New auxiliary entrance on Archer opens at CTA Cermak-Chinatown Station






CTA President Richard L.
Rodriguez and Chicago Transit Board Chairman Terry Peterson said the agency opened
a new entrance to the Red Line’s Cermak-Chinatown station. Located
approximately one block north of Cermak on Archer Avenue, the new entrance will
serve as the primary access point for customers while the main entrance to the
station on the north side of Cermak is reconstructed and made accessible. The
south entrance on Cermak also will be closed to customers beginning June 4 at
11 p.m.

Axion selling plastic ties to Moroccan National Railway






Axion International received
its first two purchase orders for railroad crossties made out of Recycled
Structural Composite (RSC) from Moroccan National Railway Company (ONCF). ONCF
operates more than 1,100 miles of track throughout Morocco and carried more
than 29 million passengers last year.

Herbicide spray dispute ensnares Alaska Railroad






The State of Alaska has
approved herbicide spraying along the Alaska Railroad tracks for the first time
in decades, but tribal and environmental groups from Eklutna to Seward are
asking the state to reverse its decision, the Anchorage Daily News reports.

Canadian rail union applauds Ottawa’s new legislation on safety






Calling it the right thing
to do, Teamsters Canada applauds the announcement from the Conservative
government of Stephen Harper to put the clamps on railways flouting safety
rules.

CSX obtains LEED® green building certification






CSX Corporation has
obtained its first LEED® green building certification from the U.S. Green
Business Council. The LEED® certified building is a newly constructed
22,500-square-foot division headquarters in Florence, S.C., which includes 32
offices, a large conference room, a fitness center and a dispatch center.

STB official says CN has to abide by 2008 EJ&E bridges decision






The chairman of the
Surface Transportation Board said Canadian National Railway will have to stick
to the terms of his agency’s original decision on its acquisition of the
EJ&E Railway, including funding a rail overpass in Lynwood, Ill., Northwest
Indiana Times reports.

Free Wi-Fi now standard on Acela Express






Based on a successful
three-month trial run, strong customer satisfaction and solid system
performance, Amtrak is making free Wi-Fi a standard service offering for every
passenger traveling on its high-speed Acela Express trains operating between
Washington, D.C., and Boston and is moving forward with plans to expand it to
other routes.

Pennsylvania environmental cleanup clears way for NS rail yard project






The State of Pennsylvania
has signed off on the final environmental cleanup of the former Lancaster
Brickyard dump that’s destined to be the new location for Norfolk Southern’s
rail yard, the Intelligencer Journal reports.

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Tri-City Railroad sues Port of Benton over rail line






Tri-City Railroad Co.
filed a lawsuit against the Port of Benton in Washington State for refusing to
recognize its exclusive rights to use a 16-mile rail line, which caused a
significant financial loss to the company, The News Tribune reports. The
railroad and the port signed a 30-year agreement in 2002 for the leasing rights
of the rail line and parts of the 1171 building located in north Richland, Wash.
That agreement to operate and maintain the track gives Tri-City Railroad the
exclusive rights of use, said Nicholas D. Kovarik, an attorney for the company.

Telecoms illegally lay cable on Albany ranch, lawsuit says






Telecommunications
companies need to bury thousands of miles of fiber optic cable to meet their
customers’ needs, the Casper, Wyo., Star-Tribune reports. They could approach
tens of thousands of landowners and hundreds of local governments for contracts
and permits, or even seek court-ordered condemnation of property, all of which
would take years and money with no guarantee of success. Instead, they used a
150-year-old industry in Wyoming: the railroads.

Cleveland RTA plans two rail shutdowns June 4-6






Construction projects are
affecting Rapid service June 4-6 on the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit
Authority. On the East Side, from 8 p.m. Friday, June 4, through Sunday, June
6, shuttle buses will replace trains between Shaker Square and Green Road
eastbound and westbound on the Green Line. Reconstruction of the Attleboro Road
grade

Met Council to award first Central Corridor heavy construction contract






The Central Corridor
Project Office in the Twin Cities will recommend a contractor in June for the heavy
construction work for the line’s eastern seven miles. The Metropolitan Council is
expected to make the award June 23.

Rail spur may run near Safford Airport






At its May 24 meeting, the
Safford, Ariz., City Council unanimously voted to instruct city staff to
negotiate selling city land to the Arizona Eastern Railway so it can build a
rail spur to the Safford copper mine, the Eastern Arizona Courier reports.

PB appoints Lucey to head New York operations






Neil Lucey has been named a
senior vice president in the New York office of Parsons. In his new position, Lucey
will serve as area manager for PB’s New York office, responsible for client
management and project performance of all New York operations.

Port Authority, NJ Transit, MTA, MasterCard team up for fare cards






Customers on the Port
Authority’s PATH rail system now can simply "tap and go" with their credit
cards, under a regional six-month pilot program that began today. Eleven of
PATH’s 13 stations (except the Christopher and 9th street stations) have been
equipped with special payment readers, allowing riders to tap a contactless
credit card or other device like a key fob to pay fares.

Two Arizona light-rail projects to begin






Last summer, the sagging
economy spurred Phoenix to indefinitely delay construction of the northwestern
extension of Metro light rail, The Arizona Republic reports. But to prepare for
future light-rail construction, work in the corridor continues, in July the
city plans to begin two projects that will beautify 19th Avenue frontage roads
near Bethany Home Road and Dunlap Avenue. Motorists will see road restrictions
for several weeks starting in August.

Denver RTD adds to its senior leadership team






Denver Regional
Transportation District General Manager Phillip Washington noted the completion
of recruitments for several key RTD positions. These recruitments have been
under way since February as part of GM Washington’s reorganization and
restructuring of the agency, and will not require an increase in headcount.

Washington, D.C., Metro sets June weekend track maintenance schedule






Each weekend in June, there
will be major track work taking place to address Metro’s priority of
maintaining a state of good repair on the Red, Blue and Green lines. In addition,
construction work on the extension of rail to Dulles will take place on the
Orange Line. All of June’s weekend projects will impact travel times and cause
delays. 

UP invests $5 Million for track improvements to Fremont, Neb., line






Union Pacific will improve
Nebraska’s transportation infrastructure with a $5-million investment to
improve the rail line that runs from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Fremont, Neb. Work
on the more-than-33-mile stretch of railroad track began May 26 and is
scheduled to be completed by the end of July.


Quebec Bridge inspection to begin






CN has awarded a contract
to Roche Ltd. Consulting Group of Quebec City to perform a comprehensive
engineering inspection of the Quebec Bridge, which spans the St. Lawrence River
between Quebec City and Levis.