Canadian National says it has spent the past 12 months engaging customers in order to better position the railroad for success during the upcoming winter. The result is CN’s WinterREADY Plan 2013-2014, which the railroad says adds resiliency to its network and improves communication flow.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has awarded its 2013 North American Environmental Employee Excellence Award to CSX Manager of Environmental Remediation Matthew Adkins. Adkins was one of seven industry professionals nominated for this annual award and is the sixth CSX employee to win in the past 12 years.
Union Pacific installed a new bridge during the weekend of Nov. 2-4 at Shermer Road south of Willow Road in Glenview, Ill., to replace a temporary embankment of crushed concrete the railroad has been using since last year.
On November 2, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn was joined by local and state officials to open the new 71st Street railroad underpass in Bridgeview, a Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) project that will greatly reduce traffic delays and improve safety at the former automobile/rail intersection.
Norfolk Southern renamed its Dillerville Yard in Lancaster, Pa., in honor of H. Craig Lewis. After serving as state senator for the 6th District in Bucks County for five terms (1975-1994), Lewis joined NS as vice president corporate affairs in 1997, retiring from the railroad in 2009. He died unexpectedly earlier this year.
BNSF selected Montana Rail Link, Inc. (MRL) as its 2013 Shortline of the Year for its significant growth and continued emphasis on a strong safety record. In addition, Bighorn Divide & Wyoming Railroad (BDW) won the Special Recognition Award. The awards were presented during the annual BNSF Shortline Conference on October 21 in Irving, Texas.
Canadian National has reached tentative collective agreements with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference – Conductors, Trainpersons and Yardpersons (TCRC-CTY).
San Pedro & Southwestern Railroad (SPSR) will celebrate its 10th anniversary on November 3. Based in Benson, Ariz., where it connects with Union Pacific’s Los Angeles-Chicago main line, SPSR began operations in 2003 after acquiring the line from RailAmerica, Inc. (now Genesee & Wyoming, Inc.).
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission under which, CSX Transportation will install mast-mounted flashing lights and roadway gates at three crossings.
The Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation, led by the panel’s Chairman, U.S. Rep. John Duncan, Jr. (R-TN) and Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), released its final report on the current state of freight transportation in the United States and its recommendations for freight transportation improvements to strengthen the U.S. economy.
Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer of Canadian National said that Canadian railways have a solid record of improving their overall safety performance and remain committed to achieving further safety gains.
Pacific Imperial Railroad, which provides freight services on the Desert Line servicing the Tijuana-Tecate region of Baja California, Mexico and eastern San Diego County through its 99-year lease with the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS), has made changes to its senior management team. Donald Stoecklein has chosen to retire as president to focus on his family and other ventures.
BNSF’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tom Hund will retire during the first quarter of 2014. Hund will be replaced by Julie Piggott, currently vice president, planning and studies and controller.
OmniTRAX Canada hired Trent Weber as director business development, reporting directly to Lenny Berz, vice president industrial development. He will be responsible for all commercial sales, marketing and account management for the Hudson Bay Railway Company and Carlton Trail Railway Company.
The Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) Board of Directors has named Bill O’Leary as president and CEO, succeeding Chris Aadnesen, who has served in the position since September 2010. O’Leary will start his new position November 1.
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) held a public open house to detail a possible project that would add a second main track between Lee’s Summit and Strasburg. The route is experiencing capacity issues and currently serves four Amtrak trains and close to 30 freight trains a day.
With Canadian National (CN) and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) locked in a dispute, the industries that rely on the railway to ship products will be stuck with significantly fewer options if they go to a strike after the cooling off period.
Editor’s note: The Association of American Railroads submitted the following commentary following the report “Industry leaders discuss PTC progress” RT&S posted earlier this month.
There has been debate about the railroad industry’s ability to meet the federal mandate for interoperable positive train control (PTC) technology across huge swaths of the U.S. rail network by 2015. There also have been some critics who have inferred that by seeking an extension of the 2015 deadline set by Congress for implementing PTC, the railroad industry is looking to dodge its commitment to safety. Nothing could be further from the truth and I would like to address this issue and hopefully provide some clarity for RT&S readers.
BNSF plans to develop a $28-million logistics center and make improvements to an existing rail yard and mainline infrastructure in Sweetwater, Texas.