BNSF Railway has opened a bridge built over the Trinity River as part of a double tracking project between Fort Worth and Temple in Texas. The bridge for freight and passenger trains is the first of two planned to span the river, with the second to be built after a 126-year-old steel bridge is demolished.
Thailand’s Department of Trade Negotiations reports that the China – Laos railway has boosted Thai fruit exports to China, with durian exports up 365%, mangos 218% and pineapples 84%.
Genesee & Wyoming Canada has acquired BMS Locomotive Service Group which has a workshop, warehouse and office in Edmonton, Alberta, and provides locomotive inspection, maintenance, and refurbishment and repair services across western Canada. The deal ‘enhances G&W Canada’s suite of services for customers throughout Canada and expands its footprint into a geography that has potential for tremendous industrial growth’, said Rocky Hartline, General Manager of G&W Canada’s western operations, on July 17.
South Africa’s Transnet Freight Rail has completed construction of the Mamathwane Crossing Loop in the Northern Cape, proving capacity for an additional four trains carrying manganese for export through East London.
On July 26 Wabtec announced an order to modernise a further 60 Canadian National Dash-9 locomotives, including changing from DC to AC traction, the FDL Advantage engine upgrade and deployment of Trip Optimizer and LOCOTROL Distributed Power systems. This is expected to extend the life of the locos and provide fuel efficiency improvements of up to 18%, a more than 40% increase in reliability and up to a 55% increase in pulling power.
SCI Verkehr has published The European Rail Freight Transport Market 2023. The market study notes that major shipping companies are investing considerable amounts in the intermodal market hoping that this will give them a decisive influence on traffic flows in the port hinterland business; a restructuring of east-west traffic is taking place due to the Russian war against Ukraine and the associated sanctions; and EU state aid proceedings against key member states such as France and Germany could lead to far-reaching structural changes in the sector.
Operation Lifesaver has updated its online level crossing safety programme designed for school bus drivers. ‘In the simulated driving environment of our new School Bus Driver interactive eLearning program, drivers are exposed to several driving scenarios that demand quick thinking and critical decision-making’, said Executive Director Rachel Maleh.
Construction materials company Tarmac has reopened a rail connection to Hillhead Quarry in the UK’s Peak District. GB Railfreight expects traffic to reach at least five trains per week for the High Speed 2 project.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City has announced revenues of C$3·2bn for Q2 to June 30, up 44% year-on-year. Reported operating ratio increased by 970 basis points to 70.3 from 60.6 in Q2 2022. ‘Despite the challenging results, we still expect to deliver mid-single-digit Core adjusted combined diluted EPS growth in 2023’ said President & CEO Keith Creel. ‘The long-term growth opportunities for this franchise are unique and undeniable. With our CPKC advantage, we are extending our reach for our customers, introducing new service offerings to the marketplace and creating new competition in North American supply chains.’