Railroad News

The Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) final rule affecting continuous rail inspection technology will facilitate widespread deployment of such technology to advance safety and efficiency of the nation's rail network, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

For years, railroads have operated continuous rail inspection technology under longstanding waivers and demonstrated the innovation's promise to improve efficiency and safety, AAR officials said in a press release.

To better handle an anticipated ridership bump as schools begin to reopen, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) recalled 150 of 450 train and bus operators who were temporarily laid off in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TTC’s daily ridership now is 35 percent to 40 percent of pre-pandemic levels and is steadily increasing as the city of Toronto and region enter new phases of recovery, TTC officials said in a press release.

Today, the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) is launching a fare enforcement diversion pilot program designed to reduce evasion fines and provide violators new ways to clear citations.

Trolley and bus passengers are still required to purchase a valid fare, but any fare evasion citations that MTS officers issue on or after Sept. 1 will qualify under new program guidelines.

This past weekend, the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) completed improvements to the 108-year-old Steel Bridge on the MAX line.

The project marked the end of the agency’s biggest light-rail revitalization effort in 34 years and represented an important accomplishment in continuing to maintain reliable MAX service, TriMet officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway recently completed a sustainability project to reclaim a "living shoreline" along an industrial stretch of the Elizabeth River in Virginia.

The project transformed a stretch of the severely eroded shoreline at the railroad's Lamberts Point terminal into a green oasis in an area where ship repair and port businesses operate. The effort advances environmental, community and business goals, NS officials said in a press release.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LA Metro) board last week advanced several major capital projects. The ones involving rail include the Sepulveda Transit Corridor Project, Crenshaw Northern Extension, Purple Line Extension and High Desert Intercity Rail Corridor Service Development Plan.

For the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, the board approved a $48.3 million contract with HNTB Corp., Terry A. Hayes Associates Inc. and AECOM Technical Services to perform the environmental studies and complete advanced conceptual engineering. The project — which calls for building a high-speed, high-capacity transit line connecting the San Fernando Valley, Westside and LAX — will undergo an environmental review in 2021.

The Gateway Program Development Corp. (GDC) last week released an updated financial plan for the Hudson River Tunnel Project that shows the project's overall cost has increased $275 million.

The plan also pushes back by one year the major construction start date, which now is projected to be early 2022. Cost increases — which bring the project's total price tag to $11.6 billion — are attributed to the start delay. Major work can't begin until the federal government issues a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) and record of decision (ROD) for the new tunnel and rehabilitation of the existing North River Tunnel, GDC officials said in a press release.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) continues to mark progress with a plan to maximize capital rebuilding work while ridership remains low because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the agency reduced service hours in March, more track time has become available for workers to improve the system, BART officials said in a press release.

President Donald Trump has designated National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg to continue to serve in the position for a new three-year term.

Landsberg began a five-year appointment as an NTSB board member on Aug. 7, 2018, and on that same day began a two-year term as the board's vice chairman.

Union Pacific Railroad last week named Craig Richardson interim executive vice president and chief legal officer.

Richardson is responsible for overseeing legal affairs, including commercial transactions and litigation, regulatory matters, labor and employment. He also supervises UP's compliance and ethics program, as well as risk management initiatives, including UP's police department.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) plans to hold community meetings today and tomorrow to review travel alternatives and work associated with a capital project planned on MTA New York City Transit’s (NYCT) E Line in Queens, New York.

To start Sept. 19, the work calls for replacing and installing more than 5,500 feet of track and more than 7,800 feet of third rail at or near two stations on the line. The track is reaching the end of its service life and needs complete replacement, which will help improve reliability and service on the line in Queens and Manhattan, MTA officials said in a press release.

A Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) exploratory task force is expected to begin working tomorrow on a proposal to eliminate all rail and bus fares.

The task force is charged with providing a fareless plan to LA Metro Chief Executive Officer Phillip Washington and the authority’s board by year’s end, including funding scenarios and sources.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has named the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) as the 2020 winner of the Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award.

The annual award recognizes excellence among North American public transportation providers in leadership, innovation, safety and other key areas. The Houston transit agency received the national award for the second time in five years due to several notable achievements over the past three years, according to APTA.

Kansas City Southern has promoted Rodrigo Flores from vice president of automotive to VP of automotive and intermodal sales, effective Sept. 1.

Flores will be responsible for the KCS' automotive and intermodal business units in the United States and Mexico He joined the predecessor to Kansas City Southern de Mexico in 1997 as a manager in external reporting. 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) late last week issued a final rule allowing railroads to use ultrasonic inspection technology, augmented with GPS technology, to conduct continuous rail testing.

The updated regulations are expected to improve safety by making it easier for railroads to test rail more frequently, and to identify and repair internal rail flaws before conditions degrade, FRA officials said in a press release.

NRE is moving ahead with a plan to consolidate several production lines. Over the next several months, the company will consolidate rail operations from plants in Dixmoor and Silvis, Illinois, and Milwaukee at production facilities in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, and Paducah, Kentucky. In addition, operations now performed at a Hagerstown, Maryland, plant will be moved to a new facility adjacent to the Paducah shops. Featuring new and updated CNC machines, the new plant primarily will build and remanufacture diesel power assemblies. NRC provides new and remanufactured locomotives, maintenance services, and locomotive parts and components.

Koppers Inc. plans to spend $23 million on improvements to its North Little Rock, Arkansas, facility over the next two years. The wood-tie supplier plans to complete some construction work and purchase equipment to upgrade and modernize processes at the plant, which treats more than 1.5 million wood ties annually. Koppers also plans to hire more workers at the facility. The company produces various treated wood products, wood treatment chemicals and carbon compounds.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) is seeking public input on an update to its four-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and revised public involvement procedures.

Comments will be received at two virtual public information meetings to be held Sept. 23 on the 2021-2024 draft STIP, a nearly $3.9 billion program that lists all federally funded transportation improvements planned for the next four years. Divided by federal funding category and region, the capital and operational improvements involve rail, bus, road and bicycle facilities.