RailComm to expand remote control derail system at BNSF Amarillo

RailComm has been selected to provide a wireless remote control derail system at BNSF’s Amarillo yard for the roundhouse engine tracks.

This system will provide wireless remote control for derail locations outside the roundhouse. The derail machines will be outfitted with blue strobe lights that will be activated whenever a derail is in place. RailComm’s Domain Operations Controller (DOC) System will reside in the roundhouse office and will provide the operator with a user interface to remotely control the field devices. All derail operation will be logged, along with the user, date and time.

RailComm’s 2.4 GHz Spread Spectrum RADiANT data radios will be used to establish wireless communications networks to link the derail and office locations.

DEIR affirms benefits of proposed BNSF rail facility in Southern California

The updated Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) released by the Port of Los Angeles affirms that BNSF’s proposed Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) facility will result in an overall improvement in air quality, health risk and traffic in both the immediate neighborhoods around the site and throughout the region.

Greenfield, Ohio receives EDA grant for rail spur

The Village of Greenfield, Ohio, received a $2.2-million grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for improvements to a rail line in Highland County. The project is expected to create 72 jobs and save more than 800 at local companies.

Projected TEX Rail ridership higher in annual update to FTA

New projections show that in Texas, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority’s TEX Rail will reach an average daily ridership of 18,100 by 2035, up 1,500 since the T’s commuter rail project was approved to enter preliminary engineering by the Federal Transit Administration in March, 2012.

ARRC washout repair going better than expected

Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) track repair crews have made better-than-expected progress in repairing a major washout that has left 500 feet of the mainline track dangling just south of Gold Creek (ARRC Milepost 261, about 35 miles north of Talkeetna).

Amtrak testing higher speeds along NEC

Beginning September 24 and continuing into next week, Amtrak plans to operate high-speed test trains at 165 mph in four areas covering more than 100 miles of the Northeast Corridor.

MassDOT Board of Directors appoints Scott MBTA GM

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors appointed Beverly Scott as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and MassDOT Rail and Transit Division Administrator. A 30-year transportation veteran, Scott will be the first female general manager of the MBTA.

NJ DOT and NJ Transit unveils “Another Train Coming” safety device

Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chairman James Simpson joined NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein September 21 at Plauderville Station in Garfield to unveil a new “Another Train Coming” rail safety device designed to enhance pedestrian safety around the tracks. The installation is part of an ongoing effort to ramp up rail safety across the state through recommendations from the NJ Safety at Railroad Crossings Leadership Oversight Committee.

“Ensuring the safety of NJ Transit customers and residents in the communities we serve requires a multifaceted approach, which is what the committee aims to achieve through its ‘E-cubed’ tactics-engineering, enforcement and education,” said Commissioner Simpson. “While Plauderville Station’s new technological warning system represents the engineering component, it will be supported by an array of other initiatives, including crossing enforcement by the NJ Transit Police Department and NJ Transit’s continuous efforts to educate our school children through our successful rail safety program.”

The New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ Transit recently installed the “Another Train Coming” warning system at the Outwater Lane grade crossing, adjacent to the Plauderville rail station. The warning system consists of active signs in all four quadrants of the rail crossing, with an LED text message that reads, “DANGER, Another Train Coming,” as well as an audio component that repeatedly sounds the same message.