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Commentary

Obama’s rail vision requires voice of the people

One clause in a single sentence in President Obama’s second inaugural speech has potential for meaningful consequences: “Together, we determined that a modern economy requires railroads and highways to speed travel and commerce.”

BNSF unveils 2013 capital commitment program

BNSF Railway Co. late Friday announced its 2013 capital commitment program of approximately $4.1 billion, which the railroad said was “approximately a $450 million increase over its 2012 capital spend of $3.6 billion.”

GE Transportation marks good year

GE Transportation’s fourth-quarter results included $252 million in earnings, or “segment profits,” in the fourth quarter, up 11.5% from $226 million in the comparable 2011 quarter.

December employment up year-over-year

Figures released Friday by the Surface Transportation Board show Class I railroads employed 162,652 people in mid-December 2012, up 1.06 % from December 2011, though down a modest 0.07%, or 114 employees, from November 2012.

Feds (again) fund Detroil M-1 rail project

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Friday announced Detroit’s M-1 Rail project will receive $25 million from the federal government. The planned streetcar line, at present set to run 3.3 miles, has a projected cost of $137 million.

ARI in tank car pact with ACF Industries

American Railcar Industries, Inc. late Thursday said it has entered into a purchasing and engineering services agreement with ACF Industries, LLC. ACF will build rail tank cars at its Milton, Pa., plant, under the agreement.

U.S. freight traffic resumes familiar mix(ed)

For the second week of 2013 (and the first week fully within the calendar year), U.S. freight traffic mirrored its most common measure through most of 2012: U.S. carload freight fell; U.S. intermodal volume advanced.

LIRR eyes two tracks to Ronkonoma

MTA Long Island Rail Road Wednesday said its oft-delayed plans to increase track capacity on its Ronkonkoma Line is back in play. LIRR hopes to double-track 18 miles of the route between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale, N.Y.

New technology planned for Alstom Citadis LRVs

Alstom and Williams Hybrid Power Thursday announced they have signed an agreement to apply Williams Hybrid Power’s energy storage technology to Alstom’s Citadis light rail transit (LRT) vehicles by 2014.

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MANAGER MECHANICAL MAINTENANCE LAREDO, TX, KCSR

The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is seeking a Manager of Mechanical Maintenance for our facility in Laredo, TX.

POSITION SUMMARY: Responsible for the maintenance, repair, and inspection of locomotives and railcars to assure they are safely maintained in a quality, cost effective manner.

Twin Cities LRT helps system ridership increase

Driven by increases on its Hiawatha Line light rail transit option, Metro Transit ridership on both bus and LRT increased 0.2% in 2012, to more than 81 million riders, compared with a year earlier, the Twin Cities agency says.

Invensys lauded for PATH restoration efforts

In testimony before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PA) Executive Director Patrick J. Foye praised the work performed by Invensys Rail Corp. to restore PATH bistate rapid transit service, hard hit by Hurricane Sandy.

CN, Indiana Rail Road plan intermodal venture

CN and the Indiana Rail Road Co. on Wednesday announced plans to construct an intermodal terminal in Indianapolis, designed to offer Indiana importers and exporters an all-rail option for containerized products moving to and from Asia.

Commentary
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Engineer rides American Dream to a short line

It is unlikely Scott DeVries soon will be sitting aside Norfolk Southern Chairman Wick Moorman at an Association of American Railroads board meeting, or sharing small talk over lunch with Union Pacific Chairman Jim Young. And whether DeVries someday becomes Railway Age’s Railroader of the Year is unknown. But read on.

OSHA: BNSF signs employee practices accord

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Tuesday said it has signed an accord with BNSF Railway Co., noting “BNSF’s voluntary revision of several personnel policies that OSHA alleged violated the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act [FRSA] and dissuaded workers from reporting on-the-job injuries.”