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Jul
25

Chao appoints federal reps to WMATA's board

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao yesterday announced the appointment of David Horner and Steve McMillin to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) board.

Effective yesterday, the appointments come at a critical time for WMATA, Chao said in a press release.

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Jul
25

UP safety videos win Telly Award

Rail News Home Safety 7/25/2017 Rail News: Safety
UP won a Telly Award for its grade-crossing safety videos.Photo – Union Pacific Railroad, YouTube

Union Pacific Railroad has received a Telly Award for its "Your Life is Worth the Wait" videos that urge drivers to stop for trains at grade crossings, the Class I announced yesterday.

The video series, which reached 32 million viewers on social media, was part of UP's 2016 public safety awareness campaign, according to a UP press release.

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Jul
25

MBTA, Keolis to step up rail ticket checking

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 7/25/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The agency estimates it could recover up to $24 million in uncolected fares by modernizing its ticket-checking system.Photo – MBTA

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Keolis Commuter Services yesterday announced plans to improve the agency's ticket checking system for its commuter-rail network.

The initiative includes a revenue-sharing partnership between the agency and Keolis, which operates the MBTA's commuter-rail system. The agreement expands a marketing and ridership growth initiative aimed at allowing additional investment into the system, Keolis officials said in a press release.

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Jul
25

Pacific Harbor Line names Hoye VP

Rail News Home Railroading People 7/25/2017 Rail News: Railroading People
Stephen HoyePhoto – www.supt.org

Stephen Hoye has been named vice president of its Pacific Harbor Line (PHL) effective early next month.

Hoye will join the PHL from The Belt Railway Co. of Chicago, where he has been a superintendent since 2011.

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Jul
25

Metrolinx begins search for new rail operator

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 7/25/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Bombardier will continue providing operations and maintenance until 2023's end.Photo – Metrolinx

Metrolinx has issued a request for qualifications for an operator to work with the agency as it finalizes arrangements for its GO Regional Express Rail (RER) plan.

As part of the plan, Metrolinx aims to increase the number of trains it runs each week from 1,500 to 6,000. The agency seeks a company with experience operating and maintaining service to passengers during a major construction and expansion program.

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Jul
25

Trump administration seeks repeal of Obama's fracking regs

Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 7/25/2017 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
President Donald Trump's administration today officially filed its proposal to rescind an Obama-era regulation that governs hydraulic fracturing on federal and tribal land. The Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) proposal to repeal the regulations of "fracking" was published today in the Federal Register. President Barack Obama's administration implemented the rule in 2015 to set standards in areas such as the disclosure of chemicals used by the oil and gas industry in the fracking process."The BLM is now proposing to rescind the 2015 final rule because we believe it is unnecessarily duplicative of state and some tribal regulations and imposes burdensome reporting requirements and other unjustified costs on the oil and gas industry," the bureau stated in today's post in the Federal Register.The proposed rule would return the regulations to the language that was in place prior to the 2015 rule's publication, the BLM stated.In March, Trump issued an executive order calling on his administration to review certain rules governing the energy industry. The 2015 fracking rule was among those rules.The BLM is soliciting public comment on the proposal for the next 60 days.

Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.

More News from 7/25/2017


Jul
25

Service provider selected for CTrail Hartford Line

A joint venture between TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts has been selected as the service provider that will operate and manage service on the CTrail Hartford Line.

Through a "thorough service provider bidding process and cost-benefit analysis for the Hartford Line program," the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) says it selected TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts (TASI/ACI). The companies are forming a joint venture solely for the purpose of serving the Hartford Line.

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Jul
25

Service provider selected for CTrail Hartford Line

A joint venture between TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts has been selected as the service provider that will operate and manage service on the CTrail Hartford Line.

Through a "thorough service provider bidding process and cost-benefit analysis for the Hartford Line program," the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) says it selected TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts (TASI/ACI). The companies are forming a joint venture solely for the purpose of serving the Hartford Line.

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Jul
25

Service provider selected for CTrail Hartford Line

A joint venture between TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts has been selected as the service provider that will operate and manage service on the CTrail Hartford Line.

Through a "thorough service provider bidding process and cost-benefit analysis for the Hartford Line program," the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) says it selected TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts (TASI/ACI). The companies are forming a joint venture solely for the purpose of serving the Hartford Line.

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Jul
25

Connecticut taps TransitAmerica, Alternate Concepts to operate Hartford Line

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) has chosen a joint venture of TransitAmerica Services and Alternate Concepts Inc. to operate and manage service on the CTrail Hartford Line, a passenger-rail route that will run between New Haven, Conn., and Springfield, Mass.

Currently under construction, the Hartford Line is scheduled to launch in May 2018, according to a press release issued by Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy's office.

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Jul
25

CTA reopens one station entrance at IMD Blue Line, closes two for rehab

Considered a major milestone by CTA for the $23-million renovation, the new entrance includes additional lighting, more security cameras and a CTA bus and train tracker display to provide real-time arrival information convenience to customers. The station also received new flooring and stainless steel wall finishes as wells as a reconstructed ramp leading to the platform for enhanced accessibility.

"The Illinois Medical District station is a vital public transit connection to one of the nation's largest medical districts and this renovation will help it better serve the nearly one million people that go through it annually," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. "By investing in a 21st Century, world-class transit system we are investing in a stronger future for Chicago, its neighborhoods and its residents."

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Jul
25

CTA reopens one station entrance at IMD Blue Line, closes two for rehab

Considered a major milestone by CTA for the $23-million renovation, the new entrance includes additional lighting, more security cameras and a CTA bus and train tracker display to provide real-time arrival information convenience to customers. The station also received new flooring and stainless steel wall finishes as wells as a reconstructed ramp leading to the platform for enhanced accessibility.

"The Illinois Medical District station is a vital public transit connection to one of the nation's largest medical districts and this renovation will help it better serve the nearly one million people that go through it annually," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. "By investing in a 21st Century, world-class transit system we are investing in a stronger future for Chicago, its neighborhoods and its residents."

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Jul
25

CTA reopens one station entrance at IMD Blue Line, closes two for rehab

Considered a major milestone by CTA for the $23-million renovation, the new entrance includes additional lighting, more security cameras and a CTA bus and train tracker display to provide real-time arrival information convenience to customers. The station also received new flooring and stainless steel wall finishes as wells as a reconstructed ramp leading to the platform for enhanced accessibility.

"The Illinois Medical District station is a vital public transit connection to one of the nation's largest medical districts and this renovation will help it better serve the nearly one million people that go through it annually," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. "By investing in a 21st Century, world-class transit system we are investing in a stronger future for Chicago, its neighborhoods and its residents."

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Jul
25

Rising Stars: Joshua Engel-Yan, Metrolinx

Joshua Engel-Yan, 38

Job description: Engel-Yan has worked in railroading at Metrolinx for eight years. He provides the evidence and analysis to inform the agency’s transportation planning and investment decisions. He leads teams of technical experts who specialize in ridership forecasting, mapping and economic modeling. In addition, Engel-Yan is responsible for the Metrolinx business case framework, which is aimed at ensuring that project assessments consider benefits and costs from a range of angles.

Education: Bachelor’s of applied science in systems design engineering, University of Waterloo; master's of applied science in civil engineering, University of Toronto

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Jul
24

Rail supplier news from Alstom, GCT, Quandel Consultants and Kontron (July 24)

Alstom has inaugurated its first locomotive repair center in Astana, Kazakhstan. At the more than 28,000-square-foot facility, the company will perform overhauls of the Prima T8 and Prima M4 locomotives over the next 25 years. The facility includes a repair and testing shop, warehouse, spare parts shop and office space. The center also will be able to maintain products built by other companies, such as pantographs, transformers and braking systems. The Kazakh rail network spans about 8,700 miles and represents a "substantial market for maintenance activities," Alstom officials said in a press release. 

GCT Global Container Terminals Inc. has appointed Doron Grosman president and chief executive officer. He will be responsible for the company's operations in both Canada and the United States. Grosman succeeds Stephen Edwards, who held the position since 2012. Most recently, Grosman was an operating partner at Court Square Capital Partners. Before that, he was president for Hexcel Corp., a company specializing in advanced composites technology. Grosman also spent 11 years in various senior executive roles at GE and GE Plastics.

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Jul
24

UP notes six-month decline in crossing collisions

Union Pacific Railroad's rail safety programs contributed to a 5 percent decline in vehicle-train collisions at grade crossings in the first half of 2017 compared with the same period in 2016, the Class I announced late last week.

UP logged a 2.27 crossing accident rate across its 23-state network compared to a 2.40 rate during 2016's first half, UP officials said in a press release. The rates are calculated by the number of Federal Railroad Administration reportable crossing accidents per million train miles.

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Jul
24

Tucson streetcar marks third anniversary

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 7/24/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Since its launch, the system has provided 2.93 million ridesPhoto – Sun Link's Twitter account

On July 22, the Sun Link streetcar system in Tucson, Arizona, marked its third anniversary.

Since its launch, the system has provided approximately 2.93 million rides, Sun Link officials said in a press release.

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Jul
24

Metra bested on-time performance goal in June

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 7/24/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The most common cause of delays was related to freight interference and track construction.Photo – Metra

Last month, Metra logged an on-time performance rate of 95.3 percent.

The figure exceeded the commuter railroad's goal of operating at least 95 percent of trains on time, Metra officials said in a press release. The agency considers a train to be on time if it reaches its final destination within five minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled arrival.

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Jul
24

CSX designates Alabama location a 'Select Site'

CSX has designated the South Alabama Mega Site in Bay Minette as a Select Site.

The site is located between Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, on CSX's mainline.

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Jul
24

CSX designates Alabama location a 'Select Site'

CSX has designated the South Alabama Mega Site in Bay Minette as a Select Site.

The site is located between Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, on CSX's mainline.

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