RailAmerica completes Wellsboro and Corning Railroad and Industrial Waste Group deal

RailAmerica, Inc., completed its acquisition of a 70-percent interest in the Wellsboro and Corning Railroad and Industrial Waste Group from Myles Group for approximately $18 million.

Construction begins on Dearborn, Michigan rail station

A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new $28.2 million federally-funded intermodal train and bus station in downtown Dearborn, Mich., providing greater connectivity for residents throughout the region.

NCDOT to hold public workshop for proposed railroad safety improvement project

The North Carolina Department of Transportation will hold a citizens’ informational workshop regarding the proposed railway safety improvement project affecting railroad crossings on and between Carmon Road and Frieden Church Road in Guilford County. The workshop will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24.

Six Class 1s among TRANSCAER

Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response (TRANSCAER), a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities to prepare for and respond to a possible hazardous materials transportation incident, awarded six Class 1 railroads for its 2011 National Awards Recognition Program.

DART starts light rail train tests in Irving

Dallas Area Rapid Transit in Texas completed the first light-rail test train into Irving, as it completed the five-mile section between Bachman Station and the Irving Convention Center on Monday, April 9. The first section of the
14-mile Orange Line opens July 30.

Rep. Lee pushes for Texas high-speed rail

During Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee’s recent visit to Japan and South Korea, Japanese and South Korean officials both expressed interest in supporting and providing high-speed rail in the state of Texas. Congresswoman Jackson Lee is laying the groundwork to invite these officials to the 18th Congressional District to see first-hand the needs and plans for an expanded rail transportation system.

USDOT receives 703 applications for TIGER 2012 grants

The demand for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) 2012 grants have far surpassed the available funding, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Administrator Szabo stresses importance of local planning in passenger rail projects

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo reaffirmed the Obama Administration’s commitment to passenger rail and stressed the need for long-term planning to create market-driven passenger rail corridors while speaking at the Northern Flyer Alliance’s Passenger Rail Symposium at Kansas City’s Union Station.

WMATA proceeds with “Metro Forward” work

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority released a schedule of planned major track work for the second half of 2012. WMATA’s massive rebuilding effort, known as Metro Forward, will resume with midday trackwork on Monday, April 16 and with weekend trackwork on Friday, April 20.

UTA’s FrontRunner to Provo opens in December

The Utah Transit Authority officially announced an opening date of Monday, December 10, 2012, for the new FrontRunner Provo to Salt Lake City line. The new 45-mile commuter rail line is an extension of the FrontRunner Salt Lake City to Weber County line that opened in April 2008.

NYCT FASTRACK coming to the 1, 2 and 3 lines

New York City Transit’s FASTRACK is returning to the Seventh Avenue Line. Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit conducted four FASTRACK line shutdowns in the first quarter of this year resulting in an unprecedented amount of work. During the first late-night shutdown on the Broadway/Seventh Avenue 123 corridor, 800 maintenance workers completed more than 400 tasks each night, a monumental effort that would have taken months under normal operations. And, according to NYCT, there is still more work to be done.

PARN and the IBT reach agreement

Pacific and Arctic Railway & Navigation Company (PARN) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 959 reached a tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement on March 29, 2012, covering the combined crafts and classes of shop crafts and maintenance-of-way employees.

Centennial celebration of San Francisco’s first streetcar kicks off

San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), joined U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, chair of the SFMTA Centennial Honorary Committee, to launch the 100th anniversary celebration of the Municipal Railway, founded on December 28, 1912.

Denver RTD celebrates 10 years Central Platte Valley Light Rail C Line

This month the Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver, Colo., is marking 10 years of light-rail service on the Central Platte Valley (CPV) C Line. Since RTD opened the 1.8-mile line April, 5, 2002, the line has carried more than 17 million passenger trips. Now a decade later, RTD and its community partners are marking the 10th Anniversary.

Michigan trackwork to relieve slow orders, restore Amtrak service

Following work set to begin April 16, Amtrak Wolverine Service and Blue Water passengers can expect normal travel times on Norfolk Southern tracks in Michigan by early May.

SEPTA issues Norristown High Speed Line construction update

For the past several months, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has been working to complete both planned and emergency construction projects on the Norristown High Speed Line.

PANYNJ plans $256 million Harrison Rail Station replacement project

A new glass-and-steel Harrison Port Authority of New York and New Jersey rail station is now on track to replace the currently deteriorating 76-year-old facility after the authority commissioners authorized key steps to move the project forward.

Harsco awarded international track equipment orders

Harsco Corporation received international orders for its railway track maintenance rail grinders totaling more than $20 million, including the company’s first rail equipment order from South Korea and its first larger-capacity 30-stone rail grinder sale into China’s urban metro transit market.

Iowa City City Council approves railroad infrastructure project

Iowa City will proceed with the Iowa City Industrial Campus Railroad Siding and Spur Improvement Project after the city council approved details of the project with a 6-0 vote.

NYCT launches second track improvement initiative

In New York a major track renewal and component replacement project along the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Queens Boulevard Line will begin on April 7. The track closure will be in effect 24 hours a day as the tracks and support equipment are completely replaced with new ties, tie blocks, plates and rails.

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