Amtrak is moving ahead
aggressively to expand and build out its existing and proven train collision
prevention safety technology-commonly known as Positive Train Control-to cover
all of the tracks it owns along the Northeast Corridor and on its Michigan Line
by the end of 2012, three years ahead of a federal deadline.
Since the 1800s railroads
have relied on a measuring stick and a trusty set of eyeballs to make sure
tracks are properly aligned, which is essential to preventing derailments. It
might be surprising, but the Chicago Transit Authority still uses that low-tech
approach on a daily basis reports Jon Hilkevitch in his column in the Chicago
Tribune.
WES commuter trains are now
operating more quietly in Beaverton, Ore. The Federal Railroad Administration
has approved TriMet’s request to waive certain regulatory requirements relating
to WES train horns. For the SW Lombard Ave segment between SW Farmington Road
and the Beaverton Transit Center, WES trains will sound a 78-80 decibel bell at
each crossing, rather than the current 96-decibel horn.
The Appropriations
Committee in the Maine legislature split along party lines, with Democrats
supporting an $85-million bond package over Republican objections, the Kennebec
Journal reports. Just one week after the same committee voted in a unanimous,
bipartisan way to approve a supplemental budget, the committee was unable to
agree on an acceptable level of borrowing to put before voters in June.
Successful completion of
TieTek’s Chapter 11 process requires that all bids for the assets be received
by 5:00 CST on Friday, April 16, 2010, according to Robert Fowler, President of
VR Mergers & Acquisitions. VR is the Bankruptcy Court-approved broker for
TieTek, LLC and its parent companies, TieTek Technologies, Inc., and North
American Technologies Group, Inc., which recently filed voluntary petitions for
relief under Chapter 11 of the federal Bankruptcy Code in the United States
Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Texas.
International,
national and regional experts in transportation will gather in Cincinnati to
present the latest developments in Urban and Regional Public Transportation at
the European-American Chamber of Commerce Conference on Wednesday, May 5, 2010,
in Cincinnati. The conference keynote address will be delivered by John D.
Porcari, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation.
After a closed session
personnel discussion amongst the Board of Directors, the Chairman of the Board
of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority Keith Millhouse said that
Metrolink has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer John E. Fenton, effective
April 16, 2010. Fenton was chosen after a
national search conducted by the Board of Directors with assistance from
interim Chief Executive Officer Eric Haley. Fenton brings a broad base of
experience to the position, both in transportation services and executive
management.
The Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority will be conducting several community
meetings to update the public on the latest developments on the Regional
Connector Transit Corridor Project April 9 thru 17 and invites community
participation.
More than 80 percent of
transit systems are raising fares or cutting service due to state and local
revenue declines, a transit industry organization reported. Houston METRO is
not.
Those who can operate
trains, repair locomotives, and maintain railroad tracks may find increased job
opportunities in the Lycoming Valley in Pennsylvania soon, the Daily Item
reports. Lycoming Valley Railroad Co. is seeing an upsurge in demand for
transportation of supplies needed by contractors serving Marcellus Shale
drillers.
Beginning April 5,
passengers aboard the New Mexico Rail Runner Express will get a chance to try
out the train’s new Wi-Fi system. For the last several months, only a group of
50-volunteer participants have been given access to test the system. Now, the
final test phase is being opened to all passengers for the next 90-days to work
out any remaining bugs in the system.
The Mississippi Senate last week approved $15 million in matching funds toward the reconstruction of a 90-mile stretch of the former Columbus and Greenville Railway line, The Commercial Dispatch reports. The North Central Mississippi Railroad Authority won’t receive the $15 million, however, until all financing for the estimated $99-million project is in place, Railroad Authority board of directors chairman Cynthia Wilson said. The funds would be used to repair and replace a dilapidated stretch of track and bridges between West Point and Greenwood.
ENSCO, Inc. announced that
it has received an initial $7.8-million contract for a self-propelled Track
Geometry Vehicle. The contract was awarded by the Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority (WMATA or Metro). The TGV will be a diesel powered rail
vehicle specifically designed to inspect WMATA tracks in order to ensure track
safety on the complete WMATA system. Delivery of the vehicle is scheduled for
March 2012. ENSCO has teamed with Plasser American for this effort, which will
supply the base vehicle.
Stella-Jones Inc. has
completed the acquisition of Tangent Rail Corporation, a provider of wood
crosstie supply chain services to the railroad industry. This acquisition
expands Stella-Jones’ capabilities within the U.S. railway tie market and
provides the company with coal tar distillation operations. Stella-Jones’ North
American wood treating infrastructure now consists of 19 facilities, 11 of
which are located in the United States.
Indiana Southern Railroad,
a RailAmerica Inc. property, has been contracted by the Perry County Port
Authority in Tell City, Ind., to provide management services for the Hoosier
Southern Railroad. ISRR will be responsible for leading all aspects of the rail
operations of HOS – managing safety and training programs; directing sales,
marketing and industrial development efforts; handling purchasing; and managing
the bulk storage facility – while reporting to the Port Authority.
The Alaska Railroad
Corporation (ARRC) released its 2009 Annual Report today, with audited
financial statements showing earnings of $13.9 million on total revenues of
$169.4 million.
Illinois Secretary of
Transportation Gary Hannig will meet April 1with Union Pacific officials in
Omaha, Neb., to talk about using the freight company’s rail line for high-speed
trains heading from Joliet to St. Louis, the Joliet, Ill., Herald reports.
Public transportation
systems are facing unprecedented funding challenges due to widespread declining
state and local revenues, and have been forced to take a number of critical
actions including: raising fares, cutting service, and laying off employees,
according to a new survey released today by the American Public Transportation
Association.
MTA Metro-North Railroad has
fully activated Train Time TM system-wide, providing access to train schedules
and on-time status on smart phone devices as well as computer screens for a
total of 96 stations.
A joint Worcester, Mass., City
Council committee has asked CSX Corp. officials if they can modify plans to
double the size of their freight terminal to address increased truck traffic
concerns on lower Grafton Street and the planned closing of Putnam Lane, the
Worcester Telegram & Gazette reports.
