The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) late last week issued an Emergency Order and Safety Advisory to help prevent trains operating on mainline tracks or sidings from moving unintentionally. The order was made in response to the July 6, 2013 derailment in Lac-Mégantic, QB, Canada.
The Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-Way Employees and Signalmen (FAMES) Committee issued three recommendations following a report finding a spike in roadway worker fatalities in the hour following the traditional noon mealtime.
The Tuscola Industrial Rail Park in Tuscola, Ill., has been designated as a CSX Select Site. Select Sites are locations for manufacturing projects along the CSX network that can progress rapidly because standard land use issues have been addressed and the site is ready for development following a comprehensive due diligence process. RT&S magazine previously reported the introduction of CSX’s Select Site program January 11, 2012.
“We are excited to add this property to the Select Site program. The community of Tuscola has been great to work with to move the certification program along quickly. This site is competitive and delivers on our program objectives to provide industrial companies with easier development decisions, reduced risk and faster speed to market,” said Clark Robertson, assistant vice president, regional development, CSX.
CSX introduced the Select Site program in 2012 to better serve customers in their own backyards by adding rail transport access routes for some of the premier manufacturing properties in the eastern U.S. CSX partnered with The Austin Company, a nationally-known site selection firm, to screen candidate sites and assist communities with the application and certification process.
“Located in a pro-business community, Tuscola Industrial Rail Park offers industry one of the few location options in the country at the convergence of railroad, interstate and natural gas corridors,” said Jonathan Gemmen, senior location consultant, The Austin Company.
To receive CSX Select Site designation, the location must meet a rigorous list of criteria, including infrastructure and utility availability, environmental reviews, appropriate zoning and entitlement, air quality permitting, rail serviceability, proximity to highways or interstates and other attributes. Once certified, the sites are also featured on a user-friendly web portal featuring press releases, promotional materials and direct marketing to site selection professionals.
In addition to the Tuscola Industrial Rail Park, CSX has designated 10 other sites located across CSX’s 23-state service territory.
Watco Companies has hired Drew White as director of engineering for project management. In this position, White will report to Ron Close, senior vice president of supply chain management and become a team member of the Project Management Team.
N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Secretary Tony Tata, U.S. Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina and Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas joined representatives from CSX July 26 in Greenville, N.C., to celebrate the opening of the relocated CSX rail yard.
Atkins secured a construction management contract for a Union Pacific at-grade railroad crossing in Fort Worth, Texas and also won a contract to provide government compliance and federal reporting services for BNSF.
Transport Canada is moving forward to build upon the safety advisories received recently from the Transportation Safety Board and further enhance existing safe railway operations and the security of railway transportation by issuing an emergency directive pursuant to section 33 of the Canadian Railway Safety Act to increase rail safety.
Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto said Monday that his administration plans to invest Mex$4 billion (US$318 million) in infrastructure projects over the next five years.
Union Pacific will strengthen transportation infrastructure in Illinois and Iowa by investing nearly $27 million in the rail line between Manlius and Edelstein, Ill., and the rail line between Boone and Denison, Iowa.
Norfolk Southern has completed $22.6 million worth of track, bridge and signal improvements along its major coal line through Pennsylvania’s Monongahela Valley.
Canadian Pacific hired veteran railroader Tony Marquis as its new vice president operations Eastern Region with accountability for its Eastern Canada and the Northeast U.S. operations.
According to Robin Chapman, a Virginia spokesperson for Norfolk Southern, 170 furloughed NS employees are headed back to work, in a story posted on the United Transportation Union‘s website.
K+S Potash Canada and Canadian Pacific signed an exclusive long-term volume-based contract on the transportation of potash products from K+S’ Legacy Site.
Canadian National will start serving a new frac sand terminal north of Grande Prairie, AB, Canada, starting in November 2013.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has finalized a $10 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) 2011 grant for the Port of Northern Montana Multimodal Hub Center in Shelby, Mont.
Ann Arbor Railroad, Inc. (AA), filed with the Surface Transportation Board on June 24 for permission to lease approximately 3.69 miles of track in Toledo, Ohio, from Norfolk Southern (NS).
TranSystems hired Sam Mansour, P.E., as senior vice president and client manager for the company’s passenger and freight rail practice areas. Mansour will be responsible for business development, client service and growth strategies across the West region.
Anthony Foxx was sworn in as the nation’s 17th secretary of transportation by Judge Nathaniel Jones in a private ceremony at U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters July 2, 2013.
CSX this week will begin an eight-day maintenance marathon designed to complete work that would normally take 18 weeks.
Union Pacific will strengthen Oregon’s transportation infrastructure by investing $8.9 million to install new rail on track between North Powder and La Grande. The project is under way now and is scheduled to be completed this month.