Railroad News

Sound Transit will resume fare collection on its Link light-rail and Sounder commuter-rail systems on June 1. 

The Seattle-based agency suspended fare collection on March 21 to encourage social distancing between riders and rail operators to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The final group of automated stacking cranes that are at the center of the Port of Virginia's capacity expansion project arrived last week at Norfolk International Terminals (NIT), port officials announced yesterday.

Over the past two years, 86 of the cranes have been delivered to the port. Twenty-six new cranes are in place at Virginia International Gateway and 60 at NIT. The $217 million contract with Finland-based Konecranes is the largest one-time order for automated stacking cranes in industry history, port officials said in a press release.

The Regional Transportation District of Denver’s (RTD) board has begun a nationwide search for a permanent general manager and chief executive officer. 

The board is looking for applicants who are passionate, forward-thinking leaders with strong interpersonal and communication skills, as well as the ability to manage a complex environment collaboratively, RTD officials said in a press release.

President Donald Trump yesterday nominated Sarah Feinberg, interim president of MTA New York City Transit (NYCT), and Chris Koos, mayor of Normal, Illinois, to serve on Amtrak's board.

Feinberg has filled the role of NYCT's interim president since February, following the resignation of Andy Byford. She's also a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's board. Feinberg served as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration from 2015 to 2017 during President Barack Obama's second term.

New Jersey Transit has been allocated $1.4 billion in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding, agency officials announced late last week.

The grant can be used for operating expenses incurred from efforts to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic dating back to January 20. 

Norfolk Southern Corp. today announced organizational changes in its finance division as part of the company's strategic plan to improve performance and push toward a 60 percent operating ratio.

Jason Zampi, currently vice president and controller, will become VP of financial planning and analysis, a new department in the finance division. Zampi has worked for NS for nine years, serving in leadership roles in finance, treasury and accounting.

The Rocky Mountaineer passenger-rail service between Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Canadian Rockies has further postponed its 2020 opening date until July 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The train’s travel season originally was scheduled to open April 13, and was later postponed until July 1. 

Opponents of Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration’s (MTA) Purple light-rail line are appealing a federal judge’s decision to reject arguments that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the federal Clean Water Act during construction, The Washington Post reported last week. 

The lawsuit — brought by the nonprofit Friends of the Capital Crescent Trail, a Chevy Chase resident and a former Chevy Chase resident — alleged that the Corps of Engineers allowed light-rail construction crews to discharge dredge and fill into streams, a violation of the Clean Water Act. The judge dismissed the lawsuit in April. 

The Short Line Safety Institute has hired John Walsh to serve as director of hazardous materials programs.

Walsh has a 30-year career in public safety, security, emergency management, homeland security and compliance, including 15 years in the freight-rail industry. At the institute, he will oversee a new program that evolved from a grant issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, institute officials said in a press release.

Trinity Metro last week announced it will receive $55 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to address the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Trinity Metro’s $55,161,034 will be used toward offsetting losses in the operating budget from decreased sales tax and fare box revenue. The money also will be used for COVID-19-related expenses incurred to protect passengers and employees, Trinity Metro officials said in a press release. 

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) has appointed Thomas Savage chief financial officer and Sarah Greene, senior vice president and controller.

Savage previously was SVP of corporate development and treasurer. Since joining G&W in 2005, he has worked in finance and merger and acquisitions. He has been responsible for the company's treasury functions since 2012.

Norfolk Southern Corp. is well-positioned to "safely and successfully" weather the unprecedented situation presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, NS President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires said last week at the company's annual meeting of shareholders.

Squires addressed shareholders May 14 during the company's first virtual-only annual meeting, a board decision made in response to public health concerns and social distance guidance for the pandemic.

The Chicago Transit Board (CTB) earlier this week approved a measure that allows the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to add funding to CTA employee welfare funds to help families pay for funerals of CTA employees who die from COVID-19.

The CTB established the CTA employee welfare fund in 1949 to support employees during times of financial hardship and assists with employee-driven initiatives. 

An improperly used train approach warning led to a railroad worker's death after the worker was struck by a train in Queens Village, New York, in 2017, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced yesterday in its final report on the incident.

The accident occurred on June 10, 2017, when an MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train, on track three in multiple track territory, approached a five-member crew of roadway workers in the Queens Interlocking. The foreman and two roadway workers were conducting a walking inspection on Track 1, and were accompanied by the watchman. The fifth worker was clear of the tracks.

Solar manufacturer First Solar Inc. has selected Greenville, South Carolina, for its new East Coast distribution hub, the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) announced earlier this week.

With its headquarters in Arizona, First Solar operates a photovoltaic model manufacturing footprint in northwest Ohio, as well as factories in Malaysia and Vietnam. The company plans to open a 450,000-square-foot distribution center in Greenville, its first in the Southeast, to warehouse and stage deliveries for U.S. customer, SCPA officials said in a press release.

Caltrain tomorrow will close the Hillsdale Station in San Mateo, California, for up to six months in order to rebuild it into an elevated station.

When construction is completed, the Hillsdale Station will be relocated about a block north of its current location. 

The MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) on May 18 will begin reconstructing what is now the School Street grade crossing in Westbury, New York, into a two-lane grade separated underpass.

Eliminating the crossing will increase safety and reduce noise, air pollution and traffic backups, LIRR officials said in a press release.

Amtrak yesterday announced the cleanliness procedures and convenience measures it has implemented to reassure passengers during, and as the nation begins to recover from, the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are doing everything we can to offer vital transportation services in a way that prioritizes employee and customer safety and well-being," said President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Flynn in a press release.

TranSystems’ board appointed Chief Executive Officer Richard Morsches chair, and elected John Hovanec and John Grow to serve three-year terms. Both Hovanec and Grow previously served as advisers to the board. Grow serves as the regional senior vice president for TranSystems’ Florida region. Hovanec is an external board member who worked for Union Pacific Railroad for nearly 38 years. TranSystem’s also elected Tim Rock, the company’s national freight market sector leader and regional SVP for the Texas region, as a board adviser. Stepping down from the board are Brian Larson and Robert Spane. Larson retired from his role after serving as chairman for 35 years.

Global freight logistics provider OL USA launched a supply chain platform designed by Blume Global Inc. to provide shippers end-to-end status visibility and customizable data analytics and reports for cargo.