Railroad News

Union Pacific Railroad executives joined other public and private-sector officials in ceremonies last week marking the 150th anniversary of the driving of the Golden Spike in Promontory Summit, Utah, which signaled the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

On May 9, a ceremony held at Ogden Union Station in Ogden, Utah, featured UP's steam locomotives Living Legend No. 844 and Big Boy No. 4014. The two met, recreating the historic image taken at Promontory Summit on May 10, according to a UP press release.

CN announced last week that union members have ratified three of four tentative agreements reached between CN and Unifor Council 4000 negotiators in March.

The three ratified agreements, reached prior to their expiration, cover 2,000 CN railroaders in Canada, including all clerks and intermodal workers, excavator-operators, as well as conductors and locomotive engineers working on the SAR internal short line in northern Alberta, Canada, according to a CN press release.

Valley Metro on May 18 will begin operation of the 1.9-mile Gilbert Road light-rail extension in Mesa, Arizona. 

The agency will mark the opening of the more than $180 million extension by offering limited free transit passes to riders, according to a Valley Metro press release.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has awarded $15 million in state grants for three projects in the Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) grade-separation program of the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments (SGVCOG).

The grant program will contribute $5 million each toward the completion of roadway underpasses under construction on Fairway Drive and Fullerton Road in Industry, California; in Rowland Heights, California; and on Durfee Avenue in Pico, Rivera, California, according to a SGVCOG press release.

The Timken Co. launched a new website, driveschain.com, for identifying and selecting precision roller, attachment and engineered-class chains. The site includes an attachment chain configurator, technical resources and engineering tools and a master product catalog. In a separate announcement, Timken celebrated the three-year anniversary of the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in the world that connects Zurich and Milan. Timken provided tapered roller bearings for the tunnel boring machine that cut through 95 miles of granite.

Siemens Mobility Inc. and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen Local 234 have signed a five-year contract. The contract calls for an annual wage increase of 3 percent per year and an increase in shift differential pay to 45 cents per hour for second shift workers. Other negotiations included a cap for mandatory Saturday overtime assignments; up to two weeks paid parental leave; and an increased allowance for safety shoes and glasses to $125 annually. Local 234 members will also maintain the same health and welfare benefits as Siemens Mobility company officials. 

Businesses that ship commodities on the Illinois Waterway system are being encouraged to make alternative plans due to scheduled closures of locks on the system during periods in the summers of 2019, 2020 and 2023.

Shippers will need to find alternative routes during the closure windows or ship along the Illinois River outside those periods, according to St. Louis Regional Freightway officials. One alternative route is the Mississippi River through the St. Louis region, they suggested in a press release.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) yesterday appointed Julie Kirschbaum director of transit. Kirschbaum has been acting director of transit since October 2018.  

In her new role, Kirschbaum will manage the agency’s transit division, which oversees day-to-day Muni metro light-rail operations.

The Virginia Maritime Association International Trade Symposium has presented The Andersons Inc. with the 2018 Shipper of the Year Award.

The annual award recognizes an "exceptional shipper" that works with the Port of Virginia to make it better for all users, port officials said in a press release.

New Jersey Transit’s board earlier this week approved construction of a new storm-resilient electrical substation at the Bay Head rail yard on the North Jersey Coast Line to replace two existing substations damaged during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. 

Funded by the Federal Transit Administration, the new substation will be protectively encased and elevated above anticipated salt water storm surges and flooding levels, according to a NJ Transit press release.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) this week implemented automatic train operation (ATO) on the system’s Flushing Line in Queens, New York. 

ATO allows a train to be programmed to automatically provide optimal acceleration, braking and cruising speeds. This provides more regular and evenly spaced service, as well as smoother, faster trips compared to manual train operation, NYCT officials said in a press release.

Kansas City Southern has reorganized its leadership in charge of the chemical, petroleum, industrial and consumer commodity groups, the Class I announced today.

KCS has appointed Ginger Adamiak vice president of energy and chemical products, adding chemical and petroleum in the United States and Mexico to her responsibilities. She previously served as VP energy, industrial development and innovation.

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) yesterday expanded free Wi-Fi network service to its downtown Red and Blue line station platforms. 

Wireless service is now available at 18 stations in the network, according to a CTA press release.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. logged 4.7 million passengers and CA$392 million in total revenue in 2018, marking a four-year trend of steadily increasing ridership. 

The number of VIA Rail passengers increased by 353,000 last year compared with 2017's level. The railroad's total revenue increased by CA$26.9 million, according to VIA Rail's annual report.

Although U.S. rail carload volume ticked up, intermodal traffic fell during the week ending May 4 compared with the same week a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

U.S. railroads logged a total 535,089 carloads and intermodal units, down 2 percent compared with the same week last year. Total carloads for the week climbed 1 percent to 268,559 units, while intermodal volume dropped 4.9 percent to 266,530 containers and trailers.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to update the regulation governing locomotive engineer qualification and certification.

The proposed change would make the rule consistent with the corresponding regulation for conductors, FRA officials said in a press release.

Norfolk Southern Railway in 2019 is "reimagining possible" in all aspects of its business to improve customer service, increase efficiency, drive growth and create shareholder value, President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires Squires said today at the company's annual shareholders meeting.

"We are moving full speed ahead with a new plan for the future that provides a clear path to continued success — success that benefits our customers, our employees, and our shareholders,” said Squires in a press release.

CN is expanding its operations in western Canada with two additional major export supply chain projects, the Class I announced yesterday.

Both projects are focused on maximizing the use of rail into the Port of Prince Rupert in British Columbia. The first train of thermal coal from Coalspur Mines Ltd.'s Vista Mine in Hinton, Alberta, has shipped to Ridley Terminals. CN is also delivering the first unit train of propane from Alberta for export via the new AltaGas Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal, according to a CN press release.