Author: Marybeth Luczak

(Photograph Courtesy of HART)
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Tutor Perini Lands $1.66B Skyline Contract

HONOLULU – HART on Aug. 15 reported awarding Tutor Perini Corporation a $1.66 billion contract for design and construction of the third phase of Skyline, an urban rail transit GoA4 (Grade of Automation) system whose first

Ontario’s Northlander Service Revival Advances

ONTARIO – The Ontario government on May 31 awarded three contracts totaling C$75 million to design and build nine new station shelters, improve track, and complete warning system upgrades as part of its plan to reinstate Northlander passenger rail service between Timmons and Toronto with a rail connection to Cochrane.

Report: The Portal Project Advances in California

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has committed $3.38 billion to The Portal Project, bringing Caltrain commuter rail to San Francisco’s Salesforce Transit Center, the San Francisco Examiner reported May 11. The Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), which is managing the approximately

STB Finalizes Reciprocal Switching Rule

WASHINGTON –– The Surface Transportation Board (STB) on April 30 reported adopting Reciprocal Switching for Inadequate Service, STB Docket No. EP 711 (Sub-No. 2), by unanimous vote, implementing new regulations at 49 CFR part 1145, which it said “sets forth a path for shippers and receivers to petition the Board for the prescription of a reciprocal switching agreement.” The final rule “is designed to promote adequate rail service,” according to the STB. Board Member Robert Primus concurred with a separate expression, noting “I am voting for the final rule because something is better than nothing.” Frank N. Wilner, Railway Age Capitol Hill Contributing Editor, weighs in and provides a reciprocal switching “primer.”

Metrolink to Pilot Track Intrusion Detection

From Our Colleagues at Railway Age:

LOS ANGELES –– Southern California’s Metrolink will use a $1.3 million federal grant for the development and demonstration of a track intrusion detection system that it said not only will improve the safety of its riders and crew, but also directly benefit pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and everyone else who interacts with the regional/ commuter rail system.

APTA Releases Ridership Trends Report

From Our Colleagues at Railway Age:

WASHINGTON ––After falling to 20% of pre-pandemic levels in April 2020, public transit has recovered to 79% of pre-pandemic levels as of March 2024, according to the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) latest ridership trends report.

PANY/NJ Launches $430MM ‘PATH Forward’ Program

NEWARK – The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANY/NJ) on April 5 reported kicking off a two-year, $430 million program to upgrade stations, tracks, bridges and railcars at PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp.), the fifth-busiest rapid transit system in the United States.

Metra Outlines 2024 Construction Plan

CHICAGO – Metra on April 3 detailed its construction program for 2024, covering station, track, road crossing, bridge, and signal/communications improvement projects along the Chicagoland commuter railroad’s 11 lines totaling nearly 500 route-miles. In addition

USDOT Awards $4.9B for Mega, INFRA Projects

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is distributing $4.9 billion to 37 nationwide projects through the FY 2023-24 Mega (National Infrastructure Project Assistance) and INFRA (Infrastructure for Rebuilding America) grant programs. Twelve rail-related projects will receive a total of $1.6 billion; the Pier B project at the Port of Long Beach and the Louisiana International Terminal project at the Port of New Orleans are among the winners.

Morrison Hershfield, the owner’s engineer on the Confederation and Trillium lines of Ottawa’s Light Rail Transit system, is slated to merge with Stantec, a global design and engineering firm based in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo: Courtesy, City of Ottawa)

Supply Side: Stantec/Morrison Hershfield, Egis

CANADA, U.S. and FRANCE – Stantec will acquire Morrison Hershfield, a Markham, Ontario-based engineering and management firm. Also, McIntosh Perry, a consulting engineering company in Toronto, Ontario, and Beam Longest & Neff, LLC (BLN), an infrastructure engineering firm in Indianapolis, Ind., have rebranded as Egis, their French parent company, effective Jan. 1.

(R.J. Corman Image)

R.J. Corman Earns Two NRC Awards

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) has recognized R.J. Corman Railroad Services with a 2023 Small Project of the Year Award for track construction at MxV Rail’s