Railroad News

Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) announced yesterday that the United States and Canada will combine efforts to recognize the same Rail Safety Week in 2018.

Rail Safety Week will be observed by U.S. and Canadian Operation Lifesaver programs and partners from Sept. 23 to 29, OLI officials said in a press release.

Construction on a new 41-mile light-rail network in Montreal will begin in April, CDPQ Infra Inc. announced yesterday.

Initial testing on the system will start at the end of 2020, with passenger service slated to begin in summer 2021.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. reported fourth-quarter 2017 operating revenue rose 10.7 percent to $571.6 million compared with the same quarter in 2016.

Operating income increased 101.9 percent to $108.2 million, while adjusted operating income climbed 2.2 percent to $105.7 million.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) this weekend will partially close its Line 1 subway route as Metrolinx crews continue to build the Eglinton Crosstown light-rail project.

Service will be halted Feb. 10-11 between the Lawrence and St. Clair stations. Current work on the Eglinton Crosstown project includes construction below the existing TTC station at Eglinton, a shift of TTC's platform to the north and installation of a new tunnel ventilation system at the south and north ends of the subway platform.

Caltrain on Feb. 10 will launch Caltrain Mobile, a ticketing app that enables riders to purchase and activate tickets from smartphones.

Caltrain Mobile will offer one-way and day pass tickets, as well as zone-upgrade tickets for adults and passengers who qualify for discounted fares.

BNSF Logistics LLC has promoted Dan Curtis to president, the company announced Tuesday.

Curtis has served as BNSF Logistics' chief operating officer since 2014. He has more than 15 years of experience in the transportation and logistics business.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) has prequalified five teams to build and finance GO Transit's Lakeshore East-Central Corridor expansion project.

Teams were chosen based on their construction capability, experience, qualified personnel and financial capacity to deliver a project of this size and scope, IO officials said in a press release.

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Rail finance and leasing execs think 2018 will be better than 2017 was, economy wise and business wise.

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $160 million to upgrade its infrastructure in Washington state, the Class I announced yesterday.

The railroad's Washington capital expenditures plan this year will focus on maintenance projects. The plan's largest component will involve replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, BNSF officials said in a press release.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has launched a comprehensive track repair and maintenance program aimed at speeding up travel time and improving reliability.

Known as FastTracks, the $179 million program involves repairing and upgrading rail,  ties and electrical power throughout the system. The effort is expected to reduce by six minutes a typical round-trip commute on the Red, Blue, Brown and Green lines.

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday announced the status of its positive train control (PTC) implementation plan.

UP will meet all required deadlines for installing PTC on its network, and will continue to test and refine the system's "immature technologies" in 2019-2020, according to a company press release.

U.S. railroads' combined traffic for January was steady, logging a 0.1 percent increase in carloads and intermodal units compared with the same month a year ago, according to Association for American Railroads (AAR) data.

Last month, U.S. railroads moved 1,217,405 carloads, down 3.4 percent, and 1,310,141 containers and trailers, up 3.5 percent, compared with January 2017. Combined carload and intermodal traffic was 2,527,546 units.

Progress Rail announced that it's contemplating closing its engine manufacturing facility in LaGrange, Illinois. The company is considering transitioning manufacturing and assembly to other U.S. facilities, including its plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In addition, Progress Rail may transfer certain engine and locomotive component manufacturing to outside suppliers, company officials said in a statement. The company is "evaluating how to use its existing manufacturing space as efficiently as possible to remain a competitive supplier to the rail industry," Progress Rail officials said. The closure of the LaGrange plant would affect about 600 full-time jobs directly related to engine manufacturing, but would not affect other non-manufacturing jobs on the campus, including 600 administrative roles and engineering support roles.

American Railcar Industries Inc.'s (ARI) board has appointed John O'Bryan president and chief executive officer. He began his duties on an interim basis last month. O'Bryan joined the company as chief commercial officer in June 2017 and has made "great strides in building a leading sales team," said ARI Chairman SungHwan Cho in a press release. O'Bryan previously served as president and CEO of American Railcar Leasing, president of Mitsui Rail Capital, and chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Rescar.

Industry-Railway Suppliers Inc. (IRS), a tool and products distributor for railroad construction, has acquired the assets of ESCO Equipment Co.

Since 1962, ESCO has provided sales and business representation for global railroad product and equipment manufacturers with a mix of maintenance-of-way products. The company brings with it "rail industry professionals with an established reputation for delivering outstanding service and expertise," IRS officials said in a press release.

The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) earlier this week opened the first track on a new rail bridge over the San Diego River.

An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train was the first to cross the 900-foot bridge, SANDAG officials said in a press release.

Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC) late last month presented its 2017 Gold Spike awards to the company's top employees.

The annual awards program recognizes railroaders who demonstrate the railroad's values of safety, service excellence, integrity, sustainability, teamwork and leadership.

Six former employees of the Montreal Maine & Atlantic Canada Co. and the Montreal Maine & Atlantic Canada Railway Ltd. (MMA) pleaded guilty to violations of the Railway Safety Act in connection with the July 2013 train disaster in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Transport Canada announced Monday.

Charges were brought against the individuals, including senior officers of the railway, for violating obligations related to the application and testing of brakes under the federal law.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has filed a draft supplemental environmental impact report (DSEIR) for the proposed South Coast Rail project, which calls for restoring commuter-rail service between Boston and the state's southeast region.

The report analyzes new components of the project's first phase, which would extend the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Middleborough/Lakeview Line to New Bedford, Fall River and Taunton using existing active freight corridors.

BNSF Railway Co.'s customers invested nearly $7.7 billion in new or expanded facilities in 2017, the Class I announced yesterday.

Last year marked the seventh consecutive year that BNSF customers and local economic development organizations invested more than $1 billion in a calendar year on new or expanded facilities. The investments are expected to generate 3,500 new jobs in local communities, according to a BNSF press release.