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Dec
27

Florida East Coast provides hazmat safety training for emergency responders

Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) recently offered hazmat safety training for emergency responders in Volusia and Palm Beach counties, Florida.

The railroad partnered with The Safety Train — an independent organization that operates a train equipped with onboard classrooms and tank cars — to assist experts from FEC, other railroads and environmental services companies in providing hands-on instruction regarding hazardous materials transportation equipment and liquified natural gas (LNG).

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Dec
27

Orange County transit agency seeks streetcar construction bids

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 12/27/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Bids are due in March 2018, with the contract expected to be awarded in April.Photo – Orange County Transportation Authority

The Orange County Transportation Authority's (OCTA) board has begun seeking bids for contractors to build the Orange County Streetcar.

The agency earlier kicked off a "pre-qualification process" to establish a pool of potential contractors with the skills required to build a streetcar system. Bids are due in March 2018, and the board is expected to award the construction contract in April.

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Dec
27

HSR coming to Illinois

Amtrak should begin high-speed service between Chicago and St. Louis this summer, the result of a $2-billion project that is in the final phase of construction.

 

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Dec
27

Canadian Pacific, FEC holiday trains tally donations for charities

Canadian Pacific's 19th annual Holiday Train raised more than CA$1.5 million and 300,000 pounds of food for local food banks and food shelves on its Nov. 25-Dec. 17 trip through Canada and parts of the United States.

The train's charitable runs over the holiday season have raised more than CA$14.5 million and 4.3 million pounds of food since its inaugural journey in 1999, CP officials said in a press release.

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Dec
27

Canadian Pacific, FEC holiday trains tally donations for charities

Canadian Pacific's 19th annual Holiday Train raised more than CA$1.5 million and 300,000 pounds of food for local food banks and food shelves on its Nov. 25-Dec. 17 trip through Canada and parts of the United States.

The train's charitable runs over the holiday season have raised more than CA$14.5 million and 4.3 million pounds of food since its inaugural journey in 1999, CP officials said in a press release.

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Dec
27

Weekly Rail Traffic for the Week Ending December 23, 2017

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending December 23, 2017.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 551,566 carloads and intermodal units, up 11 percent compared with the same week last year.​

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Dec
27

HNTB hires Zeyad Alkaisi as senior project manager

HNTB Corporation (HNTB) has brought on Zeyad Alkaisi, CCM, as a rail transit senior project manager and associate vice president.

 

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Dec
27

Senators demand USDOT hold railroads accountable for PTC

U.S. senators representing Washington, Oregon and other states have called on U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to hold railroads "accountable" when they fail to implement positive train control (PTC) and other safety measures.

In light of the deadly Amtrak Cascades derailment near Seattle last week, U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and several other U.S. senators wrote to Chao and demanded a status report on railroads' implementation of positive train control (PTC), a train-crash prevention technology that Congress has mandated railroads to implement by Dec. 31, 2018.

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Dec
27

Sound Transit Board approves Tacoma Dome Link Extension

The Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) Board approved the Tacoma Dome Link Extension last week, setting a $125.7 million budget for preliminary engineering for the project.

 

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Dec
27

USDOT OKs Brightline's private activity bond allocation

Brightline, the privately operated express passenger-rail service that will soon serve southeastern Florida, has received U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) approval for a $1.15 billion private activity bond (PAB) allocation.

Additionally, Brightline has secured the final two South Florida Water Management District permits needed to construct the segment between Orlando and Cocoa, Florida, railroad officials announced in a press release.

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Dec
27

Sound Transit applies for $1 billion grant for Lynnwood light-rail extension

Sound Transit's board late last week approved its application for a $1.17 billion federal grant to help fund the Lynnwood Link light-rail extension.

The $3.07 million project calls for extending light rail 8.5 miles from Seattle's Northgate neighborhood to a transit center in Lynnwood, Washington.

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Dec
26

FECR offers safety training for emergency responders

Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) recently provided training for emergency responders on railway safety issues associated with various equipment used in daily rail operations.

 

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Dec
26

Foote firmly planted at CSX

CSX Corp. on Dec. 22 named James Foote as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Formerly chief operating officer, Foote had been acting CEO since Dec. 14 after E. Hunter Harrison was placed on medical leave. 

 

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Dec
26

CP’s 19th annual holiday train celebrates successful tour

Canadian Pacific's (CP) 19th annual holiday train made another successful tour across North America this year, spreading cheer by raising more than CA$1.5 million (US$1.18 million) and 300,000 pounds of food for local food banks.

 

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Dec
22

A relationship reset: Bombardier, Metrolinx amend Eglinton Crosstown LRV contract

Bombardier Transportation and Metrolinx have amended the contract terms and settled an arbitration with Metrolinx to produce light-rail vehicles (LRVs) for the upcoming Eglinton Crosstown light-rail system.

The amended contract "resets the relationship ... and brings certainty to the completion of this project," Bombardier officials said in a Dec. 21 statement. 

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Dec
22

Optic readers to ease Metrolink rider transfers to L.A. Metro

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 12/22/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The installation and testing of the optic readers will continue throughout next year.Photo – Metrolink

New technology being installed across the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) system will enable Metrolink riders to use their mobile app to transfer to Metro's rail system.

New optic readers will continue to be installed and tested throughout next year.

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Dec
22

Gov. Cuomo orders heightened security at MTA, PANYNJ for holidays

Rail News Home Security 12/22/2017 Rail News: Security
Gov. Andrew Cuomo (at right) and MTA Chairman Joe Lhota held a press conference announcing tighter security in New York City during the holidays.Photo – Gov. Cuomo's office

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo earlier this week directed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) to increase the presence of security forces at all bridges, tunnels, airports and mass transit systems in New York City during the holiday season.

At a Dec. 19 press conference, Cuomo announced he's deploying special operations teams from the New York State Police and National Guard to work with the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Police, MTA Police Department, Port Authority Police Department and New York City Police Department in a coordinated security effort.

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Dec
22

Alabama port authority, APM Terminals approve container facility expansion

The Alabama State Port Authority’s (ASPA) and APM Terminals' boards recently approved a $49.5 million expansion of the Port of Mobile container facility.

The Phase 3 expansion includes a dock extension and a 20-acre yard expansion. When completed, the project will accommodate an annual throughput capacity of 650,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). 

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Dec
22

Thorne succeeds Galligan as head of KCS' investor relations

Kansas City Southern has promoted Ashley Thorne from assistant vice president to vice president of investor relations. She succeeds William Galligan, who retired, and reports to KCS Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer Michael Upchurch.

Galligan joined KCS in 1992 and developed the company’s corporate communications and investor relations programs. He became AVP of investor relations for both the railroad and the company’s financial services companies in 1992, and VP of investor relations in 2008.  Prior to joining KCS, Galligan worked for 13 years for a publicly-owned electric utility in Connecticut.
 
"I would like to thank Bill for his outstanding efforts to serve the investment community for 25 years, and always representing KCS as a shareholder-friendly company,” said Upchurch in a press release.

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Dec
22

Thorne succeeds Galligan as head of KCS' investor relations

Kansas City Southern has promoted Ashley Thorne from assistant vice president to vice president of investor relations. She succeeds William Galligan, who retired, and reports to KCS Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer Michael Upchurch.

Galligan joined KCS in 1992 and developed the company’s corporate communications and investor relations programs. He became AVP of investor relations for both the railroad and the company’s financial services companies in 1992, and VP of investor relations in 2008.  Prior to joining KCS, Galligan worked for 13 years for a publicly-owned electric utility in Connecticut.
 
"I would like to thank Bill for his outstanding efforts to serve the investment community for 25 years, and always representing KCS as a shareholder-friendly company,” said Upchurch in a press release.

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