North America – Page 95
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NewsGoldschmidt Thermit acquires PortaCo
USA: Welding and maintenance service company Goldschmidt Thermit Group acquired 100% of the shares of hydraulic power unit and railway and construction tool manufacturer PortaCo on August 1. The acquisition of the company based in Moorhead, Minnesota, enables Goldschmidt Thermit 'to complement our product portfolio and strengthen our activities in ...
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NewsMontreal, Maine & Atlantic files for bankruptcy protection
CANADA: Following the devastating derailment and explosion at Lac-Mégantic in Québec on July 6, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Canada Co announced on August 7 that it had sought relief under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act in the Superior Court of Québec. Simultaneously, US-based sister company Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway ...
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NewsOregon unveils Talgo trainset
USA: The first of two 13-car Talgo America trainsets bought by the state of Oregon was unveiled at a ceremony in Eugene on July 26. Oregon's two Series 8 trainsets will join five existing Talgo trainsets operated by Amtrak on the Cascades corridor between Eugene, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver in ...
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NewsPurpose-built depot for potash wagons
CANADA: Potash exporter Canpotex opened a C$60m wagon maintenance depot near Lanigan in Saskatchewan during June. The company said the purpose-built facility would give it greater control of maintenance, helping to enhance the performance of its fleet of 5000 wagons. The depot features all-weather inspection, light repair and wheel maintenance ...
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NewsWheel plants to go
USA: Plans to sell or close eight of the 38 facilities operated by The Greenbrier Companies’ Wheels, Repair & Parts segment and improve performance at six others were announced on July 1. The company hopes this will release a minimum return of capital of US$25m by December 31, as ...
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NewsSafety directive responds to Lac-Mégantic fireball tragedy
CANADA: An emergency directive setting new rules for handling dangerous goods by rail was issued by Transport Canada on July 23. This followed the runaway of an unattended train carrying crude oil in the early hours of July 6, leading to a derailment in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Québec, 240 ...
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NewsAlstom opens Canadian bogie plant
CANADA: A bogie assembly plant at Sorel-Tracy, northeast of Montréal, was officially opened by Alstom on July 5. It will produce bogies for 468 rubber-tyred metro cars which Montréal operator STM ordered from a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom in 2010. The contract requires 60% domestic content. Bogie and ...
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NewsRailway Supply Institute launches passenger committee
USA: Industry association the Railway Supply Institute has formed a Passenger Rail Committee to 'support, connect and advocate for' companies supplying the passenger rail sector. The committee aims to promote passenger transport, and represent the supply industry on legislation and regulations. Its first meeting is to be held on ...
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NewsFinal Toronto airport rail link construction contract awarded
CANADA: Regional transport agency Metrolinx has awarded EllisDon Corp a C$23·8m contract to build a dedicated platform on the west side of Toronto Union station for use by the future Union Pearson Express airport service to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The platform will have platform edge doors, a customer service ...
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NewsO-Train DMUs delivered to Ottawa
CANADA: Mayor of Ottawa Jim Watson formally took delivery of six Alstom Coradia Lint 41 diesel multiple-units for the city's O-Train service at the 8 km line's Walkley depot on June 22. Operator OC Transpo placed the C$34m order for the DMUs in September 2011 as part of the C$59m ...
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NewsMBTA orders more MotivePower locomotives
USA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has placed a firm order for a further 13 HSP46 passenger locomotives with Wabtec subsidiary MotivePower, taking its total order to 40. Delivery to Boston is scheduled for 2014. The contract was announced on June 26 and is valued at more than $70m, including training, ...
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NewsCHSRA awards first civil works contract
USA: The board of the California High Speed Rail Authority has selected a consortium of Tutor Perini Corp, Zachry Construction Corp and Parsons Corp to undertake civil works on the first 47 km section of the planned San Francisco – Los Angeles high speed line. The $985m offer by the ...
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NewsMetrolink orders EMD passenger locomotives
USA: Southern California Regional Rail Authority has signed an agreement for Electro-Motive Diesel to supply 'up to 20' F125 Spirit diesel locomotives for use on Metrolink passenger services. Announcing the deal on May 31, EMD said it would assemble the locomotives at its Muncie, Indiana, plant for delivery from ...
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NewsFederal funding protects New York Gateway alignment
USA: Outgoing Federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood confirmed at a ceremony in New York on May 30 that $185m of federal funding would be made available to build a concrete shell to carry the proposed New York Gateway tunnels through a property development into an expanded Penn Station. The 244 ...
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NewsConvertible multi-deck automotive wagon launched
USA: The Multi-Max car-carrying wagon incorporating an adjustable deck enabling conversion from two to three levels to suit the type of vehicle being carried was unveiled by The Greenbrier Companies on May 29. The wagon is compatible with existing bi-level and tri-level fleets, so operators do not need to ...
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NewsLearning life-saving lessons
USA: A delegation of Indian Railways management visited the offices of Operation Lifesaver in Alexandria, Virginia, last month to learn about best practice in railway safety education. Operation Lifesaver is a not-for-profit organisation set up to help reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries caused on the US rail ...
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NewsKnorr-Bremse opens bigger US plant
USA: State Governor Martin O'Malley attended the opening of Knorr-Bremse's new Rail Vehicle Systems manufacturing plant in Westminster, Maryland, on May 9. Knorr-Bremse said the growth of the US public transport market and three major orders for HVAC systems meant that its former plant in Westminster had reached the limits ...
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NewsSiemens unveils Amtrak Cities Sprinter locomotive
USA: The first of 70 electric locomotives being built to operate Amtrak services in the Northeast Corridor was rolled out at the Siemens plant in Sacramento on May 13. The locomotive was officially handed over to Amtrak President & CEO Joseph Boardman by the President of Siemens Rail Systems USA ...
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NewsCanadian Pacific increases 2013 capital investment programme
CANADA: Plans to bring forward to 2013 capital spending projects which were previously scheduled for 2014 were announced by Canadian Pacific on May 7. The company said higher than anticipated cash flow projections for the current year will enable it to allocate a further C$75m to C$100m to the ...
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NewsTrinity Industries announces wagon leasing joint venture
USA: The formation of a joint venture which aims to create a wagon leasing fleet worth $1bn by the end of 2014 was announced by Trinity Industries on May 7. Trinity's partners in RIV 2013 Rail Holdings are insurance investor Napier Park Railcar Lease Fund and a co-investor which has ...