Railroad News

A new study has deemed passenger rail service between Oklahoma City and South Texas to be feasible, according to a release from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

TxDOT and its partners will continue to explore options for the proposed route, which is part of the $7-million Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study. The study covers an 850-mile corridor broken into three segments going from Oklahoma City to Dallas-Fort Worth; Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio; and San Antonio to South Texas.

A new study has deemed passenger rail service between Oklahoma City and South Texas to be feasible, according to a release from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

TxDOT and its partners will continue to explore options for the proposed route, which is part of the $7-million Texas-Oklahoma Passenger Rail Study. The study covers an 850-mile corridor broken into three segments going from Oklahoma City to Dallas-Fort Worth; Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio; and San Antonio to South Texas.

The Board of Directors of Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) in Houston approved a new contract in late October for President and CEO Tom Lambert, which took effect Nov. 1.

Lambert will serve another two years as the head of Houston Metro. He was served as interim president and CEO following the retirement of George Greanias in December 2012 before being voted into the position by the board in January 2014. Lambert also served as Houston Metro's police chief before joining the executive team.

The Board of Directors of Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) in Houston approved a new contract in late October for President and CEO Tom Lambert, which took effect Nov. 1.

Lambert will serve another two years as the head of Houston Metro. He was served as interim president and CEO following the retirement of George Greanias in December 2012 before being voted into the position by the board in January 2014. Lambert also served as Houston Metro's police chief before joining the executive team.

The Board of Directors of Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Metro) in Houston approved a new contract in late October for President and CEO Tom Lambert, which took effect Nov. 1.

Lambert will serve another two years as the head of Houston Metro. He was served as interim president and CEO following the retirement of George Greanias in December 2012 before being voted into the position by the board in January 2014. Lambert also served as Houston Metro's police chief before joining the executive team.

Tom Lambert will serve at least two more years as president and chief executive officer of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO), the agency announced yesterday.

METRO's board approved a new contract for Lambert that went into effect Nov. 1.

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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending November 4, 2017.

The boards of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach last week agreed to follow a new plan to reduce air pollution.

The 2017 Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) will usher in a new era of aggressive clean air strategies for moving cargo through the port complex, port and local government officials said in a joint press release.

Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. has named several new appointments as a result of the company's succession plan.

Al Satunas has been promoted to chief operating officer. He will report to Joe Parsons, who recently was named the railroad's new general manager.

Canadian Pacific has awarded ENSCO Rail a contract to provide inspection systems for the railroad's new track evaluation car. The unit will be equipped with track measurement and imaging system technology to provide key indicators of track quality and safety, ENSCO officials said in a press release. Specifically, the onboard technology installed on the new CP car will include a track geometry system, rail profile measurement system, track component imaging system and other systems. Together, the systems are expected to provide the data needed to help improve track maintenance and reduce operating costs, ENSCO officials said.

Miller Ingenuity has entered an agreement to install its ZoneGuard electronic roadway worker protection system on the Maryland Transit Administration's light-rail lines. The system provides a "robust communication network" that's triggered when a track vehicle approaches an on-track worker or work crew, Miller Ingenuity officials said in a press release. In addition, the train detection and communication network architecture is designed to eliminate costly false alerts found on similar systems. ZoneGuard also can be outfitted with wearable devices that provide equipped workers with an alert of an impending train.

Caltrain's board late last week adopted a new bicycle parking management plan aimed at enabling the railroad to more effectively manage the growing number of bike riders using the system.

Under the plan, Caltrain will increase bike parking capacity at stations along the corridor. The improvements will include secure, low-cost parking options, such as electronic bike lockers.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) has scheduled two open houses to gather input on its latest energy action plan.

The first meeting will take place today, while the other is scheduled for Nov. 21. The plan outlines strategies for reducing SEPTA's greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.

Leaders of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Highways and Transit Subcommittee are calling for further oversight of a federal competitive grant program after a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found a lack of transparency in projects chosen to receive grants.

The GAO report focused on the selection of projects under the Nationally Significant Freight and Highways Projects (NSFHP) competitive grant program, created under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act in 2015.

The city of Davenport, Iowa, has received a federal grant to improve rail access to an industrial park and manufacturing facility.

The $2.2-million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) will go toward constructing a new interchange track and rail spur to serve a new manufacturing facility and other businesses located in the Davenport industrial park.

The city of Davenport, Iowa, has received a federal grant to improve rail access to an industrial park and manufacturing facility.

The $2.2-million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) will go toward constructing a new interchange track and rail spur to serve a new manufacturing facility and other businesses located in the Davenport industrial park.

The city of Davenport, Iowa, has received a federal grant to improve rail access to an industrial park and manufacturing facility.

The $2.2-million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) will go toward constructing a new interchange track and rail spur to serve a new manufacturing facility and other businesses located in the Davenport industrial park.

Canadian Pacific (CP) awarded a contract to ENSCO Rail to provide inspection systems for a new track evaluation car.

ENSCO Rail says the car will be the newest track evaluation car in the CP fleet and will be equipped with state-of-the-art track measurement and imaging system technology.