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Nov
06

Parsons to lead “next generation” at IAIS

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Original author: Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

Nov
06

Parsons to lead “next generation” at IAIS

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: Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

Nov
06

Parsons to lead “next generation” at IAIS

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: Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor

Nov
06

WMATA to replace Red Line interlocking

Rail News Home Maintenance Of Way 11/6/2017 Rail News: Maintenance Of Way
The agency will suspend service on the line between the Silver Spring and Fort Totten stations.Photo – WMATA

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) later this month will begin replacing a mainline interlocking on the Red Line.

To complete the work, WMATA will suspend service between the Silver Spring and Fort Totten stations from Nov. 25 through Dec. 10.

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Nov
06

Iowa Interstate names Parsons GM

Rail News Home Railroading People 11/6/2017 Rail News: Railroading People
Iowa Interstate Railroad Ltd. has promoted Joseph Parsons to the newly created position of general manager.The promotion was made concurrent with the retirement of Jerome "Jerry" Lipka as president, according to an Iowa Interstate press release.Parsons joined the railroad in September 2013 as chief operating officer. Prior to joining the company, he spent 10 years working for Class I and short-line railroads.Parsons' promotion is part of a succession plan prepared by Iowa Interstate's board, said Chairman Henry Posner III."This completes a succession plan that has been underway for some time and reflects the leadership role that [Parsons] has held within the company," said Posner. Lipka is retiring following a "distinguished railway career spanning 27 years, including 10 years at Iowa Interstate, the last six of which he has served as president," Posner said."Jerry's leadership has brought unprecedented levels of stability, safety, investment and growth, and he leaves the company well-positioned for the next generation," he added.

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Nov
06

Port Everglades handled record cargo volumes in FY2017

Rail News Home Intermodal 11/6/2017 Rail News: Intermodal
The port bested the previous containerized cargo record by 1.5 percent.Photo – Broward County’s Port Everglades

Port Everglades handled a record 1,076,893 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in fiscal-year 2017, which ended Sept. 30.

The figure marks a 4 percent increase over the previous fiscal year, and a 1.5 percent over the previous containerized cargo record set in FY2015. The growth was steady throughout the year, but it reached record levels in December and March, Port Everglades officials said in a press release.

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Nov
06

Transport Canada to adjust track inspections in response to safety recommendation

Rail News Home Safety 11/6/2017 Rail News: Safety
The recommendation followed the March 2015 derailment of a CN train near Gogama, Ontario.Photo – Transportation Safety Board of Canada

Transport Canada plans to incorporate data on rail surface conditions into its track inspection protocols following a safety recommendation from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) earlier this year.

Transport Canada has requested data on rail surface conditions from CN and Canadian Pacific, and both railroads have agreed to provide the information to the department on an ongoing basis.

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Nov
06

BNSF posts revenue, income gains in Q3

Rail News Home BNSF Railway 11/6/2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway Co.'s unit volume increases and higher revenue per car/unit helped drive growth in revenue, operating and net income in third-quarter 2017.BNSF's third-quarter 2017 total revenue rose 3 percent to $5.3 billion, operating income increased 4 percent to $1.95 billion and net income climbed 2 percent to $1.04 billion compared with the same period a year ago, according to parent company Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s third-quarter financial report.BNSF posted a third-quarter operating ratio of 62.2 percent, down from 62.7 percent in Q3 2016. The railroad's third-quarter operating expenses increased 2 percent to $3.4 billion compared with expenses in the year-ago period.Consumer product volumes in third quarter rose 7 percent compared with third-quarter 2016 due to higher domestic intermodal, international intermodal and automotive volumes. Those increases were attributed to improving economic conditions, normalizing of retail inventories, new services and higher market share.Also in Q3 industrial products volume increased 2 percent year over year primarily due to higher sand shipments and other commodities that support drilling. However, BNSF logged a 12 percent decline in agricultural product volumes during the quarter compared with a year ago. The decrease was driven by lower grain exports, partially offset by higher domestic grain.Meanwhile, BNSF's coal volumes were up 2 percent in third-quarter 2017 and 12 percent for the first nine months of 2017 compared with the year-ago periods. BNSF attributed those increases to higher natural gas prices, which led to increased usage in utility coal.

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Nov
06

BNSF posts revenue, income gains in Q3

Rail News Home BNSF Railway 11/6/2017 Rail News: BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway Co.'s unit volume increases and higher revenue per car/unit helped drive growth in revenue, operating and net income in third-quarter 2017.BNSF's third-quarter 2017 total revenue rose 3 percent to $5.3 billion, operating income increased 4 percent to $1.95 billion and net income climbed 2 percent to $1.04 billion compared with the same period a year ago, according to parent company Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s third-quarter financial report.BNSF posted a third-quarter operating ratio of 62.2 percent, down from 62.7 percent in Q3 2016. The railroad's third-quarter operating expenses increased 2 percent to $3.4 billion compared with expenses in the year-ago period.Consumer product volumes in third quarter rose 7 percent compared with third-quarter 2016 due to higher domestic intermodal, international intermodal and automotive volumes. Those increases were attributed to improving economic conditions, normalizing of retail inventories, new services and higher market share.Also in Q3 industrial products volume increased 2 percent year over year primarily due to higher sand shipments and other commodities that support drilling. However, BNSF logged a 12 percent decline in agricultural product volumes during the quarter compared with a year ago. The decrease was driven by lower grain exports, partially offset by higher domestic grain.Meanwhile, BNSF's coal volumes were up 2 percent in third-quarter 2017 and 12 percent for the first nine months of 2017 compared with the year-ago periods. BNSF attributed those increases to higher natural gas prices, which led to increased usage in utility coal.

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Nov
03

Rail supplier news from Sperry, Keolis, Greenbrier, Cubic, Arrows Up, Nortrak and WAGO (Nov. 3)

MTA Metro-North railroad earlier this week used a Sperry Rail car to perform ultrasonic rail testing on the Upper Harlem Line. The unit performed the testing on a section of track between stations in Southeast and Wassaic, New York. The railroad used the equipment to detect defects and metal fatigue inside the steel rails. The Sperry Rail car is designed to identify issues before they become major problems, Metro-North officials said in a press release.

Keolis and the Institute for Data Valorisation have formed a strategic partnership aimed at supporting the development of "innovative urban mobility solutions" through the use of Big Data. As part of the agreement, both parties will collaborate on joint research and development projects, with an initial focus on Quebec. The projects eventually will expand to other areas where Keolis is present, company officials said in a press release. As a result of the partnership, Keolis will gain a better understanding of the way passengers move and how to best plan public transit networks, company officials said.

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Nov
03

RTD reaches milestone in small-business contracts for FasTracks work

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) last month surpassed the billion-dollar mark for payments made to small businesses for contract work through the agency's FasTracks transit expansion program.

Beginning in 2005 with an award to Jacobs Engineering Group to manage the project, FasTracks contracts have benefited more than 600 small and disadvantaged firms, and 2,200 subcontractors, RTD officials said in a press release.

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Nov
03

Ohio panel OKs crossing improvement projects

Rail News Home Maintenance Of Way 11/3/2017 Rail News: Maintenance Of Way
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) on Wednesday authorized Norfolk Southern Railway, Indiana & Ohio Railway and Grand River Railway to improve grade crossings in three counties.The projects will be completed in Clinton, Hancock and Lake counties. The Hancock County project is to be completed by Jan. 25, 2019, while the other projects are to be finished by July 25, 2018, PUCO officials said in a press release.Federal funding for the projects is being provided through the Ohio Rail Development Commission.The projects call for:
• NS to install traffic gates and lights at the Lima Avenue crossing in the city of Findlay in Hancock County;
• Indiana & Ohio Railway to install new lights and gates at the State Route 123/Broadway Street crossing in Blanchester in Clinton County; and
• Grand River Railway to install lights and gates at the Williams Street crossing near the village of Grand River, and at the Richmond Road/State Route 283 crossing near Painesville in Lake County.PUCO evaluates Ohio's public grade crossings to determine the need for installing active warning devices. Since the commission began its evaluations, the annual number of train-motor vehicle accidents in Ohio has fallen from 123 in 2001 to 64 in 2016.

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Nov
03

South Carolina port authority OKs largest crane purchase

The South Carolina Ports Authority's (SCPA) board this week approved a $69.5 million contract for the purchase of six ship-to-shore cranes to handle growing container volumes and big ships calling at the Port of Charleston.

Manufactured by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Ltd., the five cranes will offer 169 feet of lift height. They will be delivered to the Hugh K. Leatherman Sr. Terminal, which is under construction, SCPA officials said in a press release.

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Nov
03

Anacostia Rail prepares 260 emergency responders in hazmat safety

Three Anacostia Rail Holdings railroads this fall conducted railroad hazmat training for more than 260 members of Indiana and Minnesota fire department and emergency response organizations.

Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad, Louisville & Indiana Railroad and Northern Lines Railway conducted the training sessions in September and October in Michigan City, Franklin and Columbus, Indiana, and St. Cloud, Minnesota.

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Nov
03

EPA trims 2017 rail-car deliveries estimate just a tad

Despite weaker carloadings in several major commodity groups, rail-car demand was relatively stable in the third quarter, according to Economic Planning Associates Inc.'s (EPA) latest "Outlook for Rail Cars" report.

After a strong start, rail traffic moderated in the quarter, primarily because of a significant slowing in grain exports, weak light vehicle production and a continued decline in petroleum loadings, the report states.

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Nov
03

Teamsters Canada members reject CP contract renewal proposal

Rail News Home Canadian Pacific 11/3/2017 Rail News: Canadian Pacific
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Train & Engine (TCRC-T&E) union on Wednesday announced its members rejected a proposed one-year contract renewal deal reached with Canadian Pacific on Sept. 6. Of 1,725 ballots cast, 1,158 voted "no" and 567 voted "yes" to ratify the agreement.CP and the TCRC-T&E — which represents 3,000 of the Class I's Canadian conductors and engineers — had agreed on a one-year renewal of a contract that's set to expire Dec. 31. The extended pact would have offered the workers a number of benefits and certainty over the next year, yet protected the interests of current and future customers, according to the railroad.CP leaders expressed disappointment that TCRC-T&E members rejected the agreement, and stressed they plan to meet with union officials to discuss the voting results and review ways to renew the pact. "We look forward to working with the union membership to better understand this result and to discuss next steps," said CP President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel in a press release. "We remain optimistic that we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement with the TCRC-T&E."The Class I has successfully negotiated a number of long-term agreements this year ahead of expiration, CP officials said. The agreements centered on a “common vision” that was in the best interests of the railroad’s workers, customers and shareholders, and the one-year proposal to the TCRC-T&E was an early offer that was consistent with that approach, they said.

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Nov
03

Teamsters Canada members reject CP contract renewal proposal

Rail News Home Canadian Pacific 11/3/2017 Rail News: Canadian Pacific
The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Train & Engine (TCRC-T&E) union on Wednesday announced its members rejected a proposed one-year contract renewal deal reached with Canadian Pacific on Sept. 6. Of 1,725 ballots cast, 1,158 voted "no" and 567 voted "yes" to ratify the agreement.CP and the TCRC-T&E — which represents 3,000 of the Class I's Canadian conductors and engineers — had agreed on a one-year renewal of a contract that's set to expire Dec. 31. The extended pact would have offered the workers a number of benefits and certainty over the next year, yet protected the interests of current and future customers, according to the railroad.CP leaders expressed disappointment that TCRC-T&E members rejected the agreement, and stressed they plan to meet with union officials to discuss the voting results and review ways to renew the pact. "We look forward to working with the union membership to better understand this result and to discuss next steps," said CP President and Chief Executive Officer Keith Creel in a press release. "We remain optimistic that we can come to a mutually beneficial agreement with the TCRC-T&E."The Class I has successfully negotiated a number of long-term agreements this year ahead of expiration, CP officials said. The agreements centered on a “common vision” that was in the best interests of the railroad’s workers, customers and shareholders, and the one-year proposal to the TCRC-T&E was an early offer that was consistent with that approach, they said.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 11/3/2017


Nov
03

Transport Canada to incorporate rail condition data into future inspections

Transport Canada will incorporate rail surface condition data into its inspection cycles; following a recommendation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).

 

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Nov
03

Transport Canada to incorporate rail condition data into future inspections

Transport Canada will incorporate rail surface condition data into its inspection cycles; following a recommendation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).

 

Continue reading
Nov
03

Transport Canada to incorporate rail condition data into future inspections

Transport Canada will incorporate rail surface condition data into its inspection cycles; following a recommendation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).

 

Continue reading