NECR kicks off track upgrades in Connecticut

Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02) joined officials May 3 from the New England Central Railroad (NECR), a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., for the ceremonial unloading of steel rails that will be used to upgrade the freight rail line running through Willimantic.

 

FRA extends Part 243 implementation dates by another full year

Railroads and rail contractors will have an additional year to comply with the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Part 243 Minimum Training Standards rule, which was originally issued in 2014.

Changing of the guard at BRC

Belt Railway Company of Chicago (BRC) President Pat O’Brien will be retiring this summer after 32 years with the railroad, the past 16 years as president. Norfolk Southern veteran Mike Grace will replace him.

 

FRA seminars to help communicate training and drug testing rules

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) plans to hold three seminars across the country to discuss regulations pertaining to drug testing and safety-related employee training.

Move over TIGER, USDOT ready to BUILD

The U.S. Department of Transportation is retiring the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program name and will award the $1.5 billion available in discretionary grant funding as Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants.

Watco names McNichol SVP government relations

Laura McNichol has been named senior vice president of government and industry relations at Watco Companies.

Rep. Perry joins Aaron Enterprises for tour, policy discussion

Rep. Scotty Perry (R-PA-4), a member of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, joined representatives from Aaron Enterprises Inc., Genesee and Wyoming Inc., and other Pennsylvania businesses on April 20 for a tour and discussion of transportation policy at Aaron Enterprises’ facility.

 

LRW inducts first into Hall of Fame: ASLRRA’s Kathy Keeney

The League of Railway Women (LRW) inducted Kathy Keeney, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) vice president of Member Engagement & Sales, into the LRW Hall of Fame.

 

R. J. Corman names Lauritzen VP transportation

In a change of leadership for one of its divisions, Paul Lauritzen has joined R. J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC as vice president of transportation.

 

NTSB cites fatigue in Roswell, N.M., accident

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) named fatigue as the probable cause of a 2015 accident between two Southwestern Railroad trains in Roswell, N.M., that left one engineer dead and a conductor seriously injured.

Louisville & Indiana Railroad recognized with three ASLRRA honors

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) annual meeting April 9-10 gave the Louisville & Indiana Railroad reason to celebrate, as the railroad was honored with three awards.

 

Genesee & Wyoming adds two new directors to board

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) announced last week the appointment of Cynthia L. Hostetler and Bruce J. Carter to its board of directors.

 

SMART union addresses FRA interest in autonomous trains

The International Association of Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation (SMART) Workers urged union members in an April 9 post on its website to take notice of a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has request for information (RFI) about autonomous trains.

 

INDOT launches $125 million Local Trax rail safety initiative

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) shared details of its new “Local Trax” matching grant program, which will make at least $125 million available for high-priority railroad safety projects on local roads statewide.

Watco acquires assets to Industrial Terminals

Watco Companies, LLC, the owner and operator of Greens Port Industrial Park (Greens Port), located on the Houston Ship Channel, has acquired the assets of Industrial Terminals, L.P.

 

Pennsylvania approves $32 million in funding for rail

The Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission has approved $32 million in grants to 27 rail freight improvement projects that will help sustain more than 400 jobs across Pennsylvania.

Loram hosts Sen. Klobuchar for facility tour; policy discussion

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), speaking just a few miles from where she grew up, told a crowd of Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc., employees that the work they do is the backbone of where the country needs to go.

Plans for new NOLA intermodal hub

The Port of New Orleans has given its blessing, and more, for a plan to redevelop a defunct city shipyard into an intermodal terminal.

NTSB’s Sumwalt offers updates on rail at ‘Most Wanted’ midpoint

Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), offered insight on the status of important rail safety changes at the midpoint of the Most Wanted List 2017–2018 cycle in a March 26 blog post.

Omnibus FY18: A little bit of good news for a lot of the rail industry

Congress passed a $1.3 trillion omnibus spending bill on Thursday, March 22. The president signed the legislation (even though his Twitter activity suggested otherwise) to avoid a government shutdown, but noted his displeasure saying there were elements of the legislation he was not happy about.

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