Railroad News

Laura McNichol has been named senior vice president of government and industry relations at Watco Companies.

McNichol joined Watco in January 2017 as vice president of government and industry relations and is based in Washington, D.C. Watco said she will lead the company's public policy efforts on the 45G shortline tax credit, seeking funding for the nation's inland waterway system in support of Watco's terminal and ports' customers and protecting the industry against damaging policies, such as efforts to increase truck size and weight limits.

Rep. Scotty Perry (R-PA-4), a member of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, joined representatives from Aaron Enterprises Inc., Genesee and Wyoming Inc., and other Pennsylvania businesses on April 20 for a tour and discussion of transportation policy at Aaron Enterprises' facility.

Canadian Pacific late Friday negotiated its way out of a strike two unions were set to launch shortly after midnight. The Class I reached an agreement with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Train & Engine (TCRC) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which planned to begin a work stoppage at CP at 12:01 a.m. on April 21.

Per a recommendation from federal mediators, Canadian Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labor Patty Hajdu directed the Canadian Industrial Relations Board to administer a ratification vote on each of the railroad’s final offers to the TCRC and IBEW, CP officials said in a press release. The parties didn’t release any details on the pacts. The TCRC and IBEW represent 3,000 conductors and 360 signal maintainers at CP, respectively.

Nathan Henderson, executive vice president of Midwest Pacific Rail Net & Logistics and managing partner and chief operating office of North America Rail Partners, LLC, died April 18, 2018.

Henderson, 44, began his rail career with CSX in 1998 and moved up to division manager before joining R. J. Corman Railroad Group in 2011 as vice president of operations. He served as vice president of material sales, vice president of strategic sales and marketing and chief commercial officer at R. J. Corman Railroad Group before being named president of R. J. Corman Railroad Services in January 2017.

Bombardier Transportation in Australia has received the EN 15085 certification for rail vehicle and component welding. The firm is the first rail company in Australia to receive the certification, Bombardier officials said in a press release. Bombardier's welding training center in Dandenong, Victoria, is now an accredited facility for securing and growing local welding capabilities. The site also can deliver industry-recognized certifications to staff, external suppliers and industry partners in Australia.

Road & Rail Services Inc. has received the 2017 Toyota Logistics Services Kaizen Award for Logistics Excellence. The award recognizes "successful collaboration" between Toyota Logistics Services and Road & Rail, which led to improved rail-car and vehicle velocity performance at a lowered cost, Road & Rail officials said in a press release.

Metra next week will install and test a new signal and switching system north of the Museum Campus/11th Street Station in Chicago.

The railroad is switching from a manual system to an automated one as part of its positive train control (PTC) implementation, Metra officials said in a press release.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a supplier to replace its fleet that operates along the Quebec-Windsor corridor.

Starting today, the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the Cotton Belt corridor regional rail project in North Texas is now available for a 45-day public review and comment period, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) officials announced.

The 26-mile Cotton Belt Corridor extends between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Shiloh Road in Plano, Texas. The project's primary purpose is to provide passenger-rail service in Tarrant, Dallas and Collin counties, Texas.

In 2017, public transit ridership in the United States dropped 2.9 percent to 10.1 billion trips compared to 2016, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced this week.

While heavy-rail ridership in the country declined 2 percent to 3.8 billion trips, light- and commuter-rail ridership held mostly steady. Last year, U.S. transit riders took 497 million commuter-rail trips and 548 million light-rail trips, marking 0.19 percent and 0.83 percent decreases, respectively.

Kansas City Southern reported record first-quarter 2018 results, including a 5 percent increase in revenue and a 4 percent hike in operating income compared with last year's first quarter, the Class I announced today.

KCS' revenue in the quarter rose to $639 million from $609.5 million a year ago. The Class I posted record Q1 diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.40, up 1 percent, and record Q1 adjusted diluted EPS of $1.30, up 11 percent over Q1 2017.

Kansas City Southern reported record first-quarter 2018 results, including a 5 percent increase in revenue and a 4 percent hike in operating income compared with last year's first quarter, the Class I announced today.

KCS' revenue in the quarter rose to $639 million from $609.5 million a year ago. The Class I posted record Q1 diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.40, up 1 percent, and record Q1 adjusted diluted EPS of $1.30, up 11 percent over Q1 2017.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, alongside Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) Commissioner James P. Redeker and numerous federal and state officials, held a ceremony to commemorate the grand opening of the new CTRail Hartford Line Meriden Station on April 19.

The station will provide service to existing Amtrak trains and future Hartford Line trains when the CTRail Hartford Line passenger rail service launches in June 2018.

U.S. Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) sent a letter April 19 to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, which urged him to advise President Trump to rescind recent funding that could be used to move the Gateway Program forward.

Rep. Budd's letter was signed by 26 GOP members of the House, which represents a bit more than 11 percent of the seats currently held by Republicans in the House and just shy of 6 percent of the total 435 seats.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) Board of Governors approved an advocacy strategy on April 19 to accelerate completion of the SkyTrain line to UBC's Point Grey campus.

The university said the need for improved regional transit connectivity emerged as a key theme during consultations on UBC's new Strategic Plan and pursuing an accelerated investment in rail rapid transit to campus directly supports the plan's three themes: collaboration, inclusion and innovation.

Ben Tripousis has joined HNTB Corporation as associate vice president and senior program manager. He is based in the firm's San Jose, Calif., office.

Prior to joining HNTB, Tripousis was Northern California regional director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, responsible for the management and oversight of the planning, design, construction and operation of the Northern California segment of the project. He also has worked on development of the Caltrain Centralized Equipment, Maintenance and Operations Facility, the Bay Area Rapid Transit extension to San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's light-rail system.

Metrolinx and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) have agreed to study potential connections between GO Transit's Kitchener commuter-rail corridor and Toronto Pearson International Airport's future transit and passenger center.

The agencies also will explore other potential transit connections to the airport, such as the Eglinton Crosstown West light-rail project.