Railroad News

New Jersey Transit yesterday announced that it will offer 10 percent discounts on rail tickets and passes for travel in November, December and January as positive train control (PTC) installation is completed.

The news comes as the agency prepares for temporarily discontinued trains and modified times to accommodate the installation on locomotives and cab control cars. Starting Oct. 14, some trains will be discontinued or have changes in their origin or destination points, NJ Transit officials said in a news release.

The Port of Long Beach in California has been awarded a $4.2 million federal grant to help pay for physical and cyber security improvements.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the funds from the Port Security Grant Program. The funds will be used for security system maintenance, along with expanding and enhancing physical and cyber security capabilities, Port of Long Beach officials said in a press release.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit's (SMART) board this week approved $24 million for four contracts to advance a 3.2-mile extension from Sonoma County Airport to Windsor, California.

The contracts include a $15.7 million agreement with Modern Railway Systems Inc. to design and construct the train control, communications system and platform communication elements for the project. The company has been a key contractor in the implementation of the system, SMART officials said in an emailed newsletter.

The Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) has been sued by Denver Transit Partners (DTP), the consortium of private companies that built and operate the agency's troubled University of Colorado A-Line.

In a lawsuit filed yesterday in Denver District Court, DTP is seeking more money from the transit district, according to an RTD press release.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has asked Union Pacific Railroad senior management to hold weekly phone calls with the board's Rail Customer and Public Assistance Office as the Class I implements its new precision scheduled railroading plan.

STB Chairwoman Ann Begeman and Vice Chairwoman Deb Miller wrote yesterday to UP Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Lance Fritz after UP informed the board of the railroad's new operations plan. In seeking to maintain weekly communications with UP management, the board is trying to help prevent freight-rail service problems that arose when UP competitor CSX implemented precision scheduled railroading last year.

The Kansas City Streetcar this month provided its 5 millionth ride.

The streetcar service, which opened in May 2016, logs a daily ridership average of 5,806 passengers. Since the line opened, its vehicles have traveled 305,128 total miles, Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) officials said in a press release.

The Denver Regional Transportation District's (RTD) board on Wednesday approved a series of fare hikes that will take effect early next year.

The cost of local bus and light-rail fares will increase to $3 from $2.60, while regional bus and commuter-rail fares will increase to $5.25 from $4.50. In addition, the price of a train trip from Denver International Airport will jump to $10.50 from $9.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) earlier this week announced measures to improve communication with CTrail Shore Line East riders and boost the reliability of the line's aging fleet.

Amtrak, which operates the line under a contract with CTDOT, next month will expand the hours at its maintenance shop to three shifts, seven days a week. In addition, Amtrak will increase overtime allowances to repair out-of-service locomotives and rail cars, department officials said in a press release.

U.S. rail traffic rose 4.8 percent to 553,003 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Sept. 15 compared with the same period a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total carloads for the week were 268,612 units, up 3.1 percent, while intermodal volume was 284,391 containers and trailers, up 6.5 percent, compared with the same week last year, according to an AAR press release.

R. J. Corman Railroad Co. President Brian Miller will resign from his position to pursue other interests, the company announced yesterday.

Miller, who has been with the company since 2010, will remain in the post to assist in the search for his successor, according to an R. J. Corman Railroad press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) Office of Inspector General has announced plans to review construction quality issues for the Silver Line's second phase.

The review will focus on the quality of concrete and other construction elements and practices used in the project, agency officials said in a press release.

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) has endorsed the Canadian government's call for an accelerated phaseout of older, less crash-resistant models of rail tank cars used to transport crude oil and other hazardous materials.

Yesterday, Canada's transportation department said it would speed up the deadlines for phasing out the tank cars. Transport Minister Marc Garneau issued Protective Direction 39, which calls for phasing out non-jacketed CPC-1232 tank cars for crude oil service on Nov. 1, which is 17 months ahead of the initial schedule.

Indian Railways has confirmed acceptance of GE Transportation's 4,500-horsepower diesel-electric Evolution Series prototype locomotive. The milestone followed the completion of "rigorous testing" on Indian Railways' tracks following delivery of the locomotive in February, GE officials said in a press release. The unit is part of a $2.5 billion agreement signed in 2015 for 1,000 locomotives. That pact also included the establishment of a new GE Transportation factory and maintenance sheds in India.

Progress Rail has signed a memorandum of understanding with Egyptian National Railways (ENR) for new locomotives. The pact includes terms to modernize, overhaul and maintain a portion of ENR's existing locomotive fleet with a long-term service agreement. Since the early 1950s, Progress Rail has served the Egyptian market through its EMD product brand. The company has powered or supplied the majority of ENR's current operational fleet, with more than 1,100 locomotives delivered. The largest transportation network in the Cairo region, ENR each year moves 500 million passengers and manages transport of 6 million tons of goods.

SNCF America Inc. this week blasted Texas Central Partners for securing a $300 million loan with Japanese backing for the company's proposed project to build a bullet-train service between Dallas and Houston.

In a prepared statement issued Monday, SNCF officials questioned whether Texas Central would be able to build the project without government help. A private company, Texas Central has long said it will not use government funds to pay for the project.

Jessica Mefford-Miller has been named executive director of Metro Transit-St. Louis, Bi-State Development President and Chief Executive Officer John Nations announced yesterday.

Mefford-Miller has been serving as interim executive director since July 1.

A Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) trolley operator's repeated use of antihistamine medications likely played a role in two trolleys colliding with each other in January 2017, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

On Jan. 4, 2017, a SEPTA trolley traveling on Route 10 struck a stopped trolley unloading passengers on the same line. The striking trolley was moving at about 10 mph, NTSB investigators wrote in an accident brief.

Norfolk Southern Foundation will donate $100,000 toward Hurricane Florence recovery efforts in North Carolina.

The foundation will direct $50,000 to the American Red Cross and $50,000 to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina relief efforts.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) seeking vendors to operate and maintain new trains, stations and facilities along the planned Silver Line extension.

The RFP includes the maintenance of rail cars assigned to the Silver Line, track and infrastructure, the Dulles Rail Yard and administrative functions needed to support operations.