Railroad News

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in early July will begin a trolley tunnel repair project in Philadelphia's Center City.

The work will require the agency to close the Center City tunnel July 7-17. During the closure, crews will work around the clock on maintenance and construction tasks, including installation of new trolley wire.

Class Is employed 149,032 workers in the United States as of mid-May, down 0.05 percent from employment in mid-April and down 2.42 percent from the year-ago figure, according to the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

Of the six employment categories, five reported decreases compared with mid-April. They were executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.99 percent to 8,745 employees; professional and administrative, down 1.3 percent to 12,506; maintenance of way and structures, down 0.18 percent to 34,158; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 0.44 percent to 27,726; and transportation other than train and engine, down 0.41 percent to 5,825.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) yesterday marked the retirement of its Nippon Sharyo P865 Blue Line rail cars, which will be replaced with new Kinkisharyo P3010 units.

U.S. railroads moved 543,179 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending June 17, a 5.2 percent increase over the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

Total carloads for the week rose 6.2 percent to 266,402 units, while total intermodal volume climbed 4.3 percent to 276,777 containers and trailers compared with traffic for the period last year.

K+S Potash Canada (KSPC) announced yesterday it has accepted its first domestic rail cars built by National Steel Car in Hamilton, Ontario.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) earlier this week kicked off its "ArtBound" program, which is aimed at integrating art throughout its rail system.

To mark ArtBound's launch, the agency hosted a ceremony June 19 at the Five Points rail station, according to a MARTA press release.

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has presented interactive workshops and training programs to dozens of participants in recent months.

The institute developed the sessions to help teach short lines and regionals how to build a strong safety culture at railroads, SLSI officials said in a press release.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) announced yesterday the new members who have joined the nonprofit organization's board.

The new members are John Allberry, Steven Covey, Kenneth Glover, John Irwin, Mark Schultz and Jeffrey Songer, according to an OLI press release.

The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) on Friday and Saturday will host rallies across the country in support of federal funding for long-distance Amtrak routes.

President Donald Trump's fiscal-year 2018 budget calls for eliminating federal support for Amtrak's long-distance routes. The budget calls these services a "vestige of when train service was the only viable transcontinental transportation option."

Metropolitan Stevedore Co. (Metro Ports) will become the new bulk terminal operator at the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor on July 1, port officials announced yesterday.

Metro Ports will manage the loading and unloading of shipments along the port's East Harbor for port tenants and outside shippers of bulk cargo, including products for steelmaking, agriculture, manufacturing, energy and construction.

Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP's $6 billion petrochemical construction project on the U.S. Gulf Coast has reached a milestone with the completion of mechanical work on its two polyethylene (PE) units, the company announced this week.

Based in Old Ocean, Texas, the PE units are now undergoing commissioning activities, system checks and final certifications to ensure a safe and reliable startup. When operational, each unit will produce at least 500,000 metric tons of product annually, company officials said in a press release.

MTA Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti will retire by August's end, according to New York City-area news media.

Giulietti plans to spend time with his family before making a decision about his next steps, the Hartford Courant reported.

Bombardier Transportation has signed a $1.1 billion contract with FirstGroup and MTR Corp. to supply and maintain 750 Aventra passenger-rail cars for operation on the South Western franchise in the United Kingdom. The deal marks the largest single contract for Aventra trains, Bombardier officials said in a press release. The trainmaker also will execute a technical services and spares supply agreement with an extension option for the seven-year franchise. Rock Rail, the UK-based rolling stock investment consortium, will finance the procurement. Aventra electric multiple units will feature regenerative braking and passenger amenities that include air conditioning, Wi-Fi, USB sockets and improved passenger information systems.

GE Transportation has signed a $575 million letter of intent with Egyptian National Railways (ENR) and Egypt's Ministry of Transportation to supply 100 ES30ACi Light Evolution Series locomotives for freight and passenger services. The locomotives are equipped with 3,200-horsepower GE Evolution series engines, according to a GE press release. The company also signed a 15-year agreement covering locomotive parts and technical support for ENR's new and current fleet.

Valley Metro Rail and the Refrigeration School Inc. (RSI) have established a customized training program that provides certification for maintaining HVAC equipment on the agency's light-rail cars.

Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway Co. Inc. (QNS&L) and Champion Iron subsidiary Quebec Iron Ore Inc. (QIO) have signed a contract for the transportation of iron ore concentrate generated from Bloom Lake Iron Mine near Fremont, Quebec.

The agreement calls for iron ore concentrate from the Bloom Lake mine to be carried on the QNS&L from the Wabush Lake Junction in Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Sept-Iles, Quebec.

More than half of U.S. House members have signed a letter calling for a long-term funding solution to maintain the Highway Trust Fund.

Signed by 253 House members from both parties, the letter was sent June 12 to the chairman and ranking member of the House Committee on Ways and Means. The letter seeks a "long-term dedicated, user-based revenue stream" to maintain the trust fund's solvency.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) yesterday reopened two elevated rail stations in Brooklyn after a months-long rehabilitation project.

Located on the No. 3 rail line, the Sutter Avenue-Rutland Road and Junius Street stations reopened for service in both directions yesterday morning. The rehab work included adding platform windscreens, guardrails, concrete panels and light poles.

The ZIM Shanghai's inaugural port of call on June 18 marked the fourth new container service activated at the Port of Wilmington in the past two months, the North Carolina State Ports Authority announced yesterday.

North Carolina Ports has doubled its container services so far this year and is set for unprecedented growth in its next fiscal year, port authority officials said in a press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has notified 30 states where transit-rail systems operate that they must establish a State Safety Oversight (SSO) program by April 15, 2019.

Established in April 2016, the federal SSO program's final rule established a three-year timeframe for states to obtain certification for their SSO programs. If a state fails to obtain a certification, FTA will not obligate funds to transportation agencies in that state until certification is achieved, according to an FTA press release.