Railroad News

United Rail Inc. has appointed former Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chairman Daniel Elliott III to its board.

Elliott is a partner at Conner & Winters, a Washington, D.C., law firm. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve two terms on the STB, and was designated chairman for both terms until January 2017.

The Port of Longview, Washington, recently approved a measure to spend up to $250,000 on a rail expansion and infrastructure redevelopment study.

KPFF Consulting Engineers Inc. will conduct the study. The port's strategic business plan includes several redevelopment projects, including an expansion and reconfiguration of its rail networks, the redevelopment of a berth and relocation of its main office.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) President Dorval Carter Jr. late last week announced the completion of track improvements on the Red Line at Addison Station.

The nearly $4 million project was preparatory work for the $2.1 billion Red and Purple Modernization Program's (RPM) first phase. Work crews replaced worn track components on the Red Line, the CTA’s busiest rail line. Completed on time and on budget, the project also eliminated a slow zone and improved poor track conditions that could lead to future slow zones, CTA officials said in a press release.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is seeking public feedback on its proposed fiscal-year 2020 capital budget and FY2020-2031 capital program.

Two public hearings will be held today; the public can submit comments about the proposals online.

CN is now offering a mobile app for trucking companies that use certain CN intermodal terminals in Canada.

Known as ModalPass, the mobile app is aimed at making navigating CN intermodal terminals faster for trucking partners, according to the Class I’s website.

The next phase of MTA New York City Transit's (NYCT) L project began late last week as planned, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced. The work involves the reconstruction of the Canarsie Tunnel on the L Line.

An improved construction plan will avoid a complete tunnel shutdown, with regular weekday and peak hour service maintained for 90 percent of the line's riders, and weekday and peak-hour service unchanged, MTA officials said in a press release. Total demolition of a concrete structure has been reduced by 99 percent in the new plan, and alternate subway and bus services will be offered throughout the construction process, they said.

Rail-car orders in first-quarter 2019 totaled 9,663 units compared with 19,995 units at the end of the fourth quarter and 10,348 in first-quarter 2018, according to statistics from the Railway Supply Institute's American Railway Car Institute Committee (ARCI).

First-quarter deliveries came in at 13,171 units compared with 13,462 in Q4 and 13,098 for the same year-ago period.

Secure Rail today announced a new presenter and session added to this year's conference, which will be held May 1-2 in Orlando, Florida.

On May 1, Jonathan Lamb of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will join a panel of speakers to kick off the conference with a discussion on the current state of the rail industry as it relates to security. Lamb is the freight-rail team lead for the Plans, Policy and Engagement Office of the TSA's Surface Division.

U.S. Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.), Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), Joe Cunningham (D-S.C.) and Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) earlier this month toured rail supply companies’ facilities and discussed legislative topics of interest to the rail industry, according to trade associations that hosted the events.

Last week, Comer toured Stella-Jones Corp.'s tie plant in Fulton, Kentucky. The facility's 70 employees process more than 1 million ties annually, according to a press release issued by the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA), which helped organize the event. Stella-Jones is a member of both associations, as well as the Railway Tie Association.

As part of a joint venture, RailWorks Corp. will construct a 14.5-mile double track from Southwest Station in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, to Target Field Station in Minneapolis. The portion of Metro Transit's Southwest light-rail project includes more than 110,500 track feet of ballasted track, direct fixation work on the structure and in a tunnel, and embedded and special trackwork. In addition, RailWorks and its joint venture partner will inspect and maintain a 5-mile section of Twin Cities & Western Railroad’s track that lies adjacent to the new light-rail tracks. RailWorks' portion of the contract is $85 million. Work on the existing freight-rail track will begin this spring and construction on the new light-rail tracks will start in 2020, RailWorks officials said in a press release. The project is slated for completion in 2022.

Trinity Industries Inc. reported first-quarter 2019 revenue of $604.8 million and net income from continuing operations of $31.7 million compared with $533.2 million and $13.8 million, respectively, in first-quarter 2018. The rail products group's revenue rose from $588.1 million to $603.6 million on a year-over-year basis. In the quarter, the group received orders for 3,000 rail cars and delivered 4,505 cars compared with orders for 4,705 cars and deliveries of 5,725 cars in the same quarter last year. The group's car backlog decreased in value to $3.3 billion (26,320 cars) as of March 31 versus $3.6 billion (30,875 cars) on Dec. 31, 2018.

The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon's (TriMet) board earlier this week adopted two resolutions that are necessary to extend the MAX Red Line to Hillsboro and add a second track to sections of the line near Portland International Airport and the Gateway Transit Center.

The board approved the locally preferred alternative — the final plan agreed upon by the community for presentation to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) — and authorized TriMet to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Port of Portland. The agreement would commit the agency to continue funding project design and working with the FTA on the total cost estimates and project benefits, TriMet officials said in a press release.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) yesterday launched its inaugural National Get On Board Day, an education and awareness campaign aimed at emphasizing the significance of public transportation in local communities.

More than 200 public transit agencies around the nation hosted activities, events and promotions to highlight the societal and economic benefits of public transportation, APTA officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit has named Stewart Mader the first customer advocate and chief customer experience officer in the agency's 40-year history.

He will be responsible for monitoring and improving the rider experience at every customer touchpoint. One of his first orders of business: creating an advisory council by fall that will include riders throughout the state who will represent all regions and transportation modes, NJ Transit officials said in a press release.
 
Mader most recently chaired the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp.'s (PATH) rider council advisory board. He worked with Port Authority of New York and New Jersey leaders to establish the PATH board. Mader also created a comprehensive New York and New Jersey subway map and formed transit standards, a collection of best practices to streamline the customer experience, NJ Transit officials said.

Norfolk Southern Railway and the Wyoming County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) recently marked the opening of a new multimodal transfer facility in Gainesville, New York.

The Wyoming Transfer Station will serve companies interested in shipping by rail. It represents the final stage of Wyoming County's rail initiative, which began in 2008 and represents a nearly $1 million investment from the New York State Department of Transportation's (NYSDOT) multimodal program, the Wyoming County IDA, Wyoming County and private site work provided by Marquart Cos., according to an IDA press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) yesterday announced plans to build office buildings in New Carrollton, Maryland, and Alexandria, Virginia, to house the majority of its professional workforce.

The site selections for the two buildings are the next major milestone in the authority's regional office consolidation plan. By reducing the number of its office buildings from 10 to four, the authority will save an estimated $130 million over the next 20 years, WMATA officials said in a press release.

Today, Valley Metro will open the 50th Street/Washington Station, marking the first new station built along its existing light-rail line in Phoenix.

The $23 million station provides access to an Ability360 facility — which serves people with disabilities — and the neighboring business community, Valley Metro officials said in an announcement. It also will support transit-oriented development that’s planned for the area, they added.