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Feb
12

Rail leaders speak out: Don’t pull the plug on NAFTA

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

Class I and freight-rail industry executives are continuing to raise concerns about the economic turmoil that would occur if renegotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) break down and President Trump follows through on his threat to pull the U.S. out of the trade deal if he doesn’t like the final results.

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Feb
12

Tony Hatch on CSX: Looking back on Q4 2017 and forward to March 1

Tony Hatch is an independent transportation analyst and consultant, and a program consultant for Progressive Railroading’s RailTrends® conference.

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

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Feb
12

Tony Hatch on CSX: Looking back on Q4 2017 and forward to March 1

Tony Hatch is an independent transportation analyst and consultant, and a program consultant for Progressive Railroading’s RailTrends® conference.

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

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Feb
12

Coalition seeks Northeast Corridor funding in Trump's infrastructure plan

As President Donald Trump releases his long-awaited infrastructure plan today, a coalition of Northeast business leaders are calling on the president and Congress to provide federal resources to repair and upgrade the Northeast Corridor.

Trump is expected to unveil a plan today that would ask Congress to invest $200 billion over the next 10 years for infrastructure improvements such as roads and bridges. Federal dollars would serve as matching funds to encourage states and local communities to invest in infrastructure projects.

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Feb
12

TransLink served record number of riders in 2017

In 2017, TransLink logged a record 407 million boardings, marking a 5.7 percent increase over 2016.

Ridership grew across all modes of transit except the West Coast Express commuter-rail line, which experienced a 5.5 percent drop. That decline occurred because some riders moved to the new Evergreen SkyTrain extension, agency officials said in a press release.

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Feb
12

Rail Workforce Collaborative forms to tackle recruitment, training issues

Rail News Home Rail Industry Trends 2/12/2018 Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
ConnectWork LLC in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has formed a new coalition aimed at railroad workforce development.  The Rail Workforce Collaborative (RWC) was formed late last month to "transform the way rail businesses hire" by gathering industry players to address the skills gap issue, according to an announcement of the group's formation.RWC's mission will be for its membership to provide strategic leadership on critical business issues involving the rail industry's economic and workforce development.It is hoped that the coalition will help the rail industry introduce new training and recruitment programs, create apprenticeships and introduce new generations to jobs in the rail industry, organizers said.A national conference call on the group's formation will be held Feb. 27.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

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Feb
12

Baltimore rail shutting down for a fix up

The Maryland Department of Transportation has determined the entire Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) rail system will remain closed for up to four weeks following an inspection.

MTA says the shutdown is to ensure the safety of all customers and will extend through March 11. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan authorized $2.2 million in emergency funding to run supplemental bus bridges in addition to regular Baltimore Link bus services.

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Feb
12

Baltimore rail shutting down for a fix up

The Maryland Department of Transportation has determined the entire Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) rail system will remain closed for up to four weeks following an inspection.

MTA says the shutdown is to ensure the safety of all customers and will extend through March 11. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan authorized $2.2 million in emergency funding to run supplemental bus bridges in addition to regular Baltimore Link bus services.

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Feb
12

Rising Stars nomination deadline is Friday

Friday is the deadline to submit nominees for Progressive Railroading's sixth annual Rising Stars Awards program.

The magazine defines a Rising Star as an employee of the railroad industry who is under the age of 40 and who is making a positive difference in his or her company, department or team. Rising Stars are viewed as up-and-comers by their peers, colleagues, supervisors, clients or associates.

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Feb
12

Wabtec to supply PTC system to SunRail

Wabtec Corporation has signed a contract valued at about $62 million to implement its positive train control (PTC) technology along the Central Florida Rail Corridor (CFRC), the operator for the SunRail commuter line.

 

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Feb
12

Wabtec to supply PTC system to SunRail

Wabtec Corporation has signed a contract valued at about $62 million to implement its positive train control (PTC) technology along the Central Florida Rail Corridor (CFRC), the operator for the SunRail commuter line.

 

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Feb
12

Acting FRA chief Hall resigns

Heath Hall, the acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, the nation's rail safety watchdog, resigned Feb. 11 amid allegations that he was working a second job as a public relations consultant.

 

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Feb
12

Acting FRA chief Hall resigns

Heath Hall, the acting administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, the nation's rail safety watchdog, resigned Feb. 11 amid allegations that he was working a second job as a public relations consultant.

 

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Feb
12

Report: Hall steps down as FRA's acting administrator

Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 2/12/2018 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
Heath Hall has stepped down as acting administrator and deputy administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) after the news site Politico raised questions about whether he was simultaneously working as a private consultant.Hall resigned effective immediately, news agencies — citing the U.S. Department of Transportation — reported over the past weekend. He had become the FRA's acting chief in June 2017.Politico reported earlier this year that Hall continued working as a public relations consultant in Mississippi, even after he had begun serving the FRA.Late last month, FRA Chief Counsel Juan Reyes became the agency's acting deputy after it was revealed that Hall was on "an extended leave."The disruption in FRA leadership comes as the agency awaits U.S. Senate confirmation of former freight-rail industry executive Ron Batory, who President Trump nominated to serve as the permanent FRA administrator last year.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

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Feb
12

AAR Statement on Trump Administration's Infrastructure Principles

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 12, 2018 – Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), issued the following statement in reaction to infrastructure principles released today by the Trump administration.

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Feb
12

L.A. Metro crews ready Green Line for Crenshaw/LAX connection

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 2/12/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Crews continue work to connect the existing Green Line to the new Crenshaw/LAX Line.Photo – L.A. Metro's blog

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) crews have sectioned and aligned existing Green Line rail with new tracks for the Crenshaw/LAX Line.

Rail, fasteners, screws, nuts and bolts are in place and await final assembly, Metro officials said in a blog post.

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Feb
12

Four teams vie to build Chicago O'Hare express rail line

The Chicago Infrastructure Trust has received four proposals to design, build, finance and maintain an express rail line to O'Hare International Airport.

The new service would take 20 minutes or less to travel from downtown Chicago to O'Hare, trimming the current transit time by about 50 percent. The Chicago Transit Authority's Blue Line trains take about 45 minutes to travel from downtown Chicago to O'Hare, according to the agency's website.

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Feb
12

Kansas City Southern de Mexico to serve new energy terminal in Bajio region

Avant Energy will build a network of terminals to supply refined petroleum products from the Port of Altamira, Tamaulipas, to the Bajio region of north-central Mexico, the company announced last week.

The network will be known as Suministro de Petroliferos Altamira–Bajio, or SUPERA, Avant Energy officials said in a press release.

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Feb
12

Kansas City Southern de Mexico to serve new energy terminal in Bajio region

Avant Energy will build a network of terminals to supply refined petroleum products from the Port of Altamira, Tamaulipas, to the Bajio region of north-central Mexico, the company announced last week.

The network will be known as Suministro de Petroliferos Altamira–Bajio, or SUPERA, Avant Energy officials said in a press release.

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Feb
09

Rail supplier news from Biarri Rail, Cummins, Strato and HNTB (Feb. 9)

Kansas City Southern has awarded a contract to Biarri Rail to deliver a cloud-based locomotive master planning software. Known as Boss MP Loco, the software is designed to boost efficiency of critical rail assets by enabling KCS to quickly plan and optimize locomotives, Biarri Rail officials said in a press release. An earlier proof-of-concept using the software demonstrated that it could help the railroad identify fleet efficiencies and make strategic decisions on the deployment and positioning of locomotives. In addition, the software enabled KCS to examine how much of its fleet could be equipped with positive train control based on the number and location of cross-border trains operating in the United States and Mexico.

Cummins Filtration has unveiled the FleetguardFIT real-time filtration monitoring system. Using intelligent sensing and advanced data analytics, the system provides customers with "full visibility" into filter and oil life, Cummins officials said in a press release. Such information enables customers to proactively detect problems, avoid downtime, reduce repair costs and improve total cost of ownership, according to the company. FleetguardFIT has been installed on equipment applications used for rail, truck, bus and mining.

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