news

In New York, ESA tunnel work is completed

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority says tunnel boring for its East Side Access project has been completed, clearing the way for infrastructure work, including laying track, for eventual Long Island Rail Road service to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.

Commentary

Rapid Streetcar concept gaining ground

Just over eight years ago I cooked up a new concept in rail transit that I called Rapid Streetcar. Since then, it’s been attracting a lot of interest within the public transportation industry (although a lot of would-be “experts” using it as a buzzword don’t always get it quite right).

  • News

Trinity reports surge of railcar orders



Trinity Industries, Inc. reported Wednesday that its Rail Group received orders for approximately 8,610 new railcars and shipped approximately 5,245 railcars during the second quarter.

CP earnings up for second quarter and first half

Canadian Pacific Railway announced Wednesday that it earned net income of C$103 million (roughly US$101 million) and diluted earnings per share of 60 Canadian cents, “inclusive of the negative impact of approximately [C]$0.30 from significant items including management transition and advisory costs.” In addition, a nine-day strike following the railroad’s takeover in a proxy fight is estimated to have reduced EPS by 25 to 30 Canadian cents.

L.B. Foster gets Honolulu rail contract

L.B. Foster Co. said Wednesday it has been awarded the company’s largest rail products contract, valued at approximately $60 million, by contractor Kiewit/Kobayashi, a joint venture for the construction of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) passenger transit system in Hawaii.

With record ROI, NS shaves 2Q operating ratio

For this year’s second quarter, Norfolk Southern earned a net income of $524 million that edged 6% below that for the second quarter of 2011, but it also had an impressive string of records to report Tuesday.

Cold Train expands volume, reach, and fleet

Rail Logistics Tuesday said that due to “continued growth,” the company’s Cold Train service is expanding its Washington State-based refrigerated container fleet to 300 state-of-the-art 53-foot containers (built by Hyundai), and will also be expanding its service territory this year.

Bombardier gets another Manchester LRT order

Bombardier Transportation said Tuesday that it and consortium partner Vossloh Kiepe has signed an option to supply 20 additional Flexity Swift light rail vehicles (LRVs) to Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM’s) Metrolink system.

Commentary

Will real HSR transform the Northeast after 2030?

The Highspeed 2012 Congress, co-hosted by the American Public Transportation Association and the International Railway Union in Philadelphia from July 10 to 13, offered a smorgasbord of knowledge about high speed rail around the world. Now that I’ve had a chance to digest many of the ideas, information, and opinions that were presented during the Congress, two contrasting dimensions of America’s struggle to make HSR work stand out in my mind.

GWI set to acquire RailAmerica, Inc.

Greenwich, Conn.-based Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said Monday it has entered into an agreement to acquire Jacksonville, Fla.-based RailAmerica, Inc. The all-cash acquisition, at $27.50 per share, would amount to roughly $1.4 billion.

Arlington County streetcar funding outlined

The Arlington County Board in Virginia voted Saturday to spend $2.4 billion during the next decade for numerous infrastructure projects, including investment in its two streetcar lines, each extending from Metrorail’s Pentagon City Station.