Renovations to Minnesota’s
historic Union Depot in Saint Paul can now begin thanks to a signed agreement
between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Ramsey County Regional
Railroad Authority for $35 million, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.
TriMet’s MAX Blue Line
trains have begun two weeks of testing at the new Civic Drive Station in
Gresham, Ore. The trains will briefly stop at the station, simulating revenue
service, but no passengers will be able to board or exit the train.
Canada’s two largest
railways need to be monitored by a federal watchdog to keep their duopoly
powers in check, says a former rail executive who is leading the charge for
disgruntled shippers, the Toronto Globe and Mail reports.
The
village of Mundelein, Ill., would like to reduce the noise of train horns, the
Chicago Tribune reports. Board members recently hired Lisle, Ill.-based Patrick
Engineering Inc., who will develop a plan that will look into the
establishment of what’s known as a Federal Railroad Administration train
horn quiet zone.
As part of the
Patrick-Murray Administration’s historic Massachusetts Works program to promote
job growth and long-term economic recovery, Massachusetts Governor Deval
Patrick and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray joined Boston Mayor Thomas
Menino Nov. 15 to break ground on the $13.5-million Yawkey Commuter Rail
Station reconstruction project, a key public transportation component of the
$450-million Fenway Center development.
A tunnel dedicated
exclusively to light rail and a network of fast ferries are recommended to link
South Hampton Roads and the Peninsula in a draft plan for expanding public
transit in Hampton Roads, the Virginian-Pilot
 reports. Other ideas include
streetcars, bus rapid transit and commuter rail.
Maryland has canceled the
bidding on a contract to take over the operations of the MARC Camden and Brunswick
lines from CSX Transportation, saying its bid solicitation had failed to
generate sufficient competition for the work, The Baltimore Sun reports.
L.B. Foster Company is
extending its previously announced cash tender offer, through its wholly-owned
subsidiary Foster Thomas Company, for all outstanding shares of common stock of
Portec Rail Products, Inc., until 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on December
15, 2010. The tender offer was previously set to expire at midnight, New York
City Time on November 15, 2010.
As part of the Santa Clara,
Calif., Station improvement project, work will continue on the new pedestrian
underpass. The underpass will connect the north- and southbound platforms,
allowing two trains to pass through the station at the same time and improving
safety for pedestrians in the station.
Mohave County, Ariz.,
Supervisors unanimously approved general plan amendments that allow a large-scale
proposed 1200MW solar project to go head despite opposition from railroad
officials, Havasu News reports. The vote came down after BNSF officials pleaded
with supervisors for a continuance citing safety concerns surrounding Needle Mountain
Power’s Sterling Solar Generating Facility, slotted to set up shop northwest of
the Interstate 40 and State Route 95 interchange.
Philadelphia’s SEPTA
officials are talking safety with riders as part of National Escalator and
Elevator Safety Awareness Week. The goal is to make travel safer by reminding
customers to take some simple yet effective steps to stay out of harm’s way.
For example, when using elevators, always use handrails, stand in the middle
facing forward and keep loose clothing away from edges. On elevators, don’t
force doors open or closed – and if you get stuck, push the "help"
button and wait for assistance.
Hulcher Services Inc. has opened a new full-service division
in Montreal, Quebec. The new division is staffed and equipped to provide
a broad range of services for railroads and general industry. Service offerings
include railroad services, engineering work, transfer and load adjustments,
industrial services, snow removal, flood control and emergency/disaster
response.
Nearly 200 cubic yards of
trash and more than 400 old rail ties have been removed from the track area in
and around Jamaica Station, completing one of the largest clean-up projects in
the history of MTA Long Island Rail Road. The work was carried out by LIRR
track maintenance workers over two weekends in October and November while a
state-of-the-art switch and signal control system was being installed at
Jamaica, a critical hub for the railroad.
It’s been nearly two
years of legal battles over Canadian National Railway Company’s purchase of the
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern rail line, and it all comes down to this, the Aurora
Beacon-News reports. Sometime in the next four months, the U.S. Court of
Appeals is expected to rule on whether Canadian National will have to pay more
to separate grade crossings in Aurora and Lynwood, and whether the federal
Surface Transportation Board conducted a thorough study of the impacts of the
$300-million sale before approving it in 2008.
Changes to the light-rail
line pushed by Norfolk State University officials and agreed to by city leaders
will cost city taxpayers $10 million, The Virginian-Pilot reports. These costs
are not new. They are included in the $338-million light-rail price tag, but
after three years of negotiations, NSU, HRT and the city are nearing an
agreement for the changes. They include moving a
passenger station farther from campus and redesigning the storage and
maintenance building.
Ridership on Metra’s Union
Pacific North line dropped in September, reflecting widespread displeasure with
schedule changes, which the commuter line was forced to rescind, the Chicago
Tribune reports. The number of monthly passenger trips fell 10 percent to
820,462 compared with September 2009, according to recent figures.
Saving time, money and
being more environmentally friendly just got easier now that Metrolink in the
Los Angeles area has implemented a BETA launch of its new, mobile Website.
Customers can visit Metrolinktrains.com from their web-enabled cellular devices
and they will automatically be directed to the new mobile site.
In
an effort to bring attention to the ground-breaking work being done in
recycling, Axion International producer of the recycled, composite plastic
industrial building products, takes the occasion of November 15, "America
Recycles Day," to call upon American consumers and manufacturers to
increase recycling efforts to help build a better, greener and more sustainable
future.
First up was a $100-million
company that operates eight railroads in two countries, a firm that brought
four of its top executives to town to try to answer any question posed to them,
the Glens Falls, N.Y., Post-Star reports. Next was a train conductor from
Pennsylvania who has no funding, no equipment and no experience running an
operating railroad.
GO Transit will be
expanding rail service on the Georgetown line to Toronto-area suburbs Kitchener-Waterloo,
Guelph and Acton, with service scheduled to begin by the end of 2011.