Watco launches first phase of GeoConnect. Also, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announces $26 million for 24 rail freight improvement projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program (RTAP) and the Rail Freight Assistance Program (RFAP).
Watco on Nov. 1 announced the completion of a recent $6.7 million expansion and improvement project at its Refugio, Tex.-based rail, storage and transloading facility, which has “created increased railcar capacity resulting in a 600-car storage-in-transit (SIT) yard with heightened security,” the company said in a press release.
RailPulse has an eighth member: Pittsburgh, Penn.-based railway investment and management company Railroad Development Corporation (RDC), which on Oct. 19 joined the coalition established in late 2020 to “develop, broaden and accelerate the use of GPS and other telematics technologies in North America’s freight rail industry.”
Watco’s Greens Port facility at the Houston Ship Channel will be featured in an Oct. 17 installment of “Mike Rowe’s How America Works” on Fox Business Channel.
Pittsburg, Kans.-based Watco—an owner and operator of short lines, terminals, ports and mechanical shops—has been named to Newsweek’s list of the top 100 Most Loved Workplaces®.
RailPulse is developing a cloud-based telematics platform in an aim “to accelerate the adoption of GPS and other technologies across the North American railcar network.” Late last month, it outlined a three-phase approach to development, which is slated to be complete in second-quarter 2023.
Telegraph, a Chicago-based startup offering a cloud-based operating system for railroads, shippers, logistics service providers and railcar leasing companies, has partnered with Watco to help shippers with tough logistics challenges, with a focus on rail transportation.
The Agawa Canyon tour train, the first-ever tour train provided by Watco-owned Agawa Canyon Railroad (ACR), carried its first passengers Aug. 1 from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, to Agawa Canyon Park.
What’s the value of attending American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) regional meetings? ASLRRA Board Chair Stefan Loeb weighs in. Also, September is National Preparedness Month in the U.S., and the association is offering disaster preparedness tools for members.
Watco formalizes military outreach and hiring. Also, the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) looks back at Auburn’s “greasy railroad” prank; and the Mississippi Export Railroad (MSE) celebrates its 100th anniversary.