Railroad News

A University of Maryland undergraduate team has won the Intermodal Association of North America's (IANA) seventh Intermodal EXPO academic challenge in Long Beach, California.

The competition required students to respond to a case study challenge focused on mitigating congestion at marine terminals. A panel of IANA board members evaluated the teams' presentations and selected the winning university.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has resumed inspections of its latest generation of rail cars after receiving a safety concern about its inspection procedures.

The agency yesterday temporarily halted inspections of its 7000-series rail cars after the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 689 voiced concerns about a worker receiving an electric shock while inspecting one of the units. The union represents WMATA's operators and clerical and maintenance workers.

Class Is employed 147,319 employees as of mid-August, down 3.56 percent year-over-year and 0.15 percent compared with mid-July employment numbers, according to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB).

Five of the six employment categories reflected workforce decreases in mid-August compared with mid-July. The number of transportation (other than train and engine) employees declined 1.50 percent to 5,703; maintenance of way and structures, down 0.68 percent to 33,620; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 0.67 percent to 26,855;
executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.53 percent to 8,632; and professional and administrative, down 16 percent to 12,623.

CSX was able to quickly restore service throughout the areas affected by Hurricane Irma and continues to improve in key service metrics as the railroad implements its new model of precision scheduled railroading, President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison announced yesterday.

After the hurricane slammed Florida on Sept. 10 with devastating winds and flooding, CSX re-established rail service in most of the Southeast United States within hours, into and out of northern Florida within 24 hours, and throughout the vast majority of the state within a week, according to a CSX press release.

CSX was able to quickly restore service throughout the areas affected by Hurricane Irma and continues to improve in key service metrics as the railroad implements its new model of precision scheduled railroading, President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison announced yesterday.

After the hurricane slammed Florida on Sept. 10 with devastating winds and flooding, CSX re-established rail service in most of the Southeast United States within hours, into and out of northern Florida within 24 hours, and throughout the vast majority of the state within a week, according to a CSX press release.

The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) approved a recommendation September 20 to reject all four civil construction bids for the Southwest LRT project, due to price and responsiveness concerns.

The move will delay the application for and receipt of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Additionally, the start of revenue service will be delayed until 2022.

The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) approved a recommendation September 20 to reject all four civil construction bids for the Southwest LRT project, due to price and responsiveness concerns.

The move will delay the application for and receipt of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Additionally, the start of revenue service will be delayed until 2022.

The Metropolitan Council (Met Council) approved a recommendation September 20 to reject all four civil construction bids for the Southwest LRT project, due to price and responsiveness concerns.

The move will delay the application for and receipt of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). Additionally, the start of revenue service will be delayed until 2022.

New Jersey Transit yesterday outlined rail safety upgrades it has developed in the wake of a commuter train crash at the Hoboken Terminal last year.

The agency's rail operations team is replacing all stub-end tracks at the terminal with new sliding friction bumper blocks. The team also is "advancing a speed control system for trains entering the Hoboken Terminal," NJ Transit officials said in a press release.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) joined Ouachita Railroad Company (OUCH) Sept. 20 for a tour of the railroad and to discuss issues facing the shortline rail industry.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) joined Ouachita Railroad Company (OUCH) Sept. 20 for a tour of the railroad and to discuss issues facing the shortline rail industry.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR-04) joined Ouachita Railroad Company (OUCH) Sept. 20 for a tour of the railroad and to discuss issues facing the shortline rail industry.

The operators of two commuter trains involved in separate New York City-area crashes in the past year were both suffering from undiagnosed sleep apnea, according to records made public yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The NTSB made public the dockets of the fatal New Jersey Transit commuter-rail collision that occurred Sept. 29, 2016, in Hoboken, New Jersey, and the MTA Long Island Rail Road collision that occurred Jan. 4 at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York. The board's investigations into both accidents are ongoing.

Dockets for the fatal Sept. 29, 2016, New Jersey Transit commuter rail collision in Hoboken, N.J., and the Jan. 4, 2017, Long Island Rail Road collision at the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, New York, were opened to the public Sept. 21 by the National Transportation Safety Board as part of its ongoing investigations of the two accidents.

NTSB is also preparing a Special Investigation Report focused on the findings from both the NJ Transit and LIRR accidents. This report will include recommendations based on those findings, NTSB said.

Dockets for the fatal Sept. 29, 2016, New Jersey Transit commuter rail collision in Hoboken, N.J., and the Jan. 4, 2017, Long Island Rail Road collision at the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, New York, were opened to the public Sept. 21 by the National Transportation Safety Board as part of its ongoing investigations of the two accidents.

NTSB is also preparing a Special Investigation Report focused on the findings from both the NJ Transit and LIRR accidents. This report will include recommendations based on those findings, NTSB said.

Dockets for the fatal Sept. 29, 2016, New Jersey Transit commuter rail collision in Hoboken, N.J., and the Jan. 4, 2017, Long Island Rail Road collision at the Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, New York, were opened to the public Sept. 21 by the National Transportation Safety Board as part of its ongoing investigations of the two accidents.

NTSB is also preparing a Special Investigation Report focused on the findings from both the NJ Transit and LIRR accidents. This report will include recommendations based on those findings, NTSB said.

The short-line industry recently lost two of its former leaders and contributors, according to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association.

Ohio Central Railroad System founder Jerry Jacobson died Sept. 13, and former Lehigh and Hudson River Railway (L&HR) President William Gifford Moore died Aug. 28. Jacobson was 74 and Moore was 91.

California Gov. Jerry Brown earlier this month signed legislation that authorizes the San Mateo County Transit District to seek voter approval of a sales tax increase that would help fund certain transportation projects.

The legislation allows the district to place a sales tax of no more than one-half percent before voters to fund specific projects identified in an expenditure plan. The ballot measure would require the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors' concurrence as well as approval from two-thirds of county voters, district officials said in a press release.

The Atlanta City Council on Monday approved a plan to turn over the city's streetcar operations to the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) next year.

The council approved an ordinance authorizing Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to transfer the streetcar's operations, staffing, maintenance and other functions to MARTA, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.