Railroad News

The Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Co. Inc. (DL) last year logged a record 8,572 revenue carloads over the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority's regional-rail system, the authority reported yesterday.

The number surpasses the previous record of 8,048 cars handled in 2015 and is indicative of economic growth among the 20-plus industries served by the DL in northeastern Pennsylvania, said Larry Malski, authority president, in a press release.

A 40 percent increase in its anthracite coal business helped propel Reading & Northern Railroad (R&N) to its most successful year in history, company officials announced last week.

In 2017, the R&N handled 31,175 carloads and revenue of nearly 15 percent over 2016's levels.

​​The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending January 6, 2018.

For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 415,862 carloads and intermodal units, down 4.6 percent compared with the same week last year.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker yesterday issued an executive order to establish a task force to study the feasibility of establishing commuter-rail service between Anchorage and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley.

The nine-member Commuter Rail Advisory Task Force will study initial and ongoing capital costs, expected operating costs, potential ridership, a recommended governance structure and the economic benefits of a rail service.

Amtrak has appointed Ken Hylander to serve as executive vice president and chief safety officer.

Trump administration officials and a bipartisan group of senators yesterday held talks about the $1 trillion infrastructure package that the president is expected to propose in the coming weeks.

Although few details were released, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wy.) called the meeting a "great opportunity to discuss the Trump administration's plans for upgrading America's aging highways, bridges, ports and dams."

Amtrak has hired Ken Hylander as the railroad's executive vice president and chief safety officer. A former aviation industry executive, Hylander most recently served as chairman of the Flight Safety Foundation and previously was chief safety officer at Delta Airlines.

Hylander, who will report directly to Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson, will be responsible for implementing a safety management system (SMS) at Amtrak.

HDR has announced it will plan the final extension needed for Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) to complete light-rail service between Seattle and Tacoma, Wash.

The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) yesterday began installing new ticket vending machines at its LYNX Blue Line light-rail stations.

The machines will continue offering the agency's one-way, roundtrip, one-day and weekly passes. They'll also accept cash, credit card, "change card" or any combination thereof, CATS officials said in a press release.

Gannett Fleming, Inc., has elected Bryan P. Mulqueen, PE, to its Board of Directors effective Jan. 1.

Lisa Bartlett has been elected chair of the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA).

She served as OCTA's vice chair for the past year. Bartlett replaces outgoing chair Michael Hennessey, who remains on the board.

HNTB Corporation has announced the addition of David Anderson, PE, as Massachusetts project delivery officer.

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) has released the latest edition of its annual Rail Trends report.

The new report summarizes the 2016 performance of Canada's railroad industry, from safety and fuel efficiency to infrastructure investment and productivity.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced Jan. 9 that it has signed the U.S. Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Transportation Leaders Against Human Trafficking pledge.

Caltrain's board late last week adopted a new policy that reduces fines for riding without paying fares.

Under the new ordinance, fines will be decreased from $250 to a $75 administrative penalty. The policy also establishes a "standardized electronic issuance procedure" for conductors, Caltrain officials said in a press release.

Ontario Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca yesterday held an official opening ceremony for the GO Transit Downsview Park train station in Toronto.

The station, which began serving riders Dec. 30, 2017, provides a direct transfer between GO Transit's Barrie rail line and the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) new Line 1 subway extension.

Amtrak last week reached a tentative contract agreement with the Transportation Communications Union (TCU) representing carmen, clerks, on-board service workers and supervisors.

The agreement calls for "significant" percentage wage increases and protects health care benefits, according to a press release issued by the union.

CSX Corp. yesterday announced Edmond Harris has been named executive vice president of operations.

Harris has more than 40 years of experience in the railroad industry in an operating capacity, including nearly two decades at the Illinois Central and CN railroads, where he helped E. Hunter Harrison transform their operating models to one based on precision scheduled railroading.