Railroad News

McKean County, Pennsylvania, has received $11.9 million in federal funding for a project designed to improve freight-rail capacity and safety, U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) announced late last week.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued the grant through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program (CRISI).

New Jersey Transit last week broke ground on a project to extend the Hudson-Bergen light rail’s West Side Avenue Branch less than a mile from its current terminus at West Side Avenue in Jersey City to a new terminus across Route 440.

The $220 million extension project will include construction of a new station west of Route 440 to serve riders at a future development on the Hackensack River waterfront, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced at a press event last week.

Canadian Pacific Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Nadeem Velani has been named Canada's CFO of the Year for 2020.

Presented annually by Financial Executives International Canada (FEI Canada), PwC Canada and Robert Half, the award recognizes senior financial leaders who've made significant contributions to business in Canada.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Executive Director Rick Cotton tested positive for the the novel coronavirus, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday. 

Cotton is showing no symptoms of the virus and is self-quarantined at his home while maintaining a full schedule, port officials said in a published statement following Cuomo’s announcement. 

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB) last week added Steve Heminger to its board to represent the city and county of San Francisco.

He was appointed to the board by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) has activated positive train control (PTC) on the eastern 108 miles of its system, the commuter railroad announced yesterday.

The trackage runs from Patchogue to Montauk, and from Ronkonkoma to Greenport, New York. The 108 miles nearly double the route miles under PTC operation to 220, LIRR officials said in a press release. Now, 72.5 percent of the railroad’s 305 route miles are PTC-operable.
 
“This latest achievement shows that we are continuing to make steady and deliberate progress as we work toward implementing PTC systemwide by Dec. 31,” said LIRR President Phil Eng.

The Transportation Communications Union (TCU)/IAM last week announced National President Robert Scardelletti will retire on July 31 after serving 29 years as the union’s leader and more than 53 years as a TCU/IAM member.

The union’s executive council has elected Arthur Maratea as Scardelletti’s successor. Maratea — who will assume the position of national president on Aug. 1 — currently is national vice president. He serves as a special assistant to the president, and heads the TCU/IAM’s industry relations and social services departments.

Ellis & Eastern Co. will receive a nearly $14.5 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help fund the rehabilitation of 7.5 miles of track between Brandon, Minnesota, and Valley Springs, South Dakota.

The nearly $34 million project calls for rebuilding 6 miles of track between Rushmore and Adrian, Minnesota, constructing a siding in Valley Springs, and upgrading 11 bridges and a number of grade crossings.

Transit agencies across the United States have been taking precautions in response to the outbreak of COVID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority today will implement an enhanced cleaning schedule, which calls for sanitizing rail cars every 72 hours and buses daily.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao last week announced that the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) environmental impact report for the Gateway Hudson River rail tunnel rehabilitation project will continue to be delayed.

Chao said the report won’t be completed as long as the project fails to qualify for federal funding, NJ.com reported.

TekTracking LLC has installed its gate light monitor at a Canadian Class I rail crossing. TekTracking’s gate light monitor is a patent-pending sensor platform used to measure and verify the operation of gate arm lights used in grade crossings. The monitor generates alarms based on anomalies or equipment malfunctions, according to a company press release. 

Stonebriar Commercial Finance promoted Jeff Griffin to managing director of rail leasing. He will oversee market share growth of rail-car leasing clients and place Stonebriar’s recent rail-car order, which will be delivered over the next four years, company officials said in a press release.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) in January handled 61,415 containers, a 12.3 percent increase in rail volume compared with the same month in 2019. 

Meanwhile, total volume for January was 617,024 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, a 0.9 percent decrease from the previous year’s 622,531 TEUs, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has appointed Matt Campbell, Georgia legislative director for SMART Transportation Division, to serve on the state's Commission for Service and Volunteerism.

Part of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the commission promotes service and volunteerism in the state through AmeriCorps national service grants, community volunteer recognition and support of local volunteer organizations and efforts. The agency also serves as a pass-through for funds from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington, D.C.

Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) crews on March 8 will begin a $133.5 million track renovation project as part of the agency’s state-of-good-repair work. 

Over a nine-day period, crews will renovate track on the Blue and Green lines, MARTA officials said in a press release.

On Wednesday, 450 railroad industry employees visited 330 House and Senate offices as part of the industry's Railroad Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

The annual gathering calls together professionals from all sides of the freight-rail table — Class Is, short lines, labor unions, shippers and manufacturers — to support the rail industry.