Wheaton, Ill., officials
have endorsed permanently closing one of its streets at a rail crossing as part
of a $100-million plan to add new tracks and upgrades along the Union Pacific
line, the Chicago Tribune reports. The City Council approved a resolution
calling for closing the Chase Street crossing, just south of Wheaton College.
The federal
Surface Transportation Board directed Canadian National to come before the
Board and explain the significant differences between information on
street-crossing blockages in the Chicago area that the railroad has provided to
the Board and the results of an independent audit conducted by the Board.
The Delaware River Port
Authority and PATCO have completed an extensive Alternatives Analysis study
focusing on identifying mass transit transportation needs and solutions for
Southern New Jersey. This study concluded with a recommendation for light rail
transit along the Conrail rail right-of-way from Glassboro to Camden.
Stressing that the
upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill should be "revolutionary,
not evolutionary" when it comes to federal investment in intercity passenger
rail, Amtrak testified before a Congressional field hearing in Chicago that "[t]he
need for reliable, multi-year funding is our biggest policy challenge."
CSX Transportation will
move a regional headquarters from Chicago to North Baltimore, Ohio, early next
year, according to railway officials, the Findlay, Ohio, Courier reports. Construction
is under way on a $175-million intermodal rail yard near North Baltimore. The
yard is scheduled to be completed next year, and the headquarters will be
located at the yard, according to company officials.
The first public open house
to discuss the Springfield rail corridor study drew more than 220 people to the
Prairie Capital Convention Center April 20, the State Journal-Register reports.
City and Sangamon County officials pushed for the study after the Illinois
Department of Transportation concluded the Union Pacific/Third Street line
would be the best route for high-speed passenger trains between Chicago and St.
Louis. Local officials contend the analysis will find 10th Street is a better
alternative for consolidated train traffic, possibly also including trains that
now use 19th Street.
Money for noise mitigation
that was part of Frankfort, Ill.’s, settlement with the Canadian National
Railway will be used to buy insulated windows and doors for nearby residents,
the Chicago Tribune reports. The village has received a $2.7-million grant for
noise mitigation projects from the CN. Village officials have been meeting with
residents who live near CN’s tracks to determine ways to tone down railroad
noise.
Norfolk Southern is on
track to break ground later this year for its new intermodal facility in
Greencastle, Pa., a company official told members of the Greencastle-Antrim
Chamber of Commerce, local media report.
Following a national
search, TriMet has selected Shelly Lomax as its new executive director of operations.
Lomax has served as the interim executive since January. She will have direct
responsibility for the Operations division, which includes all bus, MAX and WES
operations and maintenance, system safety and security, accessible transportation,
labor relations, facilities and planning and development. Operations has 2,100
employees and a $300-million budget.
Leaving a little earlier
in the morning or a little later in the afternoon will help ensure a punctual,
uninterrupted ride for Amtrak Missouri River Runner passengers through the
middle of June. Maintenance work on the Union Pacific tracks near Sedalia is
causing Amtrak to temporarily adjust its schedules from April 25 to June 16,
2010.
The public is needed to
provide input into the first phase of the Vancouver, B.C., UBC Line Rapid Transit Study. Community
consultation meetings for this phase of the study start the week of April 19 and
continue through mid-May.
MTA New York City Transit
is beginning an Alternatives Analysis Study that will look at improving transit
service on the North Shore of Staten Island. The first open house will be held
on April 22 to discuss the re-use of the former Staten Island Railway North
Shore Branch. The public is invited to come and comment on potential
alternatives to be considered, the goals and objectives of the study and other
concerns.
A familiar Philip Shucet
project from his days as commissioner of the Virginia Department of
Transportation is now coming to Hampton Roads Transit, local media report.
On April 22, Shucet, now president of HRT, will unveil the "HRT Performance
Dashboard." The online tracking tool allows the public to see how efficiently
HRT is completing tasks.
As the Senate
contemplates sweeping climate change legislation, the OneRail Coalition
submitted a letter to Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
and Joseph Leiberman (I-Conn.) urging them to carefully weigh the implications
of such a policy on different transportation modes. The group urged the
Senators to "ensure that such funds could not be misallocated to the detriment
of sustainable, environmentally favorable and energy efficient transportation
solutions."
(The following editorial appeared
in the Christian Science Monitor.) Unlike in the United States, air passengers
stranded in Europe because of the effects of a volcano have more transportation
options with highly interconnected and efficient trains, buses, and ferries.
A railroad lifeline to
hundreds of jobs in Jackson, Vinton and Ross counties in Ohio will be made
stronger as a project to improve service, reliability and safety on the City of
Jackson-owned line that got the official notice to proceed from the Ohio Rail
Development Commission. The notice to proceed has been sent to city officials.
Preliminary engineering
for surface improvements to Tower 55 will begin soon following an April 8 vote
to fund the project by the Regional Transportation Council, the Ft. Worth Business
Press reports. The at-grade surface improvements for the congested Tower 55 rail
yard, widely considered to be the most congested rail yard in the United
States, are expected to cost about $95 million. The yard sits at the southwest
corner of the intersection of interstates 35-W and 30.
Portec Rail Group‐Sheffield,
part of Portec Rail Products, Inc., appointed Mark Allen as the Head of
Engineering (Rail) U.K. Allen
brings a wealth of specialist experience from within the U.K. rail industry. He
joined the Rail industry via the
Railtrack U.K. Graduate Training Scheme in 1997 having achieved a degree in
civil engineering and engineering management and being previously employed
within the civil engineering sector.
Improvements to Metra’s
Union Pacific West Line this spring and summer run the gamut from expediting
freight trains to stopping pedestrians from zipping around lowered crossing
gates, the Daily Herald reports. The joint Metra/Union
Pacific project started in 2009 and will finish in 2011, but commuters in
DuPage and Kane counties should see some significant changes this year,
officials said at a Metra board meeting.
U.S. Secretary of
Transportation Ray LaHood and Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff said
that Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) of
Portland, Ore., will receive $2.4 million in federal research funds to support
the development of streetcar components that will be made in the U.S.A.
TriMet
will use the funds to support the development of a domestically-produced
streetcar propulsion system, as well as initial work to develop a streetcar
that can operate for short distances without power from overhead wires,
allowing the potential for streetcar service to be introduced where historic,
environmental, or other concerns limit the installation of overhead wires.