Author: Douglas John Bowen

Milwaukee adds to streetcar proposal

A Milwaukee Common Council committee voted on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014, to advance Mayor Tom Barrett’s plan for two tax incremental financing districts (TIF) to pay for the city’s proposed downtown streetcar, opposed by county and state political officials.

North Dakota: Treat Bakken crude for transport

North Dakota has ordered producers of oil from the Bakken shale field to begin removing flammable natural gas liquids from the product before crude-by-rail (CBR) transport to other locations.

CP files claim over Wisconsin HrSR work

Canadian Pacific was scheduled to appear before the Wisconsin Claims Board on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014, arguing for compensation for preparatory higher-speed rail (HrSR) work it performed on its rights-of-way in 2009 and 2010.

Bombardier bypasses next Amtrak HSR order

Bombardier Inc., a tenacious fighter in landing the first Amtrak Acela Express contract at the turn of the century, announced it will not compete for Amtrak’s next-generation order of high speed rail equipment for the railroad’s Northeast Corridor (NEC).

LACMTA selects ARINC AIM

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has awarded Rockwell Collins a contract to develop the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for LACMTA’s Foothill Gold Line Extension and the Exposition Line Phase 2 light rail systems.

Analysis: OPEC move tugs at railcar expectations

KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. issued best- and worst-case scenarios for the freight railcar production market Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, “[g]iven the dramatic share price volatility in the railcar space following OPEC’s decision last week.”

Alabama State Docks taps RailComm

Fairport, N.Y.-based RailComm says it has been selected “to provide and install a state-of-the-art car tracking and inventory management solution at Terminal Railway Alabama State Docks (TASD).”

U.S. freight traffic ends, and aids, November with gains

U.S. freight traffic continued gaining ground during the week ending Nov. 29, 2014, with U.S. freight carload traffic returning to the win category after a one-week hiatus, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday, Dec. 4. The gains bolstered increased U.S. traffic levels recorded for the month of November.