Rail Link gets Wyoming safety/health award
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said Wednesday subsidiary Rail Link, Inc. has received the Wyoming Governor’s Award for Safety and Health in the Large Mine-Site Contractor category for the second consecutive year.
Management
Only two bids seen for MBTA rail contract
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) this year has sought bidders to operate its regional rail network, but according to the Boston Globe MBTA has received only two actual offers to bid, despite initial interest from 25 separate companies.
Bombardier wins new AirTrain contract
Bombardier Transportation announced Friday that it has signed a contract with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey to provide operations and maintenance services for the AirTrain system at Newark Liberty International Airport for a further 10 years. The contract, which includes a capital asset improvement program, is valued at approximately $243 million and becomes effective Aug. 2.
GWI plans rail line in Labrador Trough
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and a new subsidiary, KeRail Inc., have entered into an agreement with Tata Steel Minerals Canada Ltd. (TSMC) for KeRail to provide transportation for the 4.2 million tons of iron ore TSMC expects to ship annually from a mine it is developing near Schefferville, Quebec in the Labrador Trough. As part of the agreement, KeRail will construct an approximately 21-km (13..6- mile) rail line that will connect TSMC’s mine to the Tshiuetin Rail Transportation (TSH) interchange point in Schefferville.
Rail intermodal has best July in history
The Association of American Railroads reported Thursday that rail intermodal volume in July was 946,071 trailers and containers, up 5.6% compared with July 2011. U.S. rail carloads totaled 1,103,733, off 0.7%, compared with July 2011. The July 2012 weekly intermodal average of 236,518 trailers and containers was the highest July average in history. The association says the numbers are on track for a record year in 2012.
Trespassing and crossing deaths cloud safety picture
In train operations, the railroads continue to post impressive safety gains. This year’s first five months, according to preliminary counts released Tuesday by the Federal Railroad Administration, saw declines of 33.3% in collision, to 46 from 69; 22.8% in derailments, to 484 from 627; and 19.0% in yard accidents, to 374 from 463.
UP again wins Healthy Lifestyles award
Union Pacific has been named one of the 2012 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles, the only railroad to receive the award offered annually by the National Business Group on Health (NBGH). UP has received this honor each year since the award’s inception in 2005.
STB seeks to “protect captive shippers”
The Surface Transportation Board Wednesday announced “two initiatives to explore ways to further protect captive shippers from unreasonable rail rates.”
STB said it proposes to reform its rules on how it resolves rate disputes “to ensure that all captive shippers have a meaningful way to challenge rates.” STB also will be “taking steps to consider a proposal submitted by The National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) to increase rail-to-rail competition.”
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.
CP, frac sand company announce pact
Canadian Pacific and Smart Sand, Inc., Wednesday announced a strategic long-term partnership “under which the two companies will supply and ship premium, Northern White frac sand to the unconventional oil and gas industry in key North America producing regions (including the Bakken and Eagle Ford formations, and the Utica and Marcellus Shales).”