Railroad News

Illinois state lawmakers last week approved a six-year, $33 billion transportation capital program that includes money for improving public transportation and passenger-rail service.

To help pay for the projects, the plan calls for updating the state's motor fuel tax from 19 cents per gallon to 38 cents per gallon. Also, the tax will be indexed to inflation to ensure that the state will have a sustainable revenue source. The fuel tax has not been updated since 1990, according to Illinois State Sen. Martin Sandoval.

Ceres Global Ag Corp. has established a yet-to-be-named joint venture with Steel Reef Infrastructure Corp. that will focus on transloading hydrocarbon products for transportation between the United States and Canada.

The joint venture's facilities will be located at Ceres' Northgate rail terminal in Saskatchewan, Canada, which is served by BNSF Railway Co. The joint venture will begin operations July 1, according to a Ceres press release.

Sound Transit on June 20 will begin construction on the 2.4-mile Hilltop Tacoma Link Extension that will operate along Commerce Street and Stadium Way to the Hilltop District in Tacoma, Washington.

Crews will close roads north of Division Avenue and at Tacoma Avenue to work simultaneously on track installation, foundations for Link power poles and street lighting, underground sewer and stormwater utilities and new pavement, according to a Sound Transit press release. 

Canadian Pacific officials this week marked the opening of the Class I's new Vancouver Automotive Compound (VAC) in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The VAC is in a prime location to handle vehicles made in North America for distribution in British Columbia, northern Washington state and parts of Alberta, as well as vehicles imported through the Port of Vancouver, CP officials said in a press release.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in California will launch a redesigned website focused on light rail and multimodal trip planning later this month.

Before the official launch, riders are being encouraged to familiarize themselves with the new site and provide feedback via a test link, according to a VTA press release.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) yesterday approved the installation of lights and other upgrades at three rail crossings in Ohio. 

The PUCO approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing Norfolk Southern Railway to upgrade to LED lights and improve circuitry at the Waller Street crossing in Portsmouth by June 5, 2020, and Grand River Railway to install lights and gates at the Headlands Road and Stage Avenue crossings in Lake County by March 5, 2020.

Lacassine Operating Co. will invest $12.5 million to build a catalyst blending plant in Lacassine, Louisiana, to serve oil refineries worldwide, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and the company announced this week.

The plant will become the anchor tenant of the Lacassine Rail Terminal operated by Rail Logix in Jefferson Davis Parish, according to a press release issued by Edwards' office.

Metra is gathering public input before creating a pilot program designed to improve connections between its trains and the Pace bus system.

The project’s focus is to improve access to jobs and schools for south suburban Chicago commuters, make transportation more affordable and convenient, and simplify transfers between the trains and buses, according to a Metra press release.

Amtrak has named Tracie Winbigler executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Stephen Gardner chief operating and commercial officer.

Winbigler, who will join Amtrak on June 24, will be responsible for Amtrak's finance, treasury, accounting and control functions. Most recently, she was CFO at Recreational Equipment Inc., where she led the financial, procurement, and asset protection teams for the $2.7 billion cooperative. Before that, she spent three years at National Geographic, joining the company as CFO and later promoted to chief operating officer.

Several factors contributed to the 4.1 percent decline in U.S. railroads' combined traffic volume last month compared with May 2018, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported yesterday.

U.S. carload traffic fell 2.1 percent to 1,291,671 units, while intermodal volume dropped 5.9 percent to 1,315,684 containers and trailers in May versus a year ago, according to AAR data. Combined, U.S.railroads logged 2,607,355 carloads and intermodal units, down 110,586 units.

The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. has appointed Adrian Downes chief financial officer. Previously, Downes was acting CFO and senior vice president. Downes joined Greenbrier in 2013 as chief accounting officer and has more than 30 years of accounting and finance experience in a variety of industries, according to a Greenbrier press release. 

Alstom unveiled its proposed train design for HS2 Ltd.’s high-speed railway in the United Kingdom. The train is designed to be modern and provide smooth operation on the conventional rail network, as well as the new HS2 infrastructure, according to an Alstom press release. In a separate announcement, Alstom provided integrated systems, tracks, catenaries, telecommunication and signaling systems, substations and ticketing equipment to Enterprise du Metro d’Alger’s tramway line extension in Constantine, Algeria. The extension's first phase, currently in commercial service, connects the existing Zouaghi Station to the entrance of Ali Mendjeli. 

Modesto & Empire Traction Co. President and Chief Executive Officer John Bienvenu has been elected chairman of the short line's parent, Beard Land and Investment Co.

Bienvenu has been on Beard's board since May 2011. As chairman, he succeeds Richard Sipos.

TransLink has appointed Michel Ladrak as president and general manager of the British Columbia Rapid Transit Co. Ltd. (BCRTC) to succeed Haydn Acheson, who will retire Aug. 15.

Ladrak has over 20 years of experience in transportation. Currently, he is managing director for Auckland Transit Metro Rail in New Zealand, which is managed by Transdev on behalf of Auckland Transport. 

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) announced that construction on the $3.1 billion, 4-mile subway section between Koreatown and Beverly Hills, Cailfornia, has reached the halfway mark.

The subway section includes three stations and is one of three sections to be built as part of LA Metro’s Purple Line Extension. The project will ultimately extend the route nine miles westward of the line’s current terminus and add seven new stations in 2023.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the Association of American Railroads' (AAR) challenge to a federal statute that allowed Amtrak to help set Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) performance and scheduling standards on the nation's railroads.

The court denied the AAR's petition for writ of certiorari that sought to reverse the District of Columbia Court of Appeals' July 2018 decision that granted Amtrak a say with the FRA in determining on-time performance metrics and standards for passenger trains.

The League of Railway Women (LRW) has opened nominations for its 2019 Railway Woman of the Year Award, which is co-sponsored by Progressive Railroading.

For two decades, the LRW has recognized women who have made significant contributions to the rail industry through their leadership, dedication and vision. Women working in the North American rail industry are eligible to receive the award, LRW officials said in a press release.