North Dakota Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad, Congressman Rick Berg and Governor Jack Dalrymple said they have a plan in place to move forward on upgrading the Amtrak-BNSF Railway near Devils Lake, ND. Rising floodwaters in the Devils Lake basin have threatened the rail lines and bridges near Churchs Ferry, forcing Amtrak to suspend service on its Empire Builder line earlier in 2011.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will advance minor projects this week through Dec. 30.
There will be single tracking between Rhode Island Avenue and Fort Totten on the Red Line from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday for rail/tie renewal.
There will also be single tracking on the Red Line between Friendship Heights and Medical Center from 10 p.m. – closing, Tuesday through Thursday for rail fastener renewal and between New York Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue for DDOT bridge work.
Between 10 p.m. and closing, Tuesday through Thursday, there will be single tracking between Smithsonian and Eastern Market on the Orange Line for switch replacement prep and between East Falls Church and West Falls Church for cable installation.
On the Blue Line from 10 p.m. until closing, Tuesday through Thursday, there will be single tracking between Smithsonian and Eastern Market for switch replacement prep.
Watco Companies, LLC, has created a new service division named Watco Compliance Services. Team members of this division will be tasked with providing a uniform and standardized approach to compliance, training and operational excellence throughout Watco.
According to the Railway Association of Canada, Canada’s rail sector has bounced back from the 2009 global economic downturn posting solid volume growth. The industry has also continued to invest significantly in increased capacity and efficiencies. The findings are outlined in Rail Trends 2011, an annual anthology of statistics about rail sector performance published by the Railway Association of Canada.
United Transportation Union-represented trainmen and engineers employed by Evansville & Western Railroad approved a new five-year agreement, while UTU-represented trainmen and engineers employed by Iowa Interstate Railroad ratified a new six-year agreement.
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board approved the agency’s budget for 2012, culminating a process that began with the release of the agency’s Preliminary Proposed Budget and Four-Year Financial Plan in July, updated last month by a Final Proposed Budget and Four-Year Financial Plan. In addition, the board approved an amendment to the 2010-2014 Capital Program that outlines how the final three years of the program are to be funded.
Ballots will go out this week to members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen employed by Amtrak for a new collective bargaining agreement. The tentative five-year deal would provide members with 10 general wage increases totaling 14 percent, compounding to 15 percent, over the life of the contract.
One year and 500 submissions later, the names for Houston, Texas, METRO’s East End, Southeast and North Lines have been finalized. The METRO Board of Directors approved the following names for its new light-rail lines:
After three years of development, ProTran1 has been awarded a major contract from IMTRAM LTD in Australia to supply several wireless fail-safe bi-directional Portable Automatic Track Warning Systems, which will be used by several Australian railways all over the country for work zone protection.
CN received Toyota Canada’s Carrier of the Year Award for 2011.
Armtec Infrastructure Inc. has secured a number of rail infrastructure projects, valued at more than CA$30 million (US$29 million), within the Greater Toronto Area. These projects were anticipated as part of the previously announced CA$50 million (US$48.6 million) in new contracts that are expected to be booked during the fourth quarter.
EVRAZ plans to upgrade its Pueblo, Colo., rail facility. The upgrades are primarily focused on product quality and operational improvements and are also intended to expand head hardened rail manufacturing capacity.
Aecon Group Inc.’s joint venture with Dufferin Construction Company, a division of Holcim (Canada) Inc., has reached commercial and financial close for the Air Rail Link “spur line” and passenger station at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The project is valued at CA$128.6 million (US$125 million).
Viterra Inc. signed new service improvement agreements with both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific.
Under the CN agreement, Viterra and CN will work together to review supply chain key performance indicators, cooperate on planning and forecasting and address supply chain issues in a timely manner. The agreement is based on the belief that the actions of all supply chain participants affect the performance of the entire chain.
Southern California’s Caltrans and Metrolink have jointly developed a pilot project to show commuters that trains are a viable alternative to freeway traffic. Both train and freeway travel times are now displayed on electronic highway message signs near the Fullerton and Anaheim train stations.
Kansas City Southern President and CEO David Starling reviews 2011 and plans the next year’s progress for KCS.
Canadian National and the United Steelworkers Local 2004 have reached a tentative agreement to renew the labor contract for approximately 2,800 maintenance-of-way employees in Canada. The current agreement is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2011.
Rip Rapson, the president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, issued a statement formally responding to the announcement that a long-planned light-rail project in Detroit would be abandoned in favor of a regional bus rapid transit system. The foundation is part of the private funding group that initiated the rail project. Members of that group, M1 Rail, together pledged almost $100 million. Kresge’s commitment is $35 million.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road launched a pilot of LIRR Train TimeTM, a digital service that provides real-time train arrival status to customers using mobile devices or desktop computers. Starting December 19, LIRR customers using the Port Washington Branch will be able to use the service by going to http://mta.info/lirr/TrainTime.
The results of the 2011 NRC/RT&S/Commercial Insurance Associates Safe Railroad Contractor of the Year Awards are in. Enthusiastic participation in the contest continued this year, with 45 total railroad contracting companies preparing entries.