Union Pacific targets Colorado investment
Union Pacific (UP) will invest $24.2 million into its Colorado network as part of the railroad’s 2018 capital program.
2018 ASLRRA CONNECTIONS Convention awards roundup
The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) presented several annual awards at the 2018 CONNECTIONS Convention in Nashville. And one of its executives became the first League of Railway Women Hall of Fame inductee.
Coal higher in weekly carloads
Higher export shipments helped drive Class I coal carloads higher in the latest week, according to the Association of American Railroads.
NS’s Squires to STB: “Restoring service levels top priority”
Norfolk Southern on April 2 responded to the Surface Transportation Board’s March 16 blanket letter requesting information on Class I railroad 2018 service outlooks.
FRA RFI: “Automation in the Railroad Industry”
The Federal Railroad Administration on March 29 issued an RFI (Request For Information) on “the future of automation in the railroad industry.”
Breaking News
Largest-ever city pact for LAX people mover
California’s largest city is making its largest bet on a public-private partnership for autonomous trains.
States risk billions in rail funding without FTA safety OK
The Federal Transit Administration said states that miss the deadline for certifying rail safety oversight programs are risking billions of dollars in government funding.
New VP for R.J. Corman switching
In a change of leadership for one of its divisions, Paul Lauritzen has joined R. J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC as Vice President of Transportation.
Feds fund Montreal port intermodal rail project
The government of Canada is committing C$18.4 million ($14.6 million) to the Port of Montreal for a rail project aimed at keeping the maritime gateway competitive in a changing global supply chain.
AAR: Trade war would hurt grain rail shipments
The industry group representing Class I railroads wants policy makers to take a broader look at the potential deleterious effects tariffs could have on U.S. grain exports.
Toyota honors Road & Rail Services
Road & Rail Services, Inc., a provider of third party logistics in North America, was recently honored with a service award from Toyota. Road & Rail garnered the Toyota Logistics Services Kaizen
British rail operator rejects U.S. takeover bid
An American private equity firm has been rebuffed in its attempt to acquire a major provider of passenger rail services in Great Britain.
RSI seeks input on Chinese import tariffs
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has published a notice in the Federal Register listing the Trump Administration’s proposed tariffs on Chinese imports because of its investigation into what it calls “China’s unfair trade practices under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.”
Toronto LRT selects Aecon consortium
Mosaic Transit Group has been selected by Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario as the preferred proponent for the Finch West Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Toronto, Ontario.
Opinion
Rapid confirmation seen for STB nominees
Senior Senate legislative aide Patrick J. Fuchs and commuter railroad attorney Michelle A. Schultz, both Republicans, appeared April 11 before the Senate Commerce Committee as a first crucial step toward Senate confirmation to become members of the Surface Transportation Board (STB), which administers remnants of what until 1980 was almost a century of pervasive railroad economic regulation.
Watching Washington, April 2018: Steep tariffs harm rails, wallets
Debates rage over the wisdom of steeper tariffs on U.S. imports and/or withdrawing from global trade pacts in hopes of protecting domestic industry and jobs. History teaches such actions pose economic and national security risks.
Labor lawyer Clint Miller: Requisat in pace
Clint Miller studied, recited and practiced railroad labor law with such determination, devotion and precision that his management adversaries often were converted to fans. Had cancer instead picked its fight with him in a courtroom, few would have expected his death last week at age 70.
Safety won’t improve with incomplete, inaccurate data
What a world. FRA is on Twitter and Facebook and YouTube. NTSB is on Twitter and YouTube, and might be on Facebook, but I don’t know since the NTSB website doesn’t say one way or another, and I’m not on Facebook or Twitter, and not, to my knowledge on YouTube, or if I am, it’s not my doing, I promise.
Stop the hand wringing. Things aren’t that bad.
So far, 2018 has left freight railroaders in a funk. Many, if not all, of the Class I’s face real service challenges; potentially disruptive trade policies threaten near-term traffic volumes; and, ever-increasing vehicle automation is pictured on the horizon like a serpent, ready to gobble up the railroads once and for always.
Rail grievance backlog haunts NMB
An essential task of the National Mediation Board (NMB), which administers the Railway Labor Act (RLA), is to resolve grievances of union-represented railroad employees relating to contract interpretation and workplace discipline.
Begeman named permanent STB chairman
Ann Dawn Begeman was designated permanent chairman of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) March 19 by President Trump. She has been acting chairman since January 2017.
MTA Genius Transit Challenge needs a holistic view
I read with great interest the Railway Age article on March 9 announcing the winners of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Genius Transit Challenge.
Digital communications, for safety’s sake
Far too often, when the National Transportation Safety Board investigates a rail accident, it concludes that poor communications proved to be a critical factor, including breakdowns in communication between rail operators, dispatch and maintenance crews.
Watching Washington March 2018: Riding the brand at FRA
“Riding the brand”—a code of conduct exemplifying unbendable trustworthiness, integrity and commitment—is an expression as old as the Wild West, yet as contemporary as Federal Railroad Administrator Ron Batory. Nowhere is this code more needed than at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), lacking permanent leadership since January 2015 and suffering discord and an organizational brain-drain even longer.