Railroad News

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC), yesterday issued a report calling on state and local official to address the “looming transportation funding crisis” driven by changes coming to Act 44. 

Act 44 required the PTC to provide the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) with $450 million annually for highways, bridges and public transit, according to a SEPTA press release. In 2013, the act was modified to dedicate the payments to public transit. 

In January, tie production increased 23.3 percent to 1,395,000 ties and purchases rose 24.4 percent to 1,468,000 units compared with December 2018 levels, according to the Railway Tie Association's (RTA) latest market report.

On a year-over-year basis, production climbed 8.4 percent while purchases dropped 7.4 percent.

CN will spend CA$320 million this year on projects to expand and maintain its infrastructure in Ontario, the Class I announced yesterday.

Planned expansion project investments will include a satellite intermodal facility near CN's Brampton intermodal terminal to provide more capacity; intermodal and infrastructure at the Brampton terminal; and facility improvements at the Toronto auto compound.

U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) have announced $120 million in federal funding through the Federal Transit Administration for the construction of the Purple Line light-rail route in Maryland.

This grant is part of the $900 million federal grant agreement for the Maryland Purple Line light-rail project, $568 million of which has been appropriated through the 2019 fiscal year, according to a press release issued by Hollen's office.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)’s contractor Kiewit will begin construction later this month of temporary bus loops in preparation for platform improvements at six stations this summer. 

The bus loops will accommodate free shuttle services for WMATA passengers during construction at the Huntington, Van Dorn Street, Braddock Road and Eisenhower Avenue stations, according to a WMATA press release.

CN last week announced capital expenditure plans of CA$45 million worth of projects in New Brunswick and CA$5 million in Nova Scotia this year.

In New Brunswick, CN's 2019 capex program includes installation of 8 miles of new rail and 20,000 ties, and rebuilds of road crossing surfaces and maintenance on bridges, culverts, signal systems and other track infrastructure, company officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Corp. posted strong growth and best-ever operating results for operating ratio and income from railway operations last week, the Class I reported late last week in releasing its 2018 annual report online.

For the year, the company achieved an all-time-best operating ratio of 65.4 percent, the third consecutive year of improvement; grew total railway operating revenue 9 percent year-over-year to $11.5 billion; and increased income from railway operations 12 percent to $4 billion, a record.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has named Patrick Foye chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). 

Foye was named MTA president in August 2017 and previously served on the board from 2010 to 2012. Prior to joining the MTA, Foye was executive director of Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for six years.

Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) officials and Mayor Rahm Emanuel marked the completion of the $17 million Belmont Blue Gateway project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony late last week. 

The Belmont Blue Gateway project is part of the $492 million Your New Blue (YNB) program to modernize and improve the O’Hare brand of the CTA's Blue Line. 

Railroad Software has added bridge inspection software to its TrackAsset application, according to a company press release. The electronic capture of bridge inspections will enable users to visualize bridge details and perform annual inspection in real time.

Penn Machine, which manufacturers wheels and axles for transit and railroad applications, added two Honor Seiki vertical turning centers to the machining facility in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, according to a Penn Machine press release. The turning centers assist with turning wheels up to 44-inches in diameter, as well as with live tool drilling, threading and probing.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will rename the Yawkey Station on the Framingham/Worcester commuter-rail line to Lansdowne Station, effective April 8.

Following the name change of a municipal road near the station, the MBTA selected Lansdowne as the station’s new name, MBTA officials said in a press release.

A slowing domestic economy will result in a moderate uptick in container imports through 2019 following last year's record-high cargo growth, according to experts at the Port of Long Beach's 15th annual Pulse of Ports Peak Season Forecast held earlier this week.

About 500 people attended the event, which brought together speakers from all segments of the shipping and goods movement industry to discuss the cargo outlook for 2019, the latest economic trends and their impact on the San Pedro Bay port complex.

ZIM Integrated Shipping Services has partnered with 2M Alliance to begin serving the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia, port authority and DP World Prince Rupert Inc. announced yesterday.

ZIM service made its inaugural call at the port on March 27, when ZIM containers arrived on the Maersk Altair vessel. CN serves the port.

The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA) this week was awarded a $400,000 state grant for engineering services needed to continue track and structure construction for a passenger-rail restoration project. 

The Commonwealth Financing Authority awarded the Local Share Account grant to allow the Scranton-to-New York City Lackawanna Cut-Off passenger-rail restoration project's construction to continue, according to a PNRRA press release.