Railroad News

Alan Boyd, the first U.S. secretary of transportation and Amtrak’s third president, died Oct. 18. He was 98, the New York Times reported.

President Lyndon Johnson appointed Boyd transportation secretary in 1966. Boyd served as president of the Illinois Central Railroad from 1969 to 1972, and as Amtrak’s president from 1978 to 1982.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday issued an interim guidance strongly recommending passenger train and subway riders, operators and other crew members wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The guidance recommends people wear masks while waiting for trains or working at stations, and while traveling on trains. 

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) yesterday announced the 2020 recipient of the Holden-Proefrock Award and the 2019 Non-Accident Release (NAR) Grand Slam Awards, which are given annually to individuals, shippers and railroads operating in hazardous material fields.

Ron Gould, a senior hazardous materials response manager, is the 2020 Holden-Proefrock Award recipient. With 45 years of rail experience, Gould has supported the industry's response to railroad emergencies as a contractor in nearly every territory of North America, AAR officials said in a press release.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) this month is seeking public input on new public safety approaches for responding to homelessness, behavioral health and substance use issues throughout its system.

BART General Manager Bob Powers has pledged $2 million in operating funds to be reallocated toward providing expanded training to more unarmed civilian employees who provide a security presence and assist riders. The funds were originally identified for enforcement using sworn officers.

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) today increased its Tri-Rail commuter-rail service to 46 weekday and 28 weekend trains, or 92% of pre-pandemic levels.

The new schedule marks the fourth incremental adjustment to Tri-Rail service since the agency first reduced service in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) in November will recall the remaining 179 employees who the agency furloughed in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

TTC is recalling the employees to better meet service demands due to increased ridership as schools and businesses reopen in Toronto, TTC officials said in a press release.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao last week announced the awarding of more than $220 million in grants to 18 port projects through the Maritime Administration's Port Infrastructure Development Program.

Several of the projects involve expansion of rail access and/or service. Some of the projects recently were announced by congressional delegations.

Fortress Investment Group LLC has delayed the pricing of $3.2 billion worth of municipal bonds, the proceeds of which would be used to finance construction of Brightline's high-speed rail service between southern California and Las Vegas.

The delay is a sign that investors are hesitant to finance the project during uncertain economic times, Bloomberg.com reported. Underwriter Morgan Stanley had planned to price the deal Oct. 14. No new date has been set.

Wabtec Corp. announced yesterday it will become the first manufacturing anchor tenant at Neighborhood 19, the 195-acre additive manufacturing production campus at the Pittsburgh International Airport Innovation Campus.

Neighborhood 91 is the first development in the world to condense and connect all components of the additive manufacturing and 3D printing supply chain into one production ecosystem, Wabtec officials said in a press release.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) earlier this month awarded the Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD) a $180,000 federal grant to expand the agency’s essential services to riders experiencing homelessness.

The Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone grant will allow RTD to hire a full-time community outreach coordinator to survey nonprofits, other assistance providers and riders experiencing homelessness on their needs. The coordinator would serve as the liaison for planning solutions.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority's (MARTA) board and Georgia Department of Transportation earlier this week approved a new safety plan for the agency. 

The plan calls for a collaborative approach to managing safety to better control risk, quickly detect and correct safety issues, and more precisely measure safety performance, MARTA officials said in a press release.

MTA Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) officials yesterday announced they are piloting a new technology to filter and purify air inside commuter-rail cars. 

The technology uses an electrical field to generate a wave of ionized particles that destroy airborne viruses, bacteria and particulate matter, including COVID-19, MTA officials said in a press release.

Rail Model Group Minot (RMG) will serve as the operator for North Dakota's new intermodal rail service, the Minot Area Development Corp. announced earlier this week.

BNSF Railway Co. will serve the new intermodal facility in Minot.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-Penn) earlier this week introduced legislation that would require Amtrak to transfer ownership of the Keystone East Line between Harrisburg and Philadelphia to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT).

The bill (H.R. 8389) calls for PennDOT to manage the line and certain stations.

Kansas City Southern today reported third-quarter 2020 revenue declined 12 percent to $659.6 million compared with the same period a year ago, as carload volumes fell 4 percent during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The Class I's Q3 operating expenses were $388.1 million, down from $465.7 million, and operating income was $271.5 million, down from $282 million a year ago. KCS posted an operating ratio of 58.8 percent for the quarter, down from 62.3 percent in Q3 2019. Net income was $190.2 million, or $2.01 per diluted share, up from $180.6 million, or $1.81 per diluted share, a year ago.

Knorr-Bremse AG will make a $10 million investment in Rail Vision Ltd., Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. announced. Following the investment, Knorr-Bremse will own 36.79% of Rail Vision’s outstanding share capital. Additionally, Rail Vision has received a call option for an additional $5 million, Knorr-Bremse officials said in a press release.

STV Group named Gregory Kelly president and chief executive officer, effective October 26. Kelly will guide the firm toward achieving strategic goals with an emphasis on performance, business development, technology and human capital. Previously, Kelly was CEO of Heritage Construction and Materials and president and CEO of WSP USA. STV also hired Tracy Marines as vice president and corporate controller. 

OmniTRAX Inc. is expanding its Rail-Ready Sites program to the Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railway (BRG) in Texas.

Working with the Greater Brownsville Economic Development Corp. (GBEDC), OmniTRAX will market three initial sites on the BRG totaling 50 acres. The Rail-Ready Sites program connects companies looking to improve their supply chain by locating on rail-served property.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) awarded the Port of Brownsville in Texas a $14.5 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant to improve efficiency and safety of its grain storage and loading facilities.

The grant will support the development, expansion and upgrade of the port's three-million-bushel grain elevator operated by WestPlains LLC. The project includes rail and road improvements.