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May
02

CN to purchase 350 lumber cars

CN announced today it will buy 350 centerbeam cars to meet a growing demand from lumber-producing customers across the Class I's network.

The new, 73-foot riserless centerbeams will have a maximum load capacity of 286,000 pounds and are expected to be delivered starting in September, CN officials said in a press release.

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May
02

CN to purchase 350 lumber cars

CN announced today it will buy 350 centerbeam cars to meet a growing demand from lumber-producing customers across the Class I's network.

The new, 73-foot riserless centerbeams will have a maximum load capacity of 286,000 pounds and are expected to be delivered starting in September, CN officials said in a press release.

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May
02

Amtrak marks 47 years, nets funds for Pacific Surfliner improvements

Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson yesterday announced several improvements underway at the national intercity passenger railroad as it marked its 47th anniversary.

"While we celebrate our history, we have a keen eye on the future and are making necessary changes to provide our customers with an unparalleled travel experience," said Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson. "Many customers have already noticed these improvements, and can look forward to several more upgrades that are on the way."

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May
02

IANA: Q1 intermodal growth strongest since 2014

Total intermodal volume climbed 7.2 percent in first-quarter 2018 compared to the same period a year ago, marking the strongest gain since second-quarter 2014, the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) announced yesterday.

Domestic containers in Q1 2018 rose 6.2 percent, international intermodal volume increased 7 percent and trailers soared 14.5 percent, according to IANA's Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report.

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May
02

Texas Central selects Bechtel as project manager

Texas Central, developers of the high-speed train between North Texas and Houston, entered an agreement with Bechtel to work together on project management services.

Bechtel will support Texas Central in managing the Texas Bullet Train project as it moves from development to implementation.

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May
02

CTA issues RFP for first phase of Red and Purple line project

The Chicago Transit Authority issued a Final Request for Proposals to three contractors for Phase One of the Red and Purple Modernization Program (RPM).

The $2.1 billion RPM is the largest project in CTA's history and the transit authority says it will significantly modernize, improve and increase rail service in Chicago for decades to come.

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May
01

Rail supplier news from nVent, STV, Siemens and Progress Rail (May 1)

Rail News Home Railroading Supplier Spotlight 5/1/2018 Rail News: Railroading Supplier Spotlight
nVent Electric plc has completed its separation from Pentair plc and has launched as an independent, publicly traded company. nVent provides electrical enclosures, electric heat tracing solutions, heat management systems, and electrical and fastening solutions. The company's customers include commercial builders, energy companies, data centers and industrial manufacturers. nVent's principal office is in London, while its U.S. management office operates in Minneapolis.STV developed planning for the final alignment of the Charlotte Area Transit System's (CATS) recently opened Blue Line extension, a $1.16 billion project. STV also provided the environmental assessments and designed all 11 stations, 13 bridges and more than 40 retaining walls. CATS' 9.3-mile Blue Line extension runs from the 7th Street Station in Charlotte's Center City area to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte campus.Barbara Humpton has been appointed chief executive officer of Siemens' U.S. division, effective June 1. She currently serves as CEO of Siemens Government Technologies Inc., which she joined in 2011 as senior vice president for business development. Before joining Siemens, Humpton held senior leadership positions at Lockheed Martin and Booz Allen Hamilton.Progress Rail has appointed Paolo Covoni managing director of ECM S.p.A., its recently acquired international signaling company. Most recently, he served as vice president of the southern region of Bombardier Transportation's rail control solutions. Covoni previously served as CEO of Alstom Transport Italia and vice president of strategy for Alstom Transport's signaling division in Paris. Covoni will assist Progress Rail in developing products for the signal industry, Progress Rail officials said in a press release.

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May
01

UTA marks 10 years of FrontRunner commuter-rail service

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) late last week marked the 10th anniversary of its FrontRunner commuter-rail service.

Since the system opened on April 26, 2008, it has served more than 31 million riders. In 2012, the initial FrontRunner system was expanded with eight new stations between Salt Lake City and Provo.

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May
01

KCS partners with CloudMoyo to modernize railroad operating system

Rail News Home Kansas City Southern 5/1/2018 Rail News: Kansas City Southern
Kansas City Southern plans to deploy the CloudMayo Rail Transportation Management system (CRTM) to modernize the Class I's operating system.Built on the CloudMoyo Transportation platform, the next-generation system will leverage the Microsoft Azure cloud and harness analytics and artificial intelligence to improve the railroad's operational efficiency and agility, KCS officials said in a press release.The Class I will phase in the CRTM over the next three years; each application will be tested before it's put into live service. KCS already uses CloudMoyo's crew management, business intelligence and advanced analytics."This initiative supports our performance and customer-focused efforts," said Mike Naatz, KCS' senior vice president operations support and chief information officer. "This partnership and deployment of the CRTM system will help KCS achieve new levels of operational efficiency."

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May
01

KCS partners with CloudMoyo to modernize railroad operating system

Rail News Home Kansas City Southern 5/1/2018 Rail News: Kansas City Southern
Kansas City Southern plans to deploy the CloudMayo Rail Transportation Management system (CRTM) to modernize the Class I's operating system.Built on the CloudMoyo Transportation platform, the next-generation system will leverage the Microsoft Azure cloud and harness analytics and artificial intelligence to improve the railroad's operational efficiency and agility, KCS officials said in a press release.The Class I will phase in the CRTM over the next three years; each application will be tested before it's put into live service. KCS already uses CloudMoyo's crew management, business intelligence and advanced analytics."This initiative supports our performance and customer-focused efforts," said Mike Naatz, KCS' senior vice president operations support and chief information officer. "This partnership and deployment of the CRTM system will help KCS achieve new levels of operational efficiency."

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

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May
01

San Diego MTS opens first new trolley station in years

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 5/1/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The Courthouse Station is now the downtown San Diego terminus for the Orange Line.Photo – San Diego MTS

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) on Sunday opened a new Orange Line trolley station in downtown San Diego.

The first new trolley station to open since 2005, Courthouse Station is now the downtown terminus for the Orange Line, which runs from El Cajon to San Diego.

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May
01

DCTA targets commuter-rail extensions in FY18 strategic plan

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 5/1/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
In fiscal-year 2018, the agency aims to prepare initial analysis of A-train service extensions.Photo – dcta.net

The Denton County Transportation Authority's (DCTA) board has approved a fiscal-year 2018 strategic planning guidance report.

The report details the board's priorities for FY18, which runs form October 2017 through September 2018. The goals include preparing initial analysis of A-train service extensions north and south, and developing a legislative package to allow use of freight corridors for commuter rail.

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May
01

Norfolk Southern receives chemical industry award for safety

The American Chemistry Council yesterday honored Norfolk Southern Railway with the Responsible Care® Partner of the Year Award for the Class I's exemplary performance and safety record in transporting chemicals.

NS was one of the three companies and the only freight railroad to receive the council's premier partner award. The award goes to high-performing companies involved in the distribution, transportation, storage, use, treatment, disposal, and sales and marketing of chemicals vital to American businesses and households, NS officials said in a press release.

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May
01

Norfolk Southern receives chemical industry award for safety

The American Chemistry Council yesterday honored Norfolk Southern Railway with the Responsible Care® Partner of the Year Award for the Class I's exemplary performance and safety record in transporting chemicals.

NS was one of the three companies and the only freight railroad to receive the council's premier partner award. The award goes to high-performing companies involved in the distribution, transportation, storage, use, treatment, disposal, and sales and marketing of chemicals vital to American businesses and households, NS officials said in a press release.

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May
01

HNTB adds Booth as transit planning director

HNTB Corporation has tapped Michael Booth, AICP, as the firm's new transit planning group director and associate vice president. He is based in HNTB's Chicago office.

 

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May
01

UP 'safest' Class I for employees

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 5/1/2018 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad is the safest Class I in employee safety for the third consecutive year based on Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data, the company announced yesterday.UP logged a 0.79 reportable injury rate for 2017. The Class I's reportable injury rate represents the total number of injuries reported per 200,000 employee work hours."Being the safest railroad for the third consecutive year reflects our employees' consistent dedication to keeping each other safe," said UP Vice President and Chief Safety Officer Rod Doerr in a press release. "Our work isn't finished and we will continue focusing on eliminating risks to accomplish our ultimate goal of operating in an incident-free environment."UP's employee-driven safety initiatives include Courage to Care, a voluntary effort in which employees look out for the peers and "stop the line" on operations that could result in an incident.Twice annually, the company stops work systemwide to hold safety stand downs, which gives employees a chance to have candid discussions and share experiences to learn from each other, UP officials said.

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May
01

UP 'safest' Class I for employees

Rail News Home Union Pacific Railroad 5/1/2018 Rail News: Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad is the safest Class I in employee safety for the third consecutive year based on Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) data, the company announced yesterday.UP logged a 0.79 reportable injury rate for 2017. The Class I's reportable injury rate represents the total number of injuries reported per 200,000 employee work hours."Being the safest railroad for the third consecutive year reflects our employees' consistent dedication to keeping each other safe," said UP Vice President and Chief Safety Officer Rod Doerr in a press release. "Our work isn't finished and we will continue focusing on eliminating risks to accomplish our ultimate goal of operating in an incident-free environment."UP's employee-driven safety initiatives include Courage to Care, a voluntary effort in which employees look out for the peers and "stop the line" on operations that could result in an incident.Twice annually, the company stops work systemwide to hold safety stand downs, which gives employees a chance to have candid discussions and share experiences to learn from each other, UP officials said.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

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May
01

G&W reports Q1 income, revenue growth

Although Genesee & Wyoming Inc. posted a 32 percent jump in adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) in first-quarter 2018, the company's North American results were hurt in part by congestion at several connecting Class Is that limited car supply.

G&W reported Q1 2018 revenue increased 10.7 percent to $574.7 million from $519.1 million a year ago. Operating income rose 14.5 percent to $86.9 million, while adjusted operating income climbed 2.7 percent to $87.4 million compared to first-quarter 2017, company officials said today in a press release.

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May
01

FRA extends Part 243 implementation dates by another full year

Railroads and rail contractors will have an additional year to comply with the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Part 243 Minimum Training Standards rule, which was originally issued in 2014.

This is the second year-long delay in implementation dates for the rule. The rule requires each railroad or contractor that employs one or more safety-related railroad employees to develop and submit a training program to FRA for approval and to designate the minimum training qualifications for each occupational category of employee. The rule also requires most employers to conduct periodic oversight of their employees and develop annual written reviews of their training programs to close performance gaps.

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May
01

NYCT wraps up M Line reconstruction

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) conducted work on its Myrtle Viaduct on the M Line this weekend, rebuilding the structure that has been in place for more than a century.

 

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