Author: jrood

BWI rail station platform renovation nears completion






The Maryland Transit Administration
(MTA) said that the entire northbound platform at the BWI MARC/Amtrak Station would
be open for passengers at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 24, 2010. A portion
of the northbound platform has been closed to MARC commuters and Amtrak
passengers during construction, but barriers will be removed Wednesday morning,
Nov. 24, and crews will complete final detail work after the holiday. The
improved, longer platform will open in time to ease the expected rush of
Thanksgiving holiday travelers.

MTA LIRR partnering with NYC Community Cleanup to remove graffiti






A non-profit community
group that has earned accolades for efforts to keep New York City clean is
sending work crews out to help MTA Long Island Rail Road undo the unsightly
work of graffiti vandals scarring LIRR bridges, most in Greater Jamaica. The
LIRR is partnering in the pilot program with NYC Community Cleanup, an
organization that targets litter and vandalism by deploying non-violent
offenders doing community service time. NYC Community Cleanup is a creation of
the Center for Court Innovation in partnership with the state Office of Court
Administration, the Office of the Mayor’s Criminal Justice Coordinator and the
Queens District Attorney and it develops innovative approaches to public safety
problems.

VIA Rail contracts with KMI for safety and risk management software






VIA Rail Canada has
selected KMI, a software firm based in Oakville, Ont., to upgrade the
corporation’s environmental and safety management systems. The C$270,000
contract, which is entirely funded by the Government of Canada’s Economic
Action Plan, will provide VIA with KMI’s integrated software to centralize
environment, health and safety data collection, event reporting and analysis
throughout the corporation’s coast-to-coast network. KMI’s Incident Management,
Corrective Action, and Reporting & Dashboard systems will be implemented at
all VIA locations across Canada by the end of the year.

Feds can inspect repairs to NWP rail lines without SMART’s okay






North Bay cargo trains may
be closer to returning to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad now that a major
obstacle has been removed, the Santa Rosa, Calif., Press Democrat reports. U.S.
transportation regulators have ruled that the North Coast Railroad Authority
doesn’t need commuter rail’s okay to reopen the freight line.

Demolition reveals 1870s elevated tracks






When the strip mall along
Davenport, Iowa’s East River Drive and west of Mound Street came down in March,
a new view opened up, and many people noticed for the first time the tall
wooden railroad trestle behind the property, the Quad Cities Times reports. The
trestle is the only one like it in the Quad-Cities – possibly the only one like
it in Iowa or Illinois – and is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places as a "contributing structure" within the Village of East Davenport’s
historic designation.

Spectrum Infrared wins orders from CN, NS






Spectrum Infrared, a
division of A.D.S., said that CN is utilizing its 5-hp railroad track switch
heaters at Victoria Bridge over the St. Lawrence River to ensure that the rail
switches operate reliably and efficiently during the upcoming winter. CN’s
Victoria Bridge carries both rail and road traffic, with rails in the middle
and roadways on both sides. The bridge links CN’s Montreal operations with its
network in southeastern Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

DART Green Line completes nation’s longest light rail construction project






Just over four years after
the first front loader of dirt was turned, the 28-mile, 20-station, $1.8-billion
Green Line will be complete on December 6, when it opens 24 miles and 15
stations, creating new light rail connections for Dallas Area Rapid Transit
(DART) customers from Pleasant Grove in the southeast to Farmers Branch and
Carrollton in the northwest. This is the longest single-day opening of electric
light rail in the United States since 1990.

New Bedford, MassDOT seek designs for Whale’s Tooth Station






The City of New Bedford and
the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) have set up an
informal design competition for a new station off Route 18 to be known as Whale’s
Tooth. The multi-modal station will be built as part of the South Coast Rail
project and may host a new local and intercity bus terminal. Mayor Scott W.
Lang and Kristina Egan, Director of South Coast Rail, MassDOT, made the
announcement in New Bedford City Hall.

NS issues 2010 sustainability report, outlines 2011 environmental goals






Norfolk Southern
Corporation has issued its third annual sustainability report, available for
the first time exclusively on the company’s environmental website, Footprints,
at footprints.nscorp.com. The 2010 sustainability report describes Norfolk
Southern’s plans to achieve its new greenhouse gas emission reduction goal and
tracks initiatives in responsible economic, environmental, and social performance.

Ballast car production begins at FreightCar America






FreightCar
America, Inc., would begin production of 162 heavy-duty steel ballast cars for
an undisclosed customer within a few months. This is a specialty car type with
which FreightCar America has had significant experience since 2007. The 110-ton
capacity cars feature automatic doors with a remote control and solar-powered
activation system. This provides for additional productivity and operator
safety during the unloading process.


Twin Cities Central Corridor West Bank work set to begin






Construction
by the Central Corridor Project in the Twin Cities is anticipated to begin in
the next week for the West Bank. While the area has already seen construction
near Washington and Cedar Avenue by utility companies preparing for Central
Corridor, during the week of November
22, official Central Corridor Project construction will begin.

D.C. Metro to temporarily close L’Enfant Plaza station entrance






Washington, D.C., Metro
will temporarily close the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station entrance at 9th and
D Sts., S.W., Nov. 26 through Dec. 8, due to a rehabilitation project in the
promenade area adjacent to the station entrance. The entrance at 9th and D Sts.
will reopen on Dec. 9. 

The entrances at 7th St. and Maryland Ave, S.W. and
7th and D St. S.W. will remain open. 




Caltrain construction, maintenance update, Nov. 19-26






Work will continue on the
new pedestrian underpass at the Santa Clara, Calif., station. The underpass
will connect the north- and southbound platforms, allowing two trains to pass
through the station at the same time and improving safety for pedestrians in
the station. Passengers at the station are boarding the train from a temporary
platform that will be in use for approximately six months. The work is part of
an 18-month station improvement project that will add a new wider, longer
center-boarding platform and extend the southern platform 150 feet.


Historic Houma, La., train bridge is leaving town






Standing 12 stories tall,
Houma’s old steel train bridge that crosses the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is an
iconic fixture to those who grew up here, The Daily Comet reports. They
remember the trains crossing the bridge in the 1970s and 80s or climbing atop
the huge rust-covered structure following its permanent closure in 1991. After
this year, however, the lift bridge will once again operate over the
Intracoastal Waterway, though this time in Freeport, Texas.

PB names Noonan assistant vice president






Steve Noonan has been named an assistant
vice president in the Newark, N.J., office of Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB), a
global infrastructure strategic consulting, engineering and
program/construction management organization. In his new position, Noonan
will manage PB’s Northeast Rail Vehicle Group, responsible for vehicle and
system technical inputs to planning and engineering projects, as well as
management and administration of vehicle engineering and inspection support.

 


U.S. Dot makes railroad safety technology grants






U. S. Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood said that seven projects will share $50 million to help
make the nation’s rail system safer by facilitating deployment of Positive
Train Control (PTC) collision avoidance systems and other advanced
technologies. The projects will receive money through the new Railroad
Safety Technology Grant (RSTG) program.

European group gears up for Florida high-speed rail






A consortium of European
companies is vying to finance and operate Florida’s high-speed rail line
between Tampa and Orlando, the Sunshine State News reports. The group, headed
by train maker Alstom SA of France, will undoubtedly face spirited competition
in its bid for the multi-billion-dollar project. But the seven-company
multinational consortium says no one can rival its combined experience and
financial wherewithal.

BNSF issues notice to proceed on Kansas intermodal facility






The City of Edgerton, Kan.,
announced that BNSF had issued its notice to proceed with construction of its intermodal
facility near that city, the Gardner Edge reports. Mayor Don Robers was very
pleased with this announcement. He said, "Let the work begin. We have been
working with BNSF, the Allen Group, Johnson County, the State of Kansas and
many other groups to make sure that we would be prepared for this day."