New milestone for New York MTA’s Fulton Street Transit Center






The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority in New York City said underpinning for the Corbin
Building and the foundation for the Fulton Street Transit Center are complete.
This marks a major milestone in the $1.4-billion project that will connect five
subway stations and 10 subway lines, improving access for over 300,000 daily
customers that pass through this major transit hub in lower Manhattan. The
overall project, funded primarily with federal funds, remains on schedule and
will be completed in 2014.

DHS scientists to continue studying airflow in MBTA subway system






Commuters in Boston’s MBTA
subway system will notice scientific equipment and researchers with electronic
monitoring devices throughout the system August 20 -27, while the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues a scientific study of airflow
throughout the underground portion of the subway system. The first portion of
the study was conducted in December.

Ohio trail to change for CSX rail line






CSX Transportation wants to
raise a portion of the Keystone Viaduct on the Great Allegheny Passage at Sand
Patch so its double-decker train cars can clear the structure, the Somerset, Pa.,
Daily American reports. The Somerset County commissioners approved a memorandum
of understanding Tuesday with CSXT that outlines all the improvements the
railroad will need to make for the project. The agreement also lists who will
be responsible for construction, closure of the trail and when the actual work
is being performed.

Dow launching rail boot system at AREMA exhibition






The Dow Chemical Company
will introduce the TRAXSYSTM Rail Boot System in North America and present its
extensive rail technologies portfolio at the AREMA Conference and Exhibition in
Orlando, Fla., Aug. 29 – Sept. 1, 2010. Dow experts will be on hand at booth
#130/128 to discuss how the Company’s offerings can advance rail transport
safety and extend the working life of tracks, platforms and equipment 

TriMet launches TransitTracker by text






Portland, Ore., TriMet
riders have a new way to receive real-time arrival information for buses and
MAX: text message. This arrival information option, one of the first in the
nation, is useful for mobile phone users who have text message service plans
but not more expensive mobile web service plans.

Potential workers L.A. ask MTA to speed up construction






Los Angeles is known for
its vibrant car culture – and for all the problems that come along with it,
such as air pollution and congestion, according to the South Los Angeles Report.
Twelve transit projects are under way to provide relief for commuters. But transit
officials say that may take up to three decades to complete, according to the
South Los Angeles Report. Thousands of labor union members gathered in front of
downtown City Hall on Friday to show their support for a plan that would speed
up construction of the transit projects and create much-needed jobs.

Ohio county applies for underpass






A major upgrade
could be on the way for the railroad crossing where one Springfield, Ohio, High School student was killed and another
seriously injured while walking to school right before the holiday break in December 2009, FOX
Toledo News reports. They were both struck by a train while walking to school. Fifteen-year-old Cody Brown was killed. His friend, 16-year-old Brianna
Mullinger, survived but lost her leg.

2011 Joint Rail Conference issues call for papers






The 2011
Joint Rail conference, which will be held in Pueblo, Colo., March 16-18, with
the theme "Shared Corridors, Shared Interests" has issued a call for papers. The
2011 JRC is jointly sponsored by ASME, ASCE, IEEE, AREMA and TRB. Abstracts for
proposed technical papers are now being accepted on the conference website, http://www.asmeconferences.org/JRC2011


Lake Zurich, Ill., moving forward with EJ&E noise mitigation plans






Lake Zurich, Ill., trustees
approved an agreement with Ciorba Group Consulting Engineers in the amount of
$126,221 for Phase I analysis for noise mitigation measures along the Elgin,
Eastern and Joliet Railroad at Monday’s meeting, Pioneer Press reports.

Repairs under way to fix sinkhole under BNSF tracks in Duluth, Minn.






Heavy rain swept through
Duluth, Minn., the week of August 9, taking with it part of an old concrete
culvert in West Duluth, the Duluth News Tribune reports. 

That, in turn,
created a sinkhole over Kingsbury Creek that swallowed a section of the BNSF
railroad near the Willard Munger Inn.



Connecticut expected to approve $260 million for HSR






The Connecticut Bond
Commission is expected to approve $260 million to help pay for the improvements
needed for high-speed trains running through the state and western
Massachusetts, local media report.

FRA receives 77 applications for high-speed passenger rail funding






In an overwhelming show
of support for the Administration’s high-speed rail initiative, U.S. Secretary
of Transportation Ray LaHood said that the Federal Railroad Administration has
received 77 applications from 25 states for the most recent round of High-Speed
Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) grant funding. Application requests total more
than $8.5 billion and will be considered for funding from more than $2.3
billion appropriated in FY 2010.

Maryland Transit sets subway work






The Maryland Transit
Administration is advising Metro Subway customers of upcoming track
maintenance. The overnight work will improve track functions between the Rogers
Avenue and State Center/Cultural Center stations and is scheduled to have
limited impact on Metro Subway service.

St. Louis Metro offers information on changes coming August 30






With the most significant
transit-service changes in years coming on August 30, Metro employees in St.
Louis will be at MetroBus Transfer Centers and MetroLink stations on weekdays
until then to provide customers with information on changes coming to 53
MetroBus routes. Teams of Metro employees serving as "ambassadors" will meet
with customers during the morning and afternoon rush hours with details.

L.B. Foster supplying 24,000 CXT® concrete ties for Calgary transit extension






CXT, Inc., a wholly owned
subsidiary of L.B. Foster Company of Pittsburgh, Pa., has been awarded a
contract by City of Calgary Light Rail Transit to supply 14,500 CXT Concrete
Ties and fastening systems for use in the construction of line extensions to
expand the system to the northwest and northeast of Calgary, Alberta. CXT concrete
ties began shipping for this project in June from L.B. Foster’s Spokane, Wash.,
facility and will complete delivery by November 2010.

CSXT conducting $10-million upgrade of its West Springfield freight yard






CSX Transportation has set
December as its target to complete $10 million in upgrades and improvements at
its freight yard off Day Street in West Springfield, Mass., The Republican
reports. The work, which started in July, will consist mostly of extensive paving
with an elaborate retention basin system for capturing and cleansing runoff
before discharging the water into the city’s storm water system, according to
Maurice J. O’Connell, a regional vice president for CSXT.

Catenary, bridge improvements on the Metro-North New Haven Line






MTA Metro-North Railroad
timetables change on Monday, August 30 to accommodate a major, multi-year
Connecticut Department of Transportation catenary and bridge improvement
project on the New Haven Line.

Holland LP riding the rails to success






Founded during the Great
Depression, and now smack in the middle of the Great Recession, Holland LP is
still on track and showing no signs of slowing, the Southtown Star reports. But
that should come as no surprise because that is exactly what Holland LP does
best – keep things, or more specifically, trains, on track.

NJT seeks federal funds for infrastructure






NJ TRANSIT is seeking $885
million in new federal funding for the renewal and replacement of key
infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor, such as aging bridges, power supply
and signal systems between Trenton and New York City, Web site njtoday.net
reported.

 

Unit Rail names John Stout director of sales






Unit Rail, the rail
fastening division of Amsted Rail, appointed John Stout director of sales, responsible
for sales and marketing activities in North America for both the Unit Rail and
Advanced Track Products brands.

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