RailComm has completed cutover of a completely new switch interlocking at a North American Class 1 yard located in Indiana. Each switch machine or crossover in the interlocking can be controlled individually or in combinations to set entrance/exit routes through the yard.
The U.S. railroad industry has been scrambling since 2008 to meet the requirements of an unfunded federal government mandate—namely, having Positive Train Control installed and fully operational by Dec. 31, 2015 on 60,000 miles of track where hazmat and passenger trains operate. Parallel to the PTC initiative has been a battle waged on Capitol Hill to extend the end-of-the-year deadline. That effort may be paying off, and the railroads may one day be grateful that they have a Thune on their side.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded New Jersey Transit $147,086,000 through the Federal Transit Administration’s Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program for repair, recovery and resiliency projects associated with Superstorm Sandy.
As part of its ongoing effort to improve safety at railroad grade crossings, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has begun a new, multi-faceted campaign aimed at strengthening enforcement and safety awareness at grade crossings.
Metrolink reached a critical milestone March 2, 2015, by launching Positive Train Control (PTC) in revenue service demonstration (RSD) along the its San Bernardino Line between Los Angeles and San Bernardino, Calif.
Implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) technology on Kansas City Southern is a major, ongoing initiative, especially for the Signal, Mechanical, IT and Telecommunications groups, the railroad says. The railroad provided an update on its progress of PTC implementation in an employee newsletter.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has programmed approximately $3.7 million to fund 15 projects across the state through the Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program for Fiscal Year 2015.
Harsco Corporation has acquired Protran Technology, which designs and produces safety systems for transportation and industrial applications. Protran will be operated as a unit of Harsco Rail.
BNSF continues to detail plans for its $6-billion capital program with $141 million estimated to be spent in California and $103 million in Kansas.
Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), says recent high-profile grade crossing collisions in Oxnard, Calif., and Valhalla, N.Y., highlight the need for all drivers to use caution at every highway-rail grade crossing. OLI warns that rail safety is something everyone should take seriously.
BNSF detailed more of its plans for its record-setting $6-billion capital program with $124 million estimated to be spend in Montana and $141 million in Colorado.
In its investigation report, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) determined that numerous rail fractures led to the October 2013 derailment and fire involving a Canadian National (CN) train in Gainford, Alberta.
On October 19, 2013, a CN freight train, travelling from Edmonton, Alberta, to Vancouver, British Columbia, derailed 13 cars, including four DOT 111 tank cars containing petroleum crude oil and nine DOT 112 tank cars containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the siding at Gainford, Alberta. Two LPG tank cars were breached during the derailment and caught fire and a third LPG car released product from its safety valve which ignited. About 600 feet of track was destroyed and a house located directly north of the derailment site was damaged by the fire.
The investigation determined that the train derailed when one or more rail breaks occurred in the high rail as the train travelled through the curve in the Gainford siding. TSB said numerous defects were found along the length of the high rail in the curve. A rail-flaw detection test through the area two months earlier had not identified these defects. In March 2013, the low rail had been replaced with a new rail that reduced the curve’s superelevation. TSB noted that in this situation, more stress was placed on the high rail, increasing the risk of rail defect development and failure.
One of the DOT 112 tank cars carrying LPG was punctured in the underside by the coupler from another car. This caused it to release its load and explode. None of the DOT 111 tank cars, which were built to the CPC-1232 standard, released petroleum crude oil, as the cars derailed in a line on their sides and did not suffer secondary impacts.
Following the occurrence, CN conducted walking inspections and rail-flaw detection re-testing on all 25 mph sidings. Speed was reduced to 15 mph in these sidings until they were retested. Rail grinding within these sidings was also programmed to remove rail surface defects.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has proposed a rule to increase oversight responsibilities of State Safety Oversight Agencies (SSOAs) by replacing the existing outdated regulatory framework with one designed to better evaluate the effectiveness of a rail transit agency’s system safety program.
Lisa Raitt, Canada’s minister of Transport, introduced legislation in the House of Commons that Transport Canada says is expected to enhance railway safety and make the rail industry and crude oil shippers more accountable.
BNSF ‘s 2015 capital program for its operations in Wisconsin will be an estimated $120 million for rail maintenance and capacity improvement projects.
JFK AirTrain in New York has recently increased the number of third rail heaters that are remotely controlled using RailComm technology.
Thirteen organizations in nine states will receive a share of $29 million in grant funding through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Innovative Safety, Resiliency and All-Hazards Emergency Response and Recovery Demonstration funding opportunity.
BNSF‘s 2015 capital program for its operations in Texas will be an estimated $223 million for rail capacity improvement projects and maintenance.
BNSF ‘s 2015 capital program for its operations in North Dakota will be an estimated $326 million for rail capacity improvement projects and maintenance.