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High-speed rail station design is moving forward in Central Valley, Calif.—with community engagement and input helping lead the design process. The CHSRA recently held four open houses, releasing station designs, including this one (pictured) in Fresno. (CHSRA Rendering)

Transit Briefs: CHSRA, Denver RTD

California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) releases new Central Valley station renderings. Also, Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) Transit Watch app reaches 10-year anniversary.

(Photo by Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659; Courtesy of BLET)

BLET’s CN/WC Divisions Ratify Agreement

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s (BLET) nine CN/Wisconsin Central (CN/WC) divisions have voted unanimously in favor of a new “quality of life agreement” covering roughly 600 engineers, the union reported in the May 3 edition of its weekly email newsletter.

(Southern Rail Commission illustration)

Filed: New Status Report on Amtrak Gulf Coast Service

Where does the proposed Amtrak service between New Orleans, La., and Mobile, Ala., stand? Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern (NS), and Alabama State Port Authority and its common carrier operating division, Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks, on May

Screenshot Courtesy of the George and Barbara Bush Foundation

Class I Briefs: UP, BNSF

Union Pacific’s (UP) 4141 Locomotive makes its grand debut. Also, BNSF’s San Bernardino intermodal facility team achieves 500 days injury-free.

“This final rule includes critical updates that make sure those protections match the needs of the 21st century—and offer fair compensation and moving assistance to the people impacted by projects," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. (USDOT)

USDOT Issues Uniform Act Final Rule

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently announced a final rule to update the government wide Unform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Polices Act of 1970 (Uniform Act).

(Wabtec)

Wabtec Achieves Cybersecurity Certification

Wabtec Corporation (Wabtec) on May 6 announced that it has achieved the IEC 62443-4-1 certification, “a benchmark for cybersecurity development lifecycle processes used on industrial automation and control systems (IACS) products.”

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Commentary

Crew Size is About More Than Safety

In his commentary posted on May 1 and published in the May issue, Editor-in-Chief William C. Vantuono said what few others have been willing to say regarding the subject of how many

(BNSF Photograph)

BNSF 1Q24: Revenue Down; OR Increases

BNSF on May 6 released first-quarter 2024 financial results, including operating income of $1.720 billion, a 7% decline from the prior-year period’s $1.856 billion, and an operating ratio (OR) of 69.5%, a 1.1-percentage-point increase compared with 2023’s 68.4%.

Commentary

NS vs. CSX Recrews

In our prior report, we highlighted Ancora’s fraught and incurious NS vs. CSX operational benchmarking, specifically terminal dwell and trains holding for power. We took particular issue with the extraordinarily misleading 2023

(STM photo)

Transit Briefs: SFMTA, PANYNJ/PATH, STM, Amtrak

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) approves its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and FY 2026 operating and capital budgets. Also, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s (PANYNJ) new tap-to-pay fare payment system is now available at all PATH stations in New Jersey; the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) releases its 2023 Annual Report; and Amtrak issues two Requests for Information (RFIs) to support high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity along the Northeast Corridor (NEC).

Rebuilt Relevancy

RAILWAY AGE MAY 2024 ISSUE: Railinc’s analysis of the North American locomotive fleet reveals that the size of the total fleet decreased very slightly in 2023. Detailed analysis reveals these following trends:

Pictured, left to right: Katherine Whalen, TRAC Intermodal (TRAC Intermodal Photograph) and Dejah Singh, HNTB (HNTB Photograph)

People News: TRAC Intermodal, USA Rail Terminals, HNTB

Marine chassis provider and pool manager TRAC Intermodal appoints Katherine Whalen as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer. Also, USA Rail Terminals hires James “J.J.” Lund Jr. as Director of Projects and Planning; and Dejah Singh joins HNTB as a fleet and facilities project manager.

The automotive transload facilities operated by CSX Total Distribution Services Inc. earned high marks on two recent Destination Quality Reviews conducted by the Association of American Railroads. (CSX Photograph)

Class I Briefs: CSX, NS, UP

CSX hosts a drone training session for the Wounded Warrior Project, and CSX Total Distribution Services Inc. receives top marks on quality reviews. Also, Norfolk Southern’s (NS) Lamberts Point ramps up coal dumping and Juniata Locomotive Shop restores the Lackawanna heritage locomotive; and Union Pacific (UP) celebrates the expansion of Southwest Texas Junior College’s Diesel Technology Program.

“This record growth [in fiscal year 2024’s third quarter] is a direct result of our innovative logistic solutions during supply chain disruptions as shippers focus on diversifying their trade lanes,” Port NOLA President and CEO and New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB) CEO Brandy D. Christian said during a May 2 announcement (Port NOLA Photograph)

For Port NOLA, ‘Record’ Container Growth

The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) on May 2 reported moving a total of 133,845 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) during fiscal year 2024’s third quarter, representing a 19% increase year-over-year and a

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