MetroLink maintenance scheduled for November 20, December 4






On Saturday, November 20,
and Saturday, December 4, MetroLink in the St. Louis area will operate special
service from the beginning of service until 12:00 p.m. noon to accommodate
required maintenance of MetroLink tracks on the Eads Bridge over the Mississippi
River. Blue Line trains, which typically operate between Shrewsbury and
Fairview Heights, will instead operate from Shrewsbury to the Civic Center
MetroLink Station. Red Line trains will continue to operate on their regular
route from the Lambert Airport to Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Stations.

North County Transit schedules tie work






On
Nov. 19-20, North County transit District crews will replace railroad ties
along the COASTER track in the Del Mar, Calif., area. After the new ties are placed,
train traffic will slow for 24 hours to allow the track to settle and
stabilize. A few days later, a large truck will travel by rail to carry away
the old ties.

BNSF to start work on Oklahoma rail reconstruction soon






Rail reconstruction, made
possible by $4 million in stimulus funds, has started on the BNSF line
extending from downtown north Shawnee, Okla., to the industrial park, the Shawnee
News Star
 reports.

WSOR renovation is really on a roll






The Wisconsin &
Southern Railroad doesn’t need to wait until 2030 to experience the increasing
freight demand that industry pundits are forecasting, the Janesville, Wis.,
Gazette reports. The Milwaukee-based railroad already is running more traffic
on several of its lines and is expecting a 35-percent increase in the tonnage
it hauls on its Janesville to Monroe line by 2013.

Judge urges dueling railroads to compromise

A
federal judge heard arguments in a contentious railway rights case concerning
access to a paper mill in Madawaska, Maine, the Bangor Daily News reports. U.S.
District Judge John Woodcock took the case under advisement. At issue was a
request by Canadian National Railway Co. for a preliminary injunction allowing
it access to the Twin Rivers Paper Co. on tracks owned by the Montreal, Maine
& Atlantic Railway while the case progresses in court.

New signs at downtown SF stations part of BART wayfinding improvements






BART riders are noticing
new and improved signs in downtown San Francisco stations, part of an ongoing
program throughout the BART system for wayfinding and signage improvements.

Weekend closure of Cleveland Blue/Green Rail for upgrades






The Greater Cleveland
Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is continuing its light-rail maintenance
program on the Blue/Green line with its final weekend closure starting November
19. At the same time, the Red Line will be closed East of Tower City.
Replacement buses will pick up and drop off riders at every station on all of
the closed train lines during the weekend.

San Bruno, Calif., Grade Separation Project kick-off celebration






Rosanne Foust, Chair, San
Mateo County Transportation Authority; Omar Ahmad, Caltrain Board; Jim Ruane,
Mayor, City of San Bruno; and Ken Ibarra, Councilman, City of San Bruno are
among the officials scheduled to attend a Nov. 18 celebration to kick-off the
construction of the San Bruno, Calif., Grade Separation Project. The project
will elevate the Caltrain tracks above San Bruno, San Mateo and Angus avenues,
replace the existing station at Sylvan Avenue; create three new pedestrian
underpasses; and add 201 parking spaces and a "kiss and ride" lot at the
station.

Chicago’s Metra testing air quality in train cars, downtown terminals






On November 16, Metra in
northeastern Illinois began testing the air quality onboard some passenger cars
and at downtown terminals. Recent questions were
raised about the level of diesel emissions on downtown platforms and trains.
While Metra trains are in full compliance with all Environmental Protection
Agency standards, additional testing conducted on a system-wide basis will
provide a more detailed picture of total air quality.


Murphy to lead Urban Engineers’ Connecticut office






William Murphy, P.E., has
been hired by Urban Engineers and named manager of the firm’s New England Regional
Office in Hartford, Conn. Murphy, who has 30 years of experience, is a
registered professional engineer in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York,
Pennsylvania and Florida. He holds a master’s degree in business administration
from the University of Connecticut, a master’s degree in civil engineering from
Northwestern University and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from
Manhattan College.

$8.6-million Levelland industrial rail park gets engines on track






Levelland, Texas, city and economic
development officials got engines on track for an $8.6-million industrial rail
park in the 12,866-population town just 30 miles west of Lubbock, Texas.


$35-million Recovery Act grant to renovate St. Paul, Minn., Union Depot






Renovations to Minnesota’s
historic Union Depot in Saint Paul can now begin thanks to a signed agreement
between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Ramsey County Regional
Railroad Authority for $35 million, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

TriMet in Portland, Ore., begins testing at its 85th MAX station






TriMet’s MAX Blue Line
trains have begun two weeks of testing at the new Civic Drive Station in
Gresham, Ore. The trains will briefly stop at the station, simulating revenue
service, but no passengers will be able to board or exit the train. 

Rail duopoly needs watchdog: shippers






Canada’s two largest
railways need to be monitored by a federal watchdog to keep their duopoly
powers in check, says a former rail executive who is leading the charge for
disgruntled shippers, the Toronto Globe and Mail reports.

Village of Mundelein, Ill., seeks to become train horn quiet zone






The
village of Mundelein, Ill., would like to reduce the noise of train horns, the
Chicago Tribune reports. Board members recently hired Lisle, Ill.-based Patrick
Engineering Inc., who will develop  a plan that will look into the
establishment of what’s known as a Federal Railroad Administration  train
horn quiet zone.

Massachusetts’s officials break ground on MBTA Yawkey Station






As part of the
Patrick-Murray Administration’s historic Massachusetts Works program to promote
job growth and long-term economic recovery, Massachusetts Governor Deval
Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray joined Boston Mayor Thomas
Menino Nov. 15 to break ground on the $13.5-million Yawkey Commuter Rail
Station reconstruction project, a key public transportation component of the
$450-million Fenway Center development.

Hampton Roads, Va., transit plan envisions a mix of ferries, rail, buses






A tunnel dedicated
exclusively to light rail and a network of fast ferries are recommended to link
South Hampton Roads and the Peninsula in a draft plan for expanding public
transit in Hampton Roads, the Virginian-Pilot
 reports. Other ideas include
streetcars, bus rapid transit and commuter rail.

Bidding on MARC contract canceled






Maryland has canceled the
bidding on a contract to take over the operations of the MARC Camden and Brunswick
lines from CSX Transportation, saying its bid solicitation had failed to
generate sufficient competition for the work, The Baltimore Sun reports.

L.B. Foster extends tender offer for Portec Rail Products, Inc.






L.B. Foster Company is
extending its previously announced cash tender offer, through its wholly-owned
subsidiary Foster Thomas Company, for all outstanding shares of common stock of
Portec Rail Products, Inc., until 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on December
15, 2010. The tender offer was previously set to expire at midnight, New York
City Time on November 15, 2010.


Caltrain construction, maintenance update Nov. 13-19






As part of the Santa Clara,
Calif., Station improvement project, work will continue on the new pedestrian
underpass. 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.

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