Railroad News

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) late last week released a Tier I combined Final Environmental Impact State and a Record of Decision (FEIS/ROD) for the proposed high-speed passenger-rail system between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The FEIS/ROD marks the completion of the Tier I environmental review process under federal law and documents the FRA's identification of a preferred corridor, which would begin on the east side of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (HJAIA) at the proposed HJAIA/Southern Crescent Station and end at a proposed downtown Chattanooga station, according to an FRA press release.

Knife River Corp. and the Portland & Western Railroad welcomed U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) last week for a tour of Knife River's sand and gravel pit in Salem, Oregon.

The tour included a discussion of public policy priorities for the business and rail communities in the Salem area. The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) and the Railway Engineering-Maintenance and Suppliers Association (REMSA) coordinated the event.

Harsco Rail has received two international orders totaling nearly $25 million, the company announced earlier this week. One order calls for Harsco to provide rail grinding equipment for a 281-mile high-speed rail line between Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia. The Harsco machines will be used to maintain railhead contours for extended rail life and smoother operation, company officials said in a press release. For the other order, Harsco will provide two on-track vehicles to assess rail geometry and ballast profile for South Africa's Transnet freight-rail network. The company is supplying the vehicles to Molamu Majories and Thari Joint Venture, a contractor for Transnet. Deliveries for both orders are expected by year's end.

CRU Railcar Services (CRS) has agreed to provide tank-car cleaning and switching services at Rescar Cos.' new "Fast Track" light repair location in Elmendorf, Texas. With access to Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway Co., the new site is ideally situated for tank-car operators and lessors, said CRS spokesman Pedro Berruecos in a press release. Rescar will provide necessary maintenance, inspection or repair, while CRS will handle cleaning. Rescar has five Fast Track locations in the United States.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is expanding a pilot of a new waterproofing membrane along the Red Line.

The agency will continue installing the material along another 4,000-foot section of inbound track between the Medical Center and Grosvenor stations. The material is injected into the tunnel walls to form a waterproof membrane on the exterior of tunnel walls.

The Phoenix City Council earlier this week approved a plan that will add a new Valley Metro light-rail station on Central Avenue in the city's downtown.

The plan also calls for shifting some future light-rail platforms east between Central and First avenues. The move is aimed at creating an "easy configuration for riders to transfer from one train to another," according to a press release issued by the City of Phoenix.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) board yesterday elected Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer as the association's president.

At the association's annual meeting this week, the board also elected Utah Department of Transportation Executive Director Carlos Braceras as vice president, and Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Scott Bennett as secretary-treasurer.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday granted the Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) a five-year waiver that will allow the continued operation of the transit agency's A and B commuter-rail lines.

The lines, which opened last year, have experienced technical issues with crossing arms that lower too early and stay down too late at grade crossings. To address the concerns, RTD stationed flag attendants at the crossings.

Sound Transit's board yesterday agreed to move forward with the proposed West Seattle and Ballard Link light-rail extensions, and established a $285.9 million preliminary engineering budget for the projects.

The extensions will bring light rail to some of the most densely populated neighborhoods in the region, Sound Transit officials said in a press release.

Members of Congress representing New York and New Jersey have introduced a bill that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to mandate sleep apnea tests for commercial truckers and rail operators.

The legislation would reverse a recent decision by President Donald Trump's administration to reverse the department's proposed rule to require truck drivers and train operators to be tested for sleep apnea and, if diagnosed with the condition, receive treatment for it.

A team of real estate investment companies yesterday held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new transit-oriented development (TOD) at the Culver City Station on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) Expo Line.

Known as "Ivy Station," the $350 million transit-oriented development will feature 200 apartments, 55,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and restaurant space, a hotel and a 200,000-square-foot office building.

Chaney Enterprises is now offering its customers limestone that will be transported by a new short line recently completed at the company's plant in Waldorf, Maryland.

Known for providing sand and gravel, Chaney is adding limestone to its product mix to expand the company's market for construction projects, especially those in southern Maryland, Chaney officials said in a press release.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) tomorrow will activate new real-time arrival clocks at all stations on the M and W rail lines.

After the new clocks go live, NYCT will have installed clocks at 326 of its 472 stations. By the year's end, the agency will have countdown clocks at all lettered line stations, NYCT officials said in a press release.

OmniTRAX Inc., two Ohio counties and the City of Tiffin Port Authority have slated a $900,000 maintenance project for the Northern & Ohio Western Railway (NOW) this fall.

The project brings the total investment in rail and crossings on the short line to $1.6 million over the past two years.

Siemens has completed and shipped its fifth trainset for the future Brightline passenger-rail service in Southeastern Florida.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) rail station managers are not properly maintaining emergency cabinets at stations, leaving the system poorly equipped to handle emergencies, according to the agency's recent internal review.

WMATA's Quality Assurance, Internal Compliance and Oversight (QICO) team found that managers failed to fill out cabinet content checklists at a number of stations. In addition, some stations' checklists were only partially filled out.

U.S. railroads moved 548,204 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Sept. 23, a 1.6 percent increase compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

Total carloads for the week declined 2 percent to 263,200 units, while U.S. weekly intermodal volume surged 5.1 percent to 285,004 containers and trailers.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has proposed regulatory change that would streamline the environmental review process for multimodal projects, U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced yesterday at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) annual meeting in Phoenix.

The proposal, sent to the Federal Register this week, would "harmonize" the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) environmental review process with the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration, according to a USDOT press release. The proposal is being made so that multimodal projects are required to follow only one process rather than multiple agency processes, USDOT officials said in a press release.

Harsco Corp.'s Protran Technology unit has received orders from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and the Sacramento Regional Transit District to install track worker alert systems. The technology alerts track workers on the ground before trains enter their work zones. The orders are scheduled for delivery through the end of the year, according to a Harsco press release. Financial terms were not disclosed.

UltraTech International Inc. has released the Ultra-Track Berm, a portable spill containment solution. The device, which captures up to 144 gallons of spilled material, can be moved quickly by one person to a leak or spill. If a larger spill occurs or greater capacity is needed, drain hoses can be connected to the camlock fittings so the spilled material is directed to a waste collection area or larger container. The Ultra-Track Berm features closed-cell polyethylene foam that provides secure sidewall structure, Ultra-Tech officials said in a press release.

MTA Metro-North Railroad has wrapped up an 18-week track improvement project on the Harlem and Hudson lines, the railroad announced Monday.

Crews replaced more than 1,900 ties, resurfaced track, replaced nearly 1,200 feet of rail, added stone ballast and improved drainage on the Harlem Line. The work took place between the Mount Vernon West and Crestwood stations.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in late December will close its Wollaston Station on the Red Line to complete accessibility improvements.

The stop is the only Red Line station that doesn't comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. Planned upgrades include new elevators, additional lighting, improved stairways and new bathrooms.