KeRail and Tata Steel enter into long-term agreement

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and a newly-formed GWI subsidiary, KeRail Inc. have entered into a long-term agreement with Tata Steel Minerals Canada Ltd. for KeRail to provide rail transportation services to the 4.2 million tons per annum direct shipping iron ore mine TSMC is developing near Schefferville, Quebec, Canada, in the Labrador Trough (the Mine). In addition, KeRail will construct an approximately 21-kilometer (13-mile) rail line that will connect TSMC’s mine to the Tshiuetin Rail Transportation interchange point in Schefferville.

Patriot adds Shoener to board of directors

Patriot Rail Corp., operator of shortline and regional freight railroads, appointed Arthur Shoener to the board of directors of the company. In this role, Shoener will provide executive support and oversight in company proceedings.

UP campaign urges Austin residents to stop for trains

Stop for trains because they cannot stop for you. It is a message Union Pacific and Operation Lifesaver are rolling out as part of a bilingual awareness campaign aimed at promoting safety around railroad tracks in Austin, Texas.

NS completes coal line maintenance blitz

Norfolk Southern recently completed $20.5 million of track, bridge and signal improvements along its major coal line through the Monongahela Valley in Pennsylvania in a record seven days. To ensure coal customers in Southwest Pennsylvania continue to receive consistent and reliable rail service, Norfolk Southern schedules a maintenance blitz each July to coincide with the coal miners’ annual weeklong summer break.

Union Pacific elects John Koraleski to Board of Directors

Union Pacific Corporation elected John Koraleski to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately. Koraleski serves as president and chief executive officer of Union Pacific Corporation, as well as president and CEO of Union Pacific Railroad Company. All Union Pacific Corporation board members serve concurrently on the railroad’s board of directors.

Kansas DOT awards Unitrac a $3.4 million contract

Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Healey Railroad Corporation and a specialty trackwork manufacturer and distributor of new and relay rail, has received a $3.4 million award for a Kansas Department of Transportation project. The contract involves furnishing rail and other track components for the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad.

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. enters agreement to acquire RailAmerica

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and RailAmerica, Inc. have entered into an agreement under which GWI will acquire RailAmerica for an all cash purchase price of $27.50 per share. GWI’s acquisition of RailAmerica will combine the two largest shortline and regional rail operators in North America.

ACE to approve San Gabriel trench contract

The Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority Board of Directors is expected to award a $172.6 million contract on July 23 to construct a 1.4-mile railroad trench for Union Pacific freight and Amtrak passenger trains with street bridges built at four crossings, in San Gabriel, Calif.

Watco names VP of Transportation Safety

Watco Transportation Services promoted Michael Gibson to vice president of transportation safety. Gibson will begin his duties in the position on August 1 and will also serve as interim Gulf Regional vice president of operations until that position is filled.

ASLRRA: Majority of Congress supports shortline tax credit

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association reached a major milestone by securing the 51st Senate co-sponsor of legislation to extend the Short Line Rehabilitation Tax Credit (45G). The legislation has now been sponsored by a majority of both houses of Congress.

Arbitrator appointed for CP labor disputes

William Kaplan has been appointed arbitrator in the disputes between Canadian Pacific Railway and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, representing bargaining units of approximately 220 rail traffic controllers and 4, 200 locomotive engineers, conductors, trainspersons and yardmen.

OmniTRAX managing director and EVP retires

Mike Ogborn will retire from OmniTRAX, Inc., as its managing director and executive vice president. Ogborn began his career with OmniTRAX representing it before the Interstate Commerce Commission and other venues in the mid-1980’s and then spent the next 20 years working within the company in various capacities. After retirement, he will continue to serve the company as a member of the OmniTRAX Advisory Board and will provide consulting services to it.

CP, Smart Sand to build frac sand facility

Smart Sand and Canadian Pacific Railway have entered into a long-term partnership, under which the two companies will supply and ship premium, Northern White frac sand to the unconventional oil and gas industry in North America producing regions (including the Bakken and Eagle Ford formations and the Utica and Marcellus Shales). The two companies also announced the partnership’s first initiative: building a new frac sand transload facility, expected to be the region’s largest, in Makoti, N.D., that will serve the Bakken formation in the Williston Basin beginning in early 2013.

Metra awards Englewood Flyover contract

The Board of Directors of Chicago’s Metra approved a $93-million contract to construct the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program P1 project, know as the Englewood Flyover at its meeting on Monday.

FRA and OSHA sign agreement to protect railroad workers from retaliation

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) signed an agreement to improve coordination between the two agencies in enforcing the whistleblower provision of the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA).

RRV&W marks 25th anniversary

The Red River Valley & Western Railroad Company (RRV&W), a shortline railroad that provides local rail freight service to mostly rural North Dakota communities formerly served by the Burlington Northern, now BNSF Railway, will mark its 25th anniversary July 19.

CSX, State of Ohio dedicate Fifth Street Bridge

CSX Corporation hosted a dedication ceremony for the new Fifth Street Bridge in Niles, Ohio. The upgraded bridge’s higher vertical clearance helps clear the way for CSX’s upgraded, double-stack freight rail corridor, the National Gateway, linking East Coast sea ports with the CSX Northwest Ohio Terminal and other Midwest distribution and manufacturing hubs.

KCS to focus on restricted speed compliance

In July, KCS’ U.S. transportation team is swapping its regular Safety Tuesday messages with a month-long outreach and a testing blitz focused on restricted speed compliance.

CSX completes $34 million maintenance “Jamboree”

Earlier this month more than 900 CSX employees worked to complete the company’s 2012 maintenance “Jamboree” on a section of its network in the Southeast.

Rail industry joins forces to target hiring 5,000 veterans in 2012

In collaboration with various sectors of the rail industry, the Association of American Railroads says that the nation’s major freight, intercity passenger, commuter railroads and rail supply companies expect to hire more than 5,000 veterans in 2012. The rail industry’s commitment is part of the White House Joining Forces initiative, a nationwide effort to recognize, honor and support America’s veterans and military families.

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