Roberts joins BGR Government Affairs

BGR Government Affairs has named Russell (Rusty) Roberts, formerly chief of staff to U. S. Representative John Mica (R-FL), as managing director of the firm’s transportation practice.

Rusty Roberts has more than 20 years of Capitol Hill experience and has been active in Florida politics for the past 28 years. His legislative and political management experience spans the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Florida Legislature.

"Based on his decades of policy and political experience, Rusty will help BGR’s clients work with the key decision makers in Washington and to navigate the new Congressional agenda driven by fiscal realities," said Ed Rogers, chairman of BGR Group, the parent of the bipartisan government relations firm BGR Government Affairs.

According to Roberts, "I am proud to bring my 30 years public service experience to helping clients advocate policies before Congress that promote infrastructure development, economic growth and job creation."

Harsco Secures $11 Million in additional orders From China

Harsco Corporation has received two additional railway track maintenance equipment orders from China metro transit system operators totaling close to $11 million.

The orders from the Suzhou and Guangfo Metros continue Harsco’s growing rail equipment presence in China. Both orders call for Harsco’s 20-stone rail grinders, a configuration ideally suited to the needs of urban metro systems with fully integrated, on-board diagnostics to simplify maintenance and minimize downtime in high-volume rapid transit roles. The units will be used by both metro lines to restore and maintain rail profiles for smoother travel at higher speeds while reducing fuel consumption and operating costs.

Scheduled for delivery in 2012, the orders add to Harsco Rail’s global backlog as one of the worldwide providers of equipment and service solutions for total track maintenance.

Lewis Evergrip spike now in use on UP, WMATA

Lewis Bolt & Nut Company said Union Pacific added the company’s patented EvergripTM Spike to its Track Standards and plans to use the spike on severe curves, turnouts and anywhere optimum holding power is required. In addition to the UP, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) will also convert its Track Maintenance Group to the EvergripTM Spike effective immediately.

CSXT tops U.S. transportation industry in annual diversity and inclusion ranking

CSX Transportation Corporation has placed 17th on the DiversityInc 2011 Top 50 Companies for Diversity®, a ranking of diversity practices among U.S. companies. CSXT is the only transportation company to be honored this year. In addition, CSXT also ranked sixth in the DiversityInc Top 10 companies for Supplier Diversity.

"Diversity and inclusion at CSX have come to mean diversity of people, backgrounds, experiences and ideas," said Michael J. Ward, chairman, president and CEO of CSXT. "CSX is working to develop a deep and talented pool of future leaders who offer, value and draw out unique perspectives in our organization and help us attract and retain the best and brightest talent possible."

The faces of CSXT, from the board room to the crew room, are increasingly diverse in age, gender, ethnicity and physical abilities. This is the fifth year in a row that CSXT has been recognized by DiversityInc for its commitment to diversity. Last year CSXT was placed on the DiversityInc "25 Noteworthy Companies" list. Each year since 2006, G.I. Jobs has recognized CSXT as one of the top 50 Military-Friendly Employers and the company was ranked third in 2010. CSXT is a charter member of GettingHired.com, an organization for employers and job applicants designed to help the millions of Americans living with disabilities secure sustainable employment and flourish in their careers.

CSXT has also been honored in recent years by Diversity MBA Magazine, Black MBA Magazine, CollegeGrad.com and Hispanic Business Magazine.

"To remain competitive in a 21st-century marketplace, CSX understands that it must create the right environment to attract, develop and retain a diverse blend of excellent employees," said Susan Hamilton, chief diversity officer and assistant vice president of diversity, CSXT. "Knowing that people make the difference, CSX works to create a highly productive blend of experienced railroaders and new employees eager to build a career in the railroad industry."

 

WMATA details plans to realign Blue, Yellow Line Metrorail service

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority officials detailed plans to the Board Customer Service and Operations Committee on March 10 about how the transit authority plans to realign Blue and Yellow Line Metrorail service by June 2012 in an effort to improve service, reliability and prepare for the future Dulles extension. 



"The Blue and Yellow Line realignment is meant to address peak period crowding and service reliability at the Rosslyn Metrorail station, realign service to better match ridership and transition to the future Dulles rail extension," said Metro General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Richard Sarles. 



The realignment will be a major change to the service pattern of the Metrorail system. Orange, Blue, Yellow and Green Line riders all will be affected by the change. The proposal is to shift one-third of Blue Line trains from Franconia-Springfield Metrorail station to operate via the Yellow Line Bridge to L’Enfant Plaza and on to Greenbelt. To offset the shift, three Orange Line trains per hour would be added from West Falls Church-VT/UVA to Largo Town Center. 


Multiple rail lines will benefit from the realignment with increased service, including the Yellow and Green lines (between L’Enfant Plaza and Greenbelt Metrorail stations) and the Orange Line (between West Falls Church-VT/UVA and Court House Metrorail stations). It is estimated that 108,000 riders (43 percent of peak period trips) to various destinations within the system will benefit from increased service and time savings. 



To ensure a smooth transition and successful launch of the new service patterns for customers, Metro will implement a communications plan that explains the expansion and resulting changes, and involves customers, stakeholders and employees in the change to ensure public support and quality service. 



 

LACMTA, LANI receive planning grant for transit corridor, station development plan

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) have been awarded a planning grant from the California Department of Transportation to develop a community linkage and revitalization concept plan for consideration by local jurisdictions for the future Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Florence/West light rail station.

The concept will define a range of potential improvements linking the surrounding neighborhood and proposed West Boulevard station with goals of:

• Enhancing access to the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor
• Incorporating the community’s general vision of development for the area
• Promoting economic revitalization

The project area for the grant encompasses parts of the cities of Los Angeles and Inglewood. The boundaries are Crenshaw Boulevard to the east, High Street on the west, Florence Avenue to the south and 76th Street to the north. This is an urban neighborhood, characterized by industrial and commercial facilities in the immediate vicinity and multi-family and single-family residences in the adjacent streets.

Utilizing its nationally recognized model for community engagement, LANI will manage the development of the West Boulevard Community Linkage and Revitalization Concept Plan. A project steering committee compromised of local stakeholders will participate in a community-based planning and design process and to assist in the development of the concept plan, incorporating the priorities of the neighborhood in an effort to promote greater community participation during the design process.

LANI will host a series of community meetings that will inform stakeholders of the process and garner insight and input.

Bridge toll funds move BART project forward

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Programming & Allocations Committee has recommended approval of a $19 million allocation of bridge toll funds to the Contra Costa Transportation Authority to help advance construction of the $463 million East Contra Costa BART Extension through Pittsburg and Antioch. The full Commission will consider the committee’s recommendation at its regular monthly meeting on March 23.

"The committee’s approval is a crucial step in keeping the eBART project on schedule and on budget," said MTC Vice Chair and Orinda city councilmember Amy Rein Worth, who represents the cities of Contra Costa County on the Commission. "The project will not only deliver much-needed congestion relief in the years ahead, but BART estimates it will generate more than 600 jobs during construction and dozens of permanent positions once the trains begin service. This is a wise and very timely investment, and one I’m confident the full Commission will support."

Construction on the eBART project began in October 2010. The latest MTC commitment includes $15 million for construction and management activities needed to accommodate eBART in the median of State Route 4 plus another $4 million for eBART crossings over local roadways that will be built as part of Caltrans’ and the CCTA’s ongoing highway widening project.

"Toll funds are a big slice of the financing pie for the eBART project," explained Rein Worth. "This reflects the strong, continuing partnership between MTC and the CCTA to deliver mobility improvements for the residents of eastern Contra Costa County. Another big slice of the funding comes from the Measure J half-cent transportation sales tax. County voters made it clear that eBART is an important priority when they approved Measure J back in 2004."

The 10-mile first phase of the eBART line, which is slated to open for customer service in 2015, will stretch from the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station to Hillcrest Avenue in Antioch with an intermediate station at Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg. Travel time from Hillcrest to Pittsburg/Bay Point will be 10 minutes. The diesel multiple-unit trains used on the eBART line are smaller than traditional BART trains, with a capacity of 300 to 400 passengers in each two-car train. The trains will use modern clean diesel technology, and are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Route 4 corridor by 260,000 pounds per day.

 

2010 saw increase in crossing collisions, pedestrian vs. train incidents

An improving economy may have contributed to an increase in vehicle-train and pedestrian collisions, deaths and injuries in 2010, according to Operation Lifesaver, Inc., the national nonprofit rail safety education organization, citing preliminary 2010 Federal Railroad Administration statistics.

"The statistics show that as America pulls out of the recession and people are driving more, we need to redouble our efforts to educate the public about taking unnecessary risks at highway-rail crossings because any incident is one too many," said OLI President Helen Sramek. "Another disturbing finding is the continued rise in pedestrian incidents on or near train tracks."



The FRA statistics indicate that there were 2,004 vehicle-train collisions in the U.S. in 2010, up 4.2 percent from the 1,924 incidents in 2009; those 2010 collisions resulted in 260 deaths and 810 injuries, with crossing deaths up 5.3 percent and crossing injuries up 9.8 percent from the 247 deaths and 738 injuries in 2009. States with the most crossing collisions in 2010 were Texas, Illinois, California, Indiana and Louisiana.

U.S. Department of Transportation figures also show that vehicle miles traveled in 2010 (2,999,634 according to the Federal Highway Administration) were the third-highest ever, Sramek noted. "With more people traveling on our roadways, there’s a greater chance for an incident to occur," she said.

An additional 451 pedestrians were killed and 382 injured while trespassing on train tracks last year, versus 417 deaths and 343 injuries in 2009. Total trespasser deaths rose 8.2 percent and trespasser injuries rose 11.4 percent in 2010. States with the most pedestrian-train casualties (deaths and injuries combined) in 2010 were California, Texas, Illinois, Florida and New York.

"Despite overall gains in rail safety in the past decade, these latest statistics show that Operation Lifesaver must continue its work to educate drivers and pedestrians about the dangers present around tracks and trains," said Sramek.

CTA names new capital improvements manager

The Chicago Transit Authority selected Chicago Transit Partners to oversee the agency’s ongoing capital improvement plan. After a competitive procurement process, CTP will once again oversee various construction projects for the agency.

"This renewed partnership with CTP allows for CTA to meet capital improvement goals in the most cost efficient way possible," said CTA President Richard Rodriguez. "External resources are an invaluable tool for CTA. Existing staff can tap into the knowledge base of additional engineers and project managers without incurring the full cost of the position."

"The use of an outside program manager is an effective and cost efficient industry strategy for saving time and money and ensuring quality," said Chicago Transit Board Chairman Terry Peterson. "With multiple projects at different stages of development, the CTA is able to maximize the resources of the CIPM and adjust the size of the workforce or the nature of the expertise as needed."

As the Capital Improvement Program Manager, CTP will work on projects that include track rehabilitation, replacement of viaducts and projects to upgrade traction power. CTP will also help develop project plans in preparation for future funding. Under the previous agreement, CTP assisted with the Brown Line capacity expansion project, renovation of the Howard station on the Red Line and power upgrades to the Dan Ryan branch of the Red Line.

The CTA reached a successful contract negotiation with CTP to provide management services for up to three years and services provided are not to exceed the contracted amount of $29.7 million and is contingent upon the availability of capital funding. CTP’s previous contract was approved in 2005 for $60.5 million for up to five years and was also contingent on the availability of capital funding.

Washington state approves funds for crossing safety improvements

State regulators have approved funding to improve safety at a railroad crossing in Tacoma.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission approved $20,000 from the Grade Crossing Protective Fund to Tacoma Rail to upgrade the warning signals at the intersection of 99th St. E. and the railroad company’s tracks in the city of Tacoma.

Tacoma Rail plans to use the funds to install long-lasting, energy-efficient flashing LED lights and motion-sensing train detection at the rail crossing. The railroad also will add pedestrian bells to both signal masts and replace the cross-buck signs. The total estimated cost of the project is $27,095. State GCPF funding is limited to $20,000.

Ninety-ninth Street East is a two-lane road with an average of 3,375 vehicles crossing the railroad tracks each day. The project must be completed by June 15.

State regulators also approved funding to improve safety at a railroad crossing in Yakima County.

The Washington UTC approved $20,000 from the Grade Crossing Protective Fund for the city of Moxee to upgrade warning signals at the crossing located at Beaudry Road. In addition, a "No Right Turn" sign will be installed on nearby State Route 24 (SR-24).

The city of Moxee plans to use the funds to install flashing LED lights and gates at the rail crossing. The city also proposes to improve safety at the crossing by tying in the new railroad warning signals with the nearby traffic signal on SR-24 to ensure that no traffic will back-up on tracks when a train is approaching the crossing.

The total estimated cost of the project is $66,730. State GCPF funding is limited to $20,000.
Moxee is located almost eight miles southeast of Yakima in Yakima County. Beaudry Road is a two-lane road with an average of 3,900 vehicles crossing the railroad tracks each day. The project must be completed by June 30. 



 

Freight railroads to spend $12B on capital spending

The Association of American Railroads has announced the nation’s freight railroads in 2011 are planning to spend a record $12 billion on capital expenditures, after setting a record with $10.7 billion in capital spending in 2010. According to the Great Expectations 2011, Railroads and Continued U.S. Economic Recovery report, these investments are potentially threatened by regulatory and legislative policies being considered in Washington, D.C.

"Even during the worst recession in a generation, freight railroads have been plowing record amounts of private capital back into the rail network each and every year, achieving one of the highest capital investment rates of any U.S. industry," said AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger. "A regulatory framework that provides certainty will foster continued economic recovery and job creation."

While President Obama and other leaders have called upon private companies to increase capital spending and rev up hiring, the nation’s freight railroads have been spending record sums of private capital on the rail network and bringing people back to work. Railroad hiring at the end of 2010 was up 5.2 percent over the year before, according to the report and railroads are positioned to hire more workers in the coming years.

"The President has issued a clear call to American businesses, urging them to get off the sidelines and get back in the game by investing capital and hiring," Hamberger said. "Freight railroads have been in the game for the past 30 years, investing more than $480 billion to build and maintain America’s freight rail network with private capital and supporting jobs all across the country. Freight railroads have a great track record and are ready to continue investing in the national rail network so U.S. taxpayers don’t have to. But, we must have a regulatory framework that supports and does not hinder private investment."

 

UP to invest $12.9M in California track improvements

Union Pacific Railroad will continue improving California’s transportation infrastructure with a $12.9 million investment to enhance the rail line that runs from Watsonville to San Lucas. The 76-mile project includes installing new rail and more than 82,000 railroad ties along the railroad corridor through the central coast of California. Crews will spread 42,000 tons of ballast to ensure a stable roadbed.

DART adding more rush hour trains

Dallas Area Rapid Transit is developing plans to have more frequent light rail trips on the Red Line North/Orange Line to create space for current customers and make room for new ones looking for an alternative to skyrocketing gasoline prices.

The changes mean customers departing Red Line stations north of downtown Dallas in the morning, like Parker Road or Arapaho, will have more train trips to choose from. At the same time, customers leaving downtown Dallas in the afternoon to return to those stations or others like Mockingbird or Bush Turnpike on the Red Line, will have more frequent service too.



The new schedule will start April 11 and increases rush hour capacity 28 percent during morning and afternoon rush hours. By comparison, rush hour ridership increased 15 percent during the peak gasoline prices of 2008. The capacity will be increased by adding more frequent service over longer periods of time, creating more 7.5-minute departures instead of the current 15-minute departures. Four trips will be added during morning rush and six during the afternoon rush.

The departure frequency, or headway, was increased in December as a cost-cutting measure and to match ridership demand. There are no plans to increase capacity on Red Line South, Blue Line or Green Line trains based on current and projected ridership.

The increased Red Line North frequency was planned for implementation with the opening of the Orange Line to Irving in 2012. The rail service changes will require adjustments to all Red Line trips as well as some Blue and Green line trips. Some connecting bus routes may also have minor adjustments.

BNSF helps customers go green

In 2010, BNSF customers reduced emissions by more than 21 million metric tons of CO2, which is also equivalent to reducing the consumption and resultant emissions of more than 2 billion gallons of diesel fuel.

For the third year in a row, BNSF provided its intermodal, automotive, industrial products and agricultural products customers with customized letters that analyzed their total rail carbon footprint and savings compared to movements of those shipments via the highway.

Calculations are based on commodity type and weight and distance traveled by rail. The calculation also considers the different fuel efficiencies of trailer, container or carload shipments. The calculation methodology was developed in consultation with Clear Carbon Consulting.

"Rail provides enormous value in reducing the country’s overall transportation emissions and carbon footprint," said John Lanigan, BNSF executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "BNSF can move a ton of freight 500 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel. That is at least three times more efficient than an all-truck option, which helps reduce our dependence on imported oil while also reducing traffic on our nation’s crowded highways."

Amtrak: 16 months of passenger growth

February marked 16 consecutive months of Amtrak ridership growth and was the best February on record with 2,099,010 passengers.

"The ridership increase shows the continued popularity of rail travel and the need for continued investment in passenger rail service," said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman. "We anticipate demand for rail travel will increase with the rise of gasoline prices, and Amtrak is prepared to be there for passengers who want to leave the car behind."

This strong performance is part of a long-term trend that has seen America’s railroads set annual ridership records in seven of the last eight fiscal years, including more than 28.7 million passengers in FY 2010.

Specifically, there was a 7.6 percent increase in riders in February 2011 vs. February 2010, or more than 147,000 passengers. The 16 straight months of ridership growth spans from November 2009 to February 2011 and averages a six percent growth rate over this period.

Factors that are contributing to the success of Amtrak include a moderately improved economic environment allowing some recovery of business travel along the Northeast Corridor, sustained high gasoline prices, the increased appeal and popularity of rail travel, effective marketing campaigns and the introduction of Wi-Fi on the high-speed Acela Express trains.

Gov. Quinn signs bill to create new transit district

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn joined southeast suburban officials to sign House Bill 1644, which establishes the Southeast Commuter Rail Transit District. The new district will give local officials the tools they needto help build the SouthEast Service Line, a proposed Metra line connecting nearly 20 communities with downtown Chicago.

"Accessible commuter rail is an essential component of our transportation system," said Governor Quinn. "The SouthEast Service Line will provide access to an underserved area while creating jobs, sparking economic development and improving the quality of life in the southeast suburbs."

The planned SouthEast Service Line will link the 33 miles between Crete’s Balmoral Park and downtown Chicago’s LaSalle Street Station, with additional stops in Crete, Steger, South Chicago Heights, Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Thornton, South Holland, Dolton, 115th Street, Gresham and 35th Street stations on Chicago’s South Side. The project will cost an estimated $778 million and will open up service to one of the last regions of the metropolitan area without access to Metra.

The new line will provide greater access to jobs, reduce highway congestion and enable towns and neighborhoods along the route to pursue transit-oriented developments. Among the anticipated locations served will be St. James Hospital and Health Centers in Chicago Heights, the Ford Motor Co. plant on the South Side, U.S. Cellular Field and Chicago’s Loop.

The project was authorized in the 2005 federal transportation bill. Metra completed the last of the in-depth studies of the line in 2010. A final proposal is expected to be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration later this year.

"The Southeast Commuter Rail Transit District will bring commuter rail to an area with few transportation options," said Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig. "By creating this district, we are reaffirming our commitment to the SouthEast Service Line and giving communities a greater voice in the planning process."

 

UP invests $33.5M for Oregon track, rail facility improvements

Union Pacific Railroad will continue investing in Oregon’s transportation infrastructure with a $33.5 million investment to enhance the rail line that runs from Oakridge to Harrisburg, and to improve the rail yard in Eugene. The 75-mile track improvement project includes installing 26 miles of new rail and more than 81,000 railroad ties along the railroad corridor through the central part of Oregon.

Crews will also spread 42,100 tons of ballast to ensure a stable roadbed. Additionally, more than 100 crossings are being resurfaced, providing motorists a smooth transition across designated railroad crossings and crews will replace 15,400 ties and more than 5,000 tons of ballast in the Eugene rail yard.

NS receives approval for Ohio crossing work

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has approved authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing Norfolk Southern to install flashing lights and gates at the Benton-Carroll Road/County Road 23 (473-769H) grade crossing in Ottawa County.

NS must submit site plans and cost estimates for the project to the PUCO by May 31, 2011. Funding for the upgrade will be provided through federal funds. The railroad will be responsible for completing construction of the upgrade by Mar. 2, 2012.

To increase public safety during the construction of the project, the PUCO will assist the local government with the cost of improvements such as rumble strips, illumination, improved signage or other safety enhancements at the project location. Funding for the improvement will come from the State Grade Crossing Safety Fund and will not exceed $5,000.

Gates now owns 10% of CN

Cascade Investment, LLC., whose sole member is Microsoft founder Bill Gates, acquired 35,784 Common Shares of Canadian National Railway Company. With this purchase, Cascade now holds 37,392,378 shares, representing approximately 8.14 percent of the outstanding shares.

In addition, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, a charitable trust for which Gates serves as a co-trustee, owns 8,563,437 shares CN representing 1.86 percent.

Gates is deemed to have beneficial ownership of and/or control or direction over 45,955,815 of the shares, representing approximately 10 percent of the outstanding shares.

Gates spent $8 million through his investment agency to increase his stake in the rail giant, Gates’ firm said in a statement, reports the Toronto Sun.

He first bought into CN in 2000 and has gradually increased his stake in the company since then.

PTC miles to be scaled back

The Federal Railroad Administration has agreed to a request by railroads to scale back the number of rail route miles over which positive train control must be implemented before January 2016, according to the report by the United Transportation Union.

Railroads asserted that since the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was passed ordering the PTC installation, followed by an FRA order mandating its implementation on 73,000 miles of track carrying HAZMAT and passengers, rerouting of HAZMAT trains has reduced the affected trackage.

New traffic patterns for shipping toxic chemicals means some 10,000 miles of track used to move the chemicals in 2008 are no longer expected to transport those products by 2016, said the railroads.

The FRA will institute a new rulemaking proposing to reduce the number of route miles by the 10,000-mile figure, which railroads say will save them hundreds of millions of dollars in installation costs.

An FRA spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal, "This settlement is consistent with the president’s recently issued Executive Order 13563 requiring agencies to review their significant rules and ensure that the safety benefits derived justify the costs imposed."

 

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