CP, Unimin Corporation enter long-term agreement for frac sand transport
Canadian Pacific Railway entered into a multi-year agreement with Unimin Corporation of New Canaan, Conn., for the movement of frac sand from Unimin’s facility in Wisconsin.
Watco names Pacific Sun Railroad GM
Scott Henderson has accepted the position of general manager for Watco Transportation Services’ Pacific Sun Railroad (PSRR). Henderson most recently served as general manager for the Baton Rouge Southern Railroad (BRS) in Louisiana. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations on the Pacific Sun and will report directly to the director of operations
His duties will be to achieve performance goals with op¬timum safety, economy, efficiency and effectiveness along with overseeing customer relationships in accordance with Watco’s Customer First Foundation Principles.
Henderson began his railroad career as a locomotive engineer in 1996 with Conrail and transferred to Canadian National in 2000 before joining the Watco Team in March of 2009 with the Grand Elk Railroad in Kalamazoo, Mich. He then moved to Kansas to serve as assistant general manager for the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad before heading south to Louisiana as the BRS general manager.
STB slates hearing on effect of BNSF purchase price
From the editors at Railway Age.
The Surface Transportation Board announced that it will hold a public hearing March 22 “to explore the impact of the Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. acquisition of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. on certain costing determinations.”
CTA previews Loop track renewal project
The Chicago Transit Authority previewed upcoming track renewal work that will affect primarily weekend service in the Loop beginning in mid-April through late-2012. The project will involve special trackwork at the Loop junctions and the replacement of nearly 11,500 feet of elevated rail and track components that were installed in the mid-1980s, which are nearing the end of their useful life.
Metro-North Railroad resumes catenary replacement project
The replacement of century-old catenary wire that powers the New York Metro-North New Haven Line trains will resume on Monday March 19th, on two tracks between Southport and Bridgeport and will continue through the end of November.
NJ Transit Board approves Bloomfield Avenue Station upgrades
Improvements to make Newark Light Rail’s Bloomfield Avenue Station accessible to customers with disabilities and more convenient for all customers will begin this spring, under a contract approved today by the NJ Transit Board of Directors.
LACMTA expands additional train testing on new Expo Line
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will expand the operation of test trains along the LACMTA Expo Line corridor beginning Sunday, March 18, running trains from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week, on a schedule of every 12 minutes to simulate regular service on the line once the system opens in early 2012.
BNSF employees take plunge for Special Olympics
BNSF Twin Cities Division employees in Northtown, Minn., braved freezing temperatures, wind and snow flurries to participate in the Polar Bear Plunge for the second consecutive year, so far raising more than $27,200 for Special Olympics of Minnesota.
UP names several to executive positions
Union Pacific’s board of directors named Eric Butler executive vice president marketing and sales. Butler succeeds Jack Koraleski, who recently was appointed acting president and CEO while Chairman Jim Young is on medical leave.
CN introducing new Prince Rupert intermodal services
Canadian National will offer new import/export container train services between the Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., and Calgary (now in operation) and Edmonton, starting in June 2012. According to CN, Alberta is one of the fastest growing industrial and consumer-based economies in North America and has a fast increasing need for efficient supply chains.
BNSF reduces customers’ CO2 emissions by more than 30 million metric tons in 2011
BNSF customers reduced carbon dioxide emissions in 2011 shipping freight by rail instead of its products moving entirely over the road. In 2011, customers avoided emitting more than 30 million metric tons of CO2 by using BNSF, which is equivalent to reducing the annual fuel consumption and resultant greenhouse gas emissions of more than six million passenger vehicles.
Denver RTD to review Kiewit Infrastructure proposal for I-225 rail line
Regional Transportation District in Denver, Colo., has received a proposal for the I-225 Light Rail Project from Kiewit Infrastructure Company.
2011 CTA ridership hits highest level in two decades
CTA ridership grew by more than 15 million (three percent) in 2011, with more than 530 million boardings on trains and buses across the city, the highest total in 20 years and one of the highest increases among big-city transit operations across the United States.
Invensys Rail Corp. and Lilee Systems team up for new wayside messaging server
Invensys Rail Corp. and Lilee Systems have joined forces to bring a new Wayside Messaging Server (WMS) to PTC applications across North America. Invensys Rail will provide sales, application engineering and field service support for the WMS-2000, which was developed by Lilee.
Watco names GM for Baton Rouge Southern Railroad
Duane Stephenson joined Watco Transportation Services in the position of general manager of the Baton Rouge Southern Railroad. Stephenson will be responsible for the day to day operations on the BRS including achieving per¬formance goals with optimum safety, economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
He previously worked for Genesee & Wyoming (G&W), where he held multiple management positions over the past five years. His most recent position was operations manager where he led his region in the lowest human factor incident (HFI) rating per 200,000 man hours and going on five years injury free. Duane began his railroad career with Lodestar Logistics as the Logistics Coordinator in 2004.
Axion International receives second tie order from BART
Axion International received its second purchase order from San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit for switch ties. Axion says its ECOTRAX ties has no chemicals or preservatives added and can be reused at the end of their useful lifecycle, eliminating standard disposal issues.
UP to spend $9.2 million on Arizona infrastructure improvements
Union Pacific is enhancing Arizona’s transportation infrastructure by investing $9.2 million in the rail line that runs between Crag and downtown Phoenix. The project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by the end of April.
Met Council testifies before legislature on need for expanded transit system
Light rail transit, not more buses, is the most cost effective option for supporting the existing jobs and the tens of thousands of jobs the Southwest corridor will add before 2030, Minnesota’s Twin Cities Metropolitan Council Chair Susan Haigh told a State Senate panel.
Thales, Siemens awarded contract for New York MTA test track
Thales and Siemens have been awarded a contract to provide a permanent communications-based train control test track facility for Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit.
MARC sees on-time performance nears record levels
The Maryland Transit Administration’s MARC Train service recorded some of the best on-time performance numbers ever during the month of February.