Passenger rail rolls closer to reality in Norfolk, Va.






Shipyard workers paused
to wave at the passengers aboard a Norfolk Southern passenger train as it made
a slow start through the backyards of Chesapeake homes and over the waters
surrounding the Norfolk, Va., Naval Shipyard, the Suffolk News Herald reports. The
grey and blue piles of freight soon turned to a blur of green and red – the
colors of summer turning to fall – as the train picked up speed through the
Great Dismal Swamp and continued over Lake Cohoon and through miles of cotton
and soybean fields.

DC Metro weekend renovation work set for Oct. 22-24






October 22-24, Washington,
D.C., Metro will upgrade its platforms, rail bridges and install communication
cables in support of expanded cell phone service throughout the Metrorail
system on the Red and Green lines 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 will be single-tracking, and so riders should
expect their trips to take up to 30 minutes longer than usual.





Illinois Gov. Quinn announces funding for Moline Transportation Center






Illinois  Governor Pat Quinn was joined by U.S.
Rep. Phil Hare, Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Joseph Szabo,
Illinois Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig and local officials to announce
full funding for the Moline Transportation Center that will serve as a station
for new Amtrak service between Chicago and the Quad Cities. The station project
will create 750 construction jobs. The realization of passenger rail service in
downtown Moline will support approximately 1,600 direct and indirect jobs.

BART breaks ground for Oakland Airport Connector






Congresswoman Barbara Lee,
BART Board President James Fang and Board Member Carole Ward Allen joined local
leaders in government, transportation and building trades to celebrate the
ceremonial groundbreaking on the $484 million Oakland Airport Connector
project. In the short term, construction of this train-to-plane connection will
mean thousands of jobs in a recovering economy. In the long term, this
world-class, 100-percent electric train-to-plane connection between the
Coliseum Station and the Oakland Airport will provide travelers with frequent,
fast and reliable service.

LA Metro applauds U.S. DOT’s $546-million loan






Los Angeles-area Metro
officials applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation announcement of a low-interest
loan of $546 million for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor project,
representing the largest public works investment in South Los Angeles.

Metra may start over with UP North bridge project






Metra might start over on
its plan to rebuild 22 bridges on the Union Pacific North Line, rebidding the
contract it already awarded for the work while figuring out a way to reduce the
estimated $80 million cost of new retaining walls, officials said, the Chicago Tribune
reports. The Northeastern Illinois 
commuter rail agency is sending the controversial $185 million project
to reconstruct century-old bridges back to its engineers to find a way to keep
two tracks in operation, officials said.

San Bruno grade separation could be Caltain’s last






Strapped for cash and
waiting on high-speed rail to fund railway improvements, Caltrain isn’t
planning another grade separation project after San Bruno’s aboveground undertaking,
the San Carlos Patch reports.

Plans for light rail in Virginia Beach, Va., are moving forward






Plans for light rail in
Virginia Beach, Va., are moving forward, local media report. Officials from
Hampton Roads Transit joined Virginia Beach City Council to update them on
bringing light rail to the resort city. Right now it’s looking like any light
rail expansion to the beach would include about nine stations. 
It starts where
Norfolk leaves off at Witchduck Rd. and then goes right now the 264 corridor,
stopping at Town Center, Lynn Shores, Lynnhaven, Great Neck, Oceana, Birdneck,
the Convention Center, and finally stopping down at the Oceanfront on 19th St.

SMART, North Coast Railroad Authority can’t agree on joint operating rules






Freight trains may be ready
to roll again on the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, but a dispute between two
public rail agencies threatens to sidetrack the cargo service, The Santa Rosa,
Calif., Press Democrat reports. North Coast Railroad Authority, which oversees
freight trains, and Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit, which owns the tracks south
of Healdsburg, can’t agree on joint operating rules.

Houston METRO plans weekend bridge construction






Houston METRO will change its weekend rail service due to continued
construction of an enclosed pedestrian bridge over Fannin at the Texas Children’s
Hospital.

Gary, Ind., airport wins key agreement for rail deal






Siemens rüstet das zukünftig größte Express- und Logistikzentrum Asienes<br /> mit Sortiertechnik aus

The Gary/Chicago
International Airport has won a key nod from CSX Corp. that will open the way
for moving railroad tracks that block the expansion of its main runway, the
Northwest Indiana Times reports. CSX has agreed to do design work that would
allow the reroute of tracks belonging to Canadian National Railway on to CSX’s
own right-of-way on the north side of Chicago Avenue, according to Gary/Chicago
International Airport Interim Director Steve Landry.

Secretary LaHood announces more than 70 TIGER II 
grants






Siemens rüstet das zukünftig größte Express- und Logistikzentrum Asienes<br /> mit Sortiertechnik aus

Forty-two capital
construction projects and 33 planning projects in 40 states will share nearly
$600 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s popular TIGER II
program for major infrastructure projects ranging from highways and bridges to
transit, rail and ports, Secretary Ray LaHood said Oct. 20.

New licensee for Low Vibration Track in North America






Siemens rüstet das zukünftig größte Express- und Logistikzentrum Asienes<br /> mit Sortiertechnik aus

Ohio-based Construction
Polymers Technologies, Inc., was named as the new North America licensee of the
LVT slab track system from Sonneville AG (formerly Sonneville International
Corporation).

NS breaks ground on $95-million intermodal terminal in Greencastle, Pa.






Siemens rüstet das zukünftig größte Express- und Logistikzentrum Asienes<br /> mit Sortiertechnik aus

Norfolk Southern CEO Wick
Moorman was joined by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, Federal Railroad
Administration Deputy Administrator Karen Rae, Rep. Bill Shuster and other
state and local dignitaries to officially break ground for the new Franklin
County Regional Intermodal Facility in Greencastle, Pa.

SEPTA celebrates completion of North Wales Station renovations






Siemens rüstet das zukünftig größte Express- und Logistikzentrum Asienes<br /> mit Sortiertechnik aus

Earlier this month, SEPTA in
the Philadelphia area joined local officials and community members, for a
ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of renovation work at the North
Wales Station.

BART seeks public input on Hayward Maintenance Complex Project






Siemens rüstet das zukünftig größte Express- und Logistikzentrum Asienes<br /> mit Sortiertechnik aus

BART is seeking public
input on future improvements to the Hayward, Calif., Yard. The agency will
present a project overview of the Hayward Maintenance Complex at the Oct. 21
meeting in Union City, Calif.


Wachusett, Mass., commuter rail extension project to break ground






February 14, 2001

As part of the Patrick-
Murray Administration’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan to enhance economic
development and create jobs by strengthening public transit and rail service, Mass.
Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood and Congressman John Olver to announce the groundbreaking for the
$55.5-million Wachusett Commuter Rail Extension Project.

State of Ohio gives Cleveland RTA $16.2 million






February 14, 2001

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland said
that the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is providing $150 million
over the next three years ($50 million per year) for transit agencies
throughout Ohio.

D.C. Metro to conduct rail repairs at Cheverly and replace track






February 14, 2001

Metro in the Washington,
D.C., area will close the eastern end of the Orange Line between the
Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton Metrorail stations and there will be no Blue
Line service between the Stadium-Armory and Benning Road Metrorail stations
from 10 p.m., Friday, Nov. 5, to closing on Sunday, Nov, 7, as the agency
undertakes a major rehabilitation and rebuilding project to improve safety,
comply with a safety recommendation made by the National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB), maintain service reliability and return the area to a state of
good repair. 



St. Louis Metro, SCCTD wrap up $2.7-million project St. Clair County






February 14, 2001

St. Louis Metro and the
St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) have avoided potential service
disruptions to MetroLink by completing a $2.7-million project that halted
erosion and stabilized soil along 4.5 miles of tracks between Fairview Heights
and Swansea, Illinois. The project that began in May was completed nearly two
months ahead of schedule and 10 percent under the $3 million budget.

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