Hadnett named president of HNTB West Division

Art Hadnett joined HNTB Corporation as senior vice president and president of the firm’s West Division, overseeing vital and complex infrastructure programs in growth markets, including rail/transit.

ACE provides grade separation updates

Legislators voiced support for the Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) rail-roadway grade-separation projects during a progress update briefing, which focused on six projects in construction or final design and located in the cities of San Gabriel, Industry and Pico Rivera and unincorporated Los Angeles County, including Rowland Heights.

Two Connecticut passenger lines undergoing improvements

Crews will be out along Metro-North Railroad’s New Canaan Branch in Connecticut during the first four weekends of August to renew railroad crossings at three intersections with local streets and rebuild the railroad bridge over the Merritt Parkway.

RTD begins construction on Colorado’s longest bridge

One of the bridges along Denver Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) North Metro Rail Line will be the longest in the FasTracks program. It will also be the longest bridge in Colorado. Construction began in early August 2015 and it will take about two years to complete.

USDOT: Substantial demand underscores need for TIGER grants

Applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation‘s seventh round of Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants totaled $9.8 billion, almost 20 times the $500 million set aside for the program, demonstrating the continued need for transportation investment nationwide.

MassDOT appoints new leadership team

Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) named Brian Shortsleeve chief administrator for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), working alongside the newly appointed Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) and named Jeff Gonneville, a 14-year veteran of the MBTA, chief operating officer.

Caltrain electrification project gets $20 million boost from Air District

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s Board of Directors approved the allocation of $20 million dollars to help fund the electrification of the Caltrain corridor.

Two crossing projects receive Asia-Pacific Gateway infrastructure funds

Transport Canada has made an investment of approximately CA$16.5 million (US$12.6 million) for nine Asia-Pacific Gateway transportation infrastructure projects in British Columbia that support Asia-Pacific trade and boost the competitive advantages of Canada’s Asia-Pacific Gateway, of which two are railroad crossing projects.

LIRR releases draft environmental assessment of Mid-Suffolk Yard-Ronkonkoma Yard Expansion Project

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) made public a study that assesses the potential environmental impact of its proposed Mid-Suffolk Yard/Ronkonkoma Yard Expansion Project, which would enlarge the LIRR’s existing Ronkonkoma electric train yard just east of Ronkonkoma Station on land already owned by the MTA.

FRA provides funds for Midwest, Southeast passenger rail planning

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is allocating $ 2,780,651 for multi-state passenger railroad planning in both the Southeast and Midwest regions.

MTA Chairman’s letter to NYC mayor urges increased capital support

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Thomas Prendergast sent a letter July 28 to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asking for more capital support.

HNTB adds Thompson as principal tunnel engineer

HNTB Corporation hired Jimmy Thompson as principal tunnel engineer in its national tunnel practice out of its Oakland, Calif., office. Thompson has 30 years of experience in the design and construction of large infrastructure projects and specializes in tunnels and underground facilities.

MTA Financial Plan generates new Capital Program funding

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) July 2015 Financial Plan will generate up to $2.4 billion worth of new funding for the 2015-19 Capital Program, due to unanticipated revenues, greater cost savings and more efficient operations.

RTD staff recommends Balfour Beatty Infrastructure proposal for SE rail extension

Staff of Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) recommended that the RTD Board of Directors move forward with a proposal from Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Inc. to design and build the Southeast Rail Extension on July 14.

Ontario Northland ratifies five-year agreement with Teamsters Rail

Northland Transportation Commission (Ontario Northland) and Teamsters Rail Conference Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC MWED) ratified a new five-year collective agreement with 94 percent of the vote was in favor of the agreement.

U.S. House transportation funding: Another deadline, another extension

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a five-month, $8-billion extension of surface transportation programs on July 15. The new extension would give lawmakers until Dec. 18 to find a longer-term solution.

FEC opens new train dispatch center

On July 11, Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) opened a new dispatch center equipped with a Wabtec Train Management Dispatching System (TMDS).

BLET members vote to strike at NJ Transit; PEB has been requested

One hundred percent of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) members working for New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) voted to strike should the union and the railroad fail to reach an agreement to settle their contract dispute.

WMATA board resumes search for GM/CEO

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors has resumed its search for a new general manager and chief executive officer.

Senate hearing focuses on technology’s role in transportation

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security held a hearing on July 7 taking on the role technology plays in transportation systems.

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