J. Reilly McCarren, 1956-2015
J. Reilly McCarren, one of the most accomplished and respected railroaders of the past 35 years, died April 26, 2015 at his Kenilworth, Ill., home after a long battle with cancer. He was 58.
Short Lines
ASLRRA creates two new positions
To help build its reputation on a broader stage and deliver significant value to its member organizations and the customers they serve via new education and business services, the American Short Line Regional Railroad Association has hired two new team members, ASLRRA President Linda Bauer Darr announced on April 27, 2015.
Ice, Squires among NARS headliners
Two Class I railroad presidents, BNSF’s Carl Ice and Norfolk Southern’s James Squires, will keynote the May 27 and May 28 sessions, respectively, of the North American Rail Shippers (NARS) 2015 annual meeting at the Drake Hotel, Chicago.
Asplund to lead Red River Valley & Western
Red River Valley & Western Railroad (RRVW) has named Nate Asplund to succeed Andy Thompson as President and CEO, effective May 1, 2015. Asplund most recently served as Assistant Vice President, Mexico for BNSF Railway, where he led a U.S. and Mexico-based team that provides rail and intermodal transportation to and from Mexico.
Brookville powers Central California Traction
Brookville Equipment Corp. has shipped two EPA Tier-4 BL12CG CoGeneration™ low-emissions switchers to Central California Traction (CCT) that will be utilized on the 55.9-mile Stockton Public Belt Railroad Network and the 14.9-mile Central Valley Branch, with service from Stockton, Calif., to Lodi and Sacramento, Calif.
G&W concludes Freightliner acquisition
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. on March 25, 2015 completed the acquisition of approximately 94% of Britain’s Freightliner Group Ltd. for approximately US$733 million (at current exchange rates), plus the assumption of approximately US$29 million (at current exchange rates) of net debt and capitalized leases.
ASLRRA 2014 Safety Awards
The American Short Line Rail and Regional Association (ASLRRA) has announced the winners of its 2014 Safety Awards, including Safety Person of the Year, Safety Professional of the Year, Most Improved Award, the President’s Awards, Jake Awards with Distinction, and Jake Awards.
OmniTRAX’s Billie Johnson earns ASLRRA top safety award
Billie Johnson, General Manager at OmniTRAX Inc. short lines Newburgh & South Shore Railroad and Northern Ohio & Western Railway is the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s (ASLRRA) 2014 Safety Person of the Year. Johnson will receive the award at the ASLRRA Convention in Orlando March 28-30, 2015.
Lowenthal proposes infrastructure trust fund
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) has introduced legislation he says “will provide a dedicated revenue source to invest in rebuilding crumbling freight infrastructure.”
Senators seek to speed infrastructure permitting
Bi-partisan legislation has been introduced in the Senate to remedy what are termed “significant challenges in the federal environmental permitting process” that delay and discourage railroads from constructing additional capacity.