Railroad News

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority's (MARTA) board last week approved a $557.9 million operating budget and $599 million capital budget for fiscal-year 2021. 

MARTA’s state-of-good-repair capital budget includes over $200 million for rail improvement projects, including $62 million for station rehabilitation projects. The program also includes funds for track renovation work, elevator and escalator rehabilitation, tunnel ventilation work, train control system upgrades and new rail car installments.

By Sheriff Don Smith (Ret.)

The Sandersville Railroad Co. announced the death of Benjamin Tarbutton Jr., the Georgia short line's former president. He was 90.

Tarbutton worked for Sandersville Railroad for 65 years until the time of his death. During his tenure, he served not only as president, but also as vice president and director. Additionally, his railroad career included service as a director of the American Short Line Railroad Association and founder and president of the Georgia Railroad Association, according to an online obituary.

The supervisory board of Groupe Keolis S.A.S. has dismissed Patrick Jeantet as chairman of the executive board because of “significant strategic differences,” Keolis officials said in a press release. Jeantet took office Feb. 1. Kathleen Wantz-O’Rourke, group executive director of finance and legal, will serve as the executive board's interim chairperson. The supervisory board's role is to oversee the executive board, which is composed of a single member, namely Jeantet, and adjudicate certain strategic decisions.

Teleste Corp. will deliver onboard passenger information and closed-circuit television systems for 20 of Stadler Rail's FLIRT trains for Norwegian State Railways by 2021. The deployment will include video security cameras and video recorders, intercommunication and public address systems, and information displays. 

CN announced yesterday that three vessels carrying Canadian propane destined for international markets departed from the AltaGas Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal in British Columbia, beating a previous record by 50 percent.

The Ridley Island terminal exclusively uses CN's network to transport propane from Alberta and British Columbia for export to global markets. Since it launched in 2019, the terminal has moved more than 1 million metric tons of propane, CN officials said in a press release.

CN announced yesterday that three vessels carrying Canadian propane destined for international markets departed from the AltaGas Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal in British Columbia, beating a previous record by 50 percent.

The Ridley Island terminal exclusively uses CN's network to transport propane from Alberta and British Columbia for export to global markets. Since it launched in 2019, the terminal has moved more than 1 million metric tons of propane, CN officials said in a press release.

The Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (CapMetro) board earlier this week approved the final version of Project Connect, a plan for an expanded rail and bus system in Austin, Texas.

The $9.8 billion plan includes four new light-rail lines and additional commuter-rail stations on the MetroRail Red Line. A key component in the plan calls for construction of a transit tunnel that will separate transit services from street traffic in downtown Austin.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and the Alberta Ministry of Transportation have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to complete a study and due diligence of the Calgary-Banff Rail project, which would create an airport-rail link to downtown Calgary and Banff National Park.

The project would increase tourism while reducing vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and congestion in the travel corridor, CIB and Alberta officials said in a press release.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) earlier this week approved a $1.4 billion budget for fiscal-year 2021, which begins July 1.

Major initiatives in the budget include advancing capital improvement projects, including allocation of $32 million to continue construction of the OC Streetcar in Santa Ana and Garden Grove, California.

CSX Corp. announced yesterday that Executive Vice President Ed Harris will retire Aug. 1.

A 50-year industry veteran, Harris joined CSX in January 2018. As EVP, his responsibilities have included oversight of safety, performance metrics, operational planning and other key functional areas, according to his biography on csx.com.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) last week began testing a new accessible fare gate prototype at the station in Richmond, California, that represents the next generation of fare gates BART will install across its system.

BART’s Accessibility Task Force — which includes members of the public — tested out the prototype gate, which includes two 5-foot-high swing-style barriers that discourage users from pushing through, jumping over or maneuvering under the gates. 

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) earlier this week announced that the Gloucester drawbridge replacement project will require full closure of the structure through summer 2021. 

The project includes full replacement of the structurally deficient Gloucester drawbridge, which carries Rockport Line trains over the Annisquam River in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

A reception was held last week to mark the start of construction at the RCR Taylor Logistics Park near Austin, Texas.

The 750-acre RCR Taylor Logistics Park will be located west of Taylor in Williamson County to serve the manufacturing, storage and logistics industries of the Austin area and central Texas. It will offer direct access to BNSF Railway Co. and Union Pacific Railroad lines, state highways 70 and 130 and Interstate 35.

TransLink in Vancouver, British Columbia, recorded 2,578,000 systemwide boardings between May 31 and June 6, an 85 percent increase compared with early April when ridership on trains and buses was at a low point due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

From May 31 through June 6, SkyTrain’s Canada Line logged 221,000 boardings compared with 109,000 between April 5 and April 11. The Expo-Millennium Line logged an 87 percent increase in ridership with 697,000 boardings compared with 372,000 boardings during the same period. 

U.S. railroads logged a 15.6 percent decrease in carload and intermodal volumes during the week ending June 6 compared with the same week a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Railroads posted 192,494 carloads for the week, down 22 percent, and 240,677 intermodal containers and trailers, down 9.6 percent. Combined, traffic totaled 433,171 carloads and intermodal units for the week.

In July, MTA Metro-North Railroad will begin major construction work to replace two 130-year-old rail bridges on the New Haven Line in Port Chester, New York. 

The open deck bridges, which carry Metro-North, Amtrak and freight trains over Willet Avenue and Highland Street, will be replaced with ballast deck bridges. The replacement will lessen the noise made when trains go over the spans making it quieter for residents nearby, Metro-North officials said in a press release. 

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has recommended that railroads and their labor representation work with Transport Canada to reduce the number uncontrolled movements in rail yards, specifically those caused by rail cars moved without the use of air brakes.

The recommendation stems from the TSB's investigation of a 2017 incident involving the uncontrolled movement of a rail car at CN's Melville Yard in Saskatchewan. The incident resulted in the death of a CN employee.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) yesterday issued a notice of funding opportunity for $291 million in state-of-good-repair grants for intercity passenger railroad assets.

The funds will support capital projects that repair, replace or rehabilitate qualified railroad assets to reduce the state-of-good-repair backlog and improve intercity passenger-rail performance, FRA officials said in a press release.

Caltrain’s board last week increased the discount it will offer to low-income riders who qualify for California’s regional means-based transit fare pilot program, Clipper START.

Under the pilot program administered by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, eligible Caltrain riders will have access to a 50 percent discount on single-rider fares through the use of a Clipper fare card.