During the recession in the
early 2000s, U.S. freight railroads slashed spending and services. When
business revived, they were roundly criticized for bottlenecks and delays, The
Wall Street Journal reports. This time around, the railroads have continued to
spend heavily, plowing more than $20 billion into capital improvements to widen
tracks and tunnels, upgrade cars and engines and enhance their technology.
Coleman Young died a
dozen years ago. If the former Detroit mayor were with us today, he surely
would be delighted with news of a billion-dollar investment in Detroit’s
railroad infrastructure, the Port Huron Times Herald reports.
SEPTA General Manager
Joseph Casey joined state and local leaders and members of the community for a
ribbon-cutting ceremony at Wayne Station on the Thorndale Regional rail line in
Wayne, Delaware County, Pa. The ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of
the extensive two-year $22.7-million Wayne Station Improvement Project. The
project was funded as a joint federal, state and local effort to rejuvenate the
historic station, which dates to the late 1800’s.
Ten states that lead the
nation in the number of highway-rail grade-crossing deaths — Alabama,
California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio and
Texas –have until Aug. 27, 2011, to complete five-year action plans that
address highway-rail grade crossing accidents, Occupational Health &
Safety’s Website reported.
The three newest members
of the Amtrak board of directors recognize that Amtrak and its national network
of high-speed and intercity passenger trains are key to the future of passenger
rail transportation in America.
L. B. Foster said that the
Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania has dissolved the
preliminary injunction issued on April 21, 2010, which had enjoined the
completion of L.B. Foster’s tender offer for Portec Rail Products, Inc. Stan Hasselbusch,
L.B. Foster’s chief executive officer, commented, "We are pleased that
this obstacle to L.B. Foster’s acquisition of Portec Rail has been
removed."
BMWED National Division
President Freddie N. Simpson, who also serves as a Teamster International Vice
President, was re-elected by acclamation during the union’s Quadrennial
Convention.
In July, Metro will replace
rail switches at the Rosslyn Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines and
conduct major track work to maintain a state of good repair on all five of
Metro’s rail lines. All of July’s weekend projects will impact travel times and
cause delays. However, there will be no track maintenance during the upcoming
July 4th holiday weekend.
Pacific Harbor Line said
that M. D. "Mike" Stolzman, vice president, has been promoted to
president, succeeding Andrew C. Fox, who is promoted to managing director, a
newly created position. Otis Cliatt succeeds Stolzman.
As part of its recent
initiatives to position the Port of New York and New Jersey for future economic
growth, the Port Authority acquired additional prime waterfront property – the
98-acre Global Terminal on the Port Jersey peninsula in Jersey City and Bayonne,
N.J.
The San Diego City
Council has approved what will be among the nation’s largest quiet zones,
entailing $20.9 million in spending to improve downtown railroad crossings and
prevent freight trains from blaring their horns at all hours, local media
report. Downtown residents, developers and business operators have decried
late-night train noise for the past decade, saying it lowers the quality of
life, hurts property values and detracts from downtown enhancement efforts.
St. Louis Metro is launching
the first phase of service restoration on June 28 with changes to MetroLink and
MetroBus frequency and routes, marking the beginning of a new era of
public-transit rebuilding, expansion and innovation. Public officials, Metro’s
leadership and other Metro employee volunteers will welcome passengers back on
the first day of service restoration and will pass out specially wrapped
cookies at MetroLink and MetroBus stations and transfer centers throughout the
system.
VIA Rail Canada said that
a tentative three-year agreement has been reached with the Canadian Auto
Workers (CAW), and that there will be no work stoppage. The agreement must be
ratified by union members.
From San Francisco to San
Jose, Sunday, June 27 to Thursday, July 1, a rail detector car will be used on
Caltrain to find flaws in the rails. This on-track car uses ultrasonic
equipment to detect minute flaws in the rails that are not visible to the naked
eye. These flaws may be the result of manufacturing defects or simply develop
over time. If a critical flaw is found, it must be repaired immediately.
Washington, D.C., Metro’s
Board of Directors approved a $5-billion, six-year capital spending plan June
24 as part of its FY2011 capital budget, which was made possible as a result of
increased contributions from the jurisdictions that fund Metro, federal
stimulus dollars provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
and dedicated federal and local matching funds provided by the Passenger Rail
Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.
Local officials including
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are scheduled to take part in a groundbreaking
ceremony for the Metro Gold Line Foothills Extension Saturday morning, June 26,
in Newcastle Park in Arcadia, Calif.
The Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA) received notification that the Federal Transit
Administration issued a Record of Decision for the first 10-mile phase of BART
Silicon Valley. This milestone signifies that VTA satisfied the requirements of
the National Environmental Policy Act, thereby issuing environmental impact
approval for the $2.1-billion Berryessa Extension.
After years of using a
concrete slab as the Amtrak train station, the city of Beaumont, Texas, will
see a new station constructed in coming months, the Examiner reports. Amtrak
received more than $1.1 million in federal funding through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was allotted for the construction of a new
station in Beaumont.
Teamsters General
President Jim Hoffa called on Congress to stress road and bridge repair and
public transit expansion in the next federal highway bill.
MAX Red Line trains will
not run between Gateway Transit Center and Portland, Ore., International
Airport Saturday, June 26-27 due to track maintenance. Crews are installing
rail expansion joints to reinforce the track and help trains maintain normal
speeds when outside temperatures rise and the rails expand and flex.