Railroad News

Canadian Pacific and members of its short line and regional connections recently met for two days to participate in the CP Reconnect 2018 Short Line and Regional Railroad Conference held in Calgary, Alberta.

At the conference, CP, short line and regional representatives discussed shared opportunities for advancing the North American supply chain, CP officials said in a press release.

Montana Rail Link (MRL) President Tom Walsh announced yesterday that he will retire on Jan. 1, 2019.

Before being named president in 2003, Walsh held a variety of positions at the regional, including executive vice president and chief financial officer. He started working for the railroad two weeks before it began operations, according to an MRL press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has awarded a $213.7 million construction contract to a Halmar International and Schiavone Construction Co. joint venture for the planned Potomac Yard Metrorail Station in Alexandria, Virginia.

The station will be built on WMATA's Yellow and Blue lines between the existing Braddock Road and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport stations.

The League of Railway Women (LRW) has named Ontario Northland President and Chief Executive Officer Corina Moore the Outstanding Woman of the Year.

Moore was honored yesterday at the general session of the RSI/CMA 2018 Rail Expo and Technical Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Kansas City Southern has named Brian Hancock executive vice president and chief innovation officer, and Michael Naatz, EVP and chief marketing officer effective Oct. 1.

Hancock and Naatz will continue to report to President and Chief Executive Officer Patrick Ottensmeyer, according to a KCS press release.

The lineup for RailTrends 2018 — Nov. 29-30 at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York City — could be our most powerful ever.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel tapped former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to head a new Transportation and Mobility Task Force charged with evaluating the city's transportation landscape as it undergoes "rapid technological change."

The task force also will make recommendations on ways to support public transit and incorporate new technologies and companies into Chicago's transportation systems.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) late last week restored service to a Lower Manhattan subway station that was destroyed 17 years ago tomorrow in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Situated along the 1 subway line, the WTC Cortlandt Station was built within the footprint of the original Cortland Street stop, which was located beneath the original World Trade Center.

The Western Group (TWG) has been chosen by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Spokane County as the preferred bidder for operation of rail lines between Cheney and Coulee City, the railroad consortium announced late last week.

The Utah-based consortium, which responded to WSDOT's request for proposals, will work with the department, the county and other regional stakeholders to finalize agreements that would add the Washington Eastern Railroad to its other other short lines and rail-related entities that serve western and Midwest states, TWG officials said in a press release.

TransLink has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) to build its CA$1.65 billion Surrey-Newton-Guildford light-rail project.

The 6.5-mile line will feature 11 stops. The project is part of TransLink's 10-year plan to improve transit options in metro Vancouver, British Columbia.

Union Pacific Railroad plans to procure 1,000 high-tech refrigerated boxcars — and up to 1,600 if needed — which would mark one of the largest equipment acquisitions in UP history.

Brad Thrasher, UP's vice president-agricultural products, revealed the Class I's plans during a transportation workshop at the Idaho Grower Shippers Association's convention late last month, according to a Sept. 6 report in The Produce News.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is allocating nearly $200 million in Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program funds to transit-rail projects in California and Washington.

The agency is providing $100 million of appropriated fiscal-year 2018 funds to Sound Transit's Link extension to Lynnwood, Washington. The funding is in addition to another $100 million appropriated by Congress in FY2017.

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For six years now, we’ve asked our readers to help us identify individuals under the age of 40 who are making a difference in this industry. As ever, readers responded to this year’s call and nominated more than 150 people. From that group, we selected 20.

Duos Technologies Group Inc. has reached a software license and application models agreement with an undisclosed Class I transportation and logistics company. The pact covers the development and licensing of 17 artificial intelligence-based detection algorithm models aimed at monitoring potential defects on rolling stock at rail inspection portals. The agreement will enable rail operators to deploy algorithms to "force-multiply and streamline" their inspection processes, said Duos Chief Operating Officer Noel Heiks in a press release.

E-J Electric Installation Co. has obtained a subcontract for systems, electrical and transmission line work from the design-build team for MTA Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) third-track expansion project, which broke ground this week. The expansion calls for adding 9.8 miles of third track along the railroad's Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville, New York. The project also includes expansion of eight existing LIRR bridges over local streets, improvements to six stations and the elimination of seven street-level grade crossings. E-J will provide upgraded signal, traction power and communication systems, company officials said in a press release.

The Jacksonville Port Authority's (Jaxport) earlier this week elected John Falconetti as chairman.

Falconetti is chairman and chief executive officer of Drummond Press, a Jacksonville print services provider. He previously served as Jaxport's chairman from 2014 to 2015.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday unveiled plans for a new Penn Station entrance to provide direct access to the MTA Long Island Rail Road's main concourse and MTA New York City Transit subways.

Situated at 33rd Street and 7th Avenue, the entrance would be designed to accommodate tens of thousands of LIRR passengers each day. Crews will build new stairwells and three new escalators to improve the movement of passengers.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined the probable cause of a 2017 fatal accident involving a BNSF Railway Co. train in South Dakota was caused by the improper use of a train approach warning.

The accident occurred Jan. 17, 2017, in Edgemont, South Dakota, when a BNSF train struck and killed two roadway workers, including the watchman/lookout. A three-member roadway crew had been cleaning snow and ice from the track switch on the main track to prepare for the movement of a train that was to have its brake system tested.