Watco names GMs to GRNW and Wallula Switching

Watco has installed two to general manager positions at Great Northwest Railroad (GRNW) and the company’s Wallula switching site.

Stacy Grant has accepted the position of general manager for the GRMW. Grant will be responsible for supervising daily operations, specifically focusing on improving productivity, efficiency and safety. He has been with Watco Transportation Services since September of 2004 when he began working as a conductor for the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad (PCC). He then served as a trainmaster on the GRNW before being named assistant general manager of the GRNW and the PCC.

Travis Chamberlain has accepted the position of general manager for the Wallula switching site. Chamberlain will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the site and will report directly to the director of Switching Operations. His duties will be to coordinate efforts between all railroad departments and to achieve performance goals with optimum safety, economy, efficiency and effectiveness, ensuring profitability of all departments.

Chamberlain previously worked in the paper industry at Boise for 11 years before joining the Watco Team in May of this year.

Goldman named president of Louisville & Indiana Railroad, succeeding Stolzman

John Goldman, vice president of the Louisville & Indiana Railroad (L&I) has been promoted to president, effective July 11, succeeding Mike Stolzman, who is joining Colo Railroad Builders in Houston, Texas.

OCTA completes Kraemer Boulevard grade separation

Kraemer Boulevard is now open to traffic as Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) puts finishing touches on a new grade separation that separates car traffic from the busy freight rail line that now travels overhead.

With no shared use option, study ups LYNX Red Line estimates by $215 million

A study released by Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows cost estimates for a proposed passenger line between Mooresville and Charlotte, N.C., rose significantly due to new infrastructure needs rather than using existing infrastructure.

IntegroCo receives order for composite crossties

IntegriCo Composites has received an order from a railroad in the U.S. for approximately 5,000 composite crossties for installation in their railway system.

Blue Ridge Southern to purchase three NS branch lines

Blue Ridge Southern Railroad (BLU), a subsidiary of Watco Transportation Services (WTS), has reached a definitive agreement with the Norfolk Southern to purchase three branch lines in North Carolina that feed into its terminal in Asheville. The lines are the T-Line, which runs west of Asheville; the W-Line, which runs south of Asheville and the TR-Line, which branches off the W-Line south of Asheville. BLU could begin operations by July 26, 2014.

Canadian Wheat Board acquires Prairie West Terminal, majority stake in Great Sandhills Railway

Great Sandhills Terminal Ltd. (GST) Board of Directors and Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) have entered into an agreement where CWB will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of GST for cash consideration of CA$581.98 (US$542.80) per share.

Federal funds to aid projects in Oklahoma; Port of San Francisco

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded a $1.8-million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to rehabilitate 12 miles of track on the state-owned rail line located between Erick and Sayre, Okla., that will enable faster speeds and increases in freight service along the line.

ARRC crews continue washout repair efforts

Alaska Railroad (ARRC) crews continue to make progress on plugging an 80-foot-long washout following high waters at Skookum Creek (ARRC milepost 59.7).

The incident began about 7:30 a.m. June 17, when high water eroded the trackbed, leaving the track suspended over the water. Alaska Railroad track maintenance crews, heavy equipment and a rockhauling work train have been working round-the clock for three days to plug the gap and re-route a high volume of water.

“Earlier this week, this area experienced significant isolated rainfall that measured as much as a half inch every 10-15 minutes for a sustained period,” said ARRC Vice President Engineering Clark Hopp. “We are essentially dealing with a new river channel that did not previously exist.”

While freight traffic is not affected, passenger train traffic southbound from Anchorage has been suspended since the incident occurred. A decision to restore passenger service will be made at 7p.m. on June 20 and is based on the progress of the repair efforts.

The railroad has not yet determined the final financial impact of the outage. However, ARRC says revenue losses are expected to reach tens of thousands of dollars due to refunds and cancellations. Track repair expenses will also be considerable, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Sens. Collins and Murray introduce bill to establish shortline safety institute

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member and chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, respectively, have introduced a bill that would authorize a new Short Line Rail Safety Institute the senators say will enhance the safety practices and culture of shortline railroads.

Alaska Railroad dealing with track washout

Alaska Railroad passenger train traffic southbound from Anchorage was interrupted June 17 due to high water damage to the track at Skookum Creek, located between Luebner Lake and Portage.

INRD kicks off bridge project; welcomes “new” ballast cars

The Indiana Rail Road (INRD) outlines a new bridge project that will get underway in July and details its new and rebuilt fleet of ballast cars in the latest edition of its newsletter, “Mileposts.”

Gravel to succeed Brault as president of Genesee & Wyoming Canada

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) appointed Louis Gravel as president of Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. Gravel will succeed Mario Brault, who is retiring in September.

OmniTRAX to manage Brownsville & Rio Grand International

OmniTRAX, Inc. will now manage the Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railroad, a shortline railway based in Brownsville, Texas, and will also develop a large-scale industrial park on land owned by the Brownsville Navigation District (BND) of Cameron County, the parent governmental body of the Port of Brownsville.

Watco names GM for Pecos Valley Southern

Watco Terminal and Port Services hired Jeff Lederer as general manager at the Pecos Valley Southern Railway (PVSR) in Pecos, Texas. Lederer will be succeeding Mike Salts, who will be returning to the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL).

AAR’s Hamberger outlines steps taken to increase safety at Railway Age’s Crude By Rail Conference

Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Hamberger touted the many steps freight railroads are taking to boost the safety of moving crude oil by rail, while reiterating the industry’s call for the federal government to increase tank car standards at Railway Age‘s Crude By Rail Conference and Expo in Arlington, Va.

House approves fiscal year 2015 THUD bill

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the fiscal year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) funding bill on a vote of 229-192. The legislation includes funding for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies.

Rail Summit rallies rail executives, decision makers in Chicago

The second annual Rail Summit, held in Chicago, Ill., proved to be another success, rallying some 300 rail executives and decision makers to discuss this year’s theme of economic opportunities resulting from the surge in energy and intermodal growth.

FEC’s new ICTF grand opening July 14

Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) will open its new Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) adjacent to Port Everglades in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area, with a grand opening ceremony on July 14, 2014.

Rep. Barr tours R.J. Corman yard; speaks to contractors’ role in national rail network

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY-06) joined representatives from R.J. Corman Railroad Group and the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) for a tour of R.J. Corman Railroad Group’s rail yard in Lexington, Ky.

LOAD MORE