Railroad News

Alstom booked $4 billion of orders in its third quarter, between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2019, compared with nearly $3.8 billion over the same period in the previous fiscal year. Sales during the quarter increased to $2.3 billion from $2.2 billion a year ago. Between April and December 2019, Alstom’s order intake reached about $9.1 billion, and sales reached about $6.9 billion, up 3 percent compared with the same period in the last fiscal year. Alstom’s order intake benefitted from strong momentum in Europe and Asia Pacific, with a major contract for Perth’s rail network in Australia, and significant orders in signaling and services, company officials said in a press release.

Siemens Mobility is using Fabasoft’s cloud-based correspondence management system to serve as a central platform to share information and ensure compliance with deadlines and security directives on some multiyear projects. The platform allows Siemens to work with project partners quickly and transparently, Siemens officials said in a press release. The company is using the platform for a delivery project with VIA Rail Canada Inc.

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) agency in California earlier this week released a board-commissioned study that found its riders reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 percent per mile compared to completing the same trip in a car. 

To date, SMART riders have prevented 8.1 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the environment, according to the study fact sheet.

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) board approved a two-year contract with Cherokee Coatings LLC to paint a portion of the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) commuter-rail fleet.

Under the $1 million contract, Cherokee Coatings would install a mobile paint booth at TRE’s equipment maintenance facility in Irving, Texas, and repaint five locomotives, five cab cars and 13 coach cars. Crews also will repair rusted areas during the two-week project.

U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) yesterday questioned whether the nation's four largest Class Is are committed to combating climate change.

In a Jan. 16 letter to Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and Chief Executive Officer Ian Jefferies, DeFazio asked for additional information in response to a magazine article about the railroads' position on climate change.

Metrolink yesterday marked the completion of a two-year construction project to rebuild its train station in Van Nuys, California.

The $32 million project relocated the train platform to the double-tracked station's center to improve efficiency, and allow for more Metrolink and Amtrak service in the future, Metrolink officials said in a press release. 

Kansas City Southern today reported fourth-quarter 2019 revenue rose 5 percent to $729.5 million compared with the same quarter a year ago, driven primarily by increases in chemicals, petroleum and industrial and consumer products.

However, fourth-quarter net income declined year over year to $127.2 million, or $1.30 per diluted share, from $161.1 million, or $1.59 per diluted share.

Kansas City Southern today reported fourth-quarter 2019 revenue rose 5 percent to $729.5 million compared with the same quarter a year ago, driven primarily by increases in chemicals, petroleum and industrial and consumer products.

However, fourth-quarter net income declined year over year to $127.2 million, or $1.30 per diluted share, from $161.1 million, or $1.59 per diluted share.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Associate Editor

The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) yesterday released a draft business plan, which outlines the California agency's rail-service improvements and funding requests for the next two fiscal years.

The draft plan estimates the operating budget for fiscal-year 2020-2021 to be about $32.7 million, a 1.4 percent decrease compared to the FY2019-2020 operating budget. The FY2021-2022 budget is projected to be nearly $33.7 million, according to the draft plan document.

Select Sands America Corp. has completed its acquisition of a rail loading facility in Diaz, Arkansas, and has begun a project to reconfigure it.

The Diaz rail facility connects to a Union Pacific Railroad mainline.

New Jersey Transit last week announced the agency will replace 20 aging diesel engines in its River Line light-rail fleet to align with current emissions standards and realize as much as 15 percent in fuel savings.

The 15-year-old Tier I engines now operating on River Line light-rail vehicles have reached the end of their useful life and will be replaced with Tier IV diesel engines from Cummins, NJ Transit officials said in a press release. 

The U.S. freight-rail traffic slump is continuing, with volume down 9.6 percent to 501,624 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending Jan. 11 compared with the same week in 2019, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

Total carloads for the week fell 10.1 percent to 239,119 units, while intermodal volume declined 9.1 percent to 262,505 containers and trailers.

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Metrorail posted a 4 percent increase in passenger trips last year, ending a downward ridership trend that lasted most of the past decade. 

Riders took 182 million trips in 2019 compared to 175 million in 2018, a net increase of 7 million trips, WMATA officials said in a press release.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), attorneys general from 16 states and at least two U.S. senators have filed concerns about what they believe is a risk to public safety and the environment under a proposed rule that would allow trains to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) in rail tank cars.

On the other side of the issue, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and American Short-Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) say that transporting LNG by rail would improve transportation safety because of the rail industry's "strong safety record" on a ton-mile basis for transporting hazardous materials.

By This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Senior Associate Editor