Canadian National completed the merger of three of its U.S. operating subsidiaries on Dec. 31, 2011. The merger of Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range Railway Company, Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway Company and Wisconsin Central Ltd. will simplify CN’s corporate structure and operations by combining these three separate connecting rail affiliates into a single entity, Wisconsin Central Ltd.
The Federal Transit Administration has accepted the Honolulu rail transit project into Final Design, the final phase of the project’s development before executing a Full Funding Grant Agreement with the FTA.
Skanska signed a design-build contract to construct a 16-kilometer (9.9-mile) extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system near San Francisco, Calif. Skanska is leading a joint venture with Shimmick Construction and Herzog Contracting Corporation.
Atlantic Track promoted Ricky Knox to the newly created position of Southeast regional manager. Knox has been with Atlantic Track since 2004 and has been in the railroad industry for more than 20 years.
The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority (Construction Authority) issued an end of the year statement to project stakeholders highlighting the many project milestone’s reached during 2011. Paramount in the year-in-review statement was the construction progress of the I-210 Gold Line Bridge and award of the $486 million alignment contract to Kiewit Parsons Joint Venture.
The Santa Monica City Council approved action advancing the 15.2-mile Expo Line between Los Angeles and Santa Monica, Calif. At the Dec. 13 city council meeting, city staff presented recommendations and the city council entered into agreements with the Exposition Metro Line Construction Authority to perform $9.55 million in improvements to three stations.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) reported that a train operated by its subsidiary Genesee & Wyoming Australia Pty Ltd (GWA) derailed in the vicinity of the Edith River bridge, approximately 40 km (18.6 miles) north of Katherine, Northern Territory, Australia, December 27.
Following discussions with its state and local partners, Amtrak is taking the lead on the next phase of renovations at the Lancaster Train Station. The Capstone project will address the much anticipated rehabilitation of the passenger areas, including interior work to the waiting room, concourse, restrooms and hallways and exterior work to stairways and platforms.
One year ago, the Federal Transit Administration gave TriMet permission to authorize Kiewit Infrastructure West to begin design and construction of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge, the first bridge to be built over the Willamette River in more than 40 years. In that time, more than 1 million pages of calculations have gone into the engineering of the bridge, now being built in the river. Drilling for the first of 12 shafts is complete and crews placed a rebar cage in advance of concrete, which was poured on Friday, Dec. 23.
North Dakota Senators John Hoeven and Kent Conrad, Congressman Rick Berg and Governor Jack Dalrymple said they have a plan in place to move forward on upgrading the Amtrak-BNSF Railway near Devils Lake, ND. Rising floodwaters in the Devils Lake basin have threatened the rail lines and bridges near Churchs Ferry, forcing Amtrak to suspend service on its Empire Builder line earlier in 2011.
BNSF says it will transform shipper supply chains with its Next Generation Intermodal concept. The railroad says BNSF Next Generation Intermodal represents a new and innovative way of optimizing intermodal rail transportation as part of shippers’ supply chains. Next Generation Intermodal is geared toward making shippers fully aware of the broad spectrum of shipping options made available through intermodal, including different rail speeds and multimodal rail options in the same lane.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will advance minor projects this week through Dec. 30.
There will be single tracking between Rhode Island Avenue and Fort Totten on the Red Line from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday for rail/tie renewal.
There will also be single tracking on the Red Line between Friendship Heights and Medical Center from 10 p.m. – closing, Tuesday through Thursday for rail fastener renewal and between New York Avenue and Rhode Island Avenue for DDOT bridge work.
Between 10 p.m. and closing, Tuesday through Thursday, there will be single tracking between Smithsonian and Eastern Market on the Orange Line for switch replacement prep and between East Falls Church and West Falls Church for cable installation.
On the Blue Line from 10 p.m. until closing, Tuesday through Thursday, there will be single tracking between Smithsonian and Eastern Market for switch replacement prep.
As a preventive measure, VIA Rail Canada will redirect passengers on board the Montreal/Gaspé train service onto buses for the Matapedia/Gaspé leg of the trip, in both directions. VIA has taken this decision, in consultation with the Société des chemins de fer de la Gaspésie (SCFG), following questions raised as to the condition of the rail network in the area. The situation will remain as such until an updated notice is released.
Watco Companies, LLC, has created a new service division named Watco Compliance Services. Team members of this division will be tasked with providing a uniform and standardized approach to compliance, training and operational excellence throughout Watco.
According to the Railway Association of Canada, Canada’s rail sector has bounced back from the 2009 global economic downturn posting solid volume growth. The industry has also continued to invest significantly in increased capacity and efficiencies. The findings are outlined in Rail Trends 2011, an annual anthology of statistics about rail sector performance published by the Railway Association of Canada.
United Transportation Union-represented trainmen and engineers employed by Evansville & Western Railroad approved a new five-year agreement, while UTU-represented trainmen and engineers employed by Iowa Interstate Railroad ratified a new six-year agreement.
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board approved the agency’s budget for 2012, culminating a process that began with the release of the agency’s Preliminary Proposed Budget and Four-Year Financial Plan in July, updated last month by a Final Proposed Budget and Four-Year Financial Plan. In addition, the board approved an amendment to the 2010-2014 Capital Program that outlines how the final three years of the program are to be funded.
Ballots will go out this week to members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen employed by Amtrak for a new collective bargaining agreement. The tentative five-year deal would provide members with 10 general wage increases totaling 14 percent, compounding to 15 percent, over the life of the contract.
One year and 500 submissions later, the names for Houston, Texas, METRO’s East End, Southeast and North Lines have been finalized. The METRO Board of Directors approved the following names for its new light-rail lines:
Despite an overall downward trend in transportation fatalities in the United States, estimates for 2010 released by the National Transportation Safety Board reveal a rise in several categories, including motorcycles, medium and heavy trucks, buses, rail and pipeline.
“Though the NTSB continues to advocate for changes to address human factors, equipment and infrastructure improvements to prevent crashes, we continue to see far too many deaths each year,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman.
The data indicate that overall transportation fatalities decreased to 34,925 in 2010 from 35,994 in 2009.
Rail fatalities increased from 742 to 813, with the majority at grade crossings, though deaths on light, heavy and commuter rail rose from 229 to 253.
