NS welcomes Amtrak back to Norfolk
Norfolk Southern Corp. Tuesday heralded Amtrak’s return to the corporation’s headquarters city, Norfolk, Va., and the Hampton Roads area.
news
Virgin Trains extends Bombardier contract
British West Coast Main Line operator Virgin Trains has extended its contract with Bombardier until March 2016 to maintain its fleet of Super Voyager diesel trains. The contract is worth about £106 million (roughly $171 million).
Division Director for Checkpoint Technologies, DHS-TSA, Arlington, VA
At the Transportation Security Administration, you will serve in a high-stakes environment to safeguard the American way of life. In cities across the country, you would secure airports, seaports, railroads, highways, and/or public transit systems, thus protecting America’s transportation infrastructure and ensuring freedom of movement for people and commerce.
Greenbrier Cos. tapped by Statoil
The Greenbrier Companies, Inc. said Monday it has been selected by energy provider Statoil Marketing and Trading (US), Inc. “to deliver comprehensive railcar management and maintenance solutions for Statoil’s fleet of more than 1,000 tank cars.”
APTA: Transit ridership rising in 2012
The American Public Transportation Association on Monday said more than 7.9 billion trips were taken on U.S. public transportation in the first three quarters of 2012, an increase of 2.6% over the corresponding period in 2011.
Alton & Southern to expand RailComm system
Fairport, N.Y.-based RailComm says Alton & Southern Railway Co., based in East St. Louis, Ill., will expand its existing RailComm Yard Control System by adding several new components to its switching yard.
Massachusetts: No Green Line PTC for now
Citing cost concerns, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has deferred any installation of Positive Train Control (PTC) on Boston’s Green Line light rail transit operation, saying lower-cost alternatives are available.
SMART seeks more train cars, irking bicyclists
Twelve diesel multiple-unit (DMU) cars have already been ordered by California’s Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART), but a move to add one more set has angered some allies of the rail project.
LIRR resumes normal rush hour service
MTA Long Island Rail Road began the day providing rush hour service to Midtown Manhattan comparable to levels prior to Hurricane Sandy’s impact Oct. 29, and at least two weeks ahead of earlier expectations.
Commentary
Takeaways from CP’s Investor Conference
Canadian Pacific held its annual Investor Conference Dec. 4-5 in New York City; its first since Hunter Harrison took over as President and CEO and began dramatically reshaping the railroad. I caught Harrison’s Tuesday evening opener via webcast and was impressed with what I heard, teeing up, as it did, the Wednesday main event, which CP Vice President Investor Relations Janet Weiss invited me to attend.
Commentary
DeMint departure resets reregulation game
The late British Prime Minister Harold Wilson observed, “A week is a long time in politics.” And what a week it was on Capitol Hill.
Morgan Stanley: CP a compelling investment
Following Canadian Pacific’s investor conference in New York City Dec. 4-5, Morgan Stanley transportation analyst William Greene has named CP the firm’s “top pick in Freight Transports and a Morgan Stanley Best Idea.”
PATH curtails weekend service to speed repairs
PATH bistate rail service will be limited to just one line, the system’s Newark-to-World Trade Center route, this weekend and next to aid system repairs on other parts of the system still out of service due to Hurricane Sandy more than five weeks.
Commentary
Mad Money’s Jim Cramer: KCS “my new favorite stock”
No need for me to say anything about Kansas City Southern. Jim Cramer, CNBC’s host of “Mad Money,” says it all in this segment on the railroad’s growth in Mexico.
Bombardier forms China joint venture company
Bombardier Transportation and Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Co., Ltd. Friday announced the formation of a joint venture company, Shentong Bombardier (Shanghai) Rail Transit Vehicle Maintenance Company Ltd.
U.S. freight traffic slumps as December begins
For the week ending Dec. 1, U.S. freight carload traffic continued falling short of its 2011 marks, and U.S. intermodal also fell short, the Association of American Railroads reported Thursday.
UTA FrontRunner South service ready for debut
Utah Transit Authority is offering the public test rides Saturday of its FrontRunner South regional rail line, with the “fare” being donation of a canned good. Revenue service on the line will begin next Monday.
House reps seek hearing on Conrail accident
Two New Jersey congressional representatives and one Pennsylvania colleague Thursday said they will seek to hold a hearing to determine the cause of a freight derailment last week in Paulsboro, N.J., resulting in a derailment and a chemical release.
Arlington goes it alone on streetcar study
Arlington County, Va., continues to pursue plans for two streetcar lines, both meeting at Washington Metrorail’s Pentagon City Station—but the county will pursue both, for now, without the help of neighboring Alexandria, Va.
Ottawa picks consortium for LRT project
Ottawa city officials Wednesday announced it had awarded the Rideau Transit Group, a consortium including ACS Infrastructure Canada and SNC Lavalin, a design-build-finance-maintain contract for the Canadian capital’s initial light rail transit line. The decision is subject to final approval by the City Council, expected later this month.