Rapposelli joins ARINC’s surface transportation, security systems division






ARINC
Incorporated said that railroad industry veteran Rich Rapposelli has joined its
Surface Transportation and Security Systems organization. Rapposelli recently
spent nine years at Jacobs Engineering where he managed various communications
and physical security programs. Prior to that, he worked 21 years at Amtrak,
where he managed the Communications Control Center and worked as Technical
Director of Communications.  Most
recently he was responsible for Program Management on the Delaware River Joint
Toll Bridge Commission Electronic Security and Surveillance security
projects. 

Running on empty: Bay Area transit in crisis






After enduring the most
brutal year in the history of Bay Area public transit, train and bus operators
are barreling down a track toward bankruptcy, the San Jose, Calif., Mercury
News reports. The near-inevitable result will be costlier and longer commutes
for all, whether they ride or drive.

RailComm Yard Automation System to be expanded at Transnet’s Ermelo Yard






RailComm has been chosen to
provide a major expansion of its Yard Automation System at Transnet’s Ermelo
Yard in South Africa. The automation system will be comprised of the existing
DOC® (Domain Operations Controller) server-based central control
system and 10 new associated outdoor-rated control panels. Per Transnet
requirements, the system operator is in charge of selecting the appropriate
control mode based on desired operating conditions.

Metra opens expanded Elburn, Ill., parking lot






Metra officials, U.S. Rep.
Bill Foster, Elburn, Ill., Village President Dave Anderson and other community
leaders marked the opening of expanded parking facilities at the Elburn Station
on Metra’s Union Pacific West Line during a dedication ceremony in Elburn Jan.
11.

Hampton Roads Transit chief Townes retires






Michael Townes, the
embattled CEO of Hampton Roads Transit in Virginia said that he would retire at
the end of September and step down as CEO and president of the agency on Jan.
31, according to the Hampton Roads Daily Press. Townes had been under mounting
pressure to step down after costs of the Norfolk light-rail project, the first
in the state was over budget by nearly $100 million.

Progress Rail expands Illinois facility






Progress Rail Services’ Galesburg,
Ill., facility is now rail served. The 11-acre facility, which primarily is
used for processed scrap metal, will now have the ability to receive railcars
for dismantling as well as ship prepared scrap by rail on BNSF, according to Recycling
Today. Progress is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.

Mayor Daley, CTA celebrate completion of Brown Line project






Mayor Richard M. Daley,
Chicago Transit Board Chairman Terry Peterson and Chicago Transit Authority
President Richard L. Rodriguez joined federal, state and city officials Jan. 9 at
the Fullerton rail station for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the
completion of 18 station renovations as part of the CTA’s $530-million Brown
Line Capacity Expansion Project.

SF Muni gets FRA OK for Central Subway to begin final design






The Federal Transit
Administration has granted the San Francisco Muni approval to enter into Final
Design for the Central Subway Project, which is Phase II of the Third Street
Light Rail Project that will connect communities from Visitacion Valley to
Chinatown with modern, convenient light rail. The Third Street Light Rail
project represents the most significant investment in the expansion of the Muni
system in generations.

Art, architecture unveiled at the new MTA LIRR Atlantic Terminal






The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority opened the new Long Island Rail Road Atlantic Terminal
in downtown Brooklyn, improving the experience of travel for thousands of
commuters each day in a majestic pavilion that features an artist/architect
collaboration in a soaring, light-filled atrium.

Portec Rail Products, Inc., breakthrough in China






Portec
Rail Products, Inc., said that it has increased its expansion into China as the
company recently received new customer orders for its Fault Detection and
Friction Management product groups from China. Portec Rail has had a steadily‐growing
presence in China for its Friction Management
products, and has now penetrated the Chinese market with its Fault Detection product
group.

Rep. Garamendi tours BART to see stimulus money in action






East Bay Congressman John
Garamendi (D.Calif.) toured BART to see how a new construction project, using
$13 million in federal stimulus money, is putting thousands of people to work
and will ultimately provide more seating, more trains and improved on-time
performance for BART commuters riding between Pleasant Hill, Oakland and San
Francisco.

Amtrak ready with big plans for 2010






Amtrak
says it is ready for an exciting 2010 with major projects and new initiatives
that will benefit passengers, increase service, rebuild infrastructure, and put
America’s railroad at the center of intercity and high-speed passenger rail
development and expansion.

Norfolk transit chief faces board






When Hampton Roads
Transit’s board meets in special session Jan. 11 to discuss the future of
embattled President Michael Townes, the members cannot immediately fire him, The
Virginian-Pilot reports. Townes’ contract requires that he be given 30 days
notice of a vote to terminate his employment. That notice was given Dec. 28,
when four board members wrote him demanding that he resign or they would
introduce a resolution to dismiss him at the Jan. 28 board meeting.

Automatic Train Stop for Denver transit






Denver’s Regional Transportation
District — in the wake of a fatal commuter rail crash in Los Angeles — is
installing $3 million in safety technology, The Denver Post reports. The Automatic
Train Stop technology, or ATS, is designed to prevent trains from going through
a red signal, the cause of the 2008 Los Angeles accident in which 25 people
were killed.

Burlington, Iowa, railroad bridge work hits snag






The very foundation of the
Burlington, Iowa, railroad bridge project over the Mississippi River may have
to be shifted before significant work can continue on-site for increasing the navigation
channel by constructing a lift-span, the Burlington Hawkeye reports. In
drilling foundations for a new pier on the east side of the span to support the
new lift-span, contractors encountered large rocks and sheet metal that
prevented them from finding bedrock and securing the foundations.

Unitrac reaches agreement with CSXT






Unitrac has been named a key supplier and valuable
partner in the CSX Transportation supply chain. The company has been identified
as a key supplier that goes that extra mile by providing quality products and
timely deliveries.


APTA forms Center for High-Speed Rail






The American Public
Transportation Association has launched the Center for High-Speed Rail to advance
and promote high-speed rail in the United States. The Website for the Center
for High-Speed Rail is www.highspeedrailonline.org .

Grant for CSXT bridge work extended again






With the extension and a
new method for painting the bridge, Gadsden, Ala., officials think the project
will be completed before the grant expires in September, the Gadsden Times
reports. The city received a grant for $500,000 from the Federal Railroad
Administration in 2005 for the CSX Transportation Railroad Bridge coating
project, but the appropriation was reduced because of across-the-board
rescissions by the Federal Highway Administration.

Reading Blue Mountain and Northern expands rail operations






Reading Blue Mountain and
Northern Railroad has acquired a short-line between Towanda and Monroeton in northeastern
Pennsylvania. RBMN, which currently operates more than 300 miles of railroad in
Eastern Pennsylvania, purchased the assets of the approximately six-mile
Towanda-Monroeton Shippers Lifeline Railroad Inc. from former owner, Joseph
Zadrusky of Scranton, on Dec. 30, 2009. The line is approximately 40 miles
north of RBMN’s current terminus in Mehoopany, Pa. RBMN will be able to connect
its two properties by working with Lehigh Railway L.L.C., which leases a
Norfolk Southern line that connects to the Towanda-Monroeton line in Towanda.
The line will become part of the RBMN system.

P&L railroad looking for new headquarters






Paducah & Louisville
Railway is looking for incentives to build a new headquarters in downtown
Paducah rather than move to one of the other cities where it does business, according to The Paducah Sun.
Railroad President Tony Reck told The Sun that the company is hoping to
stay in Western Kentucky, but isn’t close to making a commitment to any place.

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