Author: jrood

Government of Canada, VIA Rail unveil new Brockville Station design






Gord Brown, Member of
Parliament for Leeds-Grenville, David Henderson, Mayor of Brockville, and Yves
Desjardins-Siciliano, General Counsel and Secretary of VIA Rail Canada,
unveiled the design plans for VIA’s new Brockville, Ont., passenger rail
station. Representing an estimated investment of C$4.5 million, the project
will receive C$3 million in funding from the Government of Canada’s Economic
Action Plan. This investment will provide modern, attractive facilities
for passengers, with capacity to meet potential future growth.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, looks at relocating railroad lines






Shopping and industry have
mostly given way to entertainment districts and convention centers, but one
thing remains constant in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, The Gazette reports. Studies
have come and gone, but the June 2008 flood disrupted the most recent effort to
address the situation. After the flood, a grant that would have continued the
study went instead to planning the city’s new convention complex.

Editorial urges Wisconsin governor-elect to back high-speed rail






(The following editorial
appeared in the Badger-Herald) The signing of the Pacific Railway Act by
President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 is lauded as a defining moment in America’s
history. Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, the transcontinental
railroad represented the epoch of westward expansion.

Razing Norfolk building for light rail to cost more than $1 million






A divided City Council
approved spending an additional $934,000 in taxpayer money to purchase a small
office building on York Street in Norfolk, Va., that officials say would cause
a safety issue when light rail opens in May, The Virginian-Pilot
 reports. However,
some council members say Hampton Roads Transit, not the city, should be
responsible for purchasing the building. The transportation agency is
constructing the city’s light-rail line.

D.C. Metro plans weekend renovation work on all five Metrorail lines






November 12-14, Washington,
D.C., Metro will upgrade its platforms, rail bridges, install new crossties and
new track to improve long-term reliability and service. As a result of this
crucial work, which is critical to maintain the railroad in a state of good
repair, trains on all lines will be single-tracking and riders should expect
their trips to take up to 30 minutes longer than usual. 



Sounder sets utility work on South Tacoma Way






Crews
for Seattle’s Sound Transit are performing utility work along South
Tacoma Way and at the intersection of South 26th and A Streets. This work, in
preparation for the new track for the D-to-M Streets project, is expected to
continue through early December. 

Joliet, Ill., has high hopes for $42-million transit hub






With a $32-million grant in
hand, Joliet, Ill., officials are hopeful that a new transportation center will
put the city on the map as a regional transportation hub, the Chicago Tribune
reports. Joliet officials recently learned of the state grant, which came just
one week after the city was turned down for a federal grant for the project.
The state grant, announced Oct. 28, will allow for the construction of a
transportation center immediately south of Union Station.

GOP leader: HSR funds won’t go for roads






Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.),
who is expected to chair the House Highways Subcommittee of the Transportation
& Infrastructure Committee in the next Congress in 2011, is quoted by the
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that high-speed rail funds being returned to
Washington by Ohio and Wisconsin most likely will be recycled to high-speed
rail projects elsewhere.

Port of Quincy, Wash., holds rural freight mobility summit






The Port of Quincy, Wash.,
recently held a Rural Freight Mobility Summit. More than 70 agricultural, food
processing, railroad, trucking, ocean cargo, economic development, warehousing
and distribution leaders attended the summit, which primarily focused on
freight mobility and transportation issues (intermodal, distribution, rail and trucking
issues) impacting perishable shippers in North Central Washington and the
Columbia Basin of Washington State.

Residents bemoan railroad tree cutting






Some Cary, N.C., residents
are unhappy with a bit of gardening that CSX Transportation did near its
railroad last month, the Cary News reports. Workers came through with a large
machine and tore apart trees along several stretches of rail in Cary, residents
say.

Chicago Metra convenes task force to improve air quality






Responding to a Chicago Tribune story that raised questions
about the level of diesel emissions on downtown platforms and onboard trains,
Metra on Tuesday said it has hired an independent firm to conduct tests and is
forming a task force to investigate the problem and propose new ways to improve
the air quality.
 

Officials want development to be part of Hampton Roads light rail






Urban planners and
promoters of light rail often cite the 52-mile MAX light-rail system in
Portland, Ore., for generating several billion dollars of real estate
development around its stations since it began operating in 1986, The
Virginian-Pilot
 reports. In Charlotte, N.C., where the 9.6-mile Lynx
light-rail system opened in 2007, development has been more restrained, though
that may be a reflection of the economy.

New York Grand Central’s constellations now shine more brightly






New York City’s
most-beloved galaxy, the constellation ceiling above Grand Central Terminal’s
Main Concourse, came alive recently with new luminosity in the form of
light-emitting diodes. Fifty-nine of the brightest stars in the winter sky,
such as Castor and Pollux in Gemini and Rigel in Orion, were turned on Nov. 8
now that MTA Metro-North Railroad, steward of the Terminal, has completed
installation of new fixtures.

LA Metro implements new transit information number






The well-known telephone
number 1.800.COMMUTE, funded by Caltrans for transportation information in Los
Angeles County, is being discontinued. Metro will now provide bus and rail
information through a new easy-to-remember number 323.GO.METRO.

D.C. Metro successfully completes weekend track work






All Metrorail stations
opened on time Nov. 8 after successful track projects that took place during
the weekend. 

This past weekend, Metro made preliminary repairs to the
stabilize the ground, the abutment and aerial structure outside the Cheverly
Metrorail station because a developer performed work on land adjacent to Metro
property that shifted the ground and caused movement of Metro’s aerial
structure.