UTU, BLET members ratify four contract agreements
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and United Transportation Union recently ratified four new collective bargaining agreements.
Regional Rail LLC acquires majority share of Diamondback Signal, LLC
Regional Rail, LLC, has acquired a majority ownership interest in Diamondback Signal, LLC. Diamondback Signal specializes in the design, construction and maintenance of signal installations for crossings and was formed in January of 2012. In the short time since its inception, Diamondback has been able to contract with 21 railroads and private industries throughout the United States to provide normalized maintenance and monthly inspections for their signalized crossings and has also aggressively pursued and secured a number of crossing signal construction and/or rehabilitation projects.
CTA adds more work to North Red Station Project
In an effort to reduce future expenses and avoid additional impacts to rail service, the Chicago Transit Board approved an amendment to the existing design/build contract for the North Red Line station improvement project.
Track and signal testing begins for Sounder extension to Lakewood
Sound Transit in Seattle, Wash., has started rail and signal testing on more than eight miles of new track for its Sounder commuter rail extension to Lakewood.
Rail Link receives Wyoming Governor’s award for safety and health
Rail Link, Inc., a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., has received the Wyoming Governor’s Award for Safety and Health in the Large Mine-Site Contractor category for the second consecutive year. The award is the highest honor given by the state of Wyoming for recognition of an employer’s commitment to excellence in workplace safety and health.
Oregon port’s South Rivergate Expansion boosts export flow
A major rail yard expansion project in Portland, Wash., is improving efficiency and capacity for exports at the city’s largest industrial park. Completed in June and now fully operational, the South Rivergate Yard expansion project was the last in a series of four recent rail and road improvement projects located in Rivergate Industrial District.
KCS promotes Ebbrecht to EVP & COO
Kansas City Southern promoted David Ebbrecht from executive vice president operations to executive vice president and chief operating officer for KCS and its U.S. subsidiary, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company. In this position, Ebbrecht will continue to coordinate closely with the leadership of Kansas City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. Ebbrecht reports to KCS president and chief executive officer David Starling.
2012 chief enigneers’ survey: WISH LIST
Safety remains at the top of engineering department’s list of equipment guidelines.
You want to impress a railroad engineer with a piece of maintenance equipment? Make sure it’s versatile, reliable, as well as easy to maintain, to transport and to use. Above all else, it must be safe.
Maintaining ballast below the ties
Optimal track conditions rely heavily on ballast maintenance.
Ballast doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. For those outside of the industry, the flashy signals, rail and crossties are what railroad lines are made of.
CREATE program update: keeping Chicago fluid
The CREATE program continues to improve movement through the nation’s rail nucleus.
The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program marked nine years of existence in June 2012.
Metra breaks ground on Cicero Station rehab project
Illinois State Senator Martin Sandoval and Cicero Town President Larry Dominick joined Metra Acting Chairman Larry Huggins and Executive Director/CEO Alex Clifford on August 7 at a groundbreaking ceremony for the rehabilitation of Metra’s Cicero Station on the BNSF Line.
NS, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to begin hazard elimination project
The effort to establish Section 130 hazard-elimination at railroad crossings in Louisville, Ken., near Wilson Avenue and Woodland Avenue, has taken a major step forward with the project receiving $1.8 million in funding for improvements.
Western Rail Road members ratify new UTU pact
Train, engine and mechanical forces represented by the United Transportation Union on shortline Western Rail Road in Texas have ratified a new agreement reached with mediation assistance from the National Mediation Board.
RailComm provides system to BNSF yard in New Mexico
BNSF’s Belen Yard in New Mexico has added RailComm’s Blue Flag Indicator (BFI) System to their facility. The RailComm BFI System allows a user to apply blue flag protection to the fueling tracks through the use of strategically located field control panels. These panels are outfitted with keypad security that will only allow verified personnel to operate the system. The BFIs are positioned in pairs at different locations along the track.
Union Pacific working on infrastructure in Iowa, Illinois
Union Pacific is enhancing Illinois and Iowa’s transportation infrastructure with a $24 million investment.
SFMTA to begin utility relocation for Central Subway Project
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said that pre-construction associated with the Central Subway tunnel will begin on August 13 in North Beach. The work involves relocating utility lines on a half-block section of Columbus Avenue between Union and Powell streets.
Amtrak celebrates Seattle maintenance facility upgrades
Phase 1 and Phase 2 of a major upgrade of the Seattle Maintenance Facility in Washington State has been completed by Amtrak and its partners. The facilities support Amtrak operations and maintenance agreements in the Pacific Northwest for the Empire Builder, Coast Starlight, Amtrak Cascades and Sounder commuter trains.
X Train chooses R&O Construction Company as general contractor
Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc. (X Train), the company building a luxury passenger train with planned rail service between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nev., selected R&O Construction as the general contractor for the X Train’s Las Vegas Station. R&O Construction is a national general contractor firm.
Caltrain receives $3.2 million for modernization
Caltrain will receive $3.2 million in U.S. Department of Transportation grant funds to install an advanced signal system needed to support modernized Caltrain service and the eventual addition of high-speed rail.
FEC builds spur to move airport extension aggregate
Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) will move in excess of 15,000 tons (30 million lbs.) a day of aggregate for the extension of the elevated runway over U.S. 1 and the FEC mainline.