Railroad News

ABB says it is set to supply key power distribution elements for the Eglinton Crosstown project, Toronto, Canada's new light-rail transit line, to facilitate the line's safe operation with nearly zero emissions.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) has adjusted the project development timeline for the BART Silicon Valley Phase 2 extension in order to further evaluate tunneling options for the project.

In order to progress with state and federal environmental clearance, a defined project description is necessary. SCVTA staff originally identified a single-bore option to construct the five-mile subway portion of the extension as the viable option. However, a recent peer review panel, citing time constraints related to the current federal funding schedule coupled with the preference of BART, advised that a twin-bore tunnel would be the preferred option.

Metrolinx has awarded Stantec Consulting Ltd., along with its partner Amec Foster Wheeler, a technical advisory contract for its Bowmanville Rail Expansion project.

The firm will provide technical advisory, design and construction support services for the project, which will expand rail service approximately 12.42 miles (20 km) from Oshawa to Bowmanville.

R. J. Corman Railroad Group has announced a partnership with the Kentucky Labor Cabinet to begin an apprenticeship program.

In September and October, average weekday ridership in TransLink's Northeast Sector was 25 percent higher than the same months in 2016.

The sector comprises the cities of Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, as well as the villages of Anmore and Belcarra. The ridership jump followed the opening of the 6.8-mile Evergreen Extension of the Millennium SkyTrain line in December 2016.

Brightline, the new privately financed and operated express rail service in southern Florida, will begin "simulated service" between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale as soon as this week, the railroad announced on Twitter.

Although an exact date was not specified, the tweet stated that Brightline will run up to 10 trains a day on the route.

R. J. Corman Railroad Group yesterday announced a partnership with the Kentucky Labor Cabinet to create an apprenticeship program aimed at the recruitment and retention of new employees.

The program will start early next year, as R. J. Corman and the Labor Cabinet develop a curriculum, company officials said in a press release.

Ontario and Metrolinx are proceeding with planned improvements for the Lakeshore West GO Transit corridor with the issuance of a Request for Qualifications (RFQ).

The planned upgrades to the Lakeshore West GO corridor include track improvements and other work to enable increased service at Exhibition Station, where Ontario Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca and Member of Provincial Parliament for Trinity-Spadina Han Dong made the RFQ announcement on Dec. 7.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has released a final supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the second phase of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) Purple Line subway extension.

The report covers the segment that would run between the future Wilshire/La Cienega Station, downtown Beverly Hills and Century City. In particular, the document provides additional details on the Century City/Constellation Station, as well as potential public health and other impacts for the planned subway alignment.

U.S. intermodal rail traffic is on pace to set a new annual record this year, with strong gains in November and last week marking the best intermodal week in history, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) announced yesterday.

U.S. railroads logged 1,369,160 containers and trailers in November, up 3.8 percent, or 50,029 units, from the same month last year. Although U.S. railroads' carload traffic slipped last month 0.9 percent to 1,307,521 units, the combined total of intermodal and carload activity rose 1.5 percent to 2,676,681 for the month compared with November 2016, AAR officials said in a press release.

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) yesterday announced the appointment of Mark Miller and Dianne Costa to its board.

Miller, who serves as vice president of Hillwood Properties, will represent the city of Flower Mound, Texas. He was appointed to the board in June, DCTA officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is ramping up its efforts to help put an end to domestic and international human trafficking.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is ramping up its efforts to help put an end to domestic and international human trafficking.

The San Mateo County Transit District (SMCTD) has launched a public engagement and education campaign to share information about solutions to the county's growing traffic problems.

Known as "Get Us Moving," the campaign also is designed to gather community feedback about proposed solutions.

CDPQ Infra has extended through Jan. 31 the tender process for a proposed 41-mile light-rail system in Montreal.

The company will launch a "period of intensive discussions" with the qualified consortiums for the project's engineering and construction contract, CDPQ Infra officials said in a press release.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) determined failure to reduce speed led to a collision of two trains near Carvel, Alberta in June 2016.

No one was injured in the incident and a single empty hopper car sustained minor damage. TSB says the accident "highlights the systemic risks of not following railway signal indications." The incident report focuses on a number of safety risks, including the absence of physical fail-safe defenses to ensure that signals are consistently recognized and followed.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) determined failure to reduce speed led to a collision of two trains near Carvel, Alberta in June 2016.

No one was injured in the incident and a single empty hopper car sustained minor damage. TSB says the accident "highlights the systemic risks of not following railway signal indications." The incident report focuses on a number of safety risks, including the absence of physical fail-safe defenses to ensure that signals are consistently recognized and followed.

The Association of American Railroads and GoRail have honored House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) with the Railroad Achievement Award.

Shuster is the final calendar year recipient of the award, which was created in 2017 to recognize members of Congress who have shown consistent, bipartisan leadership on issues most pertinent to the nationwide rail network. The winners have shown particular leadership in recognizing the capital-intensive nature of railroads and the critical role they play in the U.S. economy, the organizations added.