As it waits for the economy to improve, Union Pacific's construction plans are heading in two directions, The Arizona Republic reports. Although it has postponed plans to finish doubling its tracks in Arizona, the company has begun a $42-million upgrade to its existing rails.

In Matt Rose's 10 years at the helm of BNSF, he'd heard plenty of investors talk about quarterly performance. A few would even talk about the railroad's annual performance, Dan Reed writes in USA TODAY. Then on Feb. 12, he answered a call from Warren Buffett, the legendary investor who looks for long-term return and whose Berkshire Hathaway holding company had just closed on its $26-billion purchase of the 77 percent of BNSF shares it didn't already own.

Union Pacific will improve part of Kansas' transportation infrastructure with a $6-million investment to its rail line that runs from Wichita to near Caldwell, Kan.

Caltrain will hold a community meeting March 31 to present information about the San Bruno Grade Separation Project. The $165-million project will elevate the Caltrain tracks above San Bruno, San Mateo and Angus avenues. A new elevated train station between San Bruno and San Mateo avenues will replace the existing station. The project also includes three pedestrian underpasses, one near Sylvan Avenue, one at the new station and another between Euclid Avenue and Walnut Street.

The Executive Boards of the Unified System Division and the Pacific Federation, both divisions of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said a merger between the two federations will take affect April 1, 2010. The newly created federation will retain the name, Unified System Division.

As Metro seeks to gain a much more complete and detailed "picture" of its track conditions, Metro has selected ENSCO, Inc., to develop and construct a special rail car known as a track geometry vehicle, which is used to inspect track conditions and identify any possible flaws. 

A track geometry vehicle is an automated track inspection vehicle that can test several geometric parameters of the track without obstructing normal passenger rail service. The parameters generally measured include track position, curvature, distance between the rails, alignment, smoothness, and the crosslevel of the two rails.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) will conduct five station area and maintenance facility-planning workshops in late March as part of the environmental review process for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Project.

Lagging sales tax receipts resulting in lower long-term revenue forecasts in the 13 member cities are prompting Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) to review all expenses including operations, administration and future capital projects, officials said.

Sparks have been flying along Yuba-Sutter railroad tracks near Marysville, Calif., in the last few days, the Appeal-Democrat reports. Loram Maintenance of Way Inc. wrapped up its periodic grinding of area Union Pacific rails March 22 after smoothing nearly 100 miles of local tracks. The routine maintenance eliminates cracks caused by typical train traffic.

Work to upgrade the electrical system at the Mineola Intermodal Center will make it necessary to close the four-level parking facility on the weekend of March 27 and 28. The seven Long Island Bus routes will still operate as will Long Island Rail Road train service at the Mineola station. However, shutting off the electricity so the system upgrades can be done will affect the lights, LIRR ticket selling machine in the Center's pedestrian overpass, electronic signs and elevators serving the Center's overpass.