BNSF performs maintenance and capacity improvements in Iowa and Illinois
BNSF plans to invest an estimated $154 million on maintenance and capacity improvements in both Iowa and Illinois this year.
Freight
KCS names VP Business Solutions and Marketing
Kansas City Southern appointed Carlos Velez to vice president business solutions and marketing. In this position, he leads the business development, customer solutions, market research and sales force performance functions and reports to KCS executive vice president sales and marketing Patrick Ottensmeyer.
Work begins on new WVFA rail entrance
Project 16 of the West Vancouver Freight Access (WVFA) Project, a new rail entrance at the Port of Vancouver USA in Washington state, will begin work by the end of August and is scheduled to be completed by February 28, 2013.
CN, UTU reach tentative agreement
United Transportation Union-represented yardmasters employed by Canadian National’s Illinois Central Railroad have reached a new tentative agreement following mediation assistance from the National Mediation Board. A March tentative agreement was rejected by the membership, which will now vote, through September 15, on the new tentative pact.
Negotiations were led by UTU International Vice President Paul Tibbit and UTU General Chairperson Doyle Turner.
“This tentative agreement, as with others negotiated with Class 1 railroads, is intended to bring parity in wages, benefits and work rules to the thousands of employees in the railroad industry, along with the many other protections offered by union membership,” Turner said. “The seniority, scope and discipline rules these members now enjoy are what makes union membership valuable.”
Illinois Central connects Chicago with New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., and also reaches Omaha, Neb., and Sioux City, Iowa.
Genesis Energy, L.P. develops crude oil unloading terminal along RailAmerica’s Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway
The Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway, a RailAmerica Inc. property, is now serving a new crude oil-unloading terminal developed by Genesis Energy, L.P. The Walnut Hill, Fla., terminal, which started service on Monday, August 13, is designed to receive approximately 100-car unit trains of crude oil via the AGR from various shale regions in the U.S. and Canada.
UP performing $7.4 million in Missouri infrastructure improvements
Union Pacific is enhancing Missouri’s transportation infrastructure by investing $7.4 million in the rail line that runs just west of Jefferson City and Pleasant Hill. The project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by the end of October.
FRA says meeting PTC deadline unlikely, recommends extension
The Federal Railroad Administration issued a report titled Positive Train Control Implementation Status, Issues, and Impacts to Congress this month reporting on progress of the railroad carriers in implementing PTC systems.
CSX Intermodal Terminals, EMH&T win engineering excellence award
CSX Intermodal Terminals, Inc., and EMH&T have won the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Ohio “2012 Engineering Excellence Outstanding Achievement Award” for the design of CSX Intermodal Terminal’s Northwest Ohio intermodal terminal.
Watco Compliance Service names VP engineering
Carl Hybinette has joined the Watco Compliance Service Team as vice president of engineering. Hybinette will be responsible for the day-to-day compliance and engineering activities at Watco Compliance Services.
CN invests US$35 million in Wisconsin to serve Superior Silica Sands
Canadian National and Superior Silica Sands have entered into a multi-year agreement to move frac sand from a new processing plant now under construction in northern Wisconsin.
Reading and Northern Railroad hires Dennis Shaffer
Reading and Northern Railroad hired Dennis Shaffer as vice president of business development, effective August 20, 2012.
Feasibility study to look at proposed rail line in Quebec/Labrador iron ore range
Canadian National says that a customer group of mining companies, Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., Labrador Iron Mines Holdings Ltd., New Millennium Iron Corp., Cap-Ex Ventures Ltd., and Alderon Iron Ore Corp.
Westmoreland discusses rail industry in Georgia
U.S. Representative Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) joined local officials and representatives from the offices of Senators Chambliss and Isakson, the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, STX Railroad Construction, CSXT and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia to discuss the
UTU, BLET members ratify four contract agreements
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and United Transportation Union recently ratified four new collective bargaining agreements.
Rail Link receives Wyoming Governor’s award for safety and health
Rail Link, Inc., a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., has received the Wyoming Governor’s Award for Safety and Health in the Large Mine-Site Contractor category for the second consecutive year. The award is the highest honor given by the state of Wyoming for recognition of an employer’s commitment to excellence in workplace safety and health.
KCS promotes Ebbrecht to EVP & COO
Kansas City Southern promoted David Ebbrecht from executive vice president operations to executive vice president and chief operating officer for KCS and its U.S. subsidiary, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company. In this position, Ebbrecht will continue to coordinate closely with the leadership of Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. Ebbrecht reports to KCS president and chief executive officer David Starling.
2012 chief enigneers’ survey: WISH LIST
Safety remains at the top of engineering department’s list of equipment guidelines.
You want to impress a railroad engineer with a piece of maintenance equipment? Make sure it’s versatile, reliable, as well as easy to maintain, to transport and to use. Above all else, it must be safe.
Maintaining ballast below the ties
Optimal track conditions rely heavily on ballast maintenance.
Ballast doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. For those outside of the industry, the flashy signals, rail and crossties are what railroad lines are made of.
CREATE program update: keeping Chicago fluid
The CREATE program continues to improve movement through the nation’s rail nucleus.
The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program marked nine years of existence in June 2012.
NS, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to begin hazard elimination project
The effort to establish Section 130 hazard-elimination at railroad crossings in Louisville, Ken., near Wilson Avenue and Woodland Avenue, has taken a major step forward with the project receiving $1.8 million in funding for improvements.