news

ABB wins order to supply TTC

ABB said Friday it has received a contract from Toronto-based electrical contractor Ozz Electric, Inc. to supply and commission rail traction power equipment for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

As crude soars, U.S. freight traffic stays mixed

Carloads of crude oil on U.S. Class I railroads set a record in 2012, up 256% from crude carloads in 2011, modestly helping to offset declines in other freight carload categories last year, according to results released by the Association of American Railroads Thursday. Crude oil in 2012 represented 0.8% of all U.S. Class I rail carloads, up from 0.2% in 2011. AAR reports crude-only carloading data on a quarterly basis.

NOPB Railroad taps GE Transportation

Erie, Pa.-based GE Transportation said Thursday New Orleans Public Belt Railroad has signed an agreement to use GE’s software applications for railroad transportation management and railcar repair and maintenance.

Record 4Q, full-year earnings for ARI

St. Charles, Mo.-based American Railcar Industries late Wednesday reported record fourth-quarter earnings of $24.4 million, up from $5.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Revenue for the quarter was $207.7 million, up 6% from revenue in the year-ago quarter and the highest since the third quarter of 2008, the company said.

Rail Group aids Trinity’s 4Q, full-year results

Trinity Industries announced Wednesday that Rail Group orders for 5,620 new railcars during the fourth quarter pushed its backlog to 31,990 units valued at $3.7 billion. The Rail Group shipped 4,960 railcars during the fourth quarter and 19,360 during the full year.

Metro-North plans for Penn Station access

MTA Metro-North Railroad could make access to Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station an official priority in its next five-year capital construction program to be released in 2014, despite decades of obstructions confronting the railroad.

FreightCar America logs 4Q loss

FreightCar America, Inc. late Tuesday reported a net loss of $1 million, or 8 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $116.6 million in the fourth quarter, compared with net income of $8.5 million, or 71 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $187.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Wabtec reports record 4Q, full-year results

Wabtec Corp. said Tuesday record fourth-quarter earnings per diluted share of $1.34, 40% above EPS in the fourth quarter of 2011 and topping Wall Street analyst consensus estimates of $1.31. Sales also notched a record, at $610 million, just short of analyst estimates of $611 million, and driven by the company’s Transit Group.

CN names Vena exec VP, COO

Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer of CN, on Tuesday announced the promotion of Jim Vena to executive vice-president and chief operating officer.

Mexican railroad picks RailComm

Fairport, N.Y.-based RailComm says Compania de Ferrocarriles Chiapas Mayab (FFCM), located in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, has selected RailComm for its computerized Track Warrant Control System.

RailRunner COO courts European market

Lexington, Mass.-based RailRunner, N.A., Inc. said Tuesday Wolfgang Graff, vice president and chief operating and technology officer, will return to Germany next month to oversee European responsibilities for the company.

Commentary

Study: LRT ridership gains are spectacular

OK, one more leap into the briar patch of controversy over light rail transit (LRT) vs. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), with a glance at diesel multiple-unit (DMU) light railway, and some observations about federal New Starts policies.

Contract set for Second Avenue Subway station

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Friday said it had awarded a $258 million contract to Judlau Contracting, Inc., to tackle mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and finishing work for the 72nd Street Station, part of New York’s Second Avenue Subway project.

Calgary considers adding streetcars

Calgary, the second North American city to commit to modernized light rail transit, may join the ranks of such cities also diversifying into streetcar operations.

CSX taps Avtec for console contract

Avtec Inc. said Friday it and CSX Transportation have entered into a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract to migrate all of CSX’s mainline dispatching centers to Avtec’s Scout pure-IP radio console with Enterprise Management capabilities.

Thales gets signal contract for Evergreen Line

Thales on Friday announced that it has been awarded a contract by Partnerships B.C. to install its SelTrac® Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) on the new SkyTrain Evergreen Light Rapid Transit Line in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Bifurcated trend persists for U.S. freight traffic

The Association of American Railroads said Thursday it “has modified the weekly rail traffic chart,” grouping its previous list of 20 commodities to 10 in its weekly charting of U.S. freight traffic. But the outcome remained the same for the week ending Feb. 9, 2013: down for freight carload traffic, up for intermodal volume.