Railroad News

BNSF Railway Co. has requested to join Lighthouse Resources' lawsuit against Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and key members of his administration over permit denials for Millennium Bulk Terminals' proposed Longview coal terminal.

BNSF's complaint contends that Washington state officials unduly violated interstate commerce, a violation of the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause and the ICC Termination Act (ICCTA) by using supposed rail impacts to deny permits for Millennium Bulk Terminals.

CSX will aim for a 60 percent operating ratio by 2020 and revenue growth at a compound annual rate of 4 percent by 2019-20, the company announced today at its annual investor and analyst conference in New York City.

At the conference, CSX officials were expected to outline plans to build on the scheduled railroading model, increase efficiency, control costs and grow the business.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) earlier this week held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its soon-to-open Blue Line light-rail extension.

The event's attendees included CATS Chief Executive Officer John Lewis, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte Chancellor Philip Dubois, according to CATS' Twitter account.

Metrolinx this spring will roll out a "click-and-collect" grocery shopping service at GO Transit commuter-rail stations — marking the first time the service will be offered at transit stations in Canada.

The Toronto-area agency is working with Loblaw Cos. Ltd. to establish the service, which enables riders to shop online and pick up groceries when they arrive at their GO station.

Quebec Iron Ore Inc. (QIO) announced last week that the first train loaded with 16,500 metric tons of high-grade 66 percent Fe iron concentrate left the Bloom Lake Iron Ore Mine near Fermont, Quebec.

The first train represents a "tangible step toward realizing Bloom Lake's potential to become a major supplier of high quality iron ore to global markets," QIO officials said in a press release. QIO is a subsidiary of Champion Iron Ltd.

A rail siding project along a Norfolk Southern Railway line in Central Bridge, New York, has qualified for a $200,000 grant through the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).

The project calls for installing rail siding along the NS line to allow Hoober Feeds to receive ingredients by rail. The increase in shipments will enable Hoober Feeds to expand its operations, according to a press release issued by New York State Sen. James Seward.

Dewberry has obtained a design-build contract for MTA Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) second track expansion project on the Ronkonkoma Branch.

The firm will serve as the lead designer on L.K. Comstock & Co. Inc.'s design-bid-build and design-build team for the project. The design-build portion of the project includes major updates to two stations.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has published a report on the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) at railroads around the world.

Commonly known as drones, UAS can be deployed for inspecting track, assessing damage after natural disasters and a host of other applications.

Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would roll back a state law that prevents certain counties from purchasing, leasing, acquiring, constructing or operating a light-rail project.

Introduced by State Rep. Justin Moed (D-Indianapolis), House Bill 1080 would repeal the current state law that prevents the Indianapolis area from exploring the option of pursuing light-rail as a mass transit option.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has implemented free Wi-Fi service on all trains.

The "Wi-Fi Lite" service primarily is geared toward basic web, email and social media usage. Riders are prohibited from downloading large files or streaming video due to limited bandwidth.

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) later this year will halt commuter-rail service between Pleasant View and Ogden due to low ridership and the high cost of implementing positive train control (PTC).

The closure will start in August, the Standard-Examiner reported. Each day, about 35 southbound passengers use the Pleasant View station, which is the northern terminus of the FrontRunner commuter-rail line.

The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) last week announced its newly elected slate of 2018 officers.

They are Harry Zander of Trinity Rail, president; Tom Surma of Ingredion, first vice president; and Stefan Loeb of Watco Cos. LLC, second vice president.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has released a report on the technical and economic feasibility of using hydrogen-powered trains to electrify GO Transit's rail service.

The study determined that it would be feasible to use hydrogen fuel cell technology as an alternative to traditional overhead wires. The lifetime cost of building and operating the hydrogen-powered system is equivalent to that of a conventional electrification system, the study found.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) on Friday broke ground on the second phase of the Purple Line Extension.

The project involves adding 2.6 miles of subway service to downtown Beverly Hills and LA's Century City neighborhood.

BNSF Railway Co. posted fourth-quarter and full-year operating income of $2 billion and $7.3 billion respectively, an increase of 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively, compared with the same periods in 2016, the Class I reported yesterday.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 6 percent to $5.6 billion, while full-year revenue increased 8 percent to $21.3 billion. BNSF attributed those results to increases in unit volume for the fourth quarter of 3 percent and full year of 5 percent, as well as higher average revenue per car/unit.

French national rail operator SNCF has placed a $120 million order for nine Regio 2N trainsets from Bombardier Transportation. The units will be rolled out on the SNCF Transilien network in the Ile-de-France region. The Regio 2N units feature level accessibility at all stations, air conditioning, power outlets to charge mobile devices and dynamic travel information. The order stems from an option in a 2010 contract for a maximum of 860 trains.

Bihrle Applied Research Inc. and BNSF Railway Co. recently used RailVision™computer vision technology to process terabytes of images captured during drone operations. RailVision enables BNSF to automatically process tens of thousands of images collected by drones during supplemental railway inspection flights. The platform also generates actionable reports in less time than traditional inspection methods, Bihrle officials said in a press release.

Port Manatee officials last week met with trade commissioners from eight nations to discuss the potential for expansion of international commerce through the port.

Joining port officials for the Feb. 22 meeting were representatives from Canada, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Spain. The nations constitute the majority of board membership of the International Trade Commissioners of Florida (INTRADE).