Railroad News

California Gov. Jerry Brown and several other elected officials, business leaders and transportation advocates gathered late last week for a groundbreaking ceremony for Caltrain's electrification project.

As part of the project, the commuter railroad will electrify its corridor between San Francisco and San Jose, California. Caltrain also will acquire new high-performance electric trains to deliver faster, more frequent service.

Caltrain is seeking public input on the look of seats for its new electric multiple unit trains.

The railroad will conduct public outreach and polling July 24, 25 and 28. Riders also can complete the polls online through July 28.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) this week began testing the first batch of its "Fleet of the Future" trains on mainline track during business hours.

The testing marks the first time the units will run during those hours on the mainline, although no passengers will be onboard, BART officials said in a press release.

[Editor's update, 3:56 p.m.: Dates for the public meetings have been changed since an earlier version of this story was posted. The Minnesota Department of Transportation informed us this afternoon that yesterday it inadvertently sent out the incorrect dates.]

A "purpose and need" statement has been completed for a proposed expansion of daily passenger-rail service between the Twin Cities, Milwaukee and Chicago, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) announced yesterday.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) board has selected a seven-member panel to oversee the implementation of the Measure M ballot initiative.

The panel's job is to ensure the initiative is implemented as specified on the ballot, Metro officials said in a press release.

CSX and North Carolina Ports this month will begin a daily intermodal service between Wilmington and Charlotte.

Dubbed the Queen City Express, the double-stacked train service will launch on July 28, marking the return of intermodal rail to North Carolina Ports, North Carolina Ports Authority officials said in a press release.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) board yesterday approved a $134.5 million plan to replace two aging substations on the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) rail system.

Located in Jersey City and Harrison, New Jersey, the nearly 50-year-old substations sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

A 6 percent increase in carload volumes helped drive Kansas City Southern to a record second-quarter revenue of $656 million, up 15 percent over the same period a year ago, the Class I reported today.

KCS posted an all-time record quarterly operating income of $239 million, an increase of 9 percent from second-quarter 2016, according to a KCS press release. Diluted earnings per share increased 14 percent to $1.27 compared to a year ago.

Winnie Chang, 31

Job description: Chang began her railroading career in August 2014 as a leadership fellow in the rotational management program at the PANYNJ. In April 2016, she applied for a permanent position in the Port Authority-Trans Hudson’s (PATH) rail planning and logistics group, where she now manages the impact of external real estate developments on the PATH system.

Education: New York University, Tisch School of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Master of Science in Transportation and Master of City Planning

FreightCar America Inc. appointed James Meyer president and chief executive officer, effective July 31. He will succeed Joseph McNeely, who's leaving the company to pursue new opportunities. Meyer has nearly three decades of experience in the heavy equipment, automotive and consumer goods industries, FreightCar America officials said in a press release. He previously served as chairman of Commercial Specialty Truck Holdings LLC. From 2012 to 2015, Meyer was chief operating officer of Allied Specialty Vehicles Inc., a manufacturer of specialty vehicles for the fire and emergency, commercial, and recreational markets. He also held leadership positions at Brunswick Corp.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has selected Seneca Group LLC to examine surface transportation modes in Mexico. Seneca Senior Associate Richard Sherman will travel to Mexico to meet with potential sponsors to develop project concepts in grade-crossing safety measures, municipal bus transit information systems, maritime port information technology and cybersecurity, and technologies that analyze and identify causes of road accidents. Seneca also is seeking inquiries from U.S. suppliers of goods and services in those areas. In particular, the company is seeking input from providers of systems, technologies, materials and services related to grade crossings and port security and operations.

Metra has unveiled plans to install suicide prevention signs on station platforms along each of its 11 lines.

The signage will feature the suicide prevention hotline phone number. The plan marks the first time the railroad has committed to installing signs as part of a more comprehensive suicide prevention initiative launched earlier this year, Metra officials said in a press release.

U.S. railroads moved 540,005 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending July 15, a 3.8 percent increase compared with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

Total carloads for the week added up to 262,869 units, a slight increase of 0.3 percent compared with the same week in 2016. U.S. railroads' intermodal volume rose 7.4 percent to 277,136 containers and trailers compared to a year ago.

The League of Railway Industry Women (LRIW) has extended its nominations deadline to Aug. 11 for the 2017 Outstanding Woman of the Year Award, which is co-sponsored by Progressive Railroading.

For two decades, the LRIW has been recognizing women who have made significant contributions to the rail industry through leadership, dedication and vision. Women working in the North American rail industry are eligible to receive the award.

The California Legislature earlier this week voted to extend the state's cap-and-trade program that requires companies to purchase permits for releasing greenhouse gases. The program generates revenue for the state's high-speed rail project.

The legislation, which now awaits Gov. Jerry Brown's signature, would continue the program through 2030.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday unveiled a $5.6 billion initiative to improve MTA Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) infrastructure. 

Under Cuomo's plan, LIRR will be able to advance 100 "transformative" capital projects, including adding a third track to the railroad's Main Line, according to a press release issued by the governor's office.

Canadian Pacific yesterday reported second-quarter net income soared 46 percent to CA$480 million, or CA$3.27 per diluted share, and revenue increased 13 percent to CA$1.64 billion compared with the same quarter last year.

The Class I's record-setting second-quarter earnings were driven in part by increased shipments of grain, coal, potash, energy products and metals.

Union Pacific Railroad reported second-quarter net income jumped 19 percent to nearly $1.2 billion, or a Q2 record of $1.45 per share, from $979 million, or $1.17 per share, in the same quarter last year.

Total operating revenue for the quarter climbed 10 percent to $5.25 billion from $4.77 billion, while freight revenue increased 11 percent to $4.9 billion from $4.4 billion a year ago, the Class I announced today in a press release.