Railroad News

The $2.2 trillion federal stimulus legislation that Congress passed late last week included measures that ensured rail workers will have access to unemployment and sickness benefits during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) announced late last week.

The AAR and ASLRRA joined rail labor unions in calling on Congress to provide rail workers affected by the coronavirus with the same protections extended to other Americans in the first COVID-19 stimulus package, which was passed earlier this month.

Trinity Industries Inc. has realigned responsibilities for some of its most senior executives, effective April 1. Under the changes, Eric Marchetto has been appointed chief financial officer, succeeding Melendy Lovett, who will return to her previous position as chief administrative officer. W. Relle Howard, currently vice president and CAO, will return to his previous role as chief information officer. Trinity also discounted the role of TrinityRail group president. The realignment is part of Trinity transitioning its business model from a holding company structure to an operating structure, Trinity officials said in a press release. 

Abloy USA introduced a new channel partner program that is designed to help security integrators expand their product solutions in critical infrastructure markets. The program serves to support the needs of critical infrastructure end user customers, such as railroads. It also supports the sales expansion and growth objectives of security systems integrators who assist those railroads. Under the program, partners will be offered training, incentives, support and co-marketing opportunities.

The American Council of Engineering Cos. (ACEC) awarded the joint venture responsible for designing the first stage of the Confederation light-rail line in Ottawa, Ontario, for exemplary engineering achievement. 

The joint venture — which consists of STV Inc., AECOM, Morrison Hershfield and McMillen Jacobs Associates — was credited as the first conversion of an exclusive bus rapid transit system into a light-rail system in North America, ACEC said in a press release.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) on April 1 will begin construction on the East 79th Street Station.

The $10 million project calls for redesigning the Red Line station to include ramps and stairs, an upgraded pedestrian track crossing and a new entry plaza. 

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) earlier this week canceled its Rail Conference and International Rail Rodeo for 2020, as transit-rail agencies deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their operations.

The events were scheduled to be held June 14-17 and June 11-14, respectively, in San Francisco.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the derailment of a CSX high-hazard flammable key train in Draffin, Kentucky, last month.

The train, carrying denatured ethanol, derailed at 6:54 a.m. Feb. 13 in the CSX Kingsport Subdivision along a hillside adjacent to the Russell Fork River. The engineer and conductors sustained minor injuries, the NTSB report stated.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) yesterday implemented a reduced service schedule across its system to adapt to falling ridership as riders stay home to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

According to the announcement, MTA New York City Transit's (NYCT) B, W, and Z subway lines will be suspended Monday through Friday; MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) as of March 27 will run 240 fewer weekday trains; and MTA Metro-North Railroad service as of March 27 will be reduced by 50 percent to 424 trains.


The Washington State Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) last week allocated $19,900 from its Grade Crossing Protective Fund to pay for safety improvements at a grade crossing in Newport, Washington. 

The funds will be used to install an accessible pedestrian surface at a crossing located at the intersection of Pine Street and Pend Oreille Valley Railroad tracks. The project must be completed by Dec. 31.

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott today suspended some Amtrak service to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Under the suspension, the Ethan Allen Express route, which runs between New York City and Rutland, Vermont, will not provide service north of Albany, New York; and the Vermonter route between Washington D.C. and Saint Albans, Vermont, will go only as far as Connecticut, NBC 5 News reports.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined earlier this week that an Archer Daniels Midland Co. rail tank car, while stationed at a CSX rail yard in Fredericksburg, Virginia, released denatured ethanol — a flammable hazardous material — from undetected cracks in the bottom of the tank car's shell.

About 68 gallons of the material leaked from the DOT-111 tank car, which was loaded with more than 28,690 gallons. The incident occurred Nov. 2, 2016.

The Port of Virginia yesterday instituted a critical cargo initiative to identify and prioritize import cargo moving across Virginia that is critical to fighting the coronavirus pandemic. 

The initiative allocates the equipment and port personnel necessary to ensure containers containing personal protective equipment for the medical industry and COVID-19 test kits are processed and moved to the container’s destination rapidly, port officials said in a press release.

U.S. freight-rail traffic tumbled 8.6 percent to 459,966 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending March 21 compared with the same week in 2019, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Impact of the coronavirus pandemic may be influencing rail traffic patterns, as railroads logged 224,048 carloads, down 5.4 percent, and 235,918 intermodal containers and trailers, down 11.4 percent during the week.

RR Mergers & Acquisitions announced the sale of Allpress & Moore Railroad Signal Contractors to CDL Electric Co. Allpress & Moore provides engineering, wiring, testing and construction for grade crossings. CDL Electric installs and maintains railroad signals.

Stucki Roller Bearing (SBR), a division of A. Stucki Co., opened a second facility in Lincoln, Nebraska. The 50,000-square-foot facility will house manufacturing, distribution and office space to support the company’s reconditioned bearings business for freight car, locomotive and transit applications.

A Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) study conducted at the San Jose State University and published earlier this month has found that sexual harassment experienced by riders on trains and buses leads to reduced use of public transportation.

About 63 percent of the 891 student transit riders surveyed indicated they had experienced some form of sexual harassment while riding the train or bus over the past three years. The study defines sexual harassment as any unwanted attention including lewd comments, threats and being followed or pictured.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority's board (GCRTA) yesterday elected Dennis Clough president and Charles Lucas, vice president. 

Clough and Lucas have served as president and VP, respectively, since 2018. Each now will serve another year.