News and Opinion

CPR

Canadian Pacific Railway and TSI Terminal Systems Inc., a subsidiary of GCT Global Container Terminals Inc., have signed a Service Level Agreement that builds on their productivity and performance agreement announced last June.

The agreement outlines key performance indicators relating to the flow of containers through the Vancouver Gateway. Meeting the performance indicators will improve productivity, enhance reliability and increase efficiency. The agreement period is three years.

"This Service Level Agreement continues to move us along the path of a high performance, efficient and reliable supply chain to ensure that Vancouver is a preferred intermodal gateway." said Michael E. Moore, CEO of Global Container Terminals. "Our partnership with CP and our commitment to collaborate on delivering high-level service to our mutual customers will ensure success."

"Canadian Pacific’s customer focused partnerships, upgraded infrastructure, innovative technology and industry leading safety practices give us the means to grow our franchise over the long term," said Fred Green, CEO of Canadian Pacific. "As import and export volumes grow through the Pacific Gateway, CP and TSI are mutually committed to service improvements in the world-class Vancouver gateway."

ICC to award grants for improvements near CN/EJ&E crossings

The Illinois Commerce Commission will accept proposals for grants to assist with construction projects or programs aimed at improving conditions at or near railroad crossings in communities, counties and townships affected by Canadian National Railway Company’s acquisition of the Elgin Joliet & Eastern Railway.

Applications for grants are due by 1 p.m. April 1, 2011.

Applicants must submit proposals for construction projects or programs to mitigate the impact of increased rail traffic upon area residents, in compliance with 49 CFR 262. Eligible projects could include, but are not limited to, right-of-way fencing, noise abatement walls, noise abatement berms and landscaping.

The ICC’s rail safety staff will serve as project managers and will work with the Federal Railroad Administration and the communities.
Proposals selected for funding will be announced on or after May 1, 2011. The grants will be awarded for projects to be implemented between June 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012.

CPR

Ed Harris, executive vice president, operations at Canadian Pacific Railway has decided to retire, effective April 1, 2011.

Mike Franczak, currently senior vice president, operations, will succeed Harris and be appointed executive vice president, operations. Franczak will assume responsibility for operations activity across Canadian Pacific Railway’s 14,800 mile North American network.

"Ed’s leadership has paved the way for refinements of yard processes which improve service reliability for the benefit of CP’s customers and supply chain partners," said Green.

Harris joined CPR in 2010 and leveraged more than 30 years of railroading experience to lead CPR’s operations team through various enhancements and to develop a successor.

Harris will act as an advisor to Franczak through 2011.

 

WMATA plans improvements March 4-6

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will conduct safety and reliability work on the Blue, Orange and Red lines to comply with National Transportation Safety Board recommendations during the weekend of March 4 to 6.

During the weekend, Metro will continue repairs on the aerial structure outside the Cheverly Metrorail station, make track circuit upgrades near the Deanwood Metrorail station, install 6,000 feet of cellular communication cables to ultimately improve cell phone coverage, replace 2,000 feet of old track, install 380 insulators, 1,400 new rail ties, 400 new track fasteners, make repairs to 19 escalators and 14 elevators and fix the platform at the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail station.

On the Orange Line, there will be no train service between the Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton Metrorail stations and the five stations in between – Minnesota Ave, Deanwood, Cheverly, Landover and New Carrollton Metrorail stations — will be closed. Also, there will be no Blue Line service between the Stadium-Armory and Benning Road Metrorail stations. The Benning Road Metrorail station will remain open. Normal service will resume on Monday, March 7.

From 10 p.m., Friday, March 4 to closing on Sunday, March 6, Red Line trains will share one track between the Friendship Heights and Medical Center as personnel replace fasteners that support the tracks. Red Line trains will also share one track between the Takoma and Forest Glen Metrorail stations as personnel make upgrades to the train control rooms.

Metra emissions update

Metra’s Emissions Task Force, formed by the rail agency to investigate the level of diesel emissions on trains and downtown platforms and to identify ways to improve air quality, met March 2, to discuss recent activity. Metra has already tested the air quality on its cars and at its downtown stations and is now working on a third phase of testing, in its locomotive cabs, cab cars and maintenance shops.

At this most recent meeting, Metra announced plans to conduct another round of tests on its passenger cars to better understand the readings it found in the first round. In addition, it will test cars equipped with a higher-quality filter and new hoods placed over the air intakes. It will also continue to explore other ways to reduce diesel emissions and to secure funding to carry out the necessary changes.

Watco, Kinder Morgan partner on transload facilities

Watco Companies, LLC and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. have entered into an agreement where Kinder Morgan and Watco will construct and operate several rail transload facilities in key markets for loading and unloading crude oil along with many other commodities and products that are tied to the oil and gas industry.

The network will consist of several key markets which include Dore, N.D., Stanley, N.D., Stroud, Okla., Houston, Texas and several strategic loading facilities in the Eagle Ford Shale area in south Texas. Each facility will have the capability of handling large unit train volumes along with manifest commodities such as frac sand, pipe and drilling supplies.

The Dore, N.D., facility will include Pioneer Oil, LLC, headquartered in Billings, Mont., and will have over 10,000 feet of track in Phase 1 of the project along with warehousing for inside storage. The operational start date is September 1, 2011. Stroud will also house the capabilities of handling unit train volumes with a start date of October 1, 2011 and will provide customers direct access to Cushing, Okla. The other locations are still in the design phase and will be operational in the first quarter of 2012.

"As companies like Watco and Kinder Morgan continue to invest in expanding transportation services for the oil and gas industry, they are also helping to boost the economies of these key markets," said Denis Smith, BNSF vice president, industrial products marketing. "We look forward to working with Watco and Kinder Morgan to serve this growing market."

Kevin Goins, SVP and COO Watco Transload and Intermodal, said, "Our new network of transloads, in partnership with Kinder Morgan, will add significant new services to the changing market dynamics and we believe will provide tremendous value for customers by improving the way they move energy related commodities. We believe it will give our customers multiple options to ship by rail and provides them with a seamless solution from key production areas to key destinations."

Bombardier Transportation acquires stake in Russian Railways subsidiary

Following the signing of a share purchase agreement in Moscow on December 13, 2010, Bombardier has confirmed that BT Signaling B.V. purchased a stake in the signaling equipment manufacturer United Electrical Engineering Plants, known as Elteza. BT Signaling B.V. purchased a 25 percent stake in Elteza, a subsidiary of Russian Railways (RZD). Subject to further approval, BT Signaling B.V. could increase its stake to up to 50 percent. RZD will remain the majority shareholder.

Elteza is Russia’s largest signaling equipment producer with more than 3,000 employees across seven manufacturing sites. The company focuses on the design, development and production of rail signaling equipment and automatic and remote train control systems which have been delivered in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the Baltic states. The new partnership will be one of the first successful examples of the privatization of a Russian Railways’ subsidiary and part of the modernization strategy of RZD.

Canada partners with AMT on train maintenance center

The Government of Canada will contribute up to $25 million through the P3 Canada Fund towards eligible costs of a new Maintenance Centre in Montréal, Quebec, for the Agence Métropolitaine de Transport (AMT).

Through this project, the Governments of Canada and Quebec and the AMT will partner with the private sector to design, build and finance a facility required to maintain the current and future fleet of the AMT’s commuter trains. By facilitating minor and major maintenance operations using modern equipment, the new Lachine Maintenance Centre will enhance service reliability to the benefit of all transit users. Partnering with the private sector to deliver this project as a public-private partnership will leverage private sector expertise, allow the transfer of design and construction risks to the private sector and generate positive value for money compared to traditional procurement, to the benefit of taxpayers.

Construction will start in 2012 and will last for 18 months, with the centre expected to be operational by 2013. The total estimated cost of the project is $119 million with contributions of $24.725 million from the Government of Canada through PPP Canada, $61.961 million from the Government of Quebec and $32.210 million from the AMT.

"The Government of Canada understands that this is an investment in our future. P3s are an innovative approach to building better public infrastructure and ensuring maximum value for taxpayers’ dollars," said Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty.

"We are proud to support projects like the construction of a maintenance centre for commuter trains at Lachine, which will provide a long-term solution to public transit development in the Greater Montréal Area, improve reliability as well as the safety of the network and its passengers, and create jobs," explained Senator Larry Smith.

"PPP Canada is committed to bringing important public infrastructure initiatives and the expertise of the private sector together in a way that ensures value for Canadian taxpayers. Through its P3 Canada Fund, PPP Canada is encouraging the use of P3s by provinces, territories, municipalities and Aboriginal communities," added Greg Melchin, Chair of the Board of Directors of PPP Canada.

"In the past 12 years, commuter train ridership has more than doubled," said the AMT’s Nancy Fréchette. "Therefore, the AMT must make plans for the maintenance of a fleet of commuter trains that is expected to grow significantly. The AMT currently runs 160 two-story passenger cars on its network in order to increase the capacity of its current lines by 70 percent. In addition, 20 dual-mode locomotives have been ordered and will be used to increase the network’s reliability and implement the new Train de l’Est line. The rolling stock will increase from 217 to more than 300 units by 2015. Given its growth objectives, the AMT must be able to accommodate, and especially to maintain, these major acquisitions. The reliability of commuter trains is largely dependent on having maintenance centers. At the end of the day, all commuter train users will benefit from the new facilities."

 

Xorail signs $165M contract

Xorail Inc., a subsidiary of Wabtec Corporation, has signed a $165 million contract to design and install Communications-Based Train Control for MRS Logistica, which operates the Southeastern Federal Railroad Network in Brazil. Under the contract, Xorail will provide turnkey project management; design and installation of signaling, communications and train dispatch equipment and on-board electronic equipment for 500 locomotives and 50 auxiliary vehicles. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

"This train control project represents Xorail’s entry into the growing rail market in Brazil, and a significant expansion of Wabtec’s presence in the region," said Albert J. Neupaver, Wabtec’s president and chief executive officer. "We’re pleased to be leading this important technology deployment, which will enable MRS Logistica to increase capacity, safety and efficiency throughout its network."

Brazil is the sixth-largest freight rail market in the world, and Wabtec has expanded its activities there in recent years. In 2009, Wabtec opened a service center in MRS Logistica’s Belo Horizonte maintenance shop to provide aftermarket products and services. Wabtec recently acquired Adantech, a Brazilian-based manufacturer of friction products.

MRS Logistica operates about 1,000 miles of track that connect the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Sao Paulo. These high-volume, heavy-density lines serve Brazil’s largest industries, including iron ore, steel, cement and other critical commodities, which represent about half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. In 2010, MRS Logistica’s traffic volume increased 12 percent, surpassing 140 million tons, due to strong demand for the country’s commodities around the world.

Eduardo Parente, chief executive officer of MRS, said: "This major investment in our infrastructure will improve the safety of our operations and is an essential part of meeting increased demand. Ours is a highly complex network due to the density of the track and geography of the region, which we believe makes this train control project a first in freight rail operations around the world. After a lengthy bidding process, we are convinced that Xorail is uniquely positioned to deliver a solution."

 

Nottingham to resign March 18

Surface Transportation Board Vice Chairman Charles D. Nottingham will resign March 18, or sooner if his replacement is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Nottingham, the lone Republican on the three-member Board, was appointed Chairman by President George W. Bush and joined the Board in August 2006 following his Senate confirmation. He served as STB Chairman until March 12, 2009.

"I am deeply honored and grateful to have been appointed by President Bush and to have served in his administration," Nottingham said. "It has also been an honor to serve in President Obama’s administration. I owe a debt of gratitude to my colleagues on the Board, Chairman Dan Elliott and Commissioner Frank Mulvey, as well as to the Board’s exemplary career staff. Working together in a bipartisan manner, I believe that we achieved outstanding results overseeing the freight railroad industry and the other transportation industry sectors under our jurisdiction."

In October 2010 Nottingham announced that he would not seek a second term on the Board when his current term expired at the end of 2010. In an effort to facilitate an orderly transition and in order to participate in the resolution of several significant pending proceedings, Nottingham has continued his tenure at the Board into 2011 – consistent with the Board’s governing statute which permits a Board member to continue serving for up to one year after the end of his or her term, until a successor is named and confirmed.

KCS promotes three operating officers

Kansas City Southern has promoted three senior level operating officers, effective March 1.

• David R. Ebbrecht was promoted from senior vice president operations to executive vice president operations for KCS and its U.S. subsidiaries and closely coordinating with the leadership of Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

• John S. Jacobsen was promoted from vice president and chief engineer to senior vice president and chief engineer for KCS’ U.S. subsidiaries, also closely coordinating with the leadership of KCSM.

• Oscar A. Del Cueto was promoted from vice president operations to senior vice president operations for KCSM.

Ebbrecht has 23 years of transportation industry experience. He joined KCS in 2001 and has held positions in strategic planning, materials logistics, business development, transportation management and network operations.

Jacobsen has 40 years of railroad industry experience. He re-joined KCS as vice president and chief engineer in 2008. He held the same position from 1993 to 2001. In the interim, he provided consultation to KCS’ subsidiary Superior Tie and Timber and was integral to the rebuilding of the Panama Canal Railway.

Del Cueto has 20 years of railroad experience. He joined the company known today as KCSM in 1997 and has held a number of transportation positions.

$590M secured for Washington state passenger rail

Agreements have been signed that guarantee Washington state will get $590 million in federal stimulus money to improve the Amtrak Cascades rail corridor from Portland to Seattle.

One agreement was signed between the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration that commits FRA to allocate 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act money to Washington’s passenger rail projects. The $590 million initially was awarded in early 2010, and this new agreement guarantees the money.

Separately, Amtrak, BNSF and WSDOT signed an agreement that outlines how rail investments will be made based on service outcomes and passenger rail performance benchmarks on rail lines shared by freight and passenger rail, such as on-time performance, faster travel times and frequency of service.

As a result of the $590 million in Recovery Act high-speed-rail funding:

• Two additional daily Amtrak Cascades round trips will be added between Seattle and Portland, for a total six, by 2017.
• On-time reliability is expected to increase from 62 to 88 percent.
• More consistent speeds will be possible throughout the corridor, resulting in faster travel times between Seattle and Portland.
• Major construction projects will be completed that will include building bypass tracks to allow for increased train frequency and multiple upgrades to existing track.
• Several safety-related projects will be completed, including grade separations and the latest technology in advanced-warning signal systems. This will reduce passenger/freight congestion, making passenger travel times shorter with more reliable on-time service.

"This is another great development for our state in that this rail work will generate thousands of highly skilled construction and operating jobs and result in important improvements in rail passenger service," Gregoire said.

Gregoire said credit is due to the state’s congressional delegation, including Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, who were instrumental in working with federal partners in Washington, D.C., to secure this passenger rail funding.

"Signing this agreement now means work can begin during this year’s construction season," said Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond, noting that the ARRA funds will create more than 6,000 direct and indirect jobs in the Pacific Northwest. "Ultimately, the goal is to boost the rail-line capacity and relieve mainline congestion, allowing Amtrak Cascades to offer more frequent and reliable passenger rail service between Portland and Seattle."

"This is an important milestone in our longstanding relationship with WSDOT to fund improvements for additional and improved passenger service in the Cascades corridor," said Matt Rose, BNSF Railway chairman and CEO. "We believe reaching this agreement is consistent with that long-term relationship with WSDOT and our agreement with Amtrak, which will bring improved passenger service in the corridor."

Washington state received an additional $161.5 million in high-speed rail funds redirected from Wisconsin and Ohio, which declined the ARRA money. Agreements to obligate this additional funding for Washington projects are expected in the near future.

 

UP launches safety campaign aimed at truckers

Union Pacific Railroad has launched an outdoor billboard campaign aimed at getting South Texas truck drivers to safely use railroad crossings.
At the center of the campaign is a yellow traffic sign featuring an 18-wheeler truck stuck on railroad tracks. Along with this visual warning comes a variety of written reminders, including, "Always expect a train," "Keep your rear clear," and for Spanish-speaking drivers, "Cuidado con el tren" ("Use caution with trains").

An estimated 1.3 million South Texas drivers will view these messages over the next year. The messages will be displayed on six billboards located along Interstate 35, between San Antonio and Laredo.

"There has been an increase in heavy truck traffic across the rail line that parallels I-35 and we hope to reach truck drivers before they cross the tracks," said Mike Brazytis, superintendent for UP’s San Antonio Service Unit. "The signs will remind them to stop for trains and ensure their trucks are equipped to safely cross the tracks."

Trucks that are longer than the space between the highway and the railroad tracks often leave their bumpers hanging over the tracks. And heavy trucks that lack enough space between the bottom of their trailers and the grade crossing often get stuck on the tracks. Both scenarios pose the life-threatening risk of collision with trains. The billboards encourage professional truck drivers to follow traffic laws requiring them to allow enough space between their trucks and the railroad tracks. They also remind drivers to make sure they have adequate vertical clearance before attempting to cross the tracks.

"Union Pacific is literally raising the rail safety message to remind professional truck drivers of their responsibility to cross the tracks safely," said Webb County Judge Danny Valdez. "The billboards will also reach the general public, which will make our community even safer."

UP, Metra activate new pedestrian safety system

A new pedestrian grade crossing system will be activated March 1, 2011 at eight stations along the Union Pacific West Line. The new system, called the Another Train Warning System, is part of a $132million dollar project designed to improve the flow of commuter and freight traffic on the heavily used line, as well as to allow trains to safely operate through a station when a commuter train is stopped there.

The system is being activated at the Maywood, Melrose Park, Elmhurst, Villa Park, Glen Ellyn, College Avenue, Winfield and Geneva Illinois stations

Metra and Union Pacific studied station improvement initiatives across the country and the West Line safety infrastructure is incorporating the best practices, creating the most comprehensive safety system of any commuter rail operation in the United States.

The Another Train Warning System uses audible and visual alerts to warn pedestrians at crossings near the stations that another train-in addition to the one that is stopped at the station-is approaching or present. The system enhances other grade crossing protections, including new paths that safely guide pedestrians to a gated crossing, more pedestrian gates and more inter-track fencing to discourage pedestrians from crossing at unsafe and unauthorized locations.

Work at the stations began in March 2009 and was completed in December 2010. Metra service was not disrupted while the project was under way.

Harold Tynes appointed president of Atlas Railroad Construction Co.

RailAmerica, Inc., has appointed Harold D. Tynes as president of its Atlas Railroad Construction Company and named Jeffrey D. Sciullo assistant vice president-transit for Atlas.

Tynes joined RailAmerica in July 2007 as vice president & controller. In December 2009, he became RailAmerica’s vice president-financial services and treasurer. Prior to joining RailAmerica, Mr. Tynes was chief financial officer for QualServ Corporation in Kansas City, Mo.; corporate controller at Great Lakes Transportation LLC in Monroeville, Pa. and vice president-finance for Precision Castparts Corp.

Jeffrey Sciullo is a Registered Professional Engineer. With more than 27 years of construction-industry experience, Sciullo has been a project engineer and most-recently served as senior vice president for Dick Corporation, a major construction company. His experience covers a broad range of markets including bridge & highway, commercial, corrections, energy, and military.

Bowles elected to NS Board

Erskine B. Bowles has been elected a director of Norfolk Southern Corporation.

Bowles served as president of the University of North Carolina from 2006 to 2010, when he was appointed co-chair of President Obama’s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

Bowles was a North Carolina senatorial candidate in 2002 and 2004 and general partner in Forstmann Little & Co. from 1999 to 2002.He served as chief of staff to President Bill Clinton from 1996 to 1998 and as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff from 1994 to 1996.

Bowles currently is a senior advisor to Carousel Capital and a director of Morgan Stanley and Cousins Properties Inc.

New Metra CEO hits the ground running

Beginning the reform work he was hired to perform, new Chicago-area Metra CEO Alex Clifford used a special Metra board meeting to describe policy changes he has already implemented and outline changes or strategies he will soon undertake.

The changes were primarily in response to recommendations from consultants who were hired by the Metra Board of Directors to improve the agency’s management and operations. Those reports were delivered to Metra two weeks ago; the same day Clifford started his new job. Blackman Kallick, an accounting and financial risk management firm, performed a risk assessment and internal controls analysis, while the law enforcement firm of Hillard Heintze, which has been serving as Metra’s Inspector General since last May, made several recommendations for change in its annual report.

The immediate changes include:

• Requiring that all "leniency reinstatements" of dismissed workers be reviewed and approved by the CEO.
• Terminating the practice of "exploratory interviews."
• Requiring that manual timekeeping entries be regularly reviewed by managers.
• Requiring managers and supervisors to review all overtime reports.
• Ordering senior staff to conduct a management self-assessment.
• Beginning development of a request for proposal for support services for a comprehensive non-contract classification and compensation study.
• Reaching out to employees for suggestions on cost savings and efficiencies.
• Clifford said he received clear instructions from the board to carry out its reform agenda in a swift and comprehensive manner.

"I understand that it is my job to expand upon this and to inspire and empower Metra’s employees to come into alignment with this critically important mission," Clifford said. "I will push these reforms and others down through the organization. Most importantly, senior management must lead by example."

Clifford said he plans to review and update Metra’s strategic/capital plan, including assessing the needs across the six-county region, reviewing the current project scoring systems, assigning updated values to projects, identifying high-priority projects and identifying funding strategies.

Clifford said he is working with Metra’s Human Resources Department and Blackman Kallick to make recommendations relative to health, pension and cost-avoidance issues. He will also ask Blackman Kallick to complete a risk assessment for the remainder of Metra and to develop a comprehensive annual enterprise risk assessment, an internal audit and a controls strategy.

Clifford is conducting an analysis of high-overtime groups to determine the appropriate cost-benefit of hiring more workers versus paying overtime. He also will begin a monthly review of overtime reports for the Metra Police Department and will review existing policies on filling vacancies with overtime. He will recommend that Metra undertake a comprehensive review of the department, including its organizational structure, its responsibilities and its external security contracts.

 

PANYNJ awards last WTC hub contract

The Port Authority Board of New York and New Jersey of Commissioners approved a major construction contract to fabricate and erect the steel for the signature Santiago Calatrava-designed Oculus, which will serve 250,000 people daily as the gateway to the World Trade Center Transportation Hub and its various interconnected transit systems and world-class green office and retail space.

The award marks the last major contract for the WTC Transportation Hub with 94 percent of the contracts now awarded. The Oculus will serve as the primary link for pedestrian access to the PATH system, 13 New York City subway lines, 500,000 square feet of world-class retail, four office towers at the WTC site and the World Financial Center – representing one of the most extensive underground pedestrian connections in the City. Under the $221 million contract, Skanska/Koch Inc., a division of Skanska USA Civil, will build the structure that will frame the Transportation Hub’s main concourse. The contract includes fabricating and erecting approximately 11,000 tons of structural steel.



This contract – along with increased insurance costs and other trade contracts associated with the Hub project – required the Port Authority to draw down $180 million from a $600 million program-wide contingency fund that the agency established in 2008. This allocation will go toward a Board-reauthorized Transportation Hub budget of $3.44 billion, up from $3.26 billion. 



In addition, the Board authorized $151 million to fund expenses related to the commercial infrastructure that supports the office space site-wide as well as approximately $8 million for systems-integration planning given the interconnectedness of all of the site’s projects. Of this $159 million total, $61 million will be allocated out of the Board-approved WTC East Side Development Plan, which was authorized in August 2009 to establish greater certainty over the phased development of the commercial office space in the east bathtub, and the rest will be allocated from the $600 million of program-wide contingency. 

Taken together, these authorizations leave a total of $322 million of program-wide contingency for future risks, on top of $280 million in Hub contingency that the Federal Transit Administration had previously established.

Port Authority Chairman David Samson said, "With the award of this contract, progress is forging ahead with work under way on every major piece of this key transportation facility that serves commuters from both states. It will significantly increase transportation capacity downtown and provide first-class retail and restaurant space to help revitalize the Lower Manhattan economy, essentially to create jobs."



LaHood statement on HSR

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued the following statement on February 26, 2011:

"President Obama’s historic investments in a national high-speed rail network will enable America to win the future by creating construction and manufacturing jobs today and laying the foundation for future economic growth. By building safe, reliable and energy-efficient passenger rail corridors we will be able to help small businesses thrive and move people and goods more quickly than ever before. I am thrilled to congratulate the State of Washington, BNSF, and Amtrak for their contributions to the agreement signed today by the Federal Railroad Administration and Washington DOT that will make $590 million available for work to begin on significant improvements to the popular Cascades corridor, which connects Eugene, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. Thanks to the hard work, dedication, and flexibility of all parties involved in the negotiations, this agreement will immediately put Washingtonians to work in good paying jobs, significantly improve rail service for commuters and travelers and preserve the world-class freight rail system America has today."

CPR, Port of Montreal partner on performance, productivity

Canadian Pacific Railway and the Montreal Port Authority have signed a collaborative agreement on performance and productivity that formalizes the railroad’s and the port’s ongoing supply chain collaboration.

"This collaboration agreement continues to strengthen our long partnership with the Port of Montreal, setting the stage for a cross-supply chain collaboration that improves performance and service of the Continental Gateway," said CP Executive Vice-President and Chief Marketing Officer Jane O’Hagan. "Our collaboration will create the most efficient and reliable routing for freight traffic moving between Europe and the American Midwest."

"This new service agreement reflects the commitment of the port and the Canadian Pacific to improve efficiency and productivity of our management of containers traffic and strengthen the Port of Montreal’s competitiveness," said Sylvie Vachon, president and chief executive officer of the MPA.