Koppers Inc. received a purchase order to supply treated crossties to Vale in South America. The estimated revenues from the order are $9-$11 million, and the order is expected to be completed during 2012.
Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer of Canadian National, said Canadian business and governments must take bold steps to develop world-class enterprises that will drive the nation’s competitiveness in global markets.
Union Pacific will invest $200 million in three projects across South Louisiana to expand operations, creating 225 new direct jobs, retaining 1,100 employees and creating 1,500 construction jobs.
The Department of Transportation received 26 TIFIA (Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) letters of interest exceeding $13 billion. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that the overwhelming demand for TIFIA program loans has greatly exceeded the dollars available, underscoring President Obama’s call for greater transportation investment.
As part of a four-day GE Works event with discussions centered around manufacturing, innovation and jobs, GE Transportation, Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) celebrated the operation of Amtrak trains at 110 mph on 97 miles of Amtrak-owned line between Kalamazoo, Mich., and Porter, Ind. The new service will reduce the travel time on Amtrak’s owned section of track on the Wolverine and Blue Water service by approximately 20 minutes.
U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari spoke to Midwest-based railroad manufacturers and suppliers at a Chicago rail forum about opportunities for their companies to participate in the growing industry of next-generation, American-made trains.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recommended $2.2 billion in funding to begin or advance construction of 29 significant rail and bus rapid transit projects in 15 states. All the recommendations are part of the Federal Transit Administration’s Annual Report on Funding Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2013.
Union Pacific is enhancing the California and Oregon transportation infrastructure by investing $6.5 million in its Kenton and Graham Lines in the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area and $10.6 million in the line that runs between Santa Barbara and Camarillo, Calif. The California project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by the end of February.
The Providence and Worcester Railroad and the New England Central Railroad, part of the RailAmerica family, have established a new coordinated commercial and operating platform, the Great Eastern Route.
Wayne E. Russell, former vice president and chief engineer for the Florida East Coast Railway, died at his home on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2012.
On Monday, Reps. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and Robert Dold (R-IL), Chicago Transit Authority President Forrest Claypool, Metra Executive Director/CEO Alex Clifford, RTA Executive Director Joseph Costello, Illinois Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Doug Whitley and other transportation, business, labor and environmental leaders called on House Republican leaders to work with them to fix the transportation reauthorization bill before it comes up for a vote in the House this week.
Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Senator Daniel K. Akaka, U.S. Representative Mazie K. Hirono and U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa released a statement saying the Obama Administration requested $250 million for the Honolulu Rail Transit Project for fiscal year 2013, the largest amount for any rail project in the country.The money would come from the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts program.
The Norfolk Southern Foundation, the charitable giving affiliate of Norfolk Southern Corporation, awarded nearly $6.2 million in grants during 2011 to nonprofit, charitable organizations, an 11 percent increase over 2010.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today praised President Obama’s $74 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation saying the funds will lay a new foundation for economic growth and competitiveness by investing in a national infrastructure network, building on recent safety achievements and modernizing transportation systems through research and innovation.
Last week, KCS leadership from north and south of the U.S.-Mexico border were in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico to conduct a town hall meeting with KCS de Mexico employees.
RailComm has been selected to provide a wireless remote control derail system for Indiana Railroad Company’s facility in Jasonville, Ind. The power derails will be remotely controlled by two strategically located control panels located at each end of the shop. The panels will have LED indicators to show the current position of the derail device and push buttons will be used to apply and remove the derails.
Collins Engineers, Inc., a Chicago civil and structural engineering firm, received an Honor Award in the American Council of Engineering Companies of Illinois (ACEC-IL) Engineering Excellence Award competition for the EJ&E Bridge Roll-In design.
There is one thing I’ve learned most about railroads whether I’ve worked on the supply side or the publishing side of this industry: safety is a priority. These words rang in my head several times over the past month. First, with the announcement that the Association for American Railroads had decided to retire the E.H. Harriman Safety Award, which has been around since 1913, along with the Harold F. Hammond Safety Award after this year’s presentation, which will take place in May.
San Fransisco’s Bay Area Rapid Transit is moving ahead to form a partnership and intensify research into the possibility of extending service to Livermore. The BART Board of Directors voted unanimously to direct staff to advance the proposed BART to Livermore Project, Phase 1 to the next level of project development, including environmental review, conceptual engineering, development of Ridership Development Plans and analysis of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency received a letter granting federal approval to proceed with a key component of the Central Subway Project. The approval, a letter of no prejudice from the Federal Transit Administration, allows the SFMTA to commence work that will prepare the 1.7-mile project alignment for tunneling and station construction.
