Railroad News

By U.S. Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.)

Valley Metro crews next month will begin installing special track to enable the Tempe Streetcar in Tempe, Arizona, to cross over the area's existing light-rail system.

The work will occur at two locations along the 3rd Street streetcar route at Mill Avenue and Ash Avenue, and require single-tracking on portions of the light-rail route.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has named Brian Fransen as national division coordinator of the union’s safety task force (STF). He succeeds Carl Fields, who retired Oct. 17.

The STF assists federal agencies in the investigation of rail accidents, helping to determine probable causes and make safety recommendations, BLET officials said in a press release.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) board is planning to sell corporate naming rights later this month for the future Innovation Center Station on the Silver Line extension in Fairfax County, Virginia, according to a local news report.

A Fortune Global 500 company currently in negotiations to lease a headquarters location adjacent to the station has expressed interest in being the corporate sponsor of the station, according to documents prepared for the WMATA board and obtained by the WTOP-FM radio station.

MTA New York City Transit (NYCT) has completed a three-station, $88 million renovation project on the 145th Street Station in Manhattan and the 167th Street and 174th-175th Street stations in the Bronx.

The modernization included upgraded turnstile areas, a reconfigured fare-control area, and installation of security cameras, LED lighting and signage.

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) yesterday announced CN and Metrolinx as winners of the association's Environment Awards for 2019.

The Environment Awards are presented every two years with winners selected from RAC member submissions.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) last week announced it has suspended most of Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) pre-revenue operations on the 10-mile BART Silicon Valley Berryessa extension in California to create a “more practical” work plan.

Since June, VTA and BART have been working on starting passenger service on the extension before year's end. The work has involved efforts by both agencies to complete final systems modification testing, BART’s system acceptance testing and BART’s pre-revenue operations.

CN announced today that Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer Michael Foster will leave the company on Nov. 29.

He plans to move back to the United States to be close to his family and to pursue other career opportunities, CN officials said in a press release.

CN announced today that Executive Vice President and Chief Information and Technology Officer Michael Foster will leave the company on Nov. 29.

He plans to move back to the United States to be close to his family and to pursue other career opportunities, CN officials said in a press release.

The decline in U.S. freight-rail traffic continued through October. At recent industry trade shows, railroaders and suppliers weren’t shy about acknowledging the sluggish and uncertain economy, noting that freight-rail capital expenditures were down for the most part this year, and could be down again in 2020.  But not all rail execs have been using the “D” word this fall.

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The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) last week announced the launch of a program designed to increase small business participation in its large-scale construction projects by providing local entrepreneurs with financial guidance, support and resources to bid on city contracts. 

For some small businesses, working on a large construction project requires resources that many firms don’t have, including cash flow that can enable them to purchase materials ahead of being reimbursed, access to loans and other forms of credit, insurance for larger jobs, and access to IT and administrative supports, CTA officials said in a press release.

The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) logged 428,400 20-foot equivalent (TEU) container units in October, up 3.5 percent over October 2018 and a record for the month.

The strong month gave the Port of Savannah a fiscal year-to-date total of 1.6 million TEUs, up 90,600, or 6 percent, GPA officials said in a press release.

Richard Dalton has been installed as acting chief executive officer of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE).

VRE’s parent organizations, the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission and Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, confirmed Dalton as acting CEO Nov. 7 and 14, respectively. His installment was originally announced in October when VRE and former CEO Doug Allen announced they “agreed to part ways.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf last week announced the approval of 141 transportation infrastructure projects for a total of $79.3 million in funding through the Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF).

Established in 2013, the MTF funds infrastructure improvement projects aimed at ensuring safe and reliable transportation access in communities across the state. Projects eligible for funding include rail, roads, walking and bike trails, traffic safety, public transportation and air transportation.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last week presented its final proposed 2020 budget and four-year financial plan, which includes $253 million in higher farebox revenue than projected in the July plan due to increased ridership across the system.

The proposed budget includes no budget-driven service cuts and advances the agency’s Transformation Plan aimed at dramatically improving service and delivering significant reforms for taxpayers and commuters, MTA officials said in a press release.