The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), Amtrak and the Baltimore City Department of Transportation released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the B&P Tunnel Project Dec. 18.
The passage of the Omnibus Appropriations bill late last week solidified funding for transit projects through the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts/Small Starts program. Transit agencies, such as Sound Transit and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), are hailing the bill’s passage as progress for major transit expansion projects.
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed a monster spending bill late last week, which will keep federal agencies funded through the end of September 2016.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has scheduled critical work in 2016 on the Flushing 7 Line between Manhattan and Queens.
The Sound Transit Board approved a $1.2-billion 2016 budget that provides $802.9 million in light rail and other system expansions.
Amtrak has concluded negotiations and changed the route of the Texas Eagle train between Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas, to run on the Trinity Rail Express (TRE) corridor.
In the wake of last winter’s severe service disruptions and the ongoing debate over cost overruns associated with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Green Line extension, Charles Chieppo, a senior fellow at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School released a report outlining a number of reforms intended to put the MBTA fiscal house in order.
The Minnesota Counties Transit Improvement Board authorized funding for three rail projects on December 16.
The Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance, in conjunction with Minnesota Department of Transportation (MdDOT) and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), has cut the Northern Lights Express high-speed passenger rail project (NLX) cost in half.
Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Board of Directors adopted the 2016 operating budgets, which will fund Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Metra improvements next year.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) in Washington, D.C., has started Pre-Revenue Operations (PRO) for the DC Streetcar as DDOT prepares the system for safety certification to carry passengers.
The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver is nearing completion of its 64th Avenue Bridge between Pecos Street and Federal Boulevard. The bridge replaces a portion of the existing 64th Avenue roadway and an at-grade railroad crossing with a grade-separated crossing.
Wabtec Corporation signed contracts worth approximately $45 million to provide equipment and services for a Positive Train Control (PTC) system for Chicago’s Metra commuter rail system. The contracts are with Metra and Parsons Transportation Group.
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has adopted 27 projects, valued at nearly $154 million, that it says will support needed upkeep on California’s aging roads and bridges, alleviate traffic delays and encourage use of alternative forms of transportation, including biking, walking and transit. CTC has allocated more than $96 million for rail projects alone.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Metro-North Railroad has detailed its latest results of a systemwide track reconstruction effort that has rebuilt miles of the railroad in the past two and a half years, delivering smoother, safer and more reliable service to customers.
A dedication ceremony for the 91/Perris Valley commuter rail extension from Riverside to Perris, Calif., was held Dec. 11.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit (MTA-NYCT) has completed a full, end-to-end review of the A and C Lines, the fourth such comprehensive study joining previous reviews of the F, L and G Lines.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Metro-North Railroad named Justin Vonashek as the agency’s new vice president of system safety, where he will oversee all efforts to ensure the safety of its customers and employees as it continues to improve work practices and invest in new technology and equipment.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 10, 2015 passed S. 808, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) Reauthorization Act of 2015, which among other provisions, will increase the number of STB members from three to five, improving STB’s structure and decision-making processes by allowing, with proper disclosure, board members to speak with one another about cases on which the STB is ruling.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners agreed to partner with the federal government in the development of the vital Gateway Tunnel Project by creating a development corporation to oversee construction of the massive passenger rail project and meet the future needs of hundreds of thousands of riders.
