Railroad News

Vertex Railcar Corp. has received an order from Trinity Chemical for 350 coiled and insulated DOT-117 tank cars for use in the crude oil and chemical markets. By Jan. 31,  2018, Vertex will deliver 50 cars from its plant in Wilmington, N.C., with the remainder to be delivered within two years from that date. The order is Vertex's second in the past two months, according to a Vertex press release. The other order is for 100 DOT-117 ethanol tank cars, which will be built and delivered from the Wilmington plant later this year.

Trainyard Tech LLC obtained a contract from BNSF Railway Co. to install the Routemaster™ NX process control system at Cherokee Yard in Tulsa, Okla. The system comes with a custom graphical user interface that displays the real-time status of all yard devices. Multiple user workstations located throughout the terminal provide consistent data points and direct control for operators and supervisors, Trainyard Tech officials said in a press release. Meanwhile, the company is in the final stages of installing and testing the newest Classmaster™ system at CSX's Queensgate Yard in Cincinnati. The system uses bi-directional wheel detectors at all switch points to determine the direction and velocity of a rolling car, which provides more presence detection than is possible with track circuits, according to the company.

GO Transit later this month will begin providing all-day train service on the Stouffville Line, Ontario government officials announced last week.

Starting June 26, trains will run every hour in both directions during weekday midday and evening periods between Unionville GO Station and Toronto's Union Station.

CN this week posted its 2017 Investor Fact Book on the company's website.

Titled "Innovating Everywhere, Every Day," the book is a source of information about CN, its North American network, freight markets, strategic agenda and financial performance.

Jim Shell, former international vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), died June 1 at a hospital in Kansas City, Mo., the union announced yesterday. He was 83 years old.

Shell began his railroad career in 1954 as a switchman on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) in St. Joseph, Mo. In 1955, he left his railroad job to serve the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Bennington for two years.

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) and its contractor Denver Transit Partners (DTP) today will start testing trains along the G Line commuter-rail route.

The initial phase of testing will be limited, with only a few test trains running Monday through Friday, RTD officials said in a press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will host a public scoping meeting tomorrow to initiate environmental studies for the proposed West Santa Ana Branch light-rail line.

The event will be the first of four meetings held in preparation of a draft environmental statement and environmental impact report, Metro officials said in a press release.

By Michael Popke

The oldest tequila producer in the world has teamed with the largest railroad in Mexico to relaunch a train tourism experience that emphasizes both education and entertainment.

The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) won the Rail Transit Team Achievement Award at the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) International Rail Rodeo, which was held June 8-11 in conjunction with the association's 2017 Rail Conference in Baltimore.

The award is given to the system with the highest rail operator and maintainer team combined score. The winning team members were Mike Gross, Gary Crandell, James Moon, Tenikia Jackson and John O'Connor, according to an APTA press release.

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) isn’t just about gathering information from various sources and data streams, and then using those analyses to drive efficiencies and/or better manage operations. It’s also about using data to predict new market opportunities and build new business.

In a report titled “Driving Unconventional Growth through the Industrial Internet of Things,” Accenture officials note that in addition to tapping IIoT to boost operational efficiency, industrial companies such as railroads and many of the shippers they serve also “can benefit greatly by seeing it as a tool for finding growth in unexpected opportunities.”

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) isn’t just about gathering information from various sources and data streams, and then using those analyses to drive efficiencies and/or better manage operations. It’s also about using data to predict new market opportunities and build new business.

In a report titled “Driving Unconventional Growth through the Industrial Internet of Things,” Accenture officials note that in addition to tapping IIoT to boost operational efficiency, industrial companies such as railroads and many of the shippers they serve also “can benefit greatly by seeing it as a tool for finding growth in unexpected opportunities.”

R. J. Corman Railroad Co. LLC announced it is marking its 30th anniversary this year.

Rick Corman founded the company in January 1987 with the acquisition of the Bardstown Line. In August of that same year, he purchased the 100-mile Memphis Line, which operates from Clarksville, Tenn., to Bowling Green, Ky.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval has signed legislation that enables the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) to seek funding for a potential 8.7-mile light-rail line in Las Vegas, local media reported late last week.

The line would connect McCarran International Airport to the city's downtown, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) have issued a request for qualifications for companies interested in building and financing a double-track project on GO Transit's Barrie Line.

The scope of work includes building a second track between Toronto's Union Station and a stop in Aurora, Ontario. The chosen firm also will perform grading, carry out track and signal upgrades, build noise and retaining walls, and expand bridges.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) last week opened a new Amtrak station along the Chicago-to-St. Louis higher-speed rail line.

Located in downtown Pontiac, Ill., the 1,350-square-foot building features a peaked roof, glass facade and free Wi-Fi. The station will serve passengers on Amtrak's Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle trains.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) yesterday released a transportation plan aimed at maintaining rush-hour commuter capacity to and from Manhattan during Amtrak's summer repair schedule at Penn Station.

The plan calls for adding MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) trains during rush hour at the station, as well as lengthening existing trains. In addition, the MTA will create a new bus and ferry network that's free to LIRR monthly and weekly ticketholders, and provide free morning subway transfers for LIRR passengers, agency officials said in a press release.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) yesterday announced the winners of its annual Rail Safety and Security Excellence Awards.

The awards ceremony, which took place at the APTA Rail Conference in Baltimore, recognized North American rail systems for excellence in safety and security programs and operations, APTA officials said in a press release.

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

Unveiled last month, President Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal-year 2018 federal budget would reduce the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) spending by 12.7 percent. On the chopping block: the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, funding for Amtrak’s long-distance routes and the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, also known as New Starts.