Fort Worth officials and
regional planners have long tried to get federal support behind solving the
infamous freight train delays at a railroad intersection south of downtown, the
Dallas Morning News reports. Mayor Mike Moncrief on Dec.21 seemingly made more
progress with one phone call than North Texas politicians have made in years of
lobbying federal lawmakers. Moncrief’s audience: Vice President Joe Biden.
The
Kansas City District Corps of Engineers with cooperation from the United States
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7, has concluded review of the proposed
BNSF Railway Company’s Intermodal Facility in Johnson County, Kansas. The Corps
determined that the project is in the public interest, is the least
environmentally damaging practicable alternative and will not significantly
impact the human environment.
With a goal of speeding
freight between East Coast ports and the Midwest, CSX Transportation has
undertaken what it calls the National Gateway project – an $842-million
public-private upgrade of rail infrastructure to accommodate double-stack
container cars, The State Journal in Huntington, W.Va., reports.
This city (Chicago) was
built on railroads that moved meat from its famous packing houses, steel from
its mills, corn from surrounding fields. Today Chicago is still the nation’s
leading rail hub, with about 37,500 rail cars passing through daily, the Washington
Post reports. But massive congestion on Chicago tracks costs millions of
dollars in shipping delays, and it causes substantial noise and air pollution
as trains idle for hours, waiting for track clearance. The problem threatens to
get worse since freight traffic is expected to double in the next 20 years.
(This editorial appeared on
the Boston Globe Website on December 21, 2009.) The Federal Railroad
Administration says it was just following the law in requiring a major environmental
review before Amtrak can seek money for improvements on its Boston-Washington
route. The review should be performed as quickly as possible, and, if it can’t
be completed in time to qualify for some of the $8 billion in high-speed rail
funds in the federal stimulus bill, Congress should change the rules. The
Northeast Corridor is, after all, a century-old railbed, and environmental
risks stemming from fairly simple improvements aren’t serious enough to
jeopardize the best chance in a generation to push American rail policy in the
right direction.
Getting to and from Sea-Tac
International Airport got a lot easier Dec. 19 as the Link light rail extension
opened for passenger service.
RailAmerica, Inc. says its
subsidiary RaiLink Canada Ltd. has closed on a transaction with the Canadian
Pacific Railway to terminate its lease of the Ottawa Valley Railway line. Under
the terms of the agreement, RailAmerica, Inc. received C$73 million in gross
proceeds. The company estimates net cash proceeds after taxes and transaction
related expenses of C$69 to C$70 million.
The city of Yakima,
Wash., expects to break ground on the railroad underpass project next March,
thanks to some surprisingly low bids from contractors and political support
from local members of Congress who hope to bring back more money from
Washington, D.C. the Yakima Herald-Republic reports.
Drivers waiting for the
new $6.1-million Covell Road underpass in Edmond, Okla., will have to wait
awhile longer, local media report. Sherwood Construction, contractor for the
project, has requested another 140 calendar days to finish the job, which
started in September 2008, Edmond City Manager Larry Stevens said.
RailComm has successfully
commissioned a Centralized Traffic Control system for Capital Metro’s commuter rail
service in Austin, Texas. The Track Warrant Control portion of the system was
launched just 32 days from the signed Notice to Proceed. Capital Metro contracted RailComm to expand the
initial DOC® Track Warrant Control system to include Centralized
Traffic Control functionality for signalized locations. RailComm was
responsible for the central office control system, as well as providing the
data communication network to the controlled interlockings and other field
equipment.
The Link light rail
extension to SeaTac and Sea-Tac International Airport opens for passenger
service on Saturday, Dec. 19. The 1.7-mile extension completes the line from
downtown Seattle that opened July 18th.
Amtrak told local and state
officials that replacing the Niantic River bridge in Connecticut will take three
years and work on the much smaller Miamicock Bridge would begin Dec. 17, The
Day reports.
The Regional Transportation
Authority approved the Chicago Transit Authority’s $1.27-billion budget for
2010. The budget includes management efficiencies, elimination of more than
1,000 jobs and service reductions. In total, the CTA’s 2010 operating budget is
nearly $1 million lower than the projected 2009 operating budget.
The Brotherhood of
Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters is set to begin national bargaining with the National Carriers’
Conference Committee in January. The BMWED will be bargaining on a coordinated
national basis as part of the Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition. The RLBC is
comprised of six national rail unions, representing more than 70,000 railroad
employees, including; Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division –
IBT, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen – IBT, Brotherhood of
Railroad Signalmen, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Blacksmiths,
Iron Ship Builders, Forgers, and Helpers, National Conference of Firemen &
Oilers – SEIU, Sheet Metal Workers’ National Association.
The Lexington, N.C., City
Council heard an on progress to open a passenger rail stop in downtown
Lexington, which could be operational as soon as 2015, The Dispatch reported.
AirTrain JFK, which
connects travelers by rail to and from the airport, is celebrating its sixth
year in operation. Since its first year, ridership on the service has literally
doubled as airport travelers learn that it is the quickest, least expensive way
to get to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Work on Caltrain’s Grade
Crossing Improvement Program, which will enhance safety at 25 grade crossings
in San Mateo County, will continue Dec. 20-23. The schedule includes Fair Oaks
Lane and Watkins Avenue, Atherton and Oak Grove and Ravenswood avenues on Menlo
Park
Track maintenance on the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Red and Blue lines Dec. 18-20 will cause
inbound and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track. Customers should
add 30 minutes to their trips.
Metrorail customers traveling between the
Fort Totten and Silver Spring Metrorail stations should add at least 30 minutes
to their travel time because Metro will be making track circuit upgrades at the
Takoma Metrorail station. Trains will share one track between these locations
the entire weekend from 9:30 p.m. Dec. 18, to closing (midnight) on Dec. 20.
The Association of American
Railroads issued the following statement by AAR President and CEO Edward R.
Hamberger in response to the Senate Commerce Committee markup of the STB
Reauthorization Bill:
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist signed
a transportation bill that will provide new funding to Tri-Rail, South
Florida’s cash-trapped commuter train, and boost billion-dollar rail projects
in the Central Florida region, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
