The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) released a series of technical reports on truck size and weight for peer review and public comment as a step toward the completion of the comprehensive study required in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).
Kansas City Southern reached an agreement with Sasol Chemicals LLC for the construction and long-term lease of a storage-in-transit (SIT) rail yard to support Sasol’s new ethane cracker and derivatives project in Lake Charles, La. In addition to building the SIT yard for lease to Sasol, KCS will replace and expand its existing rail car classification yard in Mossville, La.
Metrolinx‘s Union Pearson Express (UP Express) in Toronto opened to the public June 6 and offers a seamless airport-to-downtown connection. The trip between Union Station and Pearson International Airport, Canada’s two busiest transportation hubs, will take just 25 minutes and trains will depart every 15 minutes.
On June 5, 2015, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) submitted applications for three Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants, requesting more than $43 million combined in transportation investments, including $5.39 million for improvements to more than a dozen freight rail bridges.
In support of private-sector efforts to explore building high-speed rail in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan joined executives from the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and the Baltimore-Washington Rapid Rail LLC (BWRR) to ride the 27-mile-long Yamanashi Maglev Line located outside of Tokyo, Japan.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has prepared a $82.7-million Winter Resiliency Plan, which includes investments this summer and over the next five years in snow removal equipment, infrastructure upgrades and operations during harsh weather to improve service reliability.
Beginning August 22, Valley Metro Rail will be traveling to new destinations along Main Street into downtown Mesa, Ariz. With service beginning seven months earlier than scheduled, the Central Mesa extension will soon take riders beyond Sycamore to Mesa Drive.
Union Pacific plans to invest about $137 million in 2015 to improve its transportation infrastructure in California. The railroad says its multi-million dollar investment will enhance employee, community and customer safety and increase rail operating efficiency.
The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) has received approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to advance TEX Rail into the engineering phase that immediately precedes the start of construction.
Union Pacific plans to invest about $43 million in 2015 to improve its rail infrastructure in Idaho. The railroad says this investment will enhance employee, community and customer safety and increase rail operating efficiency.
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) joined the international rail transportation community to raise awareness among cyclists and pedestrians about the dangers of railroad grade crossings during the 7th Annual International Level Crossing Awareness Day (ILCAD) June 3. Major U.S. freight railroads hosted ILCAD events across the U.S. with an additional 43 countries and numerous international railroad organizations and companies doing the same worldwide with a focus on the common message: “Take your time, don’t risk your life!”
Pettibone/Traverse Lift, LLC has added Leavitt Machinery to its dealer network for all material handling product lines. Leavitt will carry Pettibone equipment at its locations in Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia in Canada and Washington in the U.S.
Union Pacific will strengthen Illinois’ transportation infrastructure investing more than $20 million in the rail line between Chester and Illinois/Missouri border. The project began May 25 and is scheduled to be completed mid-October.
President of Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT), Carmen Bianco plans to retire later this year from his position running the largest mass transit system in North America. In his time as president, Bianco transformed the agency’s organizational culture to align management strategies, enhance safety and improve customer service to advance the subways, buses, paratransit and Staten Island Railway in New York City.
At a hearing concerning the May 12 accident of Amtrak 188 in Philadelphia, Amtrak President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Boardman reiterated the railroad’s commitment to implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) by the end of 2015.
According to a plan developed and finalized by the Washington State Department of Transportation, improvements to a state-owned eastern Washington rail line would help Washington farmers deliver their goods to market more efficiently and benefit the state’s overall economy.
Norfolk Southern is bringing its Train Your Brain public safety campaign to central and south Georgia to remind people to be safe and alert around railroad tracks and trains.
Billboards, with photos and captions, such as “She needs story time” and “Your fan club is waiting,” will remind motorists that their families and loved ones depend on them to return home safely.
“The images are intended to grab drivers’ attention and encourage them to cross tracks safely,” said Cayela Wimberly, Norfolk Southern’s director of grade-crossing safety. “Our goal is to save lives by educating people that trying to beat a train across railroad tracks or walking or playing on tracks is potentially deadly and always illegal.”
The billboards are going up in communities along the Interstate 75 corridor from Macon to Valdosta. Georgia was selected for this year’s annual campaign because of the high number of deaths and injuries resulting from vehicle-train and trespassing incidents. In 2014, the state ranked fifth-highest in the U.S. in highway-rail grade crossing collisions and tenth-highest in trespassing incidents.
The campaign’s mascot, “Brainy,” a giant wide-eyed pink walking brain, will make appearances at fairs, festivals and sporting events to remind people to be smart and alert at highway-rail grade crossings and to avoid trespassing on railroad property.
In addition to the billboards, Train Your Brain safety messages will appear on gas pumps and ice chests at convenience stores, in movie theaters, on game tickets at 38 high schools and on homework folders at 63 public elementary schools. To encourage safe driving habits, rail safety kits will be distributed to 3,600 students enrolled in driver’s education programs at 18 public high schools.
Now in its ninth year, Norfolk Southern’s “Train Your Brain” public safety campaign has run in Alabama, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee, reminding more than seven million people to make safe decisions around tracks and trains.
Additionally in the name of safety, the Indiana Rail Road (INRD) and Indiana Operation Lifesaver hosted an “Officer on a Train” event June 2.
Law enforcement officers from Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, Johnson and Morgan counties and Indiana University participated in a train ride from Indianapolis to Bloomington and returned.
A live video feed delivered real-time views from the front of the locomotive to participants, so officers could monitor the behavior of motorists and pedestrians on INDR mainline. The live feed also provided a point of discussion among law enforcement and railroad officials on how to better work together to promote grade-crossing collision prevention and trespassing prevention.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, 59 Indiana residents were killed or injured in preventable grade crossings accidents in 2014, which is 10 more than in 2013 and fourth highest among states, trailing only California, Illinois and Texas.
The day after “Officer on a Train,” June 3, is the 7th Annual International Level Crossing
Awareness Day, created to send a message to public to act safely around grade crossings.
“All too often, there are news headlines of a tragic yet wholly preventable accident involving a grade crossing collision or a trespasser who was struck by a train,” said Eric Powell, INRD manager, intermodal and economic development. “Indiana Rail Road’s infrastructure is in the best condition in its history, but our trains cannot stop on a dime to avoid collisions with motor vehicles or pedestrians. Through coordination with law enforcement, we hope to raise awareness about these vulnerabilities and to change public behavior around railroads. It’s all in the name of protecting the public and our employees.”
Canadian National will invest CA$20-million (US$-16 million) in the expansion of its cold supply chain capacity to help producers and distributors of chilled or frozen foods grow their businesses in 20 North American and overseas markets.
On May 29, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Sarah Feinberg as administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration. Feinberg has been serving as acting administrator since January 9, 2015.
The Transportation Research Board is accepting proposals until September 15, 2015, for the Safety IDEA Program, which supports the development and testing of innovative concepts and methods for improving railroad safety or performance.
