If efforts to
re-establish passenger rail service in Hardin County, Ken., were a children’s
story, it would be titled, "The Little Engine that Couldn’t."
Regardless of
how tall that hill may be, though, two recent developments have given at least
some steam to the possibility, local newsppers report.
Officials are calling it
Laurinburg’s not-so great train robbery, The Laurinburg, N.C., Exchange
reports. Someone stole about 800 feet of railroad beams and caused several
train cars to derail. The accident occurred on some tracks between McFarland
and Shaw Currie roads.
Beginning February 20 BART
will need to run northbound Pittsburg/Bay Point line trains on a single track
due to ongoing weekend track work for the Central Contra Costa Crossover
Project. Single-tracking will take place on weekends only and BART expects to end
this work in mid-May. Single-tracking trains may result in slight delays of up
to 10 to 15 minutes on weekend trains going toward Pittsburg/Bay Point Station.
Track maintenance on the
Orange Line in the Washington, D.C., area Feb. 19-2 will cause inbound and
outbound trains to take turns sharing one track.
Association of American Railroads President and CEO
Edward R. Hamberger said that freight railroads are at a critical point in
their history as the industry is facing new challenges from over-burdensome
federal regulatory mandates that could seriously undercut the industry’s
ability to aid in U.S. economic recovery
A New Jersey construction
company could begin restoring the long-dormant railroad extension in Calverton,
N.Y., as early as mid-March, with the possibility of work being completed by
summer’s end, officials said. Freight trains could start heading into the
Enterprise Park at Calverton, or EPCAL, soon after the job wraps up, said town
community development director Chris Kempner, the Riverhead, N.Y., News-Review
reports.
CSX Corp. is set to begin
discussions with officials in Worcester, Westboro, East Brookfield and West
Springfield, Mass., about plans to shift more freight operations out of Boston
to freight yards in those communities, the Worcester Times reports. The changes
come as part of a plan to expand commuter rail service on the Boston to
Worcester line and to raise bridges between Route 128 and New York to make room
for double-stacked freight trains.
An often-contentious plan
to separate railroad tracks in Colton, Calif., is among 51 projects nationwide
set to receive millions in federal stimulus funds, although local officials
never identified it as a top regional priority, The Press-Enterprise reports.
New America THINKS survey
results from HNTB Corporation illustrate transit and passenger rail remain top
of mind after the Obama administration’s $8-billion high-speed rail grant
announcement last month.
New Jersey Gov. Chris
Christie’s proposal to cut NJ Transit’s subsidies comes just as the Atlantic
City Rail Line is planning to expand, the Press of Atlantic City reports. Transit
officials have proposed building a new station in Egg Harbor Township, near
Galloway Township’s Pomona section – a station that could turn into a major
work transit hub for the Federal Aviation Administration’s William J. Hughes
Technical Center and future businesses such as the Next Generation Aviation
Research and Technical Park. This comes as lines across the state already have
seen numerous service cuts – including a popular early morning Atlantic
City-to-Philadelphia run that was canceled less than a month ago.
The $100-million federal
grant awarded to the Chicago region Feb. 17 to unclog rail congestion will
benefit Jimmy Buffett Parrotheads and Chicago Fire soccer aficionados along
with freight haulers, motorists and rail passengers, the Chicago Tribune
reports. That’s because $20 million of that money will go toward building a
rail/highway underpass on 71st Street, west of Harlem Avenue and across from
Bridgeview’s Toyota Park, a 28,000-seat sports and music venue.
Two train systems meant to
usher in a new era of transportation in Metro Orlando, Fla., are slated to run
along separate tracks that will intersect west of Orlando International
Airport, the Orlando Sentinel reports. But, as it stands, there is no planned
connection where passengers from the $1.2-billion SunRail commuter train could
transfer to the $2.6-billion high-speed train or vice versa. How is that
possible?
Competition for the $1.5
billion in TIGER grants awarded Wednesday was grrrrrreat. But the results weren’t so great
for Kansas, which got skunked, according to a column by Rob Roberts in the Kansas
City Business Journal.
Medina, Ohio, will upgrade
several railroad crossing signals and surfaces within city limits in order to
meet recently changed state and federal safety regulations. In addition,
officials have discussed the possibility of transforming the area, which is in
the city’s southern portion, into a railroad quiet zone, the Medina Sun
reports.
Britt, Iowa, city
officials are considering a costlier option in an effort to avoid future
repairs to several damaged railroad crossings within the city, the Britt Summit
reports. At its regular February meeting, the Britt City Council instructed
Mayor David Mitchell to continue exploring a reconstruction option for three
separate crossings throughout the city, an option that could cost the city an
additional $10-12,000 per crossing but ensure a longer life span for each
track.
During a special
ceremony on Feb. 18, Miami-Dade County officials renamed the Metromover
facility in downtown Miami to posthumously honor Miami-Dade Transit employee
Joseph Bryant. Bryant was a dedicated employee for 28 years, of which 15 years
were spent in the Metromover Maintenance Division, where Bryant rose through
the ranks to become a Metromover maintenance supervisor before losing his life
while on duty the evening of June 19, 2009.
Two separate construction
projects in Philadelphia will alter SEPTA’s Broad Street Line service the
weekend of Feb 19-21. From 8 p.m. Feb. 19 through 4 p.m. Feb. 21, Broad Street
line trains will not stop at Fairmount Station as construction continues at
Spring Garden Station. Riders traveling northbound who wish to go to Fairmount
Avenue will have to exit the Broad Street Subway at Spring Garden Street and
transfer to the Route C bus. Southbound passengers will have to exit at Girard
Avenue to transfer to the Route C bus to Fairmount Avenue.
The
Commonwealth of Kentucky and the U. S. Department of Transportation said that
R. J. Corman Railroad Group’s Appalachian Regional Shortline Project has been
awarded a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant
of $17,551,028. This
transportation infrastructure grant will be matched by a 20 percent company
investment of $4,187,758 and by $200,000 from the Commonwealth of Kentucky bringing
the total project investment to $21,938,786. These funds will enable the rehabilitation
of hundreds of miles on five unconnected shortline railroads in Kentucky,
Tennessee and West Virginia.
CSX congratulated Ohio
Governor Ted Strickland, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Pennsylvania
Governor Ed Rendell, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, West Virginia Governor
Joe Manchin and the National Gateway coalition on the award of $98 million in
Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant money. The
funds will go immediately to construction projects that enhance the use of fuel-efficient
and environmentally-friendly freight rail.
One year to the day after
President Obama signed the historic American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into
law, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will announce Recovery Act awards
to states, tribal governments, cities, counties and transit agencies across the
country to fund 51 innovative transportation projects.
