Railroad News

The California State Transportation Agency yesterday awarded Inglewood, California, a $95.2 million Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program grant to help fund the construction of an elevated automated people mover in the city's downtown area.

When the $1 billion project is completed, the Inglewood Transit Connector will include three train stations and provide a connection between Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s future Downtown Inglewood Station and new housing, employment and entertainment centers.

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) yesterday announced it has signed a contract with Siemens Mobility Inc. to purchase 20 S700 light-rail vehicles to replace the agency’s aging fleet.

The electric light-rail vehicles — which will be manufactured at Siemens’ factory in Sacramento, California — feature low-level boarding and wider aisles for improved accessibility. They also include built-in luggage and bicycle storage, and larger windows.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has expanded its legislation team with the hiring of Mara Stark-Alcala as assistant vice president of congressional affairs.

Stark-Alcala has 10 years of transportation legislative experience through her past positions with Chambers, Conlon & Hartwell (CC&H), the American Public Transportation Association and on the staff of the U.S. Senate committees on Appropriations and Environment and Public Works.

California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) board earlier this week approved a preliminary funding plan with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) to advance the Link Union Station (Link US) project in Southern California. 

The Link US project calls for expansion of Union Station in Los Angeles to allow trains to enter and exit from existing northern tracks and from new tracks to the south over the 101 freeway. The expansion would increase rail service capacity, reduce train idling times and accommodate future high-speed rail service, CHSRA officials said in a press release.

CSX Corp. yesterday announced first-quarter 2020 net earnings fell 8 percent to $770 million, or $1 per share, compared to $834 million, or $1.02 per share, in the same quarter last year. The Class I withdrew its outlook for the year because of ongoing economic uncertainty over the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operating revenue fell 5 percent to $2.86 billion during the quarter, as growth in merchandise revenue was more than offset by declines in coal and other revenue. Expenses dropped 7 percent year over year to $1.68 billion, driven by efficiency gains, CSX officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad today posted first-quarter net income of $1.5 billion, or $2.15 per diluted share, compared to $1.4 billion, or $1.93 per diluted share, a year ago. 

Operating revenue during the quarter declined 3 percent to $5.2 billion compared with the same quarter last year. Business volumes as measured by total revenue carloads fell 7 percent during the period versus a year ago, UP officials said in a press release.

Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) and the SCFP 2850 labor union yesterday reached an agreement to assign backup cleaning duties to administrative, technical and professional personnel to help step up cleaning practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Under the agreement, SCFP 2850 employees can be assigned, as needed, to clean high-touch areas on trains and at stations.

New Jersey Transit on April 25 will resume Hudson-Bergen light-rail service at MLK Drive and Garfield Avenue stations following completion of utility work by the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority (JCMUA).

The West Side Avenue Branch stations have been closed since June 1, 2019, as JCMUA worked to replace sewer pipes that run directly under the light-rail tracks.

The North Carolina State Ports Authority is equipped to handle more refrigerated containers, now that a new refrigerated container yard has opened at the Port of Wilmington, port officials announced last week.

The $14 million construction project increased the port's on-terminal refrigerated container (reefer) plugs from 235 to 775. Also added was a new reefer service area, as well as 27 reefer racks to support the stacking of refrigerated containers. 

The Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) passenger-rail corridor agency yesterday was awarded a $38.7 million state grant to improve Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner service in Southern California. The agency oversees the Pacific Surfliner service. 

The funding is part of the California State Transportation Agency’s 2020 Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP), which will provide $500 million to projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by improving rail and transit services in the state. 

Metra crews tomorrow will begin work to replace and resurface the Canal Street grade crossing in Chicago. 

Crews will remove and replace rails, ties, ballast, rubber panels and asphalt to ensure safe railroad operations and a smoother ride for motorists traveling over the tracks, Metra officials said in a press release. 

Canada Minister of Transport Marc Garneau last week encouraged all passengers to wear nonmedical masks or face coverings while traveling by rail.

Passengers may be asked by train operators to cover their noses and mouths when physical distancing is not possible, Transport Canada officials said in a press release. 

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System's (SDMTS) board last week approved a $100 million capital improvement budget for fiscal-year 2021, which begins July 1.

The budget allocates funding for rail, including $26 million toward 47 new low-floor trolleys, and $10.9 million to keep the rail network in a state of good repair. 

TransLink yesterday announced it will lay off 1,492 employees, further reduce SkyTrain service and cut senior executive and board pay by 10 percent to save money, as ridership and revenue continue to fall during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With ridership down 83 percent, TransLink is losing $75 million a month, which is an unsustainable rate of financial loss, TransLink officials said in a press release. 

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) yesterday announced three more of its top safety recommendations have been implemented, including one related to a fatal rail accident that occurred in Pennsylvania in April 2016.

After an Amtrak train struck a backhoe, killing two workers in April 2016 near Chester, Pennsylvania, the NTSB recommended that train dispatchers not be allowed to participate in potentially distracting activities, including making phone calls, while responsible for safe train operations.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) yesterday announced that 5,033 employees systemwide have returned to work following mandatory quarantines, and 4,112 employees remain in quarantine. 

Those who returned to work include 3,306 employees at MTA New York City Transit, 691 at MTA Long Island Rail Road and 522 at MTA Metro-North Railroad, MTA officials said in press release.

Bombardier Transportation signed a 10-year, $113 million contract with Fraport AG to continue operating and maintaining the Bombardier Innovia automated people mover system at the Frankfurt Airport in Germany. The contract also calls for Bombardier to install its CITYFLO 650 communication-based train control signaling technology on the system.

The Skanska, Costain and STRABAG joint venture signed a contract with HS2 Ltd. to design and construct tunnels in the approach to Euston Station in London by 2026. The project is part of Phase 1 of the United Kingdom’s high-speed railway.

Sound Transit this week will begin demolishing buildings in Federal Way, Washington, to make way for the agency’s future Link light-rail station near the Federal Way Transit Center. 

The demolition work, which will continue for several weeks, is part of critical construction on the agency's 7.8-mile Federal Way light-rail extension project, agency officials said in a press release.