Southern California’s Metrolink Board of Directors us initiating a public outreach process for a potential system-wide fare increase to help close an existing $13 million funding gap for Fiscal Year 12-13 budget and Metrolink’s proposed Title VI Service Delivery Policy. The public will be asked to give feedback regarding an average system-wide fare increase between five and nine percent to go into effect on or after July 1, 2012.
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, the agency that owns and operates Caltrain, will consider a preliminary operating budget at its board meeting on May 3 that will be balanced using one-time funds for the fourth consecutive year.
The NRC’s Annual Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction was held on Thursday, April 26 at the RailWorks/E&L Paving and Construction facility in La Porte, Ind. The auction was a success with nearly $500,000 of equipment auctioned to on-site and online bidders.
BNSF plans to invest an estimated $202 million on maintenance and rail capacity improvement and expansion projects in Nebraska this year.
Caltrans, BNSF and Amtrak broke ground on a $38 million rail project that will add 3.8 additional miles of track to the Los Angeles area, increasing efficiency and rail capacity.
Norfolk Southern broke ground on the Charlotte Regional Intermodal Facility at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The facility, which will transfer trailers and containers between trucks and trains, will be capable of 200,000 lifts per year and will replace Norfolk Southern’s existing intermodal facility in downtown Charlotte.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit named Jesse Oliver as deputy executive director and Carol Wise as executive vice president, chief operating officer. DART Senior Vice Presidents David Leininger and Timothy McKay were promoted to executive vice president.
RMI, a GE Transportation company and provider of transportation management software and analytics to the railroad industry, has been selected as a 2012 Top 100 Logistics Technology Company by Inbound Logistics magazine for the seventh consecutive year.
Judy Hricak, CPSM, vice president, was promoted to chief marketing officer of Gannett Fleming. Hricak is the first Gannett Fleming employee to hold this title, reflecting her efforts to develop and maintain a corporate marketing strategy that consistently and effectively promotes Gannett Fleming on a national and international basis.
Kansas City Southern’s subsidiary, The Kansas City Southern Railway Company, received the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Partner Award on April 30 at the 21st annual Responsible Care Conference and Expo in Hollywood, Fla.
Jacksonville, Fla.-based RailAmerica, Inc., has officially completed its acquisition of Marquette Rail LLC for approximately $40 million. Marquette Rail is based in Ludington, Mich.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Expo light-rail line officially opened to the public on April 28.
The Chicago Transit Authority along with the Village of Skokie opened the Oakton Station, the first new ‘L’ station to open in 18 years.
“This joint effort resulted in a state-of-the art station and an additional, accessible station option for the expanding business and transportation needs of Skokie residents,” said CTA President Forrest Claypool.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s newly-formed subsidiary, the Columbus & Chattahoochee Railroad, Inc., signed an agreement with Norfolk Southern to lease and operate a 26-mile segment of NS track that runs from Girard, Ala., to Mahrt, Ala. The CCR will interchange with NS in Columbus, Ga., where GWI’s Georgia Southwestern Railroad also has operations.
Patriot Rail Corp. newly-formed rail subsidiary, Kingman Terminal Railroad has been awarded a long-term license agreement to provide rail operating services to customers at the Kingman Airport & Industrial Park, located in Mohave County, Ariz.
Koppers Inc. and Union Pacific agreed to extend their existing sales contract for an additional five years through January 31, 2017. Koppers provides treated railroad crossties and other railroad-related products and services to Union Pacific.
An $86 million Chicago Transit Authority Red Line renovation project will involve seven stations: Jarvis, Morse, Granville, Thorndale, Berwyn, Argyle and Lawrence. The funding comes from a mix of federal and local resources and will generate approximately 250 full-time equivalent jobs.
Baltimore, Md., Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake urged CSX Transportation to abandon locating a proposed multi-million dollar Baltimore-Washington Rail Intermodal Facility in suburban Maryland and instead begin working immediately to identify an appropriate site within the city of Baltimore.
California’s North County Transit District, through its contract with Herzog Transit Service, Inc., will assume dispatching responsibility for the 60-mile coastal rail line that begins at the Santa Fe Depot in San Diego County and ends at the Orange County line.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing CSX Transportation to install flashing lights and gates at three grade crossings in Freedom Township, Wood County.
