Darr to lead ASLRRA
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has selected Linda Bauer Darr as president, succeeding Richard Timmons, who is retiring at the end of 2014.
Freight
KCS names VP intermodal; AVP mechanical operations
Kansas City Southern named Erik Hansen vice president intermodal and Daniel Bozung assistant vice president mechanical operations.
UP performing close to $10 million of trackwork on Nebraska, Wyoming line
Union Pacific will strengthen transportation infrastructure in Wyoming and Nebraska by investing $9.6 million in the rail line between near Scottsbluff, Neb., and Shawnee, Wyo. The project, funded entirely by Union Pacific, began July 13 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of September.
SCVTA completes Warren Avenue grade separation
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (SCVTA) Warren Avenue grade separation project is now complete and will be open to traffic beginning August 11. This is just one of many projects that will make way for the SCVTA Bay Area Rapid Transportation (BART) Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension.
Tanana River Bridge, Alaska’s longest, completed
The Tanana River Bridge in Fairbanks, Alaska, the longest in the state, has been completed on time and on budget, according to Gov. Sean Parnell.
IDOT, IAIS agreement advances Chicago to Quad Cities passenger service
The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) reached an agreement with Iowa Interstate Railroad (IAIS) to perform design work for a portion of the route for the new passenger rail service between Chicago and Moline. Next month, IDOT is planning to begin making improvements to accommodate service on the BNSF portion of the route.
UP performing $11 million worth of work on Colorado, Wyoming infrastructure
Union Pacific will strengthen Colorado’s and Wyoming’s transportation infrastructures by investing $11 million in the rail line between LaSalle, Colo., and near Cheyenne, Wyo. The project, funded entirely by Union Pacific, began July 9 and is scheduled to be completed by mid-December.
New rail bridge in Pennsylvania to be dedicated next week
The Susquehanna Economic Development Association-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) Joint Rail Authority (JRA) will dedicate the newly constructed Loyalsock Creek Railroad Bridge August 13.
Broken rail with RCF evidence blamed for Ellicott City coal train derailment
The derailment of a CSX coal train on a railroad bridge in Ellicott City, Md., on August 20, 2012, was caused by a broken rail with evidence of rolling contact fatigue (RCF), according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Virginia Railway Express breaks ground on Potomac Shores Station
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) began construction on a new station in Potomac Shores; the station is expected to open in 2017.
Piedmont Improvement Program marks project milestones
Passengers along the Raleigh to Charlotte rail corridor in North Carolina will experience some of the benefits of the Piedmont Improvement Program (PIP) following project milestones met last week.
UP employees match best-ever first half safety performance
Union Pacific employees achieved a 1.01 reportable safety incident rate for the first half of the year (through June 30, 2014), matching the best-ever rate achieved in the first half of 2011.
CP and TCRC-RCTC reach labor agreement
Canadian Pacific and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference Rail Canada Traffic Controllers (TCRC-RCTC) have reached a tentative six-year labor agreement covering approximately 135 rail traffic controllers in Canada.
KCS changes operations department organization
Kansas City Southern (KCS) made several organizational changes within the operations department.
Watco makes management appointments to WSOR; Grand Elk Railroad
Watco Transportation Services appointed Larry McCloud to general manager for the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad (WSOR). He will be responsible for the daily operations, specifically focusing on improving safety, productivity and efficiency.
UP performing $8 million worth of work in Kansas
Union Pacific will strengthen Kansas’ transportation infrastructure by investing $8 million in the rail line between Herington and Whitewater. The project, funded entirely by Union Pacific, began July 16 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of September.
SNC-Lavalin names Rivard EVP infrastructure engineering
SNC-Lavalin Group appointed Marc Rivard to the role of executive vice president infrastructure engineering, within the company’s Infrastructure Group. SNC-Lavalin’s Infrastructure Group addresses the full life cycle of infrastructure and includes its infrastructure concession investment, engineering, construction and operations and maintenance businesses.
North Carolina, Ohio crossings to see upgrades
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) approved four highway-rail grade crossing projects in Marion, Holmes, Shelby and Huron counties.
Rep. Hudson tours ACWR facility
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC-08) joined representatives from the Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway (ACWR) and the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association for a tour of ACWR’s facility in Candor, N.C.
Administration’s Build America Transportation Investment Center to offer financing options for transportation projects
President Obama spoke at the Port of Wilmington in Delaware on July 17 to announce a new executive action to create the Build America Investment Initiative, a government-wide initiative to increase infrastructure investment and economic growth by engaging with state and local governments and private sector investors to encourage collaboration, expand the market for public-private partnerships (PPPs) and put federal credit programs to greater use.