Port Authority Board approves purchase, redevelopment of Greenville Yards






The Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners authorized the agency to move ahead
with the purchase and redevelopment of Greenville Yards, a century-old rail
yard in Jersey City, N.J., that will serve as the lynchpin to removing up to
360,000 trash trucks annually from trans-Hudson crossings and New Jersey
highways by moving New York City’s sealed containerized solid waste and other
commodities by barge and rail when appropriate facilities are completed by
2013.

Holland Co. uses Ex-Im Bank to support export to Brazil

Holland L.P., based in
Crete, Ill., is using a medium-term insurance policy from the Export-Import
Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) to support its export of railroad-track
equipment to a private-sector buyer in Brazil.

Unitrac captures $2.2-million Metro North trackwork contract






Unitrac Railroad
Materials, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Healey Railroad Corporation and a
specialty trackwork manufacturer and distributor of new and relay rail, has
been awarded a $2.2-million special trackwork contract from Metro North.


FTA Administrator Rogoff: Improving transit means making difficult choices






Federal Transit
Administrator Peter Rogoff told business and transit stakeholders gathered in
Boston that the Obama Administration is committed to keeping the nation’s
transit systems efficient and maintained and asked for a similar commitment
from them.

Cleveland RTA Board approves contracts






During the regular
meeting, the Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority Board adopted 10
resolutions, including: 2010-35, Authorizing a $150,000 contract with Standard Contracting
and Engineering Inc. of
Brook Park to install upgraded ADA ramps and sidewalks at the Flats-East Bank
Rapid Station on the Waterfront Line, the West 98-Cudell Rapid Station on the
Red Line, the Parma Transit Center, the North Coast Rapid Station eastbound
platform on the Waterfront Line, the West Third Street Rapid Station eastbound
platform on the Waterfront Line, and the Euclid Park-N-Ride lot. The bid is 49
percent lower than the engineer’s estimate.


Proposal could save shortline railway






Industry has proposed an
agreement that, with government assistance, might keep rail service in Grand
Forks, B.C., said Mayor Brian Taylor. A group of shippers that use the
railway, including Pacific Abrasives and Interfor, contacted Omnitrax, which
owns the Kettle Falls International Railroad, the Grand Forks Gazette reports.

Rail Industry Honors Annual Safety Achievements at E.H. Harriman Awards






America’s railroads honored
the industry’s safety achievements and celebrated railroads with the best
employee safety records at the annual E.H. Harriman Awards. According to the
Association of American Railroads (AAR), 2009 was the safest year ever for
railroads, with significant milestones achieved across the board in reduced
train accidents, employee casualties and grade crossing collisions

Cattron Group InternationalTM adds new manufacturer representatives in Mexico






Cattron Group
InternationalTM, a leading global manufacturer of remote control products and
professional services for the industrial, mining, commercial mobile and
railroad markets, has contracted with TTechTrain SA de CV to represent the
company in Mexico. They will handle all brands for the Industrial and Rail
markets. Andres Duncan and Susana Duncan, along with their colleagues, have a
combined experience of 86 years providing service to the railroad industry in
the Americas.


Barix Audio over IP Devices to support public address at NJ TRANSIT

Barix AG said that NJ
TRANSIT has standardized on Barix Audio over IP equipment for IP-based
distribution of public address (PA) announcements at rail and bus stations
across the state.

TriMet breaks ground on new MAX station






TriMet, elected officials
and project partners in the Portland, Ore., area broke ground on a new MAX
station that has been in the works since 1997. The future Civic Drive Station
will be the 85th along the entire 52-mile MAX system. The Civic Drive Station
is located along the MAX Blue Line tracks at Civic Drive in Gresham.

Agreement reach on site needed for MBTA Green Line extension facility






The Massachusetts
Department of Transportation (MassDOT), Congressman Michael Capuano and
Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone said there is now an agreement on a new
preferred site for a maintenance and storage facility needed for the Green Line
extension to Somerville and Medford.

Controversial BNSF rail hub will get $35 million from State of Kansas






Veiled
by the Kansas debate over cutting state services or raising taxes was a $35-million
gem that lawmakers left for BNSF, The Kansas City Star reports. As the
Legislature passed a sales tax increase to avoid deep spending cuts, it also
cut a deal that will allow BNSF to start work this year on a controversial
Johnson County freight hub that has been delayed by the recession.

Federal transportation officials seek public input on National Rail Plan






The Federal Railroad
Administration has set dates and locations of public outreach meetings to
solicit input toward the development of the nation’s first-ever National Rail.
The National Rail Plan will lay out a coordinated vision for future development
of our nation’s freight and passenger rail networks. A final version of the
plan will be released by September 15, 2010.

RailWorks Gordon Strilchuk appointed vice president of PNR RailWorks’ Signals & Communications Divis






RailWorks Corporation
promoted Gordon Strilchuk to vice president of signals & communications at
its Canadian subsidiary PNR RailWorks Inc., Canada’s largest railway
contractor. Strilchuk, who leads PNR RailWorks’ Signals & Communication
division, has more than 35 years of rail system signals and communications experience.
He is based in Guelph, Ontario, and reports to Jamey Craig, president of PNR
RailWorks.


Editorial: Extend monitoring of CN merger






Was it an honest mistake?
Or a calculated move to minimize the effect of bringing more freight trains on
the EJ&E railroad tracks? The Daily Herald asks in an editorial. The true
answer may never be known. But we agree with those who say Canadian National
Railway, EJ&E’s owner, should be held accountable for providing flawed
data.

BART plans bus bridge between Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill May 28-31






BART crews are installing
the final section of crossover track between Pleasant Hill and Walnut Creek, Calif.,
stations. This work requires that closing the tracks between these two stations
beginning 7p.m. Friday, May 28 through the end of service Monday, May 31
(Memorial Day weekend). To accommodate customers, BART
will provide a free bus bridge service between Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill
(in both directions).


Caltrain construction, maintenance update, May 15-20






May 15-16, Caltrain used an
on-track truck to spray weed killer along the right-of-way. Weed abatement is
necessary to prevent brush fires on and around the train tracks. May 16-20,
crews will replace crossties, weld and resurface the tracks between the
Bayshore and San Mateo stations.


MTA launches Second Avenue Subway tunnel-boring machine

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, elected officials and contractor S3 Tunnel Constructors launched the tunnel-boring machine that will dig the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway.

Freight rail move to St. Louis Park gets more study






In June, Hennepin County,
Minn., will launch a nine-month, $200,000 study of the cost and community and
environmental impacts of adding more traffic to the St. Louis Park tracks, the
Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Union Pacific railroad bridge nearly succumbs to flooding






The Union Pacific Railroad
bridge spanning Coleto Creek was damaged May 15 as a result of the flooding
caused by torrential rainfall, the Victoria, Texas, Advocate reports.

LOAD MORE