HNTB Corporation promoted Jeff Konrad, PE, to vice president of rail in Pennsylvania District. The firm also expanded its team of transportation professionals within its New York and Pennsylvania offices.
Less than a week before the rail industry gathers in Washington, D.C., to promote issues, such as the 45G shortline tax credit, legislation was introduced in both houses of Congress that would make the tax credit permanent.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is soliciting applications for a new grant program authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.
A study released by the Van Horne Institute, based at the University of Calgary, suggests that it is feasible to build a railway for the transport of bitumen between Alberta to Alaska. The study was published by the Van Horne Institute with a Project Team including Shirocca Consulting, AECOM, Generating for Seven Generations, the University of Alaska and Michigan Tech Research Institute.
The Railway Association of Canada has created a Parliamentary Rail Caucus to be chaired by Sherry Romanado, Liberal Member of Parliament for Longueuil-Charles-LeMoyne, Quebec, and co-chaired by Marilyn Gladu, Conservative Member of Parliament for Sarnia-Lambton, Ont.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will make $500 million available for transportation projects across the country under an eighth round of the successful Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) competitive grant program.
HNTB Corporation promoted Ali Tali, PE, to associate vice president. He currently serves as structural department manager in the firm’s Massachusetts office.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) selected nine rail projects in eight states to receive nearly $10 million to upgrade and increase the safety of railroad crossings along energy routes under the Railroad Safety Grants for the Safe Transportation of Energy Products (STEP) by Rail Program. FRA received 34 eligible applications requesting five times the $10 million available for the program, or $50.8 million.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has called on state departments of transportation to verify that railroad crossing warning systems interconnected to traffic lights function properly and urged states to add event recorders to traffic lights connected to railroad crossing systems so information obtained during inspections can be used to improve safety. Across the United States, there are nearly 5,000 railroad crossings interconnected with traffic lights.
Todd Bjornstad, formerly the general manager of the Rapid City, Pierre & Eastern Railroad (RCP&E), has been named president of the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad Company (CSS), effective March 1, 2016, succeeding Andrew Fox.
Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has given the go-ahead for preliminary engineering for a transload shipping center at Great Bend, Kan., which will be built west of Great Bend at the airport.
HNTB Corporation’s promoted nine in its New York and New Jersey offices and added a new hire in its North Carolina office.
Eurovia has finalized the acquisition of Canadian rail contractor Rail Cantech.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) will target a $225 million capital program in 2016, which is down approximately 28 percent when compared to its 2015 spend of $315 million.
National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) has appointed Rick Ebersold, president of Herzog Services, Inc., to fill a temporarily open seat on the NRC Board of Directors. The NRC Board unanimously supported the nomination made by Chairman of the Board Chris Daloisio.
On February 5, U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA-06) joined National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association member company Progress Rail Services for a tour of its locomotive and rail car services facility in Roanoke, Va.
Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith and local elected officials visited the site of a proposed $42-million grade-separation project in Moorhead.
Tradepoint Atlantic, a 3,100-acre multimodal industrial site in Baltimore, Md., has named Paul Thomas terminal manager, where he will be responsible for developing an operating and capital investment strategy for Tradepoint Atlantic’s shortline railroad.
The Susquehanna Economic Development Association-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) Joint Rail Authority (JRA) in Pennsylvania has partnered with the Columbia County Commissioners on recently completed trackwork to support the Bloomsburg Flood Protection Project.
Norfolk Southern has a planned capital improvement budget of $2.1 billion in 2016, which is $300 million less than its record $2.4 billion capital plan in 2015.