In an announcement that
Madison officials hailed as a boon for downtown, Gov. Jim Doyle said May 6 that
the "obvious, correct choice" for an Amtrak station is near Monona Terrace in
Madison, Wis., the Wisconsin State Journal reports
The main railroad between
Memphis and Nashville has been knocked out of service, as the flood damaged
five bridges along the route, the Tennessean reports. The Memphis line has been
shut down since May 2, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency
and CSX Transportation, the line’s owner. Workers were assessing damage, but
the flood appears to have washed out two bridges over the Harpeth River and
rendered three others unusable.
Sierra Northern Railway
Engine No. 48 rumbles slowly down the tacks toward Watsonville, Calif. A
growling, 125-ton rolling box of steel and fuel, its form or one similar has
hauled people and goods along the 32 miles of the Santa Cruz Branch Line
railroad since 1881. Beneath it, the tracks and the land at least 20 feet on
either side are owned by Union Pacific, as old and imposing a company as you’ll
find in American business. And until the Cemex cement plant in Davenport closed
down in January, Cliff Walters and Wes Swift, the engineer and conductor inside
the train, had plenty of work driving loads both north and south of Santa Cruz,
their bosses at Sierra making a modest but steady profit while turning over
lease payments in cash and services to UP like clockwork.
Caltrain will reconstruct
the East Bellevue Avenue crossing beginning at 8 a.m., Friday, May 7 and
continuing through 6 a.m., Tuesday, May 11. During that time the street will be
closed to through traffic between Claremont Street and San Mateo Drive. During
construction, electronic message boards will be used to divert east-west
traffic to Peninsula and Poplar avenues.
Customers in the
Washington, D.C., area can expect lengthy delays of up to 30 minutes May 7-9 as
old track components are replaced on the Red and Orange lines, causing inbound
and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track on portions of the rail
system.
The Illinois Commerce Commission has granted
approval for reconstruction of a bridge to carry County Highway 8 over the Iowa
Interstate Railroad’s track and to relocate an existing highway-rail grade
crossing in order to make room for the reconstructed bridge. The relocation is
near the Village of Wyanet in Bureau County. The bridge in question, which was
built in 1931 and rehabilitated in 1981, also spans the Hennepin Canal. Further
rehabilitation is not possible due to deterioration of the structure. The new
bridge will be wider and provide a safer roadway for the travelling public.
As the U.S. economy
continues to recover, CSX Corporation remains sharply focused on safety,
service and productivity, the things that have made the company successful
through a variety of economic conditions, Michael Ward, CSX chairman, president
and chief executive officer, told investors at the company’s annual shareholder
meeting.
Harsco Corporation said
that its Harsco Rail unit has received new orders totaling close to $6 million
for the company’s innovative Drone Tamper, a new and industry-unique
configuration that enables railways to increase their track maintenance
efficiency and reduce costs.
Standing
before a Depression-era railroad power station in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Gov. Edward Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter warned May 6 that
such aging relics could imperil the region’s commuter rail network and its
highways, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Two critical electrical
replacement projects will take place at the BART 24th Street/Mission Station in
San Francisco in May. For both projects, equipment removal and installation
will occur primarily overnight on weekends during non-revenue hours.
Colton, Calif., city
officials say the long-awaited Colton Crossing project would bring improvements
valued around $64 million to the city, but a critical component state
transportation officials seek still hasn’t been secured, the Redlands Daily
Facts reports.
Boston area MBTA crews will
replace signal and communications cables in the Red Line tunnel May 8-9 to
repair the damage caused by last week’s fire. Up until 9 p.m. on Saturday and
Sunday, Red Line service between Broadway and Park Street Stations will be
replaced by buses. After 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the bus replacement
service will be extended to Kendall Station from Broadway.
The North American Section
of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) is holding its Annual
General Meeting and mini conference on Monday, May 17, just before the opening
reception of the RSSI Exhibition. There is no cost for anyone interested in
attending the conference and meeting of the Section.
The Pacific Rim Railway
Company has withdrawn its notice of intent to buy the Keokuk-Hamilton railroad
bridge that is used by the Keokuk Junction Railway, the Daily Gate City
reports. The notice was filed with the Surface Transportation Board. However,
Keokuk Mayor Tom Marion says Craig Burroughs of Pacific Rim Railway Company
still is interested in buying the bridge.
The stalled economy offered
Boise, Idaho, one silver lining: $915,349 in lease payments from Union Pacific
for storing its idle cars on the city’s idle railroad track, the Idaho
Statesman reports.
The three members of the
U.S. Surface Transportation Board expressed disappointment with Canadian
National Railway Co. officials at last week’s hearing regarding discrepancies
in the company’s reporting of blocked crossings on the Elgin, Eastern &
Joliet Railroad, the Barrington, Ill., Courier Review reports. The hearing was
held after an independent audit discovered there were 1,457 incidents of
railroad crossings being blocked for 10 minutes or more by trains on the
EJ&E in November and December 2009. CN reported to the transportation board
that there were only 14 incidents.
Union Pacific will improve
part of Illinois’ transportation infrastructure with a nearly $22-million
investment to its rail line that runs from Dupo to near Fults, Ill. The
projects include installing nearly 48 miles of new rail, replacing six switches
and renewing the surfaces in 89 road crossings.
Los Angeles Metro will
hold a public hearing on a draft $3.75-billion budget for Fiscal Year 2010-11
on May 19 at Metro Headquarters next to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles. The
public can view copies of the budget proposal at Metro.net or request a copy.
Metro directors will consider adopting the budget for the fiscal year beginning
July 1, 2010, at their May 27 meeting.
A First Hill Streetcar
route on Broadway was unanimously approved May 3 by the Seattle City Council,
The Seattle Times reports. The $130-million line is to open in 2013, connecting
the International District/Chinatown light-rail station to the train station on
Capitol Hill scheduled to open in 2016. A short loop will pass King Street
Station and Pioneer Square.
Invensys Rail has been
awarded a 48-million-pound (approximately $72.6-million) contract by Network
Rail for the Paisley Corridor project in Scotland, the latest in a series of
recent wins for the company in the UK.