House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unveiled the American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act. The initiative is a five-year, $260 billion infrastructure bill that reforms transportation programs and promotes increased domestic energy production to create American jobs.
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to increase funding for job creating Illinois rail and multimodal priorities, including rail line relocation grants, Amtrak and the TIGER grant program, in its bill to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Act. Durbin also urged the Committee to reject the proposals in the House Transportation bill that would eliminate or dramatically reduce funding for programs that are essential to creating jobs in downstate Illinois communities.
The Birmingham Terminal Railway (BHRR) began operations at 12:01 a.m. Central time, Wednesday, Feb. 1. The railway was created by acquiring the assets of the Birmingham Southern Railway (BS).
BNSF plans a 2012 capital commitment program of approximately $3.9 billion, a $400 million increase over its 2011 capital spend of $3.5 billion.
The Association of American Railroads said the nation’s major freight railroads are projected to invest a record $13 billion in capital expenditures in 2012 to expand, upgrade and enhance the nation’s freight rail network. The freight railroads also expect to hire more than 15,000 employees this year, replacing retiring workers and adding new positions nationwide.
The Kansas City Southern de Mexico and Raloy Lubricants Company opened the Diamond International transload center for the handling of liquid and dry cargo. With capacity to handle 400 rail cars and 27,000 tons annually, the transload center will be operated by Raloy, whose products are specialized lubricants used primarily in the automotive industry.
United Transportation Union-represented engineers and conductors employed by Apache Railroad in Arizona have ratified a new three-year agreement providing for wage increases, certification pay, improvements in disability and life insurance benefits, an increase in the employer match for a 401-k plan, substantial improvements in the healthcare insurance plan and a reduction in the employee contribution.
RailComm has been chosen to provide its Domain Operations Controller train control system for Paducah & Louisville Railway in Kentucky. The DOC system will have functionality for Track Warrant Control and Centralized Traffic Control through the companies web-enabled software-as-a-service delivery method.
The cleanup of almost 2 million railroad ties from a site in Radford, Va., brings to an end a multi-year effort to clear the former industrial location and eliminate a potential environmental concern. Norfolk Southern completed removal of the ties earlier this month, delivering on a long-standing offer to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to transport the ties for free if a suitable disposal site could be found.
Port San Antonio in Texas and Watco Companies, L.L.C., plan to launch a new rail service at the Port’s East Kelly Railport.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s reconstruction of its Piedmont & Northern Rail Corridor in Gaston County, N.C., will be significantly completed by February 20, 2012. This will allow operation of trains over the corridor for the first time in more than 20 years. Patriot Rail will provide freight rail service to customers over the line.
Yangtze Railroad Materials named Jeremy Tucker national sales manager.
U.S. Congressmen Jim Moran and Gerry Connolly and Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner said the Department of Transportation has awarded nearly $116 million funding for construction of Phase 1 of the Dulles Metrorail project in northern Virginia.
Union Pacific will improve the transportation infrastructure in San Antonio, Texas, by investing $4 million in one of two rail lines that parallel Frio City Road. The project will help trains move more efficiently through the west side of the city.
Wisconsin & Southern Railroad LLC will soon complete a major capital project to rehabilitate a publicly-owned railroad corridor between Madison and Milton, Wis. The project, expected to be completed this year, consists of installing 30,000 railroad ties, upgrading 21 public at-grade railroad crossings and installing 32 miles of continuous welded rail in the following communities: Madison, McFarland, Stoughton, Edgerton and Milton.
Union Pacific employees capped a decade of safety improvement in 2011 by achieving a 1.15 reportable injury rate, the best performance on record in the company’s history.
CSX Corporation appointed Oscar Munoz as executive vice president and chief operating officer and Fredrik Eliasson as executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective immediately.
Canadian National and Canadian Pacific reached separate 10-year agreements with Canpotex Limited to transport potash volumes that Canpotex ships to export martkets.
Union Pacific plans to put $1 billion investment in Nebraska over the next several years as part of its capital investment programs.
David L. Starling, president and chief executive officer of Kansas City Southern, has been named 2012 Railroader of the Year by Railway Age magazine. Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures are both owned by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Co.