news

U.S. freight traffic gains yet again

U.S. freight carload traffic gained 3.7% in the week ending Dec. 10, 2011, measured against the comparable week in 2010, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. U.S. intermodal volume for the

CP, Manitoba sign collaboration agreement

Canadian Pacific and the Province of Manitoba announced Thursday the signing of a 10-year memorandum of agreement that sets the framework “to further develop their collaborative relationship to enable long-term rail and

New Orleans picks AECOM for streetcar project

AECOM Technology Corp. said Thursday it has won a $10.6 million contract for Phase 2 of the New Orleans Streetcar Expansion project. The project extends streetcar service a mile beyond current Rampart/St.

Schneider National sets intermodal training site

Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider National said Wednesday that it will open its new Intermodal Training Academy next month in Chicago, strategically placed “within one of the busiest railroad regions in the United States.” “Given the exponential growth of its Intermodal division, Schneider National is excited to announce the opening …

Frankfurt/Main taps Bombardier again

Bombardier Transportation said Thursday it has won an order to supply an additional 78 FLEXITY Swift high-floor light rail vehicles (LRVs) and 10 FLEXITY Classic trams to the Frankfurt Transport Authority, VGF,

United Streetcar lands DC order

Clackamas, Ore.-based United Streetcar, LLC, a subsidiary of Oregon Iron Works, Inc., has landed an $8.7 million order from Washington, D.C., for two streetcars to augment the city’s three-car fleet, still to

CP pushes North Main Line upgrades

Canadian Pacific announced Wednesday that it has completed the first year of infrastructure improvements under a three-year plan to upgrade its North Main Line between Winnipeg and Edmonton. The $250 million program

DEIS eyes LRT for Bergen County, N.J.

New Jersey Transit Tuesday posted the release of its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for rail service in the Northern Valley portion of Bergen County, N.J., across the Hudson River from New

DART awards contract for airport LRT line

With Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in its sights, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has awarded a design-build contract for a 5.2-mile extension of the Orange Line from the future Belt Line Station to the airport’s Terminal A. DART said Tuesday a joint venture of Kiewit, Stacy and Witbeck, Reyes, Parsons (KSWRP) was selected by the DART Board of Directors to complete the $149.7 million project known as Irving-3 (I-3). 

STB examines UP tariff on TIH commodities

The Surface Transportation Board announced that it has initiated a proceeding to determine the reasonableness of “certain tariff provisions requiring shippers to indemnify Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) against future liabilities, other than those resulting from UP’s negligence or fault, when UP transports toxic by inhalation hazardous (TIH) commodities.” STB is inviting participation by the public.

AECOM-STV venture wins Moynihan Station contract

AECOM Technology announced that a joint venture between AECOM, its Tishman Construction arm, and STV, Inc. was awarded a $19 million contract by the Moynihan Station Development Corp. in partnership with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.

FTA grants more funds for UTA LRT

Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff on Monday personally announced a grant of $116 million to Utah Transit Authority to extend UTA’s TRAX light rail transit line from Sandy to Draper, Utah.

Examining the financial crisis fallout

There are unanswered questions about regulatory changes and a shrinking operating lessor pool. As readers of this column already know, the rail industry has enjoyed more than 30 years of seemingly limitless financing of its equipment needs by banks, insurance companies, and operating lessors.

U.S. HSR: Ready or not?

Optimists insist the U.S. is finally poised to join the world’s “true” high speed rail club. Skeptics say a hostile Congress could make that advance more difficult. Both may be right.

CN, locomotive engineers near accord

Canadian National and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference have reached a tentative agreement to renew the labor contract for approximately 1,800 CN locomotive engineers in Canada.

Events 2012

2012    March 4-7, 2012 Rail Equipment Finance 2012 La Quinta, Calif. Anthony Kruglinski, Email: akruglinski@railfin.com; Website: www.railequipmentfinance.com.     March 8, 2012 Railroad Day on Capitol Hill Renaissance Washington Hotel, Washington,

For Dallas, a streetcar turntable

McKinney Avenue Transit Authority in Dallas is set to celebrate the debut of a streetcar turntable Thursday, Dec. 15, complete with holiday lights coordinated to dazzle viewers when the turntable itself is in use.