Railroad News

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's (VTA) board yesterday released the results of an independent evaluation of its governance practices that provides 27 recommendations to help improve the board’s decision-making processes for transportation project planning.

Consulting firm RSM US LLP evaluated the California transit agency's board over the past five months, VTA officials said in a press release.

Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau yesterday announced the award of CA$14,250 in government funding to help raise rail safety awareness in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

Through education and outreach initiatives — and working with Indigenous partners — the city will raise awareness of rail safety, particularly for vulnerable groups such as the homeless, youth and seniors, Transport Canada officials said in a press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) found “no findings” for improvements for the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) during its triennial review of transit operators, OCTA officials announced yesterday. 

Every three years, the FTA completes a thorough review of transit operations for compliance with federal requirements and best practices.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board yesterday approved the agency’s $17 billion 2020 budget and four-year financial plan. 

The budget includes no budget-driven service cuts and advances the agency’s Transformation Plan to improve service and deliver reforms for taxpayers and commuters, MTA officials said in a press release.

U.S. freight railroads logged 520,589 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Dec. 14, down 8.5 percent compared with the same week last year, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total carloads for the week declined 9 percent to 243,290 units, while intermodal volume fell 8 percent to 277,299 containers and trailers.

As part of a plan to expand its coal marketing department, the Reading & Northern Railroad announced yesterday it named Jim Cerulli vice president of coal marketing.

Effective Jan. 1, Cerulli will take the lead on dealing with coal shippers along Reading & Northern’s rail system. He'll also manage the coal service network, shippers' car supply, shipper relations and development of additional on-line coal facilities, Reading & Northern officials said in a press release.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board yesterday approved a design-build contract to allow MTA Metro-North Railroad to replace the Third Avenue vehicular and pedestrian bridge over the New Haven Line in Mount Vernon, Virginia. 

The $10.4 million contract is expected to be awarded to John Civetta & Sons Inc., which would replace the bridge in 18 months, Metro-North officials said in a press release. 

Alstom announced that a rail line integrated with the company’s traffic management system has opened between Roskilde and Koge in Eastern Denmark. The line is the first in Denmark to have the system and be equipped with a European rail traffic management system and onboard signaling solutions, Alstom officials said in a press release. Meanwhile, Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent regional trains transported their first passengers at the official inauguration of Leman Express’ Franco-Swiss CEVA line, a cross-boarder service between France and Switzerland. Alstom deployed the complete on-board signal solution on 17 trains for the line, officials said in a press release.

Thales is working with the Hungarian National Infrastructure Development Co. to equip another 68 miles of track from Szajol to Debrecen, Hungary, with its European train control system. Thales previously modernized the Hungarian railway’s signaling system with electronic interlocking solutions, company officials said in a press release.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has created a video to highlight its efforts to expand freight-rail accessibility and improve rail infrastructure.

Among the departments "notable achievements" include breaking ground on the Carolina Connector project in Rocky Mount, and the state Rail Division receiving nearly $122 million in grant funding for safety, freight connectivity and passenger fleet improvements, NCDOT officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit crews will begin construction in early January to integrate new light-rail infrastructure to the eastside of its existing Link light-rail system.

From Jan. 4-5, no light-rail service will operate through downtown Seattle as crews work on the integration. Then from Jan. 6 to March 13, construction will require trains to operate less frequently, Sound Transit officials yesterday said in a press release.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. officials lauded Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to renew government support for VIA Rail’s high-frequency rail (HFR) project between Quebec City and Toronto.

In a recent letter to Transport Minister Marc Garneau, Trudeau identified his top priorities for transportation, including continued implementation of the Transportation 2030 strategic plan, which includes support for the HFR.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has adopted its 2020 budget.

In a vote last week, the board approved a $3.4 billion budget for operating expenses and a $3.6 billion budget for capital expenses. The operating budget increased 1.9 percent over the 2019 budget, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

Cando Rail Services has started construction on the Cando Sturgeon Terminal in Sturgeon County, Alberta.

The terminal's first phase, which will provide additional rail capacity to Alberta's industrial heartland, will use a loop-track system to enable the storage of up to 1,900 rail cars, Cando officials said in a press release.

Cando Rail Services has started construction of the Cando Sturgeon Terminal in Sturgeon County, Alberta.

The terminal's first phase, which will provide additional rail capacity to Alberta's industrial heartland, will use a loop-track system to enable the storage of up to 1,900 rail cars, Cando officials said in a press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) last week announced plans to rebuild deteriorating platforms at four Orange Line stations in Virginia in summer 2020.

During the platform reconstruction project, Vienna/Fairfax-GMU Station in Oakton, Dunn Loring-Merrifield Station in Merrifield and East Falls Church Station in Arlington will be closed between May 25 and Sept. 7, 2020. West Falls Church-VT/UVA Station in Idylwood will remain open during the project because it has two platforms that can be reconstructed one at a time, WMATA officials said in a press release. 

Last month, the MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) subway logged improved running times, or the time it takes for trains to travel from terminal to terminal, on every line in its system. 

Overall, A division trains are running close to 4 percent, or about two-and-a-half minutes, faster than last year, while B division trains are running about 2 percent, or about one-and-a-half minutes, faster than 2018, NYCT officials said in a press release.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) yesterday approved a CA$2.14 billion 2020 operating budget that calls for new service, protects recent service improvements and adds 10 cents to most fares. 

The new budget increases spending by nearly CA$85 million from the 2019 budget.