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Oct
30

CP explores growth with short lines, transload operators at 'Connect' conference

Rail News Home Canadian Pacific 10/30/2019 Rail News: Canadian Pacific
Officials from Canadian Pacific, short lines and transload operators met this week to develop growth-producing service offerings for customers as part of a Connect 2019 conference held at the Class I's headquarters in Calgary, Alberta.The event — which followed up the success of CP's 2018 Reconnect Conference — was attended by representatives from more than 50 companies Oct. 28 and 29, officials from the Class I said in a press release."Our goal in bringing together these companies annually is to find efficiencies and opportunities, something of critical importance in today's economic climate," said John Brooks, CP's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. CP works with an extensive network of short lines and regionals, providing access to almost any North American location beyond the reach of the Class I’s network, CP officials said."Our solid relationships with our Class I connections are part of the backbone to growth," said Brian Jonaitis, director of business development at Indiana Rail Road Co.CP also works with more than 100 North American transload facilities. The transload business unit is a critical area of focus and development for the Class I, with many unique opportunities to build on the company's franchise strengths to generate sustainable, profitable growth, CP officials said."Our transload alliance with CP at the Minneapolis Intermodal Terminal has been the key driver of our growth," said Revis Stephenson, president of Stone Arch Commodities.In addition to Brooks, other CP leaders who participated in the event included Joan Hardy, VP of grain and fertilizers; Jonathan Wahba, VP of intermodal and automotive; and Coby Bullard, VP of merchandise and energy, and chemicals.

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Oct
29

New Orleans RTA to improve streetcar station accessibility

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/29/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
NORTA’s $300,000 accessibility improvement project will add ramps and warning surfaces to six transit stations.Photo – NORTA

The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA) and the New Orleans Department of Public Works (DPW) early next month will begin a two-month project to improve transit station access for people with disabilities.

The $300,000 project calls for adding concrete around streetcar stops, a ramp and turnaround area for wheelchair access and detectable warning surfaces that alert visually impaired individuals of an approach to street crossings and hazardous drop-off areas, according to a press release from the New Orleans Mayor’s Office.

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Oct
29

WTS-Atlanta names MARTA’s Parker ‘Man of the Year’

Rail News Home Railroading People 10/29/2019 Rail News: Railroading People
MARTA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey ParkerPhoto – MARTA

Women’s Transportation Seminar (WTS) International’s Atlanta Chapter last week honored Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Parker as its 2019 Man of the Year.

WTS International — a non-profit organization dedicated to building the future of transportation through the global advancement of women — cited Parker’s record of hiring and promoting women in transportation roles, MARTA officials said in a press release.

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Oct
29

NYC marks subway's 115th anniversary

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/29/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
NYCT hosted vintage train rides to celebrate the subway system's 115th anniversary.Photo – MTA Flickr

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) officials last week marked the 115th anniversary of subway operations.

New York City's first rapid transit subway, the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT), opened in 1904. The four-track, 9-mile, 28-station line began at City Hall Station and ran along the east side of Manhattan to Grand Central Station, across 42nd Street to Times Square, and up the west side to 145th Street, NYCT officials said in a press release.

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Oct
29

TransLink to test multimodal fare card

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/29/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
During a pilot program, a select group of TransLink riders will be able to use a fare card to purchase bus, train, car share and bike share tickets.Photo – TransLink

TransLink last week launched a pilot program to test a multimodal fare card in Vancouver, British Columbia.

During the seven-month pilot, 200 pre-selected riders will be able to use a Compass Card to purchase fares on the TransLink bus and SkyTrain network, Modo and Evo car shares and the Mobi bike share program, TransLink officials said in a press release.

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Oct
29

MTA solicits vendor proposals for agency reorganization plan

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/29/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The RFP seeks vendors with expertise in four major categories: reorganization and consolidation of administrative and back office support functions; police and safety; construction and development; and external communications.Photo – MTA-Long Island Rail Road

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) late last week announced it issued a request for proposals (RFP) from vendors interested in implementing the New York agency's reorganization plan.

The RFP's release follows MTA's development of its "transformation plan" in partnership with AlixPartners, which will position the agency to improve service, end project delays and cost overruns and deliver modern, reliable and efficient transportation services, MTA officials said in a press release.

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Oct
29

Amtrak names Predmore to succeed Hylander as chief safety officer

Rail News Home Amtrak 10/29/2019 Rail News: Amtrak
Steve Predmore will become Amtrak's executive vice president and chief safety officer on Nov. 4.Photo –

Amtrak has appointed Steve Predmore executive vice president and chief safety officer effective Nov. 4.

Predmore will succeed Ken Hylander, who will return to retirement on Nov. 15, Amtrak officials said yesterday in a press release.

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Oct
29

Regional Rail to acquire Pinsly's Florida short lines

Regional Rail LLC, a short-line owner and operator, announced today it has agreed to acquire Pinsly Railroad Co.'s Florida operations with 208 miles of track.

Pinsly's Florida operations include the Florida Central Railroad, the Florida Midland Railroad and the Florida Northern Railroad. The transaction is subject to Surface Transportation Board approval.

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Oct
28

KC Streetcar to expand Saturday service year-round

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/28/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The Kansas City Streetcar Authority will run four streetcars during peak hours on Saturdays.Photo – KC Streetcar Facebook

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority last week announced it will offer the seasonal higher capacity Saturday mid-day service year-round starting Nov. 2.

This summer, the authority added four streetcars during Saturday service to increase capacity and frequency during peak ridership times as a test-run, authority officials said in a press release.

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Oct
28

Norfolk Southern to restore rail service over Grand River Bridge

Rail News Home Maintenance Of Way 10/28/2019 Rail News: Maintenance Of Way
The bridge collapsed Oct. 1 following structural damage from heavy rains.Photo – Norfolk Southern Railway

Norfolk Southern Railway service between Moberly and Kansas City, Missouri, remains suspended due to the Grand River Bridge outage in Brunswick, Missouri, the Class I announced Oct. 26.

However, NS engineering teams have made "significant progress" over the past week and expect repairs to be completed and service restored no later than tomorrow, Class I officials said in an operations update.

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Oct
28

Unifor begins VIA Rail employee contract negotiations

Rail News Home Labor 10/28/2019 Rail News: Labor
Unifor represents 2,000 VIA Rail employees.Photo – VIA Rail Canada

Unifor last week began contract negotiations for the 2,000 VIA Rail Canada Inc. employees the union represents.

Members identified key issues in the negotiations, including a strengthened pension plan, made-in-Canada fleet sourcing, and an end to contracting out employees, Unifor officials said in a press release.

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Oct
28

Sound Transit identifies additional routes for light-rail extension project

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/28/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The West Seattle and Ballard Link light-rail extensions will be complete in 2030 and 2035, respectively.Photo – Sound Transit Facebook

Sound Transit's board last week identified two additional design alternatives for the 11.8-mile West Seattle and Ballard Link light-rail extensions to study in a draft environmental impact statement (EIS). 

The additional alternatives include an elevated alignment along the Yancy/Andover corridor in West Seattle with a station in the Delridge district to serve the Youngstown area. This alternative would connect to previously identified EIS alternatives serving the Avalon and Alaska Junction areas.

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Oct
28

AAR, ASLRRA comment on proposed reg changes for truck drivers

Rail News Home Federal Legislation & Regulation 10/28/2019 Rail News: Federal Legislation & Regulation
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) last week submitted comments on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA) proposed changes to hours-of-service requirements for truck drivers.In a joint comment filed with the agency, the associations said many rail employees who operate trucks to work on railroad rights of way are subject to the agency's hours-of-service regulations."The work of these employees can be time-critical when a railroad must restore rail service after events like a derailment or grade crossing incident," AAR and ASLRRA officials wrote."The current FMCSA hours-of-service prohibitions on driving after a 14-hour duty period, or exceeding 60 or 70 hours on duty in a seven- or eight-day work week without the required off-duty period, "limit a railroad's ability to respond expeditiously to these types of emergency situations," their comment stated.Railroads have a limited exemption request from the hours-of-service requirements that is now pending before the FMCSA, the associations noted.In September, the FMCSA proposed updates to hours-of-service rules to "increase safety and provide additional flexibility for commercial drivers," agency officials said in an online statement. The proposed rulemaking would alter existing rules by:
• changing the short-haul exception available to certain commercial drivers by lengthening the drivers’ maximum on‑duty period from 12 to 14 hours and extending the distance limit within which the driver may operate from 100 air miles to 150 air miles;
• modifying the adverse driving conditions by extending by two hours the maximum window during which driving is permitted;
• increasing flexibility for the 30-minute break rule by tying the break requirement to eight hours of driving time without an interruption for at least 30 minutes, and allowing the break to be satisfied by a driver using on duty, not driving status, rather than off duty;
• modifying the sleeper-berth exception to allow drivers to split their required 10-hours off duty into two periods: an eight-and-two split or a seven-and-three split, either off duty or in the sleeper berth. Neither period would count against the driver’s 14‑hour driving window; and
• allowing one off-duty break of at least 30 minutes, but not more than three hours, that would pause a truck driver’s 14-hour driving window, provided the driver takes 10 consecutive hours off-duty at the end of the work shift.Although the proposed change to the short-haul exception available to certain drivers under existing rules would not provide relief to a majority of railroad scenarios, two proposed provisions potentially could provide "limited relief" and therefore are supported by the railroads, the associations wrote.Those two proposed changes are: increasing the maximum driving window due to adverse weather conditions and the split-duty proposal.

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Oct
28

CTA proposes $5B capital budget for 2020-24

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/28/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The proposed five-year capital budget continues more than $8 billion of transit investments.Photo – CTA Facebook

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) last week proposed a $5.1 billion budget for capital improvements in 2020-24 and a $1.57 billion operating budget for 2020. 

Expenses for the 2020 operating budget are $18.4 million higher than the 2019 budget and $44.5 million higher than the 2019 forecast. The majority of the increase is due to rising pension, health insurance and workers’ compensation costs, according to the budget proposal document. 

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Oct
28

STB: U.S. Class I workforce down in September

Class Is as of mid-September employed 136,865 people, down 1.74 percent from mid-August's level and down 7.63 percent from September 2018's count, according to Surface Transportation Board (STB) data.

All six workforce categories posted decreases last month compared with August.

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Oct
25

Rail supplier news from Hy-Tech, Greenbrier, Trinity Industries, Alstom and Abloy (Oct. 25)

Rail News Home Railroading Supplier Spotlight 10/25/2019 Rail News: Railroading Supplier Spotlight
Hy-Tech Engineered Solutions Inc. has acquired Blaz-Man Gear and Gear Products & Manufacturing. The acquisitions will triple Hy-Tech’s capacity in gear production, allow the company to expand into more complex spiral and straight bevel gear design and manufacture at lower costs, company officials said in a press release. The new companies will operate together with Hy-Tech’s existing gear company, Quality Gear, forming a new Power Transmission Division in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. reported fiscal fourth-quarter net earnings of $35.1 million, or $1.06 per diluted share, on revenue of $914.2 million. Quarterly results include $8.2 million in costs related to the American Railcar Industries acquisition. During the full fiscal year, the company reported net earnings of $71.1 million, or $2.14 per diluted share, on revenue of $3 billion. Record new rail-car deliveries totaled 23,400 units for the year, Greenbrier officials said in a press release. Trinity Industries Inc. reported third-quarter revenue increased to $813.6 million compared with $606.9 million for the same quarter in 2018, reflecting a 34 percent growth year over year. The company reported net income from continuing operations of 39 cents per common diluted share. Trinity’s Rail Products Group reported $723 million of quarterly revenue. The group logged 2,530 rail-car orders and delivered 5,230 cars, resulting in a total car backlog of $2.4 billion at quarter-end. The company also logged growth of its lease fleet to 102,090 units, bringing the total value to $7.4 billion. “Trinity’s third quarter financial results significantly improved year over year due to the growth of our railcar lease fleet and increased deliveries of new rail cars,” Chief Executive Officer and President Timothy Wallace said in a press release.Alstom entered into a nearly $400 million contract to supply 39 additional Coradia Polyvalent trains to the Grand Est region in France. The region previously ordered 40 Coradia Polyvalent trains, of which 36 have already been delivered. Deliveries will be staggered between 2022 and 2024, Alstom officials said in a press release. Alstom also entered a Citadis X05 tram into service on the first tramway line in Avignon, France. Meanwhile, the Alstom Ubunye rail factory in South Africa was officially inaugurated by local officials. The factory supplies components for 150 trains being build by Gibela Rail Transportation Consortium for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. Alstom Ubunye and Gibela Rail are Alstom’s South African joint ventures.Abloy USA hired Joe Brown to serve as the vertical market manager of transportation. Brown brings years of experience and a versatile background to the position, company officials said in a press release. Previously, Brown served as director of national accounts for Prime-Line Products, vice president and general manager of Global Door Controls and district sales manager for Yale Security, which is now owned by Assa Abloy and the parent company of Abloy USA.

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Oct
25

Metro Transit-St. Louis expands monitored light-rail access project

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/25/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
Metro Transit security officers will check fares as MetroLink passengers arrive at modified platform access points.Photo – Metro Transit-St. Louis

Metro Transit-St. Louis yesterday announced it will install fencing and other infrastructure at the Delmar Loop and Central West End MetroLink light-rail stations to create secure and monitored access to platforms.

Metro Transit security officers will check fares and monitor MetroLink passengers as they arrive at modified platform access points, agency officials said in a press release. 

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Oct
25

BART to develop rail-to-airport incentive program

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/25/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
BART is exploring the development of a trip verification technology to enable its riders to have priority in airport security lines.Photo – BART

Bay Area Rapid Transit's (BART) board approved the development of a trip verification technology (TVT) that would enable BART riders to enter a priority security screening line at San Francisco International Airport.

With TVT, airport-hired staff could use devices at a designated entry point to scan Clipper fare cards or QR codes on BART mobile applications to verify a rider used public transportation to get to the airport. If the trip is verified, the rider would then proceed to a priority line for Transportation Security Administration screening.

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Oct
25

ARCI: Rail-car orders lag in Q3

Rail News Home Rail Industry Trends 10/25/2019 Rail News: Rail Industry Trends
American Railway Car Institute (ARCI) builders continue to produce new rail cars at a "robust pace," but new orders have lagged — an indication of a softer rail market overall, the Railway Supply Institute's ARCI Committee announced this week.At 7,315 units, rail-car orders in third-quarter 2019 were "well off" the 11,754 units ordered in the second quarter and 24,972 units ordered in third-quarter 2018, according to ARCI data.Car deliveries in the third quarter fell 7 percent to 14,571 units from the 15,623 units delivered in the second quarter, but soared 30 percent from the 11,221 units delivered in third-quarter 2018. Meanwhile, the rail-car backlog stood at 58,127 units on Oct. 1, the lowest level since second-quarter 2011, according to ARCI. The Oct. 1 figure compares with 69,227 units on July 1 and 73,076 units on April 1.

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Oct
25

Hudson Tunnel Project begins new phase

The Gateway Program partners this week announced a new phase of work has begun on the Hudson River rail tunnel project, with dozens of geotechnical exploration borings to be conducted along the proposed alignment of the new tunnel that will connect New Jersey with New York City.

The exploration began in October and is expected to run through early 2020, Gateway Development Corp. (GDC) officials said in a press release.

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