Railroad News

U.S. ports covered by the Global Port Tracker handled 2.1 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in August, a 9.7% increase from July and an 8% increase year over year, the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates reported late last week.

August's TEU level was the highest number of containers imported in a single month since the NRF began tracking imports in 2002, beating 2.04 million logged in October 2018 ahead of a scheduled tariff increase, NRF and Hackett officials said in a press release.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last week announced that construction of the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) Expansion Project has hit the halfway point.

The $2.6 billion project will introduce 10 miles of new track between Floral Park and Hicksville, New York.

The Port of Virginia will receive $20 million in federal funds to complete the Central Rail Yard expansion project at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT).

The funds will build on the investments the port has made across its two largest terminals, the NIT and Virginia International Gateway, to expand on-terminal rail capacity at NIT, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-Va.) announced late last week.

Union Pacific Corp. has named Rahul Jalali chief information officer, effective Nov. 2.

Jalali will lead the development, implementation and operation of UP's information and telecommunications technologies, UP officials said in a press release.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has revised its regulations governing the minimum safety requirements for track.

The agency amended its regulations on inspection of rail and verification of indications of defective rail to allow for continuous rail testing, according to the FRA's announcement published in the Federal Register.

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) last week awarded Virginia Railway Express (VRE) a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the commuter railroad’s annual financial report. 

A GFOA panel determined that VRE’s financial report for fiscal years 2019 and 2018 demonstrated a "spirit of transparency and full disclosure" to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report, GFOA officials said in a VRE press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) is preparing a draft environmental impact report for proposed capacity and service improvements on the Antelope Valley commuter-rail line between Lancaster and downtown Los Angeles. 

LA Metro anticipates the 76.6-mile Antelope Valley Line (AVL) corridor will experience strong population and employment growth over the next 20 years, according to LA Metro’s AVL project website.

The Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) last week announced the agency in November will begin a major project to refurbish the Outremont metro station. 

The CA$53 million project will include installation of three elevators, replacement of the roof, structural improvements, the addition of a natural ventilation shaft and electric equipment upgrades.

Canadian officials last week announced the federal government would spend CA$33.4 million for the construction of a multipurpose terminal west of the Port of Trois-Rivieres' existing infrastructure, located between Montreal and Quebec City.

The new 100,000-square-meter terminal will be used for the transhipment of dry bulk, liquid bulk and general cargo. The project includes construction of a wharf and road and rail access roads, as well as storage, Transport Canada officials said in a press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) earlier this month awarded the Metro Regional Government in Portland, Oregon, and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) grants for transit projects that improve rural communities and areas experiencing long-term economic distress.

Portland’s Metro was awarded a $850,000 Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) grant to fund community engagement efforts for the development in the 16-mile Tualatin Valley corridor, and to inform the design of transit projects along the corridor.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to reverse an interim policy related to the COVID-19 pandemic that eliminates the ability of public transit agencies to seek reimbursement for purchasing disinfectants, personal protective equipment and similar related costs.

In a letter to FEMA sent last week, APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Skoutelas wrote that, given transit agencies' enormous budget shortfalls related to the pandemic, "transit agencies cannot afford a change in policy that burdens them with additional costs related to COVID-19."

Following heavy rains stemming from Hurricane Delta, a CSX train derailed yesterday, causing a fire and hazmat situation outside Atlanta.

Two CSX employees were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to a statement from Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation last week notified the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay that it will receive a $10 million grant through the federal Port Infrastructure and Development Program for a project along the Coos Bay Rail Line.

The project calls for replacing 67,000 crossties and resurfacing the mainline, sidings, an industrial lead, rail yard and spur tracks with ballast along the 121 miles of track that stretches from Eugene to Coos Bay, Oregon.

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes (R-Kansas) earlier this week toured the Budde Enterprises’ repair and custom metal fabrication facility in Newtown, Kansas. 

Estes was joined by members of the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) and Budde Enterprises executives.

Plasser American signed a contract to increase the manufacturing capacities at its plant in Chesapeake, Virginia. The $52.6 million investment will include a new office building and an expanded assembly area with a 229,000-square-foot warehouse. The enhancements will increase output by more than 100% due to a new assembly production flow, the efficient design of the workspaces and additional employees, Plasser officials said in a press release.

PINC acquired RailcarRx, a software and service provider that provides maintenance, repair, fleet and asset management insights for the rail industry. In September, PINC also acquired a transportation management software (TMS) carveout from Wabtec Corp. The software provides cloud-based shipment management applications to industrial shippers that move goods over multimodal transportation. RailcarRx will extend these capabilities by enabling shippers to monitor rail fleet health, track various repair and maintenance stages and improve rail logistics operations, PINC officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Supreme Court earlier this week denied Indian River County's petition to appeal its lawsuit against Brightline/Virgin Trains USA and the Federal Railroad Administration, Treasure Coast Newspapers (TCN) reported.

The county was arguing that $2.7 billion of tax-exempt private activity bonds issued to Brightline/Virgin Trains was "improper," TCN reported. County Attorney Jeffrey Lamkin told TCN that the Supreme Court case was an opportunity for the court to weigh in on the role federal agencies have in interpreting the law or if that should return back to the lower courts.

North Dakota will soon launch an intermodal rail service to help reduce shipping costs for the state's agricultural producers and other industries, Gov. Doug Burgum announced this week.

North Dakota officials have pursued access to intermodal rail for more than 20 years. Next week, it will become a reality as Minot, North Dakota, will receive an intermodal unit train at a newly operational facility served by BNSF Railway Co., state officials said in a press release.

Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau has established new rail safety measures in response to a Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigation into a 2017 fatal accident at CN's Melville Yard in Saskatchewan.

The measures include an order requiring the rail industry to adopt new practices for employees to follow when conducting switching operations to ensure that equipment is properly secured.