Figures released Monday, June 24, 2013, by the Surface Transportation Board show Class I railroads employed 164,249 people in mid-May, up 1.05% from May 2012, and up 474 people, or 0.29%, from the previous month of April. The gains were roughly comparable to the employment gains reported a month ago for both year-over-year and monthly employment.
The Railway Supply Institute said Friday, June 21 it is forming a Passenger Rail Committee, intended to “support, connect, and advocate for railway suppliers who provide equipment and services to high speed and intercity passenger rail.”
The New York State Senate confirmed Thomas F. Prendergast to serve as chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority late Thursday, June 20, 2013.
U.S freight carload traffic edged up 0.5% the week ending June 15, 2013, and U.S. intermodal volume advanced 1.7% for the week, measured against the comparable period in 2012, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday, June 20.
SEPTA officially announced Wednesday, June 19, that it will close its Bridgeport Viaduct, a bridge spanning the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania used by SEPTA’s Norristown High Speed Line, beginning July 8.
The Surface Transportation Board has granted permission to Union Pacific Railroad to cease service on 12.5 miles of the Lockport Branch, located in Lofourche Parish, La., which UP owns, while affirming rival Class I railroad BNSF to continue operating over 14.1 miles of the branch, rejecting UP objections.
Testifying Tuesday, June 18, 2013 before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, an Army Corps of Engineers official said the agency would not expand its environmental review of coal being exported through U.S. West Coast ports, despite objections from environmentalists in several western states.
The Minneapolis City Council has given initial approval to a plan to redirect up to $60 million in property taxes to help fund a streetcar line along Nicollet and Central avenues in Minnesota’s largest city.
Eight New York State legislators are urging the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to pursue an elusive “one-seat ride” to New York-Penn Station for Rockland and Orange county residents, tying it to Amtrak’s Gateway Tunnel plan to increase Northeast Corridor capacity under the Hudson River.
Canadian Pacific said Wednesday, June 19 it has launched a faster intermodal rail service between Toronto and Calgary to better serve customers on this route. The new service offering cuts 20 hours from previous schedules, CP said.
The National Transportation Safety Board is urging Metro-North Railroad to provide more protection to track workers who depend on dispatchers for signal inspection, following the death of track worker May 28 in West Haven, Conn., on Metro-North’s New Haven Line.
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