TxDOT taking rail funds for roads






(The following column by
Sens. Jeff Wentworth and Wendy Davis and Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon appeared May
3, 2010, in the Houston Chronicle. State legislator Wentworth is a Republican
from San Antonio, Davis is a Democrat from Fort Worth, and McClendon is a
Democrat from San Antonio.) Transportation advocates
won a hard-fought victory during the 2009 legislative session by securing $182
million in financing for the Texas Railroad Relocation and Improvement Fund,
created by the voters through a constitutional amendment passed in 2005 but
never funded. Sadly, the state’s transportation bureaucracy at the Texas
Department of Transportation is using a budgetary shell game to thwart the will
of the Legislature and steal this victory from the public.

CSXT limits N.Y. train speeds






CSX Transportation, citing
safety concerns, has told the New York Department of Transportation that
passenger trains traveling faster than 90 mph would have to do so in a separate
corridor located at least 30 feet away from the nearest freight track, the
Albany Times Union reports.

WMATA sets May weekend track maintenance schedule






In May, there will be no
train service between the WMATA East Falls Church and West Falls Church-VT/UVA
Metrorail stations in Virginia during the Memorial Day holiday weekend as the
Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project will undertake the first in a series of major
construction activities that will eventually connect the new rail line to the
existing Metrorail system. Additionally, Metro will replace fasteners and
conduct bridge repair work on the Red Line and replace ties and weld rail on
the Orange and Green lines. Customers should expect significant travel delays
during the weekends of May 7-9, May 14-16, May 21-23 and May 28-31 as intervals
between trains will be lengthy. 



Railroad construction project prompts train engineers to whistle






February 14, 2001

Alexandria, Va., has
become a whistle stop town – in more ways than one. Trains have been a regular
feature of city life here since before the Civil War. But lately they’ve been
making a ruckus. All over Alexandria, the sound of train whistles has been
heard at all hours of the night and day, the Alexandria Gazette Packet reports.

PATH SmartCard use grows as part of overall rail modernization program






February 14, 2001

Sales of SmartCards for
travel on PATH trains has hit a record, jumping to more than 50 percent of
market share on the rail line. SmartCard use, which has tripled in two years,
has eclipsed use of MetroCards, which total about 40 percent of payment methods
on PATH lines. PATH QuickCards make up most of the remainder of fare choices. PATH’s
Automated Fare Collection System was installed in 2003 to phase-out obsolete
payment methods of cash and magnetic-strip cards.

Amtrak is working on the railroad in 2010






February 14, 2001

As the 2010 construction
season gets under way, Amtrak is embarking on $1-billion construction program
to fund capital projects designed to rebuild, upgrade and modernize its tracks,
bridges, stations and other critical infrastructure along the busy Northeast
Corridor and across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and
the Miami area.

DM&E employees vote to join BMWE






February 14, 2001

On April 27, employees of
Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad chose to be represented by the Brotherhood
of Maintenance of Way Employes Division – International Brotherhood of
Teamsters. After the National Mediation Board had reviewed the validity of the
authorization cards, the BMWED was certified to represent the 277 DM&E
maintenance of way employees.

Millions of dollars at stake as Colton Crossing deal remains unresolved






February 14, 2001

Southern California
officials have one week to come to agreement on the public benefits of a
planned railroad overpass in Colton, or risk losing $125 million for the Inland
area, The Press-Enterprise reports. To quell concerns from coastal counties,
San Bernardino County officials have offered to pull their request for state
bond money for a massive interchange overhaul proposed near Devore. Officials
said they will find money elsewhere to reconfigure the Interstate 215 and Interstate
15 convergence.

DART sets date for Green Line completion






February 14, 2001

December 6, 2010 is the date for
completion of the final sections of the Green Line light rail project. Two sections,
from MLK, Jr., Station near Fair Park south to Buckner Station in Pleasant
Grove and from Victory Station northwest to North Carrollton, will open
completing the 20-station, 28-mile, $1.8-billion project.

 

Schrader succeeds Hawksworth as Chairman of PB






February 14, 2001

Parsons Brinckerhoff appointed
Richard A. Schrader Chairman, succeeding Keith J. Hawksworth, who is retiring
after 33 years with the firm. In his new position, Schrader, currently
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, will provide broad policy
oversight for PB, a global infrastructure strategic consulting, engineering and
program/construction management organization.


Caltrain construction, maintenance update, May 2-11






February 14, 2001

Caltrain will reconstruct
the East Bellevue Avenue crossing beginning at 8 a.m. May 7 and continuing
through 6 a.m. May 11. During that time the street will be closed to through
traffic between Claremont Street and San Mateo Drive.


Bridge project, track inspection to disrupt LIRR weekend service






February 14, 2001

Buses will replace train
service for Long Island Rail Road customers traveling between Long Beach and
Valley Stream May 1-2 as work continues on the construction of two new railroad
bridges over Powell Creek and Hog Island Channel. The $24.5-million project,
which is funded through the MTA Capital Budget and federal grants, will also
require another train outage on the weekend of May 15-16. The railroad’s goal
is to complete the installation of both bridges before Memorial Day.

MDOT plans Hub City railroad crossing changes






February 14, 2001

The Rev. Brian Davis
quips that he may have to change the name of his church, Bay Street
Presbyterian, to "Can’t Get Here From There" if the Mississippi
Department of Transportation permanently shuts down the railroad crossing near an
intersection to the church, the Hattiesburg American reports.

Amtrak to run train on FEC to inspect tracks for future service






February 14, 2001

Your eyes weren’t
deceiving you. Yes, that was a passenger train rolling down the Florida East
Coast Railway toward Miami, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. On May 1,
the same train will return north to Jacksonville, this time filled with state
and local officials who are pushing to return passenger service to the coastal
tracks. Amtrak board chairman Tom Carper also is expected to be on board.

Buses replace trains as Cleveland RTA upgrades crossings






February 14, 2001

Because of extensive
grade crossing work, shuttle buses will replace trains for several weekends on
the light rail Blue and Green lines this spring. The lines are operated by the
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. During this time, workers will
replace existing grade crossings, track and sidewalks with a new concrete
crossing surface, asphalt road approaches, new track and new concrete
sidewalks.

MTA beginning rehab of Warren Road light rail parking






February 14, 2001

The Maryland Transit
Administration started upgrades at the Warren Road Light Rail Stop Parking Lot.
These improvements are part of a scheduled maintenance project and include
resurfacing, wheel stops replacement, new pavement markings and new traffic signs.


Trackwork to cause delays on Metrorail April 30-May 2






February 14, 2001

Washington, D.C.-area Metrorail
customers can expect lengthy delays of up to 30 minutes April 30 to May 2 as
old track components are replaced on the Blue and Yellow lines. Inbound and
outbound trains will take turns sharing one track on portions of the rail
system while the work is taking place.

Petition calls for train to Nunavik






February 14, 2001

Nearly 4,000 Quebecers
have signed a petition that calls for a cross-Quebec railroad that would link
the province’s Nunavik region to southern Quebec, The Montreal Gazette reports.
The Quebec government and its major financial institutions should support the
construction of a "Trans-Quebec Express" railway, which would cross
Quebec from the Gaspé to Nunavik, a huge area bordered by Hudson Bay, Hudson
Strait, Ungava Bay and Labrador, says the petition, which was tabled yesterday
at the Quebec legislature by MLA Denis Trottier.

MTA board approves $26.2 billion plan

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority adopted a revised 2010-14 capital plan of $26.2 billion that cut $1.8 billion from it’s original plan, but is still $9 billion short of being completely funded.

The new plan includes plans for new subway cars, station improvements, new signals on the Number 7 subway line, new environmentally-friendly buses and larger-scale projects including the Second Avenue subway line and the East Side access for the Long Island Rail Road. LIRR will also receive about a dozen new, smaller diesel trains, which will cost around $78 million. About half the $26.2 billion is earmarked for New York City Transit that is used by about 8 million people a day.

The board adopted the plan without comment after Jay Walder, the MTA’s chairman, spoke about the importance of "consistently investing in our system in consecutive five-year plans" rather than making one-time stabs at rebuilding here and there.

The revised plan will now be submitted to the state’s Capital Program Review Board for approval. Gov. David Paterson, who chairs the board, vetoed the original plan last year because the state’s own economic crisis precluded additional funding for the MTA.

The state, which provides the single biggest chunk of funding for the capital plan, included money for 2010-11 as part of last year’s MTA bailout.

McFarlane selected as TriMet GM

TriMet Board of Directors voted unanimously to appoint Neil McFarlane as the new General Manager for the regional transit agency. McFarlane replaces TriMet’s current general manager Fred Hansen who will leave the agency at the end of his contract after more than 11 years in the position.

McFarlane is currently TriMet’s executive director for capital projects, a position he has held since 1998. He will begin to transition into the position beginning June 1, and will begin serving as general manager on Thursday, July 1, 2010.

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