Late Breaking Rail Industry News

June 17, 2009

DOT sets guidelines for funds for high-speed rail

The Department of Transportation moved another step closer to realizing President Obama’s vision for high-speed rail in America, publishing guidelines for states and regions to apply for federal funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“The time has finally come for the United States to get serious about building a national network of high-speed rail corridors we can all be proud of,” Secretary Ray LaHood said. “High-speed rail can reduce traffic congestion and link up with light rail, subways and buses to make travel more convenient and our communities more livable.”

The historic commitment to revitalizing the nation’s rail lines by creating high-speed corridors and improving existing service between cities includes an $8-billion competitive grant program and a continuing $1-billion annual investment proposed in the President’s budget.

“Rail travel will encourage economic growth and create new domestic manufacturing jobs, while reducing pressure on our highways and airways,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo. “In addition to the economic advantages, trains are energy-efficient, capable of reducing billions of pounds of carbons each year from being released into our atmosphere and reducing our country’s reliance on oil.”

Officials from the USDOT and Federal Railroad Administration met with more than 1,000 people across the country to receive input in preparation for developing the program’s grant application guidelines. Vice President Biden and Secretary LaHood also heard from governors and state transportation chiefs at the White House on June 3 about how they hoped to boost their economies with improved passenger rail service.
The guidelines, which can be found at http://www.fra.dot.gov/us/content/2243, require rigorous financial and environmental planning to make sure projects are worthy of investment and likely to be successful. The program will offer grants for both planning and construction so that states can apply for funds no matter what stage of development their project is in.

The guidance states that proposals will be considered on the merits for their ability to make trips quicker and more convenient reduce congestion on highways and at airports and meet other environmental, energy and safety goals. And it allows the USDOT to actively promote standard specifications for rail cars and other equipment.

The Federal Railroad Administration will award the first round of grants by mid-September.

June 17, 2009

BNSF spends almost $2 billion to maintain track network

There is always good news and bad news when people talk about trains, according to a story in the Frazee-Vergas Forum in Minnesota. They dislike the blaring horns in the night, yet they enjoy a standard of living that depends on efficient, economical methods of transportation.

Frazee is split by the tracks of the BNSF system, part of the railroad's key route from Chicago to Seattle. Normally, there are dozens of freight trains through the city each day, but lately the numbers have been reduced slightly - and they have proceeded more slowly - because of crews doing track maintenance and repair.

Last week, two "tie gangs" went through Frazee but residents may have been aware of only one. The first worked along 10 or more miles of track with the other trailing a few miles back. When the trailing crew reached the section of upgraded track, the front group then moved its machines ahead a few miles.

The current project began near the Twin Cities and is tentatively set to be finished at Moorhead June 26, after 230 miles of repairs and about 230,000 new ties put into place by more about 150 workers.

Each tie gang has 45 men and women running dozens of machines, with 30 support personnel, according to Dan Warren, project foreman for the group that did the work through Frazee. Sherry Ellis is the roadmaster for this section of BNSF track.

"We lay about 1,000 ties per mile and about two miles a day," Warren said.

While his group was approaching from the east, the second tie gang was near New York Mills, also moving westward.

Noting that he has men from Kansas, Texas, North and South Dakota, along with many from Minnesota on the team, he pointed out that machinery valued in the millions was doing the jobs that years ago were of the manual type. Some of the machines can "see inside the rails" to determine weak spots and imperfections.

"We do maintenance like this every 15-20 years," Warren emphasized. "In Texas, it is every eight years because they have 'super termites' down there."

Four mechanics keep the tie gang's apparatus going as it eats up the miles. The project kicked off near Minneapolis April 27, according to Steve Foresberg in the BNSF's Kansas City office. He said all of the track repair/maintenance efforts across the nation on his company's tracks will cost at least $1.5 billion this year, but he said it more likely would be at the $2 billion mark.

Foresberg noted that the operations on double-track stretches are easier for tie gangs to work on than single-track sections. On the latter, "windows" must be created which delay trains for hours while work is done; then crews move aside for what is usually a reduced number of units to pass.

The spokesman pointed out that it is not unusual for women to hold leadership positions with the railroad. And he cited some specific cases, with track foremen, engineers and roadmasters, just to name a few.

He said there are persons in his Kansas City office that are third-generation employees of BNSF. One interesting family situation occurred in Wyoming not long ago, with a young woman joining her mother piloting coal trains on the Powder River line.

"They often meet each other," he commented. "One has a full train going one way, while the other is returning with an empty to be loaded."

The roadmaster for this area, Sherry Ellis, has a supervisory job over a relatively long section of track, he explained.

"She oversees safety, maintenance, inspection and puts together estimates for work . . . and requests capital dollars for the work to be done," Foresberg said.

June 17, 2009

CSX expands DOC® Yard Automation System at Rice Yard

CSX Transportation has expanded its RailComm Domain Operations Controller (DOC®) system located at its Rice Yard in Waycross, Ga. RailComm has provided modifications to the existing DOC® server, adding control for 39 additional GETS HydraSwitch machines in the pull back and forwarding areas of the yard. The DOC® system includes redundant auto failover and eNtrance & eXit (NX) routing capability, providing a yard master with selection and cancellation control of individual and through routes within the controlled territory.

June 17, 2009

Amtrak promises better communication about projects

At an informational meeting Tuesday at Camp Rell in Niantic, Conn., Amtrak representatives said they have learned from problems with past projects and pledged to communicate better with the public, local media report. The meeting's aim was to notify people of two major projects coming up: the replacement of the Niantic River Bridge and the concrete-tie program in the Northeast Corridor. Those projects, and other small improvements, such as the painting of the Thames River Bridge, are happening now through 2013.

”What we're doing tonight and will keep doing is to allow you to express your concerns,” Amtrak Media Relations Manager Clifford Cole said. “We're here to listen, here to talk and here to let you know what's going on.”

Several times during the presentation, representatives from Amtrak apologized for the inconveniences residents of the Crescent Beach area have endured during past construction, saying they wanted to better communicate with residents who will be impacted by Amtrak's projects.

The largest of Amtrak's upcoming projects is the Niantic River Bridge replacement. Many of the questions by residents focused on the $105-million project, which will be funded by federal stimulus money. The two-track, electrified, bascule railroad bridge will be built south of the existing bridge. Amtrak will also replace a portion of the Niantic River Boardwalk that it will have to dismantle during construction.

Other questions included the impact the bridge replacement will have on boaters and railroad commuters, whether a tunnel could be put in to allow access to the beach, the possibility of a fishing pier and the likelihood of using a material for the boardwalk other than concrete, which has been proposed.

Cole said Amtrak is working on creating a Website about the Niantic River Bridge replacement that will notify people about delays and the construction process itself.

State Rep. Ed Jutila, D-East Lyme, and Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, asked Amtrak about its plan for bringing commuter rail service to New London. Representatives only said that there have been continuing discussions with the state Department of Transportation.

June 17, 2009

Provincial funding won't put Huron freight run back on track

The president of Huron Central Railway says he's not playing a game of chicken with the provincial government. Mario Brault really plans to pull up stakes, no matter what happens now, The Sault Star reports.

"I'm not making this announcement to negotiate with the government," said Brault from Sault Ste. Marie, where he had travelled from Montreal to meet local workers.

The company announced late Monday its 300-kilometer (186-mile) freight line between the Sault and Sudbury is no longer economically viable. Operations are to end Aug. 15 on the western segment of the railroad, to McKerrow. The eastern segment, from McKerrow to Sudbury, will continue to operate to Oct. 31 to accommodate the Domtar paper mill in Espanola. Essar Steel Algoma is the line's primary client, and shipments of plate and, primarily, coil recently dropped to two days a week in the wake of the lingering economic recession that has seen demand for steel virtually dry up.

Forty-five jobs are at stake, 22 of them based in Sault Ste. Marie.

Since 2006, and more loudly over the winter, Brault had called on the Ontario government to match commitments from Ottawa to share one-third of C$33 million costs to upgrade the tracks. It's so run down in places that trains have to reduce speeds to an estimated 10 kilometers an hour from an average of 25 km/h.

Shortline rail companies signed an agreement with the Quebec and federal governments two years ago that saw equal funding of $75 million to upgrade all the lines over five years; a plan to do the same here failed.

Brault stressed that even if the government were to commit at the 11th hour, it wouldn't be enough to keep Huron Central in the region. He said orders are down by half from a year ago, and that volumes were on a steady decline for the last three or four years, well before the slowdown that began in earnest last fall. Indeed, it's "been a difficult railway to operate" ever since Huron Central was created to lease it from Canadian Pacific railway in 1997.

Huron Central reported a $2.1 million operating loss in 2008, despite generating $7.4 million in revenue from handling about 16,000 carloads of freight.

Sault Ste. Marie Mayor John Rowswell has long championed track upgrades as among four local projects to turn Sault Ste. Marie into a hub of transportation. Rowswell expressed surprise, but remains unbowed as to the city's prospects.

"If it's not possible to get Huron Central to reconsider, it suggests someone else might be looking at this railroad -- and there will be someone else--because there will be funding to upgrade the tracks," said Rowswell.

The president of a group advocating for improvements to alternative transportation in Canada warned that once a rail line goes, it's almost certainly gone for good.

"Because maintenance stops, the line very rapidly gets to the point where it would be very costly to return to service. A railway has to be inspected continuously," said David Jeanes of Transport 2000 Canada.

Jeanes also asked stakeholders to consider the environmental effect of turning 16,000 rail cars into transport trucks, not to mention wear and tear on the road.

Sault MPP David Orazietti agreed rail transport eases pressure on road infrastructure, and said he and the rest of the provincial government's Northern caucus supports improved railbeds in Northern Ontario.

However, actual dollars "is something that to this point has been evasive. "That money should be flowing," said Orazietti, at a funding announcement for Ontario highways. "What we don't want is more pressure on our highway infrastructure."

June 16, 2009

Amtrak may have to save certain parts of rail bridge

Even though Amtrak objected to the Niantic River Bridge in Connecticut being placed on the National Register of Historic Places, officials might still have to follow some of the protocols as if it were, The Day in New London, Conn. reports.

In 2001, the National Park Service determined that the railroad bridge, built in 1907, was eligible to be listed on the National Register. But it never made it onto the final list, according to Stacey Vairo, the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism's State and National Register coordinator, because of “owner objection.”

Amtrak owns the bridge and for almost 10 years has been planning its replacement. But the project, which is poised to begin, must be approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection and is also subject to review by the Culture and Tourism Commission. The DEP is reviewing a revised application submitted by Amtrak a couple of weeks ago.

In 2001, the commission's Historic Preservation and Museum Division recommended that Amtrak preserve any electrical, mechanical or historical components of the existing bridge and document the structure for state and local archives. The division is empowered by federal and state law to function as Connecticut's Historic Preservation Office.

Once the plans are approved by the DEP, the culture and tourism commission will review the project and finalize its recommendations on what Amtrak must try to preserve from the 102-year-old, chain-driven, through-girder Scherzer rolling-lift bascule bridge, according to Micheal Grzywinski, a senior DEP environmental analyst.

Grzywinski said Amtrak and the DEP are aware of the bridge's historic significance, but he doesn't see any problems with the groups addressing the commission's concerns. He said he isn't sure it will be feasible to remove the historic chain-driven mechanism from the bridge, but it could instead be preserved through photos and renderings.

The bridge was designed by the Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge Co. of Chicago for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co. and is the only chain-driven version out of seven Scherzer bridges in the Northeast, according to the Connecticut Historical Commission.

Waterford Town Clerk Robert Nye suggested the chain-driven mechanism be preserved as a sculpture.

First Selectman Paul Formica said he had no problem with preserving the historical aspects of the bridge but said that, for safety reasons, the span needs to be replaced.

The $105-million project, funded with federal stimulus money, will replace the existing bridge and realign the tracks leading up to it. Amtrak will also replace the portion of the Niantic River Boardwalk that it dismantles during construction.

June 16, 2009

Ground broken for rebuilding of SEPTA’s Croydon station

SEPTA officials and local politicians formally broke ground yesterday for a $12-million reconstruction of the Croydon train station, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Bucks County project marks one of the first major local uses of federal stimulus funding, which is contributing about $8.5 million toward the station improvements. The Croydon station is one of 32 SEPTA projects being funded with $191 million in stimulus money.

With new heated passenger shelters, high-level platforms, and the reconstruction of an adjacent intersection, the project is a boon to the struggling Lower Bucks community. Local officials hope it will create more jobs and more development.

The improvements will include a new underground drainage system to reduce frequent flooding in the area, a "privacy wall" to screen the new parking lot from nearby homes, elevated sidewalks, adjacent off-street bus-turnout lanes, new bus shelters, accessible ramps, and landscaping, lighting, signage, and communications systems.

The station project, which is creating 108 local jobs with 22 contractors, is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2011.

June 16, 2009

Modernization necessary to reduce bottlenecks, improve security

The long-term efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. freight transportation system is threatened by bottlenecks, inefficient use of some parts of the infrastructure components, vulnerability to disruptions, and crucial environmental and energy concerns, according to a study issued on June 9 by the RAND Corporation.

The U.S. freight transportation system moves about $40 billion worth of goods each day, with delays and uncertainty in the performance of the system translating into higher prices for consumers and reduced productivity, according to researchers.

"Improvements to infrastructure are important, but it's also critical to ensure that the existing infrastructure is used efficiently," said Richard J. Hillestad, lead author of the study and a senior principal researcher with RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

The study concludes that there are four freight transportation and infrastructure issues that are particularly critical to address:
• Increasing the capacity of the United States' national and international freight systems through a combination of operational improvements and selected infrastructure enhancement
• Creating an adaptable, less-vulnerable and more-resilient freight transportation system
• Addressing the energy and environmental issues associated with freight transportation
• Making the case for public and private investment in supply-chain infrastructure and establishing sustainable priorities for funding.

The research was supported by the Dow Chemical Company, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Union Pacific, the Port of Long Beach and the Port of Los Angeles.

June 16, 2009

Proposed high-speed train to connect Detroit, Lansing

The age of the Jetsons could finally be upon us, according to a local media report. You could soon speed down I-96 in a space-age tube in what's being called the next step in American transportation. Michigan State University History Professor Dr. James Anderson said, "It represents the greatest advance in ground transportation since the beginning of the American railroad system."

The historian saying: buy in, talking about a system of high-speed cars on elevated rails built along existing freeways.

"It's revolutionary in its fuel source," said Dr. Anderson.

The fuel source is hydrogen harvested through the power of the sun.
Solar panels would be mounted along the rails. Between Detroit and Lansing alone, the equivalent of 175 acres of panels would soak up the solar energy.

Connie Murry Cole, company representative at a recent meeting on the project, said it's a chance for Michigan to be bold,

"Yes it's going to happen. Whether it happens here in Michigan is the question," she said.

Interstate Traveler Company, the company behind the zooming railcars, is not going to the state asking for money. Instead they're asking to use the rights of way at on- and off-ramps as traveler stations, and the space next to and perhaps above the freeways as a space to build the rails.

At the meeting, Rep. Wayne Schmidt said it's hands off the people's purse: "If they ask for public money, public financing, grants...whatever, the deal is off."

The railway would be privately financed, meaning the state would commit little, if anything at all, in the form of cash.

The first lines would connect Detroit, Lansing and Ann Arbor.

June 16, 2009

Proposed EPA regulations threaten cement industry

A proposed hazardous air pollutant regulation for the cement industry undermines the balance between environmental protection and economic viability, according to statements the Portland Cement Association is issuing this week at a series of public hearings.

Last month the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced amendments to the national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for the portland cement manufacturing industry. It requires new emission standards for mercury, total hydrocarbons, hydrochloric acid and particulate matter.

The regulations, as published, are based on a new approach to setting regulatory standards that results in excessively stringent and costly requirements. If adopted, the standards would undermine the stability of the domestic cement industry, endangering thousands of jobs.

Industry studies have shown the new guidelines could lead to forced closure of plants, creating hardship in cities throughout the country.

U.S. cement production and its related industries employ tens of thousands of Americans and produce a product that is absolutely essential to many of the infrastructure construction projects identified by the Obama administration and the Congress as important to the nation’s economic recovery. To meet expected demand, the U.S. will need to produce 30 percent more cement by 2020.

“If this rule is adopted, domestic cement supply will be constrained and investments in cement capacity expansion avoided, causing the stimulus package to advance fewer projects with less jobs created,” Andy O’Hare, PCA vice president for regulatory affairs. “A reasonable rule – building on the good record of current regulatory programs and setting achievable standards based on demonstrated achieved emissions control strategies – would not act at cross-purposes to economic recovery.”

At a series of public hearings held this week by the EPA, the industry will recommend the rule be revised to reflect real world data about what controls can be placed on cement kilns and the emissions control levels that can be achieved in practice with those controls. It will call for emission standards based on demonstrated emission control strategies and on logical subcategorization of cement plants, as required under the Clean Air Act, to ensure that standards are both reasonable and achievable.

“The cement industry takes its environmental performance seriously,” O’Hare said. “During the last decade, cement plants have successful addressed the rising demand for portland cement while developing and implementing environmentally and socially responsible business practices. The industry has invested in technology to reduce air emissions, minimize waste production, recycle and recover inputs, enhance energy efficiency, and conserve natural resources – all the while producing a reliable and affordable supply of building materials to support our economy.”

June 16, 2009

Genesee & Wyoming to discontinue operations of Huron Central

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said that its subsidiary Huron Central Railway Inc. intends to discontinue operations. The downturn in the economy has caused the Huron Central's traffic to decline substantially over the last 12 months, to the point that the railroad is not economically viable to operate for the long term.

In the year ended December 31, 2008, HCRY handled approximately 16,000 carloads, generated revenues of $7.4 million and incurred a $2.1 million operating loss.

HCRY has operated the 173-mile railroad from Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, under a lease agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway since 1997. The companies are working closely together and with customers to affect an orderly cessation of operations.

HCRY will cease operations between McKerrow and Sault Ste. Marie on August 15, 2009 . It will continue operation of the eastern segment of the railroad from Sudbury to McKerrow and Espanola until October 31, 2009. The closure will ultimately eliminate 45 jobs at HCRY.

GWI owns and operates shortline and regional freight railroads in the United States, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands and owns a minority interest in a railroad in Bolivia. Operations currently include 63 railroads organized in nine regions, with more than 6,800 miles of owned and leased track and approximately 3,100 additional miles under track access arrangements. GWI provides rail service at 16 ports in North America and Europe and performs contract coal loading and railcar switching for industrial customers.

June 16, 2009

Bridgewater, N.Y., residents look to develop railway corridor

Local officials say they support a developer's initiative to put life back into an unused railway corridor in southern Oneida County, N.Y. Nearly 50 people, including local politicians, members of the Bridgewater Historical Society and state transportation officials, gathered at the Bridgewater railroad station to tour the proposed railway initiative, which runs through several municipalities.

Ben Gottfried, owner of Utica, Chenango and Susquehanna Valley LLC, said he and his business partner, Ronald Sadlon, have purchased 18 miles of old railroad track and plan to develop it into a recreational and tourism attraction. The railway was purchased from Central New York Railroad Corp., a private company. Gottfried would not disclose the amount paid for the corridor, which runs through the town of Bridgewater, the village of Bridgewater, the town of Plainfield, the town of Winfield, the village of West Winfield, the town of Columbia and the town of Richfield.

The pair formed the company because of the railway corridor, Gottfried has said.

The tour was an opportunity to encourage support for the railway corridor's use.

“The reason for the tour is to bring the public's attention to the corridor as an economic development resource,” Gottfried said. “This is a coalition effort to bring the communities and the public together to find a vision, a mission and then funding.”

Dale DeKing, Bridgewater town supervisor, is behind the effort to turn the corridor into a tourism attraction. He added that the railroad tracks have been a problem for most communities because of the associated hazards, including four-wheeler riders using the site for recreation.

Sharon Heyboer, transportation analyst for the state Department of Transportation's regional office in Utica, said the state supports multiuse trail projects that involve transportation.

June 16, 2009

SBB selects Intergraph® Technology to manage rail assets

SBB, Switzerland’s biggest travel and transport company, will implement Intergraph® next-generation infrastructure management technology to geospatially capture and manage assets for the Swiss railway, which supports the transport of 9,000 trains per day and 306 million passengers a year. With assets including more than 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) of rail, 5,200 buildings and 28,000 employees – just to name a few – the project will result in the largest geographic information system (GIS) in the country.

Keeping track of and up-to-date on every asset that makes up such an extensive transportation network is a challenging proposition, according to SBB. The availability of current data that enables users to access key information at the right time, in the right form and through the appropriate medium is becoming increasingly crucial for the operation of the railway.

SBB sought a solution built on an open architecture that would enable the Swiss railway to comply with industry standards, easily integrate data with its Oracle platform and allow for simple access to geographic information across the enterprise. After evaluating multiple solutions, SBB determined Intergraph G/Technology was best suited to meet its requirements.

Intergraph G/Technology supports universal standards such as the Open Geospatial Consortium standard. The technology leverages the power of Oracle’s database capabilities, and geographic data from the system can be seamlessly utilized across a wide variety of applications for flexible access to spatial information. G/Technology will be used by SBB to build an inventory for all spatial and property-related assets concerning the construction, planning, maintenance, renovation and operation of the Swiss rail infrastructure.

June 16, 2009

Vossloh Fastening Systems (China) Co. Ltd. wins megaorder

Subject to possible formal objection, Vossloh Fastening Systems (China) Co. Ltd. has been awarded a high-speed rail fastener system megacontract from China’s Ministry of Railways. The contract is worth a total of around $236 million and shipments will be made between 2009 and 2011. The necessary agreements will be signed within the coming weeks.

Vossloh has been contracted to equip most of the Beijing–Shanghai rail link.

June 15, 2009

UP investing $9 million in Wisconsin track

Union Pacific is investing more than $9 million in track improvements made to its Altoona-to-Humbird, Wis., line. When the project is complete, crews will have removed and installed more than 25,000 ties, spread 15,600 tons of rock ballast, upgraded the rail, renewed the road surfaces at 50 crossings and replaced 12 switches. Work began on the project June 13 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of October.

Union Pacific invested more than $25 million for capital projects in Wisconsin in 2008.

June 15, 2009

New rail lines spur urban revival

When it was incorporated in 1913, Carrollton, Tex., was a thriving farm community. Three freight railroad lines intersected to help farmers get their grain, livestock and cotton to market. Today this city of around 123,000 people, just 14 miles north of Dallas, is again looking to the rail lines for its economic prosperity, the New York Times reports.

In April, the Carrollton City Council approved a $38-million mixed-use development next to a commuter rail station being erected downtown. The station is Carrollton’s main gateway to the 28-mile Green Line, a $1.8-billion expansion of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. After the line’s scheduled completion in late 2010, it will link Carrollton with downtown and southern Dallas.

City officials hope the railway and new development — which will include four buildings with a total of 295 apartments, a parking garage, a public park and retail space — will breathe life into a city center that empties after dark.

The project in Carrollton is among many nationwide to be planned around new and existing light rail lines. These so-called transit-oriented developments, along with downtown revitalization plans, tap into a move toward more pedestrian-friendly, urban-style living.

While the credit crisis has halted many housing developments — notably subdivisions and stand-alone condominium buildings — some projects that are going forward are linked to broader revitalization or transit-related efforts.

“People have rediscovered cities and urban living,” said Shelley Poticha, the president of Reconnecting America, a nonprofit organization focused on integrating transportation systems with communities they serve.

The use of public transportation has been rising. In 2007, Americans took 10.3 billion trips on public transit, the highest number in 50 years, according to the American Public Transportation Association. And the Obama administration has pledged $8 billion toward high-speed rail projects as part of its economic stimulus program.

But some communities have been taking matters into their own hands. Ms. Poticha’s organization has tallied some $250 billion worth of light-rail, streetcar or high-speed bus projects being planned nationwide.
Many cities are inspired by the success of Denver; Charlotte, N.C.; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City and others in combining transit and development to revitalize downtowns and suburbs.

This past week, Denver has been host to an annual gathering of the Congress for the New Urbanism, a nonprofit that promotes alternatives to sprawl. When it last held its conference in Denver a little more than a decade ago, few people lived in the downtown core around the historic Union Station. Since then, Denver has embarked on a $4.7-billion expansion of its transit system, funded by a 0.4 percent sales tax increase approved by voters in 2004. The program, FasTracks, will add 122 miles of light rail, as well as new bus service, and is scheduled to be completed by 2017. The city is also overseeing a $1 billion redevelopment of Union Station.

Along the rail line, mixed-use communities have sprouted, such as Stapleton, a $5-billion development on the site of the former Stapleton International Airport, which closed in 1995. Shops and restaurants in downtown Denver are lively long after the workday has ended, and neighborhoods like Central Platte Valley, just northwest of downtown, are still being developed.

“It’s been transformative,” said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. He anticipates 50 transit-oriented developments to be built around FasTracks over the next decade.

Urban-style development may be the brightest spot in a generally gloomy market. A recent survey of developers and investors by the Urban Land Institute for its annual Emerging Trends in Real Estate report found that urban redevelopment had the best prospects among all types of housing, while urban mixed-use properties and town centers scored high among niche property types.

The most successful projects do more than build housing near transit stations. They take pains to create livable neighborhoods, with parks, paths, retail stores and places for people to gather. “Place-making is key,” Ms. Poticha said. That often requires collaboration between local governments and private developers. Local governments might invest in transit, parks and infrastructure, revise zoning laws and offer financial incentives in return for a developer taking the risk of building in an unproven area.

Both sides can benefit: city participation may help developers raise funds in a tight market, while the investment can both raise tax revenue for the city and attract employers and young professionals.

Of course, many municipalities are feeling pinched these days. Increased costs have forced Denver to look for additional funding for its ambitious plans, while in Charlotte, city officials may delay construction of one of two planned rail lines.

For Carrollton, the issue was how to avoid a tax hike. Over the years, the city set aside about $13.5 million for development of a parking garage, park and other infrastructure. High Street Residential, a unit of the Trammell Crow Company that focuses on the development of urban villages, is assuming the rest of the $38 million tab and construction.

The city also waived many standard fees associated with the project. The city’s investment, according to Art Lomenick, president of High Street Residential, helps keep rents down. (The firm is in negotiations with lenders to secure financing for the project). Carrollton, too, will gain. It will lease the parking garage back to Trammell Crow and get a 7 percent slice of profits. It also estimates that the new development, along with two other transit stations being built in other parts of town, will represent $1.3 billion in increased value to the city.

June 15, 2009

Union Pacific to bid on Santa Teresa, N.M., land

Union Pacific plans to bid on land for its new rail facility in Santa Teresa, N.M., during the summer, the first major step toward construction of a project that would move some operations away from Downtown El Paso, local newspapers report. Acquiring the land for the facility has taken longer than expected, Luis Heredia, Union Pacific corporate relations director.

"The investment required for the entire project also has doubled, from $150 million to about $300 million," he said. "We need 2,200 acres."

The land originally was owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which swapped the acreage for other land from the New Mexico State Land Office. After that, the state must put the land up for auction.

The railroad's core operations include fueling, switching and maintenance. The first project to break ground will be a fueling facility. Next will come an intermodal block swap, and, last, an intermodal ramp to allow trains to transfer cargo onto trucks.

Although, Union Pacific is on a work group that's looking at a possible international rail crossing at Santa Teresa-San Jeronimo, Heredia made it clear that concept is further into the future.

"The investment Union Pacific is making is an east-west investment," he said.

Union Pacific does not plan to give up its El Paso rail yard, which provides cross-border rail service between Juarez and El Paso, and rail connections to other U.S. destinations.

The railroad project is a key component of the border industrial development plans at Santa Teresa, N.M., and San Jeronimo, Mexico.

The reasons Union Pacific chose Santa Teresa over other sites include the relatively flat terrain, its proximity to a main line track, an industrial-designated location and few road and utility conflicts.

As an incentive, the New Mexico Legislature approved a diesel fuel exemption for the railroad, which Texas also provides.

June 15, 2009

Flood mitigation project No. 1 priority in Iowa City

The biggest threat to Coralville, Iowa, during a flood is the Iowa River. That's why raising the CRANDIC Railroad embankment and building walls along the Iowa River from the Iowa River Power Co. restaurant to behind the Vine Tavern & Eatery is the No. 1 priority, City Engineer Dan Holderness said, according to local newspapers.

The CRANDIC Railroad embankment was high enough to hold floodwater back in 1993, but when the water overtook the stormwater pumps last year, floodwater spilled over the railroad, damaging businesses along that section of the strip and flooding Highway 6 with several feet of water. The flooding throughout Coralville affected about 200 businesses and 400 residences. At the height of the flood, entire neighborhoods, First Avenue, the Coralville strip and many side streets were submerged in several feet of water.

All of the CRANDIC flood mitigation project components -- a total of 5,000 feet in length -- will seek to hold Mother Nature back in the future, reaching to one foot above the 2008 flood elevation -- also known as the 500-year flood level, Holderness said.

One portion of the project will be to raise the railroad track from behind the Vine to the south boundary of Hawkeye Ready-Mix Inc., he said. The highest point, behind the Heartland Inn, will reach seven feet, he said. The railroad has been in place there for more than 100 years, Holderness said, and trains continue to travel the track two to three times a week, but not daily like they used to.

The top two to three feet under the tracks is made up of ballast rock -- big, irregular shaped rock, he said. CRANDIC standards dictate that the top two feet of the railroad embankment is rock, Holderness said.

"It was never designed as a flood control structure," Holderness said.
To change that, the city is looking at a couple of different flood-proofing options.

One possibility is lining the bank with clay, to prevent water from getting through the rock. Another option is building a slurry wall, where a wall would vertically cut through the center of the rock to stop the water before it could travel completely through the railroad embankment. The third option is to build a concrete flood wall, separate from the railroad embankment, Holderness said.

Cost will be the determining factor for which option the city chooses to go with, he said.

Holderness said the city is working the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co. -- CRANDIC -- to maintain some semblance of service for them throughout the construction.

The project also will include extending the city's CRANDIC trail north, including a pedestrian bridge across Clear Creek -- a separate structure from the railroad bridge.

An earthen berm will be constructed along the north side of Clear Creek up the Iowa River to the MidAmerican Energy substation. An earthen berm, a buildup of compacted dirt, is the most economical and typical type of flood wall, he said.

From there, a permanent concrete flood wall will be built because it takes up less right-of-way along the MidAmerican buildings, Holderness said.

The idea is to continue a concrete wall in the bank of the river north to where the Iowa River Power Co. restaurant is located, but the permanent flood wall elevation will reach only one foot above the 100-year flood level, keeping it below the windows that look out over the river.

The city applied for a $7.2-million Economic Development Administration grant for the CRANDIC flood mitigation project, and there are indications the city will get the money, he said.

June 15, 2009

Are intermodal facility plans on or off the rails in Jefferson County?

New Market, in Jefferson County, Tenn., could not be more appropriately named, say officials for Norfolk Southern Corp., the company that wants to build a state-of-the-art freight transfer facility there, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

The intermodal facility would help open up new markets for the railroad in what it is calling the Crescent Corridor, which roughly represents the span between Interstates 95 and 85 on the east and 81, 75 and 59 on the west, running from New Jersey to New Orleans.

Well and good, say residents of the scenic county northeast of Knoxville. Economic development, job creation and a stronger tax base are exactly the goals the county should be trying to achieve. But some question the cost, both in county expenditures and in the loss of prime agricultural land, some of which has been in the same families for many generations. One family can document ownership of their farm since 1839.

The $2.5-billion Crescent Corridor is "the single highest-priority corporate project" Norfolk Southern has, said Rob Martinez, the company's vice president for business development. And the New Market site for the intermodal facility would be a key component - although not the largest such facility - in the corridor project.

Building a freight terminal in New Market is not a done deal, but it is the favorite out of several possible East Tennessee sites for the facility, Martinez said.

Martinez said Norfolk Southern identifies possible intermodal sites based on the flatness of the land. In addition, the land must be on the same grade as and adjacent to a main rail line.

"And we want over two miles of uninterrupted, contiguous" main line with limited grade crossings or some that could be closed.

"We scoured all the properties from Knoxville to Greene County," he said, "and the best is New Market."

Harold Taylor, a county commissioner in whose District 6 part of the facility would be located, said he has placed the intermodal site on the panel's agenda for Monday night at the Jefferson County Courthouse in Dandridge "to see if we can get any discussion from the administrative staff or anyone else who knows anything."

A recent report on the proposed facility done by the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Tennessee and funded by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce and Norfolk Southern indicates that the county would have to spend as much as $23 million on infrastructure if the intermodal site is built.

Martinez said as many as 77 Norfolk Southern jobs could be created there and up to 1,700 jobs at related companies in Jefferson and surrounding counties. He said it could have a total income as high as $60 million a year. Eventually, thousands of jobs could be created "that could keep people's kids in East Tennessee instead of going to Nashville or Atlanta.” Martinez said light and noise problems can be mitigated easily when the facility is built. contaminated if there is a spill.

Martinez said the railroad will comply with all state and federal environmental laws and that there will be no danger to nearby streams such as Beaver Creek or Lost Creek.

Martinez said people should keep the bigger economic picture in mind and be aware that the New Market site would be much smaller than the Memphis or Birmingham terminals. The Memphis facility would handle six times the freight of the proposed New Market terminal.

"(New Market) will be a clean facility," Martinez said, "not a gritty rail yard."

June 15, 2009

Village of Frankfort, Ill., takes first step in Quiet Zone process

Frankfort, Ill., administrators got the ball rolling on a study looking at sound mitigation options regarding Canadian National Railway, local newspapers report. Village staff members recently met with representatives of the Robert E. Hamilton Consulting Engineers organization to begin the feasibility study timeline as part of the sound mitigation program.

The initial meeting set a four-month timeline for completion of the study, in addition to an outline of the Quiet Zone process. The study will take several steps, including an extensive engineering review and subsequent construction of safety devices where applicable.

An inventory of the crossings is underway, with an evaluation of the scheduled crossing upgrades to be completed at the end of June. Study findings will reveal which rail intersections require improvements and upgrades, to eliminate the need for conductors to sound horns at each intersection.

The engineering process will include the review of options, risk index at each crossing, as well as safety improvement recommendations and impact. The entire Quiet Zone process will likely take 18 to 24 months for completion.

Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland noted the study as the first step in a lengthy process. Study results will reveal to the Village options to make crossings safer, which might include unmountable medians that would prevent cars from driving around the gates.

After the Village has reviewed the findings, they will present to the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Illinois Railroad Commission. Both will decide if the findings are accurate and ask for specifics.

A second engineering study would follow, Holland said, with communication with CN.

In addition to supporting Frankfort’s application for a Quiet Zone, CN has agreed to reimburse Frankfort for all necessary funds spent on engineering and construction of the safety vices.

The Village would ask that all intersections with the railroad from Harlem to 116th Avenue would be included in the Quiet Zone.

“It could cost a considerable amount of money,” Holland said, of CN’s commitment.

If CN approves the expenditures, construction will take place. At completion, the Village will formally apply for a Quiet Zone.

“This thing takes 18 to 24 months,” Holland said, “and we’re only about two months into it. So we’ve got a ways to go. I wouldn’t promise anything less than two years, because we’re working with state and federal governments, and a railroad.”

Village Administrator Jerry Ducay continues to meet with individual homeowners along the tracks to discuss sound mitigation options.

June 15, 2009

Fremont, Neb., viaduct still years away

It will still be more than two years before Fremont, Neb., residents see the evidence of a bond issue voters approved in January 2008, according to the Fremont Tribune.

Fremont Department of Public Works director Clark Boschult said a viaduct over BNSF tracks and Fremont and Elkhorn Valley Railroad tracks on West 23rd Street is still a few steps away from any construction beginning.

"We’re still in the environmental assessment phase," Boschult said. "Hopefully, we’re just a few months away from that phase being complete."

After the environmental study is completed, engineering and design of the viaduct and adjoining street arteries can begin, he said.

Engineering and design of the project will take about a year, he said. As the engineering and design nears completion, city staff can begin acquiring the properties needed for the viaduct. Some properties can be acquired when engineering is in initial phases. Those properties that are entire relocations, where the city buys the entire property and pays to relocate the business, can be acquired first. Negotiations for those properties can begin once the environmental assessments are approved.

Negotiations for other properties can’t begin until city staff knows exactly how much of which properties will be needed.

The viaduct is expected to cost about $11 million with construction costs estimated at $8.75 million. The rest of the total cost estimate is for the structure’s design, additional roadway design, purchase of rights-of-way, building demolition and relocating businesses.

The viaduct construction cost estimate includes building new sections of Somers Avenue and Airport Road.

BNSF executives have pledged to shift the company’s tracks near West 23rd Street east to allow the city to shorten the viaduct and so that Somers Avenue can better align with Airport Road.

However, with the federal funding and help from BNSF, the crossing at Linden Avenue will be closed. Boschult said the Linden Avenue crossing will remain open until viaduct construction is completed.

The viaduct will be built as a four-lane structure, said Boschult, who added there are now three lanes leading up to the crossing. Estimated construction time for the viaduct is two years.

June 15, 2009

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. acquires CEMEX aggregate operations

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. has acquired three quarries plus the remaining 49-percent interest in an existing joint venture from CEMEX, Inc. The purchase price for the assets of the three quarries plus the 49-percent interest was $65 million. Estimated mineral reserves are 255 million tons.

The quarry operations are located at Fort Calhoun, Neb.; Guernsey, Wyo.; and Milford, Utah. Guernsey and Milford are rail-connected quarries while Fort Calhoun ships material via barge on the Missouri River in addition to its local and long-haul truck market in Nebraska. The 49-percent interest purchased relates to the Granite Canyon, Wyo., quarry where Martin Marietta is the operating manager. Granite Canyon is a major supplier of railroad ballast serving both the Union Pacific and BNSF. Aggregate shipments in 2008, including the partial interest only in Granite Canyon, were 3.3 million tons.

June 15, 2009

A bridge too low

The Bluefield, W.Va., city board of directors voted during its regular session to enter into an agreement with Norfolk Southern to remove the Belcher Bridge that connects Princeton Avenue in the city’s East End with Hardy Street on the city’s North Side, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reports.

NS needed to raise or remove the old Belcher Bridge that previously served the former Belcher Lumber Company, and continues to serve families living in that area. Brian Cochran, Bluefield city solicitor said that the NS proposal would result in giving the city enough funds to improve Hardy Street in that area to provide better access for residents living there to the other bridges in the city.

“I see it as a win-win situation for the city,” Ron Crabtree, a lame duck member of the board said. “If we get Hardy Street renovated over there, that will help the residents. We still have four bridges to serve the residents, and this will benefit the city.”

Crabtree said he wasn’t totally convinced that bridge removal was the proper course at first, but after seeing the railroad’s proposal, he recognized that it will benefit the city, and was in favor of it.

Cochran said that the NS agreement will also provide the city with more flexibility when it comes to replacing the Martin Luther King, Jr., Bridge that crosses the NS Bluefield yard at North Mercer Street.

“This is a good proposal for the city,” Art Riley, president of the Downtown Bluefield Merchants Association said. “The railroad needs that additional space to get those taller intermodal trains through here.”

NS started construction on the Heartland Corridor Project in the fall of 2007, and is hailed as “one of the most significant railroad engineering projects of modern times,” according to Tim Drake, NS vice president of engineering. The project involved enlarging and/or eliminating railroad tunnels and removing or elevating existing bridges to provide the necessary clearance. NS hopes to complete the project early next year.

June 15, 2009

Northstar commuter rail work continues

Work is continuing on Northstar commuter rail in the Twin Cities area. On June 12, crews closed the Warehouse Light Rail Transit station to connect the overhead catenary systems of the LRT extension and the current system.

The first two Northstar coach cars arrived at the Vehicle Maintenance Facility. The remaining 16 cars will be delivered later this summer.

This week, OCS installation continues. Electrical work and shelter painting also continue at the LRT station. Crews continued LRT track work and commuter rail shelter painting is finished. Glass and signage installation at the commuter rail station will begin next week.

In Coon Rapids, glass installation has been completed in the pedestrian overpass and outbound station shelters. Installation in the inbound station shelter and elevator installation continues. Work is nearing completion on the outbound side. Crews planted trees, shrubs and flowers in the station planter beds.

In Anoka, landscaping work continues. Crews are paving the final course of asphalt on both parking lots.

In Elk River, crews continued painting and roofing the station shelters. Glass installation began and will continue through the week of June 15. Landscapers have delivered trees to the station site.

At the Big Lake station, crews are testing the station electrical and communication systems.

In Fridley, crews finished the walls for the center and west head houses and will backfill around the head houses. Work on the east head house walls began. Crews continued work on the west parking lot this week, placing class five and pouring the curb and gutter. Crews plan to lay the first course of asphalt the week of June 15.

June 15, 2009

Money remains obstacle for Scranton-NYC railway

Now that planners have shown the potential environmental damage won’t thwart a Scranton-to-Hoboken passenger railroad, they might be able to concentrate on the real stumbling block: money, according too local newspapers.

“The next phase is the financing,” said Larry Malski, president of the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority.

If the estimated $550 million project is to really get going, Pennsylvania and New Jersey officials will have to refine cost estimates, figure out what the states’ and federal shares should be and commit to paying their shares.

Finding the money is key to convincing the Federal Transit Administration to rate the project. The FTA issues ratings of low, medium-low, medium, medium-high and high to designate whether a project deserves federal funding and the level it deserves. The criteria include whether a project makes travel easier or serves low-income households, reduces pollution, is cost-effective, boosts economic development and supports existing uses of land. The federal government typically contributes up to 50 percent to train projects, depending on their worthiness.

But the project “won’t proceed” without a local financial commitment, FTA spokesman Dave Longo said.

The states have held off getting serious about money at least until an environmental impact study is finished and approved by the FTA. That approval still hasn’t happened, but the final part of the environmental study is done and ready for public comment. Planners say the project won’t have any significant environmental effect. New Jersey Transit, which would run the train, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation both say they haven’t yet come up with the money.

The project is likely to be constructed in phases rather than all at once, Malski said. Design of construction plans for a seven-mile portion of the 28-mile former Lackawanna Cutoff that starts in Port Morris, N.J., has begun and construction is expected to start next year. The cutoff, known for its straightness that allows faster travel, is the only major part of the route from here to Hoboken that still has no tracks. The next phase will likely concentrate on restoring tracks on the rest of the cutoff to connect Port Morris and Delaware Water Gap, he said.

Doing that would give the project a foothold in Pennsylvania and connect the Poconos, home to many people who commute to work in New York City and northern New Jersey. A study showed about 2,800 riders a day would use the train by 2025.

Malski said the plan remains to build the railroad all the way to Scranton, crediting U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Bob Casey for pushing to keep the project moving ahead. Tracks between Scranton and Delaware Water Gap are in place, though they would have to be upgraded for passenger trains, he said.

June 15, 2009

BART begins work in South San Francisco, Orinda

During the next two months at BART’s South San Francisco Station, crews will be constructing a portion of a regional bicycle path through the southern most parking lot along Mission Road. Beginning June 15, BART will temporarily close off spaces in this lot except for the disabled and carpool spaces. Additional parking spaces are available on the upper level of the parking garage.

Also at this time, to accommodate the bike path, the agency will install a new concrete crosswalk on the entrance road leading to the parking structure from Mission Road.

Beginning on June 15, BART will repave and restripe the parking lots at Orinda Station, which will severely limit parking at this station. The agency scheduled this project for June to cause as little disruption to customers as possible since ridership is typically lower in the summer than other times of the year. BART will do the work in six phases, each lasting approximately one to two weeks.

June 12, 2009

NCRR improving corridor with $18 million in capital projects

The North Carolina Railroad Company, working with public and private partners, currently has more than $18 million of construction projects under way for the third and fourth quarters of 2009. The projects include straightening a section of track to improve train speeds, upgrades on eight bridges, building a pedestrian underpass and construction of a holding track to expand capacity.

“With construction costs down and the ready availability of a quality workforce, this is a good time to initiate construction projects for which our funds have been obligated, while at the same time creating jobs,” says Scott Saylor, NCRR President. “These projects will benefit both freight and passenger rail service while improving safety and supporting economic development across the state.”

Projects that will be under construction during the latter half of 2009 include:
• A transfer track under construction in Raleigh near Boylan Junction will increase capacity, allowing a large Triangle employer to continue to ship by rail. It will improve a rail bottleneck in downtown Raleigh.
• Straightening a curve in Kinston will improve clearances and speeds from 10 mph to 25 mph.
• Upgrading two bridges to improve clearances—one over the Neuse River in Johnston County and one in Burlington.
• An additional six bridges between Raleigh and the Port at Morehead City are scheduled for upgrades to accommodate today’s heavier railcars and better manage water flows of rivers and streams.
• Improving grade crossings from Selma to Morehead City, planned jointly with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Rail Division and Norfolk Southern Railway. The goal of the project is to promote safety by adding or upgrading signals and gates, and in some cases, closing crossings.
• A pedestrian underpass in Alamance County, a joint project in partnership with Elon University, will improve safety as the university expands, enabling pedestrians to use the underpass to avoid passenger and freight trains.
• A rail/truck loading ramp and spur track in Kinston will provide access to the Spirit AreoSystems site and the Global TransPark, enhancing a major economic development initiative in Eastern North Carolina.
• A track improvement project in Dover, N.C., is to be completed in June that will improve drainage along the corridor downtown. A newly-installed retaining wall will support the track and protect the rail bed.

As a follow up to last year’s commuter rail feasibility study, NCRR will move forward with a market ridership study for 140 miles of its rail corridor, considering service segments between Goldsboro, Raleigh, Durham, Research Triangle Park, Chapel Hill, Burlington and Greensboro. A cost study conducted in 2008 determined that it was possible to operate commuter rail service on the same tracks that already carry Norfolk Southern freight trains and Amtrak passenger trains if enough passing tracks, bridge improvements and crossing upgrades were added. This study is to gauge the interest and market for potential riders.

“The market ridership study will provide information to a seven-county area about how increased use of the railroad could take pressure off of our crowded roads,” Saylor says.

The North Carolina Railroad Company owns and manages the 317-mile rail corridor extending from Morehead City to Charlotte. The railroad carries 70 freight trains and eight passenger trains daily.

June 12, 2009

Best Way Engineering dashboard honored by Computerworld

A BNSF Engineering initiative to modernize reporting and improve network reliability has received Computerworld Honor Program recognition. Finalists from 39 countries from around the world were represented in the prestigious award ceremony held June 1 in Washington, D.C., according to BNSF News.

BNSF's Engineering Department developed the Best Way Engineering dashboard (formerly Maintenance Excellence) to provide a more reliable network, improve productivity and maximize asset utilization. The dashboard was developed as the backbone for Best Way in Engineering.

"The dashboard improves maintenance planning and scheduling," said Ron Ostberg, manager, Engineering Metrics. "The dashboard provides one-stop shopping for measuring improvement in all four steps of the process: demand capture, planning, execution and close-out."

The complexity of BNSF's network infrastructure requires careful coordination and planning to maintain. Prior to the dashboard's development and implementation, locations depended on manually produced reports with data up to two weeks old.

"The dashboard now provides dynamic, real-time data access to anyone at any time in an easy-to-use format," said Ostberg. "Users can immediately, visually grasp critical information with charts and graphs, detailed drilldowns and links to supporting reports."

The dashboard measures types of work being performed, future work orders and more. The metrics can be changed quickly and easily, giving Engineering the flexibility to ensure performance and safety.

The technical requirements for the Best Way Engineering dashboard were very demanding. Nicholas Mraz, manager, Production Reporting and the lead developer of the Best Way Engineering Dashboard, said, "We're used to working with extremes. We get a lot of tough challenges."

Mraz and two other developers built the dashboard quickly, two weeks ahead of schedule. They built the lead-in screen in six weeks and the whole dashboard in 10 weeks.

The near real-time data allows leaders to adjust and react in a timely manner, and enables maintenance planners to make decisions quickly and use their time more effectively. The drill-down capability alone saves considerable time.

"The biggest driver of the project was the inability of the field to react to changes when the data was two weeks old. We always had the will to automate, but the challenges were to preserve the graphs the way people were used to seeing them," said Asim Ghanchi, director, Engineering Support and Information Technology. "We had limited resources -- two developers and a project manager. They had to figure it out, and they did -- in just a month and a half. Most of the users are maintenance planners, and they are very happy. When the data was two weeks old, they had no use for it, and whenever they had a question about the data, they'd have to call someone. Now they can just click, drill down and answer their own questions."

The project was entered in the annual competition in the Transportation category.

June 12, 2009

MBTA plans 500-car garage to serve commuter rail

Almost exactly a year after Governor Deval Patrick promised the state would build a 500-car parking garage in Beverly, Mass., for commuters, the MBTA solidified Patrick's pledge, announcing a comprehensive plan to build the $20.29 million facility by December 2011, the Boston Globe reports.

The complex - which will include at least 500 parking spots, condominiums, commercial shops, and offices - will be built on a 1.5-acre lot just a block from the station.

The MBTA will spend $3.75 million to buy the property - now a gas station, a parking lot, and two apartment buildings - from Windover Properties of Manchester.

Most of the $20.29 million will come from the state, and the city will spend about $500,000. Although sale of the land is not expected to go through until the fall, the MBTA and the city will release a request for proposals for the property by the end of the year.

As the fifth-busiest commuter rail station on the MBTA line, the Beverly Depot stop is also a junction where two heavily used lines from Rockport and Newburyport converge. But it has little on-street parking and commuters have to hustle in the early-morning hours for one of the estimated 250 designated spaces.

June 12, 2009

Norfolk Southern eyes Birmingham area for major hub

Norfolk Southern is scouting sites in the Birmingham area to build a terminal as part of a rail corridor stretching from the Northeast to New Orleans, the Birmingham News reports. The project could mean thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in investment for the area.

Norfolk Southern is seeking incentives and is talking with state and local officials about the facility, seen as a key element in the company's $2 billion Crescent Corridor expansion. The company believes as many as 8,000 jobs could be created in the area as a distribution hub develops around the project.

"We are certainly looking in the Birmingham area for constructing a new terminal that will hopefully be part of a larger logistics hub," said Rudy Husband, spokesman for Norfolk Southern. "Intermodal terminals in and of themselves have some jobs, but the real job growth is the surrounding companies that are involved in logistics and distribution."

Ted vonCannon, president of the Metropolitan Development Board, said his organization has been working for nearly three years to land the intermodal terminal, where trucking containers would be loaded onto train cars.

NS said the Crescent Corridor aims to use a network of terminals and railway improvements along a 2,500-mile rail line from New Jersey to New Orleans to take as many as one million trucks off interstates by transporting their cargo via train. In Alabama alone, an estimated 300,000 trucks could be taken off the interstates each year, the company says. That would help alleviate congestion on the roadways and reduce emissions, saving an estimated 100 million gallons of fuel each year, it adds.

The project also will be a boost to economic development efforts in Birmingham area, according to the company and local officials. Norfolk Southern rail lines have played a role in Alabama's recruitment of key projects, including Mercedes-Benz, Honda and ThyssenKrupp.

"We think once the Crescent Corridor is fully developed and operating in the next 10 years or so, there will be somewhere between 500 and 600 railroad jobs created in the Birmingham area," he said. "Then, if you look at surrounding development what we think will evolve when that intermodal terminal is built, we're looking at somewhere between 7,000 and 8,000 jobs that will be positively impacted."

That would be on top of Norfolk Southern's existing operations in the state. The railroad company's Alabama operations are based in the Birmingham area. It operates 1,370 miles of track in the state, has 1,800 employees with a $102 million annual payroll, and makes $134 million in annual purchases and payments.

VonCannon said Norfolk Southern has evaluated six or seven sites in the greater Birmingham area.

Husband said terminals can cost between $60 million and $90 million, depending on size and fluctuations in construction costs. The intermodal facility would have multiple lines of railroad tracks and transfer points allowing containers to be moved from rail cars to truck beds, and vice versa.

Because of the promised benefits, Norfolk Southern has been asking states for financial support to expand the Crescent Corridor and develop new terminals. In February, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell proposed a $30 million boost to rail infrastructure in his state, while Virginia has given $45 million to aid the Crescent Corridor expansion.

Neal Wade, executive director of the Alabama Development Office, said Norfolk Southern has made presentations about the Crescent Corridor to state officials but so far has not asked for a specific contribution.

Husband said Norfolk Southern is talking with Alabama and Tennessee officials about the Crescent Corridor and is having discussions with elected officials in Washington. He said the project might qualify for federal stimulus funds through the Alabama Department of Transportation.

June 12, 2009

TTCI to implement RailComm DOC® System for TWC training

Transportation Technology Center, Inc., in Pueblo, Colo., is incorporating RailComm’s DOC® (Domain Operations Controller) Track Warrant Control system into its training program. The training system will include RailComm’s standard TWC capabilities, as well as an interface to Lockheed Martin’s positive train control system called CBAS (Computer Based Authorization System).

The DOC® software-based control system is a command, control, communications and information (C3i) server-based platform that supports a wide variety of integrated solutions for indication, control, access and distribution of critical operational data across the corporate enterprise.

June 12, 2009

Missouri DOT to reimburse M&NA Railroad

Federal money, funneled through the Missouri Department of Transportation will help a Carthage railroad company recover losses from flood damage in 2008, local newspapers report. The Federal Railroad Administration awarded a $353,600 disaster assistance grant to MoDOT.

The funds will be used to reimburse the Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad for a portion of the costs it incurred to repair flood damage to its tracks in Jasper, Stone, Taney and Vernon counties in 2008.

Rod Massman, MoDOT’s Administrator of Railroads, said the damage to MNA’s track and property totaled $442,000.

"It’s the first time the federal government has offered these kinds of grants to regional railroads,” Massman said. “It’s even more unusual that it’s on a reimbursement basis because all the work had been completed before the grant was even applied for. This is pretty unusual.”

Massman said MNA was the only railroad in Missouri to benefit from this program.

Damages from excessive rain and high water caused the rail bed to wash out near Carthage in March and Joplin in May and damaged the Nevada maintenance facility in August. The bulk of the damage, however, came when severe storms hit on June 28, 2008, causing 13 separate washouts along the MNA rail line between Reed Springs and Branson in Stone and Taney counties. The MNA Railroad had to shut down for eight days to make emergency repairs and restore service after that storm. Additional flooding near Reed Springs occurred again in September.

Later, a large region including the counties where the damages occurred was declared a FEMA disaster area, making the project eligible for reimbursement. The MoDOT Railroad Section applied for the grant in February 2009. Funds awarded under the program can cover up to 80 percent of the total cost of a selected project. Grants may be used to repair bridges, signals and other infrastructure that are part of the general rail transportation system and have been damaged in a natural disaster.

June 11, 2009

DOT allocates $909.4 million for transit in 27 states

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today said that 77 grants totaling $909.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are being awarded for much needed transit improvements in 27 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands.

These funds are made available through the Federal Transit Administration assistance programs. More than $1.436 billion has been made available to 31 states since President Obama signed the law.

The federal dollars announced today will be used to purchase new equipment, including street cars, buses, ferries, paratransit vans, clean fuel vehicles and rail cars in more than half of the nation’s states, including the Virgin Islands. Funds will also pay for the construction of new transit facilities, bus shelters, repair and maintenance of transit systems and safety and security equipment.

Some of the major grants include:
• $225.1 Million - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This grant provides funds for Metro Rail and Metro Bus facilities and equipment upgrades, including staircase widening for emergency egress and improved pedestrian access at the 7th/Metro Red Line Station in Downtown Los Angeles, replacing fiber optic equipment for the rail system, replacing Metro Blue Line traction power substations, and modifications of CNG fueling facilities. An additional $8.2 million grant allows LACMTA to replace two traction power substations and associated electrical support systems located along the Metro Blue Line right-of-way and Metro Blue Line yard. The total project cost is $70 million and will replace over 20 aging traction power substations.
• $67.2 million - Municipal Transportation Agency/City and County of San Francisco. This grant will provide funds for a number of San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency transit-related capital projects, including reconditioning doors and steps on nearly 150 light rail vehicles, preventive maintenance on buses, maintenance and replacement of light rail track switches, replacement of inductive loop cable on the subway, new change machines and fare collection systems and renovation and maintenance of various facilities.
• $17.7 Million - Washington Metropolitan Area Transit. Grant will be used to implement a track pad/shock absorber rehabilitation program, purchase and install emergency tunnel carts and storage cabinets; expand WMATAs chemical-sensor-detection system; upgrade fare machines; build a new Metro Sales Center; and purchase four prime movers to be utilized as work trains.
• $240.2 Million - Chicago Transit Authority. These grants from two separate FTA programs in the amounts of $191.3 million and $48.9 million will fund bus purchases, preventive maintenance, subway rehabilitation, and the renovation of rail stations and support facilities. CTA plans to replace aging and deteriorating components of the Blue Line Dearborn Subway in central Chicago and to renovate bus, rail, and support facilities throughout the CTA system. CTA also plans to renovate rail transit stations, including Cermak-Chinatown and Logan Square.
• $18.6 Million - Denver Regional Transportation District. Provides funds for the design and construction of Denver Union Station, which will be the future hub for many transportation modes in the Denver metro area. RTD will implement the transit elements as part of the overall redevelopment of the station. The East, North Metro, Northwest Rail Gold Line and CPV spur rail lines will all join at DUS, as well as the US 36 Bus Rapid Transit corridor and many other bus lines will connect at the station.

June 11, 2009

KCS starting operations on Victoria-Rosenberg line

The Kansas City Southern Railway Co. will begin operating freight trains on its newly-rehabilitated line from Victoria to Rosenberg, Tex., on June 17. This renewed operation restores rail service to communities along the line and brings needed rail capacity to south Texas to reduce highway congestion and the number of trucks on Texas highways. As an important part of a transcontinental main line that connects the heartland of the United States with the heartland of Mexico and as an important part of a rail network that connects with every other major rail carrier in North America, the restoration of the line will also make this part of the state more economically competitive, leading to future economic opportunity and jobs.

Safe operations are paramount as train operations begin. As designated by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and as part of the joint TxDOT/KCSR corridor plan:
• Fifty-two sets of flashers/gates and KCSR emergency notification signs have been installed at public at-grade crossings. One more set of flashers/gates will be installed at the intermodal shipper facility near Kendleton.
• Crossbucks with a Stop or Yield sign, reflective striping and KCSR emergency notification signs have been installed at the remaining public at-grade crossings.
• In advance of each public, at-grade crossing is an Advance Warning sign with pavement markings and stop bar markings applied on paved roads.
• In addition to these warning devices, signs and markings, all trains approaching public at-grade crossings are required by federal regulation to sound their horn a minimum of fifteen seconds before reaching the crossing, regardless of the time of day.

Train operations will begin gradually in order to allow motorists to adjust to the restored service. In the first few days of operations, trains will run a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour over all public crossings. The maximum authorized speed will increase to 25 miles per hour beginning June 29. Except for segments of the line where there will be speed restrictions, maximum train speeds will increase to 40 miles per hour beginning July 13. Beginning August 1, the maximum authorized speed will increase to and remain at 49 miles per hour.

To help prepare the community for the restoration of rail service, KCSR has partnered with Texas Operation Lifesaver to promote rail grade crossing safety with a multi-media advertising campaign and presentations throughout the Victoria to Rosenberg corridor. TXOL educates drivers and pedestrians to make safe decisions at rail crossings and around railroad tracks.

June 11, 2009

Georgia authority approves reallocation of funds for MARTA

The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority at its regular board meeting approved an Atlanta Regional Commission proposal to reallocate $25 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds to MARTA. The measure must now be signed by Governor Sonny Perdue to become effective.

The proposal enables the authority to address a significant budget deficit and avoid making drastic cuts in service to balance its Fiscal Year 2010 budget. This is not a “free-ride.” MARTA, in turn, will reallocate $25 million of the authority’s capital dollars to fund transit-related projects in the MARTA service area.

“MARTA is extremely grateful to the members of the GRTA Board of Directors for their willingness to support this effort to help keep MARTA moving,” said MARTA General Manager/CEO Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. “This one-time funding infusion will help keep us afloat next year. But, the criticality of increased state/regional transportation funding for future years is absolutely urgent. We must take action to address this problem.”

MARTA will allocate this one-time $25 million payment to preventive maintenance, which is a designated use of stimulus funding under federal guidelines.

MARTA staff presented their recommended FY 2010 Budget Proposal to the MARTA Board of Directors Business Management Committee on May 28, 2009. The authority will host a series of public hearings on its proposed FY 2010 Operating and Capital Budget on June 16 and 17, 2009, to gather input from customers and stakeholders. Following the public comment period, the MARTA Board of Directors will vote on the final budget on June 22, 2009.

June 11, 2009

NJ TRANSIT approves exterior work at Chatham Station

The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved work to renovate the exterior of Chatham Station on the Morris & Essex Lines—a project that will offer improved facilities for customers while extending the useful life of the station and shelter buildings.

The Board authorized a $988,000 contract with Cumberland USA, Inc. of Saddle Brook, N,J., for construction work to repair and replace the roof system, including new roof tiles and soffits; upgrade the electrical system and outside canopy lighting; replace the existing gutters and leaders; install new wiring and exterior speakers, including those located in the pedestrian tunnel; and restore the masonry and concrete surfaces of the eastbound and westbound station buildings.

Chatham Station was constructed in 1915 and serves approximately 1,500 customers on a typical weekday.

Construction is expected to begin this summer, with completion anticipated in spring 2010.

June 11, 2009

IBM opens center in China to drive development of high tech railroad

IBM opened a new Global Rail Innovation Center that will bring together the world's foremost industry leaders, researchers and universities to advance next-generation rail systems.

Founding members of the Center's Advisory Board include leading representatives and organizations in the railroad community: Judge Quentin L. Kopp, chairman of the California High Speed Rail Authority; Michigan Technological University; Motorola; Railinc; RMI; Sabre; Tsinghua University; and Professor Joseph M. Sussman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Advisory Board's role is to help define areas where business and technology solutions can solve passenger and freight rail problems.

The Center will address the rail industry's most pressing challenges, including passenger reservations and service; asset utilization and productivity; surveillance of tracks and infrastructure; scheduling; integrated fare management; and environmentally efficient operations.

Based in Beijing, the Rail Innovation Center will be staffed by a global network of IBM rail consultants, software specialists, mathematicians and business partners. China is at the epicenter of revolutionizing rail infrastructure and operations for the 21st century, introducing new high-speed trains and a hugely-expanded rail network at an unprecedented pace.

"Population growth and urbanization are driving an unprecedented demand for modernized rail systems, and governments and businesses worldwide recognize that railroads play a critical role in supporting economic growth," said Keith Dierkx, director of the IBM center. "By bringing together leading industry experts and advanced technologies, we can help rail providers increase rail capacity, efficiency, safety, and customer service - resulting in networks of smarter rail systems around the world."

In addition to collaboration with the Advisory Board, the Center will draw upon assets and expertise from across IBM and around the world including its Research labs, software development labs, systems centers and global service delivery capabilities. The center will also link with business consultants at IBM's recently announced Analytics Solutions Centers to create a global virtual rail community that can collectively address rail industry challenges.

New railroad networks will contain millions of sensors that track everything from train speeds to when brakes need to be replaced. Building these intelligent rail networks requires a high-powered, integrated system that can collect, manage and analyze the enormous amount of data flowing in from the tracks, through the trains and stations, and across the maintenance process.

Working on these projects demands a unique set of products, skills and services. The new rail Center will bring together IBM and its industry partners - both physically and virtually - to jointly develop these skills and put the products and services into action. For example, teams in China or California might be able to learn from the development of an Italian high-speed rail system, and a U.S. inter-modal freight project could be applied in Russia.

The rail center will also address customer service issues. Using intelligent aggregations of data, a smarter rail system can make the travel experience much more pleasant for passengers. New perks include the ability to buy a ticket and receive alerts on delayed trains using a mobile device, guaranteeing a seat, and achieving nearly perfect on-time arrival rates.

June 11, 2009

Feds not on board new southern New Jersey rail line

A planned commuter rail line from Camden to Glassboro won't qualify for federal transit funds, leaving state taxpayers with the full $1.3-billion bill, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. But Delaware River Port Authority officials said the project is South Jersey's top transportation priority and the state is committed to seeing the line is built.

The plan calls for diesel light-rail trains to run 18 miles alongside an existing Conrail freight line to serve Glassboro, Pitman, Mantua, Wenonah, Woodbury, Deptford, West Deptford, Westville, Bellmawr, Brooklawn, Gloucester City and Camden.

DRPA officials said the lack of federal funding would create one advantage: it would allow the rail line to be built more quickly. If the rail line gets funding and environmental approvals, it could be operational as far as Woodbury in five years and to Glassboro and Rowan University in six to 10.

The proposed rail line didn't meet Federal Transit Administration requirements for ridership, cost-effectiveness and commuter time-savings, said John Matheussen, DRPA chief executive.

"It's extremely difficult to meet the marks they put down," Matheussen told the DRPA board Wednesday. He said only about two of 100 projects, nationally, get money through the FTA's "New Starts" program. "Going forward, it looks like we're going to be funding this locally."

DRPA officials remained hopeful the project could get other federal money, if the state's congressional delegation can get special "earmark" legislation passed. And FTA federal criteria could change under the Obama administration, they said.

June 11, 2009

Rail Runner quieting remainder of North Valley crossings

Starting the week of June 8, crews are beginning work on six North Valley railroad crossings between Osuna Road and Alameda Road to prepare the three-mile stretch of track to become an official “quiet zone,” meaning that trains will soon be able to stop sounding their horns when passing through the area. Rail Runner Express trains operate between Belen, Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“The quiet zones we’ve put in place have made a significant difference in this area in terms of train noise reduction,” says Lawrence Rael, Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “With the addition of these last six crossings going quiet, more neighborhoods and businesses along the Rail Runner corridor will now be less impacted by the sound of train horns.”

Over the next three-to-four weeks crews will start setting foundation and installing cable for the new equipment needed for the Quiet Zone crossings. They will be installing new gate mechanisms, light assemblies and new electronic equipment where needed, and making circuit changes to existing electronic equipment.

“The big issue here is safety”, says Transportation Secretary Gary L. J Girón. “These quiet zones are meant to keep motorists from trying to beat a train through the crossing. The obvious bonus of course is that they also reduce the impact of noise in the community.”

Within the next few weeks, quiet zone equipment bungalows will be delivered, and crews will begin wiring them into the system. Once that is complete, they will start testing them, and place them into service by the end of July.

Following appropriations from the 2007 legislative session, the Rail Runner corridor between Menaul Boulevard and Montano Road in Albuquerque’s north valley was the first to be designated an official quiet zone. This past session, legislators once again allocated funds for quiet zone infrastructure, allowing this final section to be completed.

June 11, 2009

DESEC delivers tracklayer in Finland

DESEC Ltd, Finland handed over a turnout-laying machine Desec Tracklayer TL 70 VR to a Finnish track contractor, VR Track Ltd. VR Track Ltd received their first two Desec Tracklayer TL 50 VR –machines from in May 1993 and a third machine in October 1995. All these machines are still in operation. This fourth Desec Tracklayer TL 70 is provided with higher performance and advanced improvements.

Desec Tracklayers have been sold to 16 countries worldwide.

June 11, 2009

Track maintenance to affect Metro's Red and Blue lines

Track maintenance on the Metro Red and Blue lines in the Washington, D.C., area June 12-14 will cause inbound and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track, and customers should add an additional 30 minutes of travel time to their trips. Metrorail customers traveling between the Van Ness-UDC and Dupont Circle Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes of travel time for their trips because Metro will replace rail fasteners that stabilize tracks and Metro will make tunnel repairs. Trains will share one track between these locations from 10 p.m., June 12, to closing (midnight), on June 14.

Metrorail customers traveling between the Van Dorn Street and Braddock Road Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes of travel time for their trips because Metro will be tamping the rail tracks to ensure durability. Trains will share one track between these locations from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 13-14.

June 10, 2009

AT&T to offer wireless services in CTA subways

The Chicago Transit Board approved a contract allowing New Cingular Wireless (AT&T) to lease the Chicago Transit Authority’s wireless communications infrastructure in the Red and Blue line subways for a period of 10 years. CTA’s estimated minimum revenue is $3.1 million over the life of the contract. AT&T is the fourth wireless service provider to lease the subway network.

Installation and testing of AT&T’s base equipment — comprised of amplifiers, transmitters and receivers — within the subway will take place over the next several months. Following installation, service is expected to begin later this year.

Currently customers with wireless services through Cricket Communications, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular are able to use cell phones and mobile devices in CTA subways.

In 2005, CTA completed the installation of technology to enhance CTA’s existing two-way radio system and improve subway communications options for CTA.

The improved telecommunications system also laid the groundwork for the agency to generate additional revenue by leasing its wireless infrastructure for commercial service to allow the use of wireless devices, such as cell phones, text messaging and wireless Internet modems throughout the 11.4-mile subway system.

CTA continues to work to add additional service providers to the system. As more wireless service providers contract with CTA to use the infrastructure to provide service, more customers will be able to use their wireless devices.

June 10, 2009

Michigan rail fuel yard raises concerns

City of Flat Rock, Mich., officials are expressing concerns with plans by the Canadian National Railroad to build a fuel-loading port in the City of Woodhaven, Mich., a short distance from the Flat Rock border, local newspapers report. Details about the project on Canadian National/Grand Trunk Flat Rock Railway property at 25240 Hall Rd. were outlined recently at a Flat Rock City Council meeting.

The purpose of the transload facility is to ship jet fuel to the Toronto Airport by rail car. Air BP, a division of British Petroleum, will supply the trucks, railcars and jet fuel to be transferred, according to a project outline submitted by Woodhaven officials. Air BP currently transports jet fuel by tanker trucks from its terminal at 8625 S. Inkster Rd., Taylor, Mich., to Toronto Airport.

Transporting the fuel via rail is more cost-effective than using trucks, said George Mans, economic development director for Flat Rock. In addition to saving money, the project will result in reduced highway truck traffic and reduced air pollution, Mans said.

The site is where the railroad ends at the Flat Rock yard and is being used as a storage yard for rail yard materials and equipment.

Flat Rock Mayor Richard C. Jones said the city has some concerns about Hall Rd. being torn up for repairs and having another 100 trucks a day passing through the area. He said there are concerns, too, about jet fuel getting into area creeks if there were a spill.

"We’ve got a water main below that drain," Mayor Jones said. "We have no control over Canadian National, but we can (say) where the trucks go."

He said both he and Mans already have met with railroad officials about the plans. Flat Rock fire Chief William Vack and Bruce Hammond, director of the city’s Department of Public Services, plan to monitor the project, Mans said.

Patrick Engineering is responsible for designing and building the loading port. The rail car fueling station will be more than 400 feet from the entrance gate. Truck deliveries will be scheduled individually throughout the work day rather than in groups, according to plans devised by the engineering firm.

In the event that I-75 is closed due to an accident, two alternate routes have been devised to allow trucks access to and from the site. The trucks will avoid passing by the intersection of Telegraph and Van Horn Rds. due to a number of residences and Woodhaven High School being nearby.

The fuel transfer platform will be a mobile unit about the size of a car, with a staircase and gangway to allow safe access to the top of rail cars. The platform will have all necessary pumps, hoses, filters and meters to transfer fuel at a pumping rate of 400 gallons per minute. The unit would require 400-volt, 90-amp electric service that will be provided at plug-in stations along the length of the track.

The platform would not move on its own power. A pickup truck stationed onsite will be used to move the platform along the railcars. The transfer platform will have a 200-gallon waste storage tank that will be used to collect any water filtered out of the fuel and any residual fuel that may need to be drained out of the transfer hoses.

The platform also will be equipped with two fire extinguishers and an emergency shower and eye wash station.

There is an existing chain-link fence around the site for security, with gates at the driveway and track exit locations. The gates will remain locked except during hours of operation. A modular office will be set back 50 feet from the Hall Rd. property line and house the small staff responsible for documenting delivery and loading of fuel. Canadian National has a full-time security staff that will include the site in its patrol route.

June 10, 2009

New Jersey breaks ground on nation’s largest transit project

Building upon the region’s rich legacy of major public transportation assets, Governor Jon S. Corzine, Senators Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff and a group of other federal, state and local officials broke ground on the Mass Transit Tunnel project, the largest transit public works project in America.

“Today’s groundbreaking represents an historic $8.7-billion dollar transit infrastructure project, the largest in the nation,” Governor Corzine said “It will create thousands of jobs for hardworking families across the region, promote better mobility and provide enormous environmental benefits. Thanks to Senators Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez, New Jersey’s champions of mass-transit and infrastructure, for securing this funding that is a transportation imperative for the state, the region and the nation.”

The $8.7-billion Mass Transit Tunnel project, being built in partnership with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, is expected to generate and sustain 6,000 jobs through the construction phase of two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River, an expanded New York Penn Station and other key elements, reinvigorating the link between New Jersey and New York and benefiting the regional economy with improved mobility. It is expected to create 44,000 permanent jobs.

U.S. Senators Lautenberg, Menendez and Governor Corzine also announced a major funding agreement with the Obama Administration that enables the initial phases of the project to advance with federal funding support. The Early Systems Work Agreement provides $1.35 billion in funding for the early phases of the project, about half of which is from federal sources including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The $1.35-billion agreement includes a down payment of $400 million of funding from the Federal Transit Administration (towards a $3-billion FTA commitment), $130 million in federal stimulus funds and $125 million in Federal Highway congestion mitigation funds.

The Mass Transit Tunnel project will double trans-Hudson River rail capacity by adding two new single-track tunnels – supplementing the existing two tracks that opened for service in 1910 and now are pushed to their functional limits each commuting day – as well as expand New York Penn Station with a new facility specifically designed to meet the high-ridership needs of a modern commuter rail system.

Doubling the number of tracks for trains operating between New Jersey and New York will increase service capacity to 48 trains per hour during peak periods from the current 23 trains. Twice as many passengers will be able to be accommodated, from 46,000 each morning peak period now to 90,000 in the future.

Fifteen years of study starting with 137 project alternatives, numerous public meetings and input in conformance with federal regulations, produced the finished plan. The project has been designed to allow for expansion in Manhattan to the east in the future as conditions and funding permit.

June 10, 2009

Baltimore subway maintenance will impact weekend schedule

The Maryland Transit Administration is advising Metro Subway customers of upcoming track maintenance that will affect the weekend service effective Saturday, June 13. Approximately one mile of the main line will be single-tracked throughout the four-month long maintenance project, scheduled for completion in October. As a result, the customer wait times for trains will be increased by an additional five minutes in each direction, to twenty minutes on Saturdays and Sundays only. Weekday operation is not expected to be impacted.

June 10, 2009

ACC defends railroad crossing stop order in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Getting the go-ahead from the state utility regulators for a railroad safety project is a fairly straightforward process: Submit plans and then wait for their approval before starting work, according to the Arizona Daily Sun. But that is not what the city of Flagstaff, Ariz., did as it began construction work in Flagstaff related to the silencing of passing train horns, says Arizona Corporation Commission Chairwoman Kris Mayes.

She said state utility regulators are not to blame for the halt to all quiet zone-related construction.

"The cause of the delay in this case is the decision by someone to proceed with a construction of the crossing upgrades," Mayes said. "We have rules and regulations that require road authorities and railroads that want to make changes to crossings to get approval from the commission before they do it."

City Manager Kevin Burke said the city and BNSF are working in virgin territory - that no city has built a quiet zone in Arizona and the procedures governing such a project were not clear.

The city started construction related to the quiet zones in January, said City Engineer Rick Barrett, while BNSF has not yet performed any construction for which they are responsible.

The only other city in Arizona with quiet zones is Surprise, which modified its only crossing by adding flashing lights, audible electric bells, traffic signs and a pedestrian sidewalk maze with warning signs. Surprise did not need ACC approval because it did not add barriers or wayside horns to the crossing.

The Arizona Corporation Commission's responsibilities differ from those of similar agencies in some other states, which do not oversee railroad safety.

Burke said the city was working with BNSF under the premise that crossings were solely under the purview of the Federal Railroad Administration.

In filings with the ACC, Senior Assistant City Attorney David Womochil argued that the state agency issued a memo in late March that it "generally supports" the City's creation of a quiet zone when reviewing proposed changes to the Steves Boulevard and Fanning Drive crossings. The ACC was part of a "diagnostic team" the city consulted as it designed safety measures for the quiet zones.

Attorneys for BNSF contended that the establishment of quiet zones and the safety measures utilized at grade crossings are addressed by federal law that would pre-empt any state law.

But Mayes contends that the city and BNSF would have known they needed to formally go before the commission for approval before starting construction changes because they had gone before the ACC for previous railroad-related projects.

According to the ACC, the city of Flagstaff has asked the Commission twice in the last five years for approval for changes to railroad crossings, one to construct on overpass at Fourth Street and a second to widen a portion of Enterprise Road.

Mayes said the agency has, in the past, fined other railroads for proceeding on construction that hasn't been approved by the ACC.

"Union Pacific Railroad went forward with building a change to a crossing without commission approval, and we fined them $50,000," Mayes said. "We take the law very seriously, and whether it's a city or a railroad we want to make sure they get commission approval before they move forward."

Mayes said she could not predict whether the city or BNSF would be fined. She did, however, say the city would be much closer to a final decision if it had followed proper protocols.

The city was within weeks of finishing the project, but now it and BNSF must attend a hearing July 8 before an administrative law judge in Phoenix.

June 10, 2009

Fund diversion could doom Texas rail line

Plans to build a commuter rail line from southwest Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport would likely be mothballed if Fort Worth stops contributing $7.5 million a year to the project and instead uses the money on street repairs, officials told the Ft. Worth Star Telegram.

The proposed rail line, which would also go through downtown Fort Worth and Grapevine, is tentatively scheduled to open in 2013. But the project can’t move forward without the funds in question, officials said.

"It would really undo any opportunity we have to build that southwest-to-northeast project," said Robert Jameson, a board member for the Fort Worth Transportation Authority, known as the T.

Fort Worth officials said that they’re weighing cost-cutting options, including using some of the T’s money, generated by a half-cent sales tax, for streets.

Grapevine officials said they are concerned that Fort Worth officials would even consider such a move. In 2006, Grapevine voters approved a three-eighths-cent sales tax for the rail project and were assured that Fort Worth was committed to the project, too.

Since then, Fort Worth and Grapevine have contributed to the T’s rail reserve fund, and the balance is now $33.5 million, T finance director Rob Harmon said.

The rail project could cost $470 million. T officials have secured about half the funding they need.

June 9, 2009

Visiting motor cars mark Fairmont’s 100th anniversary

More than 40 railroad motor cars from all over the United States will be stopping in Albert Lea, Minn., during part of a 100th anniversary celebration of Fairmont Railway Motors Inc., now Harsco Track Technologies, the Albert Lea Tribune reports.

The celebration will include a display of about 45 North American Rail Car Operators Association motorcars during an open house at the Harsco facility in Fairmont. The 45 restored cars were originally built at the Fairmont plant and shipped to railroads around the United States and Canada.

The celebration culminates with a 120-mile motor car excursion on the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (now Canadian Pacific-owned) from Fairmont to Albert Lea and back. The excursion will go from Fairmont and travel east through Granada, Huntley, Winnebago, Delevan, Easton, Wells, Baroda, Alden, Armstrong and Albert Lea.

Fairmont Railway Motors was founded in 1909 as Fairmont Gas Engine & Railway Motor Car Co. At that time, the company began building a variety of gasoline-powered motor cars to replace the pump car.

By 1949, the company was renamed as Fairmont Railway Motors Co., offering 19 models of motor cars to customers. In 1979, Fairmont Railway Motors was acquired by the Harsco Corporation, and it became part of Harsco Track Technologies. The last of a total of nearly 73,000 Fairmont motor cars was manufactured in 1991, according to a news release.

June 9, 2009

RailComm’s remote-control derail system in production at IHB

RailComm has provided a wireless-remote-control derail system at Indiana Harbor Belt’s RIP Track Facility. A customized Local Control Panel, located within the shop, provides wireless remote control to the derails. The panel includes a keypad for advanced security and logging. The user is required to input a unique pass-code (PIN) to operate the derail machines.

All control panel operations are recorded and stored on a wirelessly linked PC workstation. The data entries contain the name and trade of the operator, the nature of the operation, and the date and time. The workstation allows supervisors, managers and other authorized personnel to review the operation logs and manage the system security.

June 9, 2009

Federal grants signal growing importance of shortline industry

The Federal Railroad Administration awarded $15 million to nine states two weeks ago for emergency repairs to damaged shortline railroads resulting from natural disasters. The funding from the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Program is the first time the shortline industry has received federal disaster relief funds. The move reflects the growing economic impact of shortline railroads and their critical role to the manufacturers and communities they serve throughout the U.S.

“Railroads are receiving a lot of attention right now as the nation struggles to find ways to increase industrial competitiveness, improve our transportation infrastructure and minimize impacts to the environment,” said John Giles, CEO of RailAmerica, the nation’s largest owner and operator of shortline railroads. “Shortlines offer many of the same benefits of the national railroad superhighways, but their unique role is often overlooked. As more and more manufacturing facilities are located in rural areas, shortlines often present the only access these manufacturers have to the national rail network.”

According to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association , shortlines have grown from 8,000 miles of track in 1980 to more than 50,000 miles today. As the large national railroads were forced to dramatically downsize their systems in the 1970s and 80s, entrepreneurs saved shortline railroads by taking huge financial risks to purchase and rehabilitate long-neglected track. Now, 550 shortline and regional railroads operate in 49 states. In 30 states shortlines operate at least one quarter of the rail network.

Under the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009, FRA was authorized to make $20 million available to repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure, such as bridges, track and signals, in areas declared by the President as a major disaster. The FRA intends to issue another solicitation for the remaining $5 million.

Two RailAmerica shortlines received funds, including the Indiana Southern Railroad, which suffered extensive damage from 100-year floods that wreaked havoc on Indiana’s southwestern counties last year. The railroad took quick action – spending $1.5 million on repairs – to meet the pressing needs of its customers, including Indiana coal shippers and receivers such as Indianapolis Power & Light.

The Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad suffered 10 track washouts and $1.9 million in infrastructure damage during the March 2008 storms and subsequent flash flooding in Arkansas and Missouri.

“Working around the clock and at great expense to the railroad, trains were able to move again in just four days,” said Giles. “If the railroads had not taken immediate action without regard to the resulting cost burden, its customers would have been severely impacted.”

One customer, utility company Entergy, would have run through its coal stockpile and been forced to cease power generation within 30 to 40 days. Other major customers affected by the shutdown included Tyson Foods, Unimin, Future Fuels, Arkansas Lime and Poinsett Rice.

June 9, 2009

Poconos train to New York City is on track

The two-decade effort to restore passenger rail service from the Poconos to New York City has received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, clearing a critical hurdle that now allows the $550 million project to be funded, the Allentown, Pa., Morning Call reports. The EPA declared a “finding of no significant impact” for the project, U.S. Sens. Bob Casey Jr. and Arlen Specter said.

The decision allows officials in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to enter the equally critical funding phase for construction and engineering of the rail line, which would connect Scranton and the Poconos to Hoboken, N.J., and New York City.

“I believe the project is so important it will be funded,” Specter said after a meeting with Lehigh Valley-area Democrats.

Specter, D-Pa., said the project has the support of several high-profile senators, including Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who wants to extend the rail line to Binghamton, N.Y. New Jersey's Democratic Sens. Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez also back the rail line, Specter said.

New Jersey officials, facing the loss of billions in highway funding unless the state meets air quality improvements under the Clean Air Act, want to remove some of the 20,000 commuters who cross over daily from Pennsylvania and travel along the Interstate 80 corridor. The train could also serve Monroe County's so-called Wall Street West project, a facility that would back up the nation's financial data in the event of a crisis.

“Wall Street wants to diversify, not have everything in southern Manhattan after their experience on 9/11, so we will get the funding,” Specter said.

Federally-approved rail projects can receive up to 50 percent of the cost under the Federal Transit Administration's New Starts program, but competition for the federal dollars is fierce.

Lawrence Malski, chairman of the Northeast Pennsylvania Regional Railroad Authority, said the project will be completed in phases to allow for lower funding requests. If that's successful, initial Pennsylvania service from Delaware Water Gap could be up and running in four years.

“We've now cleared the way to get the funding to start construction,” Malski said.

Once completed, the service would be operated by New Jersey Transit, with service from four rail stations in Monroe County at Delaware Water Gap, East Stroudsburg, Analomink and Mount Pocono, and one in Scranton.

The Mount Pocono station could serve gamblers from New York and New Jersey wishing to visit Mount Airy Casino Resort, which is nearby.

A portion of the rail line would run through Northampton County near Portland. There also would be two new rail stations in New Jersey, in Andover and Blairstown, with the Andover station serving as a connector to direct service into New York's Penn Station.

Construction is already under way on seven miles of track connecting Andover to Port Morris, N.J., Malski said.

June 9, 2009

Bipartisan Policy Center issues transportation reform plan

Calling its recommendations a “framework for comprehensive reform,” the Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Transportation Policy Project (NTPP) released its plan for transforming federal surface transportation policy. If adopted by the Administration and Congress in this year’s authorization bill, the plan would constitute the first major overhaul of transportation policy in more than 50 years. It proposes restructuring federal programs, updating the criteria for formulas and creating a performance-based system that directly ties transportation spending to broader national goals, including economic growth, connectivity, accessibility, safety, energy security and environmental protection. Currently, transportation funding is distributed on a politically-driven basis with little analysis of benefits and no accountability for results.

The plan also has a strong bipartisan foundation. Under the leadership of former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert, former Senator Slade Gorton, and former Congressman Martin Sabo, the NTPP—a bipartisan group of 26 diverse members— produced its plan--Performance Driven: A New Vision for U.S. Transportation Policy--as a blueprint for a new national transportation system that is efficient, effective, and accountable for performance.

As Congress is scheduled to take up reauthorization of the nation’s surface transportation law, SAFETEA-LU, this year, NTPP is calling for a complete restructuring of the federal transportation funding system. To date, there is no federal requirement to optimize returns on public investments, and programs are not structured to reward outcomes, or even to document them. Moreover, existing programs do little to target federal support for transportation programs to further economic growth or link to jobs and productivity.

“One of the principal current problems is trying to coordinate over 100 different transportation programs that Congress has authorized over the course of half a century, while dealing with an aging and a declining infrastructure,” said NTPP co-chair and former Senator Slade Gorton.

The NTPP proposes narrowing these 100+ programs to a more manageable six core funding programs. The six programs would be competitive and performance-based. NTPP recommends “mode neutral” formula programs that award federal transportation dollars based on system condition and performance and focus on preserving the overall system including:
• A connectivity program that would improve the condition and performance of existing transportation systems that connect the nation; and
• A program aimed at preserving and enhancing the performance of core assets such as highways, bridges, tunnels, and bus and rail transits in major metropolitan areas.

Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), an original co-founding chair of NTPP, attended the announcement and commended NTPP’s bipartisan report. He especially praised the NTPP for advocating a bottom-up approach to reform whereby states and metropolitan areas can develop their own solutions to transportation problems. “This idea, called mode-neutrality, enables states like Virginia to make their own decisions about how to spend federal money as long as their investments meet accountability standards and promote national goals.”

NTPP co-chair former Congressman Martin Sabo says that today’s transportation challenges are complex, and go well beyond roads and transit: “We have to make our transportation system more fuel-efficient and cleaner, we have to deal with the carbon issue, and we have the challenge of reducing our dependence on fossil fuel.”

NTPP also proposes holding all funding recipients accountable for their contributions to national goals. A new system of metrics would measure project performance in several areas: improved access, a more efficient national network, reduced corridor congestion and petroleum consumption, reduced CO2 emissions, and reduced fatalities and injuries. States and regions whose investments performed well against those goals would be entitled to bonus funding; areas that did not would be subject to greater federal scrutiny in receiving transportation funding.

To download a copy of the report, go to www.bpcntpp.org.

June 9, 2009

Local leaders fight to keep area's rail lines from closing down

After the announcement last month by Canadian National Railway that it had a pending sale of their Grenada Line and Natchez Line to Grenada Railway, LLC, and Natchez Railway, LLC, many have been concerned about the future of Tate County, Miss., rail service, local newspapers report. Several local industries rely on the Grenada Line, which runs from the Tennessee border to Canton, for their supply and distribution chains.

A regional organization is being formed to work on behalf of the interested parties, and two representatives from Tate County are among those appointed to it. The Board of Supervisors moved last Monday to appoint Steve Hale, who currently serves as the county's director of planning and development, to the North Mississippi Railroad Commission.
Hale is the former mayor of Senatobia, and spent several years in Jackson working with the Mississippi Development Authority under Governor Ronnie Musgrove.

The City of Senatobia chose Janie Mortimer, executive director of the Tate County Economic Development Foundation, as its representative on the commission.

The railroad's buyers have agreed as a condition of the sale to operate the line for at least two years, and attempt to build up business on the line. Although both the Supervisors and the Senatobia Board of Aldermen were told that the railroad transfer could potentially be devastating to economic development here, a meeting in Grenada last week has changed some of their minds.

According to Mortimer, the meeting was attended by representatives of the company that is buying the Grenada Line and that many local leaders who attended seemed encouraged by what they heard. Hale, who was appointed to the commission's executive committee, echoed Mortimer's feelings of encouragement. He said that the spokesman for Grenada Railway said the company felt the line was viable, and that there was enough traffic on the rails to justify their investment here.

The commission made a decision at last week's meeting to try and work with the new owners, and to maintain a relationship with them, rather than trying to intervene in the sale itself.

June 8, 2009

Union Pacific investing nearly $13 Million in Texas Line

Trains will run more efficiently and motorists will spend less time at crossings as a result of nearly $13 million in track improvements made by Union Pacific to its line from Roanoke to Tower 55 in Fort Worth, Texas.

When the project is complete, crews will have removed and installed more than 45,000 ties and spread 100,000 tons of rock ballast to ensure a stable roadbed and renewed the road surfaces at 38 crossings. Work on the 30-mile stretch of railroad tracks is scheduled to be completed in July.

Union Pacific invested more than $400 million in capital projects in Texas in 2007 and 2008. During 2009, Union Pacific plans to invest $1.7 billion in strengthening the track infrastructure across its more than 32,000-mile system.

June 8, 2009

FTA intends to provide $3-billion toward NJ tunnels

Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff said that his agency will make a “down payment” toward an eventual commitment of $3.0 billion by approving a $1.35-billion Early Systems Work Agreement to immediately commence work on the Access to the Region’s Core. The Agreement includes $650 million in Federal funds, including funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, matched by an equal amount of local funding.

“This project has been talked about for decades. Because of New Jersey’s leadership and President Obama’s recovery agenda, today the talk stops and the construction begins,” Rogoff said. “The Obama Administration is committed to being a full partner in this historic investment. It will put thousands of people to work. It will improve the lives of many thousands more by shortening their commute.”

Rogoff said that the announcement, which he made with Gov. Jon Corzine and Senators Lautenberg, Menendez and other state and local officials signals the Administration’s firm intent to enter into a full funding grant agreement to provide $3.0 billion in discretionary FTA New Starts funds for the $8.7-billion project. The nine-mile commuter rail extension will consist of two new tunnels under the Hudson River, new rail tracks between Secaucus Junction and New York’s Penn Station, and a new rail station underneath 34th Street in midtown Manhattan.

This mega transit project will allow NJ Transit to double rail service capacity into Manhattan, free up capacity for Amtrak, and reduce travel times and crowding on trains and at Penn Station.

“This initial $1.35-billion agreement represents the largest amount the FTA has ever committed for a project at this phase,” Rogoff said, adding that the federal New Starts program commitment of $3 billion will also be the largest in the 33-year history of the New Starts program.

The ESWA will help NJ Transit meet key milestones and keep the project on schedule and within budget by allowing the immediate use of federal and local funds for tunneling and related construction work.

June 8, 2009

CSX chief says company won't slow spending on tracks, terminals

CSX Transportation is going full speed ahead on its investment in tracks and terminals this year, despite the recession's drag on freight shipments, CEO and Chairman Michael Ward told local business leaders, the Florida Times-Union reported.

The Jacksonville-based company will spend about $1.6 billion on its shipping facilities, which is close to the $1.7 billion CSX spent during the past year, Ward said.

"We were really doing stimulus before stimulus was cool," Ward said in a speech to the quarterly meeting of Cornerstone, the regional economic development partnership for Northeast Florida.

CSX, a Fortune 500 company, has furloughed employees and sidelined trains to cut costs in line with the drop in freight shipments. But the company isn't changing its long-range strategic plan, Ward said.

He cited a forecast that demand for shipping freight by rail will increase by 90 percent over the next 15 years, in part because highways will become more congested.

"Our investment in new tracks and terminals speaks to our confidence," he said.

CSX employs about 3,400 in the Jacksonville area with a $300-million payroll, he said.

June 8, 2009

Editorial supports rerouting rail around Rochester, Minn.

The Economist magazine occasionally wields a phrase that best sums up the situation Minnesota and its political leaders find themselves in when it comes to a long-simmering railroad dispute in Rochester, Minn., according to an editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Faced with a situation that demands a solution but for which there are only hard choices, the magazine says true leaders sift through the facts, consider the greater good and then make the difficult decision based on what is the "least bad" option at hand.

Although it didn't generate many headlines outside southern Minnesota, some heavy hitters in the state's political delegation recently made a courageous "least bad" type of call.

Recognizing a very real threat to Minnesota's largest private employer, the world-class Mayo Clinic, a bipartisan group led by U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Sen. Amy Klobuchar stepped up and publicly lent their support to an expensive, controversial plan to reroute freight trains carrying dangerous compounds away from the city and through the farm fields south of Rochester. U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, the powerful chairman of the U.S. House Transportation Committee, also has pledged support.

It's dubbed the Southern Rail Corridor proposal, and there are a host of reasons why this is not an easy project to love. There are environmental issues to consider in building the 48.3-mile freight train bypass, and property owners along the proposed route have some legitimate concerns.

It also comes with a hefty price tag. Early estimates are $325 million -- a cost the public's used to seeing attached to a stadium-sized project.

It should be noted that passenger trains would be able to use the line, but it would not be ready for true high-speed rail.

While the plan is in its preliminary stages, it's clear that public money would pay for most of it. A big chunk of money would likely come from the federal government, but the state could also shoulder a substantial sum.

Walz, the Democratic congressman in whose district Mayo resides, has requested federal funding for the corridor as a high-priority project in the Surface Transportation Bill reauthorization. Currently, Walz's proposal calls for about $190 million in federal funding (58 percent) and 42 percent from non-federal funding.

Pawlenty has said he would support state bonding to leverage federal funds, and he has directed the Minnesota Department of Transportation to seek grants to help pay for it.

Some private money may be available; Mayo is open to contributing.

In contrast, Canadian Pacific Railroad, which runs the line, said this week that it absolutely would not contribute to the project, though it would deign to use it if it met its needs. "We will not spend limited resources on a project that is not needed," said CP spokesman Mark Seland.

That tone-deaf-to-community-concerns response has been typical of the rail industry in this decade-plus standoff -- and it's absolutely wrong.

It is asking for disaster to run trains -- and more of them at higher speeds at some point-- carrying anhydrous ammonia or explosive compounds such as ethanol within hundreds of feet of hospitals and other medical buildings filled with nearly 4,000 patients. Rail accidents are uncommon, but they do happen. Minnesotans may recall the 1992 benzene spill in Duluth and the 2002 anhydrous ammonia leak in Minot, N.D. If this happened near Mayo, it could kill thousands of vulnerable patients who could not be evacuated quickly. Are we really willing to run this nightmarish risk so that a railroad can move coal and other freight cheaply?

Unfortunately, industry-friendly laws and regulatory bodies have consistently and recklessly placed the railroad above patient safety and the well-being of one of the state's most critical economic engines.

An accident of any magnitude would substantially harm Mayo's reputation and ability to bring patients, the lifeblood of its practice, to its Rochester campus.

The jobs of about 31,000 Mayo Rochester staffers -- and the growth to come with the burgeoning biosciences sector -- are at stake.

Thus Minnesota is left to tackle a mess not of its making, but one that nevertheless must be fixed. By paying for an engineering study, Mayo has laid the groundwork for a thorough discussion of the corridor's minuses and its pluses, which include readying Rochester for the coming era when patients increasingly cross the cornfields on trains to come to the clinic.

Forming a regional rail authority would be an excellent next step, bringing together localities affected by the project and giving people an avenue to reach out to local officials with thoughts and concerns.

There are no easy answers other than this one: Inaction is not an option.

June 8, 2009

Officials celebrate modernization of MBTA Arlington Station

Emphasizing the Patrick-Murray Administration’s commitment to providing accessible transportation service to all persons of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Transportation Secretary James Aloisi joined MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas to celebrate the modernization of Arlington Station located on the MBTA’s Green Line. An investment of $22.7 million, Arlington Station is now fully accessible and is in compliance with the American Disabilities Act.

“This newly renovated station is a symbol of our commitment to providing top-shelf customer service to every T rider on our network of buses, subways and trolleys,” said Secretary Aloisi. “The MBTA has made significant investments to improve accessibility for all.”

Opened in November 1921, Arlington Station’s first renovation occurred in 1967. In 2006, the MBTA announced renovations to Arlington, Copley, and Kenmore stations to upgrade for accessibility and general station maintenance. Arlington Station is now ADA accessible with three brand new elevators, new head-houses and stairways, brand new columns, and new electrical throughout the station. Additional renovations include a new egress at Arlington Street church, and raised platforms to accommodate low floor Green Line vehicles.

Noting that for the first time in its 90-year history, Arlington Station will be accessible to people of all abilities, MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas applauded the contributions and support from the community that moved the modernization of Arlington forward.

In 1989, to comply with the American Disabilities Act, the MBTA initiated the Light Rail Accessibility Project to make the transit system accessible to all persons with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that certain key stations be made accessible. The MBTA Key Station Plan, which was approved by the Federal Transit Administration, includes 80 key stations that must be in compliance with ADA guidelines. Today, 77 MBTA key stations are in compliance including Arlington.

June 8, 2009

Construction signals transformation of Dulles Corridor

Throughout Tysons Corner, Va., cranes and other heavy equipment are signs of major construction work now underway on Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project. This signals the coming of the long-awaited rail line that will eventually connect the entire Dulles Corridor from East Falls Church to Dulles Airport and eastern Loudoun and serve the bustling Tysons Corner, Reston and Herndon areas along the way.

The new 23-mile rail line is being built in two phases. It will bring about major changes in transportation options and lifestyles of those who live, work, travel and play in this important quadrant of Northern Virginia and the entire metropolitan area. The rail line will provide a "no transfer" ride from Dulles Airport to downtown Washington, and it will energize visions for the future of areas around the new rail stations.

Phase 1 includes:
· Five stations along 11 miles from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue.
· Four stations in Tysons Corner.
· 2,300 parking spaces at Wiehle Avenue.
· Completion: 2013.

Phase 2 includes:
· Six stations along 11.5 miles from Wiehle Avenue to Route 772 in Loudoun with stops at Reston Parkway, Herndon-Monroe, Route 28 near the CIT, Dulles Airport , Route 606 and Route 772 (Ashburn).
· Parking at Herndon-Monroe, Route 28, 606 and 772.
· Completion: 2016.

Current work areas are along the northwest side of Route 123 between Tysons Boulevard and International Drive where tunnel preparation work is taking place; clearing and site prep in the median of Route 267; and site access prep near the Wiehle Avenue station

Utility relocations continue along Routes 7 and 123 and are now more than 50 percent complete.

June 8, 2009

MTA begins $2.3-million upgrades of Falls Road light rail parking

The Maryland Transit Administration started $2.3 million in upgrades at the Falls Road Light Rail Stop. These important transit improvements were funded by President Barack Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The improvements to the Falls Road facility follow the completion of conceptual engineering designs that were developed and approved with community input received during a series of public workshop meetings conducted by the MTA.

“These transit investment projects also help put local people to work and further Maryland’s economic recovery,” said Governor O’Malley. “The public process leading to this point has kept the local community engaged, so citizens have a direct say on transit development projects that impact their communities. These improvements will allow more of those citizens to choose transit as a smart, environmentally-friendly way to travel throughout their neighborhoods.”

The Falls Road project has been designed to meet the increased need for parking at the station. The $2.3-million project design elements and station improvements include: Increasing parking capacity from 97 spaces to 197 spaces; new lighted pedestrian path from Old Falls Road; new lighting, landscaping and signs; new fencing between the station and Railroad Avenue; new bike racks; upgraded stormwater management facilities that reduce run-off to the Jones Falls and bus access improvements.

“This project represents real and immediate progress as we continue to identify ways MTA can accommodate increased ridership,” said MTA Administrator Paul Wiedefeld. “The existing parking lot has been over capacity for several years, resulting in Light Rail riders being forced to parking along access roads and on unpaved surfaces.”

Construction is expected to be complete in spring 2010. The MTA is assuring customers that commuter vehicle parking and the station’s walkup access will be maintained at all times during construction.

Average daily ridership at the Falls Road stop is 381. Total daily Light Rail ridership is 27,800.

June 8, 2009

MTA LIRR Brentwood Station building to be renovated

The MTA Long Island Rail Road's Brentwood Station will undergo interior and exterior renovation work starting June 8. During the work, which is expected to be complete by early 2010, a waiting room trailer will be available to customers. Ticket Machines will also continue to be available.

The interior improvements include installation of a new heating and air conditioning system, lighting, floor and ceiling, as well as the vendor kiosk. The rest rooms will also be renovated. The exterior improvements include the installation of new energy efficient windows and doors, new brighter lighting, new handrails and signs.

Both accessibility ramps will receive new railings and the platform shelters will receive new lexan wall and ceiling panels. Train service will not be affected by the project, however, a construction management trailer will be placed adjacent to the westbound platform utilizing ten parking spaces.

The cost of the project is approximately $1.7 million, with funding obtained through the New York State Legislature and the MTA LIRR Capital Improvement Program.

Approximately 1,100 customers use the Brentwood Station during the morning peak period. The current Brentwood Station building was constructed as part of the LIRR Ronkonkoma Branch electrification project in 1987. Regular LIRR service to Brentwood Station started in 1869. The second station building (built in 1903 to replace the original structure, which was destroyed in a fire) was located just to the west of the existing station off of Brentwood Road.

June 8, 2009

Caltrain construction, maintenance update June 6 – 12

Grade-crossing work will include installing signs and guardrails and striping the railroad crossings at Maple and Chestnut streets in Redwood City, Calif., Saturday and Sunday. Work on the Center Street crossing in Millbrae will begin on June 11. Throughout the project, at least one lane of the impacted streets will remain open at the crossing. Flagmen will direct traffic and pedestrians around the construction. The work is part of a larger program to improve grade crossings in San Mateo County.
San Jose

From Monday to Friday, Caltrain will remove underground utilities and backfill areas at the site of a former maintenance facility at the San Jose Diridon station. This work is part of a project to improve connections with regional rail services, improve safety and allow for future expansion of service.

Caltrain will install new sidewalks, curbs, gutters and streetlights near the former railroad crossing at Stockton Avenue and Emory Street in San Jose. Construction is expected to begin June 11 and last up to four weeks. The work will be done from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday. The improvements will complete the closure of the former crossing. The temporary concrete barricades will be removed when the project is completed.

From June 8 to June 11, a crew will weld and grind the switches between the San Francisco and Millbrae stations. June 7-11, crossties between the Bayshore and Millbrae stations will be replaced. June 7-11, worn asphalt, rails, ties and ballast between the Redwood City and Sunnyvale stations will be replaced. On June 7, a crew will weld and grind the switches near the San Jose station.

June 8, 2009

Northstar Fridley Station West head house walls poured

Construction continued at the Northstar commuter rail stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Fridley and Minneapolis, Minn. Work also progressed on the Light Rail Transit connection in downtown Minneapolis.

Crews began painting the LRT station shelters. Electrical work also continued. Crews finished commuter rail track work. Work on the LRT track continues. Work on the signal light and overhead catenary systems continue.

In Coon Rapids, painting of the pedestrian overpass continues. Elevator installation continues and is expected to be complete soon. Crews installed planter soil in preparation for landscaping work.

In Anoka, landscaping work at the Anoka station began. The final pavement course on the north park-and-ride lot will be completed when landscaping work finishes.

In Elk River, crews began painting the station shelters. Station platform concrete work continued. The last concrete pours are scheduled for the week of June 8. Work began on installing the platform light poles.

In Big Lake, crews are installing lock system and speaker wiring. The Vehicle Maintenance Facility is complete.

Crews continued utility work in both the east and west park-and-ride lots at the Fridley Station. Work also continues on the west and center head houses. Crews poured the concrete walls of the west head house and concrete pours for the center head house are scheduled. Landscaping crews seeded the east and west drainage ponds. Crews continue work in the west parking lot.

June 5, 2009

AAR: Sharp downturn in May rail traffic

Freight railroad traffic was down sharply in May in comparison with the same month last year, the Association of American Railroads reports.

U.S. rail carload traffic in May 2009 fell 24.7 percent (325,267 carloads) compared to May 2008 to 989,306 carloads. U.S. rail intermodal traffic (which is not included in carloads) fell 19.7 percent (177,482 trailers and containers) to 723,898 units in May 2009.

Canadian rail carload traffic (which includes both the Canadian and U.S. operations of CN and Canadian Pacific, the two largest Canadian railroads) fell 32.8 percent (104,003 carloads) in May 2009 to 213,517 carloads, while Canadian intermodal traffic fell 34,844 units (18.1 percent) to 157,446 trailers and containers.

U.S. rail car loadings fell in May 2009 in all 19 major commodity groups tracked by the AAR, including coal (down 89,134 carloads, or 15.8 percent); motor vehicles and equipment (down 35,674 carloads, or 52.3 percent); and metals and metal products (down 33,987 carloads, or 62.7 percent). Carloads of chemicals were down 23,147 carloads (18.3 percent) and carloads of grain were down 21,910 carloads (24.5 percent).

Canadian carload declines in May 2009 were led by metallic ores (down 79.8 percent, or 45,392 carloads); chemicals (down 13,487 carloads, or 23.6 percent); and grain (down 7,222 carloads, or 17.1 percent).

Mexican rail carload originations (which include Ferrocarril Mexicano and Kansas City Southern dé Mexico) were down 18.5 percent (10,635 carloads) in May 2009, while intermodal originations were down 21.7 percent (5,580 trailers and containers).

For the first five months of 2009, carload traffic was down 19.6 percent (1,349,097 carloads) on U.S. railroads; down 23.8 percent (388,734 carloads) on Canadian railroads; and down 14.2 percent (38,324 carloads) on Mexican railroads. In 2009 through May, intermodal traffic was down 16.9 percent (788,814 trailers and containers) on U.S. railroads; down 14.8 percent (147,495 units) on Canadian railroads; and down 20.5 percent (25,919 units) on Mexican railroads.

Total volume on U.S. railroads was estimated at 586.8 billion ton-miles, down 18.5 percent from the first five months of 2008.

For just the week ended May 30, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 233,195 carloads, down 26.3 percent from the corresponding week in 2008; intermodal volume of 164,916 trailers and containers, down 19.2 percent; and total volume of an estimated 24.8 billion ton-miles, down 25.1 percent from the equivalent week last year. Both the most recent week and the comparison week from last year included the Memorial Day holiday.

For Canadian railroads during the week ended May 30, the AAR reported volume of 53,790 carloads, down 30.9 percent from last year; and 38,489 trailers and containers, down 20.8 percent from the corresponding week in 2008.

Combined cumulative volume for the first 21 weeks of 2009 on 12 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads was 6,775,911 carloads, down 20.4 percent (1,737,831 carloads) from last year; and 4,734,644 trailers and containers, down 16.5 percent (936,309 trailers and containers) from 2008’s first 21 weeks.

June 5, 2009

Caltrain declares fiscal emergency, plans service cuts, increased rates

The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which oversees Caltrain, declared a fiscal emergency. Officials have forecast a $10.1 million deficit for the next fiscal year and say the agency does not have sufficient reserves.

The board is expected to approve three proposals on July 2 that would cut service and increase rates. The proposals include cutting midday service by half, raising parking fees 50%, increasing the price of a daily pass, and charging more for the monthly GO Pass. By declaring a fiscal emergency, Caltrain is allowed to implement the proposed changes without an environmental review.

If approved, the train eliminations and parking fee increase would be applied in September, while the GO Pass increase would begin in July.

June 5, 2009

E Street transit center planned for Metrolink

San Bernardino County transportation commissioners will bring Metrolink service to the downtown E Street terminal, at the intersection of Rialto Ave. The choice, which was the most expensive option with a $41.4 million price tag, creates a multimodal hub that will link light rail, bus rapid transit and commuter rail service in one location.

Bringing commuter trains to the E Street station is part of the E Street Corridor, a plan connecting San Bernardino and Loma Linda. Two sets of tracks will be installed between Santa Fe Depot and the E Street Terminal. The terminal is expected to be complete by 2012.

June 5, 2009

AGS installed at BNSF facility in San Bernardino

BNSF implemented an Automated Gate System (AGS) at San Bernardino, Calif., using a design-build method rather than a construction model. The construction model used for earlier AGS installations at three other intermodal facilities -- Logistics Park and Corwith in Chicago and Alliance, Texas.

"This [design-build] method allows one general contractor to take the process from design to completion, which should lower costs and accelerate construction and implementation. The general contractor also has more control, resulting in a smoother coordination of the installation," said Cami Elliott, general director, Business Unit Operations Support.

The design-build method resulted in the successful installation of the technology within four months and 10 percent under budget.

AGS uses new technologies, including optical character recognition (OCR), biometric driver identification and high-definition video images, to create a system that improves safety, efficiency and security. The new system also maintains permanent photo images to assist in damage prevention.

June 4, 2009

Amtrak adds train between Richmond, D.C.

Amtrak plans a new daily commuter train from Richmond and Lynchburg, Va., to Washington beginning in December. The new service is the first phase of Virginia’s planned passenger rail improvements. The commonwealth will invest $17.2 million over three years for the train service.

Officials estimate the service will remove up to 1.4 million cars from highways, save more than 8.3 million gallons of fuel and eliminate 66,000 tons of carbon emissions each year.

June 4, 2009

New Sound Transit line previewed

Passengers won’t be able to board the new 14-mile, $2.3 billion Sound Transit Link light-rail line until July 18, but the agency allowed the media in for a preview.

The link, which runs Downtown Seattle to Tukwila, is expected to carry 100,000 riders its first day and is the first phase of a planned 55-mile system that should reach Lynnwood, Federal Way and Redmond by 2023. The line will be extended to Sea-Tac Airport by the end of the year.

Workers are now digging a three-mile tunnel under Capitol Hill to extend the line to the University of Washington.

June 3, 2009

BNSF to replace more than 70 miles in South Dakota

BNSF will spend an estimated $11 million on five projects to replace 73 miles of rail in South Dakota. Work is scheduled between Glenham and Morristown, Alpena and Wolsey, Alexandria and Canton, Crooks and Lyons and Harrisburg and Sioux Falls. The projects will begin in June and are expected to be complete by September.

June 3, 2009

Rail Runner carries its 2 millionth rider

New Mexico’s Rail Runner has been in service three years. On June 3 it will carry its 2 millionth passenger. The person designate the official 2 millionth rider will received a certificate, as well as a free train pass for one year.

The Rail Runner operates between Belen and Santa Fe and carries an average of 4,500 riders per day.

June 2, 2009

North Carolina Operation Lifesaver plans safety blitz

Reducing train/vehicle incidents at railroad crossings is the focus of a "safety blitz" being conducted by North Carolina Operation Lifesaver in partnership with state and local transportation agencies, area railroad operators and law enforcement officials. These events will take place at Greensboro, Mebane and Burlington-area railroad crossings over the two-day period of June 3-4 and will focus on increasing awareness of highway-rail grade crossing safety.

Team members from North Carolina Operation Lifesaver, along with the North Carolina Department of Transportation, North Carolina Railroad Company, Amtrak and local law enforcement agencies, will gather at various area railroad crossings to conduct the safety blitz. Each of the targeted crossings were chosen because of collisions or near miss incidents reported by the Norfolk Southern Railway police.

During each blitz, local law enforcement officials will monitor vehicle traffic at the crossing location and provide team members the opportunity to distribute safety information directly to motorists. By doing so, Operation Lifesaver hopes to reach motorists who regularly access these crossings and educate them on the importance of obeying crossing safety devices and using caution around railroad tracks.

June 2, 2009

Mississippi lawmakers need guarantee of line operation

Mississippi state lawmakers are urging the Surface Transportation Board not to approve the transfer of 252 miles of rail lines from Canadian National to newly-formed companies Natchez Railway LLC and Grenada Railway LLC unless the operation of the lines can be guaranteed past the two-year maintenance period outlined in the original deal.

According to a report in the Daily Leader, officials are worried the new owners, which are affiliated with Salt Lake City's A&K Railroad Materials Inc., will scrap the lines after a two-year maintenance period ends. The transaction was filed in mid-May and requires a 30-day waiting period before finalization. Officials are trying to come to an agreement before that period ends.

June 1, 2009

OMERS Private Equity acquires Nordco Inc. from The Riverside Co.

Nordco Inc. has been acquired by OMERS Private Equity of Toronto, Ontario, a private equity investment firms in Canada. Nordco was purchased from The Riverside Company; terms of the sale were not disclosed.

The Nordco family includes Nordco Rail Services, Suttlewagon, Dapco Industries and J.E.R. Overhaul. The company’s product line includes in-house and on-site machinery inspection and repair; reconditioned machinery rental; rail car movers; ultrasonic testing equipment and services for railroads and other industries and machine replacement parts.

June 1, 2009

Tri-Rail increase 25 percent

For the first time since 1995, Florida’s Tri-Rail will increase fares up 25 percent. The price increase was approved in order to stay on pace with higher operating costs and to balance out possible cuts in funding from Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties.

One-way fares to travel the full 72 miles between Miami International Airport and Mangonia Park will rise from $5.50 to $6.90. A monthly adult pass will cost $100, up from $80. Members of Tri-Rail's employer discount program will pay $75 for a monthly pass, instead of $60.

Tri-Rail is asking the state for $9 million to keep its 50-train weekday schedule for another year. Tri-Rail says cuts in service are planned in October with a possible shutdown happening within two years if additional operating money can not be secured.

Average weekday ridership was down in May to 13,510 passengers as compared to 15,343 in May 2008.

May 29, 2009

BART Board approves key contract for Warm Springs Extension

BART Board members approved one of two key contracts for the 5.4-mile BART extension to the Warm Springs district of Fremont, Calif. Construction resulting from the Warm Springs Extension project is anticipated to create and/or support 26,700 direct and indirect jobs according to the American Public Transportation Association’s economic stimulus formula.

"The timing couldn’t be better," BART Board President Thomas Blalock said. "Contractors are making extraordinarily affordable bids and people need work! Moreover, this is an important extension of BART service that will address congestion on a notoriously gridlocked section of Interstate 880 in Fremont."

The Board action authorizes the general manager to award a $136-million contract for the Fremont Central Park Subway portion of the extension project to Shimmick Construction Co., Inc./Skanska USA Civil West California District Inc. Joint Venture. This contract is for constructing the trackway embankment south of Walnut Avenue and the BART subway from just north of Stevenson Boulevard through Fremont Central Park, including a portion of Lake Elizabeth, and beneath the Union Pacific freight track to just north of Paseo Padre Parkway.

The contract includes construction of two ventilation structures and relocation of a number of amenities within Fremont Central Park, including the dog park, basketball courts and related parking. Construction is anticipated to begin this summer and last for approximately 3.5 years. A second contract is expected to be a design-build contract where the contractor will complete the remaining parts of the project including the trackway, systems, tie-in at Fremont Station and the new Warm Springs Station.

The City of Fremont is well under way with another key component of the extension: an overpass that would carry BART trains above Paseo Padre Parkway. BART hopes to have the Warm Springs Extension in service by June 2014. The Warm Springs Extension would be a fundamental step in the Valley Transportation Authority’s BART extension to the South Bay.

May 29, 2009

LA Metro Board adopts FY10 budget with 15 percent increase

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors adopted a $3.9-billion budget for Fiscal Year 2009-10, which begins July 1, 2009. The spending plan is half a billion dollars or just under 15 percent more than the current Metro budget.

The increase is largely due to a spate of new highway and transit building projects. Altogether, Metro will undertake $636 million in new programs in FY10, funded largely with federal stimulus funds and the new Measure R transit sales tax that will be collected starting July 1.

Among other major transportation advances in the coming fiscal year, Metro will begin operation of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension to East Los Angeles, continue construction of the Expo light rail line from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, begin construction of a four-mile extension of the popular Metro Orange Line busway from Canoga Park to Chatsworth and advance numerous planning studies for new transit projects throughout Los Angeles County.

As mandated by Measure R, there will be no general Metro fare increase in FY10, and fares for seniors, students, the disabled and Medicare recipients will stay at current levels for five years. The new transit sales tax that begins July 1 will keep Metro fares low, however, the Metro Board must still grapple with higher operating costs and cuts in other revenue.
California lawmakers have completely eliminated state transit assistance, which, in recent years, has provided Metro with about $100 million annually in operating dollars. Local Props. A & C transit sales tax revenue also is projected to decline five percent over the current fiscal year due to the recession. In addition, Metro is negotiating new contracts this spring with its major labor unions representing operators, maintenance employees and clerks.

Despite the drop in revenue, Metro will not raise fares or consider major service reductions. However, Metro has cut expenses by more than $130 million. It also will dip into reserves to balance the FY10 budget.

May 29, 2009

SEPTA approves $1.13-billion budget

SEPTA approved a $1.13-billion operating budget and a $418-million capital budget, with none of the drama that often has accompanied budget battles, because the budgets call for no fare increases or service cuts, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The new operating budget, which will take effect July 1, provides money for the transit agency's daily operations and is 3.3 percent more than the current budget. The biggest operating-cost increase is for labor and benefits, which SEPTA projects will go up $40.5 million - 5.4 percent - to $792.5 million. SEPTA is negotiating with bus, subway and trolley operators and mechanics, whose contracts expired in March and April.

Operating budgets have been a flash point in past years, as SEPTA cut service and raised fares to balance the books. The latest fireworks were in 2007, when Philadelphia's representatives tried to block the budget because of fare hikes. They were overridden by the suburban majority on the board.

The new capital budget, which provides money for vehicles, equipment, and buildings, outlines spending on 23 projects, including plans for more hybrid buses and refurbished Regional Rail stations.

The new capital budget is about $50 million larger than the $368 million capital budget approved for this fiscal year. But the current capital budget got a $191 million injection in February when it was amended to include federal stimulus aid.

May 29, 2009

UP investing more than $12 million in track near Pocatello

Union Pacific is investing more than $12 million in track improvements to the line between Pocatello and Nampa, Idaho. When the project is complete, crews will have removed and installed more than 66,000 ties on 35 miles of double track and renewed the road surfaces at 55 crossings. Work began on the project April 9 and is scheduled to be completed by June 8.

Union Pacific invested more than $34 million for capital projects in Idaho in 2008.

May 29, 2009

HRT board cuts light-rail contract by $514,000

Hampton Roads Transit’s board voted to reduce a light-rail contract by $514,000, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, reports. The $10.9-million contract, to build and outfit a light-rail vehicle storage and maintenance facility, called for the purchase of a $1.1-million piece of equipment called a multipurpose vehicle mover. That is being replaced with a less expensive model, HRT spokesman Tom Holden said.

HRT is partnering with the city, state and federal governments to build a $288-million starter light-rail line from the medical complex on Brambleton Avenue, through downtown, to the city line at Newtown Road. It’s expected to open in mid- to late 2010.

May 29, 2009

SkyTrain Broadway Station elevator to close June 1

As part of TransLink’s re-design and upgrade of the Broadway SkyTrain Station in Vancouver, B.C., the elevator at the station entrance on the south side of Broadway Street will be closed permanently as of June 1.

The new entrance for Broadway SkyTrain station, off 10th Avenue, including elevator access, is expected to open in September 2009. During construction, customers who need to use an elevator will be redirected across the street, to an elevator at Commercial SkyTrain Station (near Shoppers Drug Mart).

Removing the elevator on the north side of the Broadway Station platform will increase space on the platform and reduce congestion during peak periods. The new entrance off 10th Avenue is designed to improve accessibility, provide an open station visible from both Broadway and 10th, and create an additional exit.

Other improvements, which are designed to enhance safety, security and accessibility, include glass walls on the concourse level and at the top of the stairs, new paving and space for new retail outlets in the future.

May 29, 2009

High-speed rail dreams depend on dedicated tracks

While rail advocates dream of passenger trains blazing through Washington at 200 mph, freight railroad representatives say anything half that fast won't work on their tracks, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

"True" high-speed rail would exceed 150 mph, but the Amtrak Cascades line between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., is more likely to see incremental progress from the current top speed of 79 mph to between 110 and 125 mph (the top potential speed of the current Talgo trains), Cascadia Project rail fellow Ray Chambers said at a forum in downtown Seattle.

But Port of Seattle President Bill Bryant said 110 mph would be nothing to celebrate.

"That's charging into 1990s technology," he said. "The rest of the world's already moving at 200 mph. ... I don't know when we began to settle for half of what our competitors already have."

Representatives of the BNSF and Union Pacific railways were receptive to allowing more passenger rail on their tracks. But their stipulations included that passenger service not impede freight capacity, add any liability for the railways or go too fast.

Anything over 110 mph must be on separate tracks in a separate right of way, said Scott Moore, Union Pacific's vice president of public affairs for the Western Region.

Andrew Johnsen, assistant vice president for state government affairs at BNSF, said their tracks can take passenger trains up to 79 mph with little trouble and 90 mph with major upgrades and increased maintenance.

Faster speeds than that, he said: "You really need to have separate tracks. Whether you need to have separate right of way is a question we can discuss."

Clifford Benson, a member of the state Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board, said any additional passenger service impacts freight movement.

"From our board's standpoint, we would have a problem with that," he said.

State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond acknowledged that passenger rail would have to get off of the BNSF and Union Pacific lines "at some point ... so that freight can move."

Speeds aside, all of the rail advocates were ready to celebrate a recent surge in federal rail investment, including $8 billion in the recent stimulus package for high-speed rail and President Obama's pledge to spend $13 billion over five years on 10 rail corridors, including the Amtrak Cascades.

Hammond said Washington would seek $900 million of the stimulus rail money and Oregon would go for about $150 million.

"We have distinct projects that are shovel-ready," she said.

Chambers proclaimed: "It's a new day for rail." He predicted true high-speed rail, with speeds over 150 mph, would come somewhere in the U.S. within a few years.

This year's reauthorization of the federal transportation act is a chance to find a new funding source for rail, which will fail if it depends on fighting with highways for a share of federal gas taxes, Chambers said. "The traditional sources are going to absorb that money and we won't see any of it."

Larry Salci, a management consultant and former rail and transit executive, put the recent federal rail money in perspective by noting that one high-speed rail line in Texas cost $6 billion in 1992.

The $8 billion in new funds "is purely seed money," he said.

May 29, 2009

Caltrain construction, maintenance update

Caltrain temporarily closed Center Street at the railroad tracks in Millbrae, Calif., from 8 p.m., May 22 until 6 p.m., May 23 to reconstruct the crossing and adjacent track, as well as to repave the street. The work was scheduled over one weekend to minimize the impact to the neighborhood.

Work to rebuild the railroad crossings at Maple, Main and Chestnut streets in Redwood City will continued from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., May 26-30. The work is part of a larger program to improve grade crossings in San Mateo County.

May 26-29, Caltrain removed underground utilities at the site of a former maintenance facility at the San Jose Diridon station. This work is part of a project to improve connections with regional rail services, improve safety and allow for future expansion of service.

From May 24-28, crossties between the Bayshore and Millbrae stations were replaced. May 25-28, a crew welded and ground the switches between the Millbrae and San Mateo stations

May 26- 28, worn asphalt, rails, ties and ballast between the Palo Alto and Lawrence stations were replaced. On May 24, a crew did welding and grinding of the switches near the San Jose station.

May 29, 2009

160 miles from ocean, Georgia town wants to be a port

Officials in Cordele, Ga., here have a novel ambition for a city 160 miles from the ocean, namely becoming a port, the Florida Times Union (Jacksonville) reports. For seven years, they have educated leaders in state government and the transportation industry — having to restart the process when leaders changed. They explain that Cordele can be more than the Watermelon Capital of the World by developing an inland port the way Front Royal, Va., did 15 years ago.

Front Royal is about the same distance from Norfolk, Va., as Cordele is from Savannah, and both cities enjoy the intersection of multiple rail lines and a major interstate highway.

Even better, one of the railroads is a closed-loop shortline whose short distance means trains moving from the port to the inland port will always have first priority without having to be sidetracked while long-distance trains pass.

“We’re doing something that’s a proven concept,” said Bruce Drennan, executive director of the Crisp County Industrial Development Council in Cordele.

Drennan estimates that within five years, Cordele could add 2,500 jobs and handle 150,000 containers of cargo per year.

By piggybacking on Cordele’s location, Savannah port officials will be able to better compete for freight currently shipping out of ports on the Gulf Coast since rail moves four containers for the price of trucking just one. The inland port will add to the capacity of the Port of Savannah rather than drawing any economic activity away from the Coastal Empire.

“We won’t be taking any jobs from them,” he said. “Basically, what it will do is improve the throughput of the port.”

That’s the view, too, from Savannah. Lynn Pitts, senior vice president of the Savannah Economic Authority, figures more business for the port translates into more business for Savannah.

The plan hinges on cooperation from CSX Transportation in working with the Central of Georgia and Heart of Georgia railroads that would move the freight directly west to Cordele. CSXT controls the final mile linking the port to Central of Georgia’s railhead.

To sweeten the deal, Cordele officials have picked a 1,200-acre site adjacent to a CSXT line, so the inland port might not take business away from CSXT.

Just five months ago, CSXT got its own enhanced railyard for expediting port freight a short distance from the port. Now the Jacksonville-based railroad schedules 28 trains serving Savannah, including three each day just running between the port and the new railyard.

CSX isn’t worried about losing any Savannah business to Cordele, said Gary Sease, spokesman for CSX. But there still isn’t a solid deal yet.

“It’s still in a discussion phase,” he said. “We are having discussions about that, but there is no firm commitment yet because we have a lot of details to work out.”

May 28, 2009

TCRP publication evaluates project delivery methods

The Transit Cooperative Research Program has released Report 131: A Guidebook for the Evaluation of Project Delivery Method. This report examines various project delivery methods for major transit capital projects, while also exploring the impacts, advantages and disadvantages of including operations and maintenance as a component of a contract. The project delivery methods discussed in the report are design-bid-build, construction manager at risk, design-build and design-build-operate-maintain. The guidebook offers a three-tiered project delivery selection framework that may be used by owners of transit projects to evaluate the pros and cons of each delivery method and select the most appropriate method for their project.

In cooperation with the Transportation Research Board and the Federal Transit Administration, APTA provides free TCRP reports that are based on annually submitted industry problem statements.

The TCRP program is currently soliciting Research Problem Statements for fiscal year 2010. Statements are due June 15, 2009. Visit www.tcrponline.org

May 28, 2009

CTA plans work in Dearborn, State subways

Rail service will be temporarily suspended in the Blue Line’s Dearborn Subway from Clark/Lake to Western/Milwaukee from 10 p.m., May 29, until 4 a.m, June 1, while crews continue track replacement work. Blue Line trains will operate normally from Forest Park to Clark/Lake, and from O’Hare to Western/Milwaukee. Service through the Dearborn Subway will resume normal operation at 4 a.m. on Monday, June 1.

Red Line trains will be rerouted from the subway to the elevated structure in one direction only on Friday night, May 29, and in the opposite direction Saturday night, May 30, while crews perform track and power maintenance work.

Southbound service on the Red Line between the Fullerton and Cermak-Chinatown stations will be rerouted from the subway to the elevated tracks from 9 p.m. Friday, May 29, until 9 a.m. Saturday, May 30. Southbound Red Line trains will operate normally between the Howard and Fullerton stations and between the Cermak-Chinatown and 95th Street stations.

Northbound service on the Red Line will be rerouted to the elevated tracks between the Cermak-Chinatown and Fullerton stations from 9 p.m. Saturday, May 30, until 9 a.m. Sunday, May 31. Northbound Red Line trains will operate normally between the 95th Street and Cermak-Chinatown stations and between the Fullerton and Howard stations.

May 28, 2009

FRA awards $15 million in disaster assistance grants

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo said FRA has awarded $15 million to nine states for emergency repairs to damaged railroad infrastructure resulting from natural disasters. Funding from the FRA Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Program will go to state Departments of Transportation to reimburse shortline and regional railroads for the cost of repairs.

Funds awarded under the RRRP can cover up to 80 percent of the total cost of a selected project, with the remainder to be provided from non-federal sources. Grants may be used to repair bridges, signals and other infrastructure which are part of the general rail transportation system.

The grant recipients are as follows:
• Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities - $637,440 and $945,680 for flood repair for the Alaska Railroad.
• Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department - $737,292 for emergency repairs to Missouri and Northern Arkansas Railroad.
• Illinois Department of Transportation - $569,700 for flood control on the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad.
• Kansas Department of Transportation - $405,702 for repair of flood damage to the Gorilla Subdivision on the South Kansas & Oklahoma Railroad.
• Indiana Department of Transportation – $1,244,217 for flood damage repair on the Indiana Southern Railroad.
• Iowa Department of Transportation - $6,965,163 for flood damage restoration to rebuild a bridge and repair signals on the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway. Also, $459,200 for flood damage restoration for the Keokuk Junction Railway Yard and $2,174,880 for replacement of the Waterloo Bridge over the Cedar River for the Iowa Northern Railway.
• Missouri Department of Transportation - $353,600 for flood damage repair on Missouri & Northern Arkansas Railroad.
• North Carolina Department of Transportation - $11,101 for repair of washouts and debris removal on the Carolina Coastal Railway.
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation - $354,006 for repair of flood damage and washouts on the Wisconsin & Southern Railroad.

Under the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009, FRA was authorized to make $20 million available for grants to repair and rehabilitate railroad infrastructure damaged in areas declared by the President as a major disaster. The FRA intends to issue another solicitation for the remaining $5 million in funds through a Notice of Funding Availability to be published in the Federal Register that will be available on a competitive basis.

May 28, 2009

New Jersey MOM rail line plans move forward

For the first time in years, members of a working group from Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties in New Jersey have reached common ground for a proposed route for a new rail line that would provide residents with additional rail service to Newark and Manhattan.

Citing a shared desire to select a project alternative in order to move forward and to work together for the benefit of residents in the growing region, officials from the three counties have urged NJ TRANSIT to focus on an incremental approach toward a project that would create a new rail line from Manchester/Lakehurst in Ocean County to Red Bank in Monmouth County, with a spur from Freehold Township to Farmingdale Borough. The line would connect to the existing North Jersey Coast Line in Red Bank.

When the agreement was reached, the community members of the MOM working group urged NJ TRANSIT to explore enhanced bus service along Routes 9 and 18 as the MOM project moves forward. They also recommended that NJ TRANSIT address vehicular traffic issues in Red Bank, where additional rail service could further impact traffic.

The progress toward a solution followed recent discussions that while all three of the MOM Draft Environmental Impact Statement alternatives currently under review have merit, they may not effectively compete on a national level for federal New Starts dollars when compared to other projects around the country.

Officials expect that much of the environmental analysis that has already been performed can be used in a modified proposal.

The working group, consisting of officials from Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties as well as the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and NJ TRANSIT, was established several years ago to help facilitate discussions to move the project along.

May 28, 2009

Ground broken for new Puritas Station in Cleveland

A groundbreaking ceremony was held May 27 for a new $9.6-million Red Line rail station at 4200 W. 150th St. and Puritas Avenue. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, other elected officials, and neighborhood leaders attended. The station, operated by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, is one of the first significant projects in Ohio to benefit from federal stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The 18 months of construction begins in May, with work scheduled to be completed in fall 2010. The station – a key West Side location with direct access to I-71 and Hopkins International Airport -- will remain open throughout construction.

Built in 1966, it is an important hub and connection to several RTA bus routes. The site includes 558 parking spaces. Some RTA land is leased to the adjacent National City Bank operations center and La Quinta Inn.
?About 900 people board at the station daily, placing the station as one of RTA’s top five for Red Line ridership. Ridership is expected to increase when Inner Belt construction begins.

The new station was designed by the DeWolff Partnership Architects with strong community input from development corporations at Bellaire-Puritas and Kamm’s Corners. Features include:
• A 2,500-square foot main entrance building with a brick grand foyer and a rounded portico outlined in sandstone.
• A 30-foot tower and two elevators for ADA access.
• A 130-foot bridge that brings passengers over the Rapid tracks to the boarding platform.
• A smaller, secondary entrance on the residential West 154th Street.
• Public art, including a ceramic tile mosaic inside the main building by Dr. Murphy Ajayi. Functional art will include seating, lighting and fence details by a collaboration of artists.

May 28, 2009

Atlanta Regional Commission reallocates funds to MARTA

The Atlanta Regional Commission approved a $25 million reallocation of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus funds to MARTA. Pending approval by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the signature of Gov. Sonny Perdue, the proposal enables the authority to address a significant budget deficit and avoid making drastic cuts in service to balance its Fiscal Year 2010 budget. This is not a “free-ride.” MARTA, in turn, will reallocate $25 million of the authority’s capital dollars to fund transit-related projects in the MARTA service area.

The ARC’s Transportation and Air Quality Committee proposed the funding swap after the Georgia legislature failed to pass critical legislation providing transportation funding and permitting MARTA access to $65 million in its capital reserve fund to address the authority’s operating deficit.

“MARTA is extremely grateful to the members of ARC for their willingness to step forward to help keep MARTA moving. I want to thank our regional partners for making this funding reallocation possible,” said MARTA General Manager/CEO Beverly A. Scott, Ph.D. “This one-time funding infusion will help keep us afloat next year. But, the criticality of increased state/regional transportation funding for future years is absolutely urgent. We must take action to address this problem.”

MARTA will allocate this one-time $25-million payment to preventative maintenance which is a designated use of stimulus funding under federal guidelines.

MARTA staff will present their recommended FY 2010 budget proposal to the MARTA Board of Directors at their monthly Business Management Committee meeting tomorrow May 28.

May 28, 2009

Major work to temporarily close Montreal’s Charlevoix station

The Société de transport de Montréal said it must temporarily close the Charlevoix station in order to carry out major work June 1 to August 16, inclusively. STM has set up a shuttle bus service that will run at five- to eight-minute intervals during the hours the métro is open between the Charlevoix, Lionel-Groulx and LaSalle stations in both directions throughout the construction period.

The work carried out during this period will consist mainly of the upgrading of the building (including structural, architectural and electrical work and replacement of the floor), installation of warning strips on the steps of the stairs at the platform level and replacement of the station’s windows, lighting, and fire protection system.

This work will be carried out under Phase II of the Réno-Stations program, which is financed through a partnership between Transports Québec and the STM.

May 28, 2009

Caltrain postpones bridge replacement project

Caltrain has postponed indefinitely a project to replace the railroad bridges that cross Tilton, Monte Diablo, Santa Inez and Poplar avenues in San Mateo, Calif.

Engineering studies have established that the life of the bridges can be extended by seismically retrofitting them. New foundations will be built under the supports and the bridges will be maintained and kept in a state-of-good repair. It is anticipated that the bridges will be replaced in the future, possibly as part of the California High-Speed Rail project, which will operate on Caltrain’s right of way.

The retrofit project does not require the removal of any trees on the railroad’s right of way between Tilton and Poplar avenues.

It is anticipated that work on the retrofit project will begin in early 2010. All of the work will be done at the street level, in and around the bridge foundations. The construction will require some partial lane closures.

Caltrain is assessing its extensive capital program to better coordinate with high-speed rail and to make certain that today’s investments are not deemed obsolete in the near future.

May 28, 2009

WMATA Orange Line work set

Track maintenance on WMATA’s Orange Line in the Washington, D.C., area May 29-31 will cause inbound and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track. Metrorail customers traveling between the Stadium-Armory and Cheverly Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes of travel time for their trips because personnel will replace rail and crossties, outside the Cheverly Metrorail station and conduct bridge maintenance on the aerial structure outside the Minnesota Avenue Metrorail station. Trains will share one track between these locations from 10 p.m, May 29, to closing midnight) on May 31.

May 28, 2009

West Coast railway could bypass Vancouver, B.C.

A decade of disinterest could see a planned Portland-Seattle-Vancouver railway link improvement pass B.C. by, local media report. The Washington State Department of Transportation is preparing to spend more than $700 million upgrading the century-old railway that links Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. The funds could flow as soon as this fall, as part of President Barack Obama's plan to stimulate the U.S. economy. But Washington State does not plan to spend a single penny of that windfall improving tracks north of Seattle. Rather, it will all be poured into the Seattle-to-Portland section.

Why? Because for more than a decade, the state has been dribbling its own money into rebuilding the international railway, while urging British Columbia to do the same. And for just as long, the government of B.C. has been blowing off the American overtures.

Washington State has spent the past 18 years laying plans to incrementally improve rail service from Eugene, Oregon, to Vancouver, British Columbia.

A 2006 state transportation plan suggested improvements in Burnaby, Delta, White Rock and a new rail bridge across the Fraser - features that would cost an estimated $1 billion. But that report noted B.C. had spent nothing on the plan. By 2008, all mention of B.C.'s participation had been erased from an updated plan.

Here in B.C., the provincial Transportation Plan makes no mention of the project. B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon declined interview requests.

But U.S. Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Warren Flateau was more direct.

"I don't think Washington State is going to seek funding for that [Vancouver route] unless they know that there is a strong partner on the other side of the border," Flateau said. "... What we would expect to hear from Canadian governments at the federal and provincial level - as well as at the local and regional levels, for that matter - would be explicit statements of support for developing some type of rail connection."

May 27, 2009

Groups present rail bypass proposal to Olmsted board

Freight hauling, not high-speed passenger service, is the main expressed purpose for a proposed Rochester-area railroad bypass, the Rochester, Minn., Post-Bulletin. That's a message Olmsted County commissioners heard in a presentation by proponents of the bypass. The 48-mile rail line is proposed as a way to re-route Canadian Pacific Railway train traffic around the south side of Rochester. The bypass would start in Dover and wind up near Dodge Center.

Presenters included representatives of Mayo Clinic and the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce, but also included Charlie Lynch, vice president of Gannett Fleming Transit and Rail Systems, the company that studied and drew the bypass for Mayo Clinic.

Lynch said the route map, completed in March, was drawn strictly with 60-mph freight trains in mind. However, the right-of-way might also be able to accommodate Amtrak-style passenger trains traveling up to 100 mph, he said.

That's short of the 150- to 200-mph speeds associated with true high-speed rail. Lynch said the route through Olmsted and Dodge counties includes some turns too sharp for high-speed trains. The stretch from Dover to the Rochester International Airport could handle the faster trains, though.

Officials connected to the bypass proposal have, at times, given mixed messages concerning the purpose of the bypass. Several have emphasized the "historic" opportunity presented by, among other things, a new national interest in investing in high-speed passenger rail service. A coalition involving Mayo, the Chamber of Commerce and the city and county governments seeks to have Rochester included as a stop on an interregional line linking the Twin Cities and Chicago and emphasizes Mayo Clinic's need to have passenger service as a means to attract patients from the Midwest.

The same four groups also are working to secure $325 million to develop the bypass as a freight route. The route has been named the Southern Rail Corridor.

Yet, officials are loath to having the corridor regarded simply as a reheated version of a past 38-mile bypass considered and rejected by federal regulators and federal appeals court judges.

The new plan is "very, very different," said chamber President John Wade. "It's not just a bypass. It really is a highway for the future ... to give us the possibility of passenger (service)."

Rochester is in competition with cities along the Mississippi River, where Amtrak already runs passenger trains, for designation as the state's official high-speed route. Even if Rochester fails to win that designation, "we still need this infrastructure," Wade said, "both for freight and the future of passenger."

Wade and Mayo Clinic spokesman Chris Gade alluded to a possibility that losing this rail fight could cost Rochester in terms of where its top employer invests in the future.

"I know this is true," Wade said. "That decisions are made every day downtown ... about where the future investments will be. We want to make sure we never give the (Mayo Clinic) trustees even a second thought about where they invest the dollars: They invest it here."

May 27, 2009

Harsco names new head of international sales for rail unit

Worldwide industrial services company Harsco Corporation appointed Joseph P. Dougherty vice president of international sales for its worldwide Harsco Rail business group, effective June 1, 2009. Harsco Rail is a global technology and service leader for virtually all major aspects of railway track maintenance, serving major U.S. Class I and international rail networks, shortlines and high-speed rapid transit systems throughout the world.

Dougherty joins Harsco from GE Transportation, where he has served as the strategic marketing manager for General Electric's multi-billion dollar global locomotive business. His leadership responsibilities have included global market planning and analysis; the implementation of new market entry and customer growth initiatives in China, India, Russia and other key emerging markets; and involvement as a senior member of negotiation teams on multiple global locomotive proposals. He has also served as a global product line manager for GE, leading the product development life cycle from inception to launch for fuel and emissions reduction technologies, for which he received GE's Management Award for Execution and Results. He is a graduate of GE's management training program and a Six Sigma black belt for continuous improvement.

Prior to GE, Dougherty served as a global project management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, undertaking long-term assignments in Europe, Japan and South America and leading project teams within the firm's global energy practice. He received the firm's management award for new business development and outstanding value-added to clients.

Dougherty holds an MBA from the University of Michigan and a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

May 27, 2009

UP invests in track projects in Colorado, Kansas

Motorists will spend less time at crossings waiting for trains to pass with trains operating more efficiently as a result of nearly $4 million in track improvements made by Union Pacific to its Colorado Springs-to-Pueblo, Colo., line. When the project is complete, crews will have removed and installed 31,000 ties, spread 12,000 tons of rock ballast and renewed the road surfaces at 17 crossings. Work will begin on the project May 29 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of June.

Union Pacific invested more than $42 million for capital projects in Colorado in 2008.

Also, UP is investing nearly $5 million in track improvements to its Herington-to-near Canton, Kan., line. Crews will remove and install more than 33,000 ties, spread 20,500 tons of rock, upgrade nearly a mile of rail in various curves and renew the road surfaces at 29 crossings. Work began on the project May 18 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of June.

Union Pacific invested more than $94 million for capital projects in Kansas in 2008.

May 27, 2009

Light rail has a pulse in Virginia Beach, Va.

From traffic-counting tubes, to biologists tramping through wetlands, to newsletters, residents will see the start of the $1.5 million study to evaluate extending light rail to the Beach from Norfolk, The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reports.

Project boosters say they will start shaping their messages to build support for the mass-transit project that was vetoed by voters 56 percent to 44 percent in a referendum 10 years ago.

“I’m going to do everything I can do to move light rail forward. I believe in that strongly,” Mayor Will Sessoms said. “It will be a project supported by a majority of the citizens of Virginia Beach.”

The study is the first step in a project that’s at least six years away and is expected to answer questions about the route, cost, number of expected users, location of park-and-ride lots, possible road closures, environmental impacts and noise.

The Beach segment is the first phase of the federally funded study – the total cost is $5.7 million – that will also look at extending the rail line to Norfolk Naval Station. Hampton Roads Transit, the region’s transportation authority, hired Omaha, Neb.-based architecture and engineering firm HDR to do the study, which will take about 16 months.

The Beach City Council is in final negotiations to buy the old 10.6-mile Norfolk Southern corridor for $40 million, which includes $10 million in city money. It crosses the city from Newtown Road to Birdneck Road, roughly paralleling Interstate 264 and Virginia Beach Boulevard.

Most council members have said they’re waiting to see the results before taking a position on light rail. The body’s last official action was its vote against the project after the 1999 referendum.

The city is also forming a citizen advisory committee to research the project. The group will start meeting this sum mer. The first public hearings on light rail will be in July.

Part of the city’s study will determine how high the light rail route would need to be elevated to prevent clogging already-busy intersections. For example, it’s almost certain a bridge would be needed to raise the line over the congested Rosemont Road/Virginia Beach Boulevard intersection, said Ray Amoruso, HRT’s vice president of planning.
Witchduck Road and Independence Boulevard might also need bridges, he said.

The study will also identify smaller roads that cross the line, such as some in the Thalia neighborhood that might need to be closed to make way for light rail.

As the study moves forward, the city is crafting development plans for areas on the light-rail route, which planners call “strategic growth areas,” or SGAs. Growth plans for Pembroke and Town Center, the Oceanfront and Newtown Road, which are either finished or under way, have a strong light-rail focus. About half of the city’s growth areas are on the rail line, as Planning Director Jack Whitney pointed out at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

“If light rail does happen, and we’re smart, we will make those plans ahead of it,” City Councilman John Uhrin said. “It would be silly to go forward and not take the SGAs into account.”

Largely, the study is about gathering information, which takes time, planners said.

“There’s always a hunger for having the answers, but so much data has to be assembled,” Amoruso said.

May 27, 2009

Railroads adapt, look to the future, UP chairman tells NARS

While the nation has faced extraordinary economic challenges, America’s freight railroads in 2008 invested a record $10 billion in capital projects that increase capacity, improve service and prepare for growth, all while continuing to improve safety, on-time performance and average train speeds, said Union Pacific Corp. Chairman, CEO and President Jim Young, speaking as Chairman of the Association of American Railroads at the annual meeting of the North American Rail Shippers Association.

“This is a reflection of the fact that, while responding to today's economic problems, railroads have managed to keep an eye on the future —a future in which the nation will need more passenger and freight rail service,” Young said. “We intend to be prepared for that future.”

As government attempts to address the nation’s transportation challenges, Young highlighted certain key policy initiatives such as rail regulatory reform, changes to the industry’s limited antitrust exemptions and the development of high-speed rail that are critical to the continued success of the industry.

Young urged caution to lawmakers weighing changes to rail regulation established by the Staggers Rail Act of 1980. He noted that since then, average rail rates have dropped by more than half on an inflation-adjusted basis, accident rates have dropped by 70 percent, rail market share has steadily increased, and the industry has invested more than $440 billion back into their networks to improve track, equipment and facilities.

“That regulatory system protected the rights of shippers from excessive rail market power while at the same time providing railroads with new ability to react to changes in the market place, Young said. “The result has been an unqualified success.”

Also critical to railroads are proposals currently being debated in Congress that would eliminate the industry’s limited antitrust exemptions.

“These proposals are based on the misconception that railroads are exempt from most antitrust laws. That is simply not true,” Young said. “The legislation proposed would subject railroads to conflicting regulatory schemes, creating inefficiencies that would cause operating costs to increase. Eventually, those cost increases would reach our customers, causing their costs to increase as well.”

The national push to develop high-speed passenger rail is of critical importance not only to railroads, but also to their customers, Young added.

“There are many good things expanded high-speed rail could accomplish, including reductions in greenhouse gases and fuel consumption as well as highway and air congestion,” Young said. “But if all we do is super-impose high speed passenger rail on existing freight networks, it will consume freight capacity needed for freight customers today and limit our ability to expand for the customer's growth in the future.”

Young assured the shipper group that freight railroads are part of the solution to some of America’s challenges, as long as key policy initiatives strike the right balance needed to support the industry’s continued capital investment in its own infrastructure.

“We've proven that with reasonable financial returns, we will invest in our infrastructure, making service to our customers safer, faster and more reliable,” Young said, adding that railroads and shippers are dependent upon each other’s success. “We need strong industries to grow our business, while you need a strong and efficient rail network to move your goods at competitive prices. I believe both are possible and we look forward to working together to achieve success.”

May 27, 2009

TriMet finishes bus mall portion of transit project

Portland, Oregon’s latest mass transit project opened on Memorial Day when TriMet buses returned to downtown’s bus mall, local media report. The two-year project on Fifth and Sixth avenues cost roughly $220 million and met its budget and its projected finish date, according to a TriMet spokeswoman.

The project is part of a larger $575.5-million project that includes the construction of a new light-rail line that will connect Portland State University and Clackamas Town Center. The bus service that came back to the mall marks the first of several milestones in bringing the MAX Yellow Line and the new MAX Green Line to the Fifth and Sixth avenue corridors. The Yellow Line will start on the mall August 30 and service on the new 8.3-mile Green Line will start on Sept. 12.

The federal government funded roughly 60 percent of the projects. The remaining money came from a variety of state and local sources, including the city of Portland, Metro, Clackamas County, the Oregon Department of Transportation, TriMet and the Portland Development Commission.

May 27, 2009

Montanans onboard with passenger train service

The Bozeman, Mont., City Commission meeting room couldn’t hold all the people wanting an update on passenger trains possibly coming back to southern Montana, with the crowd spilling out into the hall and gathering around a TV broadcast of the meeting, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports. That conformed to what an Amtrak official called “the groundswell that seems to be developing for passenger rail,” a mode of transportation that has taken a backseat to private auto and air in recent decades in the United States.

But Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who organized the town hall meeting, said the results of an ongoing feasibility study of more passenger trains in Montana would be the first step in what might be a long effort to bring rail travel back to Bozeman and Livingston.

“If the study coming back looks like we can get this to work, the challenge will be to get 98 other senators on board with us,” Tester told the crowd of about 100 packed into hearing room. “This is the first step.”

The study, the results of which are due in October, will look into how much the route would cost to operate, what the condition of the infrastructure is now and how many riders Amtrak can expect to pick up, said Ray Lang, Amtrak’s senior director for state relations in the Midwest.

Last year, Tester wrote a bill to require Amtrak to look into reopening the North Coast Hiawatha route. Shut down in 1979, the route ran through Glendive, Miles City, Billings, Livingston, Bozeman, Butte and Missoula. Amtrak is studying basically the same route, with the train going through Helena instead of Butte.

Meanwhile, the state of Montana is conducting its own studies about how more passenger rail service could be offered to Montanans. Now, Amtrak’s Empire Builder, which runs across the Hi-Line, is the only passenger train running in the state.

Jim Lynch, chief of the Montana Department of Transportation, said at the meeting that transportation managers became too focused on roadways at the expense of railroads.

Still, he said he and other state officials in charge of transportation are coming to realize that building bigger and bigger roads isn’t a permanent fix, but giving people a way to get around without using the highway could be.

And the government is making investments. This year’s proposed federal budget allocates $1.5 billion to the government-owned corporation. And the stimulus packaged allocated another $1.3 billion to fix up the country’s rail infrastructure.

Lynch said the state’s studies, which look into various east-west routes, should be available in draft form by mid-June.

Efforts to bring the southern route back since its closure in 1979 have been continuous, including efforts from Montana’s delegations to Washington. On the state level, former state Sen. Dorothy Bradley said she and others searched for ways to make privately owned and operated rail routes viable, but said she ran into “attitudinal” obstacles.

“Unless there is intense leadership, this isn’t going to happen,” she said. “Maybe this time there is that leadership.”

May 26, 2009

DART, T exploring innovative approach to expanding North Texas rail

Dallas Area Rapid Transit and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority want to find out if an increasingly popular method to jump start highway projects will work for transit projects in the United States. The two transit agencies have issued a Request for Information seeking firms who would be interested in a public private partnership to design, construct, operate, maintain and finance a cross-regional passenger rail service starting as early as 2013.

The 67.7-mile project, known as the Cotton Belt Rail Line, will operate principally on a 54-mile DART-owned rail corridor of the same name. The DART corridor extends from Wylie in Collin County, north and east of Dallas, west to Fort Worth. Some of the cities on the corridor include Plano, Richardson, Dallas Addison, Carrollton and Fort Worth as well as DFW International Airport.

The line is presently used by freight trains and both DART and the T have plans for introducing passenger rail service. DART’s current long-range system plan calls for Cotton Belt service starting by approximately 2027. The T is developing plans for rail service on another corridor in southwest Fort Worth, which could be part of the PPP, and connecting to the Cotton Belt in the northern part of the city.

The Cotton Belt Rail Line would connect the current DART Light Rail Red Line and the future Light Rail Green Line. It would also connect in downtown Carrollton with the planned Denton County Transportation Authority passenger rail service between Denton and Carrollton, and the TRE line at the Intermodal Transportation Center and T&P Stations in Fort Worth.

May 26, 2009

BNSF to replace more than 70 track miles of rail in South Dakota

In June, BNSF will begin the first of five maintenance-of-way projects in South Dakota that will replace approximately 73 track miles of rail along its system. BNSF crews will conduct track work between Glenham and Morristown; Alpena and Wolsey; Alexandria and Canton; Crooks and Lyons; and Harrisburg and Sioux Falls. The last of the projects is expected to end in September for a total cost of almost $11 million.

“Expanding and maintaining our infrastructure in South Dakota and throughout the system not only allows us to provide customers with efficient and reliable rail service but it also benefits the overall efficiency of America’s supply chain,” said Dave Freeman, BNSF vice president, Engineering.

BNSF expects to spend about $2 billion this year to keep the railway's infrastructure strong by upgrading technologies and refreshing track, signal systems, structures and freight cars.

May 26, 2009

TTCI forms Passenger Rail Business Unit

Dr. John Tunna has been selected to manage and direct TTCI’s newly-formed Passenger Rail Business Unit. In response to the renewed emphasis and interest in eco-friendly passenger rail service, Dr. Tunna will provide world-class technology support to the North American railroads, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration and state and local transportation agencies.

Dr. Tunna, who has successfully managed TTCI’s transit system improvement projects for the past several years in South America, United Kingdom and Australia, began his railway experience at British Rail. He now has more 30-years experience in railroad track and vehicle analysis, which covers vehicle dynamics, structural design, train protection, risk assessment, track geometry, track maintenance, and design.

TTCI’s various passenger projects and services will be united under his leadership.

May 26, 2009

Port Authority cuts North Shore Connector costs

Port Authority of Allegheny County in the Pittsburgh area has cut the total cost of its North Shore Connector project by $14 million. The cost of the light rail extension will decrease from $552.8 million to $538.8 million due to a favorable round of construction bids and management efforts to contain contract expenses. The inflationary forces that drove construction materials costs upward at the beginning of the project are retreating, which is one reason the Connector’s overall cost is decreasing.

“The factors that hurt this project financially the most were out of our control,” said CEO Steve Bland. “Once the contracts were in our hands, however, we’ve been able to contain costs through aggressive oversight and management efforts.”

The construction contracts currently under way are proceeding on schedule and within budget.

Port Authority recently approved contracts to complete work in the new T stations. The Authority continues to seek funds to complete the project, which is scheduled to finish in 2011.

The new light rail line will extend the T from downtown Pittsburgh into a developing area of the North Shore and provide a launching point for possible future expansion.

May 26, 2009

Anoka Northstar Station nearing completion

Most of the civil work at the Anoka, Minn., Northstar commuter rail station has now been completed. Crews will begin landscaping the site the week of May 25, which, once finished, will complete the majority of work at the station. That same week, Ashton Avenue (near the Fridley station) will reopen entirely as crews will place gravel on the half that is currently closed. Crews will repave Ashton Avenue when they are on-site to pave the west park-and-ride lot in the coming weeks.

In downtown Minneapolis, crews worked on the Northstar station platform; including electrical and track alignment work. Crews finished painting the commuter rail station shelters and continued work on the overhead catenary system and the platform for the Hiawatha LRT extension.

In Coon Rapids, crews finished painting the outbound side of the pedestrian overpass and will begin painting the inbound side. Installation of the elevators in the pedestrian overpass continues and crews will resume roofing the pedestrian overpass.

In Elk River, crews continued to pour sidewalks and pave the remainder of the park-and-ride lot. This work will be completed the week of May 25. Crews will move from Anoka to Elk River to begin painting and roofing the station shelters and to finish concrete pours at the station platforms.

Work continues on setting benches and glazing the shelters in the City of Big Lake. The Vehicle Maintenance Facility is complete.

In Fridley, crews began work on the footings for the pedestrian tunnel head houses. Crews dug, formed, and poured the east and center head house footings. Crews also began pouring walls for the west head house. Work also continues on grading the park-and-ride lots.

May 26, 2009

Public hearing set for Winona, Minn., swing bridge update

It’s a tight squeeze threading a 1,000-foot boat through the Canadian Pacific swing bridge across the Mississippi River at La Crescent, the Winona Daily News reports. That’s why the U.S. Coast Guard is preparing to spend millions of dollars modifying the 107-year-old span.

The Coast Guard determined more than a decade ago that the bridge is an unreasonable hazard to navigation and ordered the existing swing span replaced with a lift section that will provide about twice as much room for barges to pass through.

Actual construction still is years away, said Jeff Johnson, spokesman for the Canadian Pacific Railway, which owns and operates the bridge. Because the bridge is a functioning landmark with historical significance both as part of the railroad’s history and as an example of a steel-truss swing bridge, a public hearing will be tonight on the project’s impact.

A report prepared for CPR by Hess, Rosie and Company of Minneapolis outlines the history and significance of the bridge. It replaced one built in 1876 that was key to the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad’s early success connecting the three cities. In 1901, steel and concrete replaced iron and stone. Construction took about a year and claimed the life of one worker, 26-year-old Fred Rickleff, who was crushed under a steel beam.

Because the riverbanks on the upper Mississippi are low and trains operate best on level grades, bridges typically were built with moveable spans, according to the report. Swing spans were favored because they were cheaper and had fewer moving parts than bascules and vertical lifts.

But times have changed. There’s not much room for error when pushing a 105-foot-wide raft as long as three football fields through the current opening, which according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ navigation charts is just 151 feet across.

May 26, 2009

CN settles all charges related to 2005 derailments in Alta. and B.C.

CN said that it has reached settlements on all outstanding charges related to derailments that occurred at Wabamun, Alta. on Aug. 3, 2005 and at Cheakamus, B.C. on Aug. 5, 2005. Under the terms of the settlements, CN will pay a total of C$1.8 million to resolve the charges. Most of that – some C$1.65 million - will be directed to various environmental and emergency response programs in Alberta and British Columbia. These programs, designated by the provincial and federal governments with CN's input, will support the prevention and remediation of future environmental incidents, both rail and non-rail related.

In addition, CN will continue to work with provincial and federal authorities to further enhance its emergency response plans and to partner with those authorities in environmental sensitivity mapping of bodies of water along its rail lines in B.C. and Alberta.

“These settlements are focused on the future and on what's best for the environment,” said CN president and chief executive officer Hunter Harrison. “CN will continue to strengthen Emergency Response procedures, while maintaining its commitment to do everything in its power to prevent accidents from occurring.”

Immediately following both derailments, CN launched a number of measures to remediate the damage that occurred.

At Wabamun, CN hired international experts to guide its remediation programs that were carried out by hundreds of workers over the course of many months. CN retained independent experts to assist affected residents to resolve spill-related issues. It established depots of containment boom and wildlife recovery supplies in Alberta and B.C., for use in any incident that requires such material. CN achieved fair and reasonable out-of-court financial settlements with parties affected by the derailment and spill, including Lake Wabamun residents and the Paul Band First Nation.

In total, CN and its insurers spent in excess of $132 million to remediate the effects of the Wabamun derailment and spill, and to compensate affected stakeholders.

Today, ongoing testing and monitoring show no traces of oil remain in the water column. Minimal solid tarball presence on the lake floor poses no risk to humans, fish, wildlife or habitat. Nevertheless, testing and monitoring programs remain in place as part of CN's ongoing commitment to the people of Wabamun and Alberta.

Regarding the Aug. 5, 2005 incident near Squamish B.C., all parties have agreed that CN reported the spill to the Provincial Emergency Program immediately following the derailment and spill of sodium hydroxide into the Cheakamus River, and responded promptly and appropriately to the release of the product. Within 24 hours, the river had returned to natural conditions, and the river was re-opened to the public within 48 hours. There were no effects on downstream potable water wells.

CN's funding continues and it remains involved in efforts to rehabilitate and restore the impacted fish and habitat of the Cheakamus River, including working with environmental consultants and experts on fish recovery and habitat enhancement.

In addition to funding the rehabilitation and recovery of the Cheakamus River, CN has established the Cheakamus Ecosystem Recovery Fund to compliment other recovery efforts. The $2-million fund encourages enhancement projects by local environmental stewardship groups. To date, there have been a dozen approved projects.

“These programs show that CN has lived up to the commitments it made at the time of these unfortunate incidents,” said Harrison. “We said we would repair any damage done and fairly compensate those affected. We have done what we said we would do.”

May 26, 2009

$150 million may be available to bring Amtrak to northwest Illinois

Area officials are pushing for state and federal funding to bring Amtrak rail service to northwest Illinois, and said there may be as much as $150 million available for this effort in the proposed Illinois capital construction plan, according to The Freeport Journal-Standard.

The capital plan, in its current form, has been approved by the Illinois General Assembly and awaits Gov. Pat Quinn’s signature, said State Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica. The Associated Press reports that Quinn recently said he wanted another $400 million added to the plan for high-speed rail, and that he wouldn’t sign the bill until legislators send him an operating budget and approve ethics reform.

Legislators then reportedly kept the plan from going to Quinn’s desk using a parliamentary move, the AP reports.

Currently, the $26-to-$30-billion capital bill allocates approximately $150 million for passenger rail service, but this could change as the plan undergoes revision, Sacia said.

Sacia said he was part of a group of 19 legislators who met with Quinn recently to discuss transportation issues. Quinn seemed “very supportive” of allocating significant funding to the expansion of passenger rail service to this region, Sacia said.

This week will be a crucial part of the process, Sacia said, as there is a May 31 deadline in place for the state to approve its budget. Having a workable budget in hand will likely be a major factor in the Governor’s decision of whether to sign the capital plan, Sacia said.

Meanwhile, area officials continue to work on efforts related to the rail service expansion. Freeport Mayor George Gaulrapp said that state lawmakers have been scrambling to add funding to the capital bill for passenger rail service.

On May 20, Gaulrapp said he visited the Capitol building in Washington D.C. with a group of lawmakers and officials to discuss transportation. The effort was led by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois.

The Lena Business & Professional Association, a volunteer group, is also continuing its work on a plan to build a railroad depot replica in Lena that organizers hope will become a major tourism draw and a future Amtrak rail service stop.

The project involves building a structure at 401 W. Main St. in Lena that would essentially be a “modern-day version” of the 1873 railroad depot that was formerly in Lena. The 1,800-square-foot structure will likely include a railroad museum, gift shop, public restrooms and a train observation platform may be built next to the depot replica.

May 26, 2009

Mass transit project to NYC will burrow under Hudson’s towns

What is being called the most expensive mass transit tunnel project in the nation will rev up its engines next month when work on an underpass begins in North Bergen and continues toward New York City, both above and below ground, according to the Hudson Reporter.

The rock that is removed beneath North Bergen, Union City, Hoboken, and Manhattan with a custom-built boring machine will be transported on trucks and used to create a railway storage area, said Arthur Silber, chief of the Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel Project. Silber explained that most of the rock beneath the Palisades is diabase, a hard tough rock.

The machine will advance at 30 to 50 feet per day and 186 to 270 feet below ground, said Silber.

“Right now we’re in talks with a [property] owner to buy about an 80-acre site [in Kearny], and when we construct the tunnels we’re going to be excavating enough rock and materials to fill Giant Stadium or more,” said Silber.

Silber said that the rock will be “compacted” and will raise the ground 20 feet. Then a “mid-day” storage yard will be built on top of it for trains after the morning commute and before rush hour.

The complete transit project, Access to the Region’s Core, or ARC, is expected to cost $8.7 billion by the time it is finished in 2017.

A $13.6-million contract recently was awarded to Ferreira Construction by the NJ Transit Board for the North Bergen underpass portion of the project. That underpass will connect to a new tunnel that will be created next to an existing pair of tunnels through the Palisades that were dug more than 100 years ago by the Pennsylvania Railroad. The existing tunnels are currently part of the Northeast Corridor line operated by Amtrak, leading to Penn Station in Manhattan.

The newest tunnel will head south before returning north towards Manhattan and it will be almost 50 feet below the existing lines, Silber said.

NJ Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have committed $5.7 billion to the ARC project, with the remaining $3 billion being sought from the federal government. Two weeks ago, NJ Transit received news that an additional $200 million of the administration’s fiscal 2010 budget was set aside for the project, bringing the government’s total funding commitment to nearly $378 million.

Silber explained that Frank F. Lautenberg Junction Station, also known as the Secaucus Transfer, will experience changes because of the new routes. By 2030, the new transit line will allow 48 trains to travel between New Jersey and New York City per hour, from the current 23. The new tunnel will allow commuters on the Main, Bergen County and Pascack Valley lines to travel into New York City without having to get off and transfer at the Secaucus train station, but the trains will still run through the station, and area commuters can still pick up the trains there. So there will likely be more traffic at the station.

The trains will run on diesel power until they reach Secaucus, when the train will stop and allow people who transfer to get off, and then will switch to electric power before travelling toward the North Bergen tunnel. It will be the first time that NJ Transit uses dual-powered locomotives.

The tunnel will enter Manhattan beneath a mostly vacant portion of land and end at the new station on 34th Street in Manhattan, one block from the Empire State Building. Silber explained that designing the new station was a challenge because they could not get within 200 feet of a 100-year old water tunnel, New York City’s only water source.

He said the mid-level mezzanine of the station will be 150 feet below street level. The three-level station will have six areas for trains to drop passengers off and that high-speed escalators will bring them to subway or street level in almost the same amount of time as those that use Penn Station.

Silber said 50 percent of NJ Transit commuters transfer to subways and that 50 percent of this demographic transfer to the MTA’s 8, 7, or 6 subway lines, which will be connected via walkway to the new train station.

May 26, 2009

Tennessee cities on board for commuter rail lines

Clarksville, Murfreesboro or Gallatin could become the second link in Nashville's commuter rail network, but transit planners say which corridor is built next could depend on which community is best at raising money, according to The Tennessean.

State lawmakers took a step toward allowing local leaders to do that. They passed a bill — now awaiting the governor's signature — that would allow local governments to, through ordinance or referendum, set up a funding source dedicated to public transportation projects. It also would give regional transportation authorities in the state the power to borrow money by issuing bonds.

In other states, it's beer drinkers, people who rent cars and retail shoppers who pay to support public transportation. Local leaders have not said what option they might select in Middle Tennessee, but they plan to discuss it Wednesday during a regional transportation summit. Cumberland Region Tomorrow, a nonprofit growth and planning group, will host the meeting for leaders of 10 counties to look at building regional transit systems.

Michael Skipper, executive director of the Nashville Metropolitan Planning Organization, said the legislation is a first step toward realizing regional transportation. Funding was the biggest obstacle when the Nashville region studied possible commuter rail corridors in the 1990s.

The path selected for what came to be the Music City Star was between Lebanon and Nashville, on track owned by the shortline Nashville & Eastern Railroad. At a startup cost of $42 million, it provided the cheapest option because it required virtually no new track and promised few problems with scheduling around Nashville & Eastern's freight traffic.

But it was also the route that would produce the fewest riders. Corridors to the northeast, serving Hendersonville and Gallatin, and southeast, serving Murfreesboro, would have had the most demand, the studies showed. Those tracks are owned by rail giant CSX, which maintains a busy freight schedule. No agreement could be reached for use of those lines for transit.

But either commuter route could still happen, said Paul Ballard, chief executive officer for the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which operates the Nashville-Lebanon commuter rail line. New track would be built because CSX would be unlikely, as in the past, to agree to share the existing rail.

"We have to be able to attract significant federal dollars," Ballard said. "The federal funding could pay up to 80 percent of project costs. But local governments have to have a way to meet small local share of 10 percent."

The state must contribute the last 10 percent.

The newest push for commuter rail has been between Clarksville and Nashville, the northwestern corridor. A feasibility study shows that the line could be planned and completed in five to eight years at an estimated cost of $144 million. The yearly operating costs would be about $5 million. The Clarksville Urban Metropolitan Planning Organization has been actively working on the project.

The line would use existing right-of-way owned by the Nashville & Western Railroad, sister company to the Nashville & Eastern. One obstacle, though, is that the track between Clarksville and Ashland City, representing about half of the most likely commuter route, has been dismantled. More than six miles of the rail bed in Cheatham County has been turned into the Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail, a popular walking path that draws users from throughout Middle Tennessee.

May 26, 2009

Burbank plans intermodal transit center

The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena (Calif.) Airport Authority, owner and operator of Bob Hope Airport, said has retained Ricondo and Associates for a fee of $94,450 to undertake the initial environmental review of a proposed regional intermodal transit center at the airport that would provide access at a single point for air transport, Amtrak, Metrolink rail, buses and rental cars to converge, Aviation News reports

An elevated and covered moving sidewalk would convey arriving and departing passengers between the airport terminal and the transit center, facilitating immediate access to the terminal without using shuttle buses.

May 26, 2009

Loram is honored with the 2009 Governor’s International Trade Award

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc., is one of seven companies honored with the 2009 Minnesota Governor's International Trade Award. Winners were selected for developing and continuing to grow a significant part of their business in foreign markets, for increasing or maintaining jobs in Minnesota that support international sales and for developing novel approaches for competing globally.

"Minnesota companies sold a record $17.3 billion in manufactured exports last year," said Tony Lorusso, Executive Director of the Minnesota Trade Office. "These seven firms are a good example of the hard work and ingenuity that it takes to succeed in foreign markets."

Loram's international sales grew from 24 percent of revenue in 2006 to 31 percent of revenue in 2008. Loram has customers in over 30 countries.

May 22, 2009

MTA Metro-North opens Yankee Stadium Station

After decades of dreaming, years of planning and just 24 months of building, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Metropolitan Transportation Authority and elected officials gathered May 21 to celebrate the opening of a new MTA Metro-North Railroad Station in the Southwest Bronx, the Yankees-E. 153rd Street Station.

Beginning Saturday, Metro-North will provide train service 365 days a year to serve local residents and encourage economic development in this area of the Bronx. On game days, thousands of fans will use the new station, greatly reducing traffic in the stadium neighborhood. This marks the first new railroad station to open in the Bronx in nearly a decade.

The station will be a regular local stop on the Hudson Line for those looking to travel into the Bronx with the same frequency of service as all Bronx local stops. The railroad also looks to attract local residents to take northbound trains - 27 each weekday - to jobs in Yonkers, Tarrytown and even Poughkeepsie.

For those wishing to travel into Grand Central, there is a city-owned garage right next to the station from Exit 6 off the Major Deegan. Customers can use one of 23 southbound trains each weekday for easy access into Manhattan.

The spacious new station is designed to safely handle the expected 10,000 people on game days. With four elevators, it is fully accessible to the disabled. It will provide neighborhood residents a new transportation option as well as access to the riverfront park now being built along the Harlem River.

In May 2007, a cost-sharing agreement was reached with the City of New York that called for the MTA Capital Program to contribute $52 million and the city to contribute $39 million toward the $91 million project. Preliminary design was by AECOM and was completed in May 2007. The MTA funding included legislative earmarks from Bronx Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo and Assemblyman Jose Rivera, who each secured $1.3 million, and Congressman Jose Serrano, who contributed $2.4 million to upgrade Metro-North stations in the Bronx.

A design-build contract was awarded in May 23, 2007, to CCA Civil Inc./Halmar International LLC and a construction management contract to AECOM. The contract called for "beneficial use" by May 23, 2009, and final completion by August 23, 2009.

To build the station, the four Hudson Line train tracks had to be spread out by about 50 feet west to allow construction of two island platforms between the tracks. The four tracks pass just west of the stadium and snake between columns supporting the Major Deegan Expressway (Interstate 87).

Construction was accomplished in very tight quarters. On one side is a functioning elevator components factory and the remaining perimeter consisted of construction sites: a major retail complex, the new stadium and the reconstruction of the Exterior Street ramp.

All this work went on without disruption to Metro-North train service. In 2008, the Hudson Line posted an on-time performance of 97.6 percent.

Four 10-car trains will be able to safely load or unload at one time. Four staircases and two elevators connect the platforms to a 10,000-square-foot mezzanine highlighted by a translucent barrel roof for maximum daylight. From the mezzanine, a 450-foot-long, 25-foot wide overpass leads to either the stadium or the new parks being built on the waterfront. The station is outfitted with state-of-the-art, real-time customer information displays featuring arrivals, departures and track assignments.

The station will be graced with a glass mosaic mural, "Home of the Stars," by Brooklyn artist Ellen Harvey, which was commissioned by MTA Arts for Transit. The 200-foot-long, 6-foot high mural, to be installed in June along the south wall of the overpass, will depict the Bronx sky as it transitions from sunny afternoon to starry night and evokes stars on the field as well as celestial stars.

Yankees – E. 153rd Street is Metro-North's first new station to open since July 9, 2000 when the Harlem Line was extended to Ten-Mile River and Wassaic.

May 22, 2009

BNSF CEO: New rail funds should be targeted

An estimated $13 billion in new federal money for high-speed passenger rail service should go to a single project that demonstrates its effectiveness, the top executive of freight railroad BNSF said May 21, according to the Dow Jones Newswires.

"I'm concerned (the money) will be spread like peanut butter" nationwide and have little impact, said Chief Executive Matthew K. Rose, speaking to the Austin, Texas, Economic Club, a local business group. "I'm afraid it'll be a missed opportunity."

The federal stimulus package includes $8 billion in seed money for development of high-speed passenger rail service, and U.S. President Barack Obama also has called for an additional $5 billion over the next five years.

Rose said Fort Worth-based BNSF and other freight railroads likely won't see much benefit from the new federal money, aside from possible funding for small projects such as crossing upgrades, because high-speed rail lines require separate, dedicated corridors.

Still, he described himself as a supporter of efforts to improve the nation's transportation network overall. Rose recently served on a federal commission that examined U.S. transportation needs and potential funding sources.

He estimated that it could cost $1 trillion over the next 20 years to fully develop 10-to-15 high-speed rail corridors in the U.S.

Despite the daunting sum, "I really do think it's an investment our society ought to make," he said.

But he stressed that the $13 billion to get the effort off the ground won't make much of a dent unless it's targeted.

Separately, Rose noted in an interview after the event that he has seen little momentum for development of high-speed passenger rail in Texas, despite the new federal stimulus money. A high-speed "triangle" linking Dallas, Houston and San Antonio has been proposed in the past with little to show for it.

"I don't think there's anybody in (Washington, D.C.) talking about a Texas corridor right now," Rose said.

May 22, 2009

Is Chicago area public transit getting shortchanged?

It's not quite the $10 billion they sought, but public transit leaders weren't about to bite the hand that just fed them $1.8 billion in reacting to new capital funding from lawmakers, according to the Daily Herald.

The Illinois State Senate Wednesday approved raising taxes on alcohol, expanding gambling and other fees to create a $29-billion construction-spending plan.

The $1.8 billion is about the same amount the Regional Transportation Authority got from the state's last capital program - Illinois First capital program passed in 1999.

While some advocacy groups criticize the General Assembly for giving mass transit short shrift, noting it could jeopardize the proposed STAR line, RTA officials called the $1.8 billion received as part of a "mini" capital bill "a good first step."

"It gives us a chance to catch up," RTA Chairman Jim Reilly said Thursday. "Would we like more? Sure. So would every interest group involved in the capital bill."

The $1.8 billion along with $900 million from a "mini" capital bill totals $2.7 billion that will allow the Chicago Transit Authority, Pace and Metra to take care of some basic equipment and repair needs. These include replacing old buses, train cars and locomotives and repairing or replacing dilapidated stations and rail infrastructure.

It won't address projects such as the STAR line, a commuter line that would link the Northwest and Southwest suburbs from Joliet to Hoffman Estates to O'Hare International Airport, or bus rapid transit. RTA officials recently estimated they would need $10 billion for short- and long-term projects.

Brian Imus, director of the public interest group Illinois PIRG, said he didn't see how $1.8 billion would provide for any expansion projects, saying the earmark will only "prevent the system from getting worse." He also cautioned if the state doesn't pony up - it could result in lost federal dollars.

Lawmakers "aren't thinking about the future," Imus said.

Of the $1.8 billion, the CTA will receive $900 million, Metra will get $810 million and Pace $90 million.

RTA Executive Director Steve Schlickman was hopeful, however, that regional transit agencies could recoup dollars when Congress reauthorizes its transportation spending bill.

May 22, 2009

Georgia DOT going for federal rail funding

The Georgia Department of Transportation said late May 21 it started to create a comprehensive state rail plan so it can apply for federal passenger rail funding through the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported.

The State Transportation Board is backing GDOT's approach and called for action within 90 days.

"A little over six months ago, Georgia DOT established a Division of Intermodal and hired Director Erik Steavens," said State Transportation Board Vice Chairman Larry Walker in a news release. "A state rail plan is crucial to moving the program forward and ensuring eligibility for federal funding."

Once the interim plan is complete, GDOT will continue to develop a plan examining needs for a blended freight and passenger rail system. The final plan will include an inventory of all rail assets, screening criteria for improvements to the system and funding options.

If approved for federal funding, GDOT would work with sister states such as South Carolina, North Carolina and Alabama on an environmental review to include all high-speed rail corridors in Georgia. GDOT also plans to work with Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Florida in further development of an interstate rail passenger compact that would connect Atlanta to Chicago via Chattanooga and Atlanta to Miami.

May 21, 2009

Iowa DOT, BNSF eye partnerships

Replacing the entire span of the railroad bridge and improving on-time performance of passenger rail service are just two projects Iowa Department of Transportation officials discussed with BNSF during a tour of Burlington's rails, the Burlington Hawkeye reports.

"Of course, they received some funding to improve the navigation span for the bridge here," said Stuart Anderson, with the Iowa DOT planning, programming and modal division. "There's some other potential opportunities with stimulus funding to make further improvements potentially on the bridge itself or on the passenger rail line between here and Preston."

Anderson said the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $1.5 billion for surface transportation projects, which includes highway, transit, rail and ports.

"When you look at $1.5 billion nationwide, that ends up being ... a very competitive program," he said.

Tammy Nicholson of the Iowa DOT office of rail transportation said overall the stimulus provides $8 billion nationwide for rail projects. She said some rules for applying for various funds were released Monday, but further guidance will not be available until mid-June.

"We're getting the DOT staff together with the BNSF staff so that we can talk about these things and understand what their priorities are and what their needs are and understand the background of what their projects are that they've already developed," Nicholson said.

She said it's also important to learn about them because states must apply for the stimulus funds for passenger rail or surface transportation. Anderson said the state DOT's role will not extend beyond applying for and administering the funds, when it comes to the BNSF-owned railroad bridge.

BNSF previously learned the bridge project will receive $28.7 million in stimulus funds for replacing the swing-span portion of the bridge and converting it to a lift-span bridge, which will double the navigation channel. With funds the Iowa delegation in Washington, D.C. has secured over the years, the total amount raised for the bridge is $55.5 million.

The estimated cost has increased to about $56 million. Paul Nowicki, BNSF assistant vice president for government and public policy, previously explained the federal government puts in 90 percent of the cost, with the railway making up the balance.

Nowicki said replacing the entire bridge -- an estimated $120 million project -- is a BNSF goal, though it is still seeking funding options, including stimulus funds.

"The way I characterize it, our engineering team might be out a little ahead of our finance team," Nowicki said Wednesday. "One group of the company is ready to go, and the other part is looking for the funding."

If the entire project moves forward, the masonry piers, which were built in 1868, will remain.

Nowicki said the navigation portion of the project is already under way, with potential bidders touring the bridge. A contract is expected to be awarded in summer, and construction could begin as soon as November.

As for improving the on-time performance of the passenger rail service, Nicholson said the state is looking at getting funding for crossover switches so passenger trains can pass slower moving coal trains on the same line.

Nicholson said the past year has seen a significant boost in funding for various rail services. She attributes the increase to everything from the aging population to rising gas prices. The state also provided $3 million -- for the first time in the modern era, Anderson said -- that likely will be focused on expanding passenger rail service from Chicago to Iowa City and from the Windy City to Dubuque. Nicholson said those dollars also may be used to provide a match for federal intercity passenger rail programs.

May 21, 2009

ICC approves Chicago bridge project, grade crossing upgrades

The Illinois Commerce Commission has granted the City of Chicago approval to reconstruct an aging bridge that carries Laramie Ave. over CSX Transportation’s track. The existing Laramie Ave. bridge was built north of Roosevelt Road over CSXT’s tracks in 1939. It is a 20-span structure, approximately 842 feet between abutments, with 21-foot-3-inch clearance over the top of the tracks. Approximately three trains per day pass under the structure on three tracks, at a maximum speed of 10 mph.

The existing overpass, which spans from Roosevelt Road to Lexington Street, is structurally deficient, and the city has installed steel bracing to support a majority of the open concrete piers. Additionally, trucks are currently prohibited from using the bridge and the outside lanes have been closed to reduce travel to one lane in each direction.

The new structure will consist of five spans, with approximately 430 feet between abutments. The vertical clearance over the tracks will also be improved to provide greater clearance than the 23 feet required by the Commission. During construction, traffic will be detoured away from the bridge. The project is estimated to cost $23,000,000. The Commission granted the city $2 million in assistance from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund for the project. All remaining project costs will be the responsibility of the City of Chicago.

Also, the ICC granted approval for the installation of automatic flashing light signals and improvement of the highway approaches at the Mine Road highway-rail grade crossing of Illinois Central track in Buckner, Franklin County. The total estimated cost for the safety improvements is $149,360. The GCPF will pay 95 percent of the installation costs, not to exceed $141,892. The railroad will pay all remaining installation costs, as well as all future operating and maintenance costs. All work is to be completed by May 20, 2010.

ICC also approved the installation of automatic flashing light signals and improvement of the highway approaches at the Nicholson St. highway-rail grade crossing of IC track in Lincoln, Logan County. The total estimated cost to install new automatic flashing light signals and gates is $141,220. The GCPF will pay 85 percent of the warning device installation costs, not to exceed $120,037. The City of Lincoln will pay 10 percent of the installation costs not to exceed $14,122. Illinois Central will pay all remaining installation costs, as well as all future operating and maintenance costs. All work is to be completed by May 20, 2010.

May 21, 2009

MTA NYC Transit to extend G Line during Culver Viaduct rehab

Beginning July 5 and lasting approximately four years, extensive reconstruction of the Culver Viaduct will require the extension of the G Line subway service to Church Avenue in Southern Brooklyn. While designed to accommodate this major structure rehabilitation, the extension will provide additional service south of Smith-9th Street, save travel time for many customers and provide additional transfer options.

This change is necessary because rehabilitation of the steel and concrete structure, opened in 1933 as part of the IND system, requires the removal of two tracks from service for the duration of the project, eliminating the area at 4th Av-9th Street used by G trains to reverse direction.

The $257.5-million engineering and construction project will see the complete renovation of the structure and replacement of the signaling system and tracks. The project area stretches from the tunnel portal south of the Carroll Street station to the portal south of Fourth Avenue. The project calls for the reconstruction of the concrete deck slab, deck waterproofing and the installation of new low-vibration track. The Fourth Avenue interlocking will be upgraded with new switches and signals, as well as new signal controls that will be Communication Based Train Control-ready.

"This is an important long-term reconstruction project that will renew this 76 year-old structure and its systems. The work actually increases travel options for many of our customers along the F and G Lines," pointed out MTA New York City Transit President Howard H. Roberts, Jr. "Riders utilizing the line between Church Avenue and 4th Ave-9th Street will benefit from more frequent service."

Customers will benefit from the extension of the G with the availability of new, direct connections with the M R lines at 4th Av-9th Street eliminating the additional transfer to the F. Additionally, riders making the connection to A and C trains at Jay Street-Borough Hall will now have the additional option to utilize the G to make the connection at Hoyt-Schermerhorn which will make for speedier trips.

May 21, 2009

Cleveland Puritas Station groundbreaking set for May 27

The groundbreaking for a new rail station at Puritas Avenue will take place on Wednesday, May 27, at 11:30 a.m. The $9.6-million project, funded from federal stimulus money, is expected to be completed by fall 2010. The station will remain open during construction.

Local elected officials, including Mayor Frank Jackson, will speak at the event.

May 21, 2009

Rockford, Ill., regional team pitches rail in D.C.

As President Barack Obama prepares to change the way America travels by dramatically boosting passenger rail funding, a delegation of Rock River Valley leaders trooped to Capitol Hill determined to get their share of the money, the Rockford, Ill., Register Star reports.

Freeport Mayor George Gaulrupp, Belvidere Mayor Fred Brereton, Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey and Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen led the group of nine to meet Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol offices of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin D-Ill., the majority whip.

They pressed for $60 million for the long-planned rail service linking Chicago, Belvidere, Rockford, Freeport, Galena and Dubuque, Iowa.

“We have a lot of work to do in a hurry, but we are in a good position to be successful,” Morrissey said.

New Amtrak Board Chairman Tom Carper and incoming Federal Rail Administration chief Joe Szabo, both former Illinois mayors, explained to the Rock River Valley group that the president has ordered a major shift in transport priorities toward rebuilding America’s faltering passenger rail network, which languished in recent years.

President George W. Bush’s administration tried during its eight years to kill the national passenger train system.

Mike Dunn, chairman of the Greater Rockford Airport Authority and rail authority, said Illinois is poised to finally get its share of transportation funding with former U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria as secretary of transportation. The Rockford route and a Chicago-to-Quad Cities route are priorities for the restoration of passenger service.

The federal stimulus bill includes $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, in addition to $1.3 billion in funding for other new rail projects.

Szabo, in a meeting with the Rockford area group, warned that with new money available for the first time in years, competition will be heavy as states and regions press for rail funding.

Carper, a former mayor of Macomb, said it is important for the group to remain united.

“I love groups where mayors are involved,” he said.

Durbin, who arranged the meetings and hosted the Rock River Valley group, said regions that speak with one voice are crucial to obtaining federal funding.

“I’ve said consistently that I’ll do everything I can do to help, but first you have to have your act together,” Durbin said in an interview.

The Department of Transportation is putting together criteria for new rail projects. Morrissey expects that applications will be accepted in July.

Christiansen said the meetings accomplished their goal.

“I am exceptionally happy,” he said. “We showed them we have regional unity and we let them know how important passenger rail service is to help us rebuild our economy.”

Under Obama, the government has changed the criteria for passenger rail projects, giving high priority to economic development along rail corridors near rail stations.

Also attending the Capitol Hill meetings were Janet Fisher, co-chairwoman of the Blackhawk Area Rail Coalition, based in Galena; David Peterson, administrator for Winnebago County Human Services; businessman Peter Provenzano, a board member of the airport/rail authority; Steve Ernst, RMAP commission director; and U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, a Republican from Egan.

May 21, 2009

Warning for Rochester: 41 freight trains

Rochester, Minn., city leaders warn there could soon be 41 freight trains a day rolling through the downtown area going to and from the coal fields of the Powder River Basin of eastern Wyoming, the local media report. An engineering study was released May 20 projecting the sharp increase in coal train traffic along the Canadian Pacific/DM&E tracks connecting the mines of Wyoming with power plants to the east. Currently, there are perhaps three trains a day going through downtown Rochester.

CPR disputes the estimate of 41 trains a day, and insists it would be more like 34 a day on average, including one or two per week hauling ethanol.

Gannett Fleming Transit & Rail Systems conducted the engineering study on behalf of Mayo Clinic, which is trying to build support for an alternative that would move the freight trains on a new line south of Rochester, between Eyota and Dodge Center. The cost of building the alternative, called the Southern Rail Corridor, is put at $325 million.

Mayo officials openly worry about a train derailment near their downtown Rochester facilities, which the authors of the engineering study said could have "devastating consequences."

A "Southern Rail Corridor" could also be a route used by high-speed rail lines to connect Mayo with Chicago and the Twin Cities. In its design, the corridor would go along the edge of Rochester International Airport.

"In our early meetings with township and county leaders, people recognize that there is a visionary and historic opportunity in front of us, one that could affect this area for the next 100 years," explained Matt Flynn, Olmsted County Commissioner, in a statement. "The Southern Rail Corridor proposal is in the initial planning phase, and we are committed to connecting with those parties who will be most affected by the final route. We felt it was important to share some details from the engineering study with those individuals - landowners in Olmsted and Dodge counties."

May 21, 2009

Building America’s Future calls for new transportation program

As Congress prepares to revise the federal transportation program (SAFETEA-LU), Building America’s Future – a national, bipartisan infrastructure coalition led by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Governor Ed Rendell and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – released a memo calling on Congress and the Obama Administration to make transformative changes and chart a new transportation vision for the 21st Century.

“Our nation’s current transportation system is simply outdated and unable to meet the demands of the 21st Century,” said Kerry O’Hare, policy director of Building America’s Future. “We cannot continue to channel billions of dollars through the same old programs which lack innovation, accountability and an outcome-driven focus. The country is hungry for change and Congress and the Obama Administration have a unique opportunity to transform current transportation programs and enhance our nation’s economic competitiveness and improve the quality of life for all Americans. The time to act is now and Building America’s Future stands ready to help build the political consensus to make this vision a reality.”

Included in the memo were four key principles to use in shaping this new transportation vision. Excerpts:

1. Renew Leadership at the National Level. To ensure that America has a 21st century transportation system that meets our 21st-century needs, the federal government must once again lead, by outlining key national goals that will guide how transportation investments are made in the coming years…

2. Increase Accountability at the Federal, State, and Local Levels. Federal transportation funding is no longer guided by clear objectives. Rather, funding decisions today are based more on politics than on merit. For example, the number of earmarks in surface transportation bills has ballooned from 10 in 1981 to over 6,000 in the 2005 transportation authorization. While not all of these earmarks involved funding “bridges to nowhere,” a politicized method of distribution increases the risk of funding inefficient projects that do not meet national objectives… In laying out a vision for a new national transportation policy, we challenge Congress to significantly reduce earmarking and offer alternate routes – with greater transparency and accountability – to achieve national goals… Congress and the Administration must begin to hold states and localities – and themselves – accountable for ensuring that federally-funded projects meet national goals and that taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently. Otherwise, it will simply be business as usual – and that is no longer acceptable.

3. Encourage Innovation and Flexibility at the State and Local Levels. In recent years, the federal government has begun to allow states and local governments greater flexibility in how they spend their resources, leading to increased innovation in meeting national transportation objectives. The next transportation bill should significantly accelerate this development, through streamlined processes as well as expanded financial incentive programs, such as the Urban Partnership Program…

4. Find New Ways to Fund National Goals. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is a critical down payment on our country’s backlog of transportation capital needs. But much more needs to be done to address both that backlog of capital projects as well as ongoing and future operations and maintenance costs. If we are truly going to address our nation's transportation needs in the size and duration required, we need ongoing and stable streams of revenue that are dedicated to transportation…

Read the full memo at: www.investininfrastructure.org.

May 20, 2009

Robert Newman joins Falls River Group

Kerry Dustin, founder and chairman of Falls River Group LLC, said that G. Robert Newman has joined the firm as a strategic advisor specializing in the worldwide railroad industry. Newman recently retired as President of Harsco Track Technologies after 21 years.

Newman has more than 35 years of experience in the railroad industry and is recognized as a thought leader and innovator. During his tenure as president of Harsco Track Technologies, sales volumes grew significantly due to new product development and strategic acquisitions. He has extensive experience in railway marketing and engineering both in the U.S. and internationally, including the United Kingdom, China, India and Australia. His global knowledge of the railroad industry and the markets it serves will greatly enhance FRG’s current client base and is the right fit for expanding FRG’s interests in this strategic industry, the company notes.

Newman has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering, is a Registered Professional Engineer and has additional interests and qualifications in power production and marine engineering. He will work with Falls River Group’s mergers and acquisitions team in helping to identify sell-side and buy-side opportunities primarily in the international railroad industry.

Falls River Group is celebrating its 17th year in business and continues its successful partnership with the IMAP (International Network of Mergers and Acquisition Partners). In 2008 Falls River Group and its partners in IMAP completed 254 middle market transactions totaling $13 billion.

May 20, 2009

EERC to produce clean energy from used railroad ties

The Energy & Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota has begun a demonstration of a clean energy system that converts used railroad ties into heat and power. The demonstration unit is located inside the EERC’s National Center for Hydrogen Technology demonstration facility in Grand Forks, N.D.

The EERC is working with Aboriginal Cogeneration Corporation, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, to convert biomass to energy in environmentally friendly ways. The company is working to install two one-megawatt commercial clean power systems at its demonstration site northeast of Vancouver at Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.

The EERC, in conjunction with ACC, has reached a major milestone in generating power from waste ties via a proprietary EERC process that meets the stringent environmental regulations of British Columbia. The EERC process also reduces emissions to well below U.S. federal regulations.

The EERC’s power system, which has been under construction for about two months, can process about 35–40 pounds of fuel an hour. The railroad ties are chipped before being fed into the system. The system operates at a much lower pressure and flow rate compared to other systems of this type, making it much easier to operate and integrate with other commercially available technologies for generating heat and power.

May 20, 2009

Nadler introduces the Freight Rail Economic Development Act

Congressman Jerrold Nadler, D.-N.Y., the senior Democrat from the Northeast on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced the Freight Rail Economic Development Act of 2009, which would provide capital grants for freight rail economic development projects around the country. These capital grants would fund the construction or rehabilitation of rail switches and sidings in parts of the country with insufficient or underutilized freight rail infrastructure. The goal of these grants is to restore and renew economic development opportunities in places hardest hit by economic recession.

“The Freight Rail Economic Development Act will be a boon to areas of the country that have been struggling to keep and attract economic development during these rough economic times,” said Rep. Nadler. “During my transportation-focused trips around New York State, the lack of freight rail infrastructure was a consistent theme I encountered. Depressed economies, like those we have in upstate New York and many other industrialized parts of the Northeast, would benefit greatly from an improved and expanded freight rail infrastructure. New switches and sidings could mean new jobs and opportunities for regions working to bring in investment.”

May 20, 2009

LaHood honors rail safety record at E.H. Harriman Awards

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood lauded the record-setting safety achievements made by the nation's freight railroads at the annual E.H. Harriman Awards honoring railroads with the best employee safety records for the previous year.

"Our nation's railroads and their employees can be proud of their safety record," said Secretary LaHood. "Our freight rail industry is the envy of the world, as the cleanest, safest, most efficient way to keep America's freight moving."

The Harriman Awards once a year celebrate the achievements of railroads with the best employee safety records by awarding 12 gold, silver and bronze awards in four categories.

The 2008 E.H. Harriman Awards winners are:

In Group A, comprising line-haul railroads whose employees worked 15 million employee-hours or more each year, Norfolk Southern received the gold award for the 20th year in a row. CSX Transportation won the silver and Union Pacific the bronze.

In Group B, line-haul railroads whose employees worked four to 15 million employee-hours annually, the gold award went to Kansas City Southern Railway for the third year in a row. Silver went to Canadian Pacific Railway (U.S. Operations) while the bronze medal went to Metra, the Chicago commuter railroad.

Group C includes railroads whose employees worked less than four million employee-hours during the award period. The gold award went to the Willamette & Pacific Railroad, while the Florida East Coast Railway took the silver and the Wheeling and Lake Erie the bronze.

In Group S&T, for switching and terminal companies, the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis took the award for gold for the second consecutive year. The silver award went to the Birmingham Southern Railroad while Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) received the bronze award.

Certificates of Commendation also were awarded to four railroads with continuous gains in employee safety improvements over a three-year period and showing the most improvement between 2007 and 2008. Certificates went to CSX Transportation (Group A), Metro-North Railroad (Group B), Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway (Group C) and the Belt Railway of Chicago (S&T).

The Harriman Awards were established by the late Mrs. Mary W. Harriman in memory of her husband, Edward H. Harriman, an American legend in railroading. Today, the awards are administered by the E.H. Harriman Memorial Awards Institute, with support from the Mary W. Harriman Foundation. Harriman winners are selected by a committee of representatives from the transportation field and are granted on the basis of the lowest casualty rates per 200,000 employee-hours worked. All data is documented by the Federal Railroad Administration.

May 20, 2009

UP moves 200,000th coal train from Southern Powder River Basin

Union Pacific moved its 200,000th loaded coal train out of Wyoming's Southern Powder River Basin coal field since Union Pacific and the former Chicago & North Western completed a 107-mile rail line to the region in August 1984. The Chicago & North Western merged with Union Pacific in 1995.

One rail car of coal provides the energy to generate enough electricity for more than 20 homes for a year. Union Pacific’s 200,000 trains out of the SPRB have carried enough coal to power all the homes in the United States for five years. Approximately 50 percent of America’s electricity comes from coal, one of the most affordable and reliable energy sources.

“Hitting the 200,000th train mark during what will be our 25th anniversary of the line proves the capital investment in our coal corridor continues to pay dividends for our customers,” said Doug Glass, Union Pacific vice president and general manager – energy. “It was only fitting that the 200,000th train was loaded for Entergy, the same customer that the first Union Pacific SPRB train was loaded for in 1984.”

Union Pacific’s major capacity projects on and near the corridor have included:
• The completion of a four-year construction of a third main line track between North Platte and Gibbon, Neb., in 1999.
• In 2000, completing a four-year project constructing a second main line track between Gibbon, Neb., and Marysville, Kan.
• Also in 2000, Union Pacific began to construct 37 miles of second main line track on its line between South Morrill, Neb., and Shawnee, Wyo. As part of the track construction, 24 bridges were built at various locations.
• Union Pacific increased the capacity at its South Morrill rail yard and built a new bridge at South Bayard, Neb.
• Union Pacific acquired the 107-mile rail line between Upland, Kan., and St. Joseph, Mo., from RailTex, Inc., in August 1998 to add additional capacity between Marysville and Kansas City. The line between Upland and Hiawatha, Kan., handles primarily westbound empty coal trains.
• In 2003, the second main line was completed on Union Pacific’s South Morrill line between South Morrill and North Platte, Neb.
• A third main line was added in North Platte in 2006.
• In 2006, the Marysville, Kan., bypass opened to expedite the movement of loaded and empty coal trains.

Another reason for the improved coal train numbers is the success of the combined Union Pacific/BNSF coal train dispatching facilities at BNSF’s dispatching center in Ft. Worth, Texas. By having both railroads’ train dispatchers in the same room, instead of hundreds of miles apart, train movements on shared track in Wyoming are better coordinated.

“SPRB coal volume has increased 11 percent annually since 1984,” Glass said. “While demand for coal is off this year due to the recession, lower demand for metallurgical coal and reduced industrial output, we expect continued growth of this cost-effective, low-sulfur coal for many years to come. Support of new power plant technologies that are capable of capturing CO2 will support continued demand for coal and help address the United States’ desire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and continue to provide cost-effective electricity to U.S. industry and consumers.”

May 20, 2009

Village of Los Lunas adopts Rail Runner Station area plan

A plan that would make the Los Lunas, N.M., Rail Runner station the focal point of a vibrant, safe, community was recently adopted by the Village Council. The official station area plan, as it’s called, is designed to help the station and surrounding area to become a destination for both Village residents and visitors to the area. The plan calls this area to be center for the community and offer a variety of residential and retail offerings as well as public space and community amenities such as parks and bike paths.

“This plan includes amenities such as sidewalks, lighting, and pedestrian crossings for area residents,” says Lawrence Rael, executive director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “People will be able to walk and bicycle between the station and their homes, as well as to surrounding businesses and other destinations.”

The plan makes three recommendations to achieve the Village’s vision for the station area – which extend roughly ½ mile from the station. Design standards are recommended to ensure that new buildings are pedestrian friendly, promote safety, are of appropriate scale and create a memorable place. Recommendations for transportation improvements are designed to improve the ease and safety of walking and bicycling in the area while improving traffic circulation.

The plan also recommends the adoption of a mixed-use core zone in the area closest to the station, a district that would have a mix of retail and housing and activity throughout the day, and a surrounding residential area that would be a transition area to the surrounding neighborhoods and would provide additional flexibility in residential development.

The station area plan is the product of an 18-month effort by the Village staff, Village residents, and members of an advisory group that helped steer the effort. The advisory group and the Village planning and zoning commission reviewed the draft plan and recommended that the Village council adopt the plan. The Mid-Region Council of Governments managed the planning effort, which was funded by the state.

May 20, 2009

Detroit's Michigan Central Station fate uncertain

A proposal to build a new railroad tunnel linking Michigan with Canada is making waves in a part of Detroit already grappling with the abandoned Michigan Central Station, the long-abandoned towering railroad station Detroit officials want torn down, historic preservations want to save and others see as a potential development opportunity and possible stop on an international high-speed rail line, the Michigan Messenger reports.

The Canadian Pacific Railway is asking the Canadian government to fund a $400-million project to build a rail tunnel adjacent to the twin tunnel that emerges in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood between Bagley and Fort streets. Canadian Pacific wants the new rail tunnel to accommodate tall double-stacked rail cars that can’t pass through the existing Michigan Central Rail Tunnel built in 1910.

Marge Byington, government affairs director for the Detroit River Tunnel Partnership, which owns and operates the existing tunnels, said a new tunnel portal in Detroit would emerge further away from the river than the current opening because the new underground crossing would be deeper and necessitate a longer approach to the surface. As such, the new opening and tracks would likely be located in the middle of the current rail yard behind Michigan Central Station.

“There’s no problem with the depot being there. The depot can be there. In fact [the proposed new tunnel portal] doesn’t infringe on any part of the depot,” Byington said, adding that the land in question is owned by the partnership.

Michigan Central Station is controlled by billionaire Matty Moroun, who also owns the Ambassador Bridge a mile away. CenTra Inc., a holding company of Moroun’s, said it supports a new rail tunnel but believes the proposed location may not work.

The depot may not be an issue by the time a new tunnel and rail tracks are built as the Detroit City Council voted in April to destroy the historic depot by using federal stimulus money and then charge Moroun for the cost. But in an effort to make the depot a resource to the city instead of a drag, Moroun’s company submitted a proposal to the federal government’s General Services Administration. The GSA is seeking to rent 50,000 square feet for 15 years on at least three acres of land for the Department of Homeland Security in Detroit. It’s unknown what precise deal Moroun’s company is offering GSA, but officials said it is to rent the depot.

However, if GSA takes up Moroun’s offer it will still leave a great deal of the building unoccupied, leaving room, potentially, for a reopened transportation facility at the site. The company would be open to making the depot into a multi-modal station accommodating high-speed rail and buses.

If a new freight tunnel is constructed, the old one could carry passenger rail from Detroit to Windsor, joining planned high-speed rail corridors connecting Chicago to Detroit in the United States and Windsor to Quebec City in Canada. The two could hypothetically be joined to create international rail service like the one offered by Amtrak between Seattle and Vancouver.

Byington said the Detroit River Tunnel Partnership will submit its environmental assessment to U.S. and Canadian officials within the next few months so that the proposal can start being evaluated by relevant authorities on both sides of the border.

May 20, 2009

Looking at possible expansion of light rail to Virginia Beach

Hampton Roads, Va., Transit President Michael Townes says you don’t have to look far beyond your car to see why expanding light rail is a good idea, according to local media.

“All you have to do is look at 264 and see that people want to have that link between Norfolk and Virginia Beach,” said Townes.

It may seem like an obvious idea, but it’s not one taken lightly. On May 19, the city began the first phase of a $5.7-million feasibility study to determine whether or not Virginia Beach should jump on board The Tide.

“It’s a lot of money, but, at the same time, if we’re really truly looking ahead at a true transportation system in our city and our region light rail is going to have to be a part of it,” said Mayor Sessoms.

The 12-to-18 month study will examine possible routes and alternate types of transit, like light rail, trolleys and buses.

“I believe Virginia Beach is well suited for light rail transit. It will benefit not only from the transportation aspects but from the vast economic development benefits,” said Townes.

Still there are some concerns.

“From the other side let’s face it, developing rail transit is not inexpensive,” said Townes.

Mayor Sessoms says this is just the start of what will likely be higher speed rail. “It could go from Richmond to Raleigh and leave us out completely but we must fight to make sure it comes to Hampton Roads.”

May 20, 2009

Opinion: Vibrant train industry could employ more than car makers

Everyone knows America’s passenger train system is pathetic by international standards, so President Obama’s $13 billion commitment to build a national high-speed rail network has come as a wonderful surprise, according to a column by Yonah Freemark on The Infrastructurist website.

It also raises the question of if a reinvigorated rail industry could, with the car industry several airlines drifting into bankruptcy, could be the next great hope for keeping people employed in this country.

Though the U.S. is the world’s largest economy, the market for passenger rail vehicles and services has shrunk dramatically over the past several decades. European and Asian countries have invested heavily in expanding their rail offerings but Washington has done little more than keep national operator Amtrak on life support. As a result, rail accounts for only 0.3 percent of total transportation usage in the U.S., compared to 6 percent in the U.K., 10 percent in Austria, and 27 percent in Japan. Because of the lack of adequate train services, automobiles and airplanes provide the only medium-to-long distance commuting choice for the majority of Americans.

This has meant that U.S. companies have largely missed out on participating in major global industry. The competitive market for rail manufacturing and services in Europe accounted for more than 20 billion euros in 2005. The market in the NAFTA zone of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico was only one-quarter as large, even though the two areas have equivalent populations.

There has been some increased recent investment in urban rail networks in the U.S.: There are several foreign factories that make vehicles for commuter and light rail systems in stateside facilities. But there are no plants making intercity trains, as Amtrak hasn’t ordered new rolling stock in a decade and no passenger rail manufacturers are headquartered in America.

In the world passenger rail market, three companies currently dominate: the Canadian Bombardier, the French Alstom and the German Siemens. In Germany, railway manufacturers collectively employ 45,000 individuals who produce new trainsets for large markets in that nation and abroad. Bombardier alone provides jobs for 34,000 people in the rail industry.

But none of these companies employs the mammoth 200,000-plus-person work force of a major auto company like Ford or GM.

Even in fully-developed rail markets such as those in Europe, train production doesn’t create as many jobs as making cars. Yet rail vehicles, unlike automobiles, need a staff to operate them, and that’s where a passenger rail industry could prove its value in creating new jobs.

France’s TGV high-speed trains, which criss-cross that country, carried 100 million people in 2008, and the national rail company employs about 200,000 people (that number includes people working on commuter trains). France is 1/5th the size of the U.S. in population.

One can extrapolate: An equivalent American rail network could transport 500 million passengers a year on fast rail and provide jobs for one million people operating trains, maintaining track, and serving customers. There are about as many people working in motor vehicle and part manufacturing in the U.S. today. A vibrant rail industry would mostly be a service-oriented one, rather than a manufacturing one.

The U.S. isn’t close to providing anything of the sort today: Amtrak’s 18,000 employees served only 29 million passengers in 2008. It’s hard to imagine an $8-billion dollar investment from Washington being enough to stimulate the 20-fold expansion of a transportation sector, but it’s a start.

Perhaps America should look for an example in its success in transporting freight by rail. Since 1980, the railroad industry has invested $420 billion of its own funds for locomotives, rail cars, tracks, bridges, and tunnels, and today freight companies like CSXT and Norfolk Southern manage more than 140,000 miles of track and transport more goods than do truckers. More than 180,000 people work in the field.

There’s no reason equivalent success couldn’t arise from of a passenger rail industry.

May 20, 2009

Cleveland RTA Board awards contract to TranSystems

Cleveland’s Regional Transit Authority Board of Directors awarded a $400,000 contract to TransSystems Corp. to design the rehabilitation of the one-mile S-curve track on the Red Line between the West 98th and West 117th street stations. The project will use federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. About 20.3 percent of the work, or $81,211, will go to three Disadvantaged Business Enterprises: G&T Associates Inc., Denise's Flagging Services and Prime Engineering & Architect Inc.

May 19, 2009

RailFood, REMSA form collaborative partnership

RailFood.com, a railway product listing website, formed a partnership with the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association.

“Part of REMSA's mission is to provide global business development opportunities and we feel our site contributes heavily in this area” said Vince Wadhwani, creator of RailFood.com. Through the arrangement, REMSA members gain an automatic upgrade to RailFood's Professional Tier and receive discounts on posting items to the site.

“This partnership creates a safe outlet for our members to explore the global marketplace,” said Judi Meyerhoeffer, REMSA's executive director.

RailFood allows anyone to post, search, and find railroad-related items. Registration is free and allows any company to post the products they provide online where it can be searched instantly. The best part is that RailFood does not act as a middleman. Any two organizations are free to conduct business with each other directly without transaction fees.

In addition to listing inventory, RailFood provides a complete company directory that allows potential customers to quickly assess the capabilities of suppliers. Member companies can add their employees, contact information, and any earned qualifications such as ISO or AAR certifications.

RailFood.com is powered and managed by Econify, a Washington, D.C.-based software company that provides custom software.

May 19, 2009

AAR urges Congress to reconsider railroad antitrust act

The Association of American Railroads told Congress that the Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009 would damage the public interest and severely distort the relationship between regulation and antitrust laws.

"Congress should take a step back and consider the harmful impacts this measure would have on not only railroads, but also our customers and American consumers," said AAR President and CEO Edward Hamberger. "The freight rail industry moves the goods we all need every day. We do that cleanly, efficiently and without public funds - thereby allowing us to invest our own funds back into vital network infrastructure. If enacted, H.R.233 could drag us back to pre-deregulation days of weak investment and withering rail networks."

Representing the railroad industry, J. Michael Hemmer, senior vice president - law and general counsel for Union Pacific, testified before the House Judiciary, courts and competition subcommittee, urging them not to consider H.R. 233 in isolation, but if Congress wants to address rail transportation policies, it should work with colleagues in other committees of jurisdiction to craft a coherent, national rail policy that integrates regulation with antitrust jurisprudence.

"This bill is not just about antitrust law, it is an attempt to overturn long-established regulatory policies that have provided enormous benefits to shippers and American consumers," Hemmer said. "The bill even creates new regulatory law on matters unrelated to antitrust and in doing so, treats railroads differently than other regulated industries."

In his testimony, Hemmer noted that of the many provisions within H.R. 233, four actually deal with antitrust law exemptions. These measures would: eliminate the "Keogh Doctrine" for railroads where its current application is unclear, but not for the utility industry where it has been most recently used as means of inoculation from antitrust law; repeal antitrust immunity for rate bureaus, which have been all but eliminated by the railroads over the past few decades; authorize dual agency review of rail mergers, creating additional cost and administrative burden, and allow private antitrust injunctions against railroads, but not other carriers, thus putting regulators and courts at potential conflict.

Several provisions of the bill are designed to override regulatory decisions, rather than repeal antitrust exemptions, Hemmer also noted. In particular, there are provisions that would aim to: give communities priority in some regulatory decisions, thus adopting NIMBY-ism as federal policy; allow the Federal Trade Commission to regulate rail carriers, but not other carriers thereby creating a glaring conflict with the STB, and restrict primary jurisdiction for railroads, but not for other regulated entities.

Hemmer also noted that H.R. 233 threatens to be retroactive, which could lead to antitrust attacks on the continuing operation of every ICC-approved, or STB-approved transaction in railroad history.

May 19, 2009

Amtrak breaks ground for new Auto Train Station in Sanford, Fla.

Amtrak recently broke ground for the $10-million renovation of its Sanford, Fla., Auto Train Station, which will be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The current 2,500-sq.-ft. station configuration of three separate structures will be replaced with a 10,000 sq. ft. facility with a passenger waiting area, ticket counter, gift shop, café and restrooms.

The new, larger station will include a waiting area with seating for 600, an increase of 370 over the current waiting area, which is partially housed in a tent. A new traffic flow will provide easier access for passengers as they drop off their vehicles under a large canopy prior to boarding the train.

During construction, the station will remain open. The current tented waiting area will be relocated from the north end of the station to the south end to make way for the new building. The existing gift shop will be demolished and the current station will be renovated to accommodate administration offices.

The renovation project is scheduled to begin in mid-June 2009 and is targeted for completion in the fall of 2010.

Amtrak is beginning to put into place the last piece of a multi-year plan to bring increased convenience, improved service and more station amenities to passengers who ride Auto Train. The new, larger and up-to-date passenger station being built in Sanford fulfills the company’s vision for the Auto Train, which added new passenger equipment in the 1990s, new car carriers in July 2005 and built a new station and mechanical facility at the northern end of the route near Washington, D.C., in 2000.

The Sanford Auto Train Station serves as the southernmost terminus of Amtrak's Auto Train, which allows passengers to travel with their personal vehicles between Lorton, Va. (near Washington, D.C.) and Sanford. The station was built in 1971 when the Auto Train operation was a private enterprise. Amtrak began operating the service in October 1983 and renovated the station in 1995.

In fiscal year 2008, 234,839 passengers traveled on the Auto Train, an increase of 7.8 percent over the previous year. Last fiscal year, the Auto Train carried 112,188 cars and 1,757 motorcycles, resulting in a gasoline savings of about 5,048,460 gallons (20 mpg at 900 miles). With more than 40 passenger rail cars and auto carriers, the Auto Train is the longest passenger train in the world.

May 19, 2009

BNSF Stampede Subdivision reopens after flooding

The Stampede Subdivision reopened in late April after crews completed rebuilding track and structures damaged by flooding earlier this year, BNSF News reports. The track had been closed for more than three months. Work continues on the subdivision, but these repairs and construction have not impacted train flow since its reopening.

"BNSF Maintenance of Way, Structures and Telecommunications forces worked more than 10,000 hours to restore the line to service with zero injuries while working in winter conditions that included snow well into April," said Mike Theret, general director, Line Maintenance. "We appreciate the dedication and attention to detail employees paid in doing the job right as well as safely."

Between March 1 and April 15, a reported 9 feet of snow fell on the construction sites, according to Jim Jacobson, section foreman atEaston .

Work was spread across four main areas. At MP 46.5 (Martin) the main line and siding track were washed out after multiple avalanches blocked an upstream culvert at the snow shed, causing a catastrophic grade failure. At MP 52.3, a slipout below the track caused an embankment failure about 200 feet long that eroded the track structure to the end of tie. At MP 53.6, a slipout about 500 feet wide and extending 700 feet down slope necessitated a 15-foot shift in the mainline track. At MP 68.0, a large debris flow required the replacement of a 48-inch culvert with a new bridge structure.

BNSF blasted about 22,000 cubic yards of material for use at slipouts and to make way for the needed track shift at MP 53.6. Workers also placed 11,000 cubic yards of material to repair track structure at Martin and MP 52.3, repaired numerous telecommunications and electrical facilities, relocated 1,200 feet of main line track at MP 53.6, built a new 22-foot concrete bridge at MP 68.0, cleared thousands of feet of ditch line and numerous plugged culverts, and removed countless downed trees.

Bruce Roper, Structures supervisor, had two bridge-and-building crews, two diesel electrics and two excavators that worked to remove mud/debris slides to restore drainage infrastructure, install one new concrete bridge and add new culverts.

"All Structures personal worked injury-free and without incident throughout the rebuild project as the Pacific Northwest weather continued to hammer us," Roper said. "The work group installed one new concrete bridge, replacing a 48-inch concrete culvert that did not have the capacity to handle the volume of water and the 300-foot catastrophic embankment failure that followed. The crew members also had to replace and repair, clean and restore drainage on numerous culverts."

Roper said the complete drainage infrastructure was destroyed in many locations. Land and mudslides filled the track with mud and wood debris, which had to be removed.

"The damage from the flood also changed and filled our existing drainage infrastructure, which then had to be rebuilt," Roper said. "I would like to thank my work group for their dedication and persistence in their hard work to make this a safe and successful project."

May 19, 2009

McConnell Dowell selects Aconex for Singapore rail station

Technology firm Aconex has been selected by engineering and construction firm McConnell Dowell to provide its online collaboration solution to the US$230-million Beauty World Mass Rapid Transit station development in Singapore. Aconex will be used to manage information and link organizations involved in the project.

Due for completion in 2015, the project includes the design and construction of the Beauty World MRT underground station, as well as station entrances, subway links, architectural finishes and external landscaping. It also includes the development of two underground 1.1-kilometer rail tunnels, two cross passages and 135 meters of cut-and-cover tunnels. The new station will also double as a civil defense shelter. Aconex will provide its web-based system for managing project information such as drawings, documents and correspondence.

David Bean, Tunneling and Underground Manager, at McConnell Dowell South East Asia Pte Ltd, said: “The scale and complexity of this project means that a dispersed team of engineers and consultants will need to collaborate and share information. Without a tool like Aconex, this process could be time consuming and inefficient. The system will allow all of our team members, regardless of where they are located, to access the most up-to-date information.”

May 19, 2009

CSXT adds another RailComm DOC® Yard Automation System

RailComm has been selected to provide a wireless remote control yard system at CSX Transportation’s Tilford Yard in Atlanta, Georgia. The RailComm Domain Operations Controller System will provide remote control to 17 GETS HydraSwitch machines and a crossing gate. RailComm’s DOC® system will be configured to control all switches individually as well as provide eNtrance eXit (NX) routing functionality.

RailComm’s 2.4-GHz RADiANT™ data radios will provide a wireless communications network to link the office with the field locations.

May 19, 2009

Metrolink construction, maintenance updates

In June track maintenance activities are planned on the Metrolink railroad tracks at the Glendale, Calif., station platform. Metrolink’s contractor will be temporarily closing one of the two tracks at the station to install new concrete ties and rail from June 5, beginning at 9 p.m., to June 8 at 4 a.m. As part of the maintenance work, large trucks will be transporting materials to the Glendale station using Central, Cerritos and Mira Loma Streets. All Metrolink and Amtrak trains will operate on their normal schedule, using the center platform.

Metrolink’s contractor will begin construction of a new train storage facility, Keller Yard, adjacent to the Piper Technical Building in Los Angeles, this June. As part of this project, the vacant dirt lots that are currently being used by City of Los Angeles employees to park will be closed off permanently. On Saturday, June 20, the contractor will begin installing a permanent block wall at the lots.

At its May 15, 2009 meeting, the Metrolink Board of Directors unanimously voted to award a $975,000-contract to install inward-facing cameras in all of its locomotives and cab cars. The contract was awarded to Chicago-based Railhead Vision Systems after a competitive procurement process. Metrolink will become the first railroad system in the nation to install inward-facing video cameras in all of its locomotives and lead passenger cars. A total of 218 cameras and recorders are expected to be installed by the end of 2009.

May 19, 2009

Editorial boosts Pennsylvania commuter-rail service

In the year since Gov. Corzine first threw his support behind a rail link between Philadelphia and Glassboro, the case has gotten only stronger for restoring service to a dozen South Jersey towns that grew up along the tracks, according to an editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The announcement last week that diesel light-rail trains would run again over a Conrail freight line was good news for commuters looking to beat gas prices, as well as homeowners who - amid a real-estate downturn - appreciate that nearby transit could boost property values.

Both the state Planning Commission and state Office of Smart Growth were on target in recommending the link with Glassboro, which would serve Rowan University and connect in Camden to PATCO and River Line trains.

Woodbury Mayor Robert Curtis noted that his town, with its 1883 train station, and others were "the original transit villages." Indeed, Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron points out that reviving the rail line through older town centers such as Woodbury, Gloucester City, and Pitman "could spread Collingswood-style revival deep into Gloucester County."

For Rowan, university president Donald Farish sees it as a case of back to the future, since rail "is the way people used to get to campus."

Officially adding the rail line to the governor's $2 billion mass-transportation plan doesn't make it a done deal, of course. But it moves the project from concept - where it has languished for more than a dozen years - into the planning stage.

Corzine has pledged $500 million for the state plan, which also provides for highway improvements, upgrading existing rail service to Atlantic City and in North Jersey, and creating a second rail tunnel under the Hudson River to New York.

Much of the additional funding would come via the federal government, which should look favorably on a $1.3-billion rail project that would benefit the environment, ease traffic congestion, and spur economic development in the region.

At the same time, the governor's plan smartly acknowledges that - in the short term - something must be done to ease traffic jams along nearby Routes 42 and 55. The proposed addition of express bus lanes on these highly congested roads means that motorists also have a big stake in seeing the transportation plan to fruition.

May 19, 2009

Springfield officials not sold on Amtrak station plan

Some aldermen in Springfield, Ill., questioned plans to spend $571,500 in downtown tax increment finance money to refurbish Springfield’s Amtrak station, according to the State Journal-Register. The proposal, which was forwarded to the full city council for debate, calls for the city to pay 80 percent of the $714,368 project, which largely consists of maintenance work.

During a meeting of the council’s public affairs committee, Mike Farmer, director of the city’s office of planning and economic development, and Bruce Ferry, the project’s architect, described drawn-out, frustrating negotiations among the city, Union Pacific and Amtrak. They said Union Pacific didn’t even know it owned the station.

“If Union Pacific, if it was left to them, I think the station would fall in on itself,” Ferry said. “They have really virtually no interest in maintaining it. At the same time, it’s obviously an important gateway to the city.”

A spokesman for Union Pacific couldn’t be reached for comment.

“Our intent was to enhance a gateway into the city, to clean up kind of what’s an otherwise growing-dilapidated building,” Farmer said. “If you look at the parking lot, for example, it’s in sorry shape.”

Ward 1 Ald. Frank Edwards said it seems as though the city was prepared to give money to a company that doesn’t want it.

“They didn’t even know they owned it,” he said. “We’re doing all this stuff on the backs of the taxpayers. Quite frankly, what do the taxpayers get out of this?”

Other aldermen questioned whether Union Pacific has been paying taxes. The city attorney said she would look into the matter.

The brick depot, along the Third Street tracks between Jefferson and Washington streets, was constructed by the Chicago and Alton Railroad in 1895. It is on the site of the original station where Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train arrived in Springfield in May 1865.

Proposed work includes landscaping, parking lot upgrades and lighting, tuck pointing, painting and concrete work, and platform lighting. Interior work would include painting, plaster, plumbing and lighting repairs, heating and air-conditioning upgrades, removal of an old boiler and improving accessibility for people with disabilities.

May 18, 2009

Patterson to do construction management of Stanwood Amtrak station

J.L. Patterson & Associates, Inc., a transportation-engineering firm, has been selected to assist Amtrak with the construction management of a new passenger station in Stanwood, Wash. The train station platform will allow the public to board and de-board Amtrak’s Cascades passenger trains. Stanwood is the newest station in the intercity passenger service in the Pacific Northwest.

“We’re excited to be involved in a project improving transportation connections in the Pacific Northwest,” said JLP President Jacqueline L. Patterson, who founded the firm in 1990. “The train station will also provide a transportation alternative for residents.”

The 600-foot platform will include lighting and landscaping that blends well with downtown Stanwood’s current architecture. JLP anticipates completing the construction management of the station by September of this year.

May 18, 2009

DART Rail Green Line heading into final stretch

Bolstered by the receipt of $78.4 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Green Line rail project of Dallas Area Rapid Transit is headed for an on-time and on-budget arrival at four new stations on September 14, 2009.

The first section of the $1.8-billion Green Line will extend from Pearl Station on the east side of Downtown Dallas to Deep Ellum Station, Baylor University Medical Center Station, Fair Park Station (at the intersection of Parry and Exposition) and the MLK, Jr., Station, adjacent to the J. B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center on the east side of Fair Park. It restores rail service to a neighborhood that 50 years ago was home to up to four rail lines. Daily service to Victory Station will also begin September 14.

The remaining 25 miles of the Green Line, scheduled to open in December 2010, will extend southeast to Pleasant Grove and northwest from Victory Station to the Dallas Market Center, the Southwestern Medical District, Love Field Airport and downtown Farmers Branch and Carrollton. Construction of the Green Line, the longest light rail project under construction in North America, has produced more than 2,200 construction jobs.

Major funding for the Green Line comes from a $700-million Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration. The FFGA was first awarded in July 2006 at the start of Green Line construction. The funds awarded under the ARRA are part of DART's FFGA.

Construction is also under way on the first nine miles of a new Orange Line that will branch from the Green Line in northwest Dallas to serve the city of Irving in 2011. The line will be extended to DFW International Airport by 2013. DART also is building a five-mile extension of the Blue Line from Garland to Rowlett that will open in 2012.

These lines are earning national attention as well. The Orange Line is among the first projects slated to receive funds - more than $61 million - under the ARRA. Altogether, the Green, Orange and Blue line projects are expected to add 60,000 weekday passenger trips, nearly doubling ridership on the DART Rail System.

May 18, 2009

More federal dollars could be headed to Chicago region

Area transit agencies were quick to produce ideas they hope are worthy of earning a share of $1.5 billion in federal grants announced by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Friday, the Daily Herald reports.

The grants for "cutting-edge" surface transportation capital projects could range from $20 million to $300 million and are aimed at promoting "greater mobility, a cleaner environment and more livable communities," LaHood said during a speech at the Union League Club of Chicago.

"I encourage this region to collaborate and compete," the former Peoria congressman said.

LaHood also promoted plans to spend $8 billion on high-speed rail projects. He said a high-speed rail corridor linking destinations in the Midwest such as Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee and the Twin Cities was closer to reality than it had ever been.

"There's a pent-up demand for more efficient rail service in the Midwest," LaHood said, adding he was asking governors in the Midwest including Gov. Pat Quinn to appoint a high-speed rail czar to lead the effort.

LaHood backed the CREATE program, an effort to reduce freight congestion in Chicago, which has had a ripple effect on rail traffic elsewhere. CREATE is a massive public works project involving underpasses, new tracks and other construction. The plan is endorsed by local leaders, Metra and the railroad industry, but because it's so costly, little has been done in terms of actual building.

aHood hinted the project could be due for a funding infusion, saying "CREATE is a very, very high priority. It's got a great deal of merit. We'll work to do what we can to make it a reality."

Speaking to reporters, LaHood was asked about the merger of CN and the EJ&E Railway. With its purchase of the smaller EJ&E, which runs in a semicircle between Waukegan and Gary, Ind., the Canadian National Railway is putting more trains onto the "J." Both CN and the Surface Transportation Board, which approved the merger, said it would ease the Chicago bottleneck. But communities along the EJ&E such as Aurora and Barrington fought the transaction and have sued the government. LaHood wouldn't comment on the issue or on a vacancy on the STB, saying it was a separate agency.

The $1.5 billion is part of the government's economic stimulus legislation passed in January. LaHood noted his home state had received more than $935 million in funding but would not say how he would have voted on the legislation. Not one Republican in the House supported the bill.

May 18, 2009

Orlando rail project derailed, but Jacksonville moves ahead

There is only one commuter rail line now operating in Florida: Tri-Rail from Miami to West Palm Beach, the Florida Times-Union reports. A few weeks ago, it seemed as if Orlando would soon have the second. But that was before the Florida Legislature refused to pay for it. Now the death of SunRail could be problematic in efforts to establish a rail system in Jacksonville. Some of the same issues that doomed Orlando could pop up here.

"SunRail impacts the entire state," said U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla. "It's hard to imagine getting anything else going forward if SunRail dies."

Nonetheless, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority is moving ahead. It has hired consultant Gannett Fleming to conduct a study of a commuter rail system from downtown Jacksonville as far north as Yulee and as far south as Green Cove Springs and St. Augustine.

And JTA's spokesman, Mike Miller, said the problems of SunRail do not doom commuter rail locally.

With SunRail, the Legislature was being asked to approve the sale of 61 miles of CSX track to the state for $1.2 billion. The state also had to approve a waiver of legal liability so CSX could not be sued for an accident on the commuter rail lines.

The Florida Senate rejected the deal, 23-17. Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, was the most vocal opponent arguing that the liability waiver was bad for Florida. Dockery also argued that Lakeland would see an increase in freight train traffic because CSX was planning to reroute it to a planned intermodal rail yard in nearby Winter Haven.

The waiver of liability that CSX demanded for SunRail will also be required for any commuter rail system in Jacksonville that uses CSX tracks, company spokesman Gary Sease said. Upgrades would have to be made to allow freight to continue operating on the tracks with the commuter rail lines, Sease said.

James Boyle, JTA regional transportation planner, said the organization has had discussions with the rail companies and understands that a waiver of liability will be necessary as part of any commuter rail agreement. The study is expected to conclude this summer, Boyle said.

Jacksonville resident Ennis Davis, one of the three men behind MetroJacksonville.com, a Web site that supports using rail in Jacksonville, said the city could get rail before Orlando.

Smaller cities like Little Rock, Ark.; Nashville, Tenn.; Austin, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; and Salt Lake City built rail systems with either local or federal money. All of those cities are smaller than Orlando, Davis said.

It is not yet clear how JTA would pay for commuter rail; that's also part of the study.

A proposal will be presented to the JTA board in August. Presentations are also likely to be made to the City Council and other interested groups.

May 18, 2009

Northstar installs elevators in Coon Rapids-Riverdale Station

Construction continued the week of May 11 at the Northstar commuter rail stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Fridley and Minneapolis, Minn. Work also progressed on the Light Rail Transit connection and the Vertical Circulation Building in downtown Minneapolis. Crews worked on the Northstar station platform, including electrical and track alignment work. Crews also began painting the commuter rail station shelters.The emergency access sidewalk at the commuter rail station was poured this week. Crews continued to work on the overhead catenary system and the platform for the Hiawatha LRT extension.

In Coon Rapids at the Northstar Station and the Riverdale Park-and-Ride, painting continued on the outbound station shelters and pedestrian overpass. Painting the outbound side will continue through the week of May 18 and crews will begin painting the inbound side. Crews began installing the elevators in the pedestrian overpass. Glass installation in the pedestrian overpass began. Crews will finish the remaining station sidewalks shortly.

In Anoka, crews continued painting the station shelters and should finish soon. The week of May 18, crews will install the station shelter benches and will begin paving the north parking lot.

In Elk River, crews continue to pour sidewalks and pave the remainder of the park-and-ride lot. Light poles in the park-and-ride lot were installed.

In Big Lake, crews installed station shelter doors, benches and permanent signage.

Crews in Fridley completed utility work on the west side of the tracks. One lane of Ashton Avenue has reopened to traffic; the other lane needs to be repaved. Crews poured the footings of the west head house crews will soon begin pouring the walls of the west head house and begin work on the east head house. The head house will be used to access the pedestrian tunnel once construction is complete.

May 18, 2009

Caltrain plans construction, maintenance May 16-23

Caltrain will temporarily close Center Street at the railroad tracks in Millbrae from 8 p.m., Friday, May 22 until 6 p.m., Saturday, Mary 23 to reconstruct the crossing and adjacent track, as well as to repave the street. The work has been scheduled over one weekend to minimize the impact to the neighborhood. During the temporary closure, vehicles and pedestrians will be allowed to use the nearby pedestrian crossing at Santa Paula Avenue

May 16-17, during the day, Caltrain will build mini-high boarding platforms at the San Mateo station to improve accessibility to the train for people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The concrete ramps provide level access to Caltrain’s Bombardier cars, eliminating the need to use a manual lift. During the construction, the platform will remain open to customers but the train will stop 155 feet farther south than usual.

Work to rebuild the railroad crossings at Whipple and Brewster avenues and Broadway Street in Redwood City will continue from. In addition, crews will begin work on Maple, Main and Chestnut streets, realigning utilities and building new sidewalks and medians. Throughout the project, at least one lane of the impacted streets will remain open at the crossing. The work is part of a larger program to improve grade crossings in San Mateo County.

At San Jose Diridon Station, Caltrain will perform routine maintenance at several locations. To avoid train delays, the work will take place Sunday through Thursday from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

From Sunday, May 17 to Thursday, May 21, crossties between the Bayshore and Millbrae stations will be replaced. On May 17, worn asphalt, rails, ties and ballast between the San Mateo and Atherton stations will be replaced.

May 18-21, worn asphalt, rails, ties and ballast between the Palo Alto and Sunnyvale stations will be replaced.

May 18, 2009

Four MBTA unions agree to wage freeze

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Transportation Secretary James Aloisi and T General Manager Daniel Grabauskas said that four MBTA unions have voluntarily agreed to defer, for one year, 4% raises that were granted by an arbitrator last year. The raises were to take effect July 1, the start of a new fiscal year for which the T projects a $160 million deficit.

"We need everybody to pitch in to help deal with this crisis in transportation financing," said Governor Patrick. "I appreciate the willingness of these workers to freeze their wages and for demonstrating their cooperative spirit in the face of difficult economic realities."

Members of the Office and Professional Employees International - Local 453, Welders - Local 651 and Professional and Technical Engineers - Local 105 have already voted to defer the raises, while the Executive Board of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - Local 717, has endorsed the action, and will soon bring it to their full membership. The four unions represent more than 500 workers at the MBTA. Grabauskas said the unions' willingness to defer the raises will reduce the MBTA payroll, along with FICA and pension expenses, by $1,658,000 in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget.

" Last month, the Patrick Administration announced a plan to close the serious budget gap facing the Commonwealth, including the use of federal recovery funds, budget cuts, layoffs and furloughs. The Executive of Transportation and MBTA have committed to a series of layoffs, contract cancellations, job eliminations and furloughs among non-union employees. The MBTA's cost-cutting actions alone will save more than $6 million in next year's budget.

Noting that 273 non-union employees will forgo raises for the fourth year in a row, Aloisi and Grabauskas have asked the MBTA's other labor groups, including the largest, the Boston Carmen's Union - Local 589, to join the four unions which have already agreed to a wage freeze this year.

If the MBTA's other unions, representing everyone from bus drivers to Transit Police, make a similar concession, the MBTA stands to save a total of $17,326,000 in the Fiscal Year 2010 budget.

May 15, 2009

BART moves forward with Oakland Airport Connector project

BART’s Board of Directors did its part for riders who want a quick, reliable, traffic-free and environmentally-friendly transit connection between BART’s Coliseum Station and the Oakland Airport. Construction of the approximately $500-million Oakland Airport Connector project would use $70 million in federal stimulus money. The entire project would create and/or support approximately 13,000 direct and indirect jobs and generate $1.2 billion in economic activity according to the American Public Transportation Association’s formula.

By a vote of 7 to 1, the Board approved the last of the resolutions vital to its role in funding the project, which has been studied since the 1970s. The Board authorized BART staff to apply for up to $150 million in low-interest federal loans to secure the final funding. BART expects ridership revenues to cover the cost of the loan.

“I’ve been working on this project for over 20 years,” said BART Board Member Carole Ward Allen who represents the district in which the project will be built. “We have worked with the community and all the special interest groups involved and I am so happy that the BART Board has voted on this. We can move forward on a project that will serve the city, the region and the nation. The stimulus money will provide jobs and economic relief to citizen of Oakland. As we move forward I’m personally going to push to spend as much of this and future funding as possible on minority and women-owned businesses and to hire locally and buy American.”

The OAC would prepare for future growth in the East Bay by creating a high-tech, environmentally-friendly 3.2-mile elevated automated people mover connection between the Coliseum BART Station and Oakland International Airport. The OAC would replace the current AirBART bus connection, which is subjected to traffic gridlock.

In addition to the $150 million loan, the rest of the funding for design and construction of the approximately $500 million project would come from local, state and federal sources. BART expects revenue service to begin in 2013.

May 15, 2009

TIGER grants target major-impact transportation projects

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said $1.5 billion in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grants are available for capital investment in surface transportation projects. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to projects that have a significant impact on the nation, a region or metropolitan area and can create jobs and benefit economically distressed areas.

“TIGER discretionary funding will open up the door to many new innovative and cutting-edge transportation projects,” said Secretary LaHood. “This is exciting news and I believe that these projects will promote greater mobility, a cleaner environment and more livable communities.”

The grants can range from $20 million up to $300 million to support high-impact transportation projects. Secretary LaHood can waive the minimum grant requirement for beneficial projects in smaller cities, regions or states. The U.S. Department of Transportation will require rigorous economic justifications for projects over $100 million. To ensure responsible spending, the department will require all fund recipients to report on their activities on a routine basis.

The solicitation published in the Federal Register provides clear criteria for the department to make merit-based decisions on the new discretionary program.

Primary selection criteria include contributing to the medium- to long-term economic competitiveness of the nation, improving the condition of existing transportation facilities and systems, improving the quality of living and working environments through livable communities, improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the safety of U.S. transportation facilities.

The Department will also give priority to projects that are expected to quickly create and preserve jobs and stimulate rapid increases in economic activity, especially projects that will benefit economically distressed areas.

Applications for TIGER discretionary grants must be submitted by September 15, 2009, from state and local governments, including U.S. territories, tribal governments, transit agencies, port authorities and others. Comments on the criteria must be received by June 1, 2009.

May 15, 2009

Service temporarily suspended in CTA’s Blue Line Dearborn subway

Rail service will be temporarily suspended in the Chicago Transit Authority’s Blue Line’s Dearborn Subway from Clark/Lake to Western/Milwaukee from 10 p.m. Friday, May 15 until 4 a.m. Monday, May 18 due to track replacement work.

Bus shuttles will operate as a substitute for rail service making stops at Western/Milwaukee, Damen, Division, Chicago, Grand and Clark/Lake. CTA customers are advised to allow extra travel time. Both the Western/Milwaukee and Clark/Lake stations are accessible to customers with disabilities.

Blue Line trains will operate normally from Forest Park to Clark/Lake, and from O’Hare to Western/Milwaukee.

In 2007, CTA began a project to eliminate existing slow zones in the Dearborn subway that were having a major impact on travel time for riders. With the funds available at the time CTA was able to make temporary repairs that allowed trains to resume normal speeds.

From July to September 2007, repairs were made to 6,336 feet of slow zones between the Damen and Clark/Lake stations. Crews replaced more than 5,000 deteriorated wooden rail ties with concrete rail ties.

Recently the CTA received federal stimulus funding that allow it to renew all of the remaining track (approximately seven miles or 39,000 feet) from Division on the O’Hare branch to Clinton on the Forest Park branch. Crews are replacing deteriorated wooden half ties with concrete half ties, and replace running rail and contact (third) rail to remove emerging slow zones and help prevent the creation of new slow zones.

May 15, 2009

Norfolk Southern, PanAm, play nicein Ayer?

Last week, there was much talk about launching a tri-town assault on an Ayer, Mass., railroad construction project begun last month on land that sits atop drinking water aquifer protection zones for Ayer and Littleton, according to local newspapers.

The Ayer-Littleton Spectacle Pond Committee plan proposed uniting the Ayer, Littleton and Westford boards of selectmen to address Pan Am Railway's planned automotive rail transfer station off Willow Road. Now, a sprig of an olive branch has been offered in the multi-year battle between the rail company and Ayer officials over drinking water protection efforts.

To calm the escalating situation, two Ayer officials met with rail executives for both Pan Am and Norfolk Southern rail companies at Pan Am's North Billerica offices. Town Administrator Shaun Suhoski said Pan Am President David Fink was in attendance. The summit talks followed a faxed request by Pan Am to Ayer Town Hall.

Suhoski and Department of Public Works Superintendent Dan Nason reported significant progress towards tentatively creating a more open system of communications with Pan Am as work continues at the San-Vel site.

"The meeting was productive," said Suhoski. "The key achievement was that Pan Am agreed and offered to allow our DPW technical staff to sit in on the weekly construction meetings onsite."

The exact schedule was not released, but Suhoski said the first such meeting was to occur by week's end. Nason and Water Department Director Rick Lynde will be the two Ayer officials regularly briefed on site.

Pan Am and Norfolk Southern recently announced their joint venture along their so-called Patriot Corridor, linking Boston and Mechanicville, N.Y., via this Ayer station in their effort to dominate the auto distribution rail route.

Significant discussion did revolve around the 17-point 2003 consent decree mutually entered into between the town and Pan Am (then called Guilford) regarding minimum standards for the company to comply with whenever construction was to start. Of key concern to the Water Department was gaining permission for the placement of monitoring wells on the San-Vel site at the outset of construction to establish a baseline for water quality. Suhoski said the rail companies asked for the town to now submit its written proposal on appropriate locations for such testing.

It's long been discussed that the purpose for several town test sites located outside the San-Vel borders is of no use other than to accurately detect water contamination. Officials have requested regular on-site monitoring to more quickly detect spills before they make their way towards the town's test sites, and ultimately the town's underground water sources. There are no other water sources in Ayer that appear to be available to provide the quality and quantity of water provided by the critical Grove Pond pumping station.

Regarding the installation of a "geo-membrane" under the section of track where locomotives will idle periodically, Suhoski says the consent decree never provided a time line for its installation, but it's not off the radar.

The 800-car capacity Pan Am automobile truck-to-rail transfer facility -- effectively a multi-acre paved parking lot -- will be located diagonally across the street from a larger, identically purposed but vacant rail yard owned by Pan Am on Willow Road. The work itself is largely to pave the lot with impermeable asphalt, preventing the absorption of rain to recharge the underground water source that supplies the eastern portion of Ayer.

Despite calls to stop the rail-yard work, Pan Am construction approvals have been lying dormant since 2003. Detractors admit that their ultimate concern in the face of construction is gaining assurances of the shared sense of responsibility to the water source and environment. However, the Spectacle Pond Committee is forging ahead to try to apply pressure to have Pan Am abandon the project since it owns a larger, empty site just a quarter mile to the west along the rail tracks.

According to Pan Am, the new yard is needed because the vacant yard is tied up in a long-term lease through 2017 by CSX Transportation. Likely tenants for the new rail station will be Ford Motor Co., with UPS acting as a transportation agent for Ford.

May 15, 2009

China to deploy Wonderware SCADA

Wonderware said that China’s Ministry of Railways has selected Wonderware System Platform as the SCADA system to operate the country’s national railway. The project will extend to 2020 and involves the automation of all power monitoring points for a majority of the Chinese railroad system and will feature 3 million I/O points.

The Wonderware SCADA project integrates a large part of the country’s railway lines running from Beijing in the north to Guangzhou in the south. The project’s estimated budget is approximately 3.5 trillion yuan (USD $512 billion). The China Ministry of Railways expects a six-year return on investment.

The initial rollout of Wonderware System Platform software involves approximately 100,000 I/O points. By the end of 2009, the SCADA solution will expand to 300,000 I/O points as more stations are added, and will increase to 1.5 million I/O points by 2010. It is expected that by the time the project is completed in 2020, the Wonderware SCADA solution will manage more than three million I/O points and will include the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railroad currently under construction.

The China Ministry of Railways’ Wonderware SCADA system will be the largest-scale industrial project to date involving the Microsoft SQL Server platform. Wonderware has standardized its automation and control systems on Microsoft’s industry-standard platforms, such as Microsoft SQL Server, because they provide the highest levels of security, reliability and scalability for business-critical applications, as well as the ability to create and deploy data-driven solutions quickly.

May 15, 2009

Randolph, N.J. likes the idea of rail line restoration

Randolph Township, N.J., officials might soon be on a collision course with neighboring Roxbury over the county’s proposed acquisition of a local railroad line, local newspapers report. Morris County freeholders want to buy the four-mile Chester branch that runs from Roxbury’s Succasunna section to the former Westinghouse site off Sussex Turnpike, located just behind Roxbury’s Horseshoe Lake recreation area.

The county plans to purchase the track from Holland Manufacturing in Roxbury, then hire a third party for commercial business only. Once that purchase is complete, then they would be eligible to restore the line for between $5 million to $6 million in federal stimulus funds, according to Morris County Planning Director Frank Pinto.

Council members endorsed the idea because, they said, it could lure more light industry to the former Westinghouse site, which, among others, houses Schindler Elevator.

On May 7, Roxbury Councilman Martin Schmidt said he and Councilman Fred Hall met with Morris County Freeholders William Chegwidden and Douglas Cabana about a month ago, to discuss the potential of reviving the rail line.

“I think we need more details from Morris County, and we need them on paper. We’re not hearing a whole lot about this. Chegwidden told us that this will be done with federal funding, and that this project is ‘shovel ready.’ That means it’s ready to go. By the time they came to us, they were already calling this a ‘shovel ready’ project,” Schmidt said.

“We have an entire trails system we are trying to get going back there. We have a bike path that we worked on for years, and it could all be in danger,” he said. It’s ugly, and to me, this whole thing doesn’t smell right. We’re not against the trains, but if the line is extended to service the old Westinghouse plant, it can affect Horseshoe Lake.”

Monday, Hall said that he, Roxbury Mayor Kathy DeFillippo and Deputy Mayor Jim Rilee met with three county freeholders again Friday to discuss Roxbury’s concerns.

Hall said Roxbury officials suggested that the tracks be, in essence, uplifted and rerouted away from Horseshoe Lakes, and more toward the former Wickes lumber property.

“Their problem with that seems to be that this is federal stimulus money, and it’s $6 million. To get it, they need to have a project that is ‘shovel ready.’ The freeholders feel that it will take an exorbitant amount of time to get state Department of Environmental Protection approval to redirect the rails away from Horseshoe Lake,” Hall said.

May 14, 2009

BNSF crews begin $11-million track project in Montana

In June, BNSF will send four maintenance of-way crews to begin undercutting track and replacing ties and rail on BNSF’s main line between Custer and Glendive, Mont. The crews are expected to undercut six miles of track, replace more than 75,000 ties and lay approximately 22 track miles of rail.

“Our rail lines in Montana are essential for Montana farmers and America’s wheat harvest. Almost 150,000 bushels of grain came out of the state via our tracks last year,” said Dave Freeman, BNSF vice president, engineering. “We make it a priority to keep those tracks in excellent condition.

Around 90 BNSF employees are expected to complete the $11-million project in late July.

May 14, 2009

BNSF send two crews to Montana, Wyoming for $15-millon project

BNSF is sending two maintenance-of-way crews to Wyoming and Montana in mid-May to replace more than 150,000 ties and almost 35 track miles of rail between Casper, Wyo., and Silesia, Mont. The project is expected to be completed by September and will cost about $15 million.

“Expanding and maintaining our infrastructure along this stretch of track and throughout the system not only allows us to provide customers with efficient and reliable rail service, but it also benefits the overall efficiency of America’s supply chain,” said Dave Freeman, BNSF vice president, engineering.

BNSF expects to spend about $2 billion this year to keep the railway’s infrastructure strong by upgrading technologies and refreshing track, signal systems, structures and freight cars.

May 14, 2009

UP invests $36 Million in Chicago-to-Villa Grove line

Motorists will spend less time at crossings waiting for trains to pass with trains operating more efficiently as a result of more than $36 million in track improvements made by Union Pacific to its Chicago-to-Villa Grove, Ill., line. When the project is complete, crews will have removed and installed more than 155,000 ties, spread 74,600 tons of rock ballast to ensure a stable roadbed and renewed the road surfaces at 152 crossings. Work began on the project May 8 and is scheduled to be completed by mid August.

Union Pacific invested nearly $240 million for capital projects in Illinois in 2008.

May 14, 2009

First construction contract awarded for transit tunnel project

The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors advanced the nation’s largest new public transportation project into the construction phase by unanimously approving the first of numerous contract packages for the multi-billion-dollar Mass Transit Tunnel initiative.

The board action sets the stage for a MTT groundbreaking ceremony in the coming weeks and green-lights construction of a railroad underpass at Tonnelle Avenue in North Bergen. The underpass will be adjacent to where the $8.7-billion project goes underground, allowing the MTT’s two new rail tracks to begin their descent under Palisades Mountain.

The Board’s approval of the project’s first construction contract follows last week’s announcement that President Barack Obama is including $200 million in additional funding for the project in the FY 2010 federal budget, bringing the total federal commitment to date to $378 million.

Of even greater importance was the announcement that the Mass Transit Tunnel project is being recommended for an Early Systems Work Agreement, which formalizes the federal government’s long-term funding commitment.

The Access to the Region’s Core Mass Transit Tunnel project will more than double the number of trains that can travel between New Jersey and New York to 48 per hour, from the current 23. This will eliminate a bottleneck along the existing two rail tracks, which are pushed to their functional limits during every peak travel period.

The additional capacity will create one-seat (transfer-free) rides to and from New York for thousands of customers on ten existing NJ TRANSIT commuter rail lines and future lines as the statewide commuter rail system is expanded.

NJ TRANSIT and its partner, the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, have committed $5.7 billion to the project and are seeking federal participation of $3 billion.

The underpass contract is being funded with a portion of NJ TRANSIT’s ?$424 million share of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Future contracts will build the tunnels that will carry NJ TRANSIT trains under the Palisades, under the Hudson River and to and from an expanded New York Penn Station.

The $13.6 million construction contract will be awarded to Ferreira Construction Co. Inc. of Branchburg. In addition to the Tonnelle Avenue underpass, the contract calls for relocation of utilities and construction of a new railroad embankment immediately west of Tonnelle Avenue.

The Board also authorized amendments to existing construction management, construction assistance design services and insurance contracts for services and coverage associated with the underpass project.

Tonnelle Avenue’s four traffic lanes will remain open during construction, except for some night-time periods when traffic volumes are low.

May 14, 2009

PAFCO light rail extension moves forward

The Delaware River Port Authority presented its recommendations for the extension of southern New Jersey light rail from Camden to Glassboro. DRPA conducted an extensive transit planning study that focused on identifying transportation needs and solutions for southern New Jersey. The agency recommended a multimodal approach to meet the transportation needs of New Jersey’s residents.

At a gathering of business and community leaders, Governor Jon Corzine endorsed the extension of the light rail system from Camden to Glassboro, as recommended by the DRPA.

“Mass transit promotes smart growth by connecting people to jobs and stimulates the economy by attracting business,” said Governor Corzine. “We want to develop better rail and bus choices for the southern New Jersey region to improve the quality of life for its residents.”

The endorsement comes at the end of a two-year alternatives analysis and planning study undertaken by DRPA to identify transportation needs and solutions for Southern New Jersey. The study concluded that expanding transit choices would improve accessibility to jobs and employment centers, reduce roadway congestion, better utilize existing highway medians/shoulders and railroad rights of way, and enhance connectivity to recreational areas.

The DRPA also recommended that a study in partnership with NJ TRANSIT be conducted to include Express Bus-type service utilizing routes 42 and 55, with dedicated lanes and park-and-ride lots for service from southern New Jersey to Walter Rand Transportation Center and Downtown Philadelphia. In addition, NJ TRANSIT and the DRPA will review options to improve the Atlantic City Rail Line with the goal of improving the connection between southern New Jersey communities, Atlantic City and Philadelphia; and to increase access to Atlantic City Airport.

The DRPA will initiate the next round of public outreach on the light rail extension and the recommended options and will continue the next phases of the planning process.

May 14, 2009

CPR neutral on Rochester, Minn., bypass proposal

Canadian Pacific Railway is holding at stop-arm's length Rochester's Southern Rail Corridor proposal, according to the Rochester Post Bulletin.

CPR is spending $15 million this summer to upgrade its track that passes through the heart of Rochester.

"We wouldn't be putting investments in our track if this were not intended to be our main line," said CPR spokesman Mark Seland. "CPR doesn't need a bypass and will not contribute to the cost of building one. As our needs are met by the existing railroad, the proposed bypass would only suit the needs of other parties.

"Having said that, we won't oppose, but will not support, a bypass being built," Seland said. "If a bypass were built, if CPR's operating dollars were not increased we would, for the convenience and comfort of Mayo Clinic, not be opposed to operating over it. But recall the current route will still have to remain to service existing customers within Rochester. There are five customers there now."

Mayo Clinic tapped CPR several months ago for feedback on an engineering study concerning the Southern Rail Corridor and informed the Calgary, Alberta-based company in a phone call last week that it was meeting with federal and state officials to advance the plans. Other than that, the railroad is not a partner, Seland said.

"We have no detailed background and don't know their future plans," he said. "We provided feedback to them on the G-F report. That's the extent of our involvement with that."

Mayo spokesman Chris Gade said that the bypass route would aid CPR if the railroad builds a federally-approved extension into the Wyoming coalfields. Projected traffic levels would exceed the carrying capacity of the line through Rochester, Gade said.

That conclusion was not provided by CPR but calculated by a hired engineering firm "based on the data that they (CPR) helped supply," Gade said.

Seland dismissed all of that discussion as "absolutely speculation."

No decisions have been made on the Powder River Basin extension), Seland said. "With today's economic environment, that underscores that even more."

Canadian Pacific does not share a corridor anywhere with high-speed rail, as is envisioned in the Southern Rail Corridor proposal.

It does share several corridors with regular passenger rail, including an Amtrak route over its Delaware and Hudson route between Montreal and Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and the Empire Builder line between Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago.

May 14, 2009

Agreement advances Passaic-Bergen rail project

A project to provide rail service between the Borough of Hawthorne in Passaic County and the City of Hackensack in Bergen County advanced with the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors authorizing the agency to enter an agreement with the New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway.

The Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding with NYS&W that provides a framework for NJ TRANSIT’s plan to construct and operate the Passaic-Bergen line using the NYS&W main line right-of-way between Hawthorne and Hackensack.

Passaic-Bergen rail service will serve nine new stations along more than eight miles of the NYS&W’s Main Line corridor between Hawthorne and Hackensack. The project’s proposed station in Hawthorne is a short walk from the existing main line station, making it easy for riders to connect to the wider NJ TRANSIT commuter rail system.

Construction could begin as early as the end of this year and take approximately three years to complete.

Also, the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors approved work to restore the interior of the historic Rutherford Station on the Bergen County Line—a project that will preserve the building as both a transit facility and community landmark.

The Board authorized a $988,000 contract with Collette Contracting, Inc., of Rutherford, N.J., for construction work to refurbish the interior of the main station building, including the ceiling and floors, windows, doors, wood benches, plaster surfaces, and wood frames and moldings. The project also includes the replacement of exterior windows and doors in the taxi stand building.

Listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, Rutherford Station was constructed in 1898 and serves approximately 1,030 customers on a typical weekday.

Construction is expected to begin this summer, with completion anticipated in spring 2010.

May 14, 2009

BART working on several maintenance projects

As part of BART’s system-wide Earthquake Safety Program, the agency will begin strengthening structures at the Lake Merritt Station to withstand future earthquakes. The project involves constructing temporary enclosures, removing tiles from concrete columns, placing fiberwrap around 17 columns, protecting utilities and equipment, and restoring and cleaning work areas. The work will begin in late May and last for approximately five months.

A separate project to dismantle the Lake Merritt Administration Building is currently under way and will continue through early 2010.

Earthquake Safety Program construction will be under way at various locations throughout the BART system over the next five years and is expected to be complete by the end of 2014.

Due to ongoing weekend tie replacement work, BART will need to run northbound Pittsburg/Bay Point line trains on a single track. Single tracking may result in slight delays of up to 10 to 15 minutes on weekend trains going toward Pittsburg/Bay Point Station.

Beginning in early June, BART will repave and restripe the parking lots at Orinda Station, which will severely limit parking at the station. The agency will do the work in six phases, each lasting approximately one to two weeks.

Also beginning in early June, BART will repave and restripe the parking lots at North Berkeley Station, which will severely limit parking at the station. The agency will do the work in five phases, each lasting approximately one to two weeks.

May 14, 2009

Local officials seek push for community-oriented STB nominee

Illinois State Rep. Darlene Senger, R-Naperville, joined with state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Plainfield, along with a group of state legislators and mayors throughout the Chicago suburbs at a press conference to protect the interests of communities affected by the Canadian National acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway.

In a press release, Senger expressed her support for Senate Resolution 247 which asks President Obama to quickly appoint a third community-minded member to the vacant seat on the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. The resolution further requests that the president make an appointment that will protect communities from the unnecessary safety and economic concerns that can be caused by railroad expansion, and that infrastructure improvement projects with private funding be given priority by the state.

The STB's three-member governing body has a vacancy due to the resignation of board member W. Douglas Buttrey in March.

"President Obama has previously expressed his commitment to the communities impacted by the CN acquisition, and we are optimistic that he will make this a priority," Senger said. "In my district, Naperville is among the hardest hit communities and could see up to 42 trains per day because of this merger. The safety of our community is being severely threatened."

Senger discussed the importance of House Resolution 68, which she introduced and expects to be adopted shortly in the Illinois House.

"House Resolution 68 tells Congress and President Obama that we need to make sure our Star line, the transit line that runs from Waukegan through Gary, remains intact," Senger said. "It also asks Washington to recognize that there is a huge unmitigated impact to our towns to the tune of over $2 billion. We need to make our community whole again."

Additionally, Senger expressed concerned about the $23 million that's needed to improve the crossing at Ogden Avenue.

Senger became involved with the issue prior to becoming state representative, serving on the steering committee of TRAC, the Regional Answer to Canadian National. The group, which consists of more than 25 communities, is working to create solutions to ensure that transportation plans for the railway line along the Naperville/Aurora border be honored for the well-being of the residents in the region.

May 14, 2009

Metromover station to be dedicated in Miami

During a special ceremony on May 14, 2009, Miami-Dade County will officially dedicate the Adrienne Arsht Center Metromover station. The station, one of the Metromover system's highest-traffic stops, will be dedicated in honor of Ms. Arsht's $30-million gift to the nearby Performing Arts Center. This event will also feature live musicians and a special appearance by Circ X performers.

County Commissioner Audrey M. Edmonson will join philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, Performing Arts Center Trust board chairman Ricky Arriola and Miami-Dade Transit director Harpal Kapoor for the dedication.

May 13, 2009

Dulles Metrorail work continues

Construction continues on Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project with the major focus now on the Tysons Corner, Va., area. Cranes and other large pieces of construction equipment can be seen on the northwest side of Route 123 from Route 267 (Dulles Connector Road) to Route 7 and on both sides of Route 7 from Route 123 west to the Dulles Toll Road interchange.

Dulles Transit Partners, the Phase 1 design-build contractor, has set up a major construction operations center in a large block bordered by Route 123, International Drive, Galleria Drive and Tysons Boulevard. In this area, you will see:
· Near International Drive, construction of a short tunnel that will connect the rail line from Route 123 to Route 7.
· At Tysons Boulevard, construction beginning for the foundations of the Tysons Central 123 station.

Soon there will be signs of construction all along the 11-mile corridor from the junction of Routes 267 and I-66 west to Wiehle Avenue in the Dulles Connector Road and the Dulles Airport Access Road including clearing and site prep in the medians and site access development near the Wiehle Avenue Metro Station.

While it's becoming difficult for residents to differentiate between rail construction and utility relocation work, contractors have completed more than 40 percent of the necessary utility relocation work. As part of moving 21 different utilities along both sides of Route 7 to either side of the roadway, utilities are being placed underground prior to the widening of Route 7 from three to four lanes in each direction. Eventually, the rail project will build sidewalks on both sides of Route 7.

The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project is a 23-mile extension of Metro's existing Orange Line. The new line will connect with the Orange Line just east of the West Falls Church Metro Station, right where the Dulles Connector Road and Interstate 66 merge. It is being built in two phases.

Phase 1 will run from the East Falls Church Metro Station to Wiehle Avenue in Reston and will have four stops in Tysons Corner: Tysons East, Tysons Central 123, Tysons Central 7 and Tysons West. The completion date is 2013.

Phase 2 will run from the Wiehle Avenue Station in Reston to Ashburn in eastern Loudoun County. Stations are planned at Reston Parkway, Herndon Monroe, Route 28 near the Center for Innovative Technology, Washington Dulles International Airport, Route 606 and Route 772 (Ashburn).

May 13, 2009

CN completes Mississippi rail line sale agreements

CN completed agreements to sell three Mississippi line segments to Grenada Railway, LLC, and Natchez Railway, LLC, both non-carrier affiliates of V&S Railway and A&K Railroad Materials. This deal transfers ownership of 252 miles of track and preserves rail service on the two longest of these rail lines for at least the next two years. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“CN is pleased that this deal with Grenada Railway and Natchez Railway will allow these rail lines to remain in place serving Mississippi business,” said Jim Vena, CN's senior vice president, Southern Region. “CN will continue to offer interchange service to the new short lines, maintaining every customer's seamless access to the broader CN network.

“CN recognizes the importance of rail service to Mississippi and remains committed to the state. We continue to operate nearly 600 miles of main line track serving scores of Mississippi businesses and carrying Amtrak passenger service,” concluded Vena.

Since 2003, CN has worked with the State of Mississippi in its economic development efforts to bring additional rail business to these routes. Those efforts have not created a substantial increase in rail traffic and volume on these routes has dropped to the point where it is no longer economically viable for CN to continue their operation.

This transaction involves the former CN Grenada subdivision, the Water Valley Branch Line and the former CN Natchez subdivision. The Grenada line runs roughly 175 miles from the Mississippi/Tennessee border to approximately two miles north of Canton, Miss. The 11-mile Water Valley Branch Line intersects the Grenada Line at W.V. Junction and extends to Coffeeville, Miss. The 66-mile Natchez branch runs from Brookhaven, Miss., to Natchez, Miss.

V&S Railway operates short lines in Kansas and Colorado.

May 13, 2009

Waterloo clears way for railroad bridge repair

Repairs to a downtown railroad bridge in waterloo, Iowa, are expected to begin next month, exactly one year after record flooding caused it to collapse into the Cedar River, local newspapers report. Waterloo City Council members voted unanimously to approve an agreement with the Union Pacific granting the railroad access to city property at East Seventh Street and through the flood levee system so it can make the repairs.

An action plan included in the agreement calls for the award of contract, pending receipt of a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this month and construction running from June through September. The agreement also spells out contingency plans to close the levee if floodwaters threaten again, and provides specifications to ensure the final project keeps the flood control system intact.

Mayor Tim Hurley attested to growing frustration from the railroads and the public as the year wore on and the twisted wreckage of the bridge was apparent to all downtown. There was a round of finger pointing earlier this year, where each side accused the other of causing the delays.

"It has been an easy five or six months of determined work with our engineering department and the two railroad engineering departments," Hurley said. "Then you bring in the Corps of Engineers and the (Iowa Department of Natural Resources)."

The Iowa Railway Finance Authority approved loans in August to help rebuild the bridge, and the Iowa Senate secured a $1 million grant for the project from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund last month.

While the UP owns the bridge, it was primarily used by the Iowa Northern Railroad to ship tractors and grain to Cedar Rapids. The loss of the bridge has caused costly detours and delays for Iowa Northern customers.

"This bridge out is costing us $800,000 to $1 million a month, and our customers quite a bit more," said Iowa Northern's Dan Sabin.

May 13, 2009

Commentary on proposed PATCO service

Denzel Washington won a best-actor Oscar for "Training Day." Gov. Jon Corzine hopes to win re-election by bringing his own "training day" to Woodbury, N.J., according to the Gloucester County Times.

If he's right, Corzine might not be gone from office long when they cut the ribbon on the $600-million, state-funded light-rail project from Camden to Woodbury that he announced.

It was no surprise that the line would use the old Conrail alignment that will give it stops in the aging downtowns of Gloucester City, Westville and Woodbury. But it was a bit of a shock to learn that the line won't run as far as Glassboro at this time.

The advantages are time and money. With the shorter route, and the less expensive light-rail technology, the project can be up and running in five years, officials say. There won't be a wait for first-phase funding from the federal government, though it may be needed to extend the line to Glassboro. Officials are hopeful that can happen within 10 years.

There are other tradeoffs. Because the new line won't be compatible with the existing PATCO Lindenwold line, Woodbury-area commuters will have to change trains to get to Philadelphia. The trip will be slower than with PATCO-like rapid transit. It's up to the line's planners to demonstrate that the ride will be short enough and the schedule frequent enough to get commuters to abandon their cars.

Critics will also note this extension won't take much traffic off congested Routes 42 and 55 that originates from Washington and Monroe townships. That corridor will get a high-speed bus-only lane, which officials also announced Tuesday, but that's not the same thing as a train.

It may be a plus that the first phase avoids sections south of Woodbury where local opposition to the Conrail routing was heaviest for a similar light-rail project in the 1990s. Gloucester County Freeholder Director and state Sen. Stephen Sweeney's pronouncement, "Gloucester County wholeheartedly supports this project and will not walk away from it," ought to hold this time. But there are issues to solve, especially if the line is to move southward.

County leaders blew it in the '90s, when they caved to protesters who live near the tracks and let the state take its light-rail money and put a line in Burlington County instead. Rail service is too important to our growth, too vital to helping solve another decade-plus worth of congestion, to let that happen again.

May 13, 2009

MARTA, Atlanta BeltLine to hold hearing on BeltLine Corridor

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority and the Atlanta Development Authority through its implementation agent for the BeltLine, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., will hold a public hearing May14 concerning the Environmental Effects Report for the BeltLine Corridor Northeast Zone.

The proposed BeltLine Corridor Northeast Zone Project is an approximately 6.5-mile-long corridor beginning at the Inman Park/Reynoldstown MARTA station and extending north to the Lindbergh Center MARTA station. The proposed project includes a combination of new light rail/modern streetcar transit lines, new multi-use trails and associated linear green space.

The rail transit element of the project includes the construction of new tracks, stations and supporting facilities.

An Environmental Effects Report has been prepared for this project pursuant to the Georgia Environmental Policy Act.

May 13, 2009

West of Hudson Regional Transit Study open house set

MTA Metro-North Railroad will hold a second open house June 1 to present the latest information on the West of Hudson Regional Transit Access Alternatives Analysis/ Environmental Impact Statement Study. After months of reviewing more than 80 alternatives for improving the quality of transit services connecting Central Orange County to Manhattan and for improving transit access to Stewart International Airport from the mid-Hudson Valley and New York City, the study has reached a critical milestone.

Metro-North Railroad, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and study partners will present the findings and recommendations of the Level 1 Screening Analysis conducted on the Long List of Alternatives.

Alternatives being studied to meet the transit mobility and access needs of commuters and Stewart Airport passengers and employees include bus, rail and other transportation solutions for short, medium and long-term implementation. The Level 1 Screening Analysis identifies a shorter list of the most promising alternatives for further evaluation during the next level of screening after receiving public comments.

May 13, 2009

Metro to hold public hearing on proposed FY10 budget

Metro will hold a public hearing on a draft $3.905-billion budget for Fiscal Year 2009-10 on Wednesday, May 20. Metro directors will consider adopting the budget, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, at their May 28 meeting.

CEO Art Leahy has proposed a spending plan that is $507 million, or just under 15 percent more than the current Metro budget. The increase is largely due to a spate of new highway and transit building. Altogether, Metro will undertake $636 million in new programs in FY10, funded largely with federal stimulus funds and the new Measure R transit sales tax that will be collected starting July 1.

Among other major transportation advances in the coming fiscal year, Metro will begin operation of the Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension to East Los Angeles, continue construction of the Expo light rail line from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City and advance numerous planning studies for new transit projects throughout Los Angeles County.

As mandated by Measure R, there will be no general Metro fare increase in FY10, and fares for seniors, students, the disabled and Medicare recipients will stay at current levels for five years. The new transit sales tax that begins July 1 will keep Metro fares low, however, the Metro Board must still grapple with higher operating costs and cuts in other revenue.

California lawmakers have completely eliminated state transit assistance, which, in recent years, has provided Metro with about $100 million annually in operating dollars. Local Props. A & C transit sales tax revenue also is projected to decline 10 percent over the current fiscal year due to the recession. In addition, Metro is negotiating new contracts this spring with its major labor unions representing operators, maintenance employees and clerks.

Despite the drop in revenue, Metro will not raise fares or consider major service reductions. However, Metro has cut expenses by more than $130 million and imposed a hiring freeze. It also will dip into reserves to balance the FY10 budget.

May 13, 2009

LA-Las Vegas train possible by 2015

Victor Valley, Calif., residents may be able to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2015 in Las Vegas without battling Interstate 15 traffic, the Victorville Daily Press reports. With federal hearings past and a related lawsuit moving toward settlement, the first dedicated high-speed passenger rail system in the United States could break ground in Victorville next year.

DesertXpress is a $3.5-billion privately-funded project that will connect Victorville and Las Vegas, covering the 185 miles over newly-built track at a top speed of 150 mph. The train will drop visitors in Vegas in roughly an hour and 20 minutes and cost $110 round-trip, according to DesertXpress President Tom Stone. There also would be a possible future connection to Palmdale.

The Federal Railroad Administration, which is the lead agency reviewing the project, recently held a series of well-attended public comment meetings in Las Vegas, Barstow and Victorville on its draft environmental impact statement for DesertXpress. The public has another week to submit comments on the draft EIS, which took nearly three years and some $25 million to complete.

The main point of contention raised at some of the hearings, according to reports, is the competing California Nevada Interstate Maglev Project, a federally-funded train that would run from Anaheim to Las Vegas with stops in Ontario, Victorville, Barstow and Primm.

According to the draft EIS, the railroad agency is looking at the projects as mutually exclusive because there’s not a large enough market to support them both.

The Maglev is roughly a year away from receiving its draft EIS from the federal rail agency.

Meanwhile, a lawsuit over the 2006 memorandum of understanding the city of Victorville signed with DesertXpress Enterprises LLC, Transit Real Estate Development and Inland Group Inc. for the rail terminal, maintenance and storage facility is moving toward a settlement, according to court records.

Investment company Niles LLC filed a civil suit against Victorville last June, claiming the city gave the train’s backers exclusive rights to develop land it didn’t even own. George Soneff, attorney for Niles LLC, said he expects the settlement to be final the next time the city adopts an updated specific plan.

While it’s up to the contractor to determine the final sequence for the project, it’s typical for construction to start where the train’s maintenance facilities will be located. That means Victorville’s terminus — planned as a luxury development itself — could be under construction by the end of first quarter 2010, with more than 10 million people riding the rails annually by 2015.

The deadline to submit public comments on the DesertXpress draft environmental impact statement is May 22.

May 13, 2009

Cleveland RTA Board committee moves on S-curve rehab

At the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Planning and Development Committee meeting, Joseph Shaffer, director of engineering and project development, and Frank Polivka, director of procurement, presented the Board with a negotiated procurement for rehabilitation of the important 3,500-foot S-curve track on the Red Line, between the West 98th and West 117th Street stations.

The project will use federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The track, built in 1955, needs to be replaced. The total project has an estimated cost of $7.7 million.

On May 19, the Board is expected to consider a resolution to award a $400,000 contract to design the project. Construction would be complete in mid-2011.

May 13, 2009

Iowa awards $2 million to rail port project

The Iowa Department of Transportation Commission has awarded a $2-million grant to help fund an industrial park and rail port in Clinton, the Quad-City Times reported. The industrial park will be built southwest of the city, just south of the Clinton Airport, and represents an investment of at least $10 million.

Union Pacific granted approval for a restricted-access line to serve the industrial park in 2007, and the industrial park also will provide access to Canadian Pacific Railway and BNSF rail lines, said Steve Ames, president and CEO of the Clinton Regional Development Corp., which is overseeing the project. Ames said he expects rail service to the industrial park to be completed by the end of 2010.

The industrial park is being marketed to companies looking to take advantage of the combination of rail and barge shipping access.

The funds awarded by the commission came from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and are being used to fund rail projects in Iowa, including projects in Keokuk, Oelwein and Council Bluffs. The commission awarded a total of $5 million to the projects, and received 33 applications for the funding, according to a news release.

May 13, 2009

District of Columbia Fairfax County fund camera project

Metro has installed 20 exterior surveillance cameras at 12 Metrorail stations in the District of Columbia and Fairfax County.

Cameras were installed at the Rhode Island Avenue-Brentwood, Congress Heights, Deanwood, Minnesota Avenue, Fort Totten, Takoma, Brookland-CUA, Columbia Heights, Georgia Avenue-Petworth, Tenleytown-AU, Vienna/Fairfax-GMU and Franconia-Springfield Metrorail stations. One additional camera will go up at Georgia Avenue-Petworth when construction on an adjacent building is completed.

The Metro Transit Police Department identified Metrorail stations where external surveillance cameras could help deter and prevent crime, and assist police with criminal investigations. The recommendations were based on crime statistics and the need for security enhancements at these stations.

The District of Columbia provided $200,000 for its 17 cameras and Fairfax County provided $75,000 for four of the station cameras.

“Riders want to feel safe when they’re using Metro,” said Metro Board Chairman Jim Graham, who worked to secure funding from the District of Columbia. “Cameras tend to deter crime and we expect them to add to the security measures Metro already uses.”

May 13, 2009

More study, changes in store for Metrolink project

More study will likely delay a planned extension of Metrolink lines to Perris, Calif., but assuage concerns by residents near UC Riverside and fulfill federal regulations, transportation officials said Tuesday, as reported in local newspapers.

But the neighbors and officials with Riverside Unified School District are unconvinced their worries about air pollution, loud trains and unsafe crossings will be adequately answered.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission is backing off plans to submit a less-intensive environmental report and will proceed with a full environmental study of the project, Deputy Director John Standiford said.

"We want to respond to the concerns of the community," Standiford said. "This project is going to happen, but we want to make sure this happens in the right way."

Officials said they could not estimate what the environmental impact report and additional construction along the rail line will add to the project's estimated $168.8-million cost, but said some increases are inevitable. Further study and added construction will also likely delay trains running the route north from Perris, north to downtown Riverside, because federally required approval of the project will take longer.

Standiford said preliminary engineering of the project will continue as the environmental report is compiled, but the analysis and changes could put off trains running the route for three or four months. Officials previously expected service to start in late 2011.

Conducting a more thorough analysis of the 24-mile Metrolink extension's air quality, public safety and noise is among a handful of changes transportation officials are considering.

Edda Rosso, capital projects manager for the transportation commission, said safety improvements south of Riverside through Moreno Valley and Perris have also been added, notably nine miles of new track that will be laid beside the existing tracks.

Officials will discuss the environmental report during the transportation commission's monthly meeting.

Standiford said some additional study of the route was necessary to satisfy the federal transit and railroad authorities. Local officials were awarded $75 million in federal transit funds in 2007, of which they have received $46.5 million. The remainder will come sometime before 2012, depending on when federal officials commit the money.

Some of the data in the report were based on information that was three years old and federal officials wanted more current information, he said.
Coupled with the concerns residents near the line voiced at a February public hearing, Standiford said a more complete assessment was warranted.

Further environmental study will also allow the transportation commission to formalize exactly where certain safety improvements will go. Rosso, with the transportation commission, said pedestrian gates intended to alert walkers to stop at the crossing will be installed at the intersection at Watkins Drive, and could be added at other locations.

After discussions with Metrolink and BNSF -- which uses the transportation-commission-owned tracks for deliveries to some businesses along the route -- Rosso said officials decided to add another railroad track along some of the route.

But laying the new tracks does come with some added complications. Squeezing another set of tracks along the route might mean moving the current line so both can fit under some bridges, Rosso said. She said new overpasses will not need to be built, but some retaining walls might be necessary.
More study, changes in store for Metrolink project

More study will likely delay a planned extension of Metrolink lines to Perris, Calif., but assuage concerns by residents near UC Riverside and fulfill federal regulations, transportation officials said Tuesday, as reported in local newspapers.

But the neighbors and officials with Riverside Unified School District are unconvinced their worries about air pollution, loud trains and unsafe crossings will be adequately answered.

The Riverside County Transportation Commission is backing off plans to submit a less-intensive environmental report and will proceed with a full environmental study of the project, Deputy Director John Standiford said.

"We want to respond to the concerns of the community," Standiford said. "This project is going to happen, but we want to make sure this happens in the right way."

Officials said they could not estimate what the environmental impact report and additional construction along the rail line will add to the project's estimated $168.8-million cost, but said some increases are inevitable. Further study and added construction will also likely delay trains running the route north from Perris, north to downtown Riverside, because federally required approval of the project will take longer.

Standiford said preliminary engineering of the project will continue as the environmental report is compiled, but the analysis and changes could put off trains running the route for three or four months. Officials previously expected service to start in late 2011.

Conducting a more thorough analysis of the 24-mile Metrolink extension's air quality, public safety and noise is among a handful of changes transportation officials are considering.

Edda Rosso, capital projects manager for the transportation commission, said safety improvements south of Riverside through Moreno Valley and Perris have also been added, notably nine miles of new track that will be laid beside the existing tracks.

Officials will discuss the environmental report during the transportation commission's monthly meeting.

Standiford said some additional study of the route was necessary to satisfy the federal transit and railroad authorities. Local officials were awarded $75 million in federal transit funds in 2007, of which they have received $46.5 million. The remainder will come sometime before 2012, depending on when federal officials commit the money.

Some of the data in the report were based on information that was three years old and federal officials wanted more current information, he said.
Coupled with the concerns residents near the line voiced at a February public hearing, Standiford said a more complete assessment was warranted.

Further environmental study will also allow the transportation commission to formalize exactly where certain safety improvements will go. Rosso, with the transportation commission, said pedestrian gates intended to alert walkers to stop at the crossing will be installed at the intersection at Watkins Drive, and could be added at other locations.

After discussions with Metrolink and BNSF -- which uses the transportation-commission-owned tracks for deliveries to some businesses along the route -- Rosso said officials decided to add another railroad track along some of the route.

But laying the new tracks does come with some added complications. Squeezing another set of tracks along the route might mean moving the current line so both can fit under some bridges, Rosso said. She said new overpasses will not need to be built, but some retaining walls might be necessary.

May 13, 2009

Kansas DOT wants more funds for rail

The Kansas Department of Transportation plans to apply for $10 million from federal funding sources to make rail safety and track improvements between Newton and the Kansas-Oklahoma border for the possible expansion of Amtrak service into this area, local media report.

"We think we can do that," KDOT spokesman Ron Kaufman said this morning. "Those kinds of improvements are needed if we get expanded passenger rail in the state."

Kaufman said that KDOT is trying to get a head start in re-establishing Amtrak service between Oklahoma City and Kansas City, pending the outcome of an Amtrak study that is expected to be completed this year. North-south Amtrak service through Arkansas City was discontinued in 1979.

Last month, the Kansas Senate passed a resolution asking KDOT to apply for federal stimulus money available for intercity passenger rail programs.

Kaufman said he realized there was anxiety among legislators and passenger rail proponents to start the process of applying for grants, but guidelines for making applications had not yet been made available. But in a passenger rail update today, KDOT indicated it is ready to take action, even though the Amtrak feasibility study isn't yet complete.

KDOT plans to seek the funding from two federal funding sources, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the authorization of a new federal surface transportation program.

If KDOT is successful in getting $10 million in ARRA funds, the money would be used to upgrade the highway-rail crossing signal timing between Newton and the Kansas-Oklahoma state line to handle 79-mph passenger train speeds, according to the KDOT update.

Pending the Amtrak feasibility study and funding approved by the Kansas Legislature, an existing Heartland Flyer route between Fort Worth and Oklahoma City could be extended to Kansas City on BNSF tracks. There could be a potential passenger rail stop in Arkansas City.

May 12, 2009

Southern Minnesota railroad dispute untangled?

A possible solution to a railroad controversy that has roiled southern Minnesota for more than a decade was unveiled, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Tim Walz announced a plan that could re-route freight train traffic away from downtown Rochester and the Mayo Clinic.

If they are able to secure funding for relocating the rail line, it would defuse the long-running dispute over the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern railroad's plan to route massive coal-carry freights from Wyoming's Powder River basin to the Mississippi River.

Mayo officials have vehemently opposed the project because the current alignment of the tracks run within 100 feet of the clinic (although four blocks from the nearest patient facility). Walz's opposition to the project in part contributed to his winning his congressional seat in 2006.

Walz, Klobuchar and Pawlenty met with Mayo officials to discuss the four possible funding sources for the new rail line: the federal Surface Transportation Bill reauthorization; a loan application by the State of Minnesota to the Federal Railroad Administration; federal stimulus money earmarked for transportation, and state-issued revenue bonds.

The controversy began when the DM&E proposed a major expansion through parts of southern Minnesota and South Dakota to haul coal from Wyoming. In 2007, the DM&E lost its request for a $2.3-billion federal loan to finance the project, but its merger last year with the Canadian Pacific Railway appeared to put it back on track.

In a prepared statement, Walz was quoted as saying, "I will do everything in my power to preserve and protect the heart and soul of Mayo Clinic in southern Minnesota and to ensure that Mayo can continue to grow here in our state."

If money becomes available, the rail corridor would be built in a way that primarily supports freight but also could accommodate high-speed passenger rail. State transportation officials are studying whether data would support routing a high-speed rail route from Chicago through Winona into Rochester.

The new tracks would be located south of Rochester to ease safety concerns voiced by officials of the city and the clinic.

May 12, 2009

Conn. Congressmen advocate for more study on rail line

The possibility of establishing commuter rail between Waterbury and Hartford, Conn., with stations in at least Bristol and New Britain, deserves study, two congressmen who represent the region said Monday, according to local newspapers.

U.S. Rep. John Larson, an East Hartford Democrat whose 1st District includes 27 towns, said that transportation links through the area are going to be crucial as high-speed rail moves forward between New Haven and Springfield, Mass. Spurs that replicate the historic rail travel patterns in Central Connecticut could be a key element, Larson said.

“Investing in rail transit is always a good idea,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, a Cheshire Democrat whose 5th District includes New Britain and Plainville.

Both Murphy and Larson said more study is needed on the prospect for commuter rail between Berlin and Waterbury before anything can move ahead.??Before any “big public investment” in the line, Murphy said, there would need to be a serious look at its capacity to handle the necessary trains. ??In addition, private ownership of the little-used freight rail line by Pan Am Railways presents another issue that needs to be addressed, Murphy said.

State lawmakers have $250,000 to conduct a preliminary study of the 24.5-mile line included in a transportation bonding package that’s likely to be approved in the weeks ahead.

Pan Am has said it would cost $52 million to upgrade the existing single-track line to allow for commuter trains. That includes several new depots. But others have said they think the price tag could be higher because new road crossings may be needed.

New Britain Mayor Timothy Sewart said last week the $52 million is “a completely bogus number. To make that a passenger railway the cost could be as high as $1.2 billion. That’s more than double the price of the busway.”

Judd Everhart, director of communications for state transportation Commissioner Joseph Marie, said the commissioner’s $1 billion-plus estimate was not an official estimate but a ballpark figure based on his experience in public transit.

“The current rail line through there is ancient in railroad terms and would have to be almost entirely rebuilt,” Everhart said. “Plus, we believe it would need double tracking throughout if first-class commuter service is to be provided.”

Everhart said the commissioner’s preference remains to build the busway.

Murphy said the only study he’s seen, done two decades ago, is outdated and needs to be done again to determine what’s feasible.

Larson said that in the past, rail lines provided more transportation between Connecticut cities than the highways provide today. He said he would like to see rail, road and airports tied together into a hub that would allow residents of the region to go to Boston and New York, or by air from Bradley Airport to anyplace in the world.

May 12, 2009

Franklin Yards offers rail hub

While it’s usually understood that government works at deliberate speed in many instances, that was not the case with the development of the Franklin Yards Logistics Park in Ohio, local newspapers report. About 100 local, state, federal officials and other regional business people attended the open house and dedication at the former IKO plant on Franklin’s south end on May 11.

The former 220,000-square-foot roofing plant has been transformed into a warehousing and rail transload facility in which businesses within a 50-mile radius can store and load or off-load while having their products and materials shipped via rail to any location in the nation.

“This is an important project because it involves a partnership, reuse and transportation,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville. “Everyone brought their resources to the table. Many times when governments work on things it’s unaccomplishable. It didn’t happen here.”

Turner pointed out that reusing the facility helps to maintain the fabric of the community and it also celebrated Ohio history in which businesses and manufacturers have found ways to ship their goods, products and materials to their customers such as using canals, highways and rail.

The public-private partnership was the first project to receive funding through the stimulus package’s logistics and distribution program. Last week, the State Controlling Board approved a $1.6-million forgivable-loan funding package for the project. The project will create five construction jobs and 10 permanent jobs.

According to the state development department, the loan, which can be forgiven if specific terms are attained, will be used for capital equipment and facility renovations in support of the overall $2.3-million project.

City officials said the IKO plant is tied into Norfolk Southern Railway lines to ship products to the east and companies can also truck products to a sister facility in Camden where it ties into the railroad lines heading west.

May 12, 2009

Amtrak boss: High-speed rail unrealistic

Introducing ultra-fast passenger trains to the Midwest is less important than the need for more frequent service between cities, reliable schedules that beat the time spent driving and rail connections that permit travel across the United States, Amtrak's chief official said, according to the Chicago Tribune.

True high-speed rail clipping along at 200 mph or faster would be prohibitively expensive to build on the scale needed to serve the U.S., and such systems work best only when the number of stops are limited, Joseph Boardman, president and chief executive officer of Amtrak, told Illinois lawmakers at a hearing in the Thompson Center in Chicago on the passenger railroad's agenda.

"It's really not about the speed. It's about reduced travel times and more frequency," he told the Illinois House Railroad Industry Committee. "The competitive advantage is with the train."

Boardman said plans in the Midwest for trains traveling up to 110 mph on corridors stretching over nine states make more sense. He said the immediate focus must be on modernizing infrastructure to increase train speeds in the Chicago area that currently are as slow as five mph because of freight-train congestion and antiquated track and signaling equipment.

Getting up to even 40 mph on stretches between Chicago and cities less than 50 miles away, such as Joliet, would be a big improvement, Boardman said.

"One hundred and ten is double the national speed limit" of 55 mph on highways, noted Boardman, who was administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration during several years of the Bush administration.

"The key to going fast is to not go slow," added Tom Carper, chairman of the Amtrak board and a former mayor of the Downstate city of Macomb.

A proposed 3,000-mile high-speed rail network using Chicago as the hub is in the running for a share of $13 billion in federal investment over the next five years. The network, estimated to cost at least $8 billion to build, would serve major Midwestern cities from Chicago.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is expected to start awarding grants in September to develop high-speed corridors. About a dozen projects, including the Midwest initiative, are competing.

The idea in the Midwest is to operate comfortable trains with wide seats and large windows at 110 mph instead of the current top speed of 79 mph in most places, shaving hours off trips and delivering passengers from one downtown to another hundreds of miles away.

May 12, 2009

Elevator work to begin at BART Ashby Station

Starting Monday, May 18, BART crews will begin work to add a new elevator at the Ashby Station. As part of this work, the agency will also need to do some modifications to the concourse and platform to accommodate the new elevator. This work will take approximately a year and a half to complete. Crews will erect a wooden enclosed barricade on the concourse and platform to protect customers and the construction workers. In addition to work performed during daytime hours, work will also take place nights and weekends.

This station enhancement project is part of a BART and Federal Transit Administration-funded grant program for transportation system improvements.

May 11, 2009

RailComm hires Tim Brown as business development manager

Tim Brown has joined RailComm as a business development manager. He is based in Paducah, Kentucky.

Brown comes to RailComm with more than 20 years of manufacturing and marketing experience of railroad equipment, including hydraulic tools for MOW and railroad control systems for yard applications. He has worked with most Class 1, shortline and industrial railroads in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

May 11, 2009

Budget includes funding for Houston light rail

In a significant step toward building an integrated transit system for Houston, President Obama’s administration has included $150 million for construction of the North and Southeast light-rail lines in its FY 2010 budget.

By including funding for these projects in its budget, the administration is signaling its intent to enter into Full Funding Grant Agreements for the two corridors. A FFGA commits the Federal Transit Administration to fund transit projects over several years.

METRO President & CEO Frank J. Wilson said METRO’s inclusion in the budget is unprecedented and exciting because it follows on the heels of the agency’s receipt of four Letters of No Prejudice, which authorize the agency to begin spending its own funds, totaling $135.7 million, on the two corridors for advanced design work, early materials procurement, utility relocation and rail car purchases.

“This signifies the administration’s confidence in our projects and its willingness to work toward Full Funding Grant Agreements, which we expect to receive this fall,” said Wilson.

METRO Board Chairman David S. Wolff commended U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the FTA’s staff and Houston’s Congressional delegation for their support of the METRO Solutions Phase 2 project.

LaHood, who recently visited Houston, noted the importance of the Main Street Light-Rail Line to downtown and the Texas Medical Center in an April address to a Senate subcommittee.

“Clearly, the federal government is now aware that Houston is ready to join the list of other major cities in the United States, including Dallas, that operate an integrated transit system,” Wolff said. “Washington knows we’re serious about meeting the mobility needs of this booming region and with this important step, it is demonstrating its willingness to help us reach our goals.”

May 11, 2009

VRE hopes to expand service from Manassas

The need for another mass transportation option in the western end of Prince William County is obvious, rail officials said, and that option is on the horizon as they plan to expand the Virginia Railway Express, according to the Washington Post. VRE, which recently wrapped up its year-long feasibility study on the project, wants to create a branch of service that would expand 11 miles out from the Manassas station on Norfolk Southern's B line.

The expansion has the potential to take up to 5,000 cars off the road and alleviate some of the bottlenecks in an area where residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, have the longest commute in the country.

The project, which could cost as much as $244 million, would add a track to the B line within the existing right-of-way and up to three stations near Sudley Innovation Center, Nissan Pavilion and Interstate 66 and Route 15.

VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said developers are offering proffers to create stations and parking lots at two of the proposed train stops.

Although ticket prices have not been discussed for the proposed line, which is seven to 10 years from being built, Roeber said, commuters getting on in Gainesville would pay about $220 a month. For those in Haymarket, the price would be about $17 more.

The number of trains that would operate on the line is unclear. Because of capacity constraints, VRE could not make more than 20 trips a day on the Manassas line. The rail company is at 16 trips.

"We are working with VRE and support this [commuter rail expansion] as long as there is sufficient capacity to handle freight trains as well," Norfolk Southern Spokesman Robin Chapman said. "Freight trains are more flexible than commuter trains, but we need to make sure . . . neither get delayed."

Although many residents support the expansion, VRE officials have been met with opposition from Haymarket area residents. Although they support service to Gainesville, some said they don't want trains running, literally, through their back yard.

VRE Planning Manager Christine Hoeffner said the initial push is to get the service to Gainesville. Depending on funding and feedback, it could end up stopping there, shaving about $20 million from the projected cost.

Although VRE is moving forward on an expansion project that has been discussed for six years, several issues need to be addressed. One in particular: funding.

Because stimulus money is for "shovel-ready" projects, VRE officials said they can't count on any to help cover the project's hefty price tag. Instead, VRE will have to tap into the state's Rail Enhancement Fund or other federal funding opportunities. Other ideas include getting more support from local jurisdictions or private sectors.

The other issue is updating existing roadways. The interchange work at I-66 in Gainesville and a project in Manassas need to be completed before the train service can move forward.

Manassas is waiting for the state to fund a $45-million railroad overpass at Wellington Road and Route 28. Manassas City Manager Lawrence D. Hughes said without the overpass, the increased freight and passenger rail traffic would cause major delays on local roads.

VRE officials said they must also complete a full environmental study, as required by the Federal Transit Administration, before they can move forward with the project.

May 11, 2009

Nordco expands rebuilt machine program to include ballast regulators

Nordco has expanded its rebuilt maintenance-of-way machine program to include Pyke/Nordco Model KL, M, and M2 Ballast Regulator/Snow Fighters. Nordco rebuilds the machines from the frame-up, delivering a like-new piece of equipment with a new machine warranty. The rebuilds incorporate many of the technology upgrades included in Nordco’s current M7 Ballast Regulator/Snow Fighter.

The rebuilt machines feature:
• New cooler-running, variable volume hydraulic system with hydraulic progressive brakes.
• Elimination of the pneumatic system.
• Redesigned sealed and pressurized ergonomic cab.
• Reinforced frame.
• Tier III electronic engine.
• Remote mounted oil cooler with fan.
• EDC controlled hydrostatic drive system.
• Cab controlled power locks for broom and front plow.
• 24VDC electrical system.

Nordco also rebuilds its Grabber and Super Claw Spike Pullers, Anchor Applicator and Auto-Lift machines and offers a complete conversion of its Model C Spiker to the updated Model CX Hammer Spiker. In addition, the company offers a selection of rebuilt workheads and other machine components. Information on the company’s rebuilt machine program and other products can be found at www.nordco.com.

May 11, 2009

Anoka Northstar station platform sighting completed

Construction continued this past week at the commuter rail stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Minneapolis. Work also progressed on the Light Rail Transit connection and the Vertical Circulation Building in downtown Minneapolis. Crews continued utility work on the west side of the Fridley station train tracks this week. This work is expected to be completed next week. To complete the work, the contractor will need to close portions of Ashton Avenue. Pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists should use East River Road as an alternative route.

The week of May 4, crews worked on the Northstar station platform; including electrical and track alignment work. Crews also began painting the commuter rail station shelters. Painting will continue the following week. The emergency access sidewalk at the commuter rail station was poured this past week. Crews continued to work on the overhead catenary system and the platform for the Hiawatha LRT extension.

In Coon Rapids, Minn., crews installed hand railings on the outbound platform. Painting continued on the outbound station shelters and pedestrian overpass. Painting the outbound side will continue through next week when, crews will begin painting the inbound side. Crews began installing station signage this past week. This work is expected to be completed the week of May 11, and crews will begin installing the elevators in the pedestrian overpass.

In Anoka, Minn., crews began painting the station shelters and this work will continue the week of May 11. The platform light poles were installed this past week. Crews will begin paving the north parking lot the week of May 11.

In Elk River, Minn., crews poured sidewalks and paved the remainder of the park-and-ride lot.

In Big lake Minn., crews began installing station shelter doors and continued installation of the station signage. The week of May 11, crews will set the station benches. The Vehicle Maintenance Facility is complete.

In Fridley, Minn., crews excavated the drainage pond on the east side of the tracks. Crews also began work on the underground plumbing and electrical systems in the center and west sides of the track this past week. Work on the east side is expected to begin this week. Concrete work began as crews began pouring the elevator floors and footing walls.
The week of May 11, crews will begin grading the west parking lot area.

May 11, 2009

Officials ready to endorse NS Tennessee facility

After vigorously objecting to an earlier site, officials in Fayette County appear ready to endorse plans for a sprawling truck-to-rail intermodal terminal that would be built by Norfolk Southern Corp. southwest of Rossville, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Situated on about 500 acres, the site west of Knox and south of Neville roads would be accessible from U.S. 72 across the Mississippi line.

Norfolk Southern has been pursuing development of an intermodal facility -- where freight is transferred between trucks and rail cars -- in the Memphis area as part of a $2.5 billion-plus effort to upgrade its capacity across the Southeast. The company received overtures from Memphis officials hoping the railroad would choose an existing intermodal site in the Frank C. Pidgeon Industrial Park.

Railroad spokesman Robin Chapman declined to discuss specifics of the company's plans. "We haven't made a decision," he said. But Norfolk Southern has shown interest primarily in Fayette County. Until recent weeks, it had been focused on a site just east of Rossville on the north side of Tenn. 57.

Officials and citizens raised major objections, saying heavy truck traffic would clog the two-lane Tenn. 57 through Piperton and Rossville, and pollution would foul the Wolf River and its wetlands. The new site, the subject of a briefing given to Rossville officials last week, avoids many of the problems.

Although it is currently a two-lane highway for a few miles at the point of access to the proposed terminal site, U.S. 72 is slated for widening and is four lanes to the east and west of the project.

Chapman said the terminal, while directly employing only 15-20 people, would have a much greater "ripple effect" in attracting industry.

May 11, 2009

Caltrain work for May 8 - 15

Work to rebuild the railroad crossings at Whipple and Brewster avenues and Broadway Street in Redwood City, Calif., will continue from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., Thursday to Tuesday. Throughout the project, at least one lane of the impacted streets will remain open at the crossing. Flagmen will direct traffic and pedestrians around the construction. The work is part of a larger program to improve grade crossings in San Mateo County. For more information about the project, click HERE.

From May 11-15, Caltrain will do remedial excavation at the site of a former maintenance facility at the San Jose Diridon station. The demolition of the facility is the first step in a project to improve connections with regional rail services, improve safety and allow for future expansion of service.

Caltrain will install new sidewalk, curb and gutters and upgrade streets lights near the former railroad crossing at Stockton Avenue and Emory Street in San Jose. Construction is expected to begin May 11 and may last up to four weeks. The improvements will complete the closure of the former crossing. The temporary concrete barricades will be removed when the project is completed.

Caltrain will perform routine maintenance at several locations. From May 11-May 14, crossties between the Bayshore and Millbrae stations will be replaced. May 11-14, worn asphalt, rails, ties and ballast between the Belmont and San Carlos stations will be replaced.

From May 11 to May 14, a crew will weld and grind the switches between the Atherton and Sunnyvale stations.

May 11, 2009

Colorado residents eye funds for rail corridor

Funding for the Ft. Collins, Colo.’s long-sought Mason Corridor project is included in President Barack Obama's recommended budget for the fiscal year beginning in October, the Coloradoan reports.

The president's recommended $3 trillion spending package includes $54.5 million for the Mason Corridor in the proposed budget of the Federal Transit Administration.

Officials touted the inclusion as "great news" for the city.

"In these difficult economic times, we must focus on both the short- and long-term health of our local economy," City Manager Darin Atteberry said in a prepared statement. "The Mason Corridor is an investment in this community's economic future."

The money would be the final installment of $65 million in federal funding promised for the $80 million project. The balance of the funding would come from other sources, including the city, the state and the Downtown Development Authority.

In March, the president signed a spending bill that allocated $11 million to the corridor, which would establish a bus rapid transit system from Cherry Street to Harmony Road.

Officials expect the project will spur economic development along the corridor, in addition to improving the city’s transportation network.

The five-mile corridor would be centered along the BNSF tracks west of College Avenue. The project would cross the CSU campus and include travel lanes for specially designed buses, as well as boarding stations.

Design work on the project is ongoing. Construction is expected to begin in 2010 and be completed in 2011, if the funding comes through. This summer, portions of Mason and Howes streets downtown will be converted from one-way to two-way streets.

Congress still has to approve the final expenditure, city officials said.

The $54.5 million was anticipated, said Kathleen Bracke, director of transportation planning and special projects, but competition for federal funding is tough. The president on Thursday said his budget included more than $17 billion in cuts.

“It’s nice to get confirmation for this project,” Bracke said. “A lot of people at the federal level see this as a role model project for other communities around the country.”

The Mason Corridor project began as part of the Building Community Choices capital improvement package approved by city voters in 1997.

May 11, 2009

Opinion: Georgia can’t afford to miss this train

The Obama administration has committed to spend $13 billion over the next five years jump-starting high-speed rail projects, according to an editorial in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. But it’s an opportunity that Atlanta is likely to miss, at least this time around.

Geographically speaking, the metro region is situated perfectly. It stands at the intersection of two federally designated rail corridors: The Gulf Coast Corridor, which would link Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Birmingham and Atlanta; and the Southeast Corridor, which links Atlanta north to Washington through Charlotte; and southeast to Jacksonville. But politically and bureaucratically, we’re located far from the real action. California and Florida, among other states, are well ahead of Georgia in planning and preparation for high-speed rail.

Virginia and North Carolina, for example, created the Virginia-North Carolina Interstate High-Speed Rail Commission in 2001. Using federal and state funds, they have since invested heavily in engineering and environmental impact studies of high-speed rail linking Charlotte, Richmond and Washington.

By comparison, Georgia’s preparation hasn’t gotten much beyond feasibility studies. A report released in August estimated it would cost $2.5 billion to connect Macon, Atlanta and Charlotte with rail capable of traveling 150 mph. The trip would take 3.5 hours, and in the early years, fares would fall short of covering the cost of operation and maintenance, requiring taxpayer subsidies. The line would be publicly financed but privately operated.

“The states in the corridor need to develop a political consensus concerning innovative ways to pay for capital costs and initial operating deficits,” the report warned, suggesting that “a dedicated funding source, e.g., a sales tax increment, might be considered.”

That’s a daunting challenge, particularly here in Georgia, where state leaders have adopted a deep disdain for any major government initiative, especially if it involves taxes.

From our country’s earliest days, however, government has invested in roads, bridges, canals and, later, railroads and airports to build infrastructure that private industry could use to conduct business.

Atlanta exists today largely because the Georgia Legislature voted in 1836 to finance construction of a railroad linking this area to Tennessee. A century later, Atlanta Mayor William B. Hartsfield and other city leaders invested heavily in an airport that is now the world’s busiest and a powerful economic engine.

If Georgia leaders are no longer willing to make such big investments, those in other regions are less shy. One of the biggest advocates of high-speed rail in Virginia, for example, is Eric Cantor, the conservative House Republican whip.

“It is estimated that creating a high-speed railway through Virginia will generate as many as 185,500 jobs, as much as $21.2 billion in economic development and pull nearly 6.5 million cars off the road annually,” Cantor noted in a recent letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Providing a high-speed rail service from Washington, D.C., to Richmond will drive economic development throughout our region for many years to come.”

That economic development angle is critical to judging the value of a high-speed rail network. Not coincidentally, the route of the proposed Southeast Rail Corridor runs along the backbone of what Catherine Ross, a planning expert at Georgia Tech, calls the Piedmont Atlantic MegaRegion. The cities within that megaregion —- stretching from Birmingham through Atlanta to Charlotte and Raleigh —- prosper by exchanging goods, people, information and services. The more quickly and easily that commerce occurs, the more competitive the megaregion will become. Atlanta, for instance, serves as the region’s logistics center, while Charlotte serves as its banker. As one sign of the interconnection between the cities, 27 nonstop flights a day leave Hartsfield-Jackson Airport for Charlotte.
However, the infrastructure linking the megaregion is bogging down. The Federal Highway Administration predicts that by 2035, I-85 from Mobile to Charlotte will be clogged with traffic. That’s not rush-hour urban traffic; it’s “megapolitan congestion.”

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Atlanta will also need additional airport capacity —- perhaps even a second airport —- by 2025 to keep up with growth.
Those are challenges, but also opportunities. In its own study, the Government Accountability Office found “high-speed rail tends to attract riders in dense, highly populated corridors, especially where there is congestion on existing transportation modes.”

That pretty well describes the future of the Piedmont megaregion, with Atlanta at its center.

Looking around the world, other countries have managed to make the investment in high-speed rail, and to make the investment work. Japan, for example, has 1,360 miles of high-speed rail; France also has a high-speed network of more than 1,000 miles. In fact, you can leave Paris on high-speed rail, travel beneath the English Channel and arrive in London two hours later.

In a global economy in which speed and efficiency are rewarded, Georgia can’t allow itself to miss the train.

May 11, 2009

DM&E to join e-RAILSAFE-SHORTLINE

Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern is the latest and largest shortline to join e-VERIFILE’s new service, e-RAILSAFE SHORTLINE, a web-based solution that assists shortline and regional railroad operators with routine workforce safety and security management.

DM&E is expected to utilize the e-RAILSAFE ShortLine (ERS-ShortLine) service across it footprint that includes Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad and encompasses more than 2,500 miles of track serving more than 200 communities across eight states. The railroad manages more than 7,000 rail cars and operates nearly 200 locomotives. DM&E is a part of the Canadian Pacific Railway Family of railroads. CP is a longstanding participant of the successful e-RAILSAFE program for Class 1 railroads with operations in the United States.

ERS-ShortLine is based on the e-RAILSAFE Class 1 service, but is designed exclusively for shortline operators such as DM&E. The service streamlines personnel screening, compliance awareness and testing, and workplace credentialing via Compliance Programs that the short line can create on the system. Employees and contractors that are required to participate, subscribe to ERS-ShortLine, enroll in the appropriate program and complete the required tasks to determine their eligibility to access DM&E worksites and facilities.

No additional software or equipment is required and the system can be securely accessed from any PC, anywhere at any time. DM&E and its contractors will be able to manage the entire process from one web-based platform at ers-shortline.com.

May 11, 2009

Hartford, Conn., airport needs expanded commuter rail service

Hartford, Conn., is poised to become an economic powerhouse for New England by substantially expanding Bradley International Airport's business, but it will need trains as much as planes, according to the veteran U.S. representative who is shaping federal transportation policy this year, the Hartford Courant reports.

"Bradley could pull in a lot of those short-haul flights going to New York and Boston's airports, but only if you have high-speed trains to get people to New York and Boston," Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, chairman of the House transportation committee, said Friday morning after touring Bradley and Hartford's Union Station.

Oberstar is about to draft a multiyear, $400-billion to $450-billion federal transportation bill, and he said the long-stalled New Haven-to-Springfield commuter rail project would be a natural fit for the kind of overhauled transit system that he envisions for America.

Appearing with Oberstar, U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, said New England needs to look to large-scale, visionary plans to drive economic revival.

"I want you to think big," Oberstar told state transportation officials, who briefed him on what Amtrak, Connecticut and Massachusetts will need to establish commuter service on the 62-mile route.

Oberstar sees that as just part of a more ambitious project: creating European-quality high-speed rail between Boston, Hartford and New York. The result, he said, would be to transform the region, with potentially huge number of fliers — and freight shippers — using Bradley for speedy access to the bigger cities. Short-hop flights from places like Richmond, Philadelphia and Montreal could be routed to Bradley, freeing up crowded airspace above JFK, LaGuardia, Logan and Newark International, he said.

The state DOT estimates it will take more than $800 million to modernize tracks and signals, build stations and repair decaying bridges. After looking at the rusted Union Station viaduct where three of the four tracks were long since ripped up, Oberstar said, "That's appalling."

During an earlier speech to several hundred construction industry managers and union leaders, Oberstar said America's infrastructure upgrades were postponed far too long, with the worst damage coming the past 10 years.

Oberstar this month is writing legislation to direct more transportation money to urban centers and mass transit. He also gave U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood an early outline of his plan to overhaul the federal transportation bureaucracy.

"He'll take it to President Obama. I'll be interested in what they say," said Oberstar, who has specialized in public works oversight for three decades. "But I'm drafting this bill."

ConnDOT plans to seek more than $800 million in federal stimulus aid to upgrade the Springfield to New Haven line. Oberstar suggested that expanding Bradley's freight capacity would ease truck traffic that clogs I-91 and I-95, although nobody on Friday discussed specifics for linking Bradley to the line by rail.

State Rep. David McCluskey, D- West Hartford, said work this year by Larson and U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, who heads the Senate committee overseeing mass transit, will be pivotal in getting federal funding to upgrade Connecticut's rail system.

May 11, 2009

STB, WSDOT complete environmental review for proposed rail line

The Surface Transportation Board’s Section of Environmental Analysis and the Washington State Department of Transportation have issued a Final Environmental Assessment for the proposed Northern Columbia Basin Railroad Project, an approximately 11.5-mile long railroad route that would be acquired and constructed in Grant County, Washington. The Project would provide rail service to an area designated for industrial development and attract to this area new businesses that would use rail transportation. The issuance of the Final EA completes the environmental review undertaken by SEA and WSDOT.

The Final EA responds to comments received on the SEA's Preliminary Environmental Assessment issued on November 7, 2008, and sets forth recommended mitigation measures to minimize or avoid potential adverse environmental impacts, should the Board approve the acquisition and construction proposal. Upon reviewing and considering the Final EA, and the transportation-related and environmental record developed in this case, the Board will then issue a final decision approving, approving with conditions or denying the request for acquisition and construction authority.

The Final EA was issued in Northern Columbia Basin Railroad Project—Construction Exemption—in Moses Lake, Washington, STB Finance Docket No. 34936, and in Northern Columbia Basin Railroad Project—Acquisition Exemption—in Moses Lake, Washington, STB Finance Docket No. 34936 (Sub-No. 1).

May 11, 2009

Nebraska project may spot weak rails

In the midst of the miles-long coal trains crossing the Plains, scientific researchers are measuring how much the rails bend as fully loaded Union Pacific and BNSF cars pass, according to local newspapers. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln research is designed to identify soft spots in the rails that might help railroads find and fix problems before they cause derailments. The prototype-testing rig is attached to a coal car filled with sand to mimic the weight of a fully loaded coal car.

Shane Farritor, the associate professor of mechanical engineering overseeing the research at UNL, says if the research succeeds, it could save the railroads and their customers time and money.

At the nation's two largest railroads, officials who have been working with Farritor say the project needs some work before it might be useful.

BNSF track measurement engineer Dave Thornton said the biggest challenge for Farritor's device is that the railroad can't reliably determine what's going on when the device says there is a soft spot. Thornton said sometimes what the device identifies as a soft spot isn't really a problem at all.

Farritor said he likely has about a year of research left before the device will be ready for regular use by the railroads. The project began about six years ago. The testing equipment has identified large and small areas of rail that were bending. Farritor said the smaller areas, like bending around a joint, are the most interesting because those are the ones most likely to be missed by a railroad's existing test equipment.

The testing gear includes a crossbar that hangs parallel to the ground on the coal car, and sensors that check how close that crossbar gets to the ground as the train moves. The measurements reveal when the railcar passes over softer areas because the crossbar gets closer to the ground.

Rails might bend more at a joint between two pieces of metal, or they might bend where the rail bed is weakened, or they might bend in area where there has been a lot of moisture.

The research project is supported with a roughly $150,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration. UP and BNSF give Farritor access to rails and personnel to test the device. UP donated the coal car for the project.

May 8, 2009

Nine states to receive $742.5 Million in ARRA funds for transit projects

Transit projects around the country will receive $742.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds.

“This money will not only put people back to work and spur the economy, it will also provide an alternative form of transportation for people around the country to get to their homes, work and school,” Secretary LaHood said.

The grants will go toward projects for which the Federal Transit Administration has already entered into multi-year federal commitments known as “full funding grant agreements,” in Arizona, California, Colorado, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington State.

The ARRA grants announced today do not increase the federal commitment to the projects, but expedite funds committed under the agreement between the federal government and the transit agencies.

The arrival of federal funds will allow the transit agencies to save on financing costs while putting additional dollars into the local economy; will supplement local resources, which have declined during the economic downturn, and allow for a quicker investment in the project.

Projects receiving funding are listed below.

Arizona
Phoenix-Central Phoenix/East Valley Light Rail, $36 Million

California
Los Angeles – Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension, $66.7 Million

Colorado
Denver – West Corridor Light Rail Transit, $40 Million

New York
New York – Long Island Rail Road East Side Access, $195.4 Million
New York – Second Avenue Subway Phase I, $78.9 Million

Oregon
Portland – South Corridor I-205/Portland Mall LRT, $32 Million
Springfield – Pioneer Parkway EmX BRT, $2.9 Million

Texas
Dallas – Northwest/Southeast Light Rail Transit, $78.4 Million

Utah
Salt Lake City – Mid Jordan Light Rail Transit, $90.9 Million

Virginia
Northern Virginia – Dulles Corridor Metrorail Extension To Wiehle Aveune, $77.3 Million

Washington
Seattle – University Link Light Rail Transit Extension, $44 Million

May 8, 2009

Feds pledge $200 million for Hudson rail tunnel

A proposed commuter rail tunnel to Manhattan received a $200 million commitment from the federal government. The $8.7 billion project will double the train capacity between New York and New Jersey and is expected to be completed in 2017.

Along with New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine’s allotment of $130 million in stimulus funds, the project has already received $48 million in federal funds.

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, and New Jersey officials, have pledged nearly $6 billion toward the tunnel and have asked the feds for a total of $3 billion to fund the project.

May 7, 2009

UP plans $27 million for track improvements

Trains will operate more efficiently as a result of more than $27 million in track improvements made by Union Pacific Railroad to its line between Henry, Neb., and 25 miles east of Lusk, Wyo.

When the project is complete, crews will have removed and installed more than 76,000 concrete ties and 29 miles of rail, spread 98,000 tons of ballast and replaced four switches. The project begins May 7 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of June.

Crews will complete this track improvement project using Union Pacific's modern track renewal train, the TRT 909. The TRT 909 will install rail and concrete ties in one pass, and can install up to 5,000 ties in a twelve-hour day. About 30 cars - each carrying 210 concrete ties - are part of the TRT. Three sets of gantry cranes move the concrete ties forward for the TRT to drop into place and the machine then threads the new rail onto the ties. The old wooden ties are picked up and the discarded rail threaded out as the machine works its way down the track. A conveyor moves the removed ties into position for the gantry cranes to load them onto the cars for movement to a facility for sorting. The TRT 909 can install concrete, composite and wooden ties.

During 2009, Union Pacific plans to invest $1.7 billion in strengthening the track infrastructure across its more than 32,000-mile system.

May 7, 2009

$5.7 million VRE service facility moves forward

Land near Virginia Railway Express's Broad Run station is being cleared for a facility VRE says will enhance the company's maintenance capabilities and bring jobs to the Prince William County area.

The $5.7 million project includes a 14,700-square-foot maintenance building, about the length of two rail cars, with an underground pit and an overhead crane to pull parts out of locomotives. A "car wash" for the VRE fleet will be constructed on the almost 5.5 acres of land off Observation Road in Prince William. The tracks at the maintenance yard will also be extended to accommodate longer trains and new staff will be added to the facility. The facility’s expected completion date is May 2010.

May 6, 2009

ICC approves improvements at grade crossing near Rankin

The Illinois Commerce Commission has granted approval for the installation of automatic flashing light signals and gates at the 4300N grade crossing of Union Pacific track near Rankin, Vermillion County.

The total estimated cost to install the new automatic flashing light signals and gates is $198,630. The Grade Crossing Protection Fund will pay 95 percent of the warning device installation costs, not to exceed $188,699. UP will pay all remaining installation costs, as well as all future operating and maintenance costs.

All work is to be completed by May 6, 2010.

May 6, 2009

Vice President Biden kicks off face-lift of Wilmington train station

As part of a $32-million renovation to the Wilmington, Del., train station, riders will soon notice a more modern waiting room, restoration of the historic building's crumbling facade and repairs to its platforms, according to the Wilmington News Journal. But first, passengers will spend about 14 months navigating a temporary station made up of about a dozen connected portable buildings, like those often used to provide extra classrooms at schools.

New details were unveiled during a news conference that included Vice President Joe Biden, Sens. Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman, Rep. Mike Castle, Gov. Jack Markell, Mayor James Baker and officials from DelDOT, Amtrak and federal transportation officials.

Of the $32 million, $21 million will come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the federal stimulus package. President Barack Obama has appointed Biden watchdog of how that money is spent. The rest comes from money the state set aside in previous years.

The temporary station will be built from September to December of this year. It will be put together under the current tracks; passengers will be able to climb stairs or ride an elevator to the train platforms, said Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero.

Work on the station's new interior will begin in January and is expected to be completed by mid-February 2011. The new interior will include renovated ticket booths, retail areas and new seating, said John Sisson, DelDOT manager of projects and facilities. Old wooden benches added in the late 1990s -- taken from discarded materials after a renovation at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia -- will be replaced with modern seating.

Other renovations to unused portions of the structure will allow for more retail outlets. Sisson said Amtrak has not yet found tenants, but is working to create a "warm, lit shell." During renovations, current vendors, including a coffee shop, convenience store and rental-car booth, will move into the temporary building, Sisson said.

Work on the exterior will be the first signs of change, Sisson said. Terra-cotta facades will be restored and the exterior will be weatherized. During a renovation that ended in 1984, the terra cotta was bleached, but not repaired. Workers will also replace several broken and deteriorated windows.

Wilmington spokesman John Rago said the city has been in talks with Amtrak to ensure that rail travel will not be impacted and there will be limited, if any, interruptions for passengers. The 100-year-old station serves more than 700,000 passengers each year with more than 100 weekday trains.

The station, designed by architect Frank Furness, was finished in 1908, although trains rolled in and out of the unfinished building for a year before that. In those days, the main floor was devoted mostly to freight and baggage, and passengers, who arrived by horse and carriage or trolley, entered from Front Street. They took the stairs to track level, where waiting rooms -- separate ones for men and women -- sheltered them as they waited for trains.

In 1984, Amtrak, which had taken over passenger rail service, completed a $10.4-million renovation. The waiting room was moved to the main floor, and many long-vanished details, such as the glass-and-metal canopy surrounding the entrances, were reproduced and reinstalled.

May 6, 2009

Missouri House Bill includes $12 million for Metro

On May 4, the Missouri House of Representatives passed House Bill 22. This bill includes $12 million of Stabilization/Stimulus funding for Metro to restore a portion of the transit service lost on March 30, 2009, in St. Louis City and St. Louis County. The bill now moves to the Missouri Senate Appropriations Committee for their consideration.

State leadership had originally introduced House Bill 20, which allocated $20 million to Metro from the Federal Budget Stabilization Fund.

“Metro is grateful for the leadership of the Missouri House of Representatives. We remain hopeful that we will be able to restore badly-needed transit service to the St. Louis region,” said Robert Baer, President & CEO of Metro.

May 6, 2009

No funds made available to save Tri-Rail

A statement from Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, Jr., chair, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority Governing Board: “We have just learned that there are no additional funds to save Tri-Rail in the state of Florida’s FY10 budget. Clearly, this is a serious issue, which will create a hardship for the people of South Florida who rely on the train for their livelihood and well-being. It will also have a devastating effect on thousands of businesses that depend on the train to get their employees to work.

“The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority is faced with two scenarios at this time. In scenario number one, Tri-Rail can operate for only 18 months as of October 5, 2009, based on the counties funding Tri-Rail at the $1.565 million provided by legislation. This would mean a drastic reduction in Tri-Rail service with only 30 trains per day and no weekend or holiday service. I have asked the Executive Director to prepare a budget based on this scenario for the Friday, May 22, 2009 Governing Board Meeting.

“In the second scenario, Tri-Rail can only operate for nine to 12 months as of October 5, 2009, with the reduced schedule as mentioned above, if any one of the three counties elects to give zero dollars to the SFRTA/Tri-Rail, which is a very real possibility.”

May 6, 2009

NM Rail Runner Express to travel to Las Cruces, EL Paso

The New Mexico Rail Runner Express will be making a special trip south as part of the second annual Railroad Days being held in the City of Las Cruces. Before arriving in Las Cruces, the train will make a quick stop in El Paso so that residents of that west Texas town can climb aboard and check out the Rail Runner first hand.

“It’s exciting to see that the enthusiasm for the Rail Runner is spreading and it reinforces my belief that one day it will be the centerpiece for regional transportation, from El Paso to Albuquerque to Denver”, said New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. “The Rail Runner gives commuters in central New Mexico a new choice - a safe, environmentally friendly, and affordable alternative to highways and gridlock. Working to extend that alternative to our regional neighbors is the right thing to do.”

“Both Las Cruces and El Paso have expressed interest in the Rail Runner from the point of view that they would like to explore alternative transportation for their citizens”, said Lawrence Rael, Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “Both cities are looking at what it would take to provide efficient and safe travel for their residents as they look toward a system that serves their transportation needs well into the future.”

“The popularity of the Rail Runner express along the Middle Rio Grande Corridor is unquestionable with nearly 5,000 commuters using the service every day,” said Transportation Secretary Gary Girón. “I believe we have also set the foundation for public transportation that could be expanded to Las Cruces and other parts of Northern New Mexico in the future.”

The three-day event, which starts on the 7th, celebrates Las Cruces’ railroading past, present, and future.

May 5, 2009

Boatright Companies makes plans for second crosstie plant

Boatright Companies is finalizing plans to begin construction on a second crosstie mill in the Alabama community of Carbon Hill. The new plant will be operated by Boatright Railroad Products, one of Boatright’s five subsidiaries, which also produces crossties at its Montevallo, Ala., location.

Boatright Railroad Products supplied the rail industry with 1.2 million ties in 2008, and the Carbon Hill plant will increase Boatright’s production by one third once open in 2010.

Boatright will invest $25 million in the Carbon Hill plant and employ as many as 40 people. The 30-acre future site of the plant is located adjacent to a BNSF line and near Corridor X – the future Interstate 22 connecting Memphis, Tenn., and Birmingham, Ala.

Shane Boatright, CEO of Boatright Companies, said a selling point for the site was the community’s dire need for new industry and the city’s enthusiasm about the project. Boatright will take over a 500,000-square-foot steel and concrete facility once used by coal miner Drummond Co. that has been vacant for nearly 18 years. Carbon Hill lost its last employer in 1993 when the local garment factory was moved overseas.

“As a corporation, we work to become a part of the communities where we operate,” Boatright said. “We can help the community create jobs while expanding our business and improving our ability to meet customer demand.”

May 5, 2009

UP making track improvements between St. Louis, Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Union Pacific is investing more than $15 million in track improvements to its line from St. Louis to Poplar Bluff, Mo. When the project is complete, crews will have removed and installed 90,000 ties, spread 28,000 tons of rock ballast, renewed the road surfaces at 60 crossings and nearly three miles of rail in various curves.

Crews replaced the crossing surfaces January through April. Other crews are replacing the ties and rail in the curves. The tie replacement project began April 25 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of July. Rail replacement in various curves begins May 8 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month.

Union Pacific invested more than $100 million for capital projects in Missouri in 2008. During 2009, Union Pacific plans to invest $1.7 billion in strengthening the track infrastructure across its more than 32,000-mile system.

May 5, 2009

Four steel company partner shortlines win ASLRRA Jake Awards

Four of ArcelorMittal’s partner railroads were recently honored with the Jake Award for safety excellence by the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association. ArcelorMittal stated that this further demonstrates how the company’s commitment to health and safety reaches far beyond its own facilities to include such alliances as transportation networks.

For the fifth time since 1998, Steelton & Highspire Railroad Co. at ArcelorMittal Steelton received the Jake Award with Distinction – the highest honor. Additional Jake Award winners include the Brandywine Valley Railroad Co. at ArcelorMittal Conshohocken; Lake Michigan & Indiana Railroad Co. at ArcelorMittal Burns Harbor and the South Chicago & Indiana Harbor Railway Co. at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor, which also received the President’s Award for operating the greatest number of man-hours while maintaining a rate better than the industry safety average.

Achieving this distinction further upholds the company’s Journey to Zero Health and Safety initiative, where rail safety is a key focus area for 2009.

May 5, 2009

Minnesota Northstar station work contrinues

Construction continued this past week at the Northstar commuter rail stations in Big Lake, Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids and Minneapolis. Work also progressed on the Light Rail Transit connection and the Vertical Circulation Building in downtown Minneapolis.

In downtown Minneapolis the week of April 27, crews worked on the Northstar station platform, including electrical and track alignment work. Electrical work also continued in the interior of the Vertical Circulation Building. Crews continued to work on the overhead catenary system and the platform for the Hiawatha LRT extension.

In Coon Rapids, Minn., crews continued roofing work on the station shelters and the pedestrian overpass. This work will continue through the week of May 4. Painting began on the outbound station shelters and pedestrian overpass. Painting the outbound side will continue through the week of May 11, when crews will also begin painting the inbound side.

In Anoka, Minn., crews continued pouring sidewalks at the Anoka station the week of May 4. The following week, crews will begin painting the station shelters. Crews will also begin paving the north parking lot that week.

At the Elk River, Minn., Northstar station, crews continued general site work. Pouring sidewalks and paving the remainder of the park-and-ride lot is expected to begin the week of May 11.

At the Big Lake, Minn., Northstar station, crews continued painting station shelters. Work began installing station signage May 4. The Vehicle Maintenance Facility is complete.

The week of April 27, crews excavated the west side and began excavating the center and east side of the pedestrian tunnel at the Fridley, Minn., station. Excavation work will continue next week. Crews finished shaping the west parking lot the week of April 27. Utility work on the west side of the tracks began. This work will continue through the week of May 11. The week of May 11, crews will begin work on concrete walls on the west side.

May 5, 2009

Caltrain to remove trees on right-of-way

Beginning May 9, Caltrain will remove trees on the railroad’s right of way between Poplar and Tilton avenues in San Mateo, Calif. The work will be done on weekends until June 15.

Caltrain and the City of San Mateo have identified and inventoried the trees, many of which are “volunteers” that have sprung up along the right of way over time. Trees on private property will not be removed. As part of the project, the city will be working with the neighborhood to identify appropriate locations to plant new trees.

Vegetation along railroad tracks is a safety hazard: Excessive vegetation can block the train engineer’s line of sight. Routine maintenance work, such as welding and rail grinding, generate sparks that can ignite dry brush. And, thick vegetation encourages rodent infestations, which can be a problem for neighbors next to the right of way.

The work also is the first step in replacing the railroad bridges that cross Tilton, Monte Diablo, Santa Inez and Poplar avenues, which are more than 100 years old. The new bridges will meet current seismic safety standards and the bridge that crosses Poplar Avenue will be raised 1.5 feet, which will improve access to the neighborhood for public safety vehicles, such as fire trucks. Work on the new bridges will begin in January 2010 and is expected to be completed the following spring.

May 5, 2009

Gov. Culver signs legislation to help bring passenger rail to Iowa

Iowa Governor Chet Culver traveled to Davenport to talk with residents about the benefits of the recently created I-JOBS program and to sign into law Senate File 151, which makes it easier for Iowa to enter into agreements that would foster the growth of passenger rail service in Iowa. The governor signed the legislation at a former railroad station in Davenport, a community seeking to attract passenger rail service that would connect with Chicago.

“Passenger rail service is a key component to our state’s economic development efforts,” said Governor Culver. “By making it easier to connect between our state and key cities throughout the Midwest and the nation, we can attract new companies and bring new jobs to Iowa. This legislation, along with our other efforts this legislative session, puts us in the position to bring new lines to Iowa, and I look forward to continuing our work to bring passenger rail to Iowa.”

Senate File 151 includes several provisions related to freight and passenger rail service. The bill eliminates the Iowa Railway Finance Authority and transfers the responsibilities for the administration of the Rail Revolving Loan and Grant Fund and Passenger Rail Service Revolving Fund to the Department of Transportation. In addition, the bill removes the maximum threshold that applies to grants in the Rail Revolving Loan and Grant Program, and expands the Director of Transportation’s authorization to enter into agreements related to passenger rail service.

During the event, the Governor also highlighted his signature jobs and economic program – I-JOBS – that will invest $830 million in Iowa’s aging infrastructure, including $115 million for roads, bridges and transportation projects around the state. I-JOBS includes $10 million for multi-modal transportation projects in Iowa, including rail.

In addition to I-JOBS and Senate File 151, the state of Iowa took steps in recent months to help bring new passenger rail service to the state, including budgeting $3 million for passenger rail efforts. The state will also be competing for federal passenger rail funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These steps position Iowa to work with Illinois and Amtrak to bring new passenger rail lines to the state that connect more Iowa communities with Chicago.

May 5, 2009

Amtrak eyes Cincinnati restaurant as train stop

In the not so distant future, you might be taking a train for a trip to Columbus or Cleveland, Cincinnati media report. Amtrak is presenting a final proposal later this summer for passenger train service that would connect Ohio's largest cities. The Cincinnati link may bypass an obvious landmark.

Currently at Cincinnati Union Terminal there is a long distance passenger train that comes through three days a week. But the terminal isn't in walking distance to the heart of downtown. So Amtrak doesn't see it as a site for a new Ohio train. A popular dinner spot is getting the nod from Amtrak officials. The Montgomery Inn Boathouse restaurant might one day be a train station stop. There's already existing railroad track here and it was the site of a station before 1933.

Greg Molloy, president of the National Railway Historical Society, says the location and timing is right. "Now would be a great time to invest, there's stimulus money and fuel prices are going to get back up."

Governor Strickland is backing the plan that would give Ohio a very visible form of passenger service with several routes running each day linking at least the big cities of Ohio and maybe some points in between. A commission within ODOT is trying for $250 million in stimulus money that could get the trains and people moving by 2011.

Cincinnati to Cleveland would take about six hours going at speeds up to 79 miles an hour compared with driving time of about four and a half hours.

The folks at Union Terminal aren't thrilled about being bypassed in this plan and issued this statement: “Now is the time to invest in improvements here and provide rail passengers with a remarkable experience when they get to Cincinnati.”

May 5, 2009

St. Joseph, Mo., council approves ordinance creating quiet zone

Downtown St. Joseph, Mo., residents can look forward to a little bit of peace and quiet, local newspapers report. The sound of train whistles has kept hotel guests awake, disrupted business meetings and scared pets ever since the railroad came to downtown. Two years ago, city staff began a process that would let the trains pass through St. Joseph’s core without blowing their whistles.

City Council postponed the ordinance once and threatened to again Monday night before it changed course and unanimously approved the plan. The city, BNSF and the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission will close three railroad crossings and modify two others to establish a railroad quiet zone downtown.

The city will not pay a single dollar for the project. The Missouri Department of Transportation would pay part of the costs, while credits from BNSF for closing three crossings would cover the city’s portion of the bill.

Concerns from one of St. Joseph’s oldest businesses stimulated debate from the council. Rick Gilmore, owner of Seaman & Schuske Metal Works, said he worried that the closure of a railroad crossing on Mitchell Avenue could threaten his business, which opened in 1870 and has operated at the corner of Fourth Street and Mitchell since 1939.

The council passed the vote under the assumption that city staff will work with Mr. Gilmore to find ways to lessen the impact on his business.

May 4, 2009

CN reaches voluntary mitigation agreement with Elgin, Ill.

CN said a voluntary mitigation agreement with the City of Elgin, Ill., addressing the municipality's issues with CN's acquisition of the principal lines of the former Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company. CN completed the acquisition on Jan. 31, 2009, and is running trains over the line.

Under the agreement with Elgin, CN will provide funding for noise mitigation, emergency response training, and measures to maintain existing quiet zones.

CN now has voluntary mitigation agreements with 16 municipalities that are home to more than 50 per cent of the population along the EJ&E in Illinois and Indiana.

CN expects that full integration of the CN and EJ networks will be accomplished within three years. As CN completes the integration and planned infrastructure improvements, it is committed to communicate changes in a timely manner to all 33 communities affected by the acquisition.

May 4, 2009

VTA to break ground on clearing the way for BART

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will ceremonially break ground on Phase I of its Freight Railroad Relocation Project May 8 at the Lower Berryessa Creek construction site, 390 Railroad Court, Milpitas, Calif.

Planned speakers and gold shovel wielders include: Carl Guardino, President and CEO Silicon Valley Leadership Group; Sam Liccardo, VTA Board of Directors Vice Chair and City of San Jose Councilmember, District 3; Pete McHugh, Vice Mayor, City of Milpitas, Richard P. Santos, Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors, District 3; and Michael T. Burns, General Manager, VTA.

The $36 million project begins clearing VTA-owned railroad right-of-way between Grimmer Boulevard in Fremont to Montague Expressway in Milpitas. This vital north/south transit corridor is the planned alignment for the future BART extension to the South Bay. Construction activities include relocating utilities and existing Union Pacific Railroad freight rail tracks to a parallel location within the eight-mile railroad right-of-way. The future mass transit system would then be built along side the newly relocated freight line.

“Beginning these construction activities is an important milestone that clears the path for BART, while also making additional community improvements and safety enhancements for Milpitas residents,” stated VTA’s Burns.

The eight-mile section also includes multiple roadway intersections and eight creek crossings. Through a partnership and contribution of $16 million from he Santa Clara Valley Water District, this first phase of the railroad relocation activities include improvements at several of the creek crossings, including culverts and a seismic retrofit of the Abel Street Bridge, enhancing local flood control measures for residents and businesses. Future work is planned at several intersections along the corridor to separate car and pedestrian traffic from freight and future mass transit trains through the construction of grade separations.

VTA acquired the railroad right-of-way, from Union Pacific in 2002, and the FRR project meets a requirement of the purchase agreement.

The Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Project alternative would consist of a 16.1-mile extension of the BART system. Six stations are proposed: Milpitas, Berryessa, Alum Rock, Downtown San Jose, Diridon/Arena and Santa Clara. The line would begin at the planned BART Warm Springs Station in Fremont and proceed on the former UP right-of-way through Milpitas to south of Mabury Road in San Jose.

The extension would then descend into a 5.1-mile-long subway tunnel, continue through downtown San Jose and end at ground level in Santa Clara near the Caltrain Station. A maintenance and vehicle storage yard would be at the terminus of the project in Santa Clara. The first segment of the project is proposed to Berryessa, with subsequent phases to be built. Ridership is projected to be approximately 98,750 by 2030.

May 4, 2009

RailComm to provide remote-control third-rail and switch Heaters for PATH

RailComm has been selected to provide a wireless-remote-control third-rail and switch-heater system for Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH), which serves Manhattan and New Jersey points. The turnkey control system will include the RailComm heater controllers communicating to a central office via a dedicated data radio network. RailComm’s Domain Operations Controller System resides in the central office and provides the operator with a user interface to control the third-rail and switch heaters. The RailComm system reduces energy costs, while also increasing safety and reliability.

The DOC® (Domain Operations Controller) software-based control system is an advanced command, control, communications and information server-based platform that supports a wide variety of integrated solutions for indication, control, access and distribution of critical operational data across the corporate enterprise.

May 4, 2009

Hudson transit tunnel moves ahead

Sometime in June, the nation's biggest mass transit construction project in generations will begin, modestly, in North Bergen, where earth-moving machines will carve out an underpass beneath busy Routes 1&9, the Newark Star Ledger reports.

The work will mark the start of an eight-year, $8.7-billion effort to build the first rail tunnels under the Hudson River in a century and the first link of any kind between New Jersey and Manhattan since the lower deck of the George Washington Bridge opened in 1962.

Tunnel-boring machines longer than football fields will chew through the hard rock of the New Jersey Palisades and slog through toothpaste-like silt 100 feet beneath the Hudson's surface. In Manhattan, the tunnels will end deep below 34th Street in a new two-tiered station stretching more than four-tenths of a mile, from Sixth to Eighth avenue, giving passengers access to 14 subway lines, PATH trains and the Long Island Rail Road.

When it is completed in 2017, its planners and backers say, the project will ease the commute for hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans, speeding service, creating more transfer-free trips and encouraging drivers to abandon jammed roads in favor of trains.

"It can't be overemphasized how important this project is," said Jeffrey M. Zupan, a senior fellow at the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit advocacy group that focuses on open space, economic policy, transportation and housing. "It creates another leap forward in increasing rail service. It's a project that must be built."

Beyond the immediate economic benefit of putting people to work, planners say, the tunnels will spur investment in Manhattan, creating an estimated 44,000 jobs. Many of those employees will come from New Jersey, Zupan says, citing studies that show 89 percent of new growth in the city draws workers from the west.

The existing tunnels, which enter the Palisades just a quarter mile north of the new tubes' route, reached capacity earlier this decade, creating a bottleneck for the NJ Transit and Amtrak trains that travel to and from Penn Station along the Northeast Corridor, the most congested stretch of track in the nation. That translates into slower service and frequent delays. During peak travel periods, 23 trains pass through the old tunnels each hour, hardly enough at a time when NJ Transit sets ridership records each year.

When the new tunnels are completed, NJ Transit and Amtrak will increase the number of trains crossing the river to 34 per hour during peak periods. That number will gradually rise to a maximum 48 per hour by 2030, when ridership is projected to be nearly 60 percent higher than it is today.

The leading edge of each boring machine, a disc more than 24 feet in diameter, is outfitted with some 50 wheels made of special steel alloys. When the machine advances, the wheels form concentric rings, splitting the rock ahead, said Dick Flanagan, the project's chief tunnel engineer.

The excavated pieces, generally smaller than a fist, then pass behind the machine on conveyor belts. The entire assembly stretches more than 300 feet, Flanagan said.

Beneath the Hudson, a similar boring mechanism known as an earth pressure balance machine is expected to advance up to 30 feet per day, using soil rippers to push through the silt. The machines operate without the need for compressed air, sparing modern sandhogs from the risk of the bends.

Some challenges are expected near the New Jersey shoreline, where the tough diabase -- igneous rock -- of the Palisades gives way to softer shale, siltstone and clay. Dave Donatelli, project manager for the consortium of engineering and design firms working on ARC, said such mixed-base conditions can be dealt with by literally freezing patches of soft earth ahead with liquid nitrogen. That allows the rock cutters to grind away without encountering a flood of runny material. A cementlike grout could achieve the same purpose, Donatelli said.

The tunnels will be lined with concrete, which can be poured on-site or delivered in sections.

In Manhattan, where the new station will sit in bedrock 450 million years old, workers will do more blasting. They also will use drilling jumbles, hydraulically powered machines with multiple arms. Work on many of the project's various segments will take place at the same time, with construction expected to reach its busiest phase in 2012.

By the time the digging is done, workers will have cut through more than 8 miles of the underground, excavating an estimated two million cubic yards of rock, soil and silt -- enough material, Donatelli says, to fill Giants Stadium. Some of that material will form the base of a new 82-acre rail yard in Kearny. More will be used to line embankments for new tracks that will run alongside the Northeast Corridor from Secaucus to the tunnels in North Bergen. Leftovers will be sent to approved dump sites.

May 4, 2009

Caltrain to build accessible boarding platforms at San Carlos Station

Caltrain will build mini-high boarding platforms at the San Carlos, Calif., station to improve accessibility to the train for people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The concrete ramps provide level-access to the Bombardier cars, eliminating the need to use a manual lift. The work will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10.

During construction, the platform will remain open to customers but the train will stop 150 feet farther south than usual.

In other work, Caltrain crews will rebuild the railroad crossings at Whipple and Brewster avenues and Broadway Street in Redwood City. At San Jose Diridon Station, May 4-8, Caltrain will remove old tracks and ballast from the former maintenance facility at the station. The demolition is the first step in a project to improve connections with regional rail services, improve safety and allow for future expansion of service.

Caltrain will rebuild sidewalks and install curbs, gutters and new streetlights at the former railroad crossing at Stockton Avenue and Emory Street in San Jose May 2-22. The work will be done weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. To accommodate traffic for the adjacent school, both lanes of the crossing will be open before 9 a.m. and after 3 p.m. The improvements will complete the closure of the former crossing. When the work is finished, the concrete barricades will be removed.

Caltrain will perform routine maintenance at several locations May 4-8. From Sunday, May 3 to Thursday, May 7, cross ties between the Bayshore and San Bruno stations will be replaced. From May 3 to May 5, worn asphalt, rails, ties and ballast between the Redwood City and Sunnyvale stations will be replaced.

May 4-7, a crew will weld and grind the switches between the Redwood City and Sunnyvale stations. May 6-7, worn asphalt, rails, ties and ballast between the Palo Alto and Sunnyvale stations will be replaced. On May 3, a crew welded and ground the switches near the San Jose Diridon station.

May 4, 2009

Texas Port rail yard relocation to start this summer

A KCS train clattering eastbound over the Neches River made it hard to hear Port of Beaumont, Texas, director Chris Fisher as he explained the port's expansion plans, local media report. This summer, after almost 15 years of talking about it, and seven years of working on a plan, the port will begin the project to move its railcar holding yard inside its property.

Here's what the long-planned project means:
• All but one the tracks between the river and the City Hall complex will be torn out.
• The agonizing dance of backward and forward movement of trains on tracks blocking some city streets could become a much quicker jig.
• The additional space for rail cars within the port, along with development on the Orange County side, positions the port for growth when the economy begins to recover.

The rail yard relocation project will cost about $16 million and more than $12 million of it is covered by federal grants. The port will pay the rest of it with its own revenue, Fisher said.

The project will last almost two years and the final piece of it is the demolition of the existing holding yard along Riverfront Park.

Operations must continue while the construction goes on, Fisher said.

The improvement, once completed, will be immediately noticeable as trains will be able to make a turn into the port from the KCS line in probably less than 10 minutes instead of the one to two hours it takes to put all the cars on the tracks along Riverfront, Fisher said.

The single track that will remain there belongs to BSF, which also owns the line running across Calder Avenue west of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. BNSF pushes rail cars into its own holding yard in that area, so the traffic blocking will continue.

But the blocking that occurs along Pearl, Neches and Trinity streets in downtown should be greatly reduced, Fisher said.

The port will build its new holding yard along Buford Street inside port property so rail cars will be secure and under port camera surveillance. The new yard will hold about 400 cars, up from the existing yard's capacity of 120 cars.

Another yard extending south from the port near ExxonMobil Corp.'s Beaumont refinery will provide capacity for another 100 cars, mostly for KCS, and will connect to the railroad company's tracks that run parallel to MLK Parkway toward Lamar University and Cardinal Drive. The main benefit is the ability to bring in long trains in a single move, Fisher said.

Main Street, near the Beaumont police station, will remain closed while the rail yard relocation project is under way, though city officials said it is not "officially closed." Also, the city is working on creating a "quiet zone," in which passing trains will not sound horns in downtown.

Fisher said the three railroad companies that serve the port, including KCS, BNSF and Union Pacific, will come in on the new turnoff that will enter the port from its northern property line. Ideally, Fisher said the port wants the tail of the longest train that comes in to clear the main vehicle entrance into the port when its engine reaches the new holding yard.

Across the Neches River, the port also plans another $5-million investment - most of it paid through grants - to improve a roadway and build tracks to serve a new dock. The river already is dredged to 40 feet and can go to 48 feet once the Sabine-Neches Ship Channel's quest for a deepening and widening project is approved.

The new dock will be 650 feet and can accommodate a vessel 1,000 feet in length, Fisher said.

May 4, 2009

Final vote: Florida’s SunRail is dead again

A last-gasp attempt to approve the SunRail commuter train failed May 1 in the waning moments of the legislative session, possibly marking the end of the $1.2-billion project that has been five years on the drawing boards, the Orlando Sentinel reports. The 16-23 vote on the Senate floor killed the project for this year, leaving its Central Florida supporters disappointed and uncertain about what they would do next.

"It's a sad day for the state of Florida. It sets passenger-rail transportation back decades," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. Dyer said he would meet with Central Florida backers and state Department of Transportation officials next week to discuss their options.

U.S. Rep. John Mica, R- Winter Park, called the vote a "disappointment" and said $100 million in state and federal funds had already been spent on the project. He had promised more than $300million in federal funds for SunRail.

"The loss of this project will kill nearly 13,000 jobs and will send more than one-third of a billion dollars in transportation funding to other states," Mica said in a statement. "I am going to continue to do everything possible to see that that does not happen."

But it's not clear what options remain. A spokesman for CSX Corp. said that the Jacksonville-based railroad company — which had agreed to sell its tracks to the state for SunRail — will not extend the purchase contract.

"We do not intend to pursue the project beyond expiration of the agreement with FDOT on June 30," said CSX spokesman Gary Sease.

A trio of senators — led by sponsor Lee Constantine, R- Altamonte Springs, and augmented by Dyer and a brigade of lobbyists — worked all day to resurrect the project.

Constantine had hoped to win the 21 votes he needed by offering South Florida Democrats a $2-a-day rental-car surcharge — the subject of the losing vote Thursday — but with a key compromise: After approval by a supermajority of county commissioners, the tax could stand at least until 2014, when it would face a voter referendum.

During five years, the surcharge would have raised $180 million for Tri-Rail, the financially struggling commuter train that runs through Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Without additional money, supporters say the rail line will have to lay off half its 300 workers.

But in the end, only three South Florida Democrats voted for the bill.

The opposition was led by another Central Florida Republican, Paula Dockery of Lakeland, who also managed to kill the commuter-rail project in last year's session.

The debate lasted less than an hour. A hoarse, emotional Constantine closed by saying, "This is the most important issue for Central Florida and I believe the future of the rest of the state. Please look into your heart and vote for the future of Florida."

Friday's amendment sought approval for a $200-million no-fault insurance policy for SunRail to apportion liability in case of an accident. Constantine said it is similar to what's in effect at Tri-Rail.

But Dockery argued SunRail placed too much liability on the state in the case of an accident and was a financial windfall for CSX. The state would have paid CSX more than $600 million for 61.5 miles of track — running between DeLand and Poinciana — as well as improvements to other parts of the company's system.

May 1, 2009

TransLink-funded overpass gets new “push” to completion

A road construction project involving major funding from TransLink reached a milestone over the weekend as the builders of the Coast Meridian Overpass in Port Coquitlam moved to a new phase of construction. SNC-Lavalin Constructors (Pacific) Inc. has begun push-launching five span structures to form the overpass across the Canadian Pacific rail yards, which bisect the city. The overpass, scheduled for completion in early 2010, is a 580-meter (1,903-foot), four-lane bridge with bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways on each side.

Over the next several months, five portions of the bridge deck, each the size of a Canadian football field, will be pushed into place onto the supports across the rail yards. The project also includes left-turn lanes at major intersections and high quality facilities for transit passengers.

“The Coast Meridian Overpass will provide much-needed safety and mobility options for the city of Port Coquitlam,” said TransLink CEO Tom Prendergast. “TransLink is not simply about buses and SkyTrains, but about the entire integrated transportation network in the Lower Mainland. Providing a safe, direct and convenient route for all modes of transportation will not only ensure sustainability in Port Coquitlam, but will allow rail freight to move more freely on its way to and from port.”

TransLink has committed C$60 million towards the C$135.4 million project, under the Roads and Bridges Major Capital Projects.

In another story, TransLink awarded HJ Skelton (Canada) Ltd., an order for 12,000 feet of pultruded channel and coverboard for the power rails on SkyTrain, the longest automated Transit System in North America. Delivery scheduled for the third quarter of 2009 from an American producer.

May 1, 2009

$75 Million in funding for Eastside Extension of Portland Streetcar

The U.S. Department of Transportation approved $75 million in federal funding for the Portland Streetcar expansion, a major boost for communities surrounding the $127-million, 18-station, 3.3-mile eastside extension, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

“This streetcar project will not only offer Portland residents additional options for getting around, but will also spur economic development along the line and create opportunities for employment,” LaHood said.

Secretary LaHood and members of the Oregon Congressional delegation announced the Portland project as part of the Department’s ongoing livable communities initiative to promote sustainable surface transportation programs that are more safe, reliable and cost-effective for commuters.

The proposed extension, across the Willamette River from the existing Westside Streetcar Loop, will connect to 10th Street and Lovejoy in the Pearl District northwest of downtown Portland, and then run south along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Grand Avenue, terminating near the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

Upon completion, the eastside extension of the Portland Streetcar Loop will include 18 new stations, seven new vehicles and significant capital improvements to the Broadway Bridge to accommodate streetcar operations. Oregon Ironworks, Inc., based in Clackamas, Oregon, will manufacture the seven new vehicles.

The proposed service will operate every 12 minutes during weekday peak periods. Revenue operations will begin in 2011. The line is expected to carry approximately 8,700 passengers daily.

A portion of the total project cost is being funded by FTA’s Small Starts program, aimed at promoting less costly but effective transit projects. To be eligible for the program, the request for Small Starts funding must be no greater than $75 million and the total project cost must be less than $250 million.

May 1, 2009

Tax increases approved for Wisconsin rail projects

The Wisconsin Legislature's budget committee approved a plan to use a mixture of higher sales taxes and car rental fees to pay for high speed rail and other transit projects in the two most populated parts of the state.

In Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties, up to $16 could be charged on car rentals to pay for a commuter rail line connecting the three southeastern Wisconsin cities.

The KRM board created could also levy $50 million in bonds to help pay for the rail line, which has been discussed for years but always stalled over how it would be paid for.

Also, Milwaukee County would be allowed to impose a one percent sales tax to pay for a countywide regional transit authority. The $132 million raised each year would pay for transit, parks, cultural and emergency medical services. Fifteen percent would go to the city of Milwaukee.

In Dane County, which includes Madison, a half-cent sales tax could be imposed to pay for commuter rail and other transit projects.

The four Republicans on the committee voted against all of the proposals.

The tax increases for the mass transit and rail plans, part of the two-year state budget, must pass the Legislature and be approved by Gov. Jim Doyle before it becomes law.

Commuter rail supporters include environmentalists, business groups, organized labor and local governments, and organizations representing the disabled and elderly. They supported commuter rail to ease congestion, create jobs and spur economic development.

Gov. Doyle had proposed a half-cent sales tax to pay for the KRM line instead of the higher car rental fee. State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, was opposed to the sales tax.

The 33-mile line is estimated to cost more than $200 million. It would consist of 14 weekday trains in each direction between Kenosha and Milwaukee, with some trains going into Waukegan, Ill.

Dane County officials want to establish a commuter rail system between Middleton, which is west of Madison, and Sun Prairie on the east. The half-cent sales tax for the area under the Dane County RTA would raise about $38.5 million or $172 per household, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

May 1, 2009

FTA report says $50 billion needed to fix older rail transit systems

The Federal Transit Administration estimates it will cost $50 billion to bring the rail systems in Chicago, Boston, New York, New Jersey, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., into good repair and $5.9 billion a year to maintain them, according to a recent report.

Those seven systems carry 80 percent of the nation's rail transit passengers, making more than three billion passenger trips a year. They also include some of the oldest subways and commuter railroads, with some facilities date back more than a century.

"In a period of rising congestion and fuel prices, these services and the infrastructure and rolling stock that support them, are critical to the transportation needs and quality of life of the communities they serve," the report said. "At the same time, this infrastructure is aging and the level of reinvestment appears insufficient to address a growing backlog of deferred investment needs."

According to the study, eight percent of the assets of the seven rail transit agencies are in poor condition because they have outlived their useful life and are in need of immediate repair and replacement and may have critically damaged parts. An additional 27 percent were rated in marginal condition because they are near or past their useful life and may have defective or deteriorated components, requiring increasing maintenance.

Excluding the seven large systems, less than 20 percent of the assets of rail transit systems nationally are in poor or marginal condition, the study said.

May 1, 2009

Las Lunas mixed-use area near the Rail Runner station

The Village Council of Las Lunas, N.M., adopted a plan that would make the Los Lunas Rail Runner station the focal point of a vibrant, safe, community. The official station area plan, as it’s called, is designed to help the station and surrounding area to become a destination for both Village residents and visitors to the area. The plan calls this area to be center for the community and offer a variety of residential and retail offerings as well as public space and community amenities such as parks and bike paths.

“This plan includes amenities such as sidewalks, lighting, and pedestrian crossings for area residents,” says Lawrence Rael, Executive Director for the Mid-Region Council of Governments. “People will be able to walk and bicycle between the station and their homes, as well as to surrounding businesses and other destinations.”

The plan makes three recommendations to achieve the Village’s vision for the station area – which extends roughly one-half mile from the station. Design standards are recommended to ensure that new buildings are pedestrian friendly, promote safety, are of appropriate scale and create a memorable place. Recommendations for transportation improvements are designed to improve the ease and safety of walking and bicycling in the area while improving traffic circulation.

The plan also recommends the adoption of a mixed-use core zone in the area closest to the station –a district that would have a mix of retail and housing and activity throughout the day – and a surrounding residential area that would be a transition area to the surrounding neighborhoods and would provide additional flexibility in residential development.

The station area plan is the product of an 18-month effort by the village staff, village residents and members of an advisory group that helped steer the effort. The advisory group and the village planning and zoning commission reviewed the draft plan and recommended that the Village council adopt the plan. The Mid-Region Council of Governments managed the planning effort, which was funded by the state.

May 1, 2009

Mississippi officials meet to gather support for rail line

With an eye to the future, Wayne County, Miss., Supervisors met with more than 70 officials -- including mayors and supervisors from five southeast Mississippi counties, state representatives and leaders from four railroads -- during an initial informational meeting at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Lucedale, local newspapers report.

The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for a rail line connecting Waynesboro and Lucedale. The proposed section of railroad would create a rail corridor extending from the ports of Mobile and Pascagoula to Meridian and beyond. It would also connect five existing railroads, including Mississippi Export Railroad, Canadian National, Norfolk Southern, CSX and Kansas City Southern, according to Sean Dunlap, the Wayne County Public Information Officer.

The project is estimated to cost about $50 million, according to Larry Harvey, with the Wayne County EDD.

The Mississippi Export Railroad terminates in Lucedale and connects the Canadian National with the CSX, providing access to the two ports. The Meridian Central line comes from Meridian to Waynesboro, providing access to the Norfolk Southern and the Kansas City Southern lines.

"During the last century we built 42,000 miles of interstate highway," said Gil Carmichael, the former federal railroad administrator. "We have a beautiful 240,000-mile railroad right-of-way system across the United States."

Carmichael said that in the past the U.S. built a transportation system based upon ships, air and trucking. He said the future would be the intermodal system of ships, rail and trucks because of the high cost of petroleum-based fuels. He also said rail was the transportation of the future as the country turns to alternative fuel sources such as solar and wind as rail service can be converted to electric powered trains.

Carmichael said the Obama administration has allocated $8 billion for developing high-speed railroads in this country. That service would accommodate passengers as well as freight.

It is important for South Mississippi to build this rail corridor to handle the larger container cargos coming off of ships as the Panama Canal is widened and made deeper, Carmichael said.

Lee Hedegaard, the CEO of Singing River Power Association, said the meeting was preliminary, but everyone attending appeared to be very supportive.

"This is the first of several meetings that will be necessary," Hedegaard said. "It will be a four- or five-year project to do feasibility studies, determine the route and put this together."

May 1, 2009

Clark county rail project in Washington State budget

On April 25, the Washington State Legislature passed its 2009-11 Transportation Budget that included $1 million in funding to begin to rehabilitate a portion of Clark County/Chelatchie Prairie Rail Line.

In a recent letter that was sent to various legislators, Fred Abraham, the Railroad Coordinator for Clark County, stated that Clark County greatly appreciated the strong support for this project from the legislature.

The Clark County-owned rail line runs for 33 miles across the county from Vancouver to Chelatchie. This rail line is vital to economic development in SW Washington. Unfortunately, over the last 50 years, the rail line fell into disrepair and is badly in need of rehabilitation.

However, several positive recent events have occurred to justify restoration of the line. For example, the PVJR signed a long-term lease with Clark County in 2004 to operate the rail line and has already helped to significantly increase freight shipments (by over 1000%) in less than five years. In addition, Clark County hired a full-time railroad coordinator in 2007 to work with stakeholders in Clark County and to help promote the rail line. The recent positive developments have caught the attention of several companies and there is considerable interest by several new businesses in locating along the line if it can be upgraded.

Specifically, there are two phases of track upgrades that need to be completed to refurbish this line. Phase 1 would upgrade the line to Class 2 (25 mph) condition between Vancouver and Battle Ground, while Phase 2 would upgrade the line from Battle Ground to Chelatchie to Class 2 condition.

The $1 million recently provided by the legislature will help to upgrade a portion of Phase 1 of the project.

April 30, 2009

CTA Blue, Red Line weekend subway work planned

The weekend of May 1-3, Chicago Transit Authority crews will work in the Blue Line and Red Line subways resulting in service changes on both lines.

CTA will suspend rail service in the Blue Line Dearborn subway from Clark/Lake to Western/Milwaukee starting at 10 p.m. Friday, May 1, until 4 a.m. Monday, May 4 due to track replacement work. Bus shuttles will operate as a substitute for rail service making stops at Western/Milwaukee, Damen, Division, Chicago, Grand and Clark/Lake.

Crews will replace deteriorated wooden half ties with concrete half ties, and replace running rail and contact (third) rail to remove existing slow zones and help prevent the creation of new slow zones.

Red Line trains will be rerouted from the State Street Subway to the elevated structure in one direction only on Friday night and again on Saturday night. Northbound service on the Red Line between the Cermak-Chinatown and Fullerton stations will be rerouted from the subway to the elevated tracks from 9 p.m. Friday, May 1, until 9 a.m., Saturday, May 2.

Northbound Red Line trains will operate normally between the Fullerton and Howard stations and between the 95th Street and Cermak-Chinatown stations. Northbound service will resume normal operation through the subway after 9 a.m. Saturday morning.

Southbound service on the Red Line will be rerouted to the elevated tracks between Fullerton and Cermak-Chinatown from 9 p.m. Saturday, May 2 until 9 a.m. Sunday, May 3. Southbound Red Line trains will operate normally between the Howard and Fullerton stations and between the Cermak-Chinatown and 95th Street stations. Red Line trains will resume normal service through the subway after 9 a.m. Sunday morning.

In addition, the entrance at Polk Street for the Harrison Red Line Station will close the week of May 3 while crews install equipment that will allow the auxiliary entrance to serve as the primary entrance for the next several months. The Polk auxiliary entrance, which is located on the southwest corner of the Red Line’s Harrison Station, will temporarily close on Monday, May 4. On Monday, May 11 it will reopen as the primary entrance. At that time, the Harrison Street entrance will close for five months in order to replace the escalator that connects the mezzanine to the platform. The work is part of CTA’s escalator modernization project that began last year. The CTA’s escalators range in age from 25- to 70-years-old.

Several escalators have already been replaced in the Red and Blue Line subways. On the Red Line, one platform to mezzanine escalator at Monroe/Adams; one street to mezzanine escalator at Adams/Jackson and one street to mezzanine escalator at Jackson/Van Buren have been replaced. On the Blue Line, the escalator leading from the platform to the mezzanine at the Randolph/Washington station has been replaced.

Escalators scheduled to be replaced include two from the street to the mezzanine level at Monroe/Adams, one from the street level to the mezzanine at Adams/Jackson on the Red Line; and one platform to mezzanine at the Blue Line Madison/Monroe station.

April 30, 2009

CP Rail eyes link to access U.S. South, Gulf of Mexico

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. is discussing a new partnership with Kansas City Southern Railway Co. aimed at granting the railways access to each other's lines, the Financial Post reports. For CPR, this would create a more direct route to the Gulf of Mexico in exchange for greater access to Chicago along its own network.

Management teams from both railways are set to discuss the possibility of a deal in Calgary, a source briefed on the talks said.

Such an arrangement was made possible by CPR's recent acquisition of Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corp., which links the two railways in Kansas City, Mo.

"The CP acquisition of DM&E presents new opportunities for KCS and CP to work together over Kansas City and we are exploring those opportunities," said Doniele Kane, KCS spokeswoman.

In fact, the DM&E lines have the ability to connect to all seven of the top-tier North American railways, and growing its long-haul business through this new "Kansas City Gateway" has become a priority for CPR's management, they said on a conference call last week.

Carrying freight over longer distances is typically more profitable, and CPR's long-haul business has been hurt by declining potash and coal shipments.

"We looked at ... what point in time can we start the process of extending our hauls to reflect the new franchise that we have, and those discussions are underway with the various connecting carriers," said Brock Winters, CPR's vice-president of operations, on the call. "We've already migrated some and we'll migrate more."

The railway would look to move even more goods through this gateway when DM&E's current contracts expire, Winters said.

The talks between CPR and KCS are centered on reaching some sort of operational routing agreement, and industry observers say a so-called "coproduction agreement" would be a logical outcome. Such agreements are essentially alliances between the railways allowing each to run freight on each other’s lines, while preserving the shippers' competitive options. They have become a popular alternative to mergers and acquisitions in the heavily regulated rail sector.

"The agreements are driven by the railroad operations departments [not marketing] and are designed to be 'market neutral' for the customer -- meaning there is no change in pricing or competition," said Walter Spracklin, RBC Capital Markets analyst, in a recent note. "At the end of the day, the agreements make sense and we would expect to see an increasing number of these partnerships. The savings are real and the benefits are significant and immediate."

Typically, these alliances are not defined by rates, Spracklin noted, but rather involve an equitable split of the savings realized. Both partners typically benefit through economies of scale, more efficient routing, quicker turnaround and lower fuel burn.

CPR's larger domestic rival, Canadian National Railway, recently reached a similar deal with Norfolk Southern Corp. to create its so-called "MidAmerica Corridor," in which each railway shares each other's lines between Chicago, St. Louis, Kentucky and Mississippi.

CN, which has one of the most fluid networks on the continent, currently has more than 100 such agreements across North America. CN's management says it approaches these agreements with the mindset of routing its trains the most efficient way possible across North America. If that requires running its trains across another railway's lines, it moves to strike deals such these, Spracklin said.

April 30, 2009

Pennsylvania bulk transfer facility work to begin soon

Work is expected to begin any day now on a multi-modal bulk transfer facility at the city's Newberry rail yard, according to the Williamsport, Pa, Sun Gazette. It is hoped the $4.1-million project will relieve highway congestion and improve the efficient movement of bulk commodities in north central Pennsylvania, county transportation planner Mark Murawski said.

Work includes track rehabilitation, installation of new tracks, site work and construction of an 8,600-square-foot building, according to Jeff Stover, director of the SEDA-Council of Governments Joint Rail Authority, which owns the rail yard.

Catawissa Avenue and public utilities a