Author: jrood

South Shore schedules work Sept. 12-14






The South Shore is alerting
passengers to a series of planned temporary weekend construction outages. The
second of five weekend outages is scheduled for September 12-14, 2009. South
Shore trains will not operate trains in either direction between South Bend,
Ind., and Gary, Ind., Metro Center on the following weekends from 2:30 a.m.
Saturday thru 3:00 a.m. Monday: September 12-14 and 26-28, October 10-12 and October
31-November 2. The South Shore will
operate regular weekend train service between Gary Metro Center and Chicago.

DM&E will likely rise again, and conditions may be different






The Dakota Minnesota
& Eastern Railroad said last week it is suspending its planned $6 billion
project to ship Wyoming coal across South Dakota and Minnesota, due to the poor
economy, noted an editorial in the Madison, S.D., Daily Leader. A controversial
proposal for more than a decade, the DM&E’s expansion was effectively put
on hold when it dropped its condemnation lawsuits against some landowners where
the trains would have run.

Study to estimate repairs at Kansas depot






Commissioners unanimously
agreed to spend about $25,000 to study what repairs are needed at the BNSF
Depot at Seventh and New Jersey streets, the Lawrence, Kan., Journal-World
reports. Commissioners agreed to hire Lawrence-based Hernly Associates to
conduct the assessment.

County commissioners derail support for track relocation






Colbert County, Ala.,
Commissioners will not be writing a letter of support for a proposed project to
relocate the Norfolk Southern tracks that run through Sheffield, Muscle Shoals
and Tuscumbia, according to the Florence Times-Daily. An item seeking support
from the commission was removed from the Sept. 8 meeting agenda by Commission
Chairman Roger Creekmore at the request of Commissioner Emmitt Jimmar, who
questioned why the commission was even involved in the issue.

Maine city pins hopes on N.B. rail link






The coastal city of
Eastport, Me., sees its future economic prosperity linked to a 30-kilometre (18.6-mile)
railway connection leading to the Canadian border at St. Stephen, N.B., the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported. The Maine city needs a railway to
carry cargo to and from its deep-water port to other markets in Canada and the
United States.

D.C. Metrorail schedules Columbus Day Weekend track work






On the Washington, D.C.,
Metro, the Waterfront-SEU and Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter Metrorail
stations will be closed and the Green and Yellow Lines also will be closed at
the L’Enfant Plaza Metrorail station from 9:30 p.m., on Friday, Oct. 9, through
Monday, Oct. 12, with no Green or Yellow Line service at these three stations
at that time. Service will resume at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13. There will be
no Yellow Line service in the District of Columbia or Maryland during the
Columbus Day holiday weekend, with service available only between the
Huntington and Pentagon Metrorail stations. 



BNSF, IDOT to pay for Burlington, Iowa, crossing closures

At a meeting September 8,
the Burlington, Iowa, City Council is expected to approve a financial agreement
with BNSF and the Iowa Department of Transportation for the closure of three
downtown grade crossings, according to the Burlington Hawkeye. Under terms of
the agreement, BNSF will pay the city $65,500, with IDOT providing $22,500
toward the closure of Third, Seventh and Eighth streetsCity officials had
intended to address those crossings in 2010 as part of a plan to silence noise
from train horns approved by the Federal Railroad Administration. The quiet
zone plan also includes safety upgrades and modifications at seven additional
downtown crossings.

Environmentalists dispute report on Johnson County IM terminal






Environmental
pressures are mounting on BNSF’s proposed freight center in Johnson County,
Kan., with experts saying it would contribute to the region’s already serious
air pollution problems, according to The Kansas City Star. Air-quality experts
at the Mid-America Regional Council are suggesting that diesel emissions from
the massive rail project near Gardner would worsen ozone levels, which already
violate federal standards.

Cocoa, Fla., set to commit to Amtrak station






The Cocoa, Fla., City
Council is expected to adopt a resolution September 8 acknowledging potential
sites for Amtrak stations and pledging commitment to a project that would run a
passenger train route along the state’s Atlantic coast, according to Florida
Today.

Seeking silent nights






When Lisa Burley moved
into her new southeast Bend, Ore., home in July, she thought she’d found a
perfect, quiet spot to spend her retirement, local newspapers report. Then she
heard the blast of a train horn, warning drivers and passers-by that the train
was approaching a rail crossing. Then she heard another one, and another –
usually three or four every night.

Northstar on track; Fridley Station construction progressing






Northstar train service
is on track to begin on Monday, November 16, 2009. In downtown Minneapolis,
Light Rail and Northstar system testing continue. Crews finished milling and
paving the LRT track area. Communications system testing and programming
continued at the LRT station. The overhead catenary system wires are now live.

Caltrain construction, maintenance update, Sept. 8-10






Work on Caltrain’s Grade
Crossing Improvement Program will continue at Encinal, Glenwood and Ravenswood
avenues in Menlo Park Sept. 8-10 between the hours of 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. Throughout
the project area, at least one lane of the impacted street will remain open.
Flagmen will direct traffic and pedestrians around the construction. The work
is part of a larger program to enhance safety at railroad crossings in San
Mateo County.

Sounder M Street to Lakewood Project update






Railworks Track Systems and
subcontractors continue to work in sections to remove existing track and spurs
and rebuild the sections with new rail along the seven mile Sound Transit rail
corridor between South M Street in Tacoma, Wash., to Bridgeport Way SW in Lakewood. For
the next two weeks, track removal and replacement work is being performed
between S. 48th and S. 56th streets. This work is being coordinated with Tacoma
Rail to minimize or avoid any disruption to their customers for existing rail
service. 

UP, officials “break ground” on Joliet, Ill., IM facility











Union Pacific’s new Joliet, Ill., Intermodal Terminal will
support customer growth by increasing the railroad’s international and domestic
container capacity and improving rail traffic efficiencies in Chicago, the
nation’s largest rail center. Once on line, customers from across Union
Pacific’s network will benefit from Joliet’s annual capacity of 500,000
ocean-going containers. Officials and customers gathered Sept. 3 to celebrate
the construction commencement of Union Pacific’s nearly $370 million, 785-acre
Joliet Intermodal Terminal and CenterPoint Intermodal Center – Joliet, a
3,900-acre state-of-the-art integrated logistics center.

PB providing CM services for CTA Blue Line






The
Chicago Transit Authority has awarded a construction management contract to
Parsons Brinckerhoff for a rail replacement and tunnel rehabilitation project
on the system’s Blue Line subway, which connects the downtown business district
with O’Hare International Airport.

Stimulus-funded CTA Dearborn Subway project reaches milestone






The Chicago Transit
Authority has made significant progress replacing track in the Blue Line’s
Dearborn Subway. The $88-million project is funded by American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act funds, commonly referred to as stimulus funds, and involves
the replacement of approximately seven miles-or 39,000 feet-of track from
Division on the O’Hare branch to Clinton on the Forest Park branch.

Dignitaries get close up look at new Montana rail line, mine






After an investment of
$408 million and a year of rapid construction, the first coal train will leave
the Signal Peak Energy Mine near Roundup, Mont., next week, carrying the first
load of low-sulfur Montana coal east to an Ohio utility, the Billings Gazette
reports. A new railroad junction near Broadview and the mine site south of
Roundup were officially dedicated Sept. 2 by top executives from BNSF;
FirstEnergy, an Ohio utility; the Boich Group of Ohio; Signal Peak Energy; and
a corral of Montana politicians, including Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

Boatright may build tie plant in Chilton County






Boatright
Enterprises, Inc., is finalizing a deal to build a new railway crosstie plant in Chilton
County, Ala., by next year, according to the Birmingham Business Journal. The
Birmingham-based railroad maintenance company is eyeing a site in Chilton
County Industrial Park, between Clanton and Thorsby, for its newest plant, the
company confirmed.

Watkins Glen rail line gets $349,000 boost








A rail line between two
salt plants in Watkins Glen N.Y., will be realigned with the help of a federal
grant to improve safety and boost economic development, local newspapers report.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., was in Watkins Glen Sept. 2 to announce the
approval of a $349,000 Rail Line Relocation grant from the Federal Railroad
Administration.