Railroad News

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has ordered New Jersey Transit to reduce fares for its Midtown Direct service on the Morris and Essex lines during this summer's repairs at Penn Station in Manhattan.

Fares will be cut 56 percent to 63 percent for July and August, Christie announced earlier this week.

Metra's board yesterday approved an $11 million contract with Railhead Corp. to install a new inward-facing camera system on locomotives, cab cars and Highliner cars.

The Chicago commuter railroad will use the system to verify that train crews are following safety laws and operating rules. The system also will be used to gather information in accident investigations and document any criminal acts, Metra officials said in a press release.

The League of Railway Industry Women (LRIW) is now accepting nominations 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 American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) on Tuesday expressed concern about port-related funding cuts in President Donald Trump's proposed fiscal-year 2018 budget.

Trump's budget would reduce funding to many programs that are "critically important to ports," including Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants and port security grants, AAPA officials said in a press release. The president's proposed budget would eliminate the TIGER program, which last year awarded $61.9 million in multimodal infrastructure grants, such as money for dock, rail and road improvements.

The Port of Seattle Commission yesterday approved $595,000 for the South 228th Street grade separation project in Kent, Wash.

The project, which is slated to cost $25 million, will eliminate a chokepoint at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing, port officials said in a press release.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday unveiled what he called an "aggressive action plan" to fix Penn Station, as well as related transit problems.

The governor's proposal included the creation of a task force to address "short- and long-term challenges" at Penn Station, which has been the site of two recent derailments because of track disrepair.

Port Everglades yesterday received approval from the Broward County Board of Commissioners to proceed with a $437.5 million project that will add new berths for larger cargo ships and install rail infrastructure for new Super Post-Panamax cranes.

Known as the Southport Turning Notch Extension, the project will lengthen the deepwater turn-around area for cargo ships from 900 feet to 2,400 feet. The expansion will allow for up to five new cargo berths, according to a press release issued by the Broward County, Fla., port.

American Public Transportation Association (APTA) leaders expressed disappointment yesterday that President Donald Trump's budget reaffirmed the administration's plan to phase out the Capital Improvement Grants (CIG) and eliminate the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant programs.

Trump's fiscal-year 2018 budget, unveiled yesterday, reaffirmed positions taken in an earlier outline of the budget that called for phasing out CIG and ending the TIGER grant program. APTA officials had hoped the administration would rethink those proposals by the time the actual budget was sent to Congress.

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) and its contractor Hawaiian Dredging on Friday will install a pedestrian bridge at the West Loch rail station in Waipahu, Hawaii.

The bridge will pass over the westbound lanes of Farrington Highway.  The work will begin Friday night and conclude Sunday morning.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has completed a new revenue platform at the Balboa Park Muni light-rail station in San Francisco.

The agency will continue to carry out several other pedestrian safety and security improvements at the station, including a sidewalk widening on Geneva Avenue and installation of new way-finding signs.

Watco Cos. recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of its new safety training center near Fairfield, Ala.

The Safety Through Awareness and Training (STAT) Center will host hundreds of Watco employees annually for standardized safety training, according to a post on the company's blog.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for rehabilitation projects at four subway stations in Manhattan.

One station is served by C line trains, while the remaining three are served by both B and C line trains.

American PetroLog LLC has completed construction of a storage and transload terminal in Venus, Texas, that will be served by BNSF Railway Co.

In January, the company acquired the assets of B&E Grain Inc. and developed the 8-acre rail site to serve customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. The terminal offers transloading and storage of bulk liquid, dry bulk and carload commodities.