Railroad News

Wabtec Corp. has signed a $62 million contract to design, install, test and commission a positive train control (PTC) system for the Central Florida Rail Corridor, which operates the SunRail commuter-rail service in Orlando, Florida.

Under the agreement, Wabtec will provide its Interoperable Electronic Train Management System (I-ETMS®) equipment for 24 locomotives and cab cars, a back-office server, wayside communications and signals, a dispatch system, training and system integration.

President Donald Trump yesterday unveiled his long-awaited infrastructure plan, which calls for a $200 billion federal investment over the next decade.

The federal funding would be used to stimulate at least $1.5 trillion in new investment, as well as shorten project permitting time to two years, invest in rural infrastructure projects and improve worker training.

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) has shut down the entire subway system in Baltimore to make emergency repairs that could take up to four weeks to complete.

The agency announced the closure on Feb. 11 after performing a systemwide inspection. MTA determined that the system would remain closed through at least March 11 "to ensure the safety of all customers," agency officials said in a press release.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

When freight-rail executives and advocates meet in Washington, D.C., for the annual Railroad Day on Capitol Hill on March 7, they will come armed with a wish list for Congress and President Donald Trump's administration to consider when it comes to policies, legislation and regulations that impact the railroad industry.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

Class I and freight-rail industry executives are continuing to raise concerns about the economic turmoil that would occur if renegotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) break down and President Trump follows through on his threat to pull the U.S. out of the trade deal if he doesn’t like the final results.

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As President Donald Trump releases his long-awaited infrastructure plan today, a coalition of Northeast business leaders are calling on the president and Congress to provide federal resources to repair and upgrade the Northeast Corridor.

Trump is expected to unveil a plan today that would ask Congress to invest $200 billion over the next 10 years for infrastructure improvements such as roads and bridges. Federal dollars would serve as matching funds to encourage states and local communities to invest in infrastructure projects.

In 2017, TransLink logged a record 407 million boardings, marking a 5.7 percent increase over 2016.

Ridership grew across all modes of transit except the West Coast Express commuter-rail line, which experienced a 5.5 percent drop. That decline occurred because some riders moved to the new Evergreen SkyTrain extension, agency officials said in a press release.

Friday is the deadline to submit nominees for Progressive Railroading's sixth annual Rising Stars Awards program.

The magazine defines a Rising Star as an employee of the railroad industry who is under the age of 40 and who is making a positive difference in his or her company, department or team. Rising Stars are viewed as up-and-comers by their peers, colleagues, supervisors, clients or associates.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) crews have sectioned and aligned existing Green Line rail with new tracks for the Crenshaw/LAX Line.

Rail, fasteners, screws, nuts and bolts are in place and await final assembly, Metro officials said in a blog post.

The Chicago Infrastructure Trust has received four proposals to design, build, finance and maintain an express rail line to O'Hare International Airport.

The new service would take 20 minutes or less to travel from downtown Chicago to O'Hare, trimming the current transit time by about 50 percent. The Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line trains take about 45 minutes to travel from downtown Chicago to O'Hare, according to the agency's website.

Avant Energy will build a network of terminals to supply refined petroleum products from the Port of Altamira, Tamaulipas, to the Bajio region of north-central Mexico, the company announced last week.

The network will be known as Suministro de Petroliferos Altamira–Bajio, or SUPERA, Avant Energy officials said in a press release.

Kansas City Southern has awarded a contract to Biarri Rail to deliver a cloud-based locomotive master planning software. Known as Boss MP Loco, the software is designed to boost efficiency of critical rail assets by enabling KCS to quickly plan and optimize locomotives, Biarri Rail officials said in a press release. An earlier proof-of-concept using the software demonstrated that it could help the railroad identify fleet efficiencies and make strategic decisions on the deployment and positioning of locomotives. In addition, the software enabled KCS to examine how much of its fleet could be equipped with positive train control based on the number and location of cross-border trains operating in the United States and Mexico.

Cummins Filtration has unveiled the FleetguardFIT real-time filtration monitoring system. Using intelligent sensing and advanced data analytics, the system provides customers with "full visibility" into filter and oil life, Cummins officials said in a press release. Such information enables customers to proactively detect problems, avoid downtime, reduce repair costs and improve total cost of ownership, according to the company. FleetguardFIT has been installed on equipment applications used for rail, truck, bus and mining.

The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) has obtained new line boring equipment for locomotive overhaul projects.

Two educational sessions have been added to the Secure Rail Conference scheduled for April 24-25 in Orlando, Florida, the event's organizers announced today.

The additional sessions are titled "What Happens After the Assessment? A VRE Case Study;" and "Evaluating the Effects of Cybersecurity Measures."

The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) has awarded a $10.5 million grant to Metrolink to modernize its signals and track.

The Los Angeles-area commuter railroad will use the funds to replace aging mechanical signals with modern electrical units. Metrolink also will install new switches and crossovers, and upgrade track infrastructure near Los Angeles Union Station.