Railroad News

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that two Union Pacific Railroad trains collided in Texas in September 2015 because the crew of one train was likely asleep before the accident occurred, the agency announced this week.

Contributing to the incident near Texarkana, Texas, was the lack of a functioning positive train control system, according to the NTSB's accident brief.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and acting Federal Transit Administrator K. Jane Williams last week met with Protran Technology founder Peter Bartek for a demonstration of the company's safety technology for pedestrians and track workers. Chao visited company officials at the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) 2017 EXPO trade show, which ran Oct. 9-11. Protran provides track worker secondary warning systems to meet federal safety standards. The company has more than 13,000 warning systems in revenue service.

Amtrak has chosen dFuzion Inc.'s rMetrix®-A ride performance assessment systems for performing continuous vehicle/track interaction monitoring services on ACS-64 locomotives. The system enables operators to rapidly identify and prioritize locations for corrective and preventive maintenance, dFuzion officials said in a press release. The technology also helps detect vehicle and track abnormalities that may impact passenger comfort, equipment reliability and operational safety.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) yesterday marked the completion of a $1.7 million upgrade to its Lee-Shaker Station on the Green Line.

Schirmer Construction demolished the original platform and built a new one one with new waiting shelters. Crews also installed new lighting, signage, railings and a safety security system with cameras and emergency call boxes.

The Port of Savannah moved more than 1 million 20-foot-equivalent container units (TEUs) across the Garden City Terminal in first-quarter fiscal-year 2018, a 5.8 percent increase from the number of TEUs moved during first-quarter FY2017.

Container tons rose 8.1 percent to 7.23 million tons for the quarter ending Sept. 30 compared with the year-ago period, according to a press release issued by the Georgia Ports Authority.

GO Transit's new rail maintenance facility in Whitby, Ontario, is slated to be completed by the end of 2017, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation announced late last week.

The 500,000-square-foot facility will provide maintenance, repair, cleaning and storage  for 13 trains. The CA$859.2 million shop is being constructed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification, officials from the ministry said in a press release.

Preferred Proppants LLC has reached a definitive agreement to sell a Wisconsin sand mine to Source Energy Services Ltd.

Also known as Preferred Sands, the company entered into a definitive agreement to sell the sand mine in Blair, Wisconsin, to Source Energy for $80 million, and entered into a production payment agreement with respect to certain exploration rights on more than 3,600 acres in the Peace River Valley of Alberta.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has chosen an STV-WSP USA joint venture to serve as its consultant on an acquisition of new heavy-rail vehicles and associated equipment.

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The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending October 14, 2017.

Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program began construction on Project B1, its 34th project aimed at improving safety and keeping Metra and freight trains moving through the region more efficiently.

Metra and Canadian Pacific Railway will upgrade signals and add several crossover tracks near CP's Bensenville Yard in Franklin Park, Ill. Currently freight trains pass through the Bensenville Yard to access Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) mainline tracks. With this improvement, 12 daily freight trains will bypass the yard on existing Metra tracks. CREATE officials say this reduces the potential for freight train delay to 58 daily Metra trains and improves Metra flexibility at the Franklin Park Station. In addition, the project will reduce delays and congestion and increase safety for pedestrians and motorists at nearby grade crossings as trains move through the region.

Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program began construction on Project B1, its 34th project aimed at improving safety and keeping Metra and freight trains moving through the region more efficiently.

Metra and Canadian Pacific Railway will upgrade signals and add several crossover tracks near CP's Bensenville Yard in Franklin Park, Ill. Currently freight trains pass through the Bensenville Yard to access Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) mainline tracks. With this improvement, 12 daily freight trains will bypass the yard on existing Metra tracks. CREATE officials say this reduces the potential for freight train delay to 58 daily Metra trains and improves Metra flexibility at the Franklin Park Station. In addition, the project will reduce delays and congestion and increase safety for pedestrians and motorists at nearby grade crossings as trains move through the region.

Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program began construction on Project B1, its 34th project aimed at improving safety and keeping Metra and freight trains moving through the region more efficiently.

Metra and Canadian Pacific Railway will upgrade signals and add several crossover tracks near CP's Bensenville Yard in Franklin Park, Ill. Currently freight trains pass through the Bensenville Yard to access Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) mainline tracks. With this improvement, 12 daily freight trains will bypass the yard on existing Metra tracks. CREATE officials say this reduces the potential for freight train delay to 58 daily Metra trains and improves Metra flexibility at the Franklin Park Station. In addition, the project will reduce delays and congestion and increase safety for pedestrians and motorists at nearby grade crossings as trains move through the region.

A new transportation proposal introduced by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry calls for long-term investment to improve the city's transportation system and includes 26 miles of light rail.

The mayor says the proposal, Let's Move Nashville: Metro's Transportation Solution, is a plan that aligns with the IMPROVE Act, which authorizes local government to collect surcharges on various taxes and fees currently being assessed by the local government, if approved by voters by referendum, passed earlier this year. In early 2018, Metro Council members will be asked to put the plan on the ballot for the May 2018 countywide vote.

A new transportation proposal introduced by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry calls for long-term investment to improve the city's transportation system and includes 26 miles of light rail.

The mayor says the proposal, Let's Move Nashville: Metro's Transportation Solution, is a plan that aligns with the IMPROVE Act, which authorizes local government to collect surcharges on various taxes and fees currently being assessed by the local government, if approved by voters by referendum, passed earlier this year. In early 2018, Metro Council members will be asked to put the plan on the ballot for the May 2018 countywide vote.

A new transportation proposal introduced by Nashville Mayor Megan Barry calls for long-term investment to improve the city's transportation system and includes 26 miles of light rail.

The mayor says the proposal, Let's Move Nashville: Metro's Transportation Solution, is a plan that aligns with the IMPROVE Act, which authorizes local government to collect surcharges on various taxes and fees currently being assessed by the local government, if approved by voters by referendum, passed earlier this year. In early 2018, Metro Council members will be asked to put the plan on the ballot for the May 2018 countywide vote.

During the weekend of October 21-22, workers using cranes and a movable industrial-grade hydraulic lift will remove the Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) 103-year-old Post Avenue Bridge and roll a new pre-assembled one into place.

Workers began assembling the new bridge in April of this year in the parking lot at the Westbury station to minimize traffic and rail disruptions. LIRR will suspend train service between Mineola and Hicksville for 48 hours to perform the bridge swap.

During the weekend of October 21-22, workers using cranes and a movable industrial-grade hydraulic lift will remove the Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) 103-year-old Post Avenue Bridge and roll a new pre-assembled one into place.

Workers began assembling the new bridge in April of this year in the parking lot at the Westbury station to minimize traffic and rail disruptions. LIRR will suspend train service between Mineola and Hicksville for 48 hours to perform the bridge swap.

During the weekend of October 21-22, workers using cranes and a movable industrial-grade hydraulic lift will remove the Long Island Rail Road's (LIRR) 103-year-old Post Avenue Bridge and roll a new pre-assembled one into place.

Workers began assembling the new bridge in April of this year in the parking lot at the Westbury station to minimize traffic and rail disruptions. LIRR will suspend train service between Mineola and Hicksville for 48 hours to perform the bridge swap.

Ontario Trap Rock (OTR) revamped its brand with a new logo and updated tagline in order to reposition itself in key markets.

Based on the shores of Lake Huron, OTR is a 1,000-acre specialty quarry unique in offering a durable diabase (trap rock) used primarily for Hot-Mix Asphalt Production and Rail Line Ballast. The company says the new logo is bold and modern, with a tagline that captures OTR's essence: a rock-solid reputation, which emphasizes premium and specialized products.