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Aug
14

Product updated: Material handling equipment 2018

The Brandt Rail Straddle Carrier platform is mobile and can be optimized for multiple John Deere excavator models.Photo – Brandt road rail

Compiled By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

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Aug
13

U.S. Sen. Kaine's staff visit Stella-Jones' Virginia plant

Rail News Home Railroading Supplier Spotlight 8/13/2018 Rail News: Railroading Supplier Spotlight
The tour group included representatives from Buckingham Branch Railroad.Photo – National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) staff earlier this month toured wood-tie manufacturer Stella-Jones' plant in Goshen, Virginia.

The plant supplies crossties and bridge timbers to freight railroads, Amtrak, state departments of transportation and transit agencies. Each year, the facility treats more than 1 million ties from sawmills throughout Virginia.

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Aug
13

Seth Rogen tapped to voice transit announcements in Canada

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 8/13/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Rogen provided the voice-overs at no cost to the agencies.Photo – TransLink's YouTube account

Two Canadian transit agencies have tapped actor Seth Rogen to record train and bus announcements.

In late July, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) and TransLink announced that Rogen was chosen to provide a series of etiquette and public service announcements on their systems. The messages cover a range of courtesy-related topics, such as reminders to not put bags on seats or eat on board.

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Aug
13

Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen elect Mason president

Rail News Home Railroading People 8/13/2018 Rail News: Railroading People
Floyd Mason has been elected president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS).Most recently, Mason served as the organization's vice president-East. He was elected to the presidency at the BRS' 52nd regular convention held last week in Boston, BRS officials said in a press release.Mason was elected vice president-Southeast in 1994 and vice president-Headquarters in 1991. He was appointed to the position of Grand Lodge representative in 1989.Also last week, convention delegates elected Jim Tarrant vice president-East. They re-elected Jerry Boles secretary treasurer; Kelly Haley, vice president-Headquarters; John Bragg, vice president-NRAB; Mike Baldwin, vice president-West; Jim Finnegan, vice president-Commuter/Passenger; and Joe Mattingly, vice president-Midwest.Re-elected to the office of trustee were Mike Owens, Gus Demott and John McArthur.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 8/13/2018


Aug
13

Lawmakers ask Amtrak to reconsider Toys for Tots train

Rail News Home Amtrak 8/13/2018 Rail News: Amtrak
Amtrak in March changed its guidelines affecting charter service, which will impact the Marine Corps' Toys for Tots train.Photo – Marine Corps Reserve's Twitter account

Three members of Congress representing districts in New York have asked Amtrak to reconsider a plan to cancel a Marine Corps Toys for Tots train, which distributes donated toys to families in need during the Christmas season.

U.S. Reps. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), John Faso (R-N.Y.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) last week wrote to Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson to request that the national passenger railroad reconsider new guidelines that would prevent the Toys for Tots train from making its annual trip.

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Aug
13

Baltimore airport light-rail service to resume Aug. 20

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 8/13/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The agency's crews are installing a 36-inch drain pipe under the tracks to mitigate flooding.Photo – MDOT MTA's Twitter account

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration's (MDOT MTA) light-rail service to Baltimore-Washington International Airport is expected to resume Aug. 20 following severe storms that eroded track.

The agency plans to wrap up repairs and restore service from its Patapsco and Cromwell stations to the airport.

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Aug
13

Rochelle Railroad breaks ground on $7 million expansion

Rail News Home Short Lines & Regionals 8/13/2018 Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals
The project is being funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the city of Rochelle.Photo – City of Rochelle Railroad

City of Rochelle Railroad broke ground last week on a $7 million expansion in the Illinois city.

The project is being funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), which is contributing $3.42 million; the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), $2.58 million; and the city of Rochelle, $1 million.

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Aug
13

NYC Transit slates meeting on Canarsie tunnel reconstruction project

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) on Wednesday will host a meeting to update the public on the upcoming Canarsie tunnel reconstruction project and alternate service plans.

Starting in April 2019, the L line subway tunnel will close for 15 months to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The tunnel carries L trains under the East River between Brooklyn and Manhattan.

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Aug
13

KCS, feds open new examination station at Laredo rail yard

Kansas City Southern and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officials last week hosted a ceremony to mark the completion of the Secondary Examination Station at the KCS Laredo rail yard in Texas.

The new building, located along KCS rail operations, provides Customs and Border Patrol employees with a safe and secure area to conduct secondary rail examinations, KCS officials said in a press release.

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Aug
13

KCS, feds open new examination station at Laredo rail yard

Kansas City Southern and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB) officials last week hosted a ceremony to mark the completion of the Secondary Examination Station at the KCS Laredo rail yard in Texas.

The new building, located along KCS rail operations, provides Customs and Border Patrol employees with a safe and secure area to conduct secondary rail examinations, KCS officials said in a press release.

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Aug
13

Rising Stars: Joan Smemoe, Railinc Corp.

Joan Smemoe, 38

Job description: As the top technology officer at the company, provides the vision and leadership for data security, product development and information system platforms. Helps guide the company as part of the executive management team.

Education: B.S., M.S. in computer science, University of Missouri-Columbia

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Aug
13

Vancouver's TransLink starts work on 10-year transit expansion plan

As part of its 10-year vision, TransLink is exploring a new 16.7-mile light-rail system to connect points in Surrey, British Columbia.Photo – TransLink

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

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Aug
10

Rail supplier news from Greenbrier, GE, Brookville, NARTC; also, in memoriam: Edward McComb (Aug. 10)

The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. has acquired a majority stake in Turkish rail-car manufacturer Rayvag Vagon Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. Based in Adana, Turkey, Rayvag also provides rail-car repair and parts services. The acquisition will extend Greenbrier's continental reach and enable Greenbrier Europe to acquire new rail-car customers and serve existing ones that operate along the nearly 5,500-mile Turkish rail system. The freight transportation sector in Turkey is "growing quickly," with the country's government committed to modernizing its existing rail system, Greenbrier officials said in a press release. Financial details of the acquisition were undisclosed.

GE Transportation's planning pilot project at the Port of Long Beach, California, is  underway, GE announced Thursday. Over the next two months, the port's stakeholders will use GE's Port Optimizer™ software to access data that will enable them to move cargo containers more efficiently, GE officials said in a press release. The software provides better advanced notice of cargo arrival, along with equipment availability data, labor and other resources. Three of the port's six container terminals are involved: the Long Beach Container, Total Terminals International and the International Transportation Service. The system debuted at the Port of Los Angeles last year.

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Aug
10

NRF: Sales up as retailers rush to beat tariff impact

Imports at the nation's major retail container ports have set two new records this summer and are expected to set another this month, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released yesterday by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates.

The records are due in part to rising retail sales and retailers rushing to bring merchandise into the country ahead of proposed new tariffs on products from China, according to an NRF press release.

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Aug
10

Cleveland RTA reports drop in crime

Rail News Home Security 8/10/2018 Rail News: Security
Serious crimes on the agency's system have dropped nearly 60 percent compared to 2016's figures.Photo – Jerry Masek / GCRTA

For the first six months of 2018, serious crimes on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's (GCRTA) system were down nearly 60 percent compared with the same period in 2016.

That's according to the results of a recent safety audit evaluating crime rates over the past two years.

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Aug
10

Port of Long Beach begins final phase of Middle Harbor project

The third and final phase of the Middle Harbor Terminal redevelopment project at the Port of Long Beach, California, is underway and on track to be completed on time and on budget, port officials announced earlier this month.

The port's construction budget for Middle Harbor is nearly $1.5 billion. The first two phases totaled $1 billion; the cost of the final phase is $470 million, according to a port news release.

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Aug
10

Montreal transit agency seeks mediator to resolve labor dispute

Rail News Home Labor 8/10/2018 Rail News: Labor
The request follows more than 77 negotiation meetings since the end of June.Photo – Societe de transport de Montreal

The Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) has requested a government mediator to settle a negotiation dispute with its maintenance employees union.

The request follows the creation of a select committee and an "increased pace of meetings" since the end of June, STM officials said in a press release. To date, 77 negotiation meetings have been held. In addition, there was a strike in early May over the use of overtime.

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Aug
10

Short Line Safety Institute appoints Cotton senior manager of safety operations

The Short Line Safety Institute (SLSI) has named Sam Cotton senior manager of safety and operations. He succeeds Mike Long, who has accepted a position with the Federal Railroad Administration.

Cotton will manage the safety culture assessment program, which is a voluntary, onsite process that evaluates railroad safety. The five-to-10-day process is non-punitive and confidential. It includes an online survey of staff, discussions with management and observations of the railroads' daily practices.

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Aug
10

NTSB reports initial facts of BNSF derailment, crude-oil spill in Iowa

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report of a BNSF Railway Co. train that derailed June 22 in Iowa, which resulted in a crude-oil spill.

The report details the initial facts in the investigation, which is ongoing.

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Aug
10

LA Metro to start Blue Line modernization project in January

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) in January will begin a $350 million project to modernize the 28-year-old Blue Line, the agency's oldest rail line.

Work on the light-rail line will include improvements to signaling, tracks, overhead wires and several stations. In addition, crews will build four new crossover tracks to reduce service interruptions.

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