Railroad News

Amtrak and Washington state transportation officials anticipate a positive train control (PTC) system will be installed on the Amtrak Cascades corridor — including the Point Defiance Bypass — prior to the federal Dec. 31 deadline.

PTC likely would have prevented the fatal accident that occurred last Dec. 18 on the bypass track in DuPont, Washington, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials have said. Amtrak expects to return rail service to the bypass between Tacoma, Lakewood, Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and DuPont in spring 2019, Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) officials reported on the department's website.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) on Aug. 25 restored Muni light-rail service in its century-old Twin Peaks Tunnel following two months of rehab work.

During the tunnel closure, the agency updated tracks, walls and drainage systems to "keep up with the demands of the Muni system," SFMTA officials said in a press release. The new tracks will enable the agency to lift a speed restriction in the tunnel.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) expects to complete a double-track project along the Ronkonkoma Branch by summer's end, the railroad announced late last week.

The $431 million project calls for building 13 miles of second track between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma, New York.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), federal and state officials last week marked the start of major improvements to the Blue Line's Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station in Willowbrook, California.

The $109 million project is aimed at improving station access, expanding capacity, adding community space and better connecting the station to the surrounding area, Metro officials said in a press release.

Agencies in Washington and Ohio have approved upgrades to railroad crossings.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) approved a $19,084 grant from the Grade Crossing Protective Fund to improve a grade crossing on Walnut Street in Bingen, Washington. BNSF Railway Co., which owns the track, has agreed to the request and will complete the upgrades, according to a UTC press release.

Ray Energy Corp. officials last week marked the opening of the company's new propane rail and truck terminal in Hampton, New York.

The 21-acre facility features a 16-spot rail siding — with an operational capacity of 28 spots — and on-demand switching provided by the Vermont Railway.

New Jersey Transit founding chairman Louis Gambaccini died Aug. 19. He was 87.

In 1978, he was selected to serve as New Jersey's commissioner of transportation, and through his leadership, NJ Transit was created on July 17, 1979. He served as the state's commissioner and NJ Transit's chairman through 1981.

Hexagon's Geosystems division has signed a U.S./Canada distribution agreement with Amberg Technologies Ltd., a provider of surveying solutions for the rail industry. The expanded partnership is aimed at accelerating the digitalization of the industry by providing easier access to solutions that solve "geospatial and measurement challenges," Hexagon officials said in a press release. Under the new agreement, Hexagon will improve its rail industry offerings in the United States and Canada by adding sales distribution, technical support, and repair and calibration services for the full line of Amberg's rail products. Hexagon provides several branded products and services to the rail industry, including Leica Geosystems' reality capture solutions and SafeLoad clearance solutions.

IMC Cos. has received the "Best in Benefits" award at a recent Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance event. The honor recognizes employees that offer the best benefit plans relative to their peers, IMC officials said in a press release. Using medical plan designs, premiums and contributions from employers in the Benefits Benchmarking Survey, management consulting firm Milliman examined about 430 employers in the Memphis, Tennessee, area. IMC was recognized for being in the top 10 employers evaluated in the mid-south United States.

RIO Real Estate Investment Opportunities LLC has signed an agreement with Blacklands Railroad subsidiary Black Gold Terminals to manage operations at the Central New Mexico Rail Park that's slated to open soon in Los Lunas, New Mexico.

Black Gold Terminals provides transload services, including on-demand switching, loading and unloading services. In May, the subsidiary opened a transloading and storage terminal at the Northern Nevada Railport and Logistics Center in Fernley, Nevada. Black Gold Terminals also operates a facility in Odessa, Texas.

During the second quarter, Sound Transit's Central Link light-rail line served 6.3 million riders, marking a 6.2 percent increase over the same period last year.

In addition, average weekday boardings shot up 5.4 percent to 77,567, according to the agency's second-quarter ridership report.

The Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) yesterday announced that Bruce Wise will step down as president and be succeeded by Alan Reynolds, who's served on REMSA's board since 2009.

Wise recently joined Georgetown Rail Equipment Co. as director of business development. His employment change necessitates the officer change, REMSA officials said in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co. has awarded its "Certified Sites" designation to three new industrial locations in Oklahoma, Montana and Saskatchewan.

The program identifies optimal rail-served sites for customer development along the Class I's network. To be considered for the designation, sites must undergo a thorough analysis that includes an evaluation of environmental and geotechnical standards, available utilities and site availability.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has granted Valley Metro approval to begin "significant construction" on a new streetcar system in Tempe, Arizona.

Valley Metro has already started preliminary construction and underground utility work, but the FTA's blessing will enable the agency to begin building trackway, power systems and street improvements.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday released a second-quarter status update on railroads' self-reported progress toward implementing positive train control (PTC) systems.

As of June 30, 15 railroads had installed 100 percent of the PTC system hardware required for implementation; 12 had installed between 95 percent and 99 percent of all hardware; and all railroads — except for one — that use spectrum-based PTC systems had acquired sufficient radio spectrum, according to the status update.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has reached a tentative agreement with Transit America Services Inc. (TASI) for its members that work as Caltrain locomotive engineers.

On Aug. 20, ratification ballots were mailed to BLET members employed by TASI who are eligible to vote on the pact. Ballots are due Sept. 13.

W.A. Rasic Construction Co. Inc. has completed work under its $2.6 million utility relocation design-build contract for the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority's 12.3-mile light-rail project between Glendora and Montclair, California.

Awarded in fall 2017, the contract called for relocating or protecting a dozen strategically located sewer and water lines that cross the corridor where the light-rail line is being built.