Railroad News

The Port of Savannah handled 4.44 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo in fiscal-year 2020, a less than 1 percent decrease compared with the same period in 2019, Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) officials announced yesterday.

Despite the impact of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, total tons crossing all GPA docks in fiscal-year 2020 reached a record 37.77 million, up 0.6 percent, or 223,000 tons, compared with FY2019. Container tons increased 2 percent to 33.5 million tons for the fiscal year ended June 30, another record.

Metra on Aug. 3 will add express trains to its BNSF and Rock Island commuter-rail lines in Chicago in response to an increase in riders returning to Metra during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metra will add two inbound and two outbound express trains to its weekday Rock Island Line schedule, and weekday morning and evening express service to the BNSF Line schedule. 

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has named Corey Davis of CSX as the 2020 John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award recipient.

Davis is director of fuel strategy and utilization at the railroad, where he has overseen efforts that resulted in CSX driving down fuel usage by more than 8 percent between 2012 and 2018. The savings have reduced fuel utilization by 32 million gallons, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 332,000 tons in just one year, AAR officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit’s board yesterday entered into an agreement with Amtrak to begin replacement of the Portal Bridge in spring 2021, nj.com reported.

NJ Transit and Amtrak will take bids from construction companies interested in the project late this year or early next year.

Norfolk Southern Corp. yesterday named longtime railroader Cindy Sanborn executive vice president and chief operating officer, effective Sept. 1.

Sanborn will succeed Michael Wheeler, who will retire from the company Oct. 1, NS officials announced in a press release.

Natalie Bogart, 37
Marketing director
Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority

Nominator’s quote: “Natalie continues to introduce and implement innovative strategies and to grow new markets and increase ridership. She has successfully launched numerous advertising and marketing campaigns through several service expansions and changes. More important, she understands the economic impact associated with passenger rail, and works closely with each of our station communities to make the Downeaster and NNEPRA an integral part of their communities.” — Patricia Quinn, New England Passenger Rail Authority

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Cap Metro) in Austin, Texas, announced last week it will upgrade its fare payment system. 

The new Bytemark system will offer rail riders a contactless payment option, and an account-based smart card with a cash reload feature. The smart card will replace Cap Metro’s current system, which offers limited-used cards pre-loaded with cash.

Walmart last week announced plans to build a $220 million distribution center in Dorchester County, South Carolina, that is expected to increase volume at the Port of Charleston by 5 percent.

Once completed, the new storage and cross-dock facility will span nearly 3 million square feet. Expected to take 14 months to build, the facility will supply several regional distribution centers, and support 850 Walmart stores and Sam's Clubs across the state and beyond, South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) officials said in a press release.

The San Mateo County Transit District last week released its 2019 Sustainability Report, outlining Caltrain's impact on the environment.

The San Francisco commuter railroad is in the process of electrifying its service and has transitioned to renewable power sources, thus reducing the agency’s net greenhouse gas emissions by 44 percent over the past two years, Caltrain officials said in press release.

The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) today added a round trip to its Fredericksburg commuter-rail line to better support social distancing on platforms and trains during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The new morning train will reduce the number of riders on VRE's first northbound train of the morning, where the number of available seats is approaching 50 percent. The afternoon train will serve as an alternative for riders of two other trains, where the number of available seats is about 40 percent.

Amtrak last week joined U.S. airlines in tightening requirements that passengers wear face coverings to help slow the spread of coronavirus infections. 

The nation's intercity passenger railroad now says passengers may be removed or banned from trains for not wearing masks. In May, Amtrak began requiring riders to wear masks, but allowed riders to remove them when seated alone. 

CN announced today it will spend $60 million across Louisiana and $50 million across Mississippi on infrastructure projects this year.

In Louisiana, the dollars will go toward a multiyear project to rebuild the McComb Spillway Bridge. In addition, crews will replace 6 miles of rail, install 20,000 new ties, rebuild 21 grade crossing surfaces, and perform maintenance work on bridges, crossings, culverts, signaling and track.

Maeghan Albiston, 39
Assistant vice president of investor relations and pensions
Canadian Pacific

Nominator’s quote: “Maeghan has earned the trust, respect and support of the many stakeholders she encounters while acting as a positive and engaging role model for emerging talent across our company. Her tenacity and willingness to take on new challenges, alongside her deep understanding of the railroading business, make her an invaluable member of CP’s leadership team.” — Leena Wadher, Canadian Pacific

OptiFuel Systems LLC is in the process of finalizing a $2.6 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to demonstrate a pre-production renewable natural gas (RNG) hybrid, 4,300-horsepower line-haul locomotive. The program aims to demonstrate that a suite of commercially available engines present a near-term, low risk solution to create an affordable RNG hybrid line-haul locomotive with near zero emissions while simultaneously improving fuel cost by 50 percent, OptiFuel officials said in press release. Partially funded with the DOE grant, the program will allow pre-production testing at the Transportation Technology Center Inc.

The Federal Railroad Administration, in conjunction with the Small Business Innovation Research Program, awarded Wi-Tronix LLC a contract to evaluate the ability of forward-facing cameras in locomotives to detect and analyze grade crossing infrastructure. Wi-Tronix will also evaluate the use of video analytics and visual intelligence tools. 

Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC) will shorten the travel season for one train and decrease operating days for another due to reduced ridership caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

ARRC’s Coastal Classic, which provides passenger-rail service between Anchorage and Seward, will end daily operations on Sept. 7, one week earlier than originally scheduled, ARRC officials said in a press release.

Development projects near Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light-rail stations created $10.27 billion for the economy in the Dallas-Forth Worth region, according to a University of North Texas (UNT) study. 

The UNT Economics Research Group reviewed 81 development projects completed between 2016 and 2018 within a quarter mile of DART stations with a total property value of $5.1 billion. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced earlier this week that the state's Intermodal Cargo Growth Incentive Program will be extended through 2022. 

The program, which aims to increase cargo activity by incentivizing shippers to move cargo through Pennsylvania ports, was previously scheduled to end in June.