Railroad News

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An environmental study exploring the viability of a high-speed passenger-rail service between Minnesota and Wisconsin has been halted after two Minnesota state lawmakers objected to its funding.

Brightline today announced that its privately funded passenger-rail service between Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida, will begin Jan. 13.

Over the past month, the company has been operating simulated service to prepare for operational readiness. Brightline expects to become fully operational and extend service to downtown Miami in the coming months, company officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway has assisted 75 customer facilities in locating or expanding operations along the Class I's rail lines in 2017.

The 54 new and 21 expanded facilities owned by NS customers represent an investment of $1.1 billion by those customers. The investment is expected to create nearly 2,000 new customer jobs in the railroad's service area and generate more than 147,000 carloads of new rail traffic, according to an NS press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has formed a partnership with FairMarkIT to help modernize the agency's procurement processes.

The firm will assist the MBTA as it moves from a combination of electronic and paper systems to a web-based operation, Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) officials said in a blog post.

TNW Corp. has hired Joey Evans as the company's director of customer success.

The job involves directing all revenue car accounting operations, as well as planning and implementing strategies to generate additional revenue.

The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Co. Inc. (DL) last year logged a record 8,572 revenue carloads over the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority's regional-rail system, the authority reported yesterday.

The number surpasses the previous record of 8,048 cars handled in 2015 and is indicative of economic growth among the 20-plus industries served by the DL in northeastern Pennsylvania, said Larry Malski, authority president, in a press release.

A 40 percent increase in its anthracite coal business helped propel Reading & Northern Railroad (R&N) to its most successful year in history, company officials announced last week.

In 2017, the R&N handled 31,175 carloads and revenue of nearly 15 percent over 2016's levels.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker yesterday issued an executive order to establish a task force to study the feasibility of establishing commuter-rail service between Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

The nine-member Commuter Rail Advisory Task Force will study initial and ongoing capital costs, expected operating costs, potential ridership, a recommended governance structure and the economic benefits of a rail service.

Trump administration officials and a bipartisan group of senators yesterday held talks about the $1 trillion infrastructure package that the president is expected to propose in the coming weeks.

Although few details were released, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wy.) called the meeting a "great opportunity to discuss the Trump administration's plans for upgrading America's aging highways, bridges, ports and dams."

Amtrak has hired Ken Hylander as the railroad's executive vice president and chief safety officer. A former aviation industry executive, Hylander most recently served as chairman of the Flight Safety Foundation and previously was chief safety officer at Delta Airlines.

Hylander, who will report directly to Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson, will be responsible for implementing a safety management system (SMS) at Amtrak.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) yesterday began installing new ticket vending machines at its LYNX Blue Line light-rail stations.

The machines will continue offering the agency's one-way, roundtrip, one-day and weekly passes. They'll also accept cash, credit card, "change card" or any combination thereof, CATS officials said in a press release.

Lisa Bartlett has been elected chair of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).

She served as OCTA's vice chair for the past year. Bartlett replaces outgoing chair Michael Hennessey, who remains on the board.

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) has released the latest edition of its annual Rail Trends report.

The new report summarizes the 2016 performance of Canada's railroad industry, from safety and fuel efficiency to infrastructure investment and productivity.

Caltrain's board late last week adopted a new policy that reduces fines for riding without paying fares.

Under the new ordinance, fines will be decreased from $250 to a $75 administrative penalty. The policy also establishes a "standardized electronic issuance procedure" for conductors, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

Ontario Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca yesterday held an official opening ceremony for the GO Transit Downsview Park train station in Toronto.

The station, which began serving riders Dec. 30, 2017, provides a direct transfer between GO Transit's Barrie rail line and the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) new Line 1 subway extension.

Amtrak last week reached a tentative contract agreement with the Transportation Communications Union (TCU) representing carmen, clerks, on-board service workers and supervisors.

The agreement calls for "significant" percentage wage increases and protects health care benefits, according to a press release issued by the union.

CSX Corp. yesterday announced Edmond Harris has been named executive vice president of operations.

Harris has more than 40 years of experience in the railroad industry in an operating capacity, including nearly two decades at the Illinois Central and CN railroads, where he helped E. Hunter Harrison transform their operating models to one based on precision scheduled railroading.

Bombardier Transportation has received a repeat order for 32 OMNEO double-deck trainsets from French national railway company SNCF Mobilites. Valued at US$444 million, the 256-car order is part of a contract signed in 2010 to provide up to 860 double deck trains to French regions, Bombardier officials said in a press release. The Centre-Val de Loire Region plans to roll out the new trains on its Paris-Orleans-Tours, Paris-Bourges and Paris-Montargis-Nevers lines. The units have 373 seats and feature baggage racks, passenger information screens and a space for wheelchairs and bicycles. The first trains will be delivered in 2020.

The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. reported first-quarter fiscal-year 2018 net income of $26.3 million, or 83 cents per diluted share, compared with $25 million, or 79 cents per diluted share, for the same period in the previous fiscal year. The company's first quarter of FY2018 ended Nov. 30, 2017. Greenbrier logged $559.5 million in first-quarter revenue, compared with $552.3 million in the first quarter of FY2017. Additionally, the company received orders for 3,200 diversified rail cars valued at more than $290 million, marking an increase from orders for 2,400 rail cars valued at more than $230 million in the same quarter in the previous fiscal year. Although the market for new rail cars in North America is challenging, broad-based demand for Greenbrier's products and services "remains steady," said Greenbrier Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William Furman in a press release.