Railroad News

Braskem USA, a leading producer of biopolymers, announced today it has selected Charleston, South Carolina, as the location for its new Global Export Hub to serve the company's international customers.

Expected to be completed by the third quarter, the new hub will have a capacity to support shipments of up to 450 million pounds of polypropylene and specialty polymers annually to customers worldwide, Braskem officials said in a press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LA Metro) board last week released an updated draft of its 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan, a $400-billion, 30-year transportation blueprint for Los Angeles County. 

The plan outlines what LA Metro is doing currently to address transportation challenges, and what the agency must do over the next 30 years to plan, build, manage and maintain the region’s transportation system.

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) last week introduced legislation that would authorize a $5 billion annual investment over a five-year period to fund intercity passenger-rail service. 

The Building Rail Across Intercity Networks To Ride Around Interior of the Nation (BRAIN TRAIN) Act would allow the U.S. Department of Transportation to implement a competitive grant program that would fund up to $25 billion for high-performance rail projects over five years.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) last week adjusted its budget as the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic become clearer.

TriMet expects to lose about $63 million in revenue through June, and projects a $135.4 million loss for fiscal-year 2021, which starts July 1.

Several U.S. passenger-rail agencies suspended service over the weekend, and some into this week, out of concern for rider and operator safety as protests over the death of George Floyd continue across the nation. 

In Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed, Metro Transit light-rail and commuter-rail service will remain suspended through today. Agency officials will provide an update on future service plans at 8 p.m. tonight.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) last week put into operation the first nine of 18 new working tracks as part of the authority's Mason Mega Rail project.

The action marks a milestone in the project, which has been in the works for more than four years and is designed to expand service to the U.S. Southeast and Midwest, GPA officials said in a press release.

U.S. transit industry leaders sharply criticized a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation that encourages people to commute to work by driving or using ride-hailing services instead of riding on public transit systems.

The CDC suggested that employers consider encouraging employees to commute by car or as the sole passenger in a ride-hailing service car. The suggestion was included in guidelines issued by the agency as the nation's cities emerge from restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) crews yesterday began the next phase of the agency’s signal modernization project on the Culver F Line in Brooklyn, New York.

This phase of the project — which was delayed from its original March start date due to the COVID-19 outbreak — includes replacing 70-year-old signals between Church Avenue and Coney Island stations with a communications-based train control (CBTC) system. 

Brightline/Virgin Trains USA is discussions with Miami-Dade County in Florida about building five train platforms between Miami and Aventura and launching a $425 million commuter-rail system, The Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

The proposed deal was revealed Tuesday, the newspaper reported. Under the arrangement, Miami-Dade would pay the company $350 million to construct stations after Brightline spent $75 million building platforms that could be used to launch the commuter service.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) and Metra this week released plans to welcome back more riders as their coronavirus restrictions are lifted in their regions. 

BART in San Francisco will implement a 15-step plan, which calls for enhanced cleaning and disinfection routines; running longer trains to allow social distancing among riders; increased train frequencies and requiring face coverings on trains.

Metro Transit yesterday suspended light-rail and commuter-rail service through the weekend out of concern for rider and operator safety as protests over the death of George Floyd while in police custody escalated in Minneapolis. 

Metro Transit’s Blue Line airport shuttle service will continue to operate as the only exception to the service suspension. 

ProRail awarded Fugro a three-year framework contract for geotechnical investigations to support renewal work of existing rail lines across the Netherlands. Under the contract, Fugro will work with ProRail to identify and develop geotechnical solutions, such as faster cone penetration test techniques, that will increase efficiencies and reduce line closures, Fugro officials said in a press release.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) board approved a contract with Alstom Signaling Operations LLC to upgrade the agency's Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. Alstom will replace software, servers, workstations, tunnel ventilation control systems, an overview display wall and a cyber security program, as well as provide data backup with remote-site archive sub-systems. Meanwhile, DART awarded Uber Technologies Inc. a three-year contract for rideshare services to supplement the agency’s GoLink on-demand shuttle service. 

The Orange County Transportation Authority's (OCTA) board last week awarded a $45 million to Herzog Transit Services Inc. to operate and maintain the planned OC Streetcar light-rail system in California. 

Herzog will provide operation and maintenance services over a 17-month pre-revenue service period, with an initial five-year revenue-operations term and two, two-year options.

Amtrak on June 1 will restore its Hiawatha service between Milwaukee and Chicago in response to anticipated increased demand, the national intercity passenger railroad announced yesterday.

Two Hiawatha trains and continued service by two Amtrak Empire Builder trains will together offer morning and afternoon departures daily on the route.