Author: jrood

CPR ups safety for International Level Crossing Awareness Day

Canadian Pacific Railway Police Service officers will conduct safety and enforcement blitzes and accompany local law enforcement aboard freight trains on June 9, International Level Crossing Awareness Day.

In 2010, the Federal Railroad Administration recorded 2,013 crossing incidents, resulting in 262 fatalities and 836 serious injuries. The FRA also recorded 439 trespasser fatalities in 2010, an increase of five percent over 2009.

"Ignoring signage at railway crossings and trespassing on railway property creates significant unnecessary personal risks, often resulting in fatalities and personal injuries," said Ray Holman, deputy chief, U.S. Operations, Canadian Pacific Police Service.

 

 

Amtrak ridership continues to grow

May marked 19 consecutive months of year-over-year ridership growth for Amtrak with more than 2.6 million passengers, setting another annual ridership record.

The long-distance trains have experienced year-over-year passenger increases in 18 of those 19 months, making a contribution to the extended streak of national ridership growth. In addition, advance reservations for summer travel indicate increased ridership on long-distance trains in June, July and August.

This performance is part of a long-term trend that has seen Amtrak set annual ridership records in seven of the last eight fiscal years, including more than 28.7 million passengers in FY 2010. National Amtrak ridership is up 6.7 percent so far this fiscal year.

Northeast Highlights
On the Northeast Corridor, ridership for the high-speed Acela Express experienced a 5.1 percent increase in May 2011 vs. May 2010. In addition, May was the best month on record for the increasingly popular Northeast Regional service carrying 693,268 passengers, which represents a 10.1 percent increase over the same month last year.

Central Highlights
The Missouri River Runner, is up 28.8 percent, Blue Waterwith, 22 percent, Illini/Saluki 23 percent and Carl Sandburg/Illinois Zephyr is up 13.7 percent.

The Hiawatha Service continues on a pace to carry more than 800,000 passengers this year, with an increase of 6.7 percent in May.

West Highlights
In the West, strong ridership continued in May 2011 on all of the three California state-supported routes when compared to May 2010. The Capitol Corridor, the San Joaquin and the Pacific Surfliner. Ridership on the Amtrak Cascades also increased.

National Highlights
The overnight services reported increases on the Lake Shore Limited, Sunset Limited, Silver Star, Auto Train and Southwest Chief.

CTA station names released, changed

The Chicago Transit Board authorized the renaming of the Skokie Yellow Line station and approved names for two stations currently under construction on the Yellow and Green/Pink lines.

The Yellow Line’s Skokie station has been renamed the Dempster-Skokie station and the new station being built on the Yellow Line has been officially named the Oakton-Skokie station. The station on the Green/Pink lines will be named the Morgan station.

"CTA rail stations are typically identified by the nearest cross street to accurately describe the location of the station," said CTA President Forrest Claypool.

The Village of Skokie requested that the CTA name the new station as the "Oakton-Skokie" station and change the name of the existing "Skokie" station to "Dempster-Skokie" to distinguish between the station locations.

Station signage, system maps and announcements will be updated to reflect the changes.

NJ Transit Light Rail schedules available via text

NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein has announced the latest in a series of enhancements to provide customers with on-the-go schedule information. "My Light Rail," modeled after the agency’s popular "My Bus" system, enables customers to obtain schedule information quickly and conveniently via text message for the 61 light rail stations throughout the state.

"As part of our ongoing effort to use technology to improve the way customers access travel information, My Light Rail literally puts schedule information at the fingertips of any customer who has the ability to send a text message," said Weinstein.

Newark Light Rail, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and River Line customers may now text their five-digit light rail station ID to 69287 and My Light Rail will respond via text message with the times for the next scheduled trips that serve that light rail station.

Construction begins on Talbot Avenue Commuter Rail Station

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick joined Congressman Michael Capuano, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and state and local officials to commence groundbreaking for the $15.9 million Talbot Commuter Rail Station, as part of the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line Rehabilitation Project. The project will create an estimated 120 construction jobs, with project completion scheduled for 2013.

"The Fairmount Line investments are creating jobs and improving transportation options for residents across the community," said Governor Patrick. "This is a smart investment that will pay off for decades to come."

The Talbot Avenue Station is the third of four commuter rail stations under construction as part of the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line Rehabilitation Project. The Talbot Avenue Station will include new high level platforms, canopies, passenger shelters, benches and windscreens and electronic message signs. Sidewalks adjacent to the station will also be reconstructed with new wheelchair ramps at major intersections.

"It’s great to see public transportation investment in the heart of our City. Improving the Fairmount Line has long been a top public transportation priority for my Administration and I want to thank Governor Patrick and his team for their commitment to this issue," said Mayor Menino. "This new station, along with the recent renovations at Uphams Corner and Morton Street and the work underway at the Four Corners/Geneva station, will greatly improve transit access for the underserved communities of Dorchester and Mattapan."

The Talbot Avenue and Woodrow Avenue railroad bridges will also be replaced later this year in conjunction with the Talbot Avenue Station project. The bridges will be replaced using the fast-track method. The 9.2 mile Fairmount Commuter Rail Line runs from South Station through Dorchester and Hyde Park, terminating at the Readville Station. It is the only MBTA Commuter Rail Line that exclusively serves the City of Boston.

"The strides we are making with the Fairmount Line projects is testament to the Patrick-Murray Administration’s commitment to making quality improvements to public transportation that make a real difference for residents," said MassDOT Transportation Secretary and CEO Jeffrey Mullan.

Amenities at the new station will include closed circuit television (CCTV) video surveillance cameras, police emergency call box systems, public telephones and an off street drop-off/pick-up area.

 

Real time BART information now on Google Maps

The Bay Area Rapid Transit’s MobileBART has partnered with Google and top transit agencies from around the world to bring real time transit information to a new beta service called Google Live Transit Updates.

Riders can now see BART real time departures and service advisories everywhere Google provides BART schedules, including Google Maps, Google Maps for Mobile and Google Place Pages.

"Now when you Google your directions with the ‘by public transit’ option on Google Maps, you are able to see the real time departure information for BART trains, in addition to the suggested routes, which makes taking public transportation even easier and more efficient." BART Board President Bob Franklin said.

"We’ve created a new data specification for sharing real time information. For now it’s powering Live Transit Updates, but in the future it can be used by even more innovative services," BART Website Manager Timothy Moore said.

After evaluating the beta release of Live Transit Updates, BART will open up this newest real time data feed to drive even more innovative third-party apps, websites, kiosks, navigation and location-based services.

BART Board to consider changes to committee system

Changes to the Bay Area Rapid Transit committee system will be considered by the BART Board of Directors on June 9, 2011. If the proposed changes are implemented the public would get improved information about meetings of BART special committees.

Currently there are 22 special committees, on topics ranging from sustainability to automatic fare collection to high-speed rail. There are also three Standing Committees under Board rules: Administration; Engineering and Operations; and Planning, Public Affairs, Access and Legislation.

At its last meeting on May 26, 2011, the board requested that BART staff come up with a plan for consolidating the special committees and making the committees’ work more open to the public. Under the recommendation to be considered there would be just seven special committees:

* BART Police Department Review
* District Security, Safety and Emergency Management
* Redistricting
* Personnel
* Small/Minority/Women-Owned Business and Bonding
* Strategic Funding Initiatives
* Sustainability/Green

The recommendation would change how the special committees tell the public about their work. Meetings of the special committees would be noticed consistent with the Brown Act, the 1953 state open meetings law.

Koppers names Gross regional sales manager

Koppers Inc., producer of railroad products and services, has appointed Travis Gross as the northeast sales manager for the northeast territory of North America.

Gross will be responsible for the sales of Koppers pressure-treated wood and concrete crossties and switch ties, along with a full line of rail joints. The territory will include all non class 1 railroads in 12 northeastern U.S. states as well as the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

TranSystems names Morsches chief strategy and marketing officer

TranSystems has promoted Richard Morsches, P.E., to chief strategy and marketing officer.

"Rick has been instrumental in helping transform TranSystems from a $20 million firm located in six Midwest cities to a $240 million multimodal firm located in 40 cities through the United States," said Brian Larson, TranSystems’ CEO.

Morsches has been involved in starting up six new TranSystems offices and coordinating nine businesses mergers. He has worked as part of the senior management team for more than 20 years.

David Francis wins NWMRC Supplier of the Year Award

David Francis, western operations/sales manager for Atlantic Track in Wheaton, Ill., has been named Supplier of the Year by the Northwest Maintenance Railway Club.

Dave has been a member of the NWMRC for more than 21 years.

"The club appreciates Dave’s support and dedication to our organization," the NWMRC said in a statement. "Dave exemplifies the dedication and perseverance it takes to survive and be successful in the railroad industry."

This is the 4th annual award given by the NWMRC.

Construction begins on Birmingham Regional Intermodal Facility

Norfolk Southern’s CEO Wick Moorman and Alabama Governor Robert Bentley joined state and local officials and business leaders on June 6 to officially break ground on the new Birmingham Regional Intermodal Facility in McCally Ala. The $97.5 million facility is part of the railroad’s estimated $2.5 billion multi-state Crescent Corridor initiative, a program of independent projects and improvements geared toward creating a high-capacity, 2,500-mile intermodal route spanning from New Jersey to Louisiana that touches 26 percent of the nation’s population and 30 percent of the nation’s manufacturing output. The Birmingham Regional Intermodal Facility occupies a 316-acre site adjacent to the Jefferson Metropolitan Park in McCalla and is expected to open in late 2012.

The Intermodal Facility is expected to create or enhance 8,600 jobs in central Alabama over the next 10 years and its capacity will grow to handle 165,000 containers and trailers annually. The terminal will utilize the latest in gate and terminal automation technology, improving truck driver productivity and air quality. Additionally, state-of-the-art low emission cranes and hostler tractors will operate within the terminal.

"The Birmingham Regional Intermodal Facility will bring significant economic growth to McCalla and thousands of jobs to Alabamians. As our economy is regaining strength, companies like Norfolk Southern recognize Alabama is a great place to do business," said Governor Bentley at the ceremony. "This new terminal will enable goods to move more quickly throughout the country."

 

Ground breaks on CSX Worcester rail facility

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray joined state and local officials and CSX’ Transportation to celebrate the start of construction of the $100 million expansion of CSX’s rail facility in Worcester. The groundbreaking marks an important milestone in the comprehensive multi-year rail transportation agreement between the Commonwealth and CSX, designed to expand commuter rail service, strengthen the state’s transportation infrastructure and improve the Commonwealth’s competitive position in the global economy.

"Expanding commuter rail service to Worcester is a critical component of our Administration’s economic development agenda," said Governor Patrick.

The groundbreaking is said to create more than 400 jobs and lead to the development of a state-of-the-art ‘green’ terminal that will provide more shipping options for Massachusetts and New England businesses. Additionally, this new terminal will create more options for commuters and increased trains along the Worcester/Framingham line to Boston’s south station.

 

RailComm wins contract for Denver RTD

RailComm’s Domain Operations Controller train control system has been selected to be used by Denver Regional Transportation District’s west corridor.

RailComm’s DOC® is a next generation computer-aided dispatching system that will be used to centrally control the CTC signal system and the Overhead Catenary System electrification sub-stations.

The DOC® software-based control system is an advanced command, control, communications and information (C3i) server-based platform that supports a wide variety of integrated solutions for indication, control, access and distribution of critical operational data across the corporate enterprise.

 

CSX cuts greenhouse gas emissions ahead of schedule

CSX Corporation has reached its voluntary goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by eight percent per revenue ton mile ahead of schedule. The achievement, expected by the end of 2011 but accomplished in late 2010, involved reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 million metric tons.

"Transporting freight by rail is already the most environmentally-friendly way to move goods around the country, and we are proud to be an industry leader, developing sustainable solutions that have a positive impact on the environment," said Michael J. Ward, chairman, president and CEO, CSX.

CSX’ emissions reduction goal, part of its participation in the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders program, was the first ever emissions reduction commitment by a major transportation provider. In addition to employing ultra-low emission GenSet locomotives, CSX has dedicated significant resources to its National Gateway initiative, modernizing transportation infrastructure to allow for more efficient double-stacked intermodal trains. New facilities include innovations such as electric cranes and optical cargo scanners to improve efficiency, lower emissions and decrease truck idling times.

BART FY12 improvements to include cleaner seats, noise abatement

Cleaner seats, quieter trains and more reliable escalators are some of the benefits in store for Bay Area Rapid Transit riders in the proposed Fiscal Year 2012 budget, which the Board of Directors will consider Thursday, June 9. The Board will vote on the 2012 budget resolution, a step in the legal process toward making the budget official.

The total proposed FY12 budget (operating and capital) is $1.36 billion. The new budget gives BART "an opportunity to fund core system capital infrastructure needs and key service attributes that were negatively impacted during the recession," a staff memo on the budget explained.

A large portion of the budget, $24.2 million, is being put on hold until BART knows the outcome of State Transit Assistance funding. The amount of STA funding won’t be known until the state budget is final.

Regardless of STA funding, $10.9 million of the highest-priority initiatives have been identified to proceed: those include, elevator rehabilitation, seat replacement, Title VI compliance, an attendance management program, elevator/escalator maintenance, rail noise abatement and Business Advancement Program transition support.

"The economic outlook for FY12 remains somewhat cautious, with moderate growth of approximately two percent over FY11 estimates for both ridership and sales tax," the staff budget memo stated.

Caltrain works on five projects this week

Caltrain will work on the San Bruno Grade Separation Project this week until Friday, June 10. The $147 million project will elevate the Caltrain tracks above three existing at-grade street crossings at San Bruno, San Mateo and Angus avenues. A new, elevated Caltrain station will be constructed between San Bruno and San Mateo Avenues, replacing the existing station at Sylvan Avenue.

Day work includes upgrades to the signal systems, excavation, construction of retaining walls for the future temporary station, drainage improvements at the temporary station, temporary sidewalk closures and modifications on Scott Street and sanitary sewer and utility relocations.

Night work includes demolishing track south of Scott Street, constructing track at the temporary station, upgrading the signal system between the South San Francisco and Millbrae stations, utility encasement, construction of retaining walls for the future temporary station and relocating and installing vehicle and pedestrian gates at East Angus, San Bruno and San Mateo Avenues

Work on the Santa Clara station will take place Monday, June 6 until Friday, June 10. The work will include continued construction on the pedestrian underpass connecting the north and southbound platforms, which will allow two trains to pass through the station at the same time and will improve safety for pedestrians in the station. The work is part of an 18-month station improvement project that will add a new wider, longer center-boarding platform and extend the southern platform 150 feet.

This week, crews will continue building retaining walls and backfilling areas along the tracks by Jerrold Avenue and Rankin Street in San Francisco.

Crews will also continue installing bollards at the Millbrae and San Jose Diridon stations as part of a project to enhance security at three Caltrain stations: San Francisco at 4th and King Streets, Millbrae and San Jose Diridon.

Caltrain will continue retrofitting four rail bridges in San Mateo this week. The project involves seismic improvements to the bridges that cross Poplar, Santa Inez, Monte Diablo and Tilton Avenues.

As part of an 18-month long San Jose Diridon and Santa Clara Stations Improvements Project, Caltrain will conduct work at the San Jose Diridon station until Friday, June 10. Crews will install ballast and replace tactile tile strips on boarding platforms.

Caltrain will perform routine maintenance at several locations next week.

Crews will replace cross ties and resurface tracks between the San Francisco and Hayward Park stations.

Crews will weld tracks and replace rails from the California Avenue station to just south of the San Jose Diridon station.

 

UP named 2011 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles

Union Pacific Railroad was named one of the 2011 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles award winners from the National Business Group on Health (NBGH). Union Pacific earned platinum status each year since the award’s inception in 2005 and is one of only six U.S. employers to earn platinum status each of the last five years. The company is the only railroad or transportation provider among the companies honored by the NBGH, which recognized employers that responded to the need to improve their workers’ health, productivity and quality of life.

Union Pacific Wellness, the railroad’s health promotion initiative, encourages employees to lead a healthy life. The program assesses and provides intervention support for 11 health risk factors: asthma, blood pressure, cholesterol, depression, diabetes, fatigue, inactivity, nutrition, smoking, stress and weight. Risk identification and reduction programs consist of wellness assessments and biometric screenings, lifestyle management, tobacco cessation, system health facilities, education programs, research grants and injury prevention.

"Our employees work hard to provide great service to our customers. We want them to enjoy good health so they can reap the benefits of their hard work by spending quality time with families and friends, and we know that helping employees achieve their wellness goals contributes to a safer work environment," said Barb Schaefer, Union Pacific senior vice president of human resources.

 

Cheney named to DART Board

Michael Cheney is the newest member of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board of directors.

Cheney, a board member of the Garland Housing and Finance Corp. since 2010, is a retired financial executive. Prior to that, he was a consultant with Price Waterhouse Coopers, CPAs and Lineage Holdings and the Chief Financial Officer for Hackney Ladish Holding Corp., Prima US and The Continuum Company.

 

Illinois partnership to study HSR between Chicago and Champaign-Urbana

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced a partnership between the University of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation and a special advisory group to study the feasibility of 220-mph passenger rail service between Chicago, Urbana-Champaign and beyond. The study will complement the ongoing construction of a regional 110-mph network that will connect Chicago to 40 cities in the Midwest, while supporting Governor Quinn‘s vision to create jobs, enhance regional mobility and improve the environment by expanding passenger rail in Illinois.

"Illinois is leading the nation with our work to expand high-speed and passenger rail," said Governor Quinn. "This study will provide greater insight into how we can make 220-mph rail service a reality. An expanded and improved rail network will boost our position in the global economy and create thousands of jobs."

The study will explore the potential costs and benefits of establishing 220-mph service between O’Hare International Airport, downtown Chicago, McCormick Place and Champaign-Urbana. It will also look at extending the corridor in the region to cities south of Champaign-Urbana, including St. Louis and Indianapolis.

Leading the study will be University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professor Christopher P.L. Barkan, director of the school’s railroad engineering program. Contributing will be University of Illinois at Chicago Urban Transportation Center director Stephen Schlickman. Their findings, made possible through a $1.25 million contribution from the Illinois Jobs Now! capital program, is expected to be complete and presented to Governor Quinn in late 2012.

In addition to offering corridor location recommendations, the study will offer estimated ridership projections, economic impacts, construction costs and financing options. Assisting in the effort will be an advisory group composed of transportation experts, rail advocates, labor leaders and regional planners who will provide input during the course of the study.

 

UTU, NCCC reach tentative agreement with record pay boost

A 17 percent pay increase, retention of the $200 monthly cap on health care cost sharing, FRA certification pay, a faster process for new hires to reach full pay rates and no rollback of the January 2011 cost-of-living adjustment highlight the new five-year national rail agreement negotiated between the United Transportation Union and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee.

Railroads represented by the NCCC include BNSF, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and many smaller railroads. Some 38,000 UTU members, including yardmasters, are covered by the tentative new agreement.
UTU District 1 general chairpersons voted unanimously June 2 to submit the tentative agreement to the membership for ratification under the craft autonomy provisions of the UTU Constitution. The general chairpersons also voted unanimously to recommend ratification.
General chairpersons now have until June 20 to submit questions regarding details of the tentative agreement. The questions will be submitted to the NCCC for answers. The agreed-upon questions and answers will become part of the tentative contract submitted to the membership for ratification.
"In the 41-year history of the UTU, this wage increase is the highest in excess of the current and projected Consumer Price Index," said UTU International President Mike Futhey.
The tentative agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010, and extends through Dec. 31, 2014.
Yardmasters have essentially the same agreement, but with additional pay increases unique to their craft.