Railroad News

GE Transportation has agreed to deploy its Trip Optimizer train control system on Kazakhstan Railways Freight Transportation's fleet of TE33A Evolution Series locomotives. The system analyzes routing and cargo data, and calculates optimum speed and fuel consumption profiles in real time. The agreement comes after GE and Kazakhstan Railways signed a memorandum of understanding in June to explore the use of digital technologies to reduce fuel consumption, optimize power distribution, enhance operational safety and improve fleet utilization. More than 700 new and modernized locomotives in Kazakhstan are powered by GE engines, company officials said in a press release.

Wabtec Corp. has signed a $5 million contract to design, install, test and commission a yard train control system for Brazilian freight railroad RUMO. Under the agreement, Wabtec will provide its train management and dispatching system associated with wayside signaling interlocking, training and systems integration. Installation is slated to be completed by 2018's end. The system will help boost safety and efficiency at a port in Santos, Sao Paulo, Wabtec officials said in a press release. In addition, the initiative will enable the port to prepare for future technology upgrades and to integrate with other railroads.

Metrolink and the San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans) announced new board appointments this week.

Metrolink announced Vivian Romero has joined its board. Romero serves as mayor of Montebello, California, which is located on Metrolink's Riverside Line. She was appointed to Metrolink's board by Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Eric Garcetti, who also serves as mayor of Los Angeles.

The District of Columbia Chapter of WTS International last week gave its Secretary Ray LaHood Award to Bud Wright, the executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Named after former U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the award honors someone who is an outstanding role model and advocate for women in transportation.

The Port of Virginia continued investing in its Richmond Marine Terminal (RMT) this week, with new equipment put into service at the terminal and on the Richmond Express.

Port crews put into service a portable, 40-plug central power unit that can be mounted on the Richmond Express barge and a specialized, heavy-lift forklift that will be used in the cargo operation at RMT, port officials said in a press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is limiting the number of trains on certain segments of the Red Line due to problems with an aging communications cable.

The 40-year-old cable is used by the signal system to transmit train speed and location data between control rooms located in the Brookland, Fort Totten and Takoma stations. WMATA crews in the coming weekend will replace the cable, which dates back to the original construction of the Metrorail system.

Kansas City Southern yesterday released its 2016 sustainability report, which highlights the company's "commitment to sustainable operations and community engagement."

Titled "For the Long Haul: Delivering Prosperity, Valuing People, Protecting the Planet," the report outlines how the company delivered financial results to its customers and investors; demonstrated a commitment to safety; and took steps to protect the environment.

Sound Transit crews this week began construction of the first elevated section of the East Link light-rail extension in downtown Bellevue, Washington.

Crews placed two 117-foot precast girders, the first of a series that will form the base of the aerial guideway. When the girders are set, they'll support a cast-in-place concrete deck under the light-rail tracks and power system, agency officials said in a press release.

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

After voters approved a number of local transportation initiatives in the November 2016 elections, many transit agency leaders felt energized about the future. Since then, however, some of their momentum seems to have sputtered out as agencies struggle to secure federal funding commitments for major expansion plans. On top of that, the Dec. 31, 2018, deadline to implement positive train control (PTC) looms on the horizon.

Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has joined New York City-based developer Related Cos., where he will help build an infrastructure business.

The firm appointed both Foxx and transportation investment executive Andrew Right as managing partners of Related Infrastructure, "which will focus on transportation opportunities and businesses that drive efficiency and affordability for state and local governments," according to a company press release.

President Donald Trump yesterday met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) to discuss the administration's potential infrastructure proposal, according to The Hill.

Both Chao and Shuster are expected to be key players in the president's plan to bolster the nation's infrastructure. The administration has proposed using $200 billion in federal "seed money," as well as permit and regulatory reform, to leverage $1 trillion worth of infrastructure.

Amtrak today marks the fifth anniversary of the return of passenger-rail service to Norfolk, Virginia.

In December 2012, the national intercity passenger railroad extended its Northeast Regional service to Norfolk. Amtrak, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and the city of Norfolk partnered to bring passenger rail back to the city for the first time since 1977.

Association of American Railroads (AAR) Senior Vice President-Communications Patricia Reilly will leave the association at the end of the year to start a consulting business.

She will be succeeded by Kristin Smith, who was recently promoted to vice president-communications, according to an AAR press release.

“It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning…”
— Winston Churchill on railroads facing up to IT challenges
(or maybe he said it after the second 1942 battle of El Alamein)
 

Transportation industry groups late last week asked U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to delay by one year the deadline for state and local agencies to begin reporting on their transportation performance management measures.

The chief executives of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations made the request in a Dec. 7 letter to Chao.

Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx late last week issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a team to build and finance infrastructure improvements on the GO Transit's Lakeshore West rail line.

The upgrades include track improvements and other work to enable increased service at the Exhibition Station in Toronto, as well as a rehabilitation of the Mimico Station on the line.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) to double its police presence at all facilities after a suspected terrorist set off a bomb yesterday in a subway passageway in Manhattan.

Yesterday morning, a man identified as Akayed Ullah detonated a pipe bomb attached to his torso as he walked between subway stations underneath the Times Square area. Ullah survived the incident, which authorities have said was an act of terrorism. The device failed to fully detonate, and Ullah was the only person seriously injured, according to local news reports.

Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday began operating trains across the new Portageville Bridge in Letchworth State Park in Castile, New York.

Under construction for the past two years, the new bridge spans the 235-foot-deep Genesee River gorge in the park. Known regionally as the Portage Bridge, the 945-foot-long steel arch structure will support economic growth and jobs across NS's southern tier in New York, according to a company press release.

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

Just like their Class I interchange partners, regionals and short lines expect to mine opportunities and confront challenges in 2018. One prime opportunity: carload growth.

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

The coming year likely won’t be a barn-burner, but it won’t be a gut-puncher either when it comes to building and sustaining business, Class I chief executive officers believe.