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Jan
24

New Jersey Gov. Murphy calls for NJ Transit audit

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday signed an executive order mandating a full-scale audit of New Jersey Transit.

The audit will review the agency's finances, leadership structure, hiring process and customer service. It also will examine NJ Transit's relationship with Amtrak and its implementation of positive train control.

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Jan
24

Rail Traffic for the Week Ending January 20, 2018

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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 20, 2018.

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Jan
24

Report: CSX to require CEOs to get medical exams

Rail News Home CSX Transportation 1/24/2018 Rail News: CSX Transportation
CSX Corp. will require future chief executives to submit to an annual physical exam that will be reviewed by the board, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.The action follows the board's decision last year to hire 72-year-old Hunter Harrison as president and chief executive officer even though he declined to get a physical exam or provide access to his medical records despite concerns about his health, according to the newspaper.Harrison had a history of health issues that required the use of an oxygen tank. He died last month of unexpected complications of his illness, which was never publicly disclosed.CSX's board is expected to adopt the new policy at a Feb. 7 meeting. The vote will head off a shareholder vote on a similar policy that had been proposed for the company's next annual meeting, according to the report.

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Jan
24

Report: CSX to require CEOs to get medical exams

Rail News Home CSX Transportation 1/24/2018 Rail News: CSX Transportation
CSX Corp. will require future chief executives to submit to an annual physical exam that will be reviewed by the board, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.The action follows the board's decision last year to hire 72-year-old Hunter Harrison as president and chief executive officer even though he declined to get a physical exam or provide access to his medical records despite concerns about his health, according to the newspaper.Harrison had a history of health issues that required the use of an oxygen tank. He died last month of unexpected complications of his illness, which was never publicly disclosed.CSX's board is expected to adopt the new policy at a Feb. 7 meeting. The vote will head off a shareholder vote on a similar policy that had been proposed for the company's next annual meeting, according to the report.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

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Jan
24

Capacity, equipment, tech investments drive record CN capital program

Canadian National plans a CA$3.2 billion (US$2.5 billion) capital program in 2018; a record for the railroad, as well as an increase of more than 23 percent over its 2017 program.

CN says the program will focus on key capacity projects to meet growing freight demand and continue investment in infrastructure maintenance to enhance safety and efficiency.

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Jan
24

Capacity, equipment, tech investments drive record CN capital program

Canadian National plans a CA$3.2 billion (US$2.59 billion) capital program in 2018; a record for the railroad, as well as an increase of approximately 23 percent over its 2017 program.

 

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Jan
24

POLB advances Pier B plan

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, progressing a plan to allow for more efficient cargo movement.

"This project is vital to our ability to stay competitive and will minimize truck trips generated by anticipated cargo growth," said Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum. "Moving more cargo by rail to and from the Port reduces air pollution and makes operations more efficient."

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Jan
24

POLB advances Pier B plan

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, progressing a plan to allow for more efficient cargo movement.

"This project is vital to our ability to stay competitive and will minimize truck trips generated by anticipated cargo growth," said Harbor Commission President Lou Anne Bynum. "Moving more cargo by rail to and from the Port reduces air pollution and makes operations more efficient."

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Jan
24

Lac-Mégantic rail bypass gets big financial commitment from Canadian government

A plan to move a rail line from out of downtown Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, received financial backing from the federal government of Canada, but no solid dollar amount.

Transport Canada Minister of Transport Marc Garneau said in a statement that the federal government would contribute a "substantial sum" toward the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass project.

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Jan
24

Lac-Mégantic rail bypass gets big financial commitment from Canadian government

A plan to move a rail line from out of downtown Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, received financial backing from the federal government of Canada, but no solid dollar amount.

Transport Canada Minister of Transport Marc Garneau said in a statement that the federal government would contribute a "substantial sum" toward the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass project.

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Jan
24

TCU, BRC ratify labor contracts with freight railroads

Rail News Home Labor 1/24/2018 Rail News: Labor
Members of the Transportation Communications International Union (TCU) and the Brotherhood Railway Carmen Division (of TCU) have ratified new contract terms with major U.S. freight railroads.The agreement covers more than 17,000 workers, National Railway Labor Conference officials said in press release.The unions are the latest to ratify their agreements with the railroads. Others that have already approved agreements include the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers and the American Train Dispatchers Association."I am pleased that more than 70 percent of our employees have now ratified the national settlement terms and even more, that they are approving them by overwhelming margins," said A. Kenneth Gradia, chairman of the National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC), the bargaining representative for the railroads. "These latest results continue the steady stream of contract ratifications by railroad employees over the last six weeks."The NCCC represents more than 30 railroads, including BNSF, CSX, and Union Pacific Railroad.The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have yet to ratify their agreements.

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Jan
24

CN: Q4 adjusted net income down 6 percent

CN reported fourth-quarter 2017 adjusted net income decreased 6 percent to CA$897 million and adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) fell by 2 percent to CA$1.20.

The results exclude the impact of changes in the U.S. corporate tax rate under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Including the tax benefit, CN reported Q4 2017 net income soared 156 percent to CA$2.6 billion and diluted EPS jumped 164 percent to CA$3.48 compared with Q4 2016's results, CN officials said in a press release.

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Jan
24

CN: Q4 adjusted net income down 6 percent

CN reported fourth-quarter 2017 adjusted net income decreased 6 percent to CA$897 million and adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) fell by 2 percent to CA$1.20.

The results exclude the impact of changes in the U.S. corporate tax rate under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Including the tax benefit, CN reported Q4 2017 net income soared 156 percent to CA$2.6 billion and diluted EPS jumped 164 percent to CA$3.48 compared with Q4 2016's results, CN officials said in a press release.

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Jan
24

NS attributes higher profit to volume growth, strategic plan

Norfolk Southern Corp. reported fourth-quarter 2017 adjusted net income of $486 million, or $1.69 per diluted earnings per share (EPS), compared with $416 million, or $1.42 per diluted share, in the same period a year ago.

For full-year 2017, NS posted $1.9 billion in adjusted net income versus $1.7 billion in 2016. Adjusted diluted EPS were $6.61, an 18 percent increase over last year's record diluted EPS of $5.62, NS officials said in a press release.

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Jan
24

NS attributes higher profit to volume growth, strategic plan

Norfolk Southern Corp. reported fourth-quarter 2017 adjusted net income of $486 million, or $1.69 per diluted earnings per share (EPS), compared with $416 million, or $1.42 per diluted share, in the same period a year ago.

For full-year 2017, NS posted $1.9 billion in adjusted net income versus $1.7 billion in 2016. Adjusted diluted EPS were $6.61, an 18 percent increase over last year's record diluted EPS of $5.62, NS officials said in a press release.

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Jan
23

LACMTA retires TBM mining Regional Connector tunnels

Boring work for the two tunnels that are part of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (LACMTA) Regional Connector Transit Project has been completed and the tunnel boring machine (TBM) used for the work is being retired.

 

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Jan
23

MassDOT kicks off efforts to update state rail plan

Rail News Home Rail Industry Trends 1/23/2018 Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has begun working on a state rail plan to outline a 20-year vision and four-year plan for its rail system. The document is an update to MassDOT's 2010 State Rail Plan. The most recent rail plan will comply with the Federal Railroad Administration's requirement that states develop individual rail plans in a six-chapter format, MassDOT officials said in a blog post.Each plan must provide an overview of a state's existing rail system, the system's overall role in the transportation network, how the system is financed and documentation of coordination for developing the plan.MassDOT has scheduled a public meeting Jan. 29 to answer questions about the new plan.

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More News from 1/23/2018


Jan
23

Metra seeks rider input on fare restructuring

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 1/23/2018 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Some of the fare changes are aimed at encouraging off-peak travel.Photo – Metra

Metra next month will host meetings to gather rider feedback about several changes to the agency's fare structure, including a plan to introduce a day pass for travel between any two zones.

The aim is to create a flexible fare structure that allows Metra to segment and price markets differently, and to give the railroad more flexibility to increase fare revenue while providing more control over ridership impacts from fare changes, agency officials said in a press release.

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Jan
23

Georgia Ports Authority posts record TEUs in 2017

The Port of Savannah handled more than 4 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2017, an 11 percent increase and the port's highest annual volume ever, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) reported yesterday.

Last month, the GPA handled 323,000 TEUs, up 10.6 percent compared with a year ago and the busiest December in the authority's history.

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Jan
23

Michigan line improvements result in improved Amtrak travel

Amtrak says rail infrastructure improvements along its Chicago – Detroit/Pontiac line have been made to enable safe, faster travel along the Michigan passenger and freight corridor.

 

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