• December 20, 2016
• Commuter/Regional

Sound Transit: $1.6 billion 2017 budget

Sound Transit, the regional transit system serving the greater Seattle area, has enacted a $1.6 billion 2017 budget.

• December 20, 2016
• Class I

Wabtec acquires Workhorse Rail

Wabtec Corporation announced Dec. 20 that it has acquired Workhorse Rail LLC, a supplier of engineered freight car components, mainly for the aftermarket.

• December 20, 2016
• Commuter/Regional

MBTA to expand Ruggles Station Transportation Project

The Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) voted Dec. 19 to amend the Ruggles Station Transportation Project contract with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc, (VHB) to expand the project’s design and accessibility improvements. A contract extension to December 31, 2019, was also granted as part of the amendment.

• December 20, 2016
• Class I

CN repurchasing up to 4.84MM common shares

CN announced that it will repurchase common shares under a specific share repurchase program. The purchase will form part of the Normal Course Issuer Bid for up to 33 million shares announced on Oct. 25, 2016.

• December 20, 2016
• Finance/Leasing

SMBC Rail Services buys American Railcar Leasing

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp (SMBC) announced Dec. 19 that its railcar operating lessor and fleet management business, SMBC Rail Services LLC (SMBC Rail), has signed an agreement to purchase American Railcar Leasing LLC (ARL) from Icahn Enterprises L.P.

• December 19, 2016
• Locomotives

From KLW, a new breed of repowers

Knoxville Locomotive Works (KLW) has repowered, refurbished, remanufactured, and/or upgraded more than 400 locomotives since its establishment in 1998. The company’s most recent offering is a fleet of nine SE Series switchers constructed with the assistance of Texas Emissions Reduction Program (TERP) funds.

• December 19, 2016
• Freight Cars

Road & Rail Services wins TDSI Terminal Excellence Award

Road & Rail Services, Inc. was recently awarded the Terminal Excellence Award for the month of September 2016 by CSX’s subsidiary, TDSI.

• December 19, 2016
• M/W

Railtech Matweld finalizes merger with Boutet

Railtech Matweld announced Dec. 13 that it has finalized its merger and integration with Railtech Boutet over the past few months.

• December 19, 2016
• High Performance

CHSRA issues RFQ for early train operator

On Dec. 16, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for early train operator services to assist with the development and management of the initial operations of the high-speed rail system.

• December 16, 2016
• Class I

First freight rail shipment at North Carolina Industrial Center

Representatives from Cambro Manufacturing, the North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) the Alamance Chamber of Commerce, as well as Alamance County and the City of Mebane, gathered Dec. 17 for the completion of a lead track at the North Carolina Industrial Center (NCIC) and the first freight rail shipment received by the manufacturer of food service equipment.