Saturday morning rail news:
NS to lay off 17 at Juniata Locomotive Shop
Norfolk Southern will furlough 17 mechanical workers at its Juniata Locomotive Shop in Altoona, Pa., the Altoona Mirror reports. Ten carmen, six boilermakers, and one laborer will be laid off, the newspaper reports, citing information from a shop employee. A report last month said the railroad would furlough mechanical workers at multiple locations; the railroad confirmed it would make the move “to align our operations with the current economy,” but did not indicate the number of workers or locations affected [see “Digest: Norfolk Southern plans mechanical department furloughs,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 17, 2020].
North Carolina receives no offers for Ringling Bros. cars, gets bids for two others
North Carolina’s Department of Transportation will try again to sell 14 surplus railcars — including nine former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, after receiving no offers for those cars in an auction that concluded Jan. 4. It did receive offers for two other cars. The Raleigh News & Observer reports Jason Orthner, director of NCDOT’s Rail Division, says the state will likely hold another auction for the remaining cars by the end of the month, and will consider lowering the asking prices and revising terms of the sales. The cars were purchased to be refurbished for use on the state-supported Piedmont passenger trains, but became surplus when the state opted to buy new equipment instead [see “Digest: Stimulus bill will make short line tax credit permanent,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 22, 2020].
Caltrain extends contract with operator TransitAmerica Services
Caltrain has extended its deal with TransitAmerica Services Inc., contract operator of the Bay Area commuter rail line. The five-year extension, from the end of the current contract on June 30, 2020, to June 30, 2027, will allow TransitAmerica to support the current project electrifying the service and the transition to electrified operation and maintenance, Caltrain said in a press release. TransitAmerica has been the contract operator since September 2011.
