Report: ABS Boosting Yard Capacity in Tuscaloosa
Alabama Southern Railroad (ABS), a Watco subsidiary, is investing nearly $10 million to build a second rail yard in Tuscaloosa, Ala., according to a May 18 report in the Tuscaloosa Thread. The new
Freight
NCDOT Awards $2.1MM in FRRCSI Grants
The North Carolina Department of Transportation has awarded five Class II railroads in the state $2.1 million in matching grant funds through the Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement (FRRCSI) Program
Ohio Rail Commission: $750,000 for CUOH
The Ohio Rail Development Commission (Rail Commission) on May 11 approved a grant of up to $750,000 to Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road (CUOH), a Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. Company, to improve capacity at the Class II’s Newark Yard and mitigate the possibility of blocked railroad crossings in Zanesville, Ohio.
FRA Safety Bulletin Aims to Increase Awareness of Hand-Operated Main Track Switches
Following a train collision that occurred on April 16 involving a misaligned switch, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released a Safety Bulletin to remind railroads about ways to “ensure safe operation of hand-operated main track switches.”
BNSF Rebuilds One Bridge, Begins Another in the Northwest
Progress is well under way on structural upgrades to BNSF’s 119-year-old Bridge 3.9A over Lake Pend Oreille outside Sandpoint, Idaho. The completion in November 2022 of the adjacent 4,873-foot long Bridge 3.9B allowed BNSF to
Loram Technologies to Launch Global Rail Campus
Loram Technologies, Inc. on May 3 held a groundbreaking ceremony in Georgetown, Tex., for its new Global Rail Campus, which will comprise a corporate office and facility for the production and manufacture of maintenance-of-way equipment and inspection technologies.
R.J. Corman Opens New Emergency Division in Maine
R.J. Corman Railroad Services, LLC, a subsidiary of R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC, has announced the establishment of a new Emergency Response Division in Waterville, Maine, which as of May 1, will provide support to customers in the Northeast region of the U.S., including Maine and surrounding states, the company reported on May 4.
BMWED, LS&I Ratify Agreement
A new collectively bargained agreement has been ratified by members of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division-International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) working at Michigan-based Lake Superior and Ishpeming Railroad (LS&I), the union
CARB Passes New In-Use Locomotive Regulation
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) on April 27 passed a new rule aimed at reducing emissions from locomotives when they operate within the state. According to CARB, under the In-Use Locomotive Regulation—the
FRA to Railroads: Approval Required for PTC System Outages Under Certain Conditions
Railroads now must seek Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) approval before temporarily disabling their Positive Train Control (PTC) systems during infrastructure upgrades or capital projects, according to a notification in the Federal Register. A previous provision allowing them to just notify FRA of the disablement has expired.
BNSF Receives Permits to Replace Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge
The North Dakota Department of Water Resources has issued two state permits to BNSF Railway, which are the final regulatory approvals required to replace the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge over the Missouri River between the two cities.
BNSF Rail Talk: Emphasizing Sustainability in Facility Expansion From the Start
BNSF is taking our environmental responsibility further, beyond our daily operations. Our Engineering Services team has heightened its emphasis on minimizing our carbon footprint on capital expansion projects – from design through construction.
NTSB Identifies Probable Cause in 2021 Worker Fatality in Texas
The National Transportation Safety Board has issued Railroad Investigation Report 23/04 for the investigation of an accident on Sept. 22, 2021, involving an equipment operator who was struck and killed by a load of steel he was transporting by a roadway maintenance machine near Castroville, Texas.
FRA Accepts WYDOT Grant Request to Replace I-80 Bridges
The Wyoming Department of Transportation has announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has accepted a multi-million dollar grant request to replace two bridges on Interstate 80 that cross over the Union Pacific Railroad.
Coos Bay Rail Line to Undergo Bridge Rehabilitation
The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has received an award of $20 million from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program to support rehabilitation of 15 bridge structures along the 134-mile Port-owned and operated Coos Bay Rail Line.
FRA Awards Automated Track Inspection Program Contract to ENSCO
ENSCO Inc., a provider of railway track inspection and measurement technology, has announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has awarded it a new five-year contract to carry out its Automated Track Inspection Program.
CPKC Drives Ceremonial Final Spike, Joining Three Nations
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) on April 14 became the first single-line, transnational railway connecting Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, marked by a ceremonial Final Spike driving in Kansas City, Mo. The
NTSB: Fractured Rail Identified in Fiery BNSF Minnesota Derailment
BNSF railroad is analyzing a section of fractured rail following last month’s fiery derailment that forced evacuations in southwest Minnesota, federal investigators said; however they have not officially concluded that the broken rail caused the crash.
NS Reaches East Palestine Clean-Up Milestone
Norfolk Southern (NS) on April 15, nearly two-and-a-half months after the Feb. 3 East Palestine, Ohio derailment, announced that it has completed excavation of the impacted soil beneath the removed south track, and will
Genesee & Wyoming Workforce Votes to Join BMWED Union
Approximately 70 maintenance of way employees from Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Engineering Services voted April 13 to join the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes. The new members are the first of the G&W’s mobile gangs to join the Brotherhood.