Railroad News

HNTB Corp. named former Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Managing Director Veronique Hakim the firm's national transit and rail market sector leader and senior vice president. In her new role, Hakim will collaborate with HNTB leadership nationwide on strategic planning and implementation, business development, and service delivery, HNTB officials said in a press release. In addition to previously serving as MTA's managing director, Hakim served stints as MTA New York City Transit's president, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority's executive director, New Jersey Transit's executive director, and executive VP and general counsel of MTA’s Capital Construction subsidiary.

DSC Logistics, CJ Logistics USA and CJ Logistics Canada have joined under one combined operating company named CJ Logistics America LLC. The company will do business as DSC Logistics in the United States through 2020, with plans to rebrand as CJ Logistics starting in 2021. As of Feb. 1, DSC Logistics is wholly owned by CJ Logistics Holdings America Corp. Freight Forwarding will be a division under the combined company, with Mexico operations to be integrated soon as well. The company's combined North American platform will include over 70 locations, DSC Logistics officials said in a press release.

Brightline, the passenger-rail service in southeastern Florida, announced last week that its five-train fleet will operate carbon neutral throughout February.

Under an arrangement with Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL), all Brightline carbon emissions will be offset with renewable energy credits.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is asking drone operators to follow Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines to avoid interfering with emergency responders.

The warning followed a PennDOT meeting held with other state agencies last week to discuss how increasing drone usage has the potential to delay or endanger emergency medical services (EMS).

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) has acquired 145 acres next to the Port of Savannah as part of a larger plan to expand the port's capacity to more than 9 million 20-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) by 2030.

The addition is expected to add more than 1 million TEUs in annual capacity, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said yesterday during the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) yesterday announced six appointments to the agency’s transformation management office, a new department created as part of MTA’s reorganization plan.

Wael Hibri was named deputy chief transformation officer; Zeb Voss, chief of staff; Eamonn Foley, special counsel; Jaibala Patel, chief financial officer; and Mildred Chua and Michael Moran, both heads of program delivery.

The Port of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) handled 7,471,131 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo in 2019, breaking the previous annual record of 7,179,788 TEUs set in 2018. 

In 2019, the port handled 5,231,418 loaded TEUs, surpassing the loaded imports handled by the Port of Long Beach in California, elevating the PANYNJ to No. 2 in the nation for the first time in two decades, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) crews soon will begin installing barriers at 64 light-rail stations to prevent riders from stepping off a platform between coupled rail cars during boarding.

Provided by Impact Recovery Systems Inc., the barriers also will help make visually impaired riders aware that the space between cars is not a door opening, thereby deterring them from entering the area, DART officials said in a press release.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) this month will install its One Metro New York (OMNY) contactless fare payment system at 37 subway stations in the Bronx, New York, agency officials announced last week. 

February’s rollout will first bring OMNY readers to Line 6 subway stations, from Third Avenue-138 Street Station to Pelham Bay Park Terminal. Then, the readers will be installed on the 2/5 subway line from Third Avenue-149 Street Station to Wakefield-241 Street Station, NYCT officials said in a press release.

Some of Caltrain's electric trains now in production at Stadler Rail's Salt Lake City plant have passed several structural tests, the railroad announced last week.

The truck — which holds the propulsion motor, wheel and axle of the train— underwent structural and fatigue endurance tests with successful results. The rail car shell also underwent a squeeze test, which verifies the strength of the rail cars under various stressors, including twisting, bending and external pressure, Caltrain officials said in a project newsletter.

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) crews last month began early construction at 19th Street/Oakland Station in Oakland, California, in preparation for a major station modernization project.

On Jan. 25, crews constructed secure equipment storage areas at the station. In the coming months, crews will begin to renovate restrooms, install LED lighting, expand the fare area, install an elevator, repair tile and expand interior bike parking, BART officials said in a press release.

Union Pacific Railroad announced last week that it has launched a developer portal that allows shippers to access relevant railroad data within their own business platforms.

Driving the service are application program interfaces (APIs), which allow computer applications to interact with each other to pass data or perform actions, UP officials said in an announcement on the company website.

Union Pacific Railroad announced last week that it has launched a developer portal that allows shippers to access relevant railroad data within their own business platforms.

Driving the service are application program interfaces (APIs), which allow computer applications to interact with each other to pass data or perform actions, UP officials said in an announcement on the company website.

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $3.4 billion on capital expenditures this year, down from the $3.57 billion the Class I budgeted in 2019.

This year's plan emphasizes maintaining network infrastructure as well as expansion projects designed to meet customer demand, BNSF officials said last week in a customer notification.

BNSF Railway Co. will spend $3.4 billion on capital expenditures this year, down from the $3.57 billion the Class I budgeted in 2019.

This year's plan emphasizes maintaining network infrastructure as well as expansion projects designed to meet customer demand, BNSF officials said last week in a customer notification.

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) last week reopened the improved Magnolia Park Transit Center in Houston.

The 27-year-old transit center was upgraded to include new security cameras, 10-foot-wide sidewalks and ramps to increase accessibility, a larger station canopy, a central plaza, wayfinding signage, additional parking spaces and bike facilities.