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Posts published in “Railroad Industry News”

CN to purchase 350 lumber cars

"CN needs to and will do better moving lumber to market," said JJ Ruest, CN's interim CEO. Photo – CN CN announced today it will buy 350 centerbeam cars to meet a growing demand from lumber-producing customers across the Class I's network.The new, 73-foot riserless centerbeams will have a maximum load capacity of 286,000 pounds…

UP to repower locomotives to cut emissions in California

Union Pacific Railroad is partnering with two California air management districts to repower 10 low-horsepower diesel-electric locomotives into new Tier 4 switchers for its yard-switching locomotive fleet starting in fall.The new switchers will reduce particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen emissions by more than 90 percent during operations when compared to older locomotives, UP officials…

Metra breaks ground on mechanical shops expansion

The 49th Street shop houses Metra's rail-car rehabilitation program. Photo – Julie Sneider Metra yesterday kicked off a $29.4 million renovation and expansion of the mechanical shops that house its rail-car and locomotive rehab programs.Expected to take nearly two years to complete, the project calls for expanding the 49th Street coach shop, as well as…

ARCI: Car orders, backlog up in Q1

Rail-car orders were up 115 percent in the first quarter compared with the same 2017 period, according to ARCI data. Photo – CSX Rail-car orders in the first quarter totaled 10,348 units compared with 8,501 units in fourth-quarter 2017 and 4,814 units in first-quarter 2017, according to quarterly statistics released yesterday by the Railway Supply…

Report: GE in talks to sell rail business to Wabtec

General Electric Co. is in talks to sell its locomotive business to rail equipment manufacturer Wabtec Corp., Bloomberg reported late last week.GE is considering combining the GE Transportation business with Wabtec, which has a market valuation of $8 billion, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg did not identify the individuals because the…

CN to acquire more boxcars

CN will acquire 350 boxcars to serve an increase in demand from industrial customers across the Class I's North American network.Equipped with 12-foot plug doors, the leased, 50-foot, high-capacity plate F boxcars are expected to be delivered beginning in late summer with all the cars in service by the end of the year, CN officials…

OCTA taps Siemens for eight streetcars

The S70 model streetcars will operate on the future Orange County Streetcar line. Photo – OCTA The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) on Monday approved a $51.5 million contract to acquire eight S70 model streetcars from Siemens Industries Inc.The units will be used on the future 4.1-mile Orange County Streetcar line, which will run from…

Milwaukee receives first streetcar from Brookville

The unit arrived in downtown Milwaukee via truck. Photo – Jeff Bentoff The city of Milwaukee yesterday took delivery of the first vehicle for its new streetcar system.The 67-foot, 83,000-pound streetcar arrived from Brookville Equipment Corp.'s plant in Brookville, Pennsylvania. The unit, which rolled off a truck in downtown Milwaukee, will be stored in the…