Editorial: Narrow rules are no excuse to withhold rail money






(This editorial appeared on
the Boston Globe Website on December 21, 2009.) The Federal Railroad
Administration says it was just following the law in requiring a major environmental
review before Amtrak can seek money for improvements on its Boston-Washington
route. The review should be performed as quickly as possible, and, if it can’t
be completed in time to qualify for some of the $8 billion in high-speed rail
funds in the federal stimulus bill, Congress should change the rules. The
Northeast Corridor is, after all, a century-old railbed, and environmental
risks stemming from fairly simple improvements aren’t serious enough to
jeopardize the best chance in a generation to push American rail policy in the
right direction.

Sound Transit opens Link light rail service to SeaTac






Getting to and from Sea-Tac
International Airport got a lot easier Dec. 19 as the Link light rail extension
opened for passenger service.

RailAmerica to terminate of OVR lease with CP






RailAmerica, Inc. says its
subsidiary RaiLink Canada Ltd. has closed on a transaction with the Canadian
Pacific Railway to terminate its lease of the Ottawa Valley Railway line. Under
the terms of the agreement, RailAmerica, Inc. received C$73 million in gross
proceeds. The company estimates net cash proceeds after taxes and transaction
related expenses of C$69 to C$70 million.

Yakima, Wash., railroad underpass bids pass muster






The city of Yakima,
Wash., expects to break ground on the railroad underpass project next March,
thanks to some surprisingly low bids from contractors and political support
from local members of Congress who hope to bring back more money from
Washington, D.C. the Yakima Herald-Republic reports.

Covell underpass project extended






Drivers waiting for the
new $6.1-million Covell Road underpass in Edmond, Okla., will have to wait
awhile longer, local media report. Sherwood Construction, contractor for the
project, has requested another 140 calendar days to finish the job, which
started in September 2008, Edmond City Manager Larry Stevens said.

RailComm DOC® System in production service on Austin’s Capital Metro






RailComm has successfully
commissioned a Centralized Traffic Control system for Capital Metro’s commuter rail
service in Austin, Texas. The Track Warrant Control portion of the system was
launched just 32 days from the signed Notice to Proceed. Capital Metro contracted RailComm to expand the
initial DOC® Track Warrant Control system to include Centralized
Traffic Control functionality for signalized locations. RailComm was
responsible for the central office control system, as well as providing the
data communication network to the controlled interlockings and other field
equipment.


Link light rail opens to SeaTac Dec. 19











The Link light rail
extension to SeaTac and Sea-Tac International Airport opens for passenger
service on Saturday, Dec. 19. The 1.7-mile extension completes the line from
downtown Seattle that opened July 18th.

Niantic bridge replacement will take 3 years






Amtrak told local and state
officials that replacing the Niantic River bridge in Connecticut will take three
years and work on the much smaller Miamicock Bridge would begin Dec. 17, The
Day reports.

RTA approves 2010 CTA budget






The Regional Transportation
Authority approved the Chicago Transit Authority’s $1.27-billion budget for
2010. The budget includes management efficiencies, elimination of more than
1,000 jobs and service reductions. In total, the CTA’s 2010 operating budget is
nearly $1 million lower than the projected 2009 operating budget.

RBLC/NCCC bargaining session scheduled

The Brotherhood of
Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters is set to begin national bargaining with the National Carriers’
Conference Committee in January. The BMWED will be bargaining on a coordinated
national basis as part of the Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition. The RLBC is
comprised of six national rail unions, representing more than 70,000 railroad
employees, including; Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division –
IBT, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen – IBT, Brotherhood of
Railroad Signalmen, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Blacksmiths,
Iron Ship Builders, Forgers, and Helpers, National Conference of Firemen &
Oilers – SEIU, Sheet Metal Workers’ National Association.


Lexington, N.C., rail stop to be in place by 2015






The Lexington, N.C., City
Council heard an on progress to open a passenger rail stop in downtown
Lexington, which could be operational as soon as 2015, The Dispatch reported.

AirTrain JFK celebrates sixth anniversary






AirTrain JFK, which
connects travelers by rail to and from the airport, is celebrating its sixth
year in operation. Since its first year, ridership on the service has literally
doubled as airport travelers learn that it is the quickest, least expensive way
to get to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Caltrain construction, maintenance Dec. 20-23






Work on Caltrain’s Grade
Crossing Improvement Program, which will enhance safety at 25 grade crossings
in San Mateo County, will continue Dec. 20-23. The schedule includes Fair Oaks
Lane and Watkins Avenue, Atherton and Oak Grove and Ravenswood avenues on Menlo
Park


Weekend track maintenance on Metro Red, Blue lines






Track maintenance on the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Red and Blue lines Dec. 18-20 will cause
inbound and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track. Customers should
add 30 minutes to their trips. 

 

Metrorail customers traveling between the
Fort Totten and Silver Spring Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes
to their travel time because Metro will be making track circuit upgrades at the
Takoma Metrorail station. Trains will share one track between these locations
the entire weekend from 9:30 p.m. Dec. 18, to closing (midnight) on Dec. 20. 




AAR statement on the Senate STB Reauthorization Bill






The Association of American
Railroads issued the following statement by AAR President and CEO Edward R.
Hamberger in response to the Senate Commerce Committee markup of the STB
Reauthorization Bill:

Florida governor approves millions for Tri-Rail






Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed
a transportation bill that will provide new funding to Tri-Rail, South
Florida’s cash-trapped commuter train, and boost billion-dollar rail projects
in the Central Florida region, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Rail stimulus funds to bypass Northeast






The railroad tracks from
Boston to Washington – the busiest rail artery in the nation, and one that also
carries America’s only high-speed train, the Acela – have been virtually shut
out of $8 billion worth of federal stimulus money set aside for high-speed rail
projects because of a strict environmental review required by the Obama
administration, according to the Boston Globe. Because such a review would take
years, states along the Northeast rail corridor are not able to pursue stimulus
money for a variety of crucial upgrades.

Silicon Valley Project causing daytime lane closures in Milpitas






To advance the BART to
Silicon Valley Project parking spaces and lane closures will occur while crews
conduct work to identify utilities along Capitol Ave between Trimble Road and Montague
Expressway in Milpitas, Calif., Monday, December 21, 2009, through Thursday,
December 31, 2010, weekdays only, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (excluding lunch from
12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.). Utility investigation activities include quick vacuum
excavation in a one-foot x one-foot hole approximately five to six feet in
depth, extracting the material to expose and survey the utility, to confirm
utility and depth.

BNSF Beaumont project riles neighbors






Some Beaumont, Texas,
residents are outraged over a construction project near downtown that is
preventing some residents from being able to park in their own driveway, local
media report. BNSF is rehabilitating the tracks along Long Avenue and residents
say the construction is causing problems for the entire neighborhood.

NCDOT completes track restoration work between Greensboro and High Point






The N.C.
Department of Transportation, North Carolina Railroad Company and Norfolk
Southern have completed the restoration of a nine-mile section of track between
Greensboro and High Point. The new stretch of double track will help alleviate
bottleneck delays, improve freight rail capacity and passenger train
reliability. It will also provide future rail capacity for the
federally-designated Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor as well as NS’s
Crescent Corridor.

 

LOAD MORE