North America – Page 89
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NewsNorfolk Southern unveils publicly-funded GP33ECO locomotive
USA: A GP33ECO shunting locomotive remanufactured from an EMD GP50 at Norfolk Southern’s Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona, Pennsylvania, using funding from the Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality Improvement Program was unveiled on January 6. A total of 25 locomotives are being repowered with Tier 3 compliant EMD 12-710 ...
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NewsGroundbreaking launches California high speed line construction
USA: California High-Speed Rail Authority held a groundbreaking ceremony at noon on January 6 to officially ‘commemorate the start of sustained construction’ of the state’s high speed line. During the event, Governor Jerry Brown and other dignitaries signed a ceremonial section of rail at the site of the future Fresno ...
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NewsRailway Directory 2015
INTERNATIONAL: Marking its 120th year of publication, the latest edition of Railway Directory includes extensively-updated listings and contact details for almost 5 000 companies and organisations around the world. Covering every sector of the railway industry, it includes details of around 22 000 senior executives. Separate sections cover government and ...
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NewsLB Foster to distribute Tracksure fastenings
INTERNATIONAL: Following two years of testing and research, LB Foster Co has signed an agreement to sell Tracksure’s range of rail fastenings in North America. The UK firm’s patented fasteners are designed to prevents nuts loosening through vibration and settlement. Once the nut has been tightened to the accepted ...
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NewsFreightCar America expands plant
USA: To meet growing demand, FreightCar America is investing $10m to add an extra production line at its leased manufacturing plant at Cherokee in the Shoals region of Alabama. When fully operational in Q2 2015 the plant will have the capacity to build up to 8 000 wagons/year, with the ...
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NewsWisconsin buys Union Pacific line
USA: The state of Wisconsin has completed the purchase of 110 km of Union Pacific route linking Madison with Reedsburg and Cottage Grove, Governor Scott Walker announced on December 11. The $30m purchase was made jointly by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission. The ...
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NewsCalifornia selects preferred bidder to build second high speed line section
USA: The California High Speed Rail Authority announced on December 12 that it had selected a consortium of Dragados, Flatiron and Shimmick as preferred bidder for a design-build contract covering construction of a further 96 route-km of high speed line in the Central Valley. In selecting the ‘apparent best value ...
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NewsTractive Power Corp sells first locomotive
CANADA: North Vancouver-based Tractive Power Corp has sold its initial TP56 three-axle industrial shunting locomotive to Parish & Heimbecker Ltd. The locomotive is to be used at P&H’s site in Cloverdale, British Columbia, where it has been in demonstration service since May. The TP56 is intended as a 'railcar ...
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NewsFRA waives Buy America rules on high speed train prototypes
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has approved a waiver on Buy America procurement rules covering the supply of up to four high speed trainsets for the US market. The letter dated November 24 is a response to requests from both Amtrak and the California High Speed Rail Authority, who are ...
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NewsTrimble acquires condition monitoring specialist Nexala
USA: California-based engineering software supplier Trimble announced on December 1 that it had acquired vehicle diagnostics specialist Nexala, which will become part of Trimble’s Engineering & Construction segment. Trimble supplies GPS, optical, imaging and scanning technologies for the construction and maintenance of railway infrastructure, including building information modelling software ...
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NewsPrivately-funded US commuter service planned
USA: Plans for the USA’s ‘first privately-funded passenger rail service in almost 100 years’ have been announced by Boston Surface Commuter Railroad Co. This would operate over the Providence & Worcester Railroad between the eponymous cities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, offering a reliable alternative to unpredictable road journey ...
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NewsAMT launches Train de l’Est commuter service
CANADA: Montréal commuter rail operator Agence Métropolitaine de Transport finally began revenue service on its 52 km Train de l’Est route from Montréal Central to Mascouche on December 1, around three years later than previously anticipated. Serving a region with around 700 000 inhabitants, the route had been expected to ...
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NewsRecord results at Greenbrier
GREENBRIER: US wagon manufacturer The Greenbrier Companies has reported record net earnings of $99·3m and Ebitda of $253·8m for the year to August 31 2014, with revenue of $2·2bn and cash generated from operating activities totalling $136m. The company delivered 16 200 wagons, and received orders for 34 300 valued ...
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NewsAccess the Park
CANADA: VIA Rail Canada has introduced accessible sleeping compartments for two people on its flagship Toronto – Vancouver Canadian service as part of a programme to refurbish its 1950s-built stainless-steel coaches. Four of the Park series observation cars are being modified, following experience with accessibility improvements to the Renaissance coaches ...
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NewsBNSF announces $6bn capital programme
USA: BNSF Railway has announced a $6bn capital expenditure programme for 2015, the third year in a row it has committed a record amount for capital investments. The company has also updated its planned capital expenditures for 2014, which now are expected to total $5·5bn. The largest component of the ...
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NewsKéRail iron ore line opens
CANADA: The inaugural train on a 21 km rail spur serving Tata Steel Minerals Canada’s Direct Shipping Ore Project in the Labrador Trough near Schefferville was operated by Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary KéRail on November 2. From Schefferville-Knob Lake Junction the iron ore is transported over the Tshiuetin Rail Transportation ...
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NewsG&W to buy Arkansas lines
USA: An agreement for Genesee & Wyoming Inc to acquire Pinsly Railroad Co’s Arkansas Division was announced on November 19. Subject to regulatory approval the transaction is expected to close in early January, with G&W paying $40m in cash adjusted for final working capital. G&W estimates that Pinsly Arkansas will ...
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NewsNorfolk Southern announces plan to acquire Delaware & Hudson line
USA: On November 17 Norfolk Southern Corp announced plans to acquire 455 km of track between Sunbury, Pennsylvania, and Schenectady, New York, from the Delaware & Hudson Railway Co subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway. The US$217m purchase is subject to approval by the Surface Transportation Board, which the railways hope ...
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NewsMervis Industries announces $35m wagon refurbishment plant
USA: Following a multi-state search, the Mervis Railcar division of recycling company Mervis Industries has selected Hutchinson, Kansas, as the site for a $35m wagon refurbishment plant to serve the oil, fuel, agricultural and other industries. Announcing its decision on October 30, the company said the Hutchinson site would ‘be ...
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NewsHigh speed contract award cancelled
MEXICO: President Enrique Peña Nieto has instructed the Secretariat of Communications & Transport to run a new competition for the contract to build a 210 km high speed line between Mexico City and Querétaro, citing the ‘doubt and disquiet’ that had arisen from the decision to award a 50∙8bn pesos ...