Railroad News

Caltrain last week reopened the refurbished 22nd Street Station in San Francisco. 

In February, the Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefits District (GBD) began the project to resurface the station’s plaza and walkway, create seating, improve fencing, enhance landscaping and install new lighting, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) earlier this week named Rob Padgette its managing director of management and operations of the Capitol Corridor train route between San Jose and Auburn, California. 

On July 1, Padgette will succeed David Kutrosky, who is stepping down after nearly 10 years.

The American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) has named Christopher Connor as its next president and chief executive officer.

The former global CEO of Wallenius Wilhemsen Logistics (WWL), Connor will begin his new role on Sept. 23. He will succeed Kurt Nagle, who plans to retire this fall.

Legislation that would extend the 45G short-line maintenance tax credit was favorably voted out of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee yesterday, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association reported.

The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 3301) would provide certainty for a number of tax credits, including the short-line credit, through 2020.

U.S. Class Is employed 142,950 workers as of mid-May, down 0.88 percent from mid-April and down 2.76 percent compared with May 2018, according to Surface Transportation Board data.

All but one employment category — maintenance of way and structures — reflected decreases in the workforce on a month-over-month basis. Maintenance of way and structures rose 0.15 percent to 32,117 workers last month compared with April's level.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) yesterday announced that it will allocate $300 million to improve capacity on the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) heavy-rail system between Oakland and San Francisco, California. 

Upon final FTA approval of a construction grant agreement, BART’s Transbay Corridor Core Capacity project will receive the fiscal-year 2018 funding through FTA’s Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation press release.

Sound Transit has received the first light-rail vehicle of the agency’s $642.5 million order for 152 vehicles from Siemens Industry Inc. 

The vehicle's arrival marks the start of regular delivery of one to three vehicles per month through 2024, Sound Transit officials said in a press release. 

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) Chief Executive Officer Phillip Washington yesterday delivered an annual State of the Agency report that highlights the agency's progress in areas such as adding first- and last-mile services.

In the report, Washington noted that the agency has successfully launched a pilot program to provide on-demand first- and last-mile service around three major transportation hubs at the Artesia, El Monte and North Hollywood stations in Los Angeles.

The trend of declining U.S. rail traffic in 2019 continued in Week 24. Railroads posted 527,989 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending June 15, a 5.4 percent decrease compared with the same week in 2018, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total U.S. carloads for the week were 257,385 units, down 4.6 percent, while intermodal volume was 270,604 containers and trailers, down 6.2 percent.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has ordered the Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) to file a corrective action plan that outlines the safety measures the agency has taken since a light-rail train derailed in Aurora in January.

The PUC will begin a standard investigation into the R Line derailment that injured nine passengers. RTD’s internal investigation determined the derailment occurred because the train was speeding. The train's operator has been terminated, according to an RTD press release.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) yesterday began the federal environmental review process for the Uinta Basin Railway project in Utah.

The Uinta Basin Railway is a new freight-rail line proposed by the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition (SCIC) to connect industries in the Uinta Basin to regional and national markets. Last month, the SCIC selected Drexel Hamilton Infrastructure Partners LP for a public-private partnership to finance, develop and construct the railroad.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) yesterday announced the completion of the ExpressRail Port Jersey facility, the final piece of the port's intermodal rail network spanning facilities in Elizabeth and Newark, New Jersey, and Staten Island, New York.

Opening the Express Rail Port Jersey intermodal facility allows the port to advance its five-year goal to handle more than 900,000 rail lifts a year — the equivalent of 1.5 million fewer truck trips traveling through local roads, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and dozens of other U.S. congressmen want to know why Amtrak is reportedly planning to reduce the size of its police force by 20 percent over the next several years.

In a letter sent yesterday to Amtrak President and Chief Executive Office Richard Anderson, DeFazio and 52 other House members expressed concern that the possible Amtrak Police Department (APD) cuts "could undermine the safety and security of the entire system."

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and dozens of other U.S. congressmen want to know why Amtrak is reportedly planning to reduce the size of its police force by 20 percent over the next several years.

In a letter sent yesterday to Amtrak President and Chief Executive Office Richard Anderson, DeFazio and 52 other House members expressed concern that the possible Amtrak Police Department (APD) cuts "could undermine the safety and security of the entire system."

Thales was awarded a contract by the East-West Connectors to provide its SelTrac communications-based train control system for the second phase of the O-Train Confederation Line extension project in Ottawa, Canada. Under the contract, Thales will integrate control units on each train and install guideway equipment, according to a company press release. Thales also provided its SelTrac system for the project's first phase, and will be responsible for integrating the two operations.

Wabtec Corp. ratified the first four-year contract agreement with members of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) Locals 506 and 618 who are employed at the Wabtec locomotive plant in Erie, Pennsylvania, that was acquired from GE Transportation in February. The contract covers terms of employment, pay, benefits, hours, leave and health and safety policies, according to a UE Local 506 press release.

The Jacksonville Port Authority's board yesterday approved two long-term agreements with automobile processor Amports Inc., which will expand its lease space at the Florida port.

One lease extends an existing leased property at the port's Blount Island Marine Terminal; the second agreement provides Amports with 22.4 acres of new space for auto processing and storage at the Dames Point Marine Terminal, port authority officials said in a press release.

On June 15, the Metro Transit-St. Louis MetroLink light-rail system logged a record 100,000-plus boardings as passengers traveled to downtown St. Louis for a celebration honoring the St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup Championship. 

In preparation of large crowds expected to take MetroLink to the championship parade and rally, the Metro Transit and MetroLink police scheduled extra security, dozens of additional transit operations personnel, customer service representatives and volunteer employee ambassadors to assist riders, Metro Transit officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. has recognized the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad with the Class I's "Short Line of the Year" award.

A Genesee Valley Transportation (GVT Rail) subsidiary, the Delaware-Lackawanna was recognized by NS for its "conscientious customer service and commitment to growth," according to a GVT Rail press release.