Railroad News

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) last week released its 2018 customer charter, which includes a pledge to boost streetcar service.

As part of the charter, TTC will add service on up to 20 bus and streetcar routes to help reduce overcrowding during peak capacity. The agency also plans to roll out two-hour, time-based transfers to make multiple short-distance trips more affordable.

The nation's major retail container ports handled 1.73 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEU) in January, a 0.2 percent increase from December and 1.8 percent increase from January 2017, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).

February's numbers are estimated at 1.66 million TEU, up 13.7 percent year over year. However, March is forecast at 1.53 million TEU, down 1.8 percent from the same month last year.

BNSF Railway Co.'s 2018 capital expenditure program will include $90 million for maintenance projects in Minnesota.

The largest component of this year's capital plan in the state will be replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, the Class I announced in a press release.

BNSF Railway Co.'s 2018 capital expenditure program will include $90 million for maintenance projects in Minnesota.

The largest component of this year's capital plan in the state will be replacing and upgrading rail, ties and ballast, the Class I announced in a press release.

The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) late last week reopened the Metro SubwayLink network in Baltimore following emergency rail repairs that closed the entire system.

Trains began serving passengers on March 9, three days ahead of schedule, MTA officials said in a press release. Last month, the agency closed the subways due to unexpected rail wear throughout the system.

The cost to build California's planned high-speed rail system has soared from $64 billion to $77.3 billion, according to the California High-Speed Rail Authority's (CHRSA) 2018 business plan.

Key cost drivers include increased contingency funding for future risks and "escalation" tied to schedule adjustments, CHSRA officials said in the plan.

The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) reopened service along the entire system three days ahead of schedule on the morning of March 9.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx have awarded a fixed-price contract of CA$254.5 million (US$198.3 million) to EllisDon Transit Infrastructure (EDTI) to design, build and finance the Stouffville Corridor Stations Improvement project.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a list of recipients of the nearly $500 million in available Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants.

The U.S. Department of Transportation late last week announced the 41 recipients of nearly $500 million in discretionary grant funding for road, transit, maritime and rail projects through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.

The list included more than $100 million in grants for rail-related projects. More than 64 percent of the funding was awarded to rural projects, a "historic number" that demonstrates the Trump administration's interest in supporting rural communities, USDOT officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific plans to invest $127 million into its Arkansas network in 2018. The Class 1 says the investment will enhance safety, operating efficiency and support customer service.

BNSF Railway is targeting a $90 million capital program for its Minnesota network in 2018. BNSF says maintenance will be the focus of the program with a special attention given to replacing and upgrading rail, crossties and ballast.

California's proposed high-speed rail system will cost $13 billion more and take four years longer to build than original estimates.

"As part of a wide-ranging effort to upgrade the subway system's capacity and reliability, all the winning ideas will be thoroughly vetted and further developed as quickly as possible with future procurements subject to any required MTA Board approval," MTA said. "Given the urgent need to effectuate near term change, the Genius Transit Challenge sought innovative ideas to rapidly modernize the New York City subways signal systems, procure new state-of-the-art subway cars and bring connectivity to underground tunnels and trains. The eight winners were chosen for their ability to deliver quickly maximum positive impact on subway service and customer experience. In some categories, judges gave out multiple awards because more than one proposal had significant promise, or because two proposals utilized similar technological strategies."

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

About seven months after he’d been nominated, longtime railroader Ron Batory was sworn in as the 14th administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Feb. 28.

[Editor's note: This story was updated at 2:35 p.m. CST.]

Canadian Pacific has placed an order for more than 400 of Thermo King's SLXi-DRC refrigeration units. The single domestic reefer containers provide room for an extra pallet row to increase cargo capacity. The units use R-452A — a next-generation refrigerant — to help meet sustainability goals, Thermo King officials said in a press release. CP and Thermo King previously performed a four-month field test of an SLXi-DRC unit to verify its performance in CP's rugged environment and climate. The railroad's purchase marked the largest, single domestic reefer container order in Canadian history, Thermo King officials said.

Caltrain next week will launch a project to rehabilitate its station in Sunnyvale, California.

The project calls for relocating the north pedestrian crossing to allow six-car trains to load and unload at the station platform without blocking existing crossings. In addition, crews will improve concrete surfaces that have become uneven.

Dozens of members of the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) and the Railway Supply Institute (RSI) attended Railroad Day on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

More than 55 individuals representing more than 30 REMSA member companies participated in the event, which is hosted by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA).