Railroad News

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) remains fully operational during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has taken steps to pursue enhanced protocols and follow health guidelines to protect frontline personnel, port officials announced yesterday.

As the health crisis evolves, PANYNJ officials have been seeking the expertise of the Council on Port Performance for guidance and planning to identify and address challenges to port efficiency, they reported in the authority's newletter.

The Guelph Junction Railway (GJR) in Guelph, Ontario, is seeking a new operator for the first time in 22 years when its current contract expires.

Ontario Southland Railway (OSR) has operated the city-owned railroad since 1998, but the current contract has not been renewed, Guelphtoday.com reported yesterday.

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has appointed Jennifer Bergener deputy chief executive officer. She succeeds Kenneth Phipps, who retired last month.

Bergener will help oversee 1,300 employees and a $1.5 billion annual budget, OCTA officials said in a press release.

New England Central Railroad Inc. (NECR) has leased 5 acres under its control to the Connecticut Port Authority to use for moving wind turbine components through the Port of New London.

Under an agreement announced yesterday, the port authority in return will facilitate rail access for future port business requiring rail transportation.

The San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC) yesterday began seeking public input on a draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the proposed Valley Rail Sacramento Extension project in California.

The project would expand Amtrak San Joaquins and Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) passenger-rail services to the greater Sacramento area through the construction of six rail stations and track improvements along the Union Pacific Railroad Sacramento subdivision tracks.

Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners completed the previously announced transaction to acquire TRAC Intermodal and its subsidiaries from investment funds managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC. The acquisition will strengthen Stonepeak’s infrastructure and transportation market portfolio, and support TRAC’s future growth, Stonepeak officials said in a press release.

The Greenbrier Cos. developed a virtual sample rail car presentation to offer customers the ability to fully inspect rail cars remotely while facility access is restricted in response to COVID-19. The presentation includes narrated video that follows a sample rail-car production from start to finish, high-resolution photos that allow zooming in for detailed inspections, and a live-stream portion so customers can ask questions.

The 2020 opening date of the Rocky Mountaineer passenger-rail service between Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Canadian Rockies has been postponed until July 1 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The train's travel season was scheduled to open April 13.

Riders who've booked trips prior to the new opening date will receive a future travel credit for 110 percent of the value paid, which can be applied to a new departure in the 2020, 2021 or 2022 travel seasons, railroad officials said in a press release.

The Port of Savannah logged its busiest February, handling 364,405 20-foot equivalent container units of cargo, a 17 percent increase from February 2019 levels, Georgia Port Authority officials announced last week.

March volumes are expected to dip due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, they said in a press release.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) crews are taking advantage of a 90 percent drop in ridership and early station closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic to work on capital improvement projects.

At 19th Street Station in Oakland, California, BART crews last week demolished a long-closed restroom to rebuild and reopen it to the public as part of a larger station modernization program, BART officials said in a press release.

Metra this week began several major projects as part of its 2020 construction program that will continue through the fall.

Commuter-rail service reductions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have enabled Metra to get an early start on its construction program, Metra officials said in a press release. 

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) board on April 2 will vote on the agency’s fiscal-year 2021 budget, which proposes expanded rail service hours and fare adjustments.

The board will vote on fare and service changes for its Metrorail system including:

Transborder freight moved by all modes of transportation between the United States and Canada and Mexico rose 1.5 percent to $97.1 billion worth of goods in January compared with January 2019 levels, the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported last week.

Rail, the second-most used mode, moved $13.4 billion of freight during January, a 3.9 percent increase compared with the same period a year ago. Year over year, freight moved by rail between the United States and Canada fell 2 percent to $7.4 billion worth of goods; freight moved by rail between the United States and Mexico rose 12 percent to $6 billion, according to a BTS press release.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit's (DART) board last week approved reimbursement funds for a grade crossing project in Carrollton, Texas. 

Carrollton officials chose to seek reimbursement from DART for part of a $1.4 million project to install automatic gates, wayside flashers, medians and warning devices at 11 crossings along the BNSF Railway Co. corridor between the city’s northern border and Josey Lane.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is soliciting competitive grant applications from universities for four new Tier 1 University Transportation Centers (UTC) program.

The USDOT will award $4.9 million in grants under the program. The UTCs will support research needs that the department has identified under two priorities: promoting safety and improving mobility of people and goods, department officials announced in a press release.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) crews in May will begin a track replacement project near the train station in Orinda, California. 

Crews will replace four mainline switches and other critical railway components, some of which are more than 40 years old, BART officials said in a press release.

Texas Central officials expect to receive federal approval this summer for construction of its Dallas-to-Houston bullet train proposal, however the project's timeline could be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, company officials announced late last week.

The company is ready to begin the first phase of construction of its privately funded and operated high-speed rail line once global financial markets stabilize and the federal process is completed. Many of its project partners are based in Europe and Japan, Texas Central Chief Executive Officer Carlos Aguilar said in a press release.

Caltrain in April will begin testing its first seven-car electrified trainset at the Stadler Rail manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City.

The action will mark the start of two months of testing, Caltrain’s latest project newsletter reported last week.

The Canadian government today implemented new requirements for intercity passenger-rail companies to follow to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Under the new measures, intercity passenger railroads are required to screen passengers for COVID-19 symptoms before they board a train, and refuse riders who present those symptoms from boarding.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued some temporary regulatory relief to railroads so that they can respond to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FRA announced the decision last week after the Association of American Railroads, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and the American Public Transportation Association petitioned the agency seeking relief.