First phase of Denver Eagle P3 open for business

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver on April 22 began University of Colorado A Line commuter rail service from downtown Denver to Denver International Airport. The line is among the nation’s first transit projects built by a public-private partnership and is a part of an ambitious transit expansion plan for the eight-county metropolitan area.

THUD allocates $56.5 billion to fund transportation

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development passed $56.5 billion legislation to fund its programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, including several allocations for rail.

El Paso streetcar receives first shipment of rail

The first shipment of steel rail on which the streetcars in El Paso, Texas, will run has arrived; about 900 pieces will be used throughout the entire project. Each length of rail is 59 feet long and weighs approximately 2,300 pounds.

J-Track LLC names Dorris VP/GM of new Central Division

J-Track LLC will open a new railroad construction and maintenance company in the Chicagoland area on May 1. The new company, J-Track LLC Central Division, will be led by Vice President and General Manager, Bill Dorris.

Panama monorail line to be financed by Japan

The Republic of Panama has signed an agreement with the Japanese government valued at US$2.6 billion to fund the construction of Line 3 of Panama’s Metro, the largest project in Panama since the expansion of the Panama Canal. The monorail system will be the first to use Japanese technology in the Americas.

Parsons adds Abruzzo as rail bridge leader

Parsons has hired Joseph Abruzzo as its railroad bridge practice leader, where he will be responsible for directing the pursuit and execution of railroad bridge projects worldwide.

NYCT installs composite ties as part of Staten Island project

As Earth Day approaches and as part of recommendations from a blue-ribbon commission tasked with reducing the impact of public transit on the environment, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) has installed approximately 6,500 sustainable composite ties in a major Staten Island Railway (SIR)

MTA to expand sleep apnea screening of employees

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has decided to expand its successful sleep apnea testing program for employees.

Tunnel initial winner of Calgary Green LRT evaluation

The Green Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project team has completed the first stage of evaluation for the project’s Centre City alignment in Calgary, AB, Canada.

Wabtec lands NICTD PTC contract

Wabtec Corporation signed a contract to provide equipment and services for a Positive Train Control (PTC) system to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD).

FTA updates Congress on WMATA Metrorail safety oversight

The Federal Transit Authority (FTA) provided an update to its safety oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) system during a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Silver Line

Construction on Silver Line Phase 2 to ramp up

Construction on Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, a.k.a. the Silver Line, is about to head into a busy period as the project hits the 30 percent complete mark.

AECOM awarded Hurontario LRT technical advisory contract

AECOM has been selected to provide technical advisory services on the Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in Mississauga and Brampton, Ontario, Canada and the Hamilton LRT project in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, for Metrolinx.

Ontario partners with Thales in Canada to advance rail signal solutions

Ontario is partnering with Thales in Canada to develop the next generation of railway signaling solutions, which is expected to improve transit safety, efficiency and create jobs.

WMATA taps NYCT veteran as new chief safety officer

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) appointed Patrick Lavin to the position of chief safety officer, effective May 9. Lavin comes to WMATA from New York City Transit (NYCT), where he is second in command of the agency’s Office of System Safety.

Sound Transit’s Lynwood Link moves into final design

Light-rail service to Snohomish County in Washington state is closer to reality as Sound Transit moves ahead with a final design contract for the 8.5-mile rail extension. The transit agency issued a formal notice to proceed on its $73.7-million final design contract with the HNTB Jacobs Trusted Design Partners joint venture.

BART awards MERMEC contract for track inspection vehicle

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) awarded MERMEC a contract to supply a track recording vehicle to be operated on 104 miles of rapid transit lines serving the San Francisco Bay Area.

Katzman joins HNTB as senior transit manager

Lori Katzman has joined HNTB Corporation as senior project manager and vice president in the firm’s rail transit group and will be based in HNTB’s New York City office.

Various cost-effective maintenance practices for conventional track structures

Use determines a given maintenance strategy, but planning determines that strategy’s cost effectiveness.

FTA issues safety advisory to gather stop signal overrun information

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued Safety Advisory 16-1 to collect information on the frequency of stop signal overruns in rail transit and the actions being taken to address these occurrences.

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