Railroad News

The government of Canada has committed CA$1.53 billion (US$1.19 billion) in funding to Calgary's Green Line Light-Rail Project, the largest ever infrastructure investment made by the federal government to the province of Alberta.

In June 2017, the Calgary City Council approved the final alignment of the project, which will be 28.58 miles long and include 28 stations at full build out. Stage 1 of the light-rail project calls for the construction of 12.4 miles of track, 14 stations, a vehicle maintenance and storage facility, eight bridges, four tunnels, 70 low-floor light-rail vehicles and three park-and-ride facilities.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday issued a notice of funding opportunity for $250 million in grants to help fund the deployment of positive train control technology on freight, intercity passenger and commuter railroads.

Eligible projects for the grants include back-office systems; wayside, communications and onboard hardware equipment; software; equipment installation; spectrum; any component, testing and training for the implementation of PTC systems; and interoperability, according to an FRA press release.

Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Hamberger announced today he will retire from the organization early next year.

Having served in the role since 1998, Hamberger is the longest-tenured head of the 84-year-old association, according to an AAR press release.

WASHINGTON – Technology class was in session for Congress Monday, courtesy of Class 1 railroads.

GE Transportation this year marks the 50th anniversary of its Locotrol® technologies, which enable train engineers to control multiple locomotives remotely distributed within a train. The technology provides coordinated braking and traction power to facilitate quicker brake applications and releases. Deployed on 20,000 locomotives in 16 countries, Locotrol works with braking systems and locomotive control systems on both diesel-electric and electric locomotives, said GE Transportation Chief Digital Officer Laurie Tolson in a press release.

Savage Saudi Arabia has delivered seven locomotives and two locomotive booster units from the United States to Saudi Arabia's Eastern and Northern provinces. The units will support rail operations at Saudi Aramco and Ma'aden Wa'ad Al-Shamal Phosphate Co. facilities. Savage will own, operate and maintain the two Tier-3 compliant locomotives delivered to Saudi Aramco's Wasit and Berri gas plants in the Jubail area. Savage has an agreement to provide rail switching, track maintenance and track signaling system operations and maintenance for Saudi Aramco at the plants.

Las Vegas Railway Express Inc. has appointed Lou Schillinger president.

He is the founder, president and chief executive officer of United Shortline Insurance Services Inc. (USIS), which has provided insurance products for railroads for 26 years.

Metrolink's board late last week approved a 25 percent fare cut on its San Bernardino Line in an effort to increase ridership.

One of the commuter railroad's busiest lines, the San Bernardino Line serves the San Gabriel Valley in California, with stops at Los Angeles Union Station, California State University in Los Angeles, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga and downtown San Bernardino.

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) has asked Federal Railroad Administrator Ronald Batory to work with freight railroads around the Chicago area to ensure Amtrak's on-time performance improves in Illinois and around the country.

In a letter to Batory sent last week, Durbin noted that Amtrak's Chicago-Champaign-Carbondale route continues to be "one of the worst performing routes" in the country.

Ahead of an event held on Capitol Hill to demonstrate the rail industry's innovations, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) released a white paper highlighting technology's role in making the U.S. rail network safer, more efficient and more reliable.

"America is home to the greatest freight rail network in the world, and we are putting technology to work to keep it that way," said AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. "Next-generation innovations like drones, lasers and automated technologies are revolutionizing how we run a railroad."

Ice jams have caused flooding along parts of Alaska Railroad's line north of Talkeetna resulting in suspended service due to scoured ballast.

The railroad said ice pushed nearly 1,000 feet of track off the track bed by more than 25 feet in some areas, as well as caused scoured track bed ballast. Water was over the rail for approximately two miles between mileposts 247 and 250.

HNTB Corporation has added Vincent Gallagher, PE, to its team as a senior program manager in the firm's national program management and construction management practice for transit and rail, and senior vice president.

Maryland has obtained certification of its State Safety Oversight (SSO) Program from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); bringing the number of states to obtain the certification to 13.

The FTA must certify 30 SSO Programs ahead of the April 15, 2019 deadline. An additional 12 states have their SSO Program under review by the FTA, one has its SSO Programs submitted to FTA, which leaves only five state certifications not submitted. Should any of the 30 states required to obtain certification fail to do so, FTA would be prohibited from distributing any new federal funds to those states until certification is obtained.

The freight-rail industry has invested an estimated $100 billion in infrastructure, equipment and technology over the past four years to prepare for a 41 percent increase in freight shipments by 2040.

The investments have paid off by making U.S. railroads safer, with mainline accidents down 32 percent over the past decade, Association of American Railroads (AAR) officials said today, as they released a white paper highlighting how technology has improved rail network safety.

Bombardier Transportation has tapped The Weitz Company as the design-build contractor for an extension to the PHX Sky Train® guideway and maintenance facility.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has awarded a $75 million Small Starts grant to Sound Transit for its Hilltop Tacoma Link extension.

The 2.4-mile light-rail extension will run along Commerce Street and Stadium Way to the Hilltop District in Tacoma, Washington. The line will include six new stations.

The Canadian government last week announced a CA$15.5 million investment in three infrastructure projects at the Port of Quebec.

The first project will upgrade rail and road infrastructure in the port's Anse au Foulon area to increase efficiency. Additionally, electrical network and water system will be upgraded, government officials said in a press release.

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

Amtrak
2018 C&S budget: $102.5 million
2017 C&S budget: $69.2 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: For fiscal-year 2018, continue PTC projects on the Empire Corridor and Springfield Line.

CSX
2018 C&S budget: $44 million
2017 C&S budget: $56.5 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: C&S capital focuses on SRO obsolescence, signal reliability, communications upgrades, defect detectors and hump yard improvements.
Note: The budget doesn’t include $116 million expected to be spent on signal upgrades for positive train control (PTC) implementation this year.

Norfolk Southern Corp.
2018 C&S budget: $31 million
2017 C&S budget: $30.8 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: Replace process control system (PCS), centralized traffic control (CTC) and direct traffic control (DTC) system at Elkhart Yard, and replace PCS system at Enola Yard.