Aerial view of Pier B. (Port of Long Beach Photograph)

Intermodal Briefs: POLB, ITS Logistics

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awards the Port of Long Beach (POLB) $283 million for its Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility project. Also, ITS Logistics releases its December forecast.

Map showing the June 28, 2019, route of CN train M38331-27 the derailment location. (Source: Railway Association of Canada, Canadian Rail Atlas, with TSB annotations)

TSB: Railcar Structural Failure Led to 2019 CN Tunnel Derailment

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) on Dec. 18 reported that structural failure of a bathtub gondola car led to the 2019 derailment of a CN train proceeding through the CN Paul M. Tellier Tunnel en route from Sarnia, Ontario, to Port Huron, Mich. At the time of the accident, “there was no industry or regulatory requirement to periodically conduct a full inspection of the car to ensure it maintained its structural integrity,” the TSB reported. “As a result, its structural integrity deteriorated and this was not identified. …”

LyondellBasell has awarded UP for “safe, reliable service.” Representing the railroad at an awards presentation were Marty Russell, General Director-Sales, left, and Senior Managers-Train Operations Ryan Broeckelmann and Chad Toussaint, third and fourth from left. (UP Photograph)

Class I Briefs: NS, UP

Norfolk Southern (NS) holds an interim home Value Assurance Program (VAP) workshop for residents of East Palestine, Ohio, and hosts the Georgia Safe Driving Summit. Also, Union Pacific (UP) earns a safety award from Gulf Coast plastics customer LyondellBasell.

Pictured at the OneRail awards ceremony, left to right: OneRail Deputy Director Liz Hill; OneRail Director Devon Barnhart; award winner Kyle Fields, Counsel for the Senate’s Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight, and Ports Subcommittee; and Anne Canby, former OneRail leader. Award winner Arielle Giordano of Canadian Pacific Kansas City was unable to attend the event. (OneRail Photograph)

Giordano, Fields Earn OneRail Awards

The OneRail Coalition has recognized Arielle Giordano of Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), and Kyle Fields, a professional staffer for the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee, for their “strong support for advancing rail in the United States.”

STB Extends Procedural Schedule for Sanimax V. UP (UPDATED 12/18)

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on Nov. 2 denied Union Pacific’s (UP) motion to dismiss Sanimax USA LLC’s (Sanimax) service case against it and set a procedural schedule for the submission of damages evidence. UP and Sanimax on Dec. 14 asked the STB to postpone the damages arguments and evidence briefing, as they have agreed “to conduct negotiations that could potentially resolve the dispute.”

Terminal Association of St. Louis. (William Beecher Photograph)

For FLEXRail, a ‘Strategic’ Lease Renewal in St. Louis Regional Freightway

Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA), Railway Age’s 2020 Short Line of the Year, has renewed FLEXRail’s lease of 800 feet of track at the Madison Yard in Venice, Ill. The

In January, Amtrak will award 11 scholarships to help full-time undergraduate and graduate students interested in rail. (Amtrak Photograph)

Transit Briefs: Amtrak, PANY/NJ, Trillium Line, U.S. Government

Amtrak is seeking applicants for its scholarship program. Also, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ) approves its 2024 budget that advances a new PATH fare payment system and the development of a new AirTrain Newark system, and awards a design and construction contract for AirTrain Newark; the DMU Trillium Line’s hand-over to the city of Ottawa, Ontario, has been delayed again; and U.S. government workers on official business will soon have to prioritize taking public transit.

AITX Completes Acquisition, Boosts Railcar Leasing Fleet

The acquisition of certain railcar assets and operations formerly owned by SMBC Rail Services LLC has been completed by American Industrial Transport, Inc. (AITX), a railcar leasing and repair and maintenance provider

A map of Green Eagle Railroad LLC’s proposed 1.335-mile common carrier rail line in Maverick County, Tex., extending from the southern border of the United States and connecting to Union Pacific (UP) at approximately milepost 31 on the Eagle Pass Subdivision. The line is part of parent company PVH’s proposed trade corridor for freight and commercial motor vehicles extending into Mexico. (GER Map)

New U.S.-Mexico Trade Corridor Eyed

Green Eagle Railroad LLC (GER), a non-carrier subsidiary of Texas-based Puerto Verde Holdings (PVH), is seeking Surface Transportation Board (STB) approval to construct some 1.335 miles of new common carrier rail line in Maverick County, Tex., extending from the southern border of the United States and connecting to Union Pacific (UP) at approximately milepost 31 on the Eagle Pass Subdivision. GER, which also seeks operating authority, reported that it is developing the proposed line as an element of PVH’s proposed Puerto Verde Global Trade Bridge, which would “create a new trade corridor for freight rail and Commercial Motor Vehicles (‘CMV’) extending from the City of Eagle Pass to the U.S./Mexico border and then approximately 17.79 miles into the Mexican State of Coahuila.”

“We are implementing new strategies across our network to improve how we deliver safe, reliable, and resilient service to our customers,” NS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Paul Duncan said. (NS Photograph)

Class I Briefs: NS, CN/UP, CSX

Norfolk Southern (NS) boosts service and intermodal velocity by decongesting yards, and recognizes 13 partners for outstanding achievements in energy efficiency, innovation and environmental stewardship. Also, CN and Union Pacific (UP) earn spots on both the World and North American Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for 2023; and CSX Engineering Vehicle Operator McKinley “Mac” Williams celebrates 57 years of service.

LOAD MORE