“Looking ahead, I anticipate a moderate increase in cargo as we move into summer and we recapture business by delivering the top-notch customer service that makes us the Port of Choice,” POLB CEO Mario Cordero reported June 13. (POLB Photograph)

Intermodal Briefs: POLB, Port NOLA, Georgia Ports, Ports of Indiana

Cargo was down in May at California’s Port of Long Beach (POLB) due to “[s]hifting trade routes and canceled voyages.” Also, intermodal rail volumes at the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) rose more than 15% year-to-date, when comparing January through May; Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) in May logged a 22% increase in container volume over the same month last year; and Ports of Indiana seeks to develop multiple international container terminals in the state.

Hudson Tunnel Project Primed for FFGA

The United States government has notified Congress that it plans to award a $6.88 billion GIG (Capital Improvement Grant) to the Gateway Development Commission (GDC) for the Hudson Tunnel project. The project

NS Network Operations Center “war room.” (Screenshot of NS video)

Watch: NS ‘War Room’ Boosts Team Collaboration, Network Performance

Norfolk Southern (NS) has released a video showcasing its newly established Network Operations Center (NOC) “war room.” Vice President Network Operations Rodney Moore says it is all about “the need for speed” and “bringing velocity back to our network, redeveloping our train plans, our terminal plans, to provide consistent, reliable, repeatable, and resilient service.”

Big Boy Upgraded With Self-Contained PTC

The PTC (Positive Train Control) system on Union Pacific Big Boy 4014, the world’s largest operating steam locomotive, has been upgraded with a self-contained technology, which means the massive locomotive can operate

CARB Rule Discussed at Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee Hearing

Four witnesses on June 13 testified before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight in a hearing titled “Environmentalism Off the Rails: How CARB Will Cripple the National Rail Network.”

People News: DART, HNTB

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) names Jamie Adelman as the agency’s new Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Also, Greg Lorenzi joins HNTB as Rail Program Manager.

(Courtesy of TSB)

TSB Releases Final Transportation Occurrence Stats for 2023

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has published its final annual statistical summaries from 2023 on transportation occurrences (accidents and incidents) in the rail, air, marine, and pipeline sectors, showing accidents were down from the previous year for all sectors but air.

WisDOT: $885,000 to Support Southeast Wisconsin Rail Project

Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) on June 13 announced an $885,000 Transportation Economic Assistance (TEA) grant to the Village of Pleasant Prairie to support a rail project that will enable corrugated packaging company WestRock to open a new manufacturing facility and create 177 jobs in the Southeast Wisconsin community.

BART Board Approves New Two-Year Budget

Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) Board of Directors on June 13 voted to approve a new two-year budget, which the agency says “maintains train service levels and staffing for enhanced safety and cleaning efforts while avoiding cuts that will have a negative impact on the local economy, traffic conditions, and the state’s ambitious climate goals.

Pictured, Left to Right: WSP’s Jerry Jannetti, Sofia Berger and Jannet Walker-Ford. (WSP Image)

People News: RMG, WSP

Todd Whitmore and Zach Christinson join the executive team at Rail Modal Group (RMG), an Albany, N.Y.-based integrated intermodal transportation services provider. Also, engineering, environment and professional services firm WSP realigns its U.S. business.

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