Rail line at Toledo port dedicated

Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority President and CEO Paul Toth, Midwest Terminals of Toledo and area officials dedicated the Port Authority-owned rail line currently under construction at Ironville Terminal on August 15. This phase of construction was made possible by $5 million in Jobs Ready Sites Grant Funding. Commemorative rail spikes were pounded into the rail line by the officials in honor of the dedication. The total public/private investment into Ironville Terminal will be more than $18 million when the infrastructure projects are complete in 2014.

The Port Authority and Midwest Terminals also shared their joint future plans for Ironville which include three phases of development focused on using the 71 acres of waterfront property for material delivery and handling to support a new manufacturing base located on the 110 acre balance of the property. The flexible waterfront property at Ironville will also have the ability to receive bulk materials and will support and receive goods for other manufacturing operations throughout the region.

Since 2008, the Port Authority has sought funding for the redevelopment of Ironville. In addition to the $5 million JRS Grant Funding, Ironville Terminal also benefits from $7.4 million in grant funding via a State of Ohio Logistics and Distribution Stimulus grant and a $3.1 million award from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration is currently pending. The awards are unique as several local entities partnered on each application to ensure the region had the best chance in receiving each award.

"The development of Ironville Terminal has received a tremendous amount of support, due mostly to the incredible potential this property has for commerce and job development," said Toth. "This public/private partnership is possible not only due to the vast amounts of grant funding but specifically to our private partners, Midwest Terminals of Toledo, who will invest nearly $5 million into the development of this property when complete. Without this strong partnership, we would not be able to create these future jobs for our community or this new development opportunity for our region."

Ironville Terminal is currently in Phase One – Rail Installation. Approximately 7,200 linear feet of rail and eight switches will be installed when Phase One is complete later this year or early 2012. The Port Authority owned rail line connects with the nearby Norfolk Southern rail line.
 
Phase Two includes improvements of the river channel and shoreline to prepare a deep water marine dock to accommodate barges and lake trading and ocean vessels.

Phase Three plans include the installation of a multi-modal delivery system. The conveyor and material transfer systems creates efficiencies through rapid freight loading and unloading and is capable of handling any dry bulk material. Self-unloading ships will discharge into a 500 cubic yard hopper, which will feed the conveying system. The hopper discharge will also be capable of loading rail cars on the outer loop track.

Houston Metro kicks off Southeast Line extension

A crowd of hard-hatted, safety-vested notables endured withering heat to watch construction crews complete an 80-foot bed for light-rail track, the first Houston has seen in 10 years. The steel rail near Paige and Rusk, east of downtown, will be part of the 6.6-mile Southeast (Purple) Line. The line, starting near the new Dynamo Stadium will run to Palm Center near the University of Houston Central Campus and is expected to be open in mid-2014.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) joined other officials in support of METRO public transit and cited light-rail for improved infrastructure and many jobs it brings to the city.

METRO Board Chairman Gilbert Garcia said he was delighted with the progress, "This is an exciting moment and an exciting day for the community and certainly all of us at METRO. It’s been more than 10 years since we laid concrete for rail. We’re happy to be here today to tell everyone light rail is coming to Houston."

The last time METRO poured concrete for new light-rail track was for the Main Street Red Line in September 2001.

Chrysler Group recognizes UP

Chrysler Group LLC recognized Union Pacific for outstanding support in the fields of logistics and transportation at its 2011 Annual Supplier Meeting and Awards Ceremony in Detroit.

"Collaboration with our supply base has been a critical component in our ability to bring 16 new or significantly refreshed vehicles to the marketplace in the past year. Without the strong support of our supplier partners, we would not have been able to accomplish such a feat in such a short amount of time," said Dan Knott, Chrysler Group senior vice president of Purchasing and Supplier Quality.

Chrysler recognized suppliers who fared well on its External Balanced Scorecard, a rating system that evaluates supplier performance in areas such as quality, delivery, cost, warranty and partnership in addition to input from senior leadership.

"It is an honor to be recognized by Chrysler for our commitment to service," said Linda Brandl, Union Pacific vice president and general manager Automotive. "Our dedicated team effort and our focus on delivering value made this award possible. We aim to continue exceeding expectations in logistics and transportation with Chrysler."

In Memoriam: Mike Kearns

Mike Kearns, a long-time member of the railroad recycling industry, passed away August 12 at IU Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Ind., after a long battle with cancer.

Kearns was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., and moved to Muncie and graduated from Muncie Central High School in 1966. He attended and played football at Ball State University.

He became involved with the railroad industry when he formed Miro Enterprises in the late 1970s. After the death of his partner, he worked for Continental Rail Company of Houston, Texas.

Since 1996, Kearns has been employed with Tie Yard of Omaha, now Omaha Track Materials, and held the position of vice president of steel operations. He was widely known throughout the railroad business, both for his knowledge of relay rail materials and for his strong business ethics and integrity. A mentor of many young people in the business, he was also a pilot and an avid Purdue football fan. He is survived by his wife Sheila, three children and two grandchildren.

 

California HSR project issues DEIR/S

The California High-Speed Rail Authority released the Draft Environmental Impact Report/Statement for both the Merced-to-Fresno and Fresno-to-Bakersfield sections of the project.

"These reports – the first environmental documents for true high-speed
rail in the nation – represent a major milestone for California and for
bringing high-speed rail to the United States, said Thomas Umberg,
chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors.
"We are leading the nation’s high-speed rail vision and remain on track
to break ground next year.

"True high-speed rail connects
major cities across significant distances and does it in a way that is
faster, cleaner, safer and more convenient than alternatives for
traveling through California. California’s high-speed trains will
connect Los Angeles to San Francisco in just 2 hours and 40 minutes.
These documents represent the closest point California and its federal
partners have ever been to implementing true high-speed rail – just
because it’s never been done before is no barrier to it being done now."

The reports for both Central Valley sections and supporting documents can be found at www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov.

FRA issues regs on HOS for passenger crews

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule limiting the number of consecutive hours passenger railroad workers can be on the job. The new rule aims to reduce risk and improve safety and, for the first time, differentiates between freight and passenger service.

Caltrans increases Pacific Surfliner project funding to $50 million

California’s Caltrans has received nearly $25 million from the Federal Railroad Administration to install global positioning system-based train control equipment on its Pacific Surfliner intercity rail line to improve worker safety and help prevent train collisions and derailments. The state will match the federal funds dollar-for-dollar with 2009 Proposition 1A rail bond funds, increasing the project’s funding to $50 million.

"Caltrans is committed to safety not only on our highways but also on our three intercity rail lines," said Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. "As more travelers choose train travel as an option, Caltrans is working with both its local and federal partners to keep riders safe."

The safety equipment, Positive Train Control, will be installed on the Pacific Surfliner corridor in San Diego County. The PTC signaling system will increase railroad safety and efficiency by monitoring and controlling train movements. In a partnering effort, the North County Transit District, operator of the Coaster rail service, will install the PTC signaling system on the tracks between San Onofre and San Diego, where the Pacific Surfliner and the Coaster service share the line.

 

CN, CNBM Forest Products Trading Ltd. strike deal for B.C. lumber export supply chain

Canadian National and China’s CNBM Forest Products Trading Ltd. have reached an agreement to use CN’s new lumber transload facility in Vancouver to increase the supply chain capacity for Canadian lumber exports.

CN is scheduled to start operation of the lumber container export facility at its Thornton Yard in Surrey, B.C., in the fall of 2011. It will have an initial footprint of eight acres and throughput capacity of approximately 10,000 containers per year, with room to grow up to 20 acres. The facility, supplied with rail cars of lumber originating in communities in British Columbia, will make it easier to transport lumber to export markets in China.

"Lumber exports to China now account for close to 25 percent of the western Canadian total and are expected to continue to increase at a fast pace in the years to come," said Jean-Jacques Ruest, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of CN. "CN aims to foster a world-class export supply chain for Canadian lumber in cooperation with CNBM Forest Products Trading, lumber producers in B.C. and ocean shipping lines serving Port Metro Vancouver."

"It is imperative that we align expected demand with appropriate facilities and ocean capacity to accommodate the growth we see coming over the next few years," said Ken Kao, general manager of CNBM Forest Products Trading Shanghai. "We are pleased to be able to conclude an agreement with CN on capacity at the new Thornton transload facility.

"CN continues to be a very important component of our global supply chain. With its access to both the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert and its commitment to support transload infrastructure, we can continue to meet our strategic growth objectives for the China market."

CN also plans to increase lumber transload capacity at its Prince George Distribution Center to more than 30,000 containers annually. The facility was built in 2007 to support Port of Prince Rupert export opportunities.

Ruest said, "We are confident that, together, CN and its transload facilities, CNBM Forest Products Trading, lumber mills and ports in B.C. and ocean shipping lines can help spur increased economic activity and job creation in the province through a highly-efficient supply chain that will help meet increasing demand for lumber in China."

 

Sen. Harkin announces $750,000 to repair damaged railroads in Iowa

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) said that the state of Iowa will receive $773,353 in grants for the repair and rehabilitation of flood damaged railroad infrastructure. The funds come from the Iowa Department of Transportation through the Flood Damage Restoration for the Iowa River Railroad Program.

Harkin is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds transportation initiatives.



The railroad repairs include debris removal, track regulation, bridge reconstruction, aligning and surfacing caused by flood damage. The funds will be used to reimburse shortline and regional rails in the following counties: Adair, Cass, Dallas, Des Moines, Hardin, Iowa, Jasper, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Pottawattamie and Poweshiek.



"Three years ago, devastating floods hit Iowa causing destruction across our state, including severe damage to our railway system," said Harkin. "These railroads are crucial to the safe and efficient movement of goods between Iowa communities and to places outside of our state, as well as critical to growing our economy."

Unitrac receives $4.8 million award for Kansas DOT project

Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Healey Railroad Corporation and a specialty trackwork manufacturer and distributor of new and relay rail, has received a $4.8 million award for a Kansas Department of Transportation project.

The contract involves furnishing eighteen track miles of rail and other track components for the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad. The bid went through the KS DOT as part of the TIGER grant money and the project is being constructed by Railworks Corporation.

Axion partners with Coll Materials, expands manufacturing capacity

Axion International, producer of railroad ties made from 100 percent recycled plastic, has signed a contract manufacturing agreement with Coll Materials that will provide expanded manufacturing capacity located at Coll’s Waco, Texas facility.

Coll Materials is a fast growing post-industrial and post-consumer plastic recycling company, with offices in Zanesville, Ohio.

"We are excited to align ourselves with Coll Materials," said Steve Silverman, Axion’s president and chief executive officer. "Their facility in Texas allows Axion to increase our capacity in a strategic location so that we can efficiently service our customers and meet the growing demand for our products. More importantly Coll has a ‘quality first’ mentality and is knowledgeable about recycled plastics processing. Our new relationship not only provides us with the necessary short-term capacity we need, but also gives us room to grow."

"We are pleased to work with Axion to satisfy their plastic conversion needs," said Brian Coll, CEO of Coll Materials. "Axion’s outsourced manufacturing model aligns well with our business model of providing value added conversion services to our clients. We believe Axion has a superior product and we look forward to working more with Axion as their technology grows in popularity in the United States and internationally."

 

Amtrak launches free iPhone app

Amtrak passengers can now plan trips, purchase tickets, modify existing reservations, check train schedules and status and view station information from the convenience of an iPhone with the free Amtrak application, now available through iTunes.

The new app provides quick, convenient and on-the-go Amtrak travel planning and organization. Customers can purchase one-way and roundtrip tickets that can be printed at a Quik-Trak machine, picked up from an agent or mailed. Passengers will be able to access the latest train arrival and departure information for their itinerary.

Customers can use the app to show the nearest station to their current location and obtain addresses, directions, amenities and hours. Users will be able to use their Amtrak.com account to see all trips booked and modify existing reservations including changing dates or trains and upgrading seats.

Amtrak customers can also utilize the Passport feature to share their travels on Facebook or Twitter.

Customers using other web-enabled mobile devices can access the Amtrak mobile website at m.amtrak.com. This site provides features available on Amtrak.com in a mobile-friendly format.

Seattle mayor pushes for rail transit

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn is pushing for local rail transit in the city. The expanded rail would connect neighborhoods, downtown and the Link light rail system.

In a written statement, Mayor McGinn wrote:

"As the City Council deliberates on a new transportation measure, it is important to recognize that there is an opportunity here for expanded rail transit in Seattle – if the council can be bold.

First some background. In 2010, the City Council and I appointed a Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee to advise the city on how to finance its transportation needs, now and in the future. At the same time, the Transit Master Plan process was launched, also advised by a diverse set of residents.

The Transit Master Plan showed that Seattle’s greatest weakness was connecting neighborhoods to each other. It identified fifteen corridors overall, five of which will need high capacity service and four of these are suitable for some form of rail transit. To some degree, we’ve all known this, but the rigorous approach of the Transit Master Plan clearly identifies the best corridors and points to the better ways to serve each corridor.In a number of cases, it points to rail, specifically a concept that has come to be known as "rapid streetcar." Unlike Sound Transit’s Link light rail, it operates in the right-of-way, making it cheaper and faster to build. To ensure it moves rapidly, it has high priority in the right of the way.

For the distances served, neighborhood to neighborhood, it looks like the right choice for a number of corridors in Seattle. That includes Ballard to downtown via Fremont, the University District to downtown via Eastlake and linking those to Seattle’s two initial streetcar lines to South Lake Union, the International District/Chinatown and Capitol Hill. Other cities have already demonstrated the promise of this approach, like Portland with its MAX system.

Until now, Seattle has always thought we could only afford more rail the Sound Transit way – wait for a regional vote and take decades to build it. But for local transit, the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee pointed to a different way: Use our local taxing authority to create a dedicated transit fund to expand neighborhood to neighborhood high-capacity transit.

The committee recommended an $80 VLF. Much of it goes to catching up on deferred maintenance, which I support. Forty nine percent goes to implement the Transit Master Plan, to catch up on our deferred transit needs. As a permanent funding source, this could fund the following in the next ten years: planning and alternatives analysis for all five high-capacity corridors in the Transit Master Plan, planning and construction for connecting the two streetcar lines through downtown, speed and reliability improvements on half of all non-high capacity transit corridors and substantial upgrades to our electric trolley bus infrastructure. Over the next 20 years, we could make good on the Transit Master Plan’s stated need to accommodate substantially more travelers on each of the high-capacity corridors the plan identified.

But here is the problem. The City Council is only considering a VLF for a limited amount of time, after which it expires. For this amount of money, all you can do is study a single corridor. You cannot finance long-term infrastructure with a short-term financing plan. You cannot get in the queue for federal, regional or state funds because there will be no source of funds for us to put up our local match. The Transit Master Plan will join the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plans as nice plans, without serious funding.

There is a better way, and here is where boldness is required. If the VLF is ongoing, it becomes a steady source of revenue that can be borrowed against to build rail that will serve us for decades. It is how Sound Transit finances Link light rail, by borrowing against its statutory taxing authority. It is how the Washington State Department of Transportation finances major projects. It is how Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is planning to build a major expansion of rail in his city. In fact, even Seattle does it. We put into place a permanent parking tax that we bonded against to pay for the Spokane Street Viaduct and the Mercer Corridor, among others.

So, the question is now on the Council, can it do for transit what it does for major road projects, and commit to a long term funding source that will begin building the rail system Seattle needs and wants? If the answer is yes, we will begin the work of expanding rail to connect neighborhoods to each other, to downtown and to the Link Light Rail system.

If the answer is no, I will not stop working to fulfill my commitment to expand rail in Seattle. But it means we’ll have to keep coming back for the capital funding for transit, so that the Seattle Transit Master Plan does not become a pretty plan gathering dust on a shelf. And so that Seattle will realize its transit future."

 

UP wins Brunel Award for Heritage Locomotive Fleet

Union Pacific’s Heritage Locomotive Fleet program was selected as a winner of the 2011 Brunel Awards International Railway Design Competition; a contest evaluated by a jury of international leaders in the area of rail design and engineering. The UP fleet represented the United States in the category of industrial design, corporate branding, graphics and furnishings.

UP unveiled the Heritage Locomotive Fleet program in 2005. The locomotives in the fleet each feature a distinctive paint scheme that incorporates elements of one of the six railroads that merged with UP over the company’s history.

Cesar Vergara, a member of the Brunel Awards Committee, commented on the Heritage Locomotive Fleet’s ability to "project the U.S. freight industry’s uninterrupted heritage and project the future while celebrating the past."

 

NS’s Heartland Corridor Project wins Brunel Award

Norfolk Southern received a technical infrastructure commendation for its Heartland Corridor project in the 2011 Brunel Awards International Railway Design Competition; a contest evaluated by a jury of international leaders in the area of rail design and engineering to recognize top railway architecture and engineering among others.

The Heartland Corridor project was an initiative to raise the vertical clearances of 28 railroad tunnels and remove 24 overhead obstructions in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio, to allow the passage of double-stack container trains.

 

Huron Central Railway starts C$33.3 million rehabilitation project

Huron Central Railway Inc., a shortline railway in the province of Ontario, Canada, will begin its rehabilitation project.

The Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry and the Canadian government are each funding C$15 million (U.S.$15.15 million) of the C$33.3 million (U.S.$33.63 million) HCRY rehabilitation project.

HCRY has awarded contracts for the initial phase.

The rehabilitation includes surfacing 200 miles of track, replacing 140,000 crossties and dumping 125,000 tons of ballast.

The first phase of the project is expected to occur over two years.

 

Brunel winners announced

The Association of American Railroads and the International Union of Railways jointly announced that 43 projects from 11 nations have been recognized for design excellence in the 2011 Edition of the prestigious Brunel Awards International Railway Design Competition in judging recently completed in Washington, D.C. More 150 entries were received from railway and government organizations throughout the world that own or operate railway services and/or manage rail infrastructure. Nineteen projects received Brunel Awards, the highest level of recognition, while 24 others received Commendations.

The U.S. and Japan won the most Brunel Awards with five each. Other nations receiving awards are Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. The official award ceremony will take place in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 14, 2011, with representatives of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the AAR, the UIC and the Watford Group making presentations to the winners.

The Brunel Awards competition recognizes and promotes the best in railway architecture, engineering, landscape and environmental design, product design, locomotive and car design, graphic arts and corporate branding amongst the world’s railways. Honorary co-chairs of the Brunel Awards Committee are Joseph Szabo, FRA Administrator and AAR President and CEO Edward Hamberger.

"This year’s submissions from the rail industry are evidence of the tremendous commitment to quality in design and expertise in building and maintaining a true 21st Century rail network. The Brunel Awards competition provides a platform to recognize good design while reinforcing the importance of rail in everyday life," said Ed Hamberger.

CP takes steps to reduce rail-related bear deaths in Banff National Park

Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific are implementing the first initiatives coming from the joint action plan created last fall to further mitigate rail-related bear mortality in Banff National Park. Actions include promising mitigations, the release of a five-year research plan and an upcoming bear-railway research symposium to be held in Banff this fall.

"The government of Canada and CP share a common desire to reduce bear mortality in Banff National Park," said the Honorable Peter Kent, Canada’s environment minister and minister responsible for Parks Canada. "Similar to the approach used successfully to address Bow Valley town sites and the highway, these innovative initiatives will incorporate the best science available to address railway-related bear mortality through shared responsibility."

Parks Canada and CP will use selected portions of the railway throughout Banff National Park as a living laboratory to determine ways to mitigate rail-caused animal mortality through science-based initiatives. These locations will be used to test initiatives such as vegetation management to improve sight lines between animals and trains, wayside systems designed to warn bears of approaching trains, on-track structures to discourage bears from using the tracks as an escape path from trains, as well as gate and fencing structures. Some of these initiatives are currently underway while others are in the design phase for testing and implementation in the fall.

In addition, a research symposium will be the launching point to bring together some of North America’s leading bear and transportation scientists to share information and ideas to develop medium- and long-term solutions. Pilot projects will be identified, tested and supported by robust monitoring to determine effectiveness.

"Canadian Pacific is proud of our shared history and association with Canada’s national parks," said CP CEO Fred Green. "As an industry leader in environmental stewardship, our goal is to work with Parks Canada and others to identify areas of our right-of-way where animals may be more vulnerable, test and implement effective solutions and contribute to the longevity of bears on the mountain landscape."

 

Alaska Railroad schedules two events to highlight Tanana River Bridge Construction

Events that showcase the Tanana River bridge project have been scheduled as the
Alaska Railroad prepares for construction to begin in Salcha, Alaska.

Public Open House: August 23 – Salcha School, 8530 Richardson Highway.
6:00 to 8:00 p.m. with a presentation at 6:30 p.m. (Note: Salcha residents located next to the construction site have also been invited to an informational gathering on August 22. This meeting is designed specifically for neighboring property owners and is not a public event.)

Ground-breaking Ceremony: September 28 – Beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the bridge construction staging area in Salcha. Access to and space at the staging area is limited and vans will be on-hand to shuttle local dignitaries to the site.

The bridge is the first phase of the larger Northern Rail Extension project that will eventually expand railroad track infrastructure from North Pole / Eielson 80 miles southeast to Delta Junction. Expected to be a three-year effort, NRE Phase One will construct a new bridge across the river and an associated levee near Salcha, Alaska. The Environmental Impact Statement was completed in 2010.

The August open house will offer nearby residents and the interested public a project update to include construction phasing, traffic control, community impacts and EIS mitigation measures. The presentation will provide an overview of these topics, however, attendees can come at any time during the open house to review displays and ask questions. Members of the project team will be on-hand to answer questions and explain phases and stages of the project.

The ground-breaking ceremony will feature members of Alaska’s congressional delegation, governor’s office, local community dignitaries and railroad executives. The event will celebrate the start of the long-anticipated rail extension, which is expected to boost local and state economies with millions of dollars spent on local equipment, materials, supplies and lodging. More than 200 construction jobs are projected during the summer months and about two dozen year-round.