Construction began in Yaphank, N.Y., on Long Island’s first intermodal freight rail terminal, a private venture that promises to make freight shipping more efficient in the region.
Executives at Brookhaven Rail Terminal and US Rail Corp., who have partnered on the $22 million venture, were joined by elected officials at a ceremonial groundbreaking Tuesday, according to a report in The North Shore Sun.
The facility, off Sills Road just south of the Long Island Expressway, will remove thousands of trucks from area roads and bridges every year, reducing pollution, said US Rail Corp. president Gabe Hall.
An expected 50 to 60 people will be hired to construct the terminal and an additional 120 will be hired when the rail line is in operation, officials said.
Freight trains will still use existing Long Island Rail Road tracks after the facility is built but, for the first time, they will have a destination where they can get off the LIRR tracks to unload and not be at the mercy of passenger train schedules. The previous arrangement also made it impossible to run full-length freight trains through Nassau and Suffolk, officials said.
Rhode Island transportation officials say a deal has been struck to provide rail service to T.F. Green Airport in Warwick, according to a report by the Associated Press.
Kevin Dillon, president of the Rhode Island Airport Corp., the agency that runs Green, welcomed the news, saying it makes the state’s largest airport even more convenient for travelers seeking a less stressful alternative to Boston’s Logan Airport.
The state Transportation Department, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Providence and Worcester Railroad and Amtrak worked together on the deal.
The trains will link the airport to Providence and Boston. The exact startup date and the schedule have yet to be determined.
GE Transportation announced the success of its Trip Optimizer, a technology that calculates the optimal locomotive speed for minimal fuel consumption, resulting in 3.3 million gallons of fuel savings on the first five million miles of track run using the technology. It is the latest example of how GE’s $4 billion-a-year software and solutions services are helping customers improve productivity and efficiency worldwide.
GE’s Trip Optimizer, an ecomagination product, is breakthrough software, which functions much like a car’s cruise control. Trip Optimizer calculates the optimal speed profile for a trip based on a specific train’s makeup and route and then automatically controls the throttle to maintain that planned speed and save fuel. Trip Optimizer operates in two ways: automatic control or advisement mode. Automatic control maintains the planned speed automatically while advisement mode informs the operator which throttle and dynamic braking levels to use to optimize fuel efficiency and speed.
Four major North American Class 1 railroads have outfitted their locomotives with GE Transportation’s Trip Optimizer and have accumulated more than five million service miles run in advisement and automatic control. Trip Optimizer generated a fuel savings of approximately seven percent and a corresponding reduction of more than 37,000 tons of CO2, or the same impact as taking more than 7,000 passenger cars off of the road or planting more than 10,000 acres of forest.
Trip Optimizer is the third in a series of transportation software advances from GE. It joins GE’s LOCOTROL Distributed Power product that increases hauling capacity and reduces operating costs and GE’s RailEdge Movement Planner that enables railroads to move more freight faster on their existing networks.
Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad named former Norfolk Southern executive Hugh Kiley Jr., general manager. Kiley previously was assistant vice president of operations at NS.
Matt Cooper, formerly business development manager, R. J. Corman Derailment Services, LLC, has been named to R. J. Corman Railroad Group’s CSX corporate account manager in Jacksonville, Fla. Cooper joined R. J. Corman Derailment Services in May 2001, where he has held a number of sales management positions before accepting his new role.
North American design firm Stantec has acquired the assets of Street Smarts, a 60-person transportation and civil engineering company headquartered in Duluth, Georgia. The addition of this well-respected Atlanta-area firm further develops Stantec’s existing transportation practice in Georgia and the southeastern United States.
"Street Smarts is a very good fit for our Transportation practice," says Bob Gomes, Stantec president and chief executive officer. "It has an impressive 20-year track record in Georgia spanning commercial development to statewide transportation projects and will help build our capabilities in this growing transportation market."
Street Smarts has worked on projects throughout Georgia, winning an ACEC Award for a guidebook it developed for the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) and its role as a subconsultant on the 22-mile (35-kilometre) Atlanta Beltline, the automated people mover system at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport and an addition to the Winn Army Community Hospital at Fort Stewart. Previous work also includes bridge replacements for Georgia DOT, a transportation study of the fast-growing commercial area around Gwinnett Place Mall, innovative freeway ramp and pedestrian control designs, and park, trail, and greenway designs.
The Association of American Railroads reported that monthly rail carloads on U.S. railroads in September 2010 were up 7.7 percent compared with the same period last year, but still down 7.5 percent compared with September 2008. According to AAR’s October Rail Time Indicators Report, the weekly average of 297,502 carloads last month was the highest since October 2008.
Intermodal traffic on U.S. railroads in September was up 17.3 percent compared with the same month in 2009, and up 0.2 percent compared with September 2008. September is traditionally one of the highest-volume months of the year for intermodal as retailers begin to stock up for the holidays.
Seasonally adjusted AAR data for September showed an increase in carloads from the previous month, up 1.9 percent from August 2010, while intermodal traffic experienced declines from August 2010, down 0.1 percent.
On an unadjusted basis, September also saw carload gains in 16 of the 19 commodity groups tracked by AAR. In terms of volume change, four categories in particular made significant gains: coal up 30,111 carloads, metallic ores up 16,978 carloads, grain up 14,123 carloads, and crushed stone, sand, and gravel up 11,399 carloads, from the same period last year.
Railroads continue to take rail cars out of storage. Railroads brought 17,638 rail cars out of storage in September, the largest number since April 2010. However, 331,074 freight cars, roughly 21.6 percent of the American railcar fleet, remain in storage.
The Rail Time Indicators report, available at www.aar.com, comprises detailed monthly rail traffic data framed with other key economic indicators to show how freight rail ties into the broader U.S. economy.
Flooding from Tropical Storm Nicole brought record rainfall in several areas of North Carolina and resulted in a number of washouts on track along the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR). Trains were rolling within 36 hours of the damage, moving commerce on the 317-mile railroad, which runs from Charlotte to Morehead City.
Washouts occurred in three locations along the track in Craven County between Dover, N.C., and Havelock, halting rail activity until repairs could be made.
"Our priority is to keep freight moving and rail customers happy," said Scott Saylor, NCRR President. "The partnership with Norfolk Southern and our ongoing investments to make improvements throughout the corridor help us keep and create jobs. The tracks were repaired promptly and Norfolk Southern really came through for NCRR and the businesses and military installations that depend upon our line."
Beyond fixing the damage done by Tropical Storm Nicole, NCRR has kept a keen eye to improving the railroad to avoid problems. Some of those projects include two new bridges between LaGrange and Kinston, six box culverts and ongoing improvements and maintenance to rails, ties and the surface material.
"NCRR has invested over $63 million in capital improvements to the North Carolina Railroad since 2001 and has committed another $83 million through 2015," said Saylor. "Since 2006 NCRR and Norfolk Southern have invested a combined $11.5 million in bridges and culverts east of Raleigh. That is non-taxpayer money, and many times it is evenly matched with Norfolk Southern investment in the projects. The North Carolina Railroad Company is a unique and valued asset for the people of the state. We intend to keep our asset healthy, make improvements that are good for our customers, keep commerce rolling and attract economic opportunity for the state."
The North Carolina Railroad Company owns and manages the 317-mile rail corridor extending from Morehead City to Charlotte. The railroad carries 60 freight trains and eight passenger trains daily.
President Obama on Monday lobbied for Republican support from Capitol Hill for a burst of spending on transportation projects, calling his proposal a jobs creator for the middle class and an overdue investment in the country’s foundation, reports the Associated Press.
"There’s no reason why we can’t do this," Obama said in a brief Rose Garden event. "There’s no reason why the world’s best infrastructure should lie beyond our borders. This is America. We’ve always had the best infrastructure … All we need is the political will."
Obama is proposing a $50 billion plan as an initial step toward a six-year program of transportation programs. It calls for building, fixing or maintaining thousands of miles of roads, rail lines and airport runways, along with installing a new air navigation system to reduce travel delays, and other projects.
The president unveiled the idea over Labor Day. Monday’s event amounted to another chance to promote it.
The president met privately with governors, mayors, transportation officials and Cabinet secretaries and then stood with some of them before the cameras as he made his case.
The timing also comes as Obama is eager to show action on the sluggish economy just a head of the Nov. 2 congressional elections, with his party in jeopardy of losing a sizable number of seats in the House and Senate.
Obama asked for Republican support, saying infrastructure work typically draws bipartisan support. But such cooperation seems unlikely in the current partisan atmosphere.
The economy continues to dominate public concern. The public sector slashed 159,000 jobs in September, including the largest cuts by local governments in 28 years. Obama said his program would boost employment right away and help make up for what he called years of costly inattention to the country’s infrastructure.
"Everywhere else, they’re thinking big. They’re creating jobs today, but they’re also playing to win tomorrow," Obama said of some of the top economic competitors to the United States. "So the bottom line is our shortsightedness has come due. We can no longer afford to sit still."
The administration released a new analysis of Obama’s plan that said it would particularly help with middle-class jobs in construction, manufacturing and retail.
Under pressure from the Obama administration, Gov. Chris Christie agreed to rethink his decision to cancel construction of a $9 billion rail tunnel connecting New Jersey and New York City, according to the Associated Press.
Christie, a rising star in the GOP with a reputation as a fearless protector of the taxpayers’ money, announced on Thursday that he was pulling the plug on the project because of runaway costs — a decision that led to an outcry from Democrats, who said it would cost the state thousands of badly needed construction jobs and cripple New Jersey’s long-term economy.
But after meeting for nearly an hour Friday with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the governor agreed to listen to ideas for pressing ahead with the project, known as ARC, for Access to the Region’s Core. It is the biggest public transit project under way in the nation.
CSX Transportation, the
State of New Jersey and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey joined
U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to celebrate the opening of the Liberty
Corridor Freightway, a major public-private partnership that provides expanded
access to the Port of New York and New Jersey.
New Jersey Governor Chris
Christie accepted the recommendation of the ARC Project Executive Committee to
terminate the ARC Project based on a 30-day review, which confirmed the project
is expected to substantially exceed its current budget. Based on calculations
by the Federal Transit Administration and the New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit),
the final budget is expected to top $11 billion and could exceed as much as $14
billion, compared to the project’s current budget of $8.7 billion.
The raising of a railroad
bridge on Route 148 won’t prevent emergency vehicles or school buses from
crossing, but the road will be cut to one lane during the project and will
close to all but buses and emergency vehicles for about a week, state officials
said last night, the Worcester, Mass., Telegram & Gazette reports.
Some railroad
representatives have suggested that Amtrak reroute a portion of its Los Angeles
to Chicago line through Amarillo, Clovis, N.M., and Wichita, Kan., but
officials with the passenger rail service believe the route’s current course is
fine, local media report. Amtrak’s Southwest Chief route has experienced delays
because BNSF, which owns some of the lines Amtrak travels on, has imposed a
lower speed limit on 180 miles of tracks running mostly through southern
Kansas.
Railroad crossing
closings are scheduled for Gurnee and Grayslake, Ill., this month, the Grayslake Review reports. Beginning at 6 a.m. Oct. 11, Route 173 will be fully
closed at the Canadian Pacific Railway crossing one mile east of Route 41 in
Wadsworth until approximately 4 p.m. Oct. 15. The closure will allow Canadian
Pacific to remove and replace the railroad-crossing grade.
The Greater Cleveland
Regional Transit Authority scheduled repairs for October 9 and 10 at the East
79th Street Station of the Red Line. The station will be closed
Saturday and Sunday between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. to perform
maintenance on the stairways.
Canadian Pacific Railway
Limited and Teck Resources Limited reached a 10-year agreement to transport
Teck’s steelmaking coal from its five mines in southeast BC to Vancouver area
ports.
Los Angeles Metro will
hold four community meetings beginning October 20 to update the public on the
South Bay Metro Green Line Extension project. The purpose of these meetings is
to seek public comments and input as the environmental process continues for
extending rail service farther into the South Bay to improve mobility in
southwest Los Angeles County.
Worldwide industrial
services and engineered products company Harsco Corporation debuted its new
logistics super center business concept for the Harsco Infrastructure –
Americas region with the launch of its first prototype center in Las Vegas to serve
the southwestern United States.
In his first several months
as New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie made it clear that he intended to cut
the state’s budget in ways that might surprise and upset some residents. But
one big project – a train tunnel to Manhattan projected to cost $8.7 billion –
appeared safe, according to The New York Times
It won’t include an
overpass, but New Albany, Ind., is aspiring to begin improving a portion of
Grant Line Road next year, The Evening News and Tribune reports. The Board of
Public Works and Safety approved a formal agreement with CSX Transportation,
which owns the railroad tracks that cross Grant Line Road near the General
Mills-Pillsbury plant entrance.
The deal basically confirms
that CSXT can begin forming design plans to improve the railroad crossing, with
the city agreeing to pay the planning and construction costs. Due to safety
concerns, CSXT rules that "no one can touch their facilities" except their
crews, said John Rosenbarger, director of public facilities projects for New
Albany.
The standard agreement "gives
[CSXT] the green light to do whatever engineering work they need to do and to
coordinate with our road engineers," Rosenbarger said.
Improving the railroad
crossing surface and installing new gates and flashers are just some of the
upgrades slated for Grant Line Road. The city will be using a portion of the
$6.125 million it received from the state for taking over 4.5 miles of Ind. 111
in April to foot construction projects from Mount Tabor Road to McDonald Lane
along Grant Line Road. Rosenbarger said that will include adding a lane near
University Woods Drive along with the installation of sidewalks and pedways
along the route.
An August preliminary
design submitted to the board of works called for Grant Line Road to be
stretched to five lanes from Mount Tabor Road inbound to the railroad tracks. The
Indiana Department of Transportation had pegged Grant Line Road for a similar
project until it relinquished control of a portion of the thoroughfare to New
Albany.
The state had originally
planned a 120-foot overpass to extend over the railroad tracks, but had
scrapped that idea prior to transferring the road to the city’s domain.
Mayor Doug England said in
a phone interview he wasn’t supportive of the state’s overpass idea, describing
it as a "monstrous project for the community."
"I think the overpass would
have been horrendous with the businesses it would have knocked out," he said.
The city will have access
to the right-of-way the state purchased for improvements along the route,
England said. Rosenbarger said additional property will likely have to be
purchased, but the city’s project will not have the impact on businesses the
overpass would have created.
England said the
construction would hopefully alleviate some of the traffic flow problems in
that section of Grant Line Road. The city is also working on extending Reas
Lane to connect its industrial parks in the corridor as a way to keep much of
the heavy truck traffic off of the busy thoroughfare.
Rosenbarger said the city
hopes to have design completed by the end of 2010 or early next year, with work
to begin next construction season.