Railroad News

Construction has begun on a rail siding that is part the Port of Everett's South Terminal Intermodal Modernization Project in Washington state.

 

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) adopted a Fiscal Year 2018 MBTA operating budget.

Officials say the budget continues the progress made by the FMCB and MBTA management during the past two years to sharply reduce the MBTA's operating deficit.

The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) sold $1.25 million worth of equipment at its annual auction on April 6. Proceeds will help fund safety programs provided by the association.

The NRC's 14th Annual Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction was held at the Railroad Construction Co. of South Jersey/Railroad Constructors facility in Paulsboro, N.J. The NRC called the auction a success with a total of 250 pieces of equipment sold for a $1.25 million to on-site and online bidders.

Rail News Home Mechanical April 2017 Rail News: Mechanical

Amsted's IONX solution includes intelligent self-powered wireless devices, such as sensors employing edge analytics.
Amsted RailAmsted Rail’s IONX® division has been working to create smarter trains by developing technology to monitor rail cars and communicate the results to the cloud or to the locomotive. Based on Internet of Things (IoT) principles, IONX’s systems offer a wide range of benefits to rail-car owners, railroads and shippers by reducing operating costs, improving efficiency, and enhancing safety, the company said in an email.The benefits of monitoring assets and equipment in real-time have been available in other areas of the supply chain for decades. Trucks and automobiles, for example, provide immediate notification when low tire pressure occurs or oil needs changing. With IONX, these same benefits are now becoming available for the freight-rail industry and “promise dramatic changes for the entire supply chain,” Amsted officials said.The IONX solution features intelligent self-powered wireless devices designed for the rigors of the railroad industry, including sensors employing edge analytics and rail-car gateways that support intra-train communicationIt also includes a cloud-based platform to undertake more advanced analytics. Through IONX’s partnership with GE Transportation, critical rail-car information is available in the locomotive cab through GE’s GoLINC™ application management platform.With IoT technology, rail-car owners are able to utilize bearing and handbrake sensors to optimize or avoid maintenance, which can improve utilization rates and reduce maintenance costs and rail-car repairs. Another benefit is decreased car dwell. Railroads seeking improved velocity and safety can utilize the same sensor technology to monitor operational events to decrease train delays and mitigate risks. Increasing network velocity enhances the bottom line while improving shipper satisfaction, Amsted officials said. Shippers benefit from real-time location information, resulting in reduced inventory and a more optimized supply chain for today’s “just in time” manufacturing systems, the company said. Better knowledge of car handling and the overall shipping environment can lead to less damaged or spoiled goods and products. In addition, early detection of intrusions into rail cars helps reduce and manage theft.GE TransportationGE Transportation is aiming to “transform the industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive,” the company said. GE’s RailConnect 360 is a connected suite of digital solutions that provide data-driven insights to achieve strategic business outcomes across the entire rail enterprise. RailConnect 360’s Asset Optimization solutions provide smarter ways to connect and monitor the locomotive and other assets to improve train performance.GE Transportation’s RailConnect 360 platform is a connected suite of digital solutions aimed at providing data-driven insights.GE Transportation

Rail News Home Passenger Rail April 2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail

Siemens is manufacturing Brightline trains in Sacramento, Calif. Shown is BrightBlue, which Siemens delivered to Florida in January. — By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate EditorFor the past 18 months, All Aboard Florida’s Chief Marketing Officer Julie Edwards has been on a speaking tour of sorts to promote Brightline, the new privately financed and operated express rail service slated to begin transporting riders between West Palm Beach and Miami this summer.Edwards has been meeting with chambers of commerce and other members of business and community groups to provide them with updates and answer questions on Brightline’s progress, as All Aboard Florida officials prepare to launch the service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale in July, and between Fort Lauderdale and Miami in late August. Eventually, the express railroad — operating up to 110 mph — will transport travelers from Miami all the way to Orlando in about three hours. It will be the only privately owned, higher-speed intercity passenger-rail service in the United States.The main point Edwards tries to drive home is how Brightline will make life easier for South Florida residents, commuters and tourists when they want to travel between the cities. Trip times from Miami to Fort Lauderdale will be about 30 minutes; from West Miami to West Palm Beach, about 60 minutes. By car, those trips on Interstate 95 can take hours longer, especially at peak drive times.“Brightline will offer the very, very congested southeast region of 5 to 6 million people a better and more productive way to spend their time between Miami and Fort Lauderdale,” says Edwards. “With free Wi-Fi and convenient locations in city centers, it will be a smarter and less stressful way to travel.”The most common question Edwards fields during her public talks?“How will I book it?” she says. “And I tell people that a very productive way to book your tickets is through the Brightline mobile app, which you can download and then pick your train and reserve your seat.”Setting up the ticketing app is just one of myriad tasks that Edwards and other Brightline officials are focused on as opening day nears for what they’re calling the “introductory” period of express service.Meeting milestonesSince January, All Aboard Florida — a unit of Florida East Coast Industries (FECI) — has:• shored up its executive and management team, including the hiring of former sports executive Dave Howard as Brightline’s chief executive. Howard replaces Michael Reininger, who now leads new development and growth as executive director of FECI. Additionally, the company promoted Brightline Executive Vice President of Operations Patrick Goddard to chief operating officer. Together with Howard, Goddard will oversee the day-to-day operations of Brightline trains and stations.• received two completed trainsets — BrightBlue and BrightPink — from rolling-stock supplier Siemens’ manufacturing plant in Sacramento, Calif. As of mid-March, static testing and commissioning had begun on BrightBlue.• begun hiring, training and certifying middle managers; and• announced this summer’s service-launch timeframe.Above is the inside of one of Brightline’s Siemens-built “smart” cars, where riders will have room to store their bicycles.

4/13/2017    

Rail News: Supplier Spotlight

4/13/2017    

Rail News: Supplier Spotlight

4/13/2017    

Rail News: Intermodal

4/13/2017    

Rail News: BNSF Railway

4/13/2017    

Rail News: BNSF Railway

Rail News Home BNSF Railway 4/13/2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway Co. this week recognized a group of employees for outstanding achievements in 2016.BNSF's annual Employees of the Year program identifies employees who've made exceptional contributions while demonstrating the company's "vision and values through commitment, leadership and focus on working safely and efficiently to meet customer expectations," according to a BNSF press release.Of more than 40,000 employees, 65 were recognized for individual and team achievements last year. Another 40 were acknowledged for safety leadership, all of whom led teams that worked throughout 2016 without a reportable injury."These employees are a reflection of our entire team's resolve to focus on safety, serve our customers, improve efficiency and performance, and deliver on the essential role we play in our global economy every day," said BNSF President and Chief Executive Officer Carl Ice.Examples of the employees' efforts include the efficient transition of the majority of BNSF's frac sand business to unit train service; the successful renewal of BNSF direct operations on the 130-mile rail line between Tenaha and Silsbee, Texas, previously operated by Timber Rock Railroad; and partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration to develop a safety integration plan for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations of unmanned aerial vehicles in the United States.Also recognized were five Safety Employees of the Year, who represent the engineering, intermodal business unit operations, mechanical, telecommunications and transportation teams. Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff. More News from 4/13/2017

4/13/2017    

Rail News: Mechanical

4/13/2017    

Rail News: Safety

Rail News Home Short Lines & Regionals April 2017 Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals

Tradepoint Rail interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway.Photo – Tradepoint Atlantic By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing EditorTradepoint Atlantic had a few major announcements to share earlier this month regarding the firm’s ongoing efforts to develop a 3,100-acre logistics center on a former steel mill site near the Port of Baltimore.On April 6, company officials said they signed a 10-year contract with Host Terminals to oversee marine cargo operations, landed a collective bargaining agreement with the International Union of Operating Engineers’ Local 37 covering bulk and breakbulk cargo workers, and had $30 million available for infrastructure improvements at the site.The news bodes well for a mission Tradepoint Atlantic began in 2014: to combine access to Class Is, deepwater berths, interstate highways, warehouses and distribution centers to establish the nation’s largest intermodal redevelopment complex. More than 40 percent of the U.S. population and more than half of Canada’s population live within a day’s drive of the site.The logistics center would encompass an area that at one time housed plants operated by the Pennsylvania Steel and Bethlehem Steel companies dating back to 1889, but had gone dormant in 2012. It also would be the first center of its kind in the United States to bring bulk cargo operations inland, Tradepoint Atlantic officials claim.It might take them as long as a decade to fully develop the center, but Tradepoint Atlantic leaders are counting on the rail aspect of their plan to play a major role. In November 2016, the company formed and branded Tradepoint Rail, a short line that manages and operates more than 100 miles of track at the logistics center, and interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway. The railroad evolved from two former short lines that operated at the site for nearly a century: the Patapsco and Back Rivers Railroad, and the Baltimore Industrial Railroad.The master plan for the intermodal redevelopment project includes a future container terminal (shown in lower lefthand portion of the map). (Click to view larger.)Source: Tradepoint Atlantic

4/13/2017    

Rail News: Passenger Rail

4/13/2017    

Rail News: Rail Industry Trends

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for a proposed Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) expansion project has been issued following more than a year of data collection, analysis and public outreach.

 

Union Pacific (UP) is boosting safety and efficiency with an approximately $135 million infrastructure investment in Arkansas this year. The company is also consolidating its Wichita Service Unit management with its Kansas City, Fort Worth and North Little Rock service units.

UP's investment plan funds a range of initiatives in Arkansas: $119 million to maintain track and $7 million to maintain bridges in the state. Key projects planned this year include a $20-million investment in the rail line between Rison and Camden to replace 47 miles of rail and a $14-million investment in the rail line between Little Rock and Benton to replace 61,005 crossties and install 16,838 tons of ballast.

Veteran railroad signal engineer Keith Holt has left Amtrak, where he was deputy chief engineer, Communications and Signals, to become director of engineering for Railroad Systems at WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Holt will be responsible for leadership, direction and management of engineering services for railroad and rail transit projects and will support WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff's related business initiatives across the U.S.

Rail News Home Short Lines & Regionals April 2017 Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals

The transformation of the New Jersey hub from a hump to a flat yard included the installation of electric, remote-control switch machines (as shown in foreground).Photo – Conrail By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Managing EditorTake a tour of Conrail’s Pavonia Yard and to the naked eye, there isn’t much that appears different compared with other switching yards. But there are certain aspects — some not-that-noticeable yet noteworthy ones — that separate the Camden, N.J., facility from the rest.Pavonia is the only flat switching yard in North America that employs true one-person remote-control operations, without any assistance from utility field personnel, Conrail leaders claim. Moreover, the 1.5-mile-long facility is the only yard that employs wireless GPS devices to monitor all static and mobile assets in real time, they say.Just five years ago, there wasn’t anything unique about Pavonia, which at the time operated as a hump yard. Built in 1883 by the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Camden & Amboy Railroad, Pavonia since has undergone a transformation into a highly automated flat switching facility that employs a host of technologies, with the aim of enhancing efficiency and boosting safety.The metamorphosis included a thorough physical redesign of the traditional electro-pneumatic gravity hump and re-engineering of the yard’s processes. Now, with the project nearly complete, Pavonia operates with significantly higher productivity, lower safety risks and fewer assets, and meets service requirements with less variability, says longtime Conrail leader Ron Batory.“We realized we would not see more volume growth at the yard with single-car switching,” says Batory, who retired March 31 as the railroad’s president and chief executive officer. “So, we began to look at one-man crew operations and what we needed to do to get rid of the hump.”Prior to launching the $5.3 million makeover project in 2012, Conrail officials also started to explore the possibilities of leveraging the railroad’s information technology (IT) systems. A service-provider subsidiary of CSX and Norfolk Southern Corp., Conrail since the late 1990s has developed and employed IT systems that operate independently from the Class Is’ IT systems.Conductor Rich Haynes switches cars at Pavonia Yard as a one-person crew using a remote-control locomotive device, and control systems and TV monitors housed in a nearby kiosk.