Railroad News

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) yesterday released its 2017 crime data showing a nearly 40 percent surge in arrests compared to 2016.

In 2017, BART police officers made 1,730 arrests versus 1,238 arrests in the previous year.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) is considering a 5 percent fare increase for the South Shore Line to help pay for positive train control (PTC) implementation.

The proposal would include a 50-cent increase in the price of a one-way ticket from Chicago to Hammond, Indiana. The price hike would apply to all stations except the stop in Chicago's Hegewisch neighborhood. Metra controls fares for that station.

Norfolk Southern Corp. has appointed Michael McClellan vice president strategic planning and Claude "Ed" Elkins vice president industrial products effective April 1.

McClellan, who in his new role will report to NS President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires, joined NS in 1998 as assistant VP performance planning. He became VP intermodal and automotive marketing in 2000 and VP industrial products in 2013.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) on Monday approved a $51.5 million contract to acquire eight S70 model streetcars from Siemens Industries Inc.

BNSF Railway Co. has planned $230 million in capital expenditures this year to expand capacity and perform scheduled maintenance work in California.

BNSF, which operates a 2,000-mile network in California, will install additional production track and new lift equipment at the Los Angeles Intermodal Facility, and extend the existing north lead track to improve switching capability at the Stockton Intermodal Facility.

BNSF Railway Co. has planned $230 million in capital expenditures this year to expand capacity and perform scheduled maintenance work in California.

BNSF, which operates a 2,000-mile network in California, will install additional production track and new lift equipment at the Los Angeles Intermodal Facility, and extend the existing north lead track to improve switching capability at the Stockton Intermodal Facility.

Georgia Ports Authority and other officials on Monday broke ground on the $127 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal.

The project will increase the Port of Savannah's rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year, and open new markets that will span an arc of cities from Memphis, Tennessee, to St. Louis, and from Chicago to Cincinnati, port officials said in a press release.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) broke ground on the $126.7 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal on March 26.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf yesterday announced funding approval for 27 freight-rail improvement projects.

The State Transportation Commission has approved $32 million for the
projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program and the Rail Freight Assistance Program, Wolf announced in a press release.

The Norfolk Southern (NS) board of directors has selected new roles for both Michael R. McClellan and Claude E. "Ed" Elkins, effective April 1.

Metra next month will wrap up a multiyear project to replace bridges on the Union Pacific North Line.

Beginning April 9, the railroad will implement a new schedule for evening and weekend trains on the line to accommodate the project. The schedule change will enable Metra trains to operate on a single track between Clybourn Station and Evanston while crews complete the $15.5 million bridge replacements.

The city of Milwaukee yesterday took delivery of the first vehicle for its new streetcar system.

The 67-foot, 83,000-pound streetcar arrived from Brookville Equipment Corp.'s plant in Brookville, Pennsylvania. The unit, which rolled off a truck in downtown Milwaukee, will be stored in the streetcar system's operations and maintenance facility on N. 4th Street.

Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) to continue providing operations and maintenance services for the Maryland Area Regional Commuter's (MARC) Brunswick and Camden lines.

The $288 million agreement extends a contract first awarded in 2012. The scope of work includes maintenance of diesel locomotives, rail cars, stations, facilities and rail infrastructure for the MTA-owned portion of the Brunswick Line.

Union Pacific (UP) has announced plans to spend an estimated $47 million on its Iowa network and about $63.3 million on its network in Oregon this year to improve safety, efficiency and customer service.

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has approved its annual 5-year plan for the Crossing Safety Improvement Program, which will roll out highway-rail safety projects throughout the state.

The province of Ontario yesterday announced plans to issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) to select a team to design, build, finance, operate and maintain its GO Regional Express Rail (RER) project.

The contract will integrate rail operations and maintenance with the infrastructure and vehicle upgrades needed to deliver electrified service on the GO Transit rail network, according to a press release issued by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.