Railroad News

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The Pacific Harbor Line (PHL) has received the Patriotic Employer Award from the U.S. Department of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve program.

The award honors employers' efforts to support members of the National Guard and Reserve.

The probable cause of an Amtrak train derailment in Vermont in October 2015 was the train's collision with debris that had fallen on the track after a rock slide, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced last week.

The incident occurred the morning of Oct. 5, 2015, when Amtrak Train 55 hit a rock pile that fouled the track on the New England Central Railroad (NECR) Roxbury Subdivision near Northfield, Vt. The collision caused the locomotive and four coach cars to derail, injuring four crew members and three passengers, according to the NTSB's accident brief.

PortMiami yesterday welcomed the Maersk Shanghai container ship, the largest vessel to call on a Florida deep-water port, the port announced Wednesday.

At 1,063 feet long and 159 feet wide, the ship has a carrying capacity of 10,081 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The vessel started its journey in China and arrived in Miami through the Suez Canal.

U.S. railroads posted a 6.2 percent increase in rail traffic for the week ending June 10 compared with the same week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

During Week 23, total U.S. carload and intermodal traffic was 545,317 units. Carload volume rose 7.1 percent to 265,717 units, while intermodal volume climbed 5.3 percent to 279,600 containers and trailers compared with the same week in 2016, according to an AAR press release.

As the summer season gets underway, Amtrak is raising awareness about safety in an effort to reduce injuries and fatalities resulting from unsafe behavior by motorists and pedestrians on railroad crossings and tracks.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), vehicle-train collisions at highway-rail grade crossings fell 2.4 percent in 2016. Amtrak cites the FRA data shows that the number of people killed in these incidents rose 13.7 percent last year, and deaths due to train track trespassing increased 12.8 percent. Total trespass-related casualties increased 14.5 percent from 2015 levels.

As the summer season gets underway, Amtrak is raising awareness about safety in an effort to reduce injuries and fatalities resulting from unsafe behavior by motorists and pedestrians on railroad crossings and tracks.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), vehicle-train collisions at highway-rail grade crossings fell 2.4 percent in 2016. Amtrak cites the FRA data shows that the number of people killed in these incidents rose 13.7 percent last year, and deaths due to train track trespassing increased 12.8 percent. Total trespass-related casualties increased 14.5 percent from 2015 levels.

As the summer season gets underway, Amtrak is raising awareness about safety in an effort to reduce injuries and fatalities resulting from unsafe behavior by motorists and pedestrians on railroad crossings and tracks.

According to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), vehicle-train collisions at highway-rail grade crossings fell 2.4 percent in 2016. Amtrak cites the FRA data shows that the number of people killed in these incidents rose 13.7 percent last year, and deaths due to train track trespassing increased 12.8 percent. Total trespass-related casualties increased 14.5 percent from 2015 levels.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) yesterday announced the 308 railroad recipients of its annual Jake Awards, which recognize above-industry average safety performance in 2016.

To receive the award, an ASLRRA member railroad must perform better than the Class I and III industry average injury frequency rate as reported by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) during the prior year.

New Jersey Transit late last week published new weekday rail schedules in advance of summer repairs to New York City's Penn Station.

To accommodate Amtrak's emergency repairs to the station, NJ Transit altered the service schedule for July 10 through Sept. 1.

The Atlantic and Western Railway, a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W), has opened a Choice Terminal bulk transload facility in Sanford, N.C.

Located on a 6-acre site, the terminal features a 20-car rail yard and truck-to-rail-car transloading equipment, according to a G&W press release.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) filed comments with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on June 12, detailing the importance of preserving North American trade relationships to freight railroads.

One of the Trump Administration's goals is a foreign policy focused on what it calls "America First." This includes the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The administration believes "fair but tough" trade deals will promote job and wage growth.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) filed comments with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on June 12, detailing the importance of preserving North American trade relationships to freight railroads.

One of the Trump Administration's goals is a foreign policy focused on what it calls "America First." This includes the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The administration believes "fair but tough" trade deals will promote job and wage growth.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) filed comments with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on June 12, detailing the importance of preserving North American trade relationships to freight railroads.

One of the Trump Administration's goals is a foreign policy focused on what it calls "America First." This includes the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The administration believes "fair but tough" trade deals will promote job and wage growth.

More than 300 shortline and regional railroads earned Jake Awards from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) for their safety performance in 2016.

ASLRRA explains that to be honored with a Jake Award, an ASLRRA member railroad must perform better than the Class 2 and 3 industry average injury frequency rate as reported by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) during the prior year.

More than 300 shortline and regional railroads earned Jake Awards from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) for their safety performance in 2016.

ASLRRA explains that to be honored with a Jake Award, an ASLRRA member railroad must perform better than the Class 2 and 3 industry average injury frequency rate as reported by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) during the prior year.

More than 300 shortline and regional railroads earned Jake Awards from the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) for their safety performance in 2016.

ASLRRA explains that to be honored with a Jake Award, an ASLRRA member railroad must perform better than the Class 2 and 3 industry average injury frequency rate as reported by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) during the prior year.

HDR Chairman and CEO Geroge A. Little announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2017. The board unanimously agreed with Little's replacement recommendation of Eric L. Keen.

Little joined HDR in 1989 as a project manager at the firm's Minneapolis, Minn., office. From there, he became local office manager, then operations director for the engineering company, developing its quality assurance and quality control programs. HDR says Little was one of the original investors who bought the company back from foreign ownership in 1996.

HDR Chairman and CEO Geroge A. Little announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2017. The board unanimously agreed with Little's replacement recommendation of Eric L. Keen.

Little joined HDR in 1989 as a project manager at the firm's Minneapolis, Minn., office. From there, he became local office manager, then operations director for the engineering company, developing its quality assurance and quality control programs. HDR says Little was one of the original investors who bought the company back from foreign ownership in 1996.

HDR Chairman and CEO Geroge A. Little announced his retirement, effective December 31, 2017. The board unanimously agreed with Little's replacement recommendation of Eric L. Keen.

Little joined HDR in 1989 as a project manager at the firm's Minneapolis, Minn., office. From there, he became local office manager, then operations director for the engineering company, developing its quality assurance and quality control programs. HDR says Little was one of the original investors who bought the company back from foreign ownership in 1996.