BNSF capex trackwork

BNSF 2019 capex: Up 5% to $3.57 billion

BNSF Railway will invest $3.57 billion in capital in 2019—a 5% increase from 2018—toward “maintaining and expanding its network with an unwavering focus on operating a safe railroad that meets customers’ demands.”

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART)

Honolulu councilwoman seeks audit of rail project

Suggesting that fraud may be the cause of cost overruns, City Council newcomer Heidi Tsuneyoshi is demanding a forensic audit of contracts tied to a plan to build a transit system for

Buffalo Metro Rail DL&W terminal

Buffalo’s Metro Rail could get new, long-term funding for maintenance

New York State legislators are eyeing a plan to set aside $100 million to fund maintenance work in Buffalo’s light-rail system.

Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern operating ratio targeted at 60 percent; Job cuts planned

Norfolk Southern plans to hold its capital expenditures between 16 percent and 18 percent of revenues through 2021, as the railroad targets an operating ratio of 60 percent by that year.

SANDAG rail projects

Construction, maintenance projects to close San Diego rail corridor this weekend

A series of track building and maintenance programs in the San Diego area will cause major headaches this weekend for four railroads when all train traffic is suspended on the San Diego

CSX annual report yields new details on capital spending

CSX has filed its annual report with securities regulators, and the document contains some items of interest to railroad contractors and vendors.

VHB lands contract for environmental review of proposed Brooklyn Queens Connector

A proposal to build the Brooklyn Queens Connector, a streetcar line linking the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, took a step toward reality today as the city’s Economic Development

Stantec adds two to transportation team

Global design and engineering firm Stantec recently added two senior executives to its transportation team.

G&W

Genesee & Wyoming to increase capex slightly

Genesee & Wyoming Railroad Services Inc. is expected to increase its capital spending slightly this year after earnings beat analyst estimates. That’s the takeaway from G&W’s earnings report, released today, and a

R.J. Corman track work

R.J. Corman launches track upgrade in South Carolina

R.J. Corman Railroad Company is upgrading 9 miles of track in South Carolina to allow for faster freight service on the former Carolina Southern Railroad. The company and local officials announced over the

Rail Flaw Detection

Rail Flaw Testing Gets Faster, Smarter, Better

Continuous, non-stop testing is moving testing accuracy and efficiency forward. Is machine learning or artificial Intelligence the next wave? Year over year, rail breaks caused by internal defects represent a, if not

CN double track

CN capital spending on maintenance holds steady

CN will invest approximately a record $2.94 billion (C$3.9 billion) in its capital spending program. But only $1.2 billion (C$1.6 billion) is targeted toward track and railway infrastructure maintenance — the same

patch rail

Patch Rail: Improving the Planning Process

Planning annual curve rail replacement programs is an essential element of maintenance planning on Class 1 railroads. Every railroad does it, with varying degrees of automation in the planning office and verification

Via derailment

TSB cites poor communication for Via derailment in July

The derailment of a Via passenger train on July 5 could have been averted if local authorities and the railroad had communicated about flood waters. That’s the finding of an investigation of

Rail bridge in East Bronx

MTA strikes deal with Amtrak for new commuter stations in the East Bronx

New York’s MTA will build four new stations in the East Bronx for Metro-North commuter rail service, after Governor Andrew Cuomo brokered a deal between the agency and Amtrak. But the deal

Chuck Baker leaves NRC, becomes president of ASLRRA

Chuck Baker, president of the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC), is stepping down Feb. 4 to become president and CEO of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA.) “It

Watco at Port of Memphis

Port of Memphis gets $1.7 million grant for new track

The Port of Memphis will receive a $1.7 million grant to add track at the public terminal on President’s Island. The funds will pay for 4,900 feet of new track and four

rail defect

Research: Future of Weibull Defects Analysis in the Railway Industry

Editor’s Note: From time to time we will publish cutting-edge research in the world of rail engineering. In this piece, researchers ponder the possible flaws of Weibull analysis in preventing defect-caused derailments.

KCS capital spending to rise in 2019; maintenance and track stay flat

Kansas City Southern (KCS) plans to increase capital spending to between $640 million and $660 million this year, up substantially from the $530 million in capital expenditures in 2018. But those capex

CP Railway

CP plans overhaul of Rogers Pass tunnel

The Canadian Pacific Railway is planning extensive work in its famed Mount MacDonald Tunnel, the longest railway tunnel in the western hemisphere. It’s our current most important asset,” John Leonardo, general manager

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