Southwest LRT advisory committee recommends ending project at Southwest Station

The Corridor Management Committee, which advises the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council on all issues related to the design and construction of the Southwest Light-Rail project, has made recommendations that reduces the scope and cost of the project.

Baltimore elected officials send letter asking Hogan to reconsider Red Line decision

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, along with elected leaders of Baltimore City at the local, state and federal level sent a joint letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan urging him to reconsider the decision to cancel the construction of the the city’s Red Line.

ABR launches U.S. high-speed division

American Business Research, Inc. (ABR), launched the High Speed Railway Division it says to bring its years of experience developing high-speed railroads to the United States.

PANYNJ names new chief engineer

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) named Jim Starace chief engineer. Starace is a 29-year veteran engineer who has been responsible for overseeing some of the agency’s most critical transportation projects.

STV awarded CHSRA environmental and engineering documents contract

STV was awarded a contract with the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) to prepare environmental and engineering documents for the Burbank to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Anaheim project sections.

RIDOT, Amtrak kick off platform and track project

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) and Amtrak are beginning work on a platform and track project in South County that officials say will improve operations in the Northeast and long-term transit planning in Rhode Island.

Metra begins Waukegan Station project; preps for switch project

Metra kicked off a $530,000-project to rehabilitate the Waukegan Station on its Union Pacific North Line June 29.

Caltrans transfers management of intercity San Joaquin, Surfliner routes

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) transferred the management of intercity rail services for the San Joaquin and Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) (Pacific Surfliner) corridors to two Joint Powers Authorities (JPA).

FRA and Google team up on grade crossing safety

Google has agreed to partner with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on grade crossing safety, the agency announced on June 29, 2015.

SacRT begins testing on blue line

The Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) started operating test trains June 29 on the Blue Line to Cosumnes River College (CRC) light-rail extension currently under construction.

Gov. Hogan: Purple Line a go, Red Line gets a no

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan gave the go ahead on a “more cost-effective and streamlined” version of the proposed Purple Line, but said the Red Line project would not proceed.

Contract awarded to design, build and maintain MTA police radio system

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board approved a 20-year, $70.7-million contract to the Harris Corporation of Rochester for the design, construction and maintenance of an enhanced radio system for the MTA Police Department.

SCVTA using Tire Derived Aggregate as vibration reducing material

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) says it makes every effort to be a good neighbor and steward of the earth.

FRA prepared to levy penalties for non-PTC compliance

Positive Train Control (PTC) was again in the spotlight this week, as the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials held a hearing June 24 on “The State of Positive Train Control in the United States.”

Metrolink has PTC in Revenue Service Demonstration across network

Metrolink says Positive Train Control (PTC) is in Revenue Service Demonstration (RSD) across its entire 341-mile network earlier this month, making it the first railroad in the nation to have PTC running during regular service on all of its hosted lines.

Sound Transit completes first phase of University Link testing

Sound Transit contractors have completed initial work to integrate and test University Link light-rail signal and power systems as part of the push to open the extension in early 2016.

Siemens-sponsored study shows commuter projects have paid off for Salt Lake City region

A public transportation technology partnership between Salt Lake City and Siemens has resulted in 1,300 new jobs that have spurred an estimated $225 million in value to the local economy, according to a Siemens-sponsored study conducted by the Economic Development Research Group.

Oldcastle Precast, Stacy & Witbeck partner on vibration dampening light-rail

Oldcastle Precast collaborated with Stacy & Witbeck and Sound Transit in the engineering and manufacture of a 450-foot long prototype section of precast concrete “floating” rail.

EPW Committee hopes to DRIVE surface transportation bill through Senate

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee introduced a six-year, $278-billion surface transportation reauthorization proposal on June 23, S.1647, the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy (DRIVE) Act.

MTA marks centennial anniversary of Fourth Avenue Line

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) marked the centennial anniversary of the Fourth Avenue Line, which the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (eventually the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation or BMT) originally opened on June 22, 1915, to shuttle riders between Manhattan and Coney Island.

LOAD MORE