News and Opinion

Virginia Beach does not need to pay for light-rail study






Philip Shucet, Hampton Road Transit president
and CEO, said, " I carefully reviewed the verbatim transcript from the May
19, 2009, Virginia Beach, Va., City Council meeting, it is clear to me that HRT
committed with certainty that no local City funds would be used to fund the
Alternatives Analysis and Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Though
our policy is clear that federal grants are locally matched by a partner city,
the firm recorded commitment made by HRT is compelling. We will honor that
commitment for this particular local match requirement. It’s the right thing to
do, especially in this case where Virginia Beach supported acquiring the
federal funding with the specific understanding that a city match was not
necessary. As such, HRT withdraws its request that the Virginia Beach City
Council supply the local match.

MTA NYC Transit adds camera-equipped train on the E Line






With an eye toward
enhancing customer and employee security, MTA New York City Transit is set to
begin a project that will put advanced video surveillance equipment onboard four
cars of a 10-car subway train that will be in operation along the lettered
lines through early 2011. This train will also be used to pilot a new handhold
configuration and rush-hour flip up seats, though the seating feature will not
be put into use at this time.

New York high-speed rail plans taking shape






Having been largely shut
out of federal high-speed rail funding, New York transportation officials are
turning their attention to a handful of rail projects that did win federal
support – including the first tangible piece of the long-sought high-speed
passenger rail corridor across upstate New York, the Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle reports.

 

Federal Signal increases offer for Sirit






Federal Signal
Corporation said that it has amended its definitive arrangement agreement with
Sirit Inc. (TSX: SI), a global provider of radio frequency identification
technology. Under the terms of the amendment, Federal Signal will acquire all
of the issued and outstanding common shares of Sirit for cash consideration of
C$0.43 per share by way of a court approved plan of arrangement under the
Business Corporations Act, an increase of C$0.13 per share or 43 percent over
the original cash consideration. The transaction has a total equity value of
approximately C$72 million (US $69 million).

Amtrak asks seven firms to dream up plans for Chicago’s Union Station






Amtrak has asked seven
architectural and real estate firms to submit proposals to redevelop a key part
of Chicago’s Union Station and plans to select a winning proposal by the end of
May, the Chicago Tribune reports. The firms include the Chicago office of
architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; Chicago developer U.S. Equities
Realty and the Chicago office of Jones Lang LaSalle, which currently manages
Union Station for Amtrak.

Illinois General Assembly takes up creation of High Speed Rail Authority






A key Illinois General Assembly committee votes on
SB2571 Feb. 23, which would create the Illinois High Speed Rail Authority. The
Authority would be charged with designing, financing, building and operating a
high speed rail network on speeds up to 220 mph using new infrastructure. Responsibility
for upgrades to 110 mph would remain the responsibility of the Illinois
Department of Transportation.


Union Pacific to increase train speed in Rosenberg, Texas






Drivers will spend less
time waiting for trains to pass as Union Pacific increases the speed of its
trains on the rail line that parallels Loop 529 in Rosenberg, Texas. The train
speed limit will increase from 10 miles per hour to 40 mph on nearly three
miles of track that crosses Junker and Scott Roads.

Huron & Eastern employees approve BMWED/IBT representation






Employees of the Huron
& Eastern Railway Company voted in favor of union representation by the
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood
of Teamsters. After the votes had been counted, an overwhelming majority of
Huron & Eastern employees chose to be represented by the Allied Federation,
which already represents more than 7,000 members of the BMWED/IBT.


Mississippi Rail Authority hits bump in road






A plan to build a new
railroad through George County, Miss., that will connect the Port of Pascagoula
with rail connections at Lucedale and Meridian has hit its first bump in the
road, but has not been derailed, the Hattiesburg American reports.

Lorain, Ohio, contemplating adding trolley system






The time could be ripe to
attract federal money for a trolley system connecting downtown Lorain, Ohio,
with other parts of the community, supporters of Lorain Street Railway said, the
Morning Journal reports. 

On Feb. 22, Lorain City Council committees will
consider a presentation from Dennis Lamont, president of Lorain Street Railway,
which advocates the streetcar system.



Caltrain construction, maintenance Feb. 21 – 26






Feb. 21-25, between the
hours of 8 p.m. and 4 a.m., crews will be finishing up work on Caltrain’s Grade
Crossing Improvement Program. Work will take place at the following locations:

• Burlingame: Broadway, Oak
Grove Avenue and Peninsula Avenue.

• Redwood City: Main Street
and Chestnut Street.

• San Mateo: Villa Terrace
Avenue, First Avenue, Second Avenue, Third Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Fifth Avenue
and Ninth Avenue.

• Menlo Park: Encinal
Avenue, Glenwood Avenue, Oak Grove Avenue and Ravenswood Avenue.

• Atherton: Fair Oaks Lane.

OnTrackAmerica points to new developments in Pennsylvania






OnTrackAmerica, a
non-profit transportation consultancy committed to revitalizing North America’s
economy and environment by placing railroads at the center of a balanced
transportation system said there have been several new developments in its
ongoing, multi-faceted agenda.

 

A cost to complete and a new date for The Tide






Hampton
Roads, Va., Transit said that the final cost to complete construction of The
Tide light rail system will be $338.3 million and that passenger service will
begin in May 2011. The
new figure comes after a six-month review by HRT and its financial advisor to
identify costs not fully accounted for in previously released budgets,
including the additional time required to design project changes and then
complete construction.

BNSF Burlington, Iowa, bridge work shifts navigation span






After a month-long delay,
work is under way again to replace a portion of the BNSF bridge over the Mississippi
River at Burlington. Iowa, only now the project will be shifted 75 feet east. After
discovering debris on the riverbed that prevented the contractor from drilling
a foundation for a new pier, construction was halted while the U.S. Coast Guard
reassessed relocating the navigation channel, The Hawk Eye reports.

NYC Transit’s Rockaways A Stations rehab project moving ahead






New York City Transit’s
Far Rockaway-bound platforms at Beach 60th Street and Beach 36th Street are
next in line to be closed as part of ongoing rehabilitations of stations in the
Rockaways. These platforms will be closed for approximately four months
beginning at 5 a.m. on Monday, February 22.