Railroad News

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

Metra has finished installing positive train control (PTC) components on all its trains and all communications and signal systems, the railroad announced yesterday.

The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) yesterday presented its 20th annual Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence to engineering and design firm Arup for its work as lead consultant on MTA New York City Transit's (NYCT) Fulton Center in lower Manhattan.

The award was presented yesterday at AREMA's annual conference and exposition in Chicago. The award honors the memory of William Walter Hay, a longtime association contributor and professor of railway civil engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Union Pacific Railroad next month will launch a new operating plan that will implement precision scheduled railroading principles.

UP's "Unified Plan 2020" will launch Oct. 1 and will be rolled out in phases across the Class I's network. Resulting benefits are expected to help UP achieve its 60 percent operating ratio goal by 2020, on the way to achieving a 55 percent operating ratio, company officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad next month will launch a new operating plan that will implement precision scheduled railroading principles.

UP's "Unified Plan 2020" will launch Oct. 1 and will be rolled out in phases across the Class I's network. Resulting benefits are expected to help UP achieve its 60 percent operating ratio goal by 2020, on the way to achieving a 55 percent operating ratio, company officials said in a press release.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has announced its next president and chief executive officer will be Ian Jefferies, who currently serves as the organization's senior vice president of government affairs.

Jefferies will assume his new duties Jan. 1, following the retirement of current AAR President and CEO Edward Hamberger. Jefferies will continue to lead the organization's legislative efforts through the end of the year and coordinate with Hamberger to ensure a smooth transition, AAR officials said in a press release.

Compiled by Michael Popke

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) today will begin a project to revitalize MAX Blue Line light-rail track in downtown Hillsboro.

The project includes replacing sections of rail, upgrading the track bed, installing new switch machines and repairing roadway near the rails at three grade crossings.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's (VTA) board has named Evelynn Tran general counsel.

Since 2006, she has served in law-related roles at the agency, including senior assistant counsel, deputy general counsel and acting general counsel.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) late last week announced plans to install security cameras at MTA Metro-North Railroad stations in Darien, Norwalk and Westport, Connecticut.

The department determined the need for the cameras following "security improvements and network infrastructure upgrades," CTDOT officials said in a press release.

California cannot enforce a fee on rail shipments of crude oil, chlorine and other hazardous materials, a federal appeals court ruled late last week.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a preliminary injunction against California Senate Bill 84, the so-called Oil by Rail Safety Act, which requires railroads to collect fees from customers shipping certain hazardous materials and then send those fees to California.

Arctic Gateway Group reported yesterday that a fatal derailment occurred Sept. 15 on the Hudson Bay Railway near Ponton, Manitoba.

The derailment resulted in the death of an employee on the locomotive. A second employee sustained "serious injuries" and was airlifted to a nearby hospital, Arctic Gateway officials said in a press release.

Nine railroads — all passenger — have been determined to be "most at risk" of failing to qualify for an extension of the Dec. 31 deadline to implement positive train control (PTC), Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory told a congressional panel last week.

Railroads that had installed less than 90 percent of its PTC system hardware as of June 30 are most at risk of failing to qualify for an "alternative schedule" for PTC implementation, Batory told the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials during a hearing held Sept. 13.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing Editor

Alstom and Merrill Technologies Group announced the completion of the first power car bodyshell for the Avelia Liberty trainsets that will operate on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. At its facility in Alma, Michigan, Merrill is manufacturing 56 bodyshells for Alstom. In the coming weeks, the first bodyshell will arrive at Alstom's passenger rolling stock center in Hornell, New York, where the company will complete manufacturing of the power cars, according to a press release. The power car bodyshells are made from U.S. steel. In 2016, Alstom and Amtrak announced a contract for 28 next-generation Avelia Liberty trainsets. The agreement included long-term technical support and spare components and parts for the units' long-term maintenance.

Class Is and short Lines are "rapidly" adopting Railroad Software's TrackHOS software, the company announced last month. The software keeps track of hours-of- service regulations, generates employee time reports and provides alerts of violations to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The application meets the FRA's regulations for electronic record keeping. TrackHOS was designed to give train, signal and dispatcher employees access to time entry from their mobile devices and web browsers, said Railroad Software Chief Executive Officer Jeff Birmingham in a press release.

Bay Area Rapid Transit's board (BART) has authorized agency staff to enter an exclusive negotiating agreement with a local joint venture to create a transit-oriented development (TOD) above the Lake Merritt Station in Oakland, California.

The joint venture comprises the East Bay Asian Local Development Corp. and Strada Investment Group. The team's plan calls for four new buildings on BART-owned lots above the station, BART officials said in a press release.

The Effingham Railroad has started construction on a new 9,000-square-foot facility in Effingham, Illinois.

The new building will provide more efficient office and shop space for the short line's staff, according to a post in The Short Line Connection newsletter published by the Illinois Western and Effingham railroads. The building's shop space is designed to accommodate a 90-foot flat car.

Texas Central Partners has secured a $300 million loan toward the development of its proposed 240-mile, Dallas-to-Houston bullet train, the Dallas Morning News reported yesterday.

The company will use the loan, which is backed by Japanese sources, to advance the permitting, design and engineering on the project, the newspaper reported.

CN has been placed on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI) for the seventh consecutive year and the North American index for the 10th consecutive year, the Class I announced yesterday.

The DJSI World Index recognizes the top 10 percent of the 2,500 largest companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index from each sector based on their sustainability scores.