Railroad News

U.S. Sens. Tammy Duckworth and Richard Durbin and U.S. Rep. Jesus Garcia are calling on Amtrak to review its policies on disability accessibility after two passengers who use wheelchairs were initially told they'd have to pay $25,000 to arrange for accommodations for their group to travel from Chicago to Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.

In a letter sent yesterday to Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson, the Illinois Democrats asked Amtrak to conduct a comprehensive review of its national disability and accessibility polices and then institute new ones "that go above and beyond the bare minimum federal requirements to establish Amtrak as the premier transportation option for all travelers, particularly passengers with disabilities."

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy last week recognized New Jersey Transit for marking a record number of locomotive engineer training classes running concurrently. 

Between 2019 and 2020, seven classes of locomotive engineers will graduate from the NJ Transit’s 78-week training program — the same number of classes that graduated in the previous five years combined, NJ Transit officials said in press release from Murphy’s office.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (LA Metro) board last week approved a $2.2 million, six-month extension to the agency’s ride-hailing pilot program with Via.

The pilot program is testing the use of ride-hailing technology to enable LA Metro riders with low income or disabilities to connect to major transit centers. Since launching in January 2019, the service has provided more than 70,000 rides, exceeding agency goals in rides per week, rides per driver hour, wait times and customer satisfaction, LA Metro officials said in a press release.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced today it has hired John Henry to serve as chief financial officer.

Henry will oversee APTA's finance and information technology departments, APTA officials said in a press release.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) contracted crews this spring will begin construction of a seven-year project to install 22 canopies over BART rail station entrances along Market Street in San Francisco, agency officials announced last week.

The canopies will protect new escalators and feature retractable gates, LED lighting, security cameras and real-time digital displays showing train arrival times.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) missed opportunities to better assess and mitigate federal government risks in the agency's oversight of the California high-speed rail project, according to an audit by the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Requested by the former chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure's Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, the OIG audit reviewed FRA's risk mitigation and oversight of the project's expenditures, OIG officials said last week in a press release.

The state of Missouri hasn't paid its full contract for the Amtrak River Runner service for the past decade, according to a local news report.

Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) Director Patrick McKenna told a Missouri state House Budget Committee last week that the state owes Amtrak $6.5 million in unpaid bills, plus the $11.65 million contract to run the service this year, the News Tribune newspaper reported last week.

Sound Transit’s board last week began collecting public input on possible expansion options for the Sounder South commuter-rail service in Washington state.

To meet growing demand for the service, Sound Transit is considering lengthening trains to carry up to 40 more passengers; extending station platforms; adding weekday trips; and extending service to Tillicum and DuPoint by 2036, agency officials said in a press release.

As of mid-December 2019, Class Is employed 131,486 people, down 1.31 percent since November's level and down 11 percent from December 2018's count, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data.

All six workforce categories posted month-to-month employment decreases. They were: executives, officials and staff assistants, down 0.09 percent to 7,622 employees; professional and administrative, down 0.91 percent to 10,811; maintenance of way and structures, down 1.48 percent to 30,780; maintenance of equipment and stores, down 2.67 percent to 22,745; transportation (other than train and engine), down 0.79 percent to 5,395; and transportation (train and engine), down 0.92 percent to 54,133.

PrecisionHawk named James Norrod chief executive officer to succeed Michael Chasen, who will continue to lead PrecisionHawk’s advisory board and chair the Federal Aviation Administration’s Drone Advisory Committee. Norrod has more than 25 years of experience leading companies in regulated industries. Previously, he served at CEO of Tellabs, Zhone Technologies, Segway, Telebit, Adage and Infinite Power Solutions. PrecisionHawk offers drone inspection, survey and training services for rail, energy and agriculture clients.

CHA Consulting Inc. has fully integrated and rebranded its recent acquisition Wolverton & Associates under the CHA brand. Wolverton & Associates was acquired in June 2019, adding about 100 employees with experience in transportation, traffic, land development and land surveying to the firm. Combining the firms has fueled growth in the Southeast and provided clients with a deeper bench of technical talent and expertise, CHA officials said in a press release. 

Kimi Khatami, director of customer service for Pacific Harbor Line, has been named president of the Harbor Association of Industry and Commerce (HAIC), a commercial and industrial trade association representing the business community of Long Beach and Los Angeles harbors.

The association advocates for its members on trade, transportation, energy, environmental and land use issues.

New Jersey Transit yesterday began construction of a new power substation at the Bay Head rail yard on the North Jersey Coast Line.

The project — funded by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) — involves replacing two existing substations that were damaged by a storm surge during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 

Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) staff yesterday recommended how the agency should allocate CA$4 billion in new infrastructure funding approved by the Toronto City Council earlier this month.

Of the CA$4.06 billion the TTC will receive over the the next 10 years through Toronto’s City Building Fund, TTC staff recommend allocating CA$3.09 billion to its subway’s state-of-good repair program and capacity improvements. 

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week announced legislation that would make the state's current fracking ban permanent.

The measure would restrict the state's Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) from approving permits that would authorize the ability to drill, deepen, plug back or convert wells that use high-volume hydraulic fracturing as a way to complete well projects.

The Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor agency named Donna DeMartino managing director to succeed Jennifer Bergener, who was appointed deputy chief executive officer of the Orange County Transportation Authority.

Effective Jan. 27, DeMartino will lead efforts to improve passenger-rail ridership, reliability and safety along the corridor, as well as oversee management and operations of the Amtrak-operated Pacific Surfliner service.

The Alabama State Port Authority and AutoMOBILE International Terminal (AIT) earlier this week signed a concession agreement for a $60 million automobile roll on/roll off terminal now under construction at the Port of Mobile.

AIT will operate the facility when it's completed in early 2021.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) President Andy Byford yesterday announced he will resign his post after two years on the job.

Byford was recruited to the NYCT two years ago to help revive the city's ailing subway system. During his tenure, his efforts have earned praise from subway riders and public transportation advocates for improvements made to update the antiquated system.

TransLink in Vancouver, British Columbia, earlier this week added four new trains to the SkyTrain Canada Line service to increase rider capacity by 15 percent during peak hours. 

The four trains are the first of 12 that Hyundai Rotem in South Korea will deliver to TransLink this year. The trains will run on the Canada Line, a 12-mile route that links Vancouver, Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport. The line serves 16 stations.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) yesterday announced it has awarded AECOM a $1.3 million contract to study the feasibility of initiating passenger service on a freight-only rail line that runs from Bay Ridge/Sunset Park in Brooklyn to Astoria in Queens, New York.

The study will evaluate cost and feasibility for subway, commuter-rail, light-rail or bus service that would operate in conjunction with existing freight-rail service to connect riders within Brooklyn and Queens, and create a potential for reverse commutes to the suburbs, MTA officials said in a press release.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has signed off on Amtrak's permit application for a one-time movement of its next-generation high-speed train from the Alstom production plant in Hornell, New York, to the FRA's test track in Colorado, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced yesterday.

Earlier this month, Schumer called on the FRA to fast-track Amtrak's permit application so that the train can be moved to the Pueblo, Colorado, facility, where the train will be inspected and tested for safety.