 hit a rock pile that fouled the track on the New England Central Railroad (NECR) Roxbury Subdivision near Northfield, Vt. The collision caused the locomotive and four coach cars to derail, injuring four crew members and three passengers, according to the NTSB's accident brief.

PortMiami yesterday welcomed the Maersk Shanghai container ship, the largest vessel to call on a Florida deep-water port, the port announced Wednesday.

At 1,063 feet long and 159 feet wide, the ship has a carrying capacity of 10,081 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The vessel started its journey in China and arrived in Miami through the Suez Canal.

U.S. railroads posted a 6.2 percent increase in rail traffic for the week ending June 10 compared with the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

During Week 23, total U.S. carload and intermodal traffic was 545,317 units. Carload volume rose 7.1 percent to 265,717 units, while intermodal volume climbed 5.3 percent to 279,600 containers and trailers compared with the same week in 2016, according to an AAR press release.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) yesterday announced the 308 railroad recipients of its annual Jake Awards, which recognize above-industry average safety performance in 2016.

To receive the award, an ASLRRA member railroad must perform better than the Class I and III industry average injury frequency rate as reported by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) during the prior year.

New Jersey Transit late last week published new weekday rail schedules in advance of summer repairs to New York City's Penn Station.

To accommodate Amtrak's emergency repairs to the station, NJ Transit altered the service schedule for July 10 through Sept. 1.

The Atlantic and Western Railway, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W), has opened a Choice Terminal bulk transload facility in Sanford, N.C.

Located on a 6-acre site, the terminal features a 20-car rail yard and truck-to-rail-car transloading equipment, according to a G&W press release.