Railroad News

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) in November 2019 handled a record 599,626 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo, a 4 percent increase over the previous November record of 583,880 TEUS set in 2018.

Also in November, the port’s ExpressRail system set a record, handling 54,096 containers compared to 53,609 containers in November 2018, PANYNJ officials said in a press release.

North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR) President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Saylor has announced he will retire in July following a 31-year career with the railroad.

President since 2001, Saylor was hired in 1989. He informed the board of his retirement plans in a letter, NCRR officials said in a press release.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced a plan to add eight new tracks to New York Penn Station's 21-track layout, which would increase capacity at the station by 40 percent.

The proposal would create what the governor called an "Empire Station Complex," a 21st century transit complex, on Manhattan's west side.

Canadian Pacific moved more grain and grain products in fourth-quarter 2019 than in any quarter in its history, the Class I announced yesterday.

CP shipped 7.9 million metric tons (MMT) during the quarter, breaking the previous record set in fourth-quarter 2018 by 400,000 metric tons, CP officials said in a press release.

Canadian Pacific moved more grain and grain products in fourth-quarter 2019 than in any quarter in its history, the Class I announced yesterday.

CP shipped 7.9 million metric tons (MMT) during the quarter, breaking the previous record set in fourth-quarter 2018 by 400,000 metric tons, CP officials said in a press release.

Knorr Brake Co. LLC appointed Jason Connell president and chief executive officer to succeed Richard Bowie, who will remain with the organization as vice president of marketing, sales and systems. Connell has 27 years of experience in the railroad industry. Most recently, he served as senior VP of sales, marketing and services for New York Air Brake LLC, a sister company within the Knorr-Bremse Group, Knorr Brake officials said in a press release. Connell is a member of the Association of American Railroads' Associate Advisory Board and vice chair of the Railway Supply Institute's board.

Bombardier Transportation renewed a $309 million, five-year contract with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to provide operations and maintenance services for the authority's automated transit system at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York. The contract calls for Bombardier to provide 24-hour train operations and passenger assistance, as well as maintenance of the fleet, track, power supply, signaling systems, stations and platforms. Bombardier has operated and maintained the system since it opened in December 2003, company officials said in a press release.

The Bi-State Development Board of Commissioners last week voted to ratify a new labor contract with Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 788, which represents many of Metro Transit-St. Louis’ light-rail operators, technicians, clerical and maintenance employees.

Under the three-year pact, union members will receive a 2.25 percent wage increase for fiscal-year 2020, and a 3 percent wage increase for the following two years, Bi-State Development officials said in a press release.

Sound Transit crews on Jan. 4 began construction to integrate a new light-rail segment to the east side of its existing Link system in downtown Seattle.

The work required a light-rail service suspension on Jan. 4 and 5, which kicked off the first of three weekend construction periods. During weekend construction, shuttle buses will replace light-rail service at downtown Seattle stations, Sound Transit officials said in a press release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has issued a request for information (RFI) to help develop a National Freight Strategic Plan that includes 11 statutorily required components to address multimodal transportation.

The plan was mandated by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

The Regional Transportation District of Denver’s (RTD) board last week selected five preliminary candidates to interview for the interim general manager and chief executive officer position.

The board will begin interviews on Thursday. The candidates, which have not be publicly named, were chosen from a pool of 40 applicants from across the country, RTD officials said in a press release. 

U.S. freight railroad traffic fell 5 percent to 26,704,974 carloads and intermodal units last year compared with 2018 levels, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported last week.

Total carloads declined 4.9 percent to 12,972,404 units, while intermodal volume fell 5.1 percent to 13,732,570 containers and trailers compared with a year ago, AAR officials said in a press release.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Keolis Commuter Services last month announced plans to install gates at three commuter-rail stations to cut down on fare evaders, The Boston Globe reported. 

Beginning early this year, the gates will be added to North, South and Back Bay stations in Boston. An exact location hasn’t been announced.

The Regional Transportation District of Denver's (RTD) staff last month presented details of a service reduction plan, which would eliminate or reduce frequency on some light-rail lines in response to a shortage of train operators.

The changes would not take effect until May. Between now and then, RTD is soliciting public comment on the proposal at 15 public meetings. RTD's board is slated to vote on the service changes in March.

Metrolinx crews have completed most early construction on the future Finch West light-rail line in northwest Toronto in preparation for major construction, agency officials announced last week on the Metrolinx blog.

Crews relocated oil and gas pipelines, removed trees, constructed an access road and installed fencing along the nearly 7-mile route. Workers also broke ground on a light-rail vehicle maintenance and storage facility at York Gate Boulevard and Finch Avenue West.

Amtrak's latest round of infrastructure renewal work at Penn Station in New York City is scheduled to begin today and wrap up by April 17, the railroad announced late last month.

The work, which will be focused on tracks 11 and 14, will involve removing, replacing, and installing new timber block ties and concrete, collecting and disposing debris, and installing a safety construction barrier on the platform to protect passengers, Amtrak officials said in a press release.

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) earlier this week released its latest "Rail Trends" report, noting that Canadian railroads have recovered from the global recession of 2008-2009.

The report provides an annual snapshot of the railroads' performance against the past 10 years of data. The 2019 document reflects data through the end of 2018, RAC officials said in a press release.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will add two members this weekend, bringing the board to its full complement of five members for the first time since February 2019.

Michael Graham and Thomas Chapman were nominated by President Donald Trump and were confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 19, 2019. Graham, who is set to be sworn in today, will serve through 2025.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is seeking qualified design-build teams to install elevators and make other improvements in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act at 23 MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) subway stations.

Work at each station will include design and construction of two to three elevators, electrical power upgrades, station communication system upgrades, utility relocation, staircase replacement or construction, and reconstruction of platform edges and boarding areas.