North America – Page 81
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NewsG&W buys Heart of Georgia Railroad
USA: Genesee & Wyoming has agreed to acquire Atlantic Western Transportation Inc, the parent company of the Heart of Georgia Railroad short line. The deal announced on February 8 is subject to customary closing conditions, including Surface Transportation Board approval, and is expected to be completed in the second quarter ...
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Metro Report InternationalToronto Pearson transit hub proposed
CANADA: Greater Toronto Airports Authority has announced plans for a regional transit centre to be developed at Toronto Pearson International Airport. GTAA says that more than 300 000 people work in the area around the airport, making it the second-largest employment zone in Canada. However, poor public transport options ...
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Metro Report InternationalHamilton light rail RFQ issued
CANADA: Infrastructure Ontario and Metrolinx have issued a request for qualifications for a contract to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a light rail line in Hamilton. A request for proposals is expected in mid-2017. The 11 km east-west B-Line would link Queenston Circle and McMaster University, serving 14 ...
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NewsKansas City Southern sees uncertainty
USA: ‘Looking ahead to 2017, the company is aware of both economic and political uncertainty’, said Kansas City Southern President & CEO Patrick J Ottensmeyer when presenting the railway’s annual results on January 20. ‘However, we continue to emphasise our commitment to growth and we are well positioned to take ...
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NewsCP reports record low operating ratio in ‘challenging conditions‘
CANADA: Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd has announced its lowest-ever Q4 operating ratio of 56·2 and a record low full-year OR of 58·6 for 2016, saying focused cost control helped to offset softer than expected traffic volumes. ‘While the fourth quarter was weighed down by challenging operating conditions, including unexpected and ...
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NewsCSX sees 21% drop in coal traffic
USA: The US rail industry continued to face headwinds from low global commodity prices and the strength of the dollar in 2016, CSX said when presenting its annual results on January 17. CSX generated revenue of $11·1bn last year, down from $11·8bn in 2015, with operating income of $3·4bn compared ...
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NewsUnion Pacific ‘fairly optimistic’ about 2017
USA: ‘While full-year volumes were down substantially year over year, we did see declines moderate in the fourth quarter,’ said Union Pacific Chairman, President & CEO Lance Fritz when presenting the company’s annual results on January 19. ‘As we worked through the challenges of the year, we remained focused on ...
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NewsHoosier State returns to Amtrak fold
USA: Amtrak is to resume providing rolling stock for the Hoosier State inter-city train between Chicago and Indianapolis with effect from March 1, the Indiana Department of Transportation announced on January 30. Serving intermediate stops at Crawfordsville, Dyer, Lafayette and Rensselaer, the state-sponsored train operates four days per week each ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew Jersey Transit orders training simulators
USA: Corys is to supply two training simulators to New Jersey Transit ahead of the introduction of Positive Train Control on the operator’s 12 routes. The two desk simulators form part of a $225m PTC overhaul that will integrate ACSES II. They will be used by around ...
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NewsGrizzly bear study aims to reduce collisions with trains
CANADA: A five-year study to identify and address the underlying causes of collisions between grizzly bears and trains has been completed by Canadian Pacific, Parks Canada and the universities of Alberta and Calgary. There have been 10 confirmed rail-caused grizzly bear mortalities in the Banff and Yoho national parks over ...
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Metro Report InternationalTempe Streetcar contractor selected
USA: Valley Metro has approved the main construction contract for the Tempe Streetcar project, selecting Stacy & Witbeck as the contractor. Work is expected to begin later this year. In late 2016 Valley Metro selected Stantec Consulting Services to undertake design work. The 4·8 km route will link Marina ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew York Subway sucks
USA: New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has started testing a prototype track vacuum cleaner from Neu Railways as part of its Track Sweep initiative to reduce the amount of litter on metro tracks. A second prototype unit is due to be deployed within the next two weeks. Tests are ...
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NewsBNSF announces 2017 capital investment plan
USA: BNSF Railway announced a 2017 capital expenditure plan worth $3·4bn on January 19. As with 2016’s $3·9bn capital plan, the largest element of the programme is the replacement and maintenance of infrastructure on the 52 000 route-km network in 28 US states and three Canadian provinces. This has been ...
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Metro Report InternationalFTA approves Minneapolis Blue Line extension
USA: The Federal Transit Administration has approved the start of engineering work for the Blue Line light rail extension serving northwest Minneapolis, the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council announced on January 19. Coming just a month after the approval of the Southwest LRT Green Line extension, the decision will allow the ...
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Metro Report InternationalEdmonton light rail trackwork contract awarded
CANADA: London Trackwork has been awarded a contract to supply trackwork including turnouts and crossovers for the first phase of the Valley Line light rail project in Edmonton. The work is expected to take 1½ to 2 years to complete. Work on the 13·1 km first phase began in ...
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Metro Report InternationalLos Angeles Purple Line Extension Section 2 contractor selected
USA: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is to recommend to the board the award of a contract to build the Section 2 of the Purple Line extension. A joint venture of Tutor Perini and O&G has been selected to build the second phase of the metro extension to Century ...
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NewsAlstom to maintain Ferromex locomotives
MEXICO: Ferromex has awarded Alstom a five-year contract to maintain 219 EMD and GE diesel freight locomotives The contract announced on January 9 includes condition-based and predictive maintenance which will include oil and vibration analysis and remote monitoring. This is expected to bring a reduction in operating costs. ...
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NewsAmtrak streamlines management structure
USA: Federal passenger company Amtrak announced on January 5 that it would be rationalising its senior management structure as part of efforts to ‘position itself for an even more competitive future’.President & CEO Wick Moorman has reduced by half the senior management team to create six reporting lines. These are: ...
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NewsWabtec purchases Workhorse Rail
USA: Wabtec Corp has acquired Workhorse Rail, which supplies wagon components including couplers and related parts, mainly for the North American aftermarket, with annual sales of $35m. ‘Workhorse Rail brings an excellent reputation, strong engineering capabilities and new products to our portfolio’, said Wabtec President & CEO Raymond T Betler ...
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NewsSMBC Rail to buy American Railcar Leasing
USA: Wagon leasing company SMBC Rail Services announced on December 19 that it had reached agreement to acquire the American Railcar Leasing business currently owned by investment group Icahn Enterprises. The transaction is expected to complete in the first half of 2017. SMBC Rail will pay $2·78bn in cash for ...