CP plans Rogers Pass tunnel overhaul
The Canadian Pacific Railway is planning extensive work in its famed Mount Macdonald Tunnel in British Columbia, at 9.1 miles the longest railway tunnel in North America.
Breaking News
More hot food for hungry Capitol Limited, Lake Shore Limited passengers
After months of having to endure mostly cold boxed food—what some critics dubbed “Unhappy Meals”—on two Amtrak long-distance route, the New York-Chicago Lake Shore Limited (Trains 48/448 and 49/449) and the Washington D.C.-Chicago Capitol Limited (Trains 29 and 30), sleeping car passengers on those trains now have can choose from several hot food choices on the menu.
White House renames rail nominees
Five nominations for rail transportation federal leadership posts were announced Jan. 16 by President Trump. All are nominees from the previous session of Congress, and were cleared by respective Senate oversight committees for confirmation on the Senate floor—but none advanced for a floor vote prior to the Senate adjourning.
Freight rail traffic: Everything is up
The Association of American Railroads (AAR), in reporting U.S. rail traffic for the week ending Jan. 12, 2019, noted that carloads and intermodal volume both experienced healthy increases. As well, there were gains in all carload commodity groups.
Progress Rail locomotives delivered to Tunisia
Tunisian National Railways (SNCFT) has taken delivery of an initial batch of 10 Progress Rail GT42AC diesel locomotives, which will be used to haul phosphate trains.
Schumer pushes DOD for new Fort Drum railhead
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader, met with Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan the week of Jan. 7, and reportedly urged the Department of Defense (DOD) to focus on the construction of a new railhead project at Fort Drum in the Army’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Budget Request.
Mott MacDonald/PGH Wong Engineering lands BART Silicon Valley Phase II contract
A joint venture of of Mott McDonald and PGH Wong Engineering has won the contract to provide general engineering services for Phase II of the 16-mile, six-station Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Extension, which when completed will connect Fremont (Warm Springs) with San José and Santa Clara.
Goll named Voith Director of Rail North America
Voith Turbo, Inc. has named railway industry veteran Garrett Goll Director of Rail, North America. He will be based at the company’s York, Pa., North American headquarters.
CP’s Creel: CTA Vancouver service problem probe “irresponsible”
Canadian Pacific President and CEO Keith Creel has lashed out at the Canadian Transportation Agency’s (CTA) investigation of possible freight rail service problems at the Port of Vancouver, calling the agency’s probe “far-reaching” and “irresponsible.”
WSP blesses Cuomo’s alternative plan for “L” tunnel repairs
Engineering giant WSP USA is expected to give its support to a controversial plan to repair the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s storm-damaged Canarsie Tunnel without shutting down L Train service.
Opinion
STB waiting too long for Godot
Watching Washington, January 2019: Prominently on Harry Truman’s Oval Office desk was a sign, “The buck stops here.” Newly confirmed members of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) may wish to reflect on that acknowledgment of accountability as they wade through a troubling backlog of unfinished rulemakings—some disregarded for years.
Fix Amtrak? Fix its Board first
Apparently, only as a fortunate consequence of the partial federal government shutdown, the U.S. Senate returned to the Administration its three proposed appointees to Amtrak’s Board of Directors. Rather than an outright rejection, a fair question would be: Does the U.S. Senate operate in such a bubble that it acts like the House of Romanov that everything is fine with Amtrak? Is the Senate in such bi-partisan denial that it does not see Amtrak as a failing State-Owned Enterprise (SOE)?
Amtrak Riders’ Revolution: “No Confidence” for Richard Anderson
New Jersey calls itself “The Crossroads of the Revolution” in its promotional literature and advertisements. Not only was it centrally located during America’s War for Independence, but its troops under George Washington were tested against both the heat and the British at the Battle of Monmouth in June, 1778 and against the coldest winter of the century, 1779-80, at Morristown. Both times, and on other occasions, it met the challenges and went on to help establish our nation.
Risk Reduction/Fatigue Management: What’s the holdup?
A recent internal Transport Canada (TC) document warns of the safety risks posed by exhausted crew members on trains, even as Alberta pursues a plan to ratchet up already-booming shipments of crude by rail.
URPA responds to Stephen Gardner
Amtrak Senior Executive Vice President Stephen Gardner’s response to Railway Age’s recent coverage of Amtrak encapsulates perfectly why Amtrak is such a rolling financial and commercial disaster. It also shows that Amtrak’s senior leadership is either deep in the well of self-delusion, or possibly intentionally misleading its various stakeholders.