Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) has acquired SENSR from Reference LLC, located in Elkader, Iowa. The company is now known as SENSR Monitoring Technologies, LLC (SMT), a wholly- owned subsidiary of GREX.
Construction has begun on the first aerial structure that will eventually host 200 mph rail as part of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s high-speed project.
Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (Ontario Northland) and Teamsters Rail Conference Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC MWED) have reached a tentative five-year collective agreement.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) Board of Directors approved a Rail Delivery Partner (RDP) contract, led by Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., which CHSRA says takes an expanded approach to the planned high-speed rail program.
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will soon have a new executive director, Joseph Szabo.
The National Transportation Safety Board says analysis of phone records of the locomotive engineer operating Amtrak 188, Brandon Bostian, did not indicate the phone was in use at the time of the accident, which occurred on May 12.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a safety advisory recommending actions that passenger railroads take to prevent trains from speeding. The advisory is the latest in a series of steps FRA has taken to keep passenger railroads safe for the traveling public.
AskRail™, the mobile application developed as an added safety tool for first responders, continued its industry-wide roll out with a demonstration at BNSF‘s Chicago (Corwith) Intermodal Facility on June 8.
Railway Interchange 2015 host associations say they are gearing up for the biggest event to-date. With four months to go before the event, indoor and outdoor exhibition space is sold out and 60 percent of available hotel rooms have been reserved.
Jerome Marullo has joined the Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp. Railway Division as Eastern Regional Advertising Sales Manager, with responsibility for Railway Age, Railway Track & Structures and International Railway Journal. He replaces Mark Connolly, who retired on May 22, 2015 after nine years with the company.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a series of technical reports on truck size and weight for peer review and public comment as a step toward the completion of the comprehensive study required in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).
In support of private-sector efforts to explore building high-speed rail in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan joined executives from the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and the Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail LLC (BWRR) to ride the 27-mile-long Yamanashi Maglev Line located outside of Tokyo, Japan.
At a hearing concerning the May 12 accident of Amtrak 188 in Philadelphia, Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Boardman reiterated the railroad’s commitment to implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) by the end of 2015.
On May 29, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Sarah Feinberg as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. Feinberg has been serving as acting administrator since January 9, 2015.
A bill to extend current surface transportation funding at MAP-21 levels through July was approved by the Senate on Friday, May 22, and now awaits President Obama’s signature.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued an Emergency Order that will assist in controlling passenger train speeds at certain locations on the Northeast Corridor (NEC). FRA also intends to take additional actions in the coming days to address potential speed issues on all other passenger corridors.
The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2353, a short-term authorization extension that will provide surface transportation funding through July 31, 2015.
The Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, sponsored by House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI), passed by a vote of 387 – 35 – 1. This extension comes after several weeks of failed negotiations to find approximately $11 billion to fund the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) until the end of the calendar year. House and Senate leaders were unable to reach an agreement on offsets for a bill that would extend the programs through the end of the year, which was intended to give Congress time to form a larger tax reform package to pay for a multi-year surface transportation bill.
In a statement, American Public Transportation Association President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Melaniphy said, “We appreciate the U.S. House of Representatives for passing an extension of the federal program for surface transportation funding. However, this extension does not increase funding for public transportation, roads, bridges and rails, it merely maintains the current funding levels of the program until the end of July. It also avoids the May 31 deadline when the program was set to expire.
“It is our understanding that it is likely this action by the House will lead to an additional extension of the federal program which could last until the end of the year. Congressional leaders note that this extension is intended to provide time to secure funding for a long-term bill.
“APTA strongly believes that Congress should expedite its efforts and find a solution that provides for long-term investment in our public transportation, road and rail network. It is crucial that Congress act with urgency to address the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
“Congress must get focused and use these two months to develop realistic and viable options for a long-term solution to funding the nation’s transportation system.”
Amtrak resumed full Northeast Corridor (NEC) operations May 18, following a derailment on May 12 in Philadelphia, Pa. Additionally, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has instructed Amtrak to immediately take several actions to improve safety along the NEC.
All Aboard Florida has selected Archer Western to improve rail infrastructure on the corridor for its new passenger-rail service scheduled for early 2017.
Operational efficiency and capacity along the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor has improved with the opening of 5.2 miles of new double track at two locations along the 351-mile corridor.
