North America – Page 86
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NewsPTC deadline extension legislation introduced
USA: Bipartisan legislation which would extend the December 31 2015 deadline for the implementation of Positive Train Control was introduced by the leaders of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure on September 30. This follows a Government Accountability Office study which confirmed that most railways would not be able ...
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NewsMarmon and Wells Fargo buy GE Capital rail businesses
USA: GE Capital announced the signing of three agreements to sell its wagon leasing and repair activities on September 30. The sales ‘to buyers that are long-term players in the industry committed to expanding the businesses’ form part of GE’s strategy to sell most GE Capital assets and focus on ...
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NewsMaryland approves Siemens locomotive order
USA: Maryland’s Board of Public Works has approved the Department of Transportation’s planned $58·1m purchase of eight Siemens Charger diesel-electric locomotives to replace electric locomotives currently used on MARC commuter services. The approval granted on September 16 enables Maryland Transit Administration to enter into a ‘cost-effective co-operative purchasing agreement’ ...
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NewsAmtrak selects Alstom for Northeast Corridor train order
USA: Senator Charles E Schumer said on September 21 that the Amtrak board would approve the next day the start of exclusive negotiations with Alstom for a contract to supply the next generation of trains for the Northeast Corridor between Washington DC, New York and Boston. The contract ...
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NewsTriple Crown Services to focus on automotive sector
USA: Norfolk Southern Corp has announced a restructuring of its Triple Crown Services subsidiary to focus on the transport of automotive parts, with other business to be transferred to its intermodal network. TCS said on September 18 it would continue to operate its RoadRailer trains between Detroit and ...
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NewsNS takes over Delaware & Hudson South Line
USA: Norfolk Southern Corp completed its acquisition of Canadian Pacific’s Delaware & Hudson Railway South Line between Sunbury, Pennsylvania and Schenectady, New York, on September 18. Operations under the new ownership started at 00.01 the following day The transaction was announced on November 14 2014 and approved by the Surface ...
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NewsRailroads warn of worst-case scenario if PTC deadline is not extended
USA: Congress must act to extend the 'unattainable' December 31 2015 deadline for the roll-out of Positive Train Control, rail industry associations reiterated in response to the release on September 16 of a Government Accountability Office report which says the Federal Railroad Administration needs to develop an adequate and comprehensive ...
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NewsUS-Chinese joint venture to develop Las Vegas high speed line
USA: Private-sector California to Nevada high speed rail project promoter XpressWest and a consortium of Chinese rail industry companies announced on September 17 that they had agreed to create a joint venture to develop, finance, build and operate a 370 km line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The Southwest ...
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NewsRailmark forms Transit Services business unit
USA: Railmark Holdings Inc has announced the formation of a Railmark Transit Services business unit, consolidating its lubrication, equipment heating and rolling stock component activities alongside its train operations, rolling stock maintenance, marketing, accessibility modification and other passenger rail support services. Railmark plans to ‘significantly’ expand the range of ...
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NewsMetrolinx orders computer-based integrated control system
CANADA: Regional transport agency Metrolinx has awarded Alstom a €113m contract to provide a computer-based integrated train control system covering the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. Commissioning is scheduled for late 2018. Announcing the contract on September 10, Alstom said its Iconis technology would provide a single control centre ...
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NewsRocla to build Florida sleeper plant
USA: Rocla Concrete Tie announced a long-term sleeper supply agreement with Florida East Coast Railway and passenger rail project promoter All Aboard Florida on September 8. Construction of a concrete sleeper plant in Fort Pierce, Florida, is set get underway immediately, with production scheduled to begin in early 2016. ...
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NewsParsons awarded Chicago PTC contract
USA: Chicago commuter rail operator Metra has appointed Parsons as prime contractor for the installation of Positive Train Control. The contract announced on September 3 covers the installation of Interoperable Electronic Train Management System, integrating locomotive-mounted GPS, radios, trackside antennas and computers and compatible with 12 railways. Parsons ...
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NewsUnited Wagon Co to supply castings for the US wagon market
RUSSIA: A 10-year agreement for United Wagon Co to supply Wabtec Corp with castings for the US wagon market was signed at the Expo 1520 trade fair in Shcherbinka on September 2. Wabtec Corp is to provide design documentation and a manufacturing license enabling UWC’s Tikhvin plant to supply side ...
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NewsCapital Partners invests in short line group Regional Rail
USA: Private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners has acquired a stake in short line group Regional Rail. The existing management team will ‘retain significant ownership’ and continue to lead the company. Regional Rail was formed in April 2007 and has since acquired the East Penn, Middletown & New Jersey ...
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NewsFunding to upgrade Ottawa – Montréal passenger service
CANADA: The national government has announced an additional C$102m of funding for VIA Rail in 2015-17 to support upgrading works on the Ottawa – Montréal route. This includes work to enable VIA Rail’s Renaissance coaches to be used on the route instead of older rolling stock, thereby enhancing accessibility; track ...
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NewsToluca works underway
MEXICO: On August 14 Secretary of Communications & Transport Gerardo Ruiz Esparza inspected progress with works between Zinacantepec and Portal Poniente on the first section of the 57 km electrified passenger railway being built between Toluca and Mexico City. Civil works were 11% complete, with 550 workers deployed at 14 ...
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NewsMost railroads ‘will miss PTC deadline’, FRA confirms
USA: The deadline of December 31 2015 mandated by Congress for the installation of Positive Train Control by US railroads will not be met, the Federal Railroad Administration confirmed on August 7. The Rail Safety Improvement Act passed by Congress in October 2008 requires all Class I freight railways and ...
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NewsHaCon and Bytemark announce partnership
USA: New York-based Bytemark and Germany’s HaCon have announced a strategic partnership to offer real-time journey planning and mobile ticketing systems in the North American market. HaCon brings ‘decades of experience in real-time travel planning and logistics data management to the mass transit agencies here in North America’, said Bytemark ...
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NewsHoosier State train operating contracts in place
USA: On August 2 the Chicago – Indianapolis Hoosier State passenger service began running under new operating contracts which have been awarded to Amtrak and Iowa Pacific Holdings by the Indiana Department of Transportation and local authorities on the route. Federal funding for Amtrak services of less than 1 ...
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NewsBNSF Logistics buys wind turbine transport specialist
USA: BNSF Logistics has acquired Transportation Technology Services, a Texas-based company which provides engineering and logistics services for the transport of over-sized loads by rail with a particular focus on wind turbine components. TTS manages a fleet of almost 2 000 wagons for various customers, with 1 200 having ...