Author: jrood

MBTA upgrading accessibility at Science Park/West End Station






Continuing the
Patrick-Murray Administration’s commitment to providing accessible
transportation service to all residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
MBTA General Manager Rich Davey joined local officials and members of the West
End community at the Science Park/West End Station to announce a $22-million
investment for accessibility improvements to the station. The project includes
the construction of two elevators that will provide access from a new street
level lobby to the train platforms at the top of the viaduct.

Texas leaders to try again to fix Tower 55 crossing






The effort to fix a
dangerous and congested rail intersection near downtown Fort Worth known as
Tower 55 may finally be on track, the Ft. Worth Star Telegram reports. Texas
Department of Transportation officials said that they would formally endorse an
application for federal funding for the Tower 55 project, a $93.7-million
proposal to modernize crossings often used by children on the way to school.

TriMet partners with junaio to supply transit information, schedules






Portland, Oregon’s regional
transit agency TriMet formed a partnership with junaio to integrate transit
data ranging from station locations, bus routes to estimated arrival times into
a TriMet channel on the junaio 2.0 mobile augmented reality platform. Available
free on the iPhone 3GS and coming soon to Android devices, junaio 2.0 features
the TriMet channel to give riders easy and instant access to complete transit
information on nearby stops by simply pointing their phone around them.

LA Metro to hold new community meeting on Westside Subway Extension






The Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) invites the public to a new
community meeting on Monday, June 7, to discuss alignment options for tunneling
between the Wilshire/Rodeo and Century City Stations now being examined as part
of the Westside Subway Extension Project environmental study now under review.

Nearly $80 million in high-speed rail funds delivered to states







The U.S. Department of
Transportation said that nearly $80 million in grants have been delivered to
states as part of President Obama’s historic high-speed and intercity passenger
rail program. These grants will go toward the development of a brand new
Recovery Act funded high-speed rail system in Florida as well as critical
upgrades to existing passenger rail service throughout the country.

Nortrak wins Metra order; manufactures 20,000th frog

VAE Nortrak North America
Inc. won a Metra Commuter Service master purchase agreement for rail. The
master purchase agreement is for new 115RE and 136RE AREMA rail for a period of
18 months. The first train with 64,000 lineal feet of welded rail will be
loaded on a rail train and headed for Chicago for this season’s
welded-rail-laying program.

 

New York’s MTA finalizes Hudson Yards deal






The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority said it has entered into a contract with a joint
venture of Related Companies and new partner Oxford Properties Group for the
development of the MTA’s Hudson Yards into a mixed-use community that will
include 12 million square feet of commercial and residential development. The
deal calls for the MTA to lease the site to the joint venture for 99 years,
with purchase options, and will provide $1 billion for vital MTA capital
projects.

Norfolk light-rail official: Water may not be culprit






Water may not be to blame
for the settling of light-rail tracks at the intersection of Brambleton Avenue
and Second Street, The Virginian-Pilot reports. Don Lint, Hampton Roads Transit
light-rail construction manager, said that once the tracks and the panels they
are bolted to are removed next week, the agency will have a better idea of what
went wrong.

LACMTA considers Green Line extension






The Los Angeles Metro
Transit Authority is exploring ways to provide commuters with an alternative to
the 405 freeway by extending the South Bay Metro Green Line. One option is into
North Redondo Beach, to many residents’ dismay, the Beach Reporter reports.

Construction of rail to Dulles causing weekend delays on Metro






There will be no train
service between the East Falls Church, Va., and West Falls Church-VT/UVA
Metrorail stations during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, (May 29, 30 and
31), and the first two weekends in June (June 5-6 and 12-13) to allow the
Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project to undertake the first in a series of major
construction activities that eventually will connect the new rail line to the
existing Metrorail system. 



John Haussmann joins HDR as principal project manager






John Haussmann, P.E., has
joined HDR as a vice president and principal project manager based in the
company’s Walnut Creek, Calif. office. He will focus on major transit projects
in California and throughout the western United States. Prior to
joining HDR, Haussmann was the regional transit manager for PBS&J’s west
and central regions. From 1997 to 2008 he served first as chief operating
officer and then CEO/president of T.Y. Lin International.

Graham Construction begins Central Corridor Light Rail Transit project






Graham Construction
Services, Inc., is working on several transit projects that will transform
Minnesota’s commuter landscape. These include Graham’s activities on the
Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (CCLRT) Advanced Traffic Improvements
project and on the 4th Street Advanced Utility Construction project. In
addition, the company has completed the Hiawatha Light Rail Transit line
extension to Target Field.