Railroad News

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has executed an $87.7 million low-interest loan for Sound Transit's new light-rail operations and maintenance facility in Bellevue, Washington.

The 25-acre operations and maintenance shop is needed to accommodate expansion of the Puget Sound region's light-rail system, Sound Transit officials said in a press release. By 2024, the system will grow from 22 miles to 62, with the existing light-rail fleet slated to grow from 62 cars to 214.

VTG Rail Inc. has acquired the fleet of Redwood Rail LLC, a transaction that will add 1,135 rail cars to VTG's fleet, the company announced today.

The acquisition will enlarge VTG's fleet to 5,200 rail cars. VTG also assumed the associated leases as well as Redwood Rail's existing customer relationships, according to a VTG press release.

RailPros Field Services, a provider of railroad engineering and field support, has named Terry Tate as Assistant Vice President of Rail Operations. He will focus on the expansion of existing projects and the development of new business ventures.

Tate has more than 35 years of experience in transportation operations management with Union Pacific and Southern Pacific. He most recently served as General Director of Quality Service for UP, providing marketing, sales and business development leadership for the railroad's Western Region.

RailPros Field Services, a provider of railroad engineering and field support, has named Terry Tate as Assistant Vice President of Rail Operations. He will focus on the expansion of existing projects and the development of new business ventures.

Tate has more than 35 years of experience in transportation operations management with Union Pacific and Southern Pacific. He most recently served as General Director of Quality Service for UP, providing marketing, sales and business development leadership for the railroad's Western Region.

Dr. Axel Nitschke has been named a tunnel practice leader in the Washington, D.C. office of WSP USA (formerly WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff).

Dr. Axel Nitschke has been named a tunnel practice leader in the Washington, D.C. office of WSP USA (formerly WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff).

The Canadian government plans to commit up to CA$333 million for the Finch West light-rail project in Toronto, Ontario Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca announced late last week.

Expected to cost CA$1.2 billion, the project involves building a 6.83-mile light-rail line along the surface of Finch Avenue in Toronto. The route will originate at the Toronto Transit Commission's future Finch West subway station on the Toronto-York Spadina expansion.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has awarded a $66.5 million contract to L.K. Comstock & Co. Inc. for a project that will add a second track on the MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).

A subsidiary of RailWorks Corp., L.K. Comstock will be responsible for track and systems installation on the Main Line Ronkonkoma Branch. The second track will extend over 13 miles between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale, N.Y., according to a company press release.

Rideau Transit Group (RTG) has awarded a CA$300 million contract to Alstom to supply 38 Citadis Spirit light-rail cars for the second phase of Ottawa's O-Train extension. The Citadis units are low-floor vehicles that feature a wide central aisle and interior circulation, Alstom officials said in a press release. Alstom already is supplying 34 Citadis cars for Ottawa's O-Train Confederation Line under a 2013 subcontract agreement with RTG. Alstom will maintain vehicles and the light-rail system for 30 years. The O-Train extension's second phase will add 7.4 miles to the Confederation Line, which is now under construction.

Nomad Digital has extended its partnership with Great Britain's Network Rail to provide rail infrastructure maintenance data. Nomad's on-board connectivity server enables Network Rail engineers to gain access to raw data picture files, which they can monitor to identify any concerns with the track. Network Rail's measurement fleet surveys the rail lines regularly to identify any issues. The measurement trains use four 3-D cameras and two thermal imaging cameras to scan the track as it passes below. The images are  relayed to a database system, enabling Network Rail staff to find issues more quickly, according to the company.

The Canadian government has pledged more than CA$36 million to support planning and preliminary engineering for the proposed 4.6-mile extension of the Yonge Subway line into southern Ontario's York Region.

The project calls for extending the subway from the existing Finch Station in Toronto to the Richmond Hill Center in York Region. The federal funds are part of the first phase of the "Investing in Canada" plan, which provides support public infrastructure across the country.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the Indiana and Ohio Railway (I&O), the union announced yesterday.

The five-year pact covers rates of pay, work rules and health and welfare benefits for 50 engineers, conductors and trainees. Wages will increase 28.6 percent over the life of the contract, which ends Dec. 31, 2020, according to a BLET press release.

Great Lakes Basin Transportation Inc. (GLBT) yesterday filed a response to the Surface Transportation Board's (STB) request for additional information on the company's proposed new freight railroad that would operate through Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

On June 2, the STB told GLBT that it needed to provide more details in its application for regulatory approval to build the new rail line. Among the board's demands was a list specifying the cities and counties through which the railroad would operate.

Valley Metro's Rail Board has approved Kiewit as the construction manager at-risk for the South Central, the agency's next light-rail extension.

Kiewit will partner with Valley Metro, the city of Phoenix, project designer AECOM, station artists and local community to build the extension, Valley Metro officials said in a press release.

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) yesterday announced the award of $217,000 in grants for rail safety education projects in 15 states.

The grants, funded by the Federal Railroad Association (FRA), will be distributed to Operation Lifesaver chapters in the states to pay for public education and awareness programs that promote rail-crossing safety and trespass prevention, OLI officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit and the U.S. Department of Transportation executed an $87.7-million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to build a new maintenance base in Bellevue, Wash., to support future light-rail expansions.

Sound Transit and the U.S. Department of Transportation executed an $87.7-million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to build a new maintenance base in Bellevue, Wash., to support future light-rail expansions.

Sound Transit and the U.S. Department of Transportation executed an $87.7-million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to build a new maintenance base in Bellevue, Wash., to support future light-rail expansions.

The Class 1 says it will boost Wisconsin's safety and efficiency with a $265,000 investment to maintain railroad track and $2-million investment to maintain bridges in the state. Key projects include a $721,000 investment to install a new bridge near Lowell and a $500,000 investment to install a new bridge near the village of Wilson.

The Class 1 says it will boost Wisconsin's safety and efficiency with a $265,000 investment to maintain railroad track and $2-million investment to maintain bridges in the state. Key projects include a $721,000 investment to install a new bridge near Lowell and a $500,000 investment to install a new bridge near the village of Wilson.

The Class 1 says it will boost Wisconsin's safety and efficiency with a $265,000 investment to maintain railroad track and $2-million investment to maintain bridges in the state. Key projects include a $721,000 investment to install a new bridge near Lowell and a $500,000 investment to install a new bridge near the village of Wilson.