Railroad News

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) is accepting applications for its $75 million Multimodal Local Supplement Grant Program (MLS), which is available to local and tribal governments.

Funding is available for new projects associated with railroads, harbors, transit agencies, roads, bridges, and bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

Imports at major U.S. ports reached "unusually high numbers" just prior to new tariffs on goods from China that took effect Sept. 1, the National Retail Federation (NRF) announced earlier this week.

Imports are expected to surge again before another round of tariffs take effect in December, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Sept. 10 by the NRF and Hackett Associates.

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

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

Metrolinx earlier this week announced it will purchase 36 additional bilevel rail cars from Bombardier Transportation for GO Transit.

Metrolinx will add 31 standard and five accessible cars to an existing 125-car order it placed in 2016.

To handle growing container volumes and attract additional business, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) is expanding its rail infrastructure and offerings.

Yesterday, the authority announced plans to offer dual rail service from the Port of Savannah to Chicago. CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway will move cargo between the points in less than three days, GPA officials said in a press release.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) yesterday proposed new rules covering its rate review procedures.

The rules would establish a new rate review option for smaller cases, the final offer rate review (FORR), that would use procedural limitations to contain the cost and complexity of a rate case. In addition, the board has proposed a streamlined market dominance process that could be used in any rate review proceeding.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Managing Director Veronique "Ronnie" Hakim yesterday announced her resignation, effective at November’s end.

The MTA's performance is on the rebound and service is improving across all agencies, so she feels comfortable moving on from the post, Hakim said in a statement.

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

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) earlier this month renamed the Mockingbird Station in Dallas the SMU/Mockingbird Station. 

The station is located near Southern Methodist University (SMU). Since opening in 1997, the station quickly became an important transportation resource for SMU students, faculty, staff and visitors, DART officials said in a press release. 

Amtrak earlier this week updated its mobile application to improve booking and travel management features. 

With the app updates, Amtrak riders can now save multiple credit cards to their account to improve ticket purchasing convenience; redeem guest rewards points for travel; purchase parking fares; and purchase tickets for the Auto Train, which transports riders along with their passenger vehicles between Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Florida.   

The League of Railway Women (LRW) yesterday announced Amanda Trainor Patrick will serve as board president for the 2019-2021 term.

Patrick is vice president of trade shows and board relations at the Railway Supply Institute.

Metra yesterday announced that it will not raise fares next year despite an expected $26 million increase in operating expenses.

To control and reduce operating costs in order to avoid increasing fares, Metra identified $5 million in operating efficiencies, officials with the Chicago commuter railroad said in a press release.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced earlier this week it has canceled a contract with CAF USA that called for the purchase of 10 new streetcars for the Center City Connector project.

At the same time, SDOT officials outlined a new timeline for advancing the project, which calls for construction of streetcar connections between South Lake Union, the waterfront, Pioneer Square, the International District and First Hill in Seattle.

U.S. railroads started off September with another decrease in rail traffic, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data.

The railroads logged 469,285 carloads and intermodal units for the week ending Sept. 7 compared with the same week a year ago, AAR officials said in a press release.

By Mike Choat, NRC Chairman

I hope that all of you are having a fantastic summer and staying cool during what has been a scorcher!

The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. has introduced a covered hopper rail car to its line of rail-car products. Made specifically for transporting grain, the newly designed car features the Tsunami Gate, a door and hatch system that permits shippers to customize the discharge speed of grain. The rail car has a capacity of 5,185 cubic feet. At 50 feet and six inches long, the car is shorter than traditional models, allowing more rail cars per fixed amount of track, Greenbrier officials said in a press release.

Connor, Clark & Lunn Infrastructure acquired VIP Rail ULC, a short line logistics business affiliate of Alpenglow Rail LLC. VIP Rail provides first- and last-mile rail transportation and storage solutions to a blue chip customer base in Sarnia, Ontario. Meanwhile, CC&L Infrastructure formed a partnership with Alpenglow Rail to develop and operate a diversified portfolio of rail businesses across North America, CC&L Infrastructure officials said in a press release.

MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) announced that eight new rail cars entered into passenger service today.

The rail cars are the first of a complete fleet of 202 cars designed and manufactured by Kawasaki Rail Car. The 188 remaining cars are expected to begin passenger service in March 2021, LIRR officials said in a press release.