Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has signed a contract with a joint venture for the construction of the Regional Connector, as well as awarded a design contract for a Metrolink double track project.
Two years ago, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) was granted the authority to oversee the safety of all of America’s individual public transportation systems, writes Theresa McMillan, FTA deputy administrator in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fast Lane blog.
Keolis Commuter Services officially began operating the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) 14 passenger rail lines on July 1, 2014, with a pledge to increase on-time performance and improve safety, cleanliness and customer service.
It is no secret that rail infrastructure is expensive to maintain and, for North American transit agencies, many of which are working with strained budgets, every dollar spent on a maintenance program must stretch as far as it can go.
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated $510 million to 83 transportation projects, including upwards of $113 million for rail-related projects.
Union Pacific (UP) and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are making a significant investment in Chicago’s Metra West Line. Each will invest $45 million for the construction of a new third mainline track on the line from River Forest to Melrose Park and then from West Chicago to Geneva.
“Today, we are investing in jobs that will help solidify Illinois’ status as the premier rail center of the nation,” Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn said. “This final piece of the West Line improvement program will enhance commuter and freight travel on one of our state’s busiest rail lines. Building world-class infrastructure is vital to a healthy economy and today’s investment will help get us there.”
The West Line improvements are designed to ensure smoother traffic flow and reduce conflicts between the passenger and freight trains that share the line. Earlier projects completed by Metra and UP modernized the signal system and added crossovers to make freight movement more efficient. A third phase on the West Line, improving the Lombard and Wheaton Metra stations, will be finished in 2015. The West Line third track construction is the final step that will allow the 59 Metra trains and 70 freight trains that use the line each day to operate at the same time, a critical step to improving the line’s reliability and efficiency.
The announcement was made during a celebration to mark the completion of a Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) rail project that included the construction of a rail overpass, the rehabilitation of two passenger stations and the addition of pedestrian tunnels in Bellwood and Berkeley and signal and track improvements along the UP/Metra West Line. The project created and supported 1,000 jobs and was funded primarily through a $52-million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant, a $27 million commitment from UP and other freight railroad partners, other federal funding of $3 million and a $615,000 investment by the state of Illinois.
“Our nation’s system of bridges, rail and roads is the strength of the nation, tying us together and giving us access to the world,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). “Chicago remains the busiest rail hub in the United States, with more than 1,000 trains passing through the region every day. Protecting and investing in our nation’s infrastructure and specifically in Illinois’ transportation network, is one of my top priorities.”
“This is a new day for Metra, one in which we want to ensure that every project we execute puts commuters first,” Metra Chairman Martin Oberman said. “We are confident the West Line improvements will greatly improve the commuter experience.”
A study released by Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) shows cost estimates for a proposed passenger line between Mooresville and Charlotte, N.C., rose significantly due to new infrastructure needs rather than using existing infrastructure.
The Sound Transit Board officially designated Sound Transit Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mike Harbour as acting CEO as Joni Earl continues her medical leave. Harbour has been deputy CEO since October, 2012.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will provide a $50-million grant to the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) in Austin, Texas, for the purchase of four additional MetroRail cars and help construct a permanent, expanded downtown rail station.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has established a special advisory board of 22 experts who will make up the Transportation Reinvention Commission.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded a $1.8-million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant to rehabilitate 12 miles of track on the state-owned rail line located between Erick and Sayre, Okla., that will enable faster speeds and increases in freight service along the line.
Keolis Commuter Services (KCS) has reached agreement with all 14 of the labor unions representing its employees for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail service, which Keolis begins operating on July 1.
Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo called on elected officials and transportation planners in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to develop a shared vision of rail service along the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR) between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Ga.
Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approved a $13.1 billion, six-year improvement program, which allocates
$3.2 billion for rail and public transportation projects.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Board of Directors has awarded a $210-million contract for the South Coast Rail Project to Vanasee Hangen Brustlin/HNTB Corporation, officially moving the project from planning into construction.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad has issued its 100-Day Report on the Action Plan established by President Joseph Giulietti, which focused the railroad’s efforts on improving safety, restoring reliability and improving communications.
Working to improve rail service, reliability and address a longstanding bottleneck along Amtrak’s busy Northeast Corridor (NEC), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Amtrak are advancing an engineering and environmental study to examine various
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the fiscal year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) funding bill on a vote of 229-192. The legislation includes funding for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies.
Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will conduct an operational review of procedures at Walk Bridge in Norwalk, Conn.
The second annual Rail Summit, held in Chicago, Ill., proved to be another success, rallying some 300 rail executives and decision makers to discuss this year’s theme of economic opportunities resulting from the surge in energy and intermodal growth.