Railroad News

Amtrak has begun offering assigned seating for riders traveling first class on Acela trains.

On select departures, passengers may now choose a single or double seat, a window or an aisle, or a two- or four-person conference table. After evaluating the offering, the railroad aims to introduce seat assignments on more departures this year, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

U.S. railroads moved 565,502 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending May 26, marking a 4.4 percent increase over the same week last year.

Total carloads ticked up 3 percent to 273,226 units during Week 21, while intermodal traffic grew 5.8 percent to 292,276 containers and trailers, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

CSX Corp. has named James Schwichtenberg as the Class I's new vice president and chief safety officer.

A "recognized leader in rail safety," Schwichtenberg will lead the company's renewed focus on safety, CSX officials said in a press release. He will report to Ed Harris, executive vice president of operations.

Positive train control (PTC) technology is in the testing phase, in revenue service demonstration or fully operational on 30 percent of the 3,339 miles of commuter rail in the United States, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced yesterday.

In addition, U.S. commuter railroads have installed 81 percent of the 15,192 pieces of onboard equipment needed for PTC. They've also installed 79 percent of PTC-related track equipment, APTA officials said in a press release.

Missinippi Rail Partners and Fairfax Financial Holdings have obtained a tentative agreement with OmniTRAX Inc. to transfer ownership of the Port of Churchill and restore rail service to northern Manitoba, the Canadian government announced yesterday.

Two organizations representing northern communities and First Nations — OneNorth and Missinippi Rail Ltd. Partnership — worked with Fairfax to secure the agreement. Fairfax announced in November 2017 that it would partner with OneNorth and Missinippi Rail in an attempt to buy OmniTRAX's Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill in northern Manitoba.

Canadian Pacific and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Train & Engine (TCRC) have reached a tentative contract agreement, ending a strike that began Tuesday night.

The TCRC represents more than 3,000 conductors and engineers. A four-year tentative pact was reached with CP conductors and locomotive engineers, and a five-year tentative deal was reached with Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) conductors and locomotive engineers, according to a CP press release.

Railinc Corp. has promoted Joan Smemoe to chief information officer and vice president of information technology (IT). She will begin her new position June 11.

A member of Railinc's executive management team, Smemoe will lead the company's data, product development and information systems platforms. She will report to President and Chief Executive Officer Allen West in her new role.

The Oregon Senate has confirmed three new board members for the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet).

Nominated by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, the new directors bring experience in community involvement, construction, labor, business and education, agency officials said in a press release.

The first new cab car shell in Caltrain's electrified fleet has undergone first article inspection and has been cleared for painting.

Union Pacific Railroad yesterday released its ninth annual sustainability report, which details the company's progress on social, economic and environmental initiatives during 2017.

UP applies the Global Reporting Initiative's reporting standards to report the company's social responsibility issues, including economic impact, operating safely, strengthening communities, engaging employees and preserving the environment.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) board has approved further study of two northern alignments for the proposed West Santa Ana Branch light-rail line.

The entire 20-mile line would run from downtown Los Angeles to Artesia, California. One proposed alignment for the line's northern segment would connect to Los Angeles Union Station, while the other would transfer to other Metro rail lines that travel to Union Station.

More than 3,000 conductors and locomotive engineers represented by the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Train & Engine (TCRC) at Canadian Pacific went on strike last night, Teamsters Canada announced.

The strike began at 10 p.m. yesterday after the union and CP could not agree to a new contract. Negotiations with the company are ongoing, Teamsters Canada officials said in a statement.

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Progressive Railroading and RailTrends® have named Association of American Railroads President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Hamberger the 2018 recipient of the Railroad Innovator Award, which recognizes an individual's outstanding achievement in the rail industry.


Massachusetts-based Device Technologies Inc. (DTi) announced that its Spring-Fast® SL-FST Transit and Rail Series wire protection grommet edging has met the EN 45545-2 European fire standard, which is mandatory for all rolling stock materials operating in Europe starting this year. The product also meets the related ASTM requirements for flame, smoke and toxicity standards. Companies that serve both the North American and European rail equipment industry now can have "unified design specifications for grommet edging," DTi officials said in a press release.

Strato Inc. has received TTX Co.'s 2017 Supplier Evaluation Committee (SECO) award for the 22nd consecutive year. TTX rates suppliers on quality, cost, delivery, service, finance and administration. Suppliers are also ranked on their ability to provide "the highest quality, most reliable equipment at the lowest cost," Strato officials said in a press release. Strato manufactures airbrake hoses and components, as well as freight and passenger car parts, castings and fabrications, and custom product design and engineering engineering services.

Last month marked the busiest April ever for the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA), with the Port of Savannah moving 356,700 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for the month.

That figure marked a 7.1 percent increase over April 2017. So far this fiscal year, GPA has moved more than 3.4 million TEUs total, an 8.8 percent increase over the first 10 months of FY2017.

Frederick "Bud" Wright will retire as executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) by year's end.

Wright has been serving as AASHTO's seventh executive director since November 2012. During his tenure, he led the association's development of a strategic plan that included all transportation modes, AASHTO officials said in a press release.

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee last week approved a $71.8 billion transportation, housing and urban development funding bill for fiscal-year 2019.

The legislation provides $13.6 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), marking a $141 million increase over FY 2018. That funding includes $2.6 billion for the FTA's Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program, which provides funding for major transit projects, such as new light-rail lines and commuter-rail systems.

The League of Railway Women (LRW) is accepting nominations for the 2018 Outstanding Woman of the Year Award.

Co-sponsored by Progressive Railroading, the award is presented annually to a woman who has made significant contributions to the rail industry through leadership, dedication and vision. Women working in the North American rail industry are eligible for the recognition.