Railroad News

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has developed a set of templates and checklists to help members prepare in advance of severe weather events, derailments or other disasters that could disrupt their operations.

Developed with support from railroad and supplier members, the resources are designed to proactively assist short lines and regionals in addressing the challenges of weather and non-weather caused emergency events affecting employees, shippers, infrastructure and operations, ASLRRA officials said in a press release.

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA) and the New Orleans Department of Public Works (DPW) early next month will begin a two-month project to improve transit station access for people with disabilities.

The $300,000 project calls for adding concrete around streetcar stops, a ramp and turnaround area for wheelchair access and detectable warning surfaces that alert visually impaired individuals of an approach to street crossings and hazardous drop-off areas, according to a press release from the New Orleans Mayor’s Office.

Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) International’s Atlanta Chapter last week honored Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Parker as its 2019 Man of the Year.

WTS International — a non-profit organization dedicated to building the future of transportation through the global advancement of women — cited Parker’s record of hiring and promoting women in transportation roles, MARTA officials said in a press release.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) officials last week marked the 115th anniversary of subway operations.

New York City's first rapid transit subway, the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), opened in 1904. The four-track, 9-mile, 28-station line began at City Hall Station and ran along the east side of Manhattan to Grand Central Station, across 42nd Street to Times Square, and up the west side to 145th Street, NYCT officials said in a press release.

TransLink last week launched a pilot program to test a multimodal fare card in Vancouver, British Columbia.

During the seven-month pilot, 200 pre-selected riders will be able to use a Compass Card to purchase fares on the TransLink bus and SkyTrain network, Modo and Evo car shares and the Mobi bike share program, TransLink officials said in a press release.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today published a notice of grant funding opportunity for magnetic levitation deployment projects.

Published in today's Federal Register, the notice provides information on how to apply for $24 million worth of grants for eligible projects under the federal Magnetic Levitation Technology Deployment Program.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) late last week announced it issued a request for proposals (RFP) from vendors interested in implementing the New York agency's reorganization plan.

The RFP's release follows MTA's development of its "transformation plan" in partnership with AlixPartners, which will position the agency to improve service, end project delays and cost overruns and deliver modern, reliable and efficient transportation services, MTA officials said in a press release.

Amtrak has appointed Steve Predmore executive vice president and chief safety officer effective Nov. 4.

Predmore will succeed Ken Hylander, who will return to retirement on Nov. 15, Amtrak officials said yesterday in a press release.

Regional Rail LLC, a short-line owner and operator, announced today it has agreed to acquire Pinsly Railroad Co.'s Florida operations with 208 miles of track.

Pinsly's Florida operations include the Florida Central Railroad, the Florida Midland Railroad and the Florida Northern Railroad. The transaction is subject to Surface Transportation Board approval.

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority last week announced it will offer the seasonal higher capacity Saturday mid-day service year-round starting Nov. 2.

This summer, the authority added four streetcars during Saturday service to increase capacity and frequency during peak ridership times as a test-run, authority officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway service between Moberly and Kansas City, Missouri, remains suspended due to the Grand River Bridge outage in Brunswick, Missouri, the Class I announced Oct. 26.

However, NS engineering teams have made "significant progress" over the past week and expect repairs to be completed and service restored no later than tomorrow, Class I officials said in an operations update.

Unifor last week began contract negotiations for the 2,000 VIA Rail Canada Inc. employees the union represents.

Members identified key issues in the negotiations, including a strengthened pension plan, made-in-Canada fleet sourcing, and an end to contracting out employees, Unifor officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit's board last week identified two additional design alternatives for the 11.8-mile West Seattle and Ballard Link light-rail extensions to study in a draft environmental impact statement (EIS). 

The additional alternatives include an elevated alignment along the Yancy/Andover corridor in West Seattle with a station in the Delridge district to serve the Youngstown area. This alternative would connect to previously identified EIS alternatives serving the Avalon and Alaska Junction areas.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) last week proposed a $5.1 billion budget for capital improvements in 2020-24 and a $1.57 billion operating budget for 2020. 

Expenses for the 2020 operating budget are $18.4 million higher than the 2019 budget and $44.5 million higher than the 2019 forecast. The majority of the increase is due to rising pension, health insurance and workers’ compensation costs, according to the budget proposal document. 

Class Is as of mid-September employed 136,865 people, down 1.74 percent from mid-August's level and down 7.63 percent from September 2018's count, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data.

All six workforce categories posted decreases last month compared with August.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) board last week advanced $4.5 billion in infrastructure projects, including dollars for the new AirTrain program at LaGuardia International Airport in Queens, New York, and a project to replace the existing AirTrain system into and out of Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

The projects were approved to accommodate continuing record passenger growth at the port authority's airports, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.