Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) urged California Governor Jerry Brown to act swiftly to improve the viability of high-speed rail in California by strongly supporting a plan to move the California High Speed Rail Authority into a transportation agency under the governor’s direction.
CSX introduced a new program, CSX Select Sites, offering customers an easy way to access certified, rail-ready properties for a variety of industrial uses.
The Surface Transportation Board selected new appointees to serve on the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council. RSTAC consists of 15 members appointed by the board’s chairman. It provides a forum for the discussion of matters of concern to rail shippers and railroads.
L.B. Foster Company’s Pueblo, Colo., rail products plant has been chosen by IndustryWeek magazine as one of 10 North American manufacturing facilities to receive the publication’s 2011 Best Plants Award. IndustryWeek’s website reported L.B. Foster’s rail joints and bars facility has been recognized for excellence in manufacturing. The magazine notes that the plant demonstrates extraordinary continuous improvement in the workplace and sustained efforts to provide customer satisfaction.
Norfolk Southern participated in the location of 73 new industries and the expansion of 27 existing industries along its rail lines in 2011.
Patriot Rail Corp. has donated its 21-mile Mississippi & Skuna Valley Railroad to Calhoun and Yalobusha counties in Mississippi.
Canadian Pacific sent a letter to its shareholders from John Cleghorn, Chairman of the Board of Directors. In the letter, Cleghorn explained CP’s Multi-Year Plan, which has three key elements: driving volume growth, expanding network capacity to safely and efficiently support higher volumes and controlling costs.
C. L. “Larry” Laurello of Saybrook, Ohio, passed away on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012, at his home.
Colo Railroad Builders appointed Cene Cooley as vice president of operations in Texas.
Robert Stromsted has been named a senior vice president at Parsons Brinckerhoff.
In his new position, Stromsted will be responsible for strategic planning and business development. He will be based in the firm’s New York office.
Gene Davis, PE, joined Stantec as senior railway engineer to lead Stantec’s freight and commuter railway services in the U.S. Southeast. Davis has more than 27 years of experience in the rail industry including operations, economics and engineering for railroad companies, state departments of transportation and major municipalities.
The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association honored individuals and companies by awarding the Railroad Construction Project of the Year, Field Employee of the Year and inducting the inaugural class of the association’s Hall of Fame.
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which owns and operates Caltrain near San Francisco, Calif., elected officers and welcomed a new board member at its January meeting.
The Whitmore Manufacturing Company named Jeff Kilpatrick president and chief executive officer of the company on January 3, 2012.
Omni Products, Inc., supplier of grade crossing systems to the United States rail industry and Jensen Precast, provider of precast concrete products, have formed an agreement to expand manufacturing and distribution of OMNI Products’ grade crossing systems into the Western United States.
Newmont Mining Corporation named Union Pacific its North American Supplier of the Year, recognizing the railroad for its innovative, safe and reliable transportation solutions.
The Federal Transit Administration issued a Record of Decision on December 30, for the Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority Crenshaw/LAX light-rail project based on LACMTA’s Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
On Monday January 9, a pilot program introducing “quiet cars” on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Metro-North New Haven Line begins on select rush-hour trains.
ENSCO, Inc., has initiated the corporate restructuring of several of its key businesses and international activities. This restructuring will allow these businesses to increase their concentration within their distinct market areas and better manage corporate liability.
Patriot Rail Corp. restructured its operations management team. The changes, effective January 1, 2012, were implemented to better focus management efforts among rail operations and marketing to customers.