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Feb
27

NRC makes $15k education grant available

The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) is accepting applications through May 4, 2018, for a $15,000 grant to be awarded to a rail-focused educational institution.

 

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Feb
27

NY state grant to help build rail siding

State Sen. James L. Seward, representatives from Hoober Feeds and officials from Schoharie County announced a $200,000 state grant Feb. 26 that will pay for improvements to the rail line in Central Bridge, the New York State Senate announced.

 

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Feb
27

MARTA rolls out free Wi-Fi on trains

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 2/27/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The service primarily is geared toward basic web, email and social media usage.Photo – MARTA

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has implemented free Wi-Fi service on all trains.

The "Wi-Fi Lite" service primarily is geared toward basic web, email and social media usage. Riders are prohibited from downloading large files or streaming video due to limited bandwidth.

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Feb
27

PTC, low ridership prompt UTA to end Pleasant View commuter-rail service

Rail News Home Positive Train Control 2/27/2018 Rail News: Positive Train Control
In August, the agency will indefinitely halt service between Ogden and Pleasant View.Photo – Utah Transit Authority

The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) later this year will halt commuter-rail service between Pleasant View and Ogden due to low ridership and the high cost of implementing positive train control (PTC).

The closure will start in August, the Standard-Examiner reported. Each day, about 35 southbound passengers use the Pleasant View station, which is the northern terminus of the FrontRunner commuter-rail line.

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Feb
27

MARS elects 2018 officers

Rail News Home Railroading People 2/27/2018 Rail News: Railroading People
The new MARS President Harry Zander (left) is congratulated by outgoing President Michael Barth, who was honored for his leadership at the winter meeting.Photo – MARS

The Midwest Association of Rail Shippers (MARS) last week announced its newly elected slate of 2018 officers.

They are Harry Zander of Trinity Rail, president; Tom Surma of Ingredion, first vice president; and Stefan Loeb of Watco Cos. LLC, second vice president.

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Feb
27

South Shore expands railcar storage options

Short line Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad (CSS) is offering expanded capacity for railcar storage.

 

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Feb
27

Ontario releases hydrogen-powered train study

Rail News Home Rail Industry Trends 2/27/2018 Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
The cost of building and operating a hydrogen-powered system is equivalent to that of conventional electrification, the study found.Photo – Metrolinx

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has released a report on the technical and economic feasibility of using hydrogen-powered trains to electrify GO Transit's rail service.

The study determined that it would be feasible to use hydrogen fuel cell technology as an alternative to traditional overhead wires. The lifetime cost of building and operating the hydrogen-powered system is equivalent to that of a conventional electrification system, the study found.

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Feb
27

South Shore adds rail-car storage capacity

Rail News Home Short Lines & Regionals 2/27/2018 Rail News: Short Lines & Regionals
Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad (CSS) recently added rail-car storage opportunities for empty or loaded freight cars.The expanded storage space is the result of new investments in track capacity designed to help third-party and off-line customers with short- and long-term rail-car storage needs, CSS officials said in a press release."The need for railcar storage capacity located close to Chicago fluctuates based on ebbs and flows of storage space in the industry," said CSS President Todd Bjornstad. "We are offering this because we believe South Shore's easy access to multiple Chicago railroads gives third-party customers a chance to take advantage of our strategic location."Under the program, CSS offers interchange service daily except Saturday. The railroad offers short- or long-term rates based on how long cars will be stored.CSS interchanges with six Class Is and several regional and switching railroads.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

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Feb
27

Los Angeles Metro breaks ground on Purple Line Extension's second phase

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 2/27/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The project involves adding 2.6 miles of subway service to downtown Beverly Hills and LA's Century City neighborhood.Photo – L.A. Metro

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) on Friday broke ground on the second phase of the Purple Line Extension.

The project involves adding 2.6 miles of subway service to downtown Beverly Hills and LA's Century City neighborhood.

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Feb
27

BNSF posts higher revenue, lower operating ratio in 2017

BNSF Railway Co. posted fourth-quarter and full-year operating income of $2 billion and $7.3 billion respectively, an increase of 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively, compared with the same periods in 2016, the Class I reported yesterday.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 6 percent to $5.6 billion, while full-year revenue increased 8 percent to $21.3 billion. BNSF attributed those results to increases in unit volume for the fourth quarter of 3 percent and full year of 5 percent, as well as higher average revenue per car/unit.

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Feb
27

BNSF posts higher revenue, lower operating ratio in 2017

BNSF Railway Co. posted fourth-quarter and full-year operating income of $2 billion and $7.3 billion respectively, an increase of 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively, compared with the same periods in 2016, the Class I reported yesterday.

Fourth-quarter revenue rose 6 percent to $5.6 billion, while full-year revenue increased 8 percent to $21.3 billion. BNSF attributed those results to increases in unit volume for the fourth quarter of 3 percent and full year of 5 percent, as well as higher average revenue per car/unit.

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Feb
26

Rail supplier news from Bombardier, Bihrle, ARI, Holland and Harting (Feb. 26)

French national rail operator SNCF has placed a $120 million order for nine Regio 2N trainsets from Bombardier Transportation. The units will be rolled out on the SNCF Transilien network in the Ile-de-France region. The Regio 2N units feature level accessibility at all stations, air conditioning, power outlets to charge mobile devices and dynamic travel information. The order stems from an option in a 2010 contract for a maximum of 860 trains.

Bihrle Applied Research Inc. and BNSF Railway Co. recently used RailVision™computer vision technology to process terabytes of images captured during drone operations. RailVision enables BNSF to automatically process tens of thousands of images collected by drones during supplemental railway inspection flights. The platform also generates actionable reports in less time than traditional inspection methods, Bihrle officials said in a press release.

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Feb
26

Port Manatee explores global business opportunities

Port Manatee officials last week met with trade commissioners from eight nations to discuss the potential for expansion of international commerce through the port.

Joining port officials for the Feb. 22 meeting were representatives from Canada, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Spain. The nations constitute the majority of board membership of the International Trade Commissioners of Florida (INTRADE).

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Feb
26

Caltrain considers new Wabtec contract for PTC

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board of Directors plans to consider the approval of a contract with Wabtec Railway Electronics, Inc. at its March 1 meeting to complete a federally-mandated safety upgrade to implement positive train control (PTC) along the corridor's signal system.

 

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Feb
26

LACMTA breaks ground on second section of Purple Line

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) celebrated the groundbreaking Feb. 23 on Section 2 of its forthcoming Purple Line extension project.

 

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Feb
26

GO Transit hydrogen fuel cell train plan “technically feasible,” says study

You asked for , but despite our computers looking very hard, we could not find it. What happened ?

the link you clicked to arrive here has a typo in itor somehow we removed that page, or gave it another nameor, quite unlikely for sure, maybe you typed it yourself and there was a little mistake ?

Original author: Keith Barrow, Senior Editor, International Railway Journal

Feb
26

Bi-State Development names Smith VP of procurement

Rail News Home Railroading People 2/26/2018 Rail News: Railroading People
Gregory SmithPhoto – Bi-State Development's Twitter account

Bi-State Development, operator of the St. Louis MetroLink light-rail system, has named Gregory Smith vice president of procurement and materials management.

Smith will provide strategic direction for procurement, materials management and supplier diversity functions, including sourcing, contract management, supply chain  management, and compliance with state and federal laws.

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Feb
26

Ohio panels OK grade-crossing improvement projects

Rail News Home Communication and Signal 2/26/2018 Rail News: Communication and Signal
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) last week approved construction authorization form the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) for the installation of active warning devices at grade crossings in Huron and Tuscarawas counties.In Huron County, the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway will install lights and gates at the Corwin Street grade crossing in the city of Norwalk.In Tuscarawas County, the Columbus & Ohio River Railroad will install lights and gates at the West Street grade crossing in the village of Newcomerstown.The upgrades are to be completed by Nov. 21. Federal funding for the projects is approved through the ORDC, PUCO officials said in a press release.To increase public safety during the construction of the projects, local governments may seek funding from the PUCO for the cost of safety improvements such as rumble strips, illumination, improved signage or other enhancements at the project locations. Funding for such improvements comes from the State Grade Crossing Safety Fund and may not exceed $5,000 per project.The PUCO is responsible for evaluating Ohio's public grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. Since the PUCO began implementing those evaluations, the annual number of train-motor vehicle crashes in Ohio has decreased from 123 in 2001 to 64 in 2016. 

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 2/26/2018


Feb
26

TransLink fast-tracks delivery of new SkyTrain cars

Kevin Desmond (at podium) made the announcement at a Feb. 23 press conference.Photo – TransLink's 'Buzzer' blog

TransLink late last week announced plans to accelerate the delivery of 28 new SkyTrain cars for the Expo and Millennium lines.

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Feb
26

Buffalo agency taps WSP for light-rail environmental review

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 2/26/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The agency is planning to extend its light-rail system into Amherst, New York.Photo – transporter.nfta.com

The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's (NFTA) board has chosen WSP Inc. to provide environmental review and preliminary design for the first phase of the Amherst Metro Rail extension project.

WSP's scope of work includes refining the 2017 locally preferred alternative for extending the Metro Rail light-rail system along Niagara Falls Boulevard in Buffalo, New York. The alignment would run from the University Station in Buffalo to the University of Buffalo's North Campus in Amherst, New York.

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