Railroad News

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) last week announced construction milestones on the Purple Line subway extension project to connect riders between downtown Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Westwood, California.

Construction on the Wilshire/La Brea Station passed the half-way mark to completion. The Wilshire/Fairfax and Wilshire/La Cienega stations are 41 percent and 29 percent completed, respectively.

Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC) has extended temporary operational changes for passenger-rail operations in response to national and international health agency guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic.

ARRC will suspend Aurora Winter Train through the end of the current winter season. In addition, the Coastal Classic Train will begin daily scheduled service July 1; the Denali Star Train northbound service will begin July 1 and daily bi-directional service will begin July 2; Glacial Discovery Train daily scheduled service will begin July 3; and Hurricane Turn Train will operate May 7 and June 4, while maintaining social distancing requirements, and standard Thursday-Monday summer service will begin July 2.

Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau late last week announced new rail safety measures aimed at reducing train derailments.

The ministerial order requires speed restrictions for the following:
• key trains that have one or more loaded tank cars of dangerous goods that are toxic by inhalation or contain 20 or more tank cars containing dangerous goods; and
• higher-risk trains that carry crude oil or liquefied petroleum gases in a continuous block of 20 or more tank cars or 35 or more tank cars dispersed throughout the train.

Metra in Chicago yesterday announced it has closed the cab car on all trains to passengers to protect its train crews from potential exposure to COVID-19.

Last week, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) also installed plexiglass enclosures for booth attendants at Tower City Station to ensure distancing between riders and staff. Next week, GCRTA next will begin using ultra violet technology (UV-C) to enhance its disinfectant procedures at stations and on trains.

The San Mateo County Transit District's (SMCTD) board earlier this week authorized Caltrain to place a 1/8-cent sales tax measure on the November ballot in San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties in California.

If passed, the measure would generate more than $100 million annually to support Caltrain’s operation and expansion of electrified rail service.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on March 27 signed legislation establishing minimum two-person train crews on certain railroads.

H.B. 1841 authorizes the state's Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) to issue fines for violations. Although the legislation called for the requirement to take effect immediately, Inslee vetoed that section of the bill to give the UTC time to develop rules governing the new law.

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) earlier this week approved a five-year, $315 million plan for grade crossing safety capital projects across the state.

The funds will be dispersed by the Grade Crossing Protection Fund to help local communities and railroads pay for safety improvements at more than 1,400 crossings during fiscal years 2021-2025, ICC officials said in a press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) yesterday announced a total of $25 billion in federal funding allocations to help public transit agencies respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Funding is provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which President Donald Trump signed March 27. The act allocates $22.7 billion to large and small urban areas and $2.2 billion to rural areas. 

Gradall Industries Inc. has named MacAllister Railroad Machinery as an authorized distributor for Gradall TrackStar Railway Maintenance Machines, as well as factory-authorized parts and service.

FreightCar America temporarily shut down rail-car production at its Shoals, Alabama, manufacturing facility after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. Employees will return April 7 after the company completes its cleaning protocol. The suspension of production is being done out of an abundance of caution, said FreightCar America President and Chief Executive Officer James Meyer in a press release .

Metra on April 4 will begin a project to rehabilitate platforms at the Itasca Station on the Milwaukee District West Line in Illinois. 

The project is designed to increase accessibility for riders with disabilities, Metra officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit last week began developing criteria to identify which of the agency's construction projects are critical and will continue during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The criteria is contingent on contractors maintaining compliance with public health guidance, including social distancing, Sound Transit officials said in an agency blog.

Trinity Metro yesterday announced it has partnered with The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC) to offer COVID-19 testing to the agency’s rail engineers and conductors.

HSC runs a drive-through testing site originally opened only to first responders.

OmniTRAX Inc. has kicked off its new Rail-Ready Sites Program with 10 sites along the New Jersey division of the Winchester and Western Railroad.

Located in Cumberland County, the sites have access to CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway. They are "ideal locations" for rail-served manufacturing, food processing, recycling and distribution facilities, OmniTRAX officials said in a press release.