UP investing $26 million in central Nebraska track






Trains will operate more
efficiently as a result of more than $26 million in track improvements made by
Union Pacific to its line between Schuyler, Neb., and Duncan, Neb. When the
project is complete, crews will have removed and replaced more than 77,000
concrete ties and 30 miles of rail, spread more than 100,000 tons of rock
ballast and replaced the road surfaces at 17 crossings. The project began
October 2 and is scheduled to be completed by mid November.

ADA work begins at Fulton Street Transit Center






MTA NYC Transit said that
work on the Fulton Street Transit Center has entered the next phase with the
start of construction work on the AC mezzanine at Broadway-Nassau and the new
ADA accessible station entrance at William and Fulton Streets.

Middlebury, Vt., rail tunnel under green considered






Local, state and Vermont
Railway officials are exploring the concept of installing a concrete tunnel
beneath the railroad bridges at Merchants Row and Main Street in downtown
Middlebury, according to the Addison Independent. This new tunnel, officials
believe, could provide a perfect fix for the two ailing bridges while allowing
enough vertical clearance to accommodate double-stack freight cars that railway
officials need to run from Whitehall, N.Y., to Burlington.

CTA Circle Line plan makes rounds






Plans for the long-awaited
Circle Line, which would link CTA and Metra rail lines in Chicago’s growing
central area, are a step closer to being realized after the Chicago Transit
Authority completed its analysis of options for the project, the Chicago Tribune
reports.

Port Authority launches new agency Website






Building on the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey’s goals of providing a more
customer-friendly experience for the millions of people and businesses who use
its transportation facilities, the agency launched a new Website that marries
technology and transparency to provide customers with more custom-service tools
and information than ever before.

Cleaning up logjam environmental concern for river authority






Work has begun to clear up
the large logjam on the San Antonio River near the Victoria-Refugio County,
Texas, line, the Victoria Advocate reports. Union Pacific is working with the
landowner and contractors to do the initial clean up, said Raquel Espinoza,
director of media relations for the Southern region of Union Pacific.

Arizona OKs Flagstaff train horn silencing plan






Flagstaff officials
finally will be able to silence train horns at the city’s five at-grade
railroad crossings in coming months, the Arizona Sun reports. The Arizona
Corporation Commission voted unanimously this afternoon to allow the city and
BNSF to begin installation of safety equipment at each of the crossings.

Unit Rail acquires track fastener-maker Advanced Track Products






Unit Rail, the rail fastening
division of Amsted Rail, has acquired Advanced Track Products. ATP is a leading
provider of fasteners in the transit rail market.

Regular service returns to the D.C. Metro Red Line






Service on the Red Line
near the Fort Totten Metrorail station has returned to normal after a fatal
train collision in June, which resulted in slower Metrorail service along the
Red Line in the Washington, D.C., area.





CTA plans $120 million in cuts, efficiencies






As part of developing his
budget recommendations for 2010, Chicago Transit Authority President Richard L.
Rodriguez has announced a series of internal cost cutting measures and
efficiencies aimed at reducing a projected $300-million revenue shortfall that
has resulted from lower than expected tax revenues.

 

Residents: Keep rail in Aroostook County, Maine






The
more than 60 people who attended a meeting to discuss the development of the
Maine Rail Plan told state officials that the most pressing statewide and
regional rail issue facing them is the fear that Aroostook County may lose
vital railroad track in the near future, according to the Bangor Daily News. The
crowd gathered at the University of Maine at Presque Isle to take advantage of
the only opportunity for county residents to weigh in on the immediate future
of Maine railroads.

JAXPORT awarded $6-million grant for Blount Island rail improvements






The U.S. Department of
Commerce has awarded a $6-million Economic Development Administration grant to
JAXPORT in Jacksonville, Fla., to help improve the Blount Island Marine
Terminal railroad system. The grant will be used to rebuild existing track and
rail ties, allowing JAXPORT to enhance its global competitiveness and continue
to create and retain private sector jobs.

Seattle City Council approves new Capitol Hill streetcar line






The Seattle City Council approved
a deal with Sound Transit for a line to connect the downtown transit tunnel
from the International District to the light rail station at Capitol Hill,
which is now under construction.

FRA opens small grant pool for shortlines






A year after Congress told
federal regulators to issue $20 million in grants to help short line railroads
recover from storm damages, the Federal Railroad Administration is ready to
make the final $5 million of those funds available, the Journal of Commerce
reported.

Caltrain Mission Bay Drive crossing opens






The new Caltrain Mission
Bay crossing in San Francisco opened Oct. 7. The crossing will provide access
to Mission Bay residential neighborhoods and eventually, to the UCSF Mission
Bay campus from the west side of The City. The grade crossing is wider than
most because it crosses three tracks instead of the usual two tracks. There is
a pedestrian crossing on the south side of the grade crossing that includes
safety gates with emergency swing gates, tactile warning strips, sidewalks and
pavement markings. There is no pedestrian crossing on the north side of grade
crossing.

LA Metro station information meetings for Westside Extension






The Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority will hold five community meetings in
October and November to discuss potential subway stations for the Westside Subway
Extension project.

National Gateway add more than 50 new supporters






The National Gateway, an
unprecedented public-private partnership dedicated to improving the nation’s
freight capacity, has added nearly 50 new supporters since June 1, 2009,
bringing the total number of coalition supporters to more than 140.

 

Denver Light Rail turns 15






This month, Denver’s
Regional Transportation District is marking the 15th anniversary of light rail
opening in the metro area. Since RTD opened the 5.3-mile Central Light Rail
Line October 7,1994, RTD’s 35-mile light rail system has carried nearly 150
million passenger trips. The light rail network carries an average of about
60,000 passenger trips every weekday, ahead of ridership projections. All four
of RTD’s light rail lines were built on time and on budget, and each exceeded
ridership projections. 

IBM signs contracts with three commuter agencies






IBM said the Long Island Rail Road will deploy IBM Maximo
software to manage and maintain approximately 1,180 rail cars, locomotives and
their associated components to improve operations and passenger safety. As part
of a project, expected to be completed in 2012, IBM will assist the LIRR in
expanding its asset management system to include facilities, bridges, tunnels
and linear assets such as rail.

NMRX enhances safety with new signaling system






Various construction crews
are working on the last 13 miles of railroad track in the New Mexico Rail
Runner Express corridor replacing the train’s current system of signals with a
new Centralized Traffic Control System. The CTC will assist train dispatchers
in moving trains more efficiently, thus enhancing the safety of the corridor
while also improving on-time performance for the New Mexico Rail Runner
Express.

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