Railroad News

North American passenger-rail agencies continue to take precautions in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus. 

As Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) ridership in San Francisco continues to decline, BART officials yesterday assured riders the agency is not anticipating a service reduction, agency officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) yesterday announced the recipients of $248.5 million in grant funds under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program for state and local railroad infrastructure projects.

Administered by the Federal Railroad Administration, the grants will fund 32 projects in 27 states, USDOT officials said in a press release.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) yesterday approved the installation of lights and gates at five grade crossings in Ohio. 

The PUCO approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing Norfolk Southern Railway, Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW) and Indiana & Ohio Railway (IORY) to make upgrades at crossings in Allen, Fulton and Lucas counties by Dec. 11.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) is considering restructuring fares to better serve the needs of low-income riders and promote efficient travel across all SEPTA transit modes.

Agency officials announced yesterday the proposed plan includes no changes to base cash fare or discounted rates. Fares for children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be reduced, the cost of weekly and monthly passes will increase by 6 percent, and the base fare on SEPTA’s Key reloadable fare card will increase by 50 cents.

The South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) last month logged its highest February ever for cargo volumes and rail moves at inland ports. 

The SCPA moved 197,214 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) across the Wando Welch and North Charleston container terminals last month, SCPA officials said in a press release.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) yesterday issued 2019 industrial development results, which show the company's customers invested $1.1 billion in new projects in communities served by its U.S. freight railroads.

The developments supported commodities including grain, plastic pellets, lumber, paper, rock, and wind turbine components, G&W officials said in a press release.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced yesterday that this year it will induct three individuals into the organization's inaugural Short Line Industry Hall of Fame.

The new annual recognition program will honor short-line visionaries and stars who through their dedication, commitment and achievement best exemplify the qualities of innovation, entrepreneurialism, perseverance and service that have helped advance the short line industry, ASLRRA officials said in a press release.

Americans are switching their travel habits from public transit to either staying home or relying more on cars as a direct result of the outbreak of COVID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus, according to a poll published yesterday by Northstar Research Partners. 

Of the 1,000 Americans surveyed, 48 percent indicated that they believe riding public transit poses a high health risk due to the virus, and 30 percent to 40 percent report they cut back their use of public transportation.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) this week proposed a rule of particular applicability (RPA) to establish safety standards for the Texas Central Railroad's Dallas-to-Houston high-speed rail system.

The proposed standards would apply only to Texas Central's bullet-train plan for Texas, FRA officials said in a notice published March 10 in the Federal Register.

U.S. freight railroads logged 462,303 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending March 7, down 9.1 percent compared with the same week in 2019, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Railroads moved 229,742 carloads during the week, down 3.5 percent, and 232,561 containers and trailers, down 14.1 percent.

Danella Rental Systems Inc. acquired Aspen Equipment Co.’s rental division. Danella provides hi-rail vehicles construction rental equipment and Aspen Equipment builds hi-rail vehicles. Aspen Equipment will remain in the industry, focusing its resources on production and service of new railroad truck equipment, Danella officials said in a press release.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. will implement PS Technology’s (PST) CrewPro Short Line™ railroad crew management and hours-of-service (HOS) system, and the QualPro™ qualification and training management solution across its rail network. CrewPro Short Line automates much of the crew calling process while simultaneously tracking HOS to prevent inadvertent violations of Federal Railroad Administration regulations, PST officials said in a press release. The QualPro tracks all employees’ qualifications and pushes that information to the CrewPro scheduling system ensuring only qualified employees are presented as options to select from.

The San Mateo County Transit District this week published a progress report of Caltrain’s service and projects in 2019.

The report outlines milestones met last year, including adoption of the 2040 Service Vision, which calls for Caltrain to operate more frequent service, add electrified service and prepare for future expansion.

Brightline, soon to be Virgin Trains USA, has been named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2020.

The list honors businesses making a profound impact on both industry and culture, Brightline officials said in a press release.

RCR Rail Co. officials recently broke ground on a new logistics park near Taylor, Texas, and opened a new park in Hempstead, Texas, the company announced late last month.

The 750-acre RCR Taylor Logistics Park will be located west of Taylor to serve the manufacturing, storage and logistics industries of the Austin area and central Texas. It will offer direct access to BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad lines, state highways 70 and 130, and Interstate 35, RCR Rail officials said in a press release.

OmniTRAX Inc. has hired Justin Strickland to serve as director of economic development.

Strickland will support all phases of business growth and act as a liaison with economic development partners in the southeast United States, OmniTRAX officials said in a press release.

Ottawa, Ontario, officials notified Rideau Transit Group (RTG), the company responsible for maintaining the Confederation light-rail line, that it has defaulted on its contract with the city.

The notice advises RTG that it is not meeting obligations set under the project agreement and requires the entity to submit a remedial plan and schedule by March 31.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Maritime Administration has awarded $18.2 million in federal funding to the Port of Los Angeles and $14.5 million to the Port of Long Beach for rail-related projects.

The grants were awarded through the Maritime Administration's new Port Infrastructure Development Program, which is designed to help fund projects that improve port facilities or near coastal seaports, administration officials said in a press release.

Metro Transit’s light-rail service in Minneapolis logged 25,299,442 riders in 2019, an increase of 343,825 riders compared with 2018.

The Green Line logged a record annual ridership of 14.2 million rides in 2019, a 3 percent increase from 2018. Ridership on the Green Line has climbed every year since service began in 2014, Metropolitan Council officials said in a press release. The Met Council is the regional planning agency for Metro Transit.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) crews on March 20 will begin installing a communications-based train control (CBTC) system on the F subway line between Church Avenue and Coney Island stations in Brooklyn.

The $253 million project is part of the agency’s Culver Line signal modernization project to replace the 70-year-old block signaling system on the line. CBTC enables continuous updates on train positions and speeds, which will allow for faster and more efficient operations compared with the old system, NYCT officials said in a press release.