A consulting firm has been hired to assist in the environmental review and formal community engagement process for the Long Island Rail Road Main (LIRR) Line Expansion Project, which calls for adding a third track along a critical 9.8-mile section of LIRR’s mainline between Floral Park and Hicksville Stations.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded a $1.5 million grant to California to fund the design of a bridge which will carry vehicular traffic on Rice Avenue over railroad tracks in Oxnard. Currently, the Union Pacific tracks, which Metrolink, Amtrak and freight trains utilize, intersect with Rice Avenue.
Beginning on March 28, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit’s (NYCT) FASTRACK program returned to the 1 line in Upper Manhattan for two weeks. For four consecutive weeknights from until early April 1, and for four weeknights from April 4 to April 8, 1 service will be suspended between 96 St and Dyckman St from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board of Directors has approved the release of a draft expenditure plan for public review and input that could become part of a possible November ballot measure to fund a wide variety of transit and highway projects, local roadway improvements and pedestrian and bike paths to be built over the next four decades.
A public involvement period will begin March 29 on an extensive Sound Transit Board proposal for responding to the region’s chronic transportation challenges.
Partners in the Gateway Program have outlined steps to move it forward including the allocation of $70 million for preliminary engineering, a federal pledge to streamline environmental reviews and finalization of development corporation structure.
The Metra Board of Directors has approved a $64.5 million addition to the agency’s 2016 capital program which now totals $251 million in projected spending.
Trackwork will begin on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Framingham-Worcester Line this month, with a goal of replacing 25,000-30,000 crossties while work to end the line’s heat-related speed restrictions wraps up.
In another step toward keeping San Diego’s transit system in a state of good repair, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Board of Directors on March 17, 2016 unanimously approved $108 million for the FY 2017 Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
On March 19, some of Washington state’s most congested areas began a new era of mobility as Sound Transit opened the University Link light-rail extension, with eight-minute rides between the University of Washington and downtown Seattle.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit (MTA NYCT) is preparing to rebuild two crucial sections of the M line in Brooklyn and Queens in order to ensure that two decades-old deteriorating overpasses remain safe for travel.
The Valley Metro $327-million, 3.2-mile Northwest Extension opened on March 19 ahead of schedule and on budget after more than two years of construction.
New York City Transit (NYCT) Acting Senior Vice President of the Department of Subways Wynton Habersham has been appointed to the position permanently. He is responsible for planning, directing and controlling the subway and its safe operation.
Washington Metropolitan Transportation Authority (WMATA) has restored service following an unprecedented full closure of the system March 16 for emergency inspections of the system’s third-rail power cables.
Metrolinx has selected CH2M for its Next Wave Rapid Transit Projects – Consultant Services for Program Management Services contract.
A major electrical cable fire in a tunnel just outside the Washington Metro McPherson Square station early Monday, March 14, 2016 has led to the entire Metrorail system shutting down for a 29-hour period beginning March 16 at 12:00 a.m. for emergency safety inspections of third-rail power cables.
High-speed rail construction projects have frequently required long tunnels to reduce travel time and distance. With the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) considering a 16-mile long tunnel along the Palmdale to Burbank project section, the Mineta Transportation Institute looked into similar tunnels already constructed around the world.
Chicago’s Metra will conduct Operation Lifesaver Safety Blitzes at 45 train stations across the six-county region in 2016 as part of its ongoing efforts to raise awareness of the importance of safe behavior around its trains and tracks.
The San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) Redlands Passenger Rail Project in Highland, Calif., is now in the Final Design Phase. The project is expected to drive and support the growth of the local economy while attracting and retaining businesses and employers.
Construction began March 11 on track and signal improvements at the King Street Station in Seattle, Wash. The work is part of the $50.4-million King Street Station Track Improvements project overseen by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).