Rail supplier news from Freedom Intermodal and STV (June 18)

Freedom Intermodal Tank Services is expanding its services in partnership with the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB), and will now offer rail-car cleaning, expanded transloading and rail-car storage services at its Port of New Orleans terminal. The addition of rail-car cleaning services will help solidify the region's role as a gateway for bulk liquid logistics, NOPB officials said in a press release. Rail-car cleaning is a key service for shippers that will create faster turnaround times, reduced dwell and enhanced safety. “Our new rail-car cleaning service complements our full-service logistics model and enables faster, safer, and more cost-effective tank car cycling," said Jeff Louis, Freedom Intermodal president. The NOPB provides access to all six Class Is.

STV recently marked the opening of the new Windsor commuter-rail station and 3.2-mile extension with Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) in Windsor, California. STV provided comprehensive design services for the project, STV officials said in a press release. The project included 3.2 miles of reconstructed track between the existing terminus at the Sonoma County Airport Station and downtown Windsor, a newly built train station, five rebuilt rail bridges, two pedestrian bridges and an underpass and five upgraded grade crossings. The Windsor extension is part of SMART's larger plan to complete a 70-mile passenger-rail corridor between Larkspur and Cloverdale. To date, STV has designed 45 of the 48 miles of the SMART corridor.