Railroad News

Virginia and Colorado have obtained federal certification of their transit-rail state safety oversight (SSO) programs, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced late last week.

Federal law requires states with transit-rail systems in operation to obtain FTA certification of their SSO programs by April 15, 2019. States with transit-rail systems in the engineering or construction phase also must get their SSO programs certified by the deadline.

Bombardier Transportation has signed a $452 million contract to supply 40 high-speed electric multiple unit trains to Swedish public transit agency Vasttrafik. The agreement includes an option for 60 additional trains, Bombardier officials said in a press release. Delivery is slated to begin in 2021. The units, which can operate at speeds up to 124 mph, will help address growing ridership in Sweden's Vastra Gotaland region, according to Bombardier.

Rio Grande Pacific Dispatch (RGPD) and PS Technology have announced the first implementation of the CrewPro Short Line™ crew management system. The cloud-hosted system provides a subscription-based, dynamic platform for crew scheduling, RGPD officials said in a press release. CrewPro Short Line handles hours-of-service requirements, and handles tie-up, work list/pool management, seniority move bumps and Federal Railroad Administration certification requirements. RGPD will use the system to manage crew calling for multiple railroads. The technology is expected to improve cost savings and accuracy by preventing errors that occur with legacy crew management methods, according to RGPD.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) has asked President Trump's administration to "stop playing chicken with the economy" after the White House yesterday ordered the U.S. Trade Representative to consider tariffs on an additional $100 billion of Chinese products.

Trump's proposal would impose tariffs on a large portion of Chinese goods that entered the United States — about $505.6 billion last year, according to The Washington Post.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is soliciting public comments on an updated version of the state's long-range transportation plan.

The Long Range Transportation Plan is a federally required process that sets the state's 25-year vision for transportation.

The Georgia General Assembly late last week passed a bill that would establish a regional governance and funding framework for Atlanta area transit systems.

Under the legislation, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) and four other regional transit systems would operate under a new entity known as the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, or The ATL.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx have issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a team to design, build and finance the GO Transit Milton corridor project.

The agencies submitted the RFP to three teams that were identified through an earlier request for qualifications process.

Union Pacific Railroad has slated $38 million this year for capital expenditures in New Mexico.

The Class I's capital expenditure plans for the state include $15 million to replace 135,775 ties and install 92,220 tons of ballast between Tucumcari and Vaughn, and $4.8 million to replace 43,974 ties and install 22,440 tons of ballast between Vaughn and Corona.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's (SFMTA) board on Wednesday approved an annual $1.2 billion operating budget for fiscal years 2019 and 2020 that includes funds for adding rail cars and launching the Central Subway.

The Central Subway, which is slated to launch service in 2019, involves extending the T Third Line route from the 4th Street Station in downtown San Francisco to Chinatown. The project includes four new stations along a new 1.7-mile alignment.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) this month will test a new signal system as part of its East Side Access project to connect to Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

The tests will be performed at the Harold Interlocking in Queens, New York. Based on microprocessor technology with built-in redundancies, the new system is designed to ensure smooth and improved train service through the interlocking, LIRR officials said in a press release.

Metra and Operation Lifesaver Inc. this year will conduct 54 safety "blitzes" at stations across the Chicago commuter railroad's six-county region.

During a blitz, Metra safety employees hand out educational materials about train and grade crossing safety at a station during the morning commute. This year, the railroad will hold safety blitzes at 54 train stations.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has appointed Bryan Sastokas chief information officer.

Currently, Sastokas is CIO and head of technology and innovation for the city of Long Beach, California. His previous positions include CIO for the cities of Oakland and Modesto, California, as well as Coral Springs, Florida.

Norfolk Southern Railway's safety train will visit 23 cities this year as part of its Operation Awareness and Response program, which provides first responders with free training on how to safely respond to a potential rail incident.

The train kicked off this year's schedule earlier this week with three days of training at NS' rail yard in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, according to an NS press release.

BNSF Railway Co. has filed an application to construct a second train bridge next to and west of an existing train bridge across Lake Pend Oreille and Sand Creek in Idaho.

The Idaho Department of Lands has scheduled public hearings on the application for May 23, according to a department press release.

Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) have issued a request for qualifications for a team to build, design, finance, operate and maintain a major GO Transit rail expansion project.

The scope of work includes operation of train services, timetable planning, procurement of new rolling stock, construction of a new maintenance facility and reconstruction of Toronto Union Station's track and platforms.

U.S. carload traffic rose 3.6 percent to 1,050,653 units and intermodal volume increased 6.5 percent to 1,082,239 containers and trailers last month compared with traffic in March 2017.

Combined, U.S. carload and intermodal traffic climbed 5 percent to 2,132,892 units for the month compared to a year ago, according to Association for American Railroads (AAR) data.

The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) over the weekend will replace a rail bridge over Bear Creek in Irving, Texas.

The replacement marks a major step in TRE's ongoing double-track upgrade, according to a press release issued by Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which jointly owns TRE with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. has awarded a CA$54 million contract to Bombardier to make 17 rail cars more accessible for people with disabilities.

Each car will be equipped with two wheelchair lifts, two accessible spaces with anchoring devices and an accessible restroom. In addition, Bombardier will add announcement display screens on all the cars.