Axion wins first tie order with Mexico

Axion International, producer of railroad ties made from 100 percent recycled plastic, has commenced its first test order of Axion’s Recycled Structural Composite with Ferromex, the largest railway line in Mexico.

Ferromex’s test order will be installed in various coastal regions in Mexico to provide an assessment of Axion’s capabilities in the harsh weather and salt-air environments. The salt in particular can lead to degradation of traditional building materials, at a much faster rate than the dry, salt-free climates further inland.

"Axion is thrilled to be working with the largest railway line in Mexico," said Steve Silverman, Axion’s president and CEO. "This represents yet another international validator for Axion, on top of Morocco, Canada and most recently, Australia. Ferromex is a very significant potential new client and we look forward to exceeding their expectations."

Ferromex has more than 8,000 kilometers (4,971 miles) of main tracks. This extensive network represents the largest coverage in Mexico’s National Railway System. It connects the main cities in the country as well as five points on the border with the United States, four sea ports on the Pacific Ocean and two more on the Gulf of Mexico.

"What caught our attention about Axion’s RSC is not only the fact that it is environmentally friendly, but that it might have the potential to become more economically efficient on a long-term basis, due to certain reductions in maintenance costs," said Juan Manuel Soler, Ferromex Maintenance of Operative Resources director. "We welcome Axion to supply their test product so we can properly evaluate it, following a suitable protocol, for Ferromex’s long-term consideration going forward."

Alstom Transport invests $3 million in Rochester facility expansion

In the last year, Alstom has invested more than $3 million to enhance its 150,000 square foot rail signaling manufacturing facility in West Henrietta, N.Y., enabling the site to accommodate approximately 200 new jobs.

"As gas prices rise and families look for environmentally-friendly transportation alternatives, President Obama is committed to making sure our freight and passenger rail networks move people and goods more quickly and efficiently than ever before," said Deputy Secretary John Porcari. "Thanks to companies like Alstom, American workers are building the rail lines and equipment that will allow us to compete and win in the global economy."

In addition to benefits realized through job creation linked to projects throughout the U.S., New York received several direct investments through the recent round of federal rail funding. These included $295 million to alleviate delays for trains traveling the Northeast Corridor in and out of Manhattan, $58 million to upgrade tracks, stations and signals along the state’s Empire Corridor and $1.4 million for a new intermodal station in Rochester.

Over the past six months, Alstom has secured several large-scale transportation projects valued at well over $300 million. Among these are an upgraded signaling and train control system for the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, as well as a complete overhaul and modernization of 120 rail for the Delaware River Port Authority’s PATCO system. Alstom also marked several recent milestones in its North American signaling activities, including receipt of the first Federal Railroad Administration type approval for U.S. deployment of a fully-functional PTC system.

Guillaume Mehlman, Alstom Transport’s managing director in North America, said, "Alstom has seen first-hand how federal and state investments in rail transportation projects help companies like ours create good jobs. We are expanding our facility in Rochester and hiring several hundred people in order to meet additional demand created by such investments. We applaud federal, state and local policy makers who see the linkage between investing in the nation’s rail transportation system and creating good jobs."

 

Amtrak’s portion of federal funds will upgrade New York to Washington HSR Service

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Amtrak $450 million in funding to upgrade its rail infrastructure to support more frequent and faster high-speed rail service and to improve reliability of current service between New York and Washington, DC.

"With this investment by the Obama administration, the Amtrak vision for high-speed rail in the Northeast is now departing the station and heading down the tracks to help take America to the next generation of passenger service," said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman.

The funding will go toward improvements in support of the Amtrak Gateway Project, which will construct new tunnels to access an expanded New York Penn Station, enhance regional economic development and job creation and lay the foundation for the future launch of 220 mph next-generation high-speed service.

Specifically, the $450 million awarded to Amtrak is for a project to upgrade electrical power, signal systems, track and overhead catenary wires between Morrisville, Pa., and New Brunswick, N.J. It also will reconfigure track switches at the western entrance to New York Penn Station to mitigate congestion issues. The anticipated completion date is in September 2017.

As a result, Amtrak top speeds will increase from 135 mph to 160 mph along a 24-mile section of track. Combined with new equipment acquisition currently in the planning stages, the project supports plans to add six more Acela Express high-speed roundtrips between New York and Washington by 2018 and a total of 15 additional roundtrips by 2022.

In addition to the $450 million received by Amtrak, several states were awarded a total of $345 million for other NEC-specific projects. Amtrak worked closely with its state partners along the NEC during the application process to coordinate projects in order to maximize the expected regional improvements.

 

CN to make C$37 million in capacity investments

Canadian National will investment C$37 million (US$38.47 million) in Alberta, Canada, to double track key segments of its high-volume main line east of Edmonton, add capacity to its rail line to the oil sands region of northern Alberta and improve velocity at its Walker Yard freight car classification facility in Edmonton.

Keith Creel, CN executive vice-president and chief operating officer, said, "CN is experiencing continued growth in Western Canadian freight volumes. We are making strategic rail investments in Alberta to increase network capacity and improve train velocity along our transcontinental main line between Edmonton and Winnipeg, and to be positioned to handle greater volumes of freight over our line to Fort McMurray, the gateway to Alberta’s oil sands production region."

CN’s capacity investments include:

C$12 million (US$12.47 million) to construct 3.5 miles of track between two sidings located approximately 20 miles east of Edmonton on the Wainwright Subdivision, creating 7.9 miles of double track.

C$12 million (US$12.47 million) to build 11,400 feet of track east of Clover Bar yard on the Wainwright Subdivision in the greater Edmonton area to facilitate switching in the terminal.

C$10 million (US$10.39 million) on CN’s secondary Lac La Biche Subdivision in northern Alberta to support additional traffic to and from Fort McMurray. CN’s Fort McMurray yard gives customers direct rail access to the major energy projects in development in the Athabasca, Peace River and Cold Lake oil sands regions.

C$3 million (US$3.12 million) to reconfigure tracks at Walker Yard in Edmonton to increase the velocity of the terminal in handling greater volumes of freight traffic.

Creel said, "These investments will help CN handle rising traffic levels and deliver greater supply chain efficiencies. CN is committed to greater productivity and service innovation to help our customers compete more effectively in their end markets."

Congressional delegation urges funding for BART’s Fleet of the Future train car replacement project

Members of the San Francisco Bay Area Congressional Delegation are urging their colleagues on the Senate and House Transportation Committees to provide funding for Bay Area Rapid Transit’s Fleet of the Future train car replacement project. In a letter to the Committee leadership, the Bay Area lawmakers called replacing BART’s aging train car fleet a "critical goal."

"In these difficult economic times, with contentious congressional debate, it is good to know our Bay Area Congressional delegation supports BART’s request for federal assistance to help finance the replacement of our train car fleet," BART Board President Bob Franklin said. "In addition to this federal support, in order to pay for our Fleet of the Future, we will also need strong local and state support to replace our cars after 40 years of service to this region."

The letter requests that any surface transportation legislation authorization provide $300 million in funding for the purchase of new train cars. The letter is signed by all nine members of the Bay Area Congressional delegation.

According to the American Public Transportation Association, BART’s existing fleet is the oldest fleet among large domestic transit agencies. Over the next decade, BART train cars will continue to degrade and become more and more obsolete technologically so BART is working to replace the entire fleet of train cars at a total cost of $3.4 billion.

 

Houston METRO seeks public input on station names for new light rail lines

The Houston METRO Board of Directors has invited the public to help name the new light-rail stations. People can begin providing suggestions immediately with the first round of submissions due by June 30. The public will then have an opportunity to review the successfully submitted entries before the METRO Board gives final approval later this summer.

METRO says it hopes the station naming process will capture the spirit of the light rail communities with the opportunity to incorporate key cultural institutions, public spaces and historical landmarks into the project. The primary focus will be ensuring that customers of the service can easily identify where they are within the system.

Metro is looking for simple names that are easily understood and remembered by the public, both locally and by visitors who are using the system for the first time. Names must be single, short names with less than 26 characters. Stations may not be named for persons living or dead unless the name is already in use for a street intersection, a historically significant landmark or a widely recognized landmark, neighborhood or commercial trademark. More information and a submission form, covering the do’s and don’ts of station naming are available at www.gometrorail.org.
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Watco adds personnel to Transload and Intermodal Services

Watco has placed two employees in new positions for its Transload and Intermodal Services division.

James Ragsdale has accepted the position of termi¬nal manager for the Watco Transload and Intermodal Services, Oklahoma City, Okla., site.

John Edwards has been promoted to vice president Sales and Marketing for the Transload and Intermodal Services division. He will be based in Phoenix, Ariz.

 

LACMTA to simulate how quad gates will work along Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority in coordination with the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will begin a two week testing period simulating how rail crossing quad gates will work and interact with motorists and pedestrians at selected intersections along the Metro Gold Line on 3rd Street in East Los Angeles will begin on Wednesday, May 11, 2011.

Feds award $2 billion to various HSR projects around country

The federal government has awarded $2 billion in high-speed rail awards providing an unprecedented investment to speed up trains in the Northeast Corridor, expand service in the Midwest and provide new, state-of-the-art locomotives and rail cars as part of the Administration’s plan to transform travel in America.

Chicago

Metra leaders and elected officials came together to on Friday to officially dedicate the new Lovana S. "Lou" Jones/Bronzeville Station along the Rock Island Line.

FRA lifts EO 21, freight can return to Northwestern Pacific rail line

The Federal Railroad Administration has given the green light to restart freight service on the historic Northwestern Pacific rail line between Brazos Junction (Lombard) and Windsor.

In a published order signed by FRA Administrator, Joseph C. Szabo, the FRA said it was partially lifting the Emergency Order (EO 21) that stopped all train service on the North Coast in 1998 following a series of El Nino storms. FRA’s announcement permits freight service on a 62-mile stretch of railroad from Brazos Junction east to US 101, and extending north along US 101 through the cities of Novato, Petaluma, Cotati, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa and Windsor, Calif.

"FRA’s decision is great news. It makes it possible to restart train service from Napa to Windsor by mid-June" said NCRA Chairman Hal Wagenet.

NCRA has invested more than $60 million since 2007 to repair 56 crossing signals, replace 50,000 crossties and 23,000 tons of ballast, shore-up levees in Schellville, repair 43 rail bridges and three movable bridges that traverse the Napa and Petaluma rivers between Windsor and the train connection with the Union Pacific (Brazos Junction/Lombard) located south of Napa.

NCRA leases the track to a private short-haul rail operator, the NWP Co. According to NWP Co. president, John Williams, three round trip trains per week will haul feed grains, wood products, building materials, wine and other general merchandise during the start-up phase between Napa and Windsor. He said he plans to continue repairing the line north to Willits as financing becomes available.

Wagenet said the NCRA is planning to certify a $3 million Environmental Impact Report in June that evaluates the impacts of train operations on the Russian River Division of the line between Brazos Junction and Willits. NCRA must also finalize agreements with SMART and the city of Novato prior to start-up of train operations.

"The impacts from the return of freight trains are overwhelmingly positive, said Wagenet.

In the published order dated May 4, FRA Administrator Szabo said the stretch of track from Brazos to Windsor "may open immediately to rail traffic."

 

UP Board approves $100 million in 2011 capex spending, dividend increase

Union Pacific’s Board of Directors has voted to increase the quarterly dividend on the company’s common shares by 25 percent to 47.5 cents per share. The increased dividend is payable July 1, 2011, to stockholders of record on May 31, 2011.

"Two weeks ago Union Pacific reported record first quarter earnings, building on the historic milestones we achieved in 2010," said Jim Young, Union Pacific chairman and chief executive officer. "We’re generating record free cash flows and have confidence in our ability to capitalize on future growth opportunities and reward our shareholders. This dividend increase is a significant step toward our target payout ratio of approximately 30 percent."

The Board also approved an additional $100 million of growth capital spending in 2011, increasing the full year capital investment plan to $3.3 billion.

"Looking ahead, we feel positive about the long-term fundamentals of our business," Young said. "We are investing for safety, service, growth and productivity gains that will help us improve the value we provide to our customers and shareholders."

Ottawa puts light rail on the fast track

The Canadian City of Ottawa released a report to accelerate the implementation of light rail transit as directed by the city’s Finance and Economic Development Committee. If approved, the revised schedule will see the light rail system fully operational in the spring of 2018, a full year earlier than planned under the previous Council.

Advancing the procurement process and completing the selection of a winning firm will enable the construction of the system to begin approximately six months earlier than had been planned. The preliminary engineering effort allowed for a more detailed look at the construction schedule, saving an additional six months. It is expected that the private sector will provide additional opportunities to speed implementation through a competitive process.

The accelerated timeline comes in response to committee direction in March to identify ways to realize the benefits of the project sooner.

"This project is the backbone of Ottawa’s future transit system and I’ve heard time and again from residents that they want to see this light rail project built," said Ottowa Mayor Jim Watson. "I feel very confident that this plan responds to the desire to speed up project delivery and keeps a strong focus on fiscal prudence and effective risk management."

The report also sets out a proven, private-sector procurement model that includes taking responsibility for delivering an integrated system. This will include the final design, construction and ongoing maintenance.

California HSR planners opt for Grapevine route

The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors approved beginning a conceptual study of an alternate alignment between Bakersfield and Los Angeles, an alignment that would generally follow Interstate 5, along the route known as the Grapevine, to determine if it may be considered as a feasible alternative along with the two antelope Valley alignments being studied to connect Bakersfield to Los Angeles.

"We’re looking at as many alternatives as possible to make sure we construct the best system we can," said Roelof van Ark, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. "The Grapevine route could offer some advantages by saving time, distance and cost. A conceptual study gives us a chance to talk to the public and stakeholders to determine whether it will ultimately work."

Staff requested to reintroduce the study of the Grapevine alignment, which was conceptually studied in the statewide programmatic environmental review conducted in 2003-2005, because since that time a number of factors have changed in the corridor. In 2005, the Grapevine alignment was not selected based on preliminary information that revealed it to be technically less viable and potentially more costly than the Antelope Valley route.

"We’re looking at all factors and all means to get past the Tehachapi Mountains and into the Los Angeles Basin, and if that means we need to give the Grapevine another look, now is the time to do it," said van Ark.

The conceptual review of the Grapevine alternative is expected to assist staff in determining whether the option is viable, or whether it contains fatal flaws.

 

North Carolina Railroad Company rehabbing three bridges

Construction is wrapping up and kicking off to improve three railroad bridges in eastern North Carolina, all part of ongoing capital investment by the North Carolina Railroad Company. The repairs in New Bern and replacements in Kinston are being undertaken in partnership between NCRR and Norfolk Southern Railway Company.

"Agricultural, chemical, and fuel business continues to grow in the east," said Scott Saylor, NCRR president. "We continue to invest in capital projects that will improve rail service for existing customers, attract new industries to create jobs, enhance the rail infrastructure and continue to serve our military bases. Our joint capital investments with Norfolk Southern foster economic growth along our rail line."

The Kinston-based project, which is nearing completion, will rebuild two wooden trestle bridges over the Neuse River in Lenoir County and is a 50/50 cost share with Norfolk Southern Railway, totaling $8 million. In New Bern, repairs will soon start on the Trent River Bridge to encase steel piles, corroded by saltwater for more than 30 years in concrete. NCRR will invest $1.5 million in the project, also a 50/50 cost share with Norfolk Southern.

"Preserving and improving infrastructure like rail bridges and trestles helps maintain or increase train speed and weight capacities," said Saylor. "Our investment of railroad revenues into capital projects keeps rail service safe, reliable and efficient. That’s good for keeping businesses in our state and attracting new ones, at no cost to taxpayers."

The North Carolina Railroad Company owns and manages the 317-mile rail corridor extending from the Morehead City Port to Charlotte. The railroad carries 50-60 freight trains and ten passenger trains daily. NCRR is the oldest private company in the state and remains at the forefront of rail improvements and partnership development to promote jobs and rail-served industry across the state. It touches nearly a quarter of the state’s economy.

Siemens transports wind turbine nacelles by rail from new U.S. factory

Using a greener, more reliable and cost-effective method of transportation, Siemens transported 22 wind turbine nacelles and hubs by rail from its new wind turbine nacelle assembly facility in Hutchinson, Kan. Shipping the 87-metric-ton nacelles by train has significant efficiency and environmental benefits, including an up to 80 percent carbon footprint reduction compared to truck transportation over long distances.

"I’m very pleased that we mark yet another milestone in our quest to provide leading-edge wind turbine technology in the U.S.," said Jan Kjaersgaard, vice president and general manager of Siemens’ Wind Power business in the Americas. "We are transporting our first nacelles from our newly opened wind turbine nacelle assembly facility and, we are shipping them by rail, which offers the greatest efficiency and environmental benefits. I am very proud to work for a company that not only makes products that are good for the environment, but that also operates in a way that is environmentally responsible."

In addition to the nacelles, Siemens Energy is also transporting towers and blades via rail to various projects throughout the U.S.

The inaugural shipment of 22 wind turbine nacelles and hubs is headed to Puget Sound Energy’s Lower Snake River Wind Project near Pomeroy, Washington, where they will be combined with blades from Siemens’ Fort Madison, Iowa, wind turbine blade manufacturing facility and towers for installation.

"Puget Sound Energy’s wind-power facilities are producing clean, green energy for tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and with our new Siemens turbines, I’m thrilled to say, we’re also helping to generate new green jobs for American workers," said Kimberly Harris, PSE president and CEO.

 

Chicago to St. Louis line receives $186M from Florida’s rejected HSR Funds

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $186 million in high-speed rail funding to finance track and other improvements on the Chicago to St. Louis corridor between Dwight and Joliet, Ill. The U.S. Department of Transportation notified Congressional Appropriators that they have reprogrammed $400 million of the $2 billion in funding that was rejected by the governor of Florida.

"Illinois will be able to use this funding to upgrade an important segment of the Chicago to St. Louis corridor," said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a co-chair and founding member of the Bi-Cameral High-Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail Caucus. "Improvements to this route will improve on-time performance, increase travel speeds and create jobs that our state badly needs.

U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) said, "High-speed rail projects like this one will ensure that Illinois remains at the center of the nation’s infrastructure network, attracting more jobs and making us more economically competitive."

"Today’s announcement is an important step toward faster trains and even better rail service on the route between Chicago and St. Louis, ultimately making Illinois the Midwest’s hub for high-speed rail," Illinois Governor Pat Quinn said. "We are committed to quickly turning federal investment in rail into jobs and economic development across the state. This latest award is another example of our ongoing efforts to lead the nation in development of high-speed rail."

Last month, Durbin and Kirk led a group of Illinois Congressional Delegation members in expressing support for Illinois’ application for the federal funding for high-speed rail projects that was rejected by the governor of Florida. In their letter to the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, the members stressed the importance of the Chicago to St. Louis route as the backbone of the Midwest passenger rail system.