Railroad News

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) yesterday welcomed Debra Johnson as the agency's new chief executive and general manager. 

Johnson – the first woman to assume the role in the agency's 51-year history – takes the reins during a transitional year at RTD, with service changes and budget challenges brought about by the pandemic. She succeeds Paul Ballard, who led RTD on an interim basis since February. 

Major U.S. retail container ports logged record imports this summer and fall, recording their busiest peak season as retailers replenish inventories and stock up for the holiday season, according to a Global Port Tracker report released yesterday by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled an estimated 8.1 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) from July through October, the peak shipping season.

Norfolk Southern Railway is expressing concerns to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) about CSX's potential acquisition of Pan Am Railways Inc., the 1,700-mile New England regional.

Since 2009, NS has been a partner in a joint venture with Pan Am to control Pan Am Southern LLC (PAS), which provides NS access to New England via trackage rights.

We won’t be gathering in New York City on Nov. 19-20, and we’ll miss the meals, coffee and cocktail chatter that is always such a big part of RailTrends. And what we’ll really miss is you, the audience, which I have always thought is the best in the industry. We knew we were doing something right when top leaders stayed after they themselves spoke to listen to others, or when they dropped in from other duties to hear and see what was going on. We’ll get that back in 2021. 

Metra in Chicago last week deployed a new rail-car with additional bicycle storage on the Milwaukee District North Line as part of a pilot program that will last until spring 2021. 

The bike car will have room to store 16 bicycles instead of the usual five allowed on Metra rail cars. The car will operate on four inbound and four outbound trains during the week and two inbound and two outbound trains on Saturdays. 

The Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) last week adopted an American Public Transportation Association (APTA)  safety program aimed at encouraging riders to use public transit during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the program, STM committed to:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced that major construction has been completed on Amtrak’s Exchange Street Station in downtown Buffalo. 

The station was designed to accommodate additional train routes and future expansion of intercity bus service, Cuomo said in a press release.

Caltrain’s board last week voted to close its rail station in Atherton, California, due to low ridership and dated infrastructure.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atherton Station received limited weekend-only service and averaged 114 passengers per weekend day. Weekday service to the station was cut in 2005 due to low demand.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) last week approved Pacific Sun Railroad's request to discontinue its operations over 21.5 miles of rail line leased from BNSF Railway Co., as well as trackage rights on 45.49 miles of rail line on BNSF in San Diego County, California.

The STB's decision takes effect Dec. 5.

Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau last week ordered railroads to reduce their train speeds based on frigid temperatures to ensure the safe transportation of dangerous goods in colder weather.

The order, issued under the Rail Safety Act, is aimed at further reducing the risk of derailments during winter months, Transport Canada officials said in a press release. Restricting train speeds will be based on temperature conditions rather than on a winter date range, as required under a previous order.

Amtrak is looking forward to working with President-elect Joe Biden and Congress to help get the nation's economy moving again during and after the pandemic, Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Flynn said over the weekend.

Flynn also reiterated his request that Congress act now on pandemic relief and economic stimulus funding, which would enable Amtrak to recall furloughed employees, restore service frequency on long-distance and state-supported routes and advance capital projects on its network.

Jaguar Transport Holdings acquired the Marion Industrial Center in Marion, Ohio, and will rename it the Marion Industrial Rail Park. The center features 8 miles of rail infrastructure, rail switching and rail-car maintenance services, transloading operations, third-party logistics services and 1.55 million square free of distribution facilities. The site also has over 511 industrial-zoned acres with 200 ready for further development, Jaguar Transport officials said in a press release.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. selected CGI Inc. to assist in implementing a passenger reservation system. The implementation will include the latest digital and cloud technologies to help the railroad create an integrated travel experience for riders, CGI officials said in a press release.

Pat Williams, former general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET)'s BNSF General Committee of Adjustment, died Oct. 29 from complications related to a blood infection, union officials announced this week. He was 68.

Williams was a U.S. Navy veteran and served in Vietnam. He began his rail career in July 1969 as a conductor for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (AT&SF) Railroad, and was promoted to locomotive engineer in 1978, working primarily out of Belen, New Mexico. In 1977, Williams became a member of the BLET in Belen, and remained with the union for more than 40 years.

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) yesterday was awarded the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP)  from the National Procurement Institute Inc. (NPI) for the fifth consecutive year.

The AEP award is given annually to public and nonprofit organizations that demonstrate innovation, professionalism, productivity and leadership in procurement functions. Recipients are scored based on standardized criteria, DCTA officials said in a press release.