Maintenance of Way

CANARAIL partners with Colombian company

Montreal-based CANARAIL on Tuesday said it had formed “an exclusive partnership with the railway engineering and consulting firm A. de G. Ingenieria from Colombia.”

Employment up year-over-year, past month

Figures released by the Surface Transportation Board show Class I railroads employed 162,766 people in mid-November, up 1.65% from November 2011, and up 0.20% from October 2012.
  • M/W

NTSB issues first report on NJ bridge incident

The National Transportation Safety Board on Monday released its preliminary report on the Paulsboro, N.J. train derailment Nov. 30, but the initial release does not identify the cause of the accident.

BNSF CEO sees record 2013 capex

BNSF Railway CEO Matt Rose says his railroad set a company record for capital investment in 2012, but expects to exceed that level in the coming year. BNSF has yet to release a specific figure for 2013.
  • M/W

Stepping up the ol’ grind

Professionals juggle the miscellany of variables associated with grinding to ensure a target profile to manage and extend rail life. Rail remains one of the railroads’ most expensive assets, and employing maintenance practices to meet its useful life can save the industry millions every year.

UP, L.B. Foster extend crosstie contract

L.B. Foster and Union Pacific have agreed on a multiyear extension of a contract for the supply of prestressed concrete ties from the supplier’s Tucson, Ariz., facility. The previous contract was set to expire Dec. 31.
  • M/W

Progress Rail acquires welding company

Progress Rail Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., said Tuesday it has purchased mobile welding assets from RibbonWeld LLC, a rail welding company based in Springfield, Mo.

NJT: 261 passenger cars need post-Sandy fix

Questioned Tuesday by New Jersey’s Assembly Transportation Committee—but not as harshly as some expected—New Jersey Transit Executive Director Jim Weinstein said the company had sustained $100 million in damage to its rail equipment, including 62 locomotives and 261 passenger cars, due to Hurricane Sandy.

CP, Teamsters Canada workers reach accord

The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference-Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC-MWED), representing 2,600 maintenance of way workers, and Canadian Pacific reached a tentative historic five-year contract settlement, CP announced Tuesday.