All North America articles – Page 15
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Operators from five countries interested in California high speed rail contract
USA: California High-Speed Rail Authority has received five responses to its request for qualifications for the contract to provide early train operator services to assist with the development and management of the initial phase of the high speed line. By the April 4 deadline, statements of qualifications had been submitted ...
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$1bn wagon agreement signed
USA: A multi-year wagon supply and management agreement worth more than $1bn was announced by The Greenbrier Companies and Mitsubishi UFJ Lease & Finance Co on April 5 MUL President & CEO Tadashi Shiraishi said the leasing company had set an ‘ambitious’ target to grow its market share to become ...
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Drug and alcohol compliance software for short lines
USA: Browz has launched a software-as-a-service package to assist short line railways and their contractors in complying with Federal Railroad Administration drug and alcohol testing requirements coming into force in June. Browz ShortLine will enable operators to check the compliance of their contractors and employees, and to source new contractors ...
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Safety train on tour
USA: Norfolk Southern’s safety train has begun a 23-city tour to provide free emergency response training to first responders including fire and law enforcement departments, medical services and hazmat response teams, military and homeland security personnel and railway customers and suppliers. The train comprises a specially branded locomotive, two vans ...
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GO Transit RER receives C$1·8bn in federal funding
CANADA: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on March 31 that the federal government is to provide C$1·8bn towards the GO Transit Regional Express Rail project being developed in the Greater Golden Horseshoe centred on Toronto. The money is to come from the New Building Canada Fund, with the province ...
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Amtrak’s Gardner calms fears over Trump budget cuts
USA: National passenger operator Amtrak has sought to calm concerns about budget cuts affecting its inter-city passenger services in the wake of federal government budget proposals presented by President Trump on March 16. Speaking at the ‘Future Railway Organisation’ seminar arranged by consultancy Steer Davies Gleave in London on March ...
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Grupo México to acquire Florida East Coast Railway
USA: On March 28 Grupo México announced that its transport business GMéxico Transportes had reached an agreement to acquire Florida East Coast Railway Holdings Corp from Fortress Investment Group. The Mexican company said adding FEC to its existing operations in Texas would ‘immediately establish GMXT as an important railroad owner ...
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CRRC to supply rolling stock to Philadelphia
USA: The board of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has approved the purchase of 45 double-deck coaches from CRRC MA Corp for use on its Regional Rail network of commuter services. CRRC’s bid of $137·5m for the base order of 45 coaches and $161m including options for 10 more beat ...
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Lakeshore East – East Corridor Expansion procurement begins
CANADA: Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have issued a request for qualifications for a contract to finance and build the Lakeshore East - East Corridor Expansion project in the Greater Toronto area. The scope includes laying a third track on the 11 km between Beechgrove Road and Durham Junction, rebuilding two ...
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Low emissions locos delivered to Texas
USA: Knoxville Locomotive Works has begun delivering its largest order for low-emissions diesel locomotives. The Type SE10B and SE15B locos were ordered by Locomotive Solutions for use at chemical plants in Texas, with partial funding from the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. ...
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Trump proposes dramatic cuts to Amtrak operations and capital project grants
USA: In a blueprint for its proposed Financial Year 2018 budget, the Trump administration is planning to cut funding for the Department of Transportation to $16bn, a 13% reduction on that available for FY2017. Under the proposals, swinging cuts would be made both to passenger train and municipal transport ...
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Custom wagons delivered and new CP tracks completed
CANADA: The first 177 of 531 wagons being custom-built by National Steel Car for K+S Potash Canada have been delivered to the Legacy Project mine site in Saskatchewan. The first batch of wagons will form one of three 3 km long trains to transport potash 1 800 km from the ...
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NRE to modernise Connecticut DOT locos
USA: Connecticut Department of Transportation has awarded NRE a five-year contract to modernise and extend the operating lives of six EMD GP40-2H diesel locomotives dating from the 1970s which are used on commuter services. NRE said it would be able to produce 90% of the content in-house. Marketing Director Brandon ...
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Wabtec buys component manufacturer with underground headquarters
USA: Wabtec Corp has acquired Aero Transportation Products, which manufactures rolling stock components including glass fibre, aluminium and steel covers and doors for hopper wagons. ATP’s headquarters are located underground in a former limestone mine at Independence, Missouri, where the consistent temperature and humidity is ideal for glass fibre manufacturing. ...
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Brightline targets inter-city opportunities
USA: Inter-city passenger promoter All Aboard Florida is expanding its horizon to focus on other potential markets across the country. The company announced on March 8 that Dave Howard, ‘a veteran executive from the sports and entertainment industry’, was joining the leadership team as Chief Executive Officer for the Brightline ...
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Vancouver Island commuter rail study
CANADA: Options for establishing a commuter service on 15 km of the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway corridor between Westhills in Langford and Victoria West on Vancouver Island are to be studied, British Columbia’s Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure announced on March 9. A working group is to be formed ...
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Rail industry marks International Women's Day 2017
INTERNATIONAL: The railway operations and supply industries around the world marked International Women's Day on March 8. Special events were organised, and the diverse range of career opportunities available in the rail sector was highlighted.
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Siemens rolls out first Cascades Charger locomotive
USA: The first of eight SC-44 Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotives ordered by Washington State Department of Transportation has been rolled out at the manufacturer’s Sacramento plant. The locomotives are to be used with Talgo coaches on the Cascades service from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver in Canada, which is operated ...
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CSX board restructured as Harrison takes charge
USA: Former Canadian Pacific Chief Executive E Hunter Harrison was confirmed as the new Chief Executive Officer of CSX Corp on March 6. He succeeds Michael Ward, who had announced his decision to retire as Chairman & CEO on February 21 and will now become a consultant. CSX has also ...
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Deadlines extended as Caltrain seeks to save electrification programme
USA: San Francisco to San Jose commuter operator Caltrain announced on February 27 that it had reached agreement with contractors Balfour Beatty and Stadler to extend the contractual deadlines for start of work on the Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project. Caltrain had been expected to issue ‘Notice to Proceed’ for both ...