Author: jrood

Denver collaborative receives Ford Foundation Grant to ensure residents benefit from FasTracks syste

A collaborative of 13 leading nonprofits has announced that it has received a $500,000 grant from the Ford Foundation to ensure that the creation of the FasTracks transit system improves the lives of all Denver residents by increasing access to affordable housing, good paying jobs and essential services. The grant is a part of the Ford Foundation’s Metropolitan Opportunity work, which seeks to transform the way cities, suburbs and surrounding communities grow and plan for the future, promoting a new metropolitan approach that interweaves housing, transportation and land use policy to foster economic growth for all.

"We believe that Denver’s effort to create a world-class regional transportation system that benefits all its residents has great potential to serve as a model for others," said Lisa Davis, program officer, Ford Foundation. "By uniting a strong network of leaders from nonprofits, business and government, this effort is poised to strengthen the vitality of Denver’s communities and ensure that all its citizens have equal access to opportunity across the region."

Activities funded through the grant and local organizations matching resources include: the formation of the Mile High Transit Opportunity Collaborative, educational events for regional stakeholders, exploration of the expansion of the existing Denver TOD Fund to a regional acquisition finance resource for community development and funding for local community development corporations to develop their role in the effort.

"It is with great enthusiasm that we gathered today to recognize The Ford Foundation and to celebrate what will become an exciting part of our living history," said Patrick Horvath of The Denver Foundation, a leading member of the collaborative. "Through this effort we will document current inequity in our region, provide vision and leadership for improving opportunities for all communities across the region near public transit, convene regional leaders and ultimately invest further resources, so that we all can move forward to achieve equitable communities centered on the Metro Region’s expanding transit system."

 

GCRTA opens Puritas Rapid Transit Station

The new $9.6 million, state-of-the-art Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Puritas Rapid Transit Station, located at Puritas Avenue and West 150th Street, has opened its doors.

The design of the reconstructed station stemmed from input from the local community, to include both residential and commercial aspects. Part of the design funding came from the NOACA Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative grant and is the first completed TLCI project.

GCRTA worked collaboratively with Bellaire-Puritas Development Corporation, the Kamms Corner Development Corporation and City of Cleveland Councilmen Martin Sweeney and Martin Keane on this station. Construction funding came from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.

The reconstructed station features a red brick entrance at Puritas Avenue and a smaller, residential style entrance at West 154th Street. Its 6,500 square-foot main building has a grand foyer and rounded portico, along with a 130-foot bridge connecting passengers to the train’s platform. Parking includes nearly 600 parking spaces, with a row of dedicated overnight spaces, where customers can leave their cars at no charge for up to 7 days.

With gas prices rising and summer construction season underway, RTA anticipates the reconstructed station to be busy, bustling with commuters.

 

Metrolink Board approves new ticketing options

Beginning July 1, Southern Californians can buy a weekend pass to ride unlimited Metrolink trains for $10. Unlimited weekend riding will also be added for monthly pass holders at no additional cost. These additions and other modifications to the agency’s fare policy were approved by the Metrolink Board of Directors on Friday, May 13.

The unlimited weekend passes will be valid system-wide between Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at midnight and also include connections to bus and rail across the region, except Amtrak, at no additional charge.
"Our new unlimited weekend pass allows passengers to travel across the region at no charge for our monthly pass holders and for only $10 for those who do not have monthly passes," said Metrolink Board Chairman Richard Katz. "This allows someone to travel to destinations theme parks and civic centers, for one, low fee without worrying about filling up their car with gas or paying to park."
Additionally, the following adjustments will go into effect on July 1:
• New 10 percent student discount added to one-way and roundtrip ticket. Students will continue to receive discounts on 7-Day and the monthly pass.

• New 7-Day Pass will be good seven consecutive days from purchase between a set origination and destination.

• The 10-Trip Ticket will be discontinued. A significant amount of lost revenue is attributed to this type of ticket due to a failure to validate, resulting in fare evasion.

"The 7-Day Pass will reduce the usage of validators, which will make taking a Metrolink even more convenient for passengers by eliminating a step before boarding the train and saves the agency in maintenance costs," Katz said. "Going forward, we expect to collect a significant amount of revenue that would have been lost due to misuse of the 10-Trip Ticket

Watco names two to operations, accounting positions

Watco Transportation Services has filled two positions, one in-house and the other a new hire.

Michael Gibson has joined Watco Transportation Services in the position of regional vice president of Operations of the Gulf Region. Gibson will be re¬sponsible for the continued development and improvement of safety, service, growth, people and efficiency in all areas of the Gulf Region.

Gibson comes to Watco from Genesee & Wyoming, where he held multiple man¬agement positions for the past four years.

Ray Pericola has been promoted to vice president and chief accounting officer of Watco Companies. As chief accounting officer, Pericola will be responsible for all operating and centralized services accounting functions, payroll, financial process improvement and financial reporting.

Pericola joined Watco in September of 2009.

Kentucky grants $3.1 million in shortline grants

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has announced that the state will invest more than $3.1 million in 2011 for needed improvements to shortline railroads in a dozen Kentucky counties. Improvements include replacement or rehabilitation of rails, rail beds and railroad crossings.

"This is an investment in Kentucky’s economy because freight railroads are indispensable to our economy," Gov. Beshear said.

"Freight rail companies, including the eight shortlines that operate in Kentucky, contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to our economy each year in the form of wages and benefits and that’s only part of the story," Gov. Beshear said. "They provide business, industry and agriculture with a market connection that is safe, efficient and environmentally sound."

The state funding is from the Short Line Railroad Assistance Fund maintained by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. All the grants but one represent half the cost of a project, with each railroad providing the remainder as a match. The exception is a project to replace a Paducah & Louisville Railroad bridge at Muldraugh, in Hardin County. That grant is just $1 million toward a project that will cost $8 million.

A summary of the grants follows:

R.J. Corman Railroad-Central Kentucky Line

$463,038 for a rail siding at Midway, Woodford County.
$645,828 for rail line expansion at Lexington Center, Fayette County.

Paducah & Louisville Railroad

$1 million for bridge replacement at Muldraugh, Hardin County.
$39,150 to rehab crossing on KY 1646 in Elizabethtown, Hardin County.
$34,740 to rehab crossing on KY 920 in Leitchfield, Grayson County.
$25,344 to rehab crossing on KY 907 in Louisville.

TennKen Railroad

$196,740 for rail replacement, Fulton County.

Louisville & Indiana Railroad

$183,635 for repair of Ohio River bridge pier, Jefferson County.

TransKentucky Transportation Railroad

$359,901 for tie replacement and rail bed rehab in Bourbon, Nicholas, Fleming and Mason counties.

Kentucky Railway Museum

$190,350 for track and crossing rehab and repairs in Nelson and LaRue counties.

Caltrain’s weekend Baby Bullets give ridership a boost

California’s Caltrain "experiment" with providing express service on the weekends is paying off. Ridership on weekend Baby Bullet trains increased 54 percent in April compared to March. An average of 222 people boarded or alighted weekend express trains at the San Francisco station for a total ridership of 7,784 for the month.

According to Caltrain’s Director of Transportation Michelle Bouchard, the weekend Baby Bullet trains, as well as the local trains scheduled before and after them, have seen a 30 percent boost in ridership since the beginning of the year.

"This is a strong indication that the new weekend Baby Bullet service is not just existing riders who changed to the Baby Bullet trains, but a real increase in overall ridership," said Bouchard.

The service, which was suggested by Caltrain riders, was introduced as a pilot program in January. Originally scheduled to operate for three months, it has been extended because of its success. 


The schedule features two round trips with each train making seven stops between the terminals in San Francisco and San Jose, Millbrae, San Mateo, Hillsdale, Redwood City, Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. 


The success of the weekend service comes at a time when Caltrain ridership is at an all-time high. Results of the annual passenger count show that average weekday ridership is 41,442, 12.7 percent higher than last year. Overall average weekend ridership also increased 21 percent over the previous year: 13,172 customers rode on Saturday and 9,100 rode on Sunday.

PB/STV joint venture wins LACMTA contract for Green Line extension

ConnectLAX, a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff and STV, has been awarded a contract by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to provide environmental and preliminary design services for an extension of the Metro Green Line light rail to Los Angeles International Airport.

The Green Line LAX Extension will link the planned station at Century and Aviation, about 1.5 miles from the airport, with the central terminal area of LAX, by one of three alternatives, an above ground or underground extension of the Green Line light rail or an automated people mover.

ConnectLAX will prepare the alternatives analysis, final environmental impact statement/environmental impact report and conceptual engineering to support the final EIS/EIR. The contract includes two phases: Phase 1, for environmental approval and Phase 2, which includes preliminary design of the alternative chosen for the extension.

Completion of the EIS/EIR is scheduled for late 2012.

 

Bombardier awarded contract to design, build, operate and maintain APM system in Saudi Arabia

Bombardier Transportation has signed a contract with Saudi Arabian construction company, Saudi Binladin Group, to design, build, operate and maintain a BOMBARDIER INNOVIA APM 300 automated people mover system for the King Abdulaziz International Airport Development Project in Jeddah, kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The total value of the contract is $96 million US ($68 million euro).

Saudi Binladin Group is the contractor responsible for the design and construction of the KAIA Development Project and was awarded its contract by the Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation in 2011. KAIA is expanding its existing passenger facilities with an additional Passenger Terminal Building to meet the requirements of rising passenger volumes. The new INNOVIA APM 300 system will serve as the backbone for the smooth transportation of passengers between terminal areas at KAIA. Completion of the system is scheduled for the start of 2014.

Bombardier’s recently established wholly-owned subsidiary in Saudi Arabia will act as subcontractor to Saudi Binladin Group, leading the project to design and supply all of the system-wide electrical and mechanical elements for the 1.5 kilometer, dual guideway automated people mover system, including 10 INNOVIA APM 300 cars with BOMBARDIER CITYFLO 650 automatic train control technology for driverless operation as well as providing project management, systems engineering and integration, testing and commissioning.

In addition, Bombardier will provide operation and maintenance services for four years followed by a two-year discretionary option to extend to 2020. Much of the technology will be supplied from Bombardier’s facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Serge Van Themsche, vice president for Europe, Middle East, Africa & Brazil, Systems division of Bombardier Transportation, said, "We are honored to add the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah to our list of prestigious airports served by a Bombardier INNOVIA transit system. Our new generation INNOVIA APM 300 system will delight airport passengers with its sleek design and exceptional ride quality and support the airport operator with its highly-reliable service."

Quiet Cars will be on all Metra lines starting June 6

After a successful three-month pilot project on the Rock Island Line, Chicago’s Metra has decided to implement Quiet Cars on its remaining 10 lines starting on June 6, 2011.

The Rock Island test was conducted from January to April. After the test, Metra asked Rock Island riders to go to its website and fill out a survey. Nearly 84 percent of those who responded said they were strongly or somewhat in favor of the Quiet Car concept.

The biggest change as the program expands will be the location of the Quiet Cars on the trains. During the test, the first and last cars of rush hour trains were designated as the Quiet Cars. However, Metra learned during the test that those cars can be noisy due to their proximity to the train’s bells and horns.

The Quiet Cars will now be designated as the second car from the locomotive and the second car from the other end of the train on all rush hour trains with six or more cars, on all lines except the Metra Electric Line. If there are five cars or fewer on the train, only the second car from the engine will be a Quiet Car. And on the Metra Electric Line, only the third car from the south end of the train will be a Quiet Car. There will be no Quiet Car on two-car trains.

All Quiet Cars will be identified with decals on outside of the car and signage inside the car.

Quiet Cars will apply to all inbound trains arriving downtown before 9 a.m. and all outbound trains leaving downtown between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

 

NS’ Moorman to stockholders: Economic recovery will continue

"The economic recovery is well under way, and barring some unanticipated event, it will continue well on into 2012," said Wick Moorman, chief executive officer of Norfolk Southern Corporation. "We at Norfolk Southern feel good about the results we are producing and are confident in our ability to produce superior service for customers and superior returns for shareholders."

He noted that the company reported its second-highest revenues ever in 2010, a momentum that carried over into 2011. Norfolk Southern reported record revenues, income from railway operations and earnings per share in first-quarter 2011.

Moorman said the company’s investments in corridor initiatives, highlighted by the 2010 opening of the Heartland Corridor and the 2011 groundbreakings for new terminals in Alabama and Tennessee, support current and future volume growth.

"These initiatives give us increased rail capacity and also provide safety and environmental benefits for the public," he said. "They are also important indicators of our commitment to sustainable business practices that create green jobs."

Moorman said the company’s targeted recruitment of train-and-engine service employees to handle growing freight volumes is paying off with improved customer service. He also credited employees for the company’s continued industry leadership in employee safety.

 

CSXT awards Okefenokee Area Development Authority partnership honor

CSX Transportation presented its Partnershipping Award to the Okefenokee Area Development Authority in recognition of its work to locate a new wood pellet production facility in Waycross, Ga., that will be served by CSXT.

CSXT unit trains will transport as much as 750,000 tons of wood products annually from the plant to the Port of Savannah for export to produce electricity.

"OADA did an outstanding job working with CSXT Regional Development, European customers, the State of Georgia and Ware County officials to make this significant economic development happen," said Clark Robertson, CSXT assistant vice president, regional development. "It will bring needed jobs to Ware County and help position Georgia as a leader in the renewable fuels business.

"CSXT was very pleased to be selected as the rail carrier for this new venture," Robertson said. "Given the abundant forest assets in the region, we are hopeful that other firms may be encouraged to join in the production of wood products for renewable energy and take advantage of our excellent rail network. We offer considerable expertise in the transportation of renewable fuels, including bio-diesel and ethanol."

ORDC approves grants for three rail projects

Ohio Rail Development Commission has approved grants for three rail projects in Butler, Highland and Summit Counties, Ohio, after projects were given the green light by the ORDC.

Rail spur at Middletown
A two-track rail spur and switch connection to the CSX Transportation main line will enable a new coiled steel coating operation to start at the NCI Group manufacturing facility at Middletown. This new rail infrastructure represents part of a total $12.7-million dollar investment at a brownfield site. The steel coating operation will create 74 new jobs at an average pay of $17.68 an hour with benefits and generate between 500 and 1,000 carloads of freight annually.

ORDC approved a grant of $75,000, which leverages further funding from NCI Group, CSXT, the Ohio Department of Development and local sources through a job creation grant and tax abatements.

Bridge rehabilitation enables plant re-opening at Greenfield
A series of bridges on the city of Greenfield-owned rail line will provide key transportation links toward the re-opening of the Johnson Controls plant at Greenfield and the immediate restoration of 130 jobs, with another 80 jobs to be added with a planned second shift later this year.

ORDC Commissioners had approved a $235,000 grant in January of this year, which leveraged $58,000 in funding from the City of Greenfield. Today’s action by the Commission adds another $35,000 toward the project for additional bridge tie replacement and ditch-cleaning along several miles of the railroad right-of-way.

Rail-truck transload facility at Macedonia
An ORDC loan of up to $350,000 to the Jamen Corporation will leverage funding from Jamen, the Mean J Trucking Company and the Norfolk Southern Railroad to build a rail spur and re-install a switch connection to the NS main line at Macedonia for a new cement rail-to-truck transloading facility. The project will create 4 new jobs at the facility and create an additional 10 trucking jobs.

 

Amsted Rail acquires Holland L.P.

Amsted Rail, manufacturer for undercarriage and end-of-car railcar components, has acquired Holland, L.P.’s Hollube® Wear Eliminator product line.

"This acquisition is strategically important because it provides our customers the option to include key wear prevention components as part of their Amsted Rail Truck and End-of-Car System purchases," said Brad Myers, vice president of Sales & Marketing for Amsted Rail.

The agreement to acquire the Hollube® Wear Eliminator product line will be finalized on May 27, 2011. After this date, all orders and shipments will be initiated through Amsted Rail Customer Service located in Granite City Illinois.

GE to open new locomotive plant in Texas

GE Transportation intends to open a new locomotive manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, to meet accelerating global demand. GE will invest up to $96 million in the new plant and will create more than 500 new high-tech manufacturing jobs. GE also announced that it will expand its manufacturing workforce at its Erie, Pennsylvania, plant by hiring an additional 250 workers.

GE will build a 9,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility to manufacture, assemble and remanufacture GE’s rail and transportation-related products, including GE’s most fuel-efficient locomotives to-date. Production is scheduled to start by 2012.

"Bringing more high-tech manufacturing jobs to Fort Worth is good news for the community and the people who live here," said Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. "GE has chosen well in deciding to locate its new plant in Denton County. The area’s highly trained workforce and strong business climate make it a prime location for these types of skilled jobs."

"We are excited to expand our operational footprint in the United States to better serve our customers," said Lorenzo Simonelli, President and CEO of GE Transportation. "We see robust growth in the U.S. and around the globe. A new site will help us to effectively respond to the cyclical demand in the transportation industry and to strengthen our overall position."

GE anticipates launching its formal hiring process for both salaried employees and production workers for the Texas facility later this year. Production workers include welders, assemblers, painters and related skilled labor.
The proposed location in Fort Worth will become final upon conclusion of pending local approval. The State of Texas will commit up to $4.2 million in incentives toward the project through the Texas Enterprise Fund.

WMATA trip planner now available on Google Maps

Riders of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metro can now plan their trips using Google Maps online or with their mobile device.
Riders can now visit http://maps.google.com/, select "get directions" and the "public transit" icon, and enter their start and end address. People with mobile devices can use the Google Maps for Mobile application or by visiting m.google.com/maps on their phone’s browser.

"We are pleased to partner with Google to give our riders another convenient way to plan their trips on Metrobus and Metrorail," said Catherine Hudgins, chair of WMATA’s Board of Directors. "Google Maps is one of the most popular online mapping sites in the world, which will help local Metro riders plan their trips and assist visitors from around the globe."

NJ Transit advances light rail extension project

The NJ Transit Board of Directors has advanced a project that would extend Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service farther west in Jersey City. The project would help support Jersey City’s planned development on the Newark Bay waterfront while easing traffic congestion along the busy Route 440 corridor.

"The selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative is the next step toward improving transit options near the redevelopment and existing residential areas along the heavily-used Route 440," said Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chairman James Simpson. "An extension of light rail to this area would both support the development and address traffic congestion along Route 440 and secondary roads."

Following NJ Transit’s completion of an alternatives analysis to explore the feasibility of a western light rail extension across Route 440, the Board adopted a Locally Preferred Alternative and authorized its submission to the North Jersey Transportation Authority for designation and inclusion in the agency’s Long Range Regional Transportation Plan. The project must be included in the NJTPA’s Long Range Plan in order to be eligible for federal funding.

Under the LPA, the project would include construction of a 0.7-mile, two-track extension of the light rail system from the existing West Side Avenue Station across Route 440 to the northern end of a redevelopment zone along the Hackensack Riverfront. The extension would be constructed entirely on an elevated viaduct and would include a new center-island platform station.

The new station would link the Jersey City waterfront and North Hudson to new residential, commercial and retail development the municipality is planning approximately one-half mile west of West Side Avenue Station.

RailAmerica completes acquisition of Alabama railroads

RailAmerica, Inc., has completed its acquisition of three Alabama railroads for $12.7 million in cash. The three railroads, known individually as the Three Notch Railroad, the Wiregrass Central Railroad and the Conecuh Valley Railroad, were purchased from affiliates of Gulf and Ohio Railways, Inc.

 

CTA Board appoints Claypool as president

The Chicago Transit Board has appointed Forrest Claypool as president of the Chicago Transit Authority.

Claypool joins the CTA from Rise Health, where he served as president since 2008. He has experience in government serving two terms as a commissioner on the Cook County Board, Superintendent/CEO of the Chicago Park District, two-time Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley, Deputy State Treasurer and Deputy Commissioner on the Cook County Board of Appeals.

"Forrest is a talented leader and a skilled manager who has extensive experience balancing budgets, finding efficiencies and making strategic capital investments," said Chicago Transit Board Chairman Terry Peterson. "He also has earned a reputation as a careful steward of tax dollars so he will be extremely valuable as we evaluate the ways we perform core functions in order to deliver the best value for taxpayers."

"I appreciate the support expressed by the Chicago Transit Board," said Claypool. "The CTA is a vital resource for this region and it is important that we be innovative and find ways to improve the quality and efficiency of service despite the economic challenges."

Claypool’s first day with the agency will be Monday, May 16. His annual salary has been set by the Chicago Transit Board at $198,000.

Amtrak ridership up nearly 10 percent in April

Amtrak ridership surged in April to be the best April on record and extends Amtrak’s streak to 18 consecutive months of year-over-year ridership growth.

Ridership for April 2011 was nearly 2.7 million passengers, which represents an increase of 9.9 percent over April 2010 and keeps Amtrak on the path to set a new annual ridership record.

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.

Comparing the first seven months of FY 2011 (October – April) to the same time period in FY 2010, national Amtrak ridership is up 6.5 percent so far this fiscal year and all three major business lines are showing gains: the Northeast Corridor up 4.8 percent, state-supported and other short distance corridors up 8.1 percent and long-distance trains up 5.6 percent.

According to Amtrak, factors contributing to these record highs include strong Easter holiday travel in April, high gasoline prices which have trended higher, continued growth in business travel on the high-speed Acela Express trains with Wi-Fi service, the increased appeal and popularity of rail travel and effective marketing campaigns.

The streak of 18 consecutive months of year-over-year ridership growth began in November 2009.

Florida Tri-Rail members approve new contract

By a four-to-one margin, United Transportation Union member train and engine workers employed by Veolia Transportation, operator of South Florida Tri-Rail, have approved a new agreement.

The agreement includes pay increases retroactive to July 1, 2010, an increase in certification pay for engineers, certification-pay parity for conductors, overtime pay for employees assigned to training classes or examinations on rest days, improvement in bereavement leave, restrictions on the use of videos for purposes of discipline, a cap on health care insurance contributions and the addition of a vision plan.