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:
After three years of development, ProTran1 has been awarded a major contract from IMTRAM LTD in Australia to supply several wireless fail-safe bi-directional Portable Automatic Track Warning Systems, which will be used by several Australian railways all over the country for work zone protection.
CN received Toyota Canada’s Carrier of the Year Award for 2011.
Armtec Infrastructure Inc. has secured a number of rail infrastructure projects, valued at more than CA$30 million (US$29 million), within the Greater Toronto Area. These projects were anticipated as part of the previously announced CA$50 million (US$48.6 million) in new contracts that are expected to be booked during the fourth quarter.
EVRAZ plans to upgrade its Pueblo, Colo., rail facility. The upgrades are primarily focused on product quality and operational improvements and are also intended to expand head hardened rail manufacturing capacity.
Aecon Group Inc.’s joint venture with Dufferin Construction Company, a division of Holcim (Canada) Inc., has reached commercial and financial close for the Air Rail Link “spur line” and passenger station at Toronto Pearson International Airport. The project is valued at CA$128.6 million (US$125 million).
Viterra Inc. signed new service improvement agreements with both Canadian National and Canadian Pacific.
Under the CN agreement, Viterra and CN will work together to review supply chain key performance indicators, cooperate on planning and forecasting and address supply chain issues in a timely manner. The agreement is based on the belief that the actions of all supply chain participants affect the performance of the entire chain.
Southern California’s Caltrans and Metrolink have jointly developed a pilot project to show commuters that trains are a viable alternative to freeway traffic. Both train and freeway travel times are now displayed on electronic highway message signs near the Fullerton and Anaheim train stations.
Kansas City Southern President and CEO David Starling reviews 2011 and plans the next year’s progress for KCS.
Canadian National and the United Steelworkers Local 2004 have reached a tentative agreement to renew the labor contract for approximately 2,800 maintenance-of-way employees in Canada. The current agreement is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2011.
Rip Rapson, the president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, issued a statement formally responding to the announcement that a long-planned light-rail project in Detroit would be abandoned in favor of a regional bus rapid transit system. The foundation is part of the private funding group that initiated the rail project. Members of that group, M1 Rail, together pledged almost $100 million. Kresge’s commitment is $35 million.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road launched a pilot of LIRR Train TimeTM, a digital service that provides real-time train arrival status to customers using mobile devices or desktop computers. Starting December 19, LIRR customers using the Port Washington Branch will be able to use the service by going to http://mta.info/lirr/TrainTime.
The results of the 2011 NRC/RT&S/Commercial Insurance Associates Safe Railroad Contractor of the Year Awards are in. Enthusiastic participation in the contest continued this year, with 45 total railroad contracting companies preparing entries.
New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to introduce FASTRACK, a new way of working on the rails. Beginning Monday, January 9, the 4, 5 and 6 lines will be shut down from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., suspending all Lexington Avenue Line service between Grand Central-42nd Street and Atlantic Avenue in both directions for four consecutive weeknights.
Canadian Pacific appointed Tony Ingram and Edmond Harris, both seasoned railroad executives, to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately.
The Seattle-area Sound Transit Board of Directors adopted a 2012 budget that includes more than $700 million for new construction, as Sound Transit continues building the mass transit expansions voters approved in 2008.
United States Department of Transportation awarded $511 million in TIGER III discretionary grants to 46 capital construction projects in 33 states, of which $279 million of funding will go to rail-related projects.
Canadian Pacific and the province of Manitoba, Canada, signed a 10-year memorandum of agreement to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall transportation system in Manitoba.
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority was awarded a $12.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, via the Federal Transit Administration.