Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18) introduced the Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Act to help improve safety at grade crossings following the Metro-North train versus vehicle accident February 3. The bill will reauthorize the Rail Line Relocation & Improvement Capital Grant Program (RLR) at $100 million per year for the next four years.
Metro-North train service resumed on the Harlem Line February 5 for the first time since a collision February 3 between a passenger train and a vehicle near Valhalla Station in Valhalla.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx highlighted $3.2 billion recommended in President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget to advance the construction or completion of 25 rail, bus rapid transit (BRT) and streetcar projects in 13 states.
VIA Rail Canada appointed Susan Williams to general manager for eastern Canada. The passenger rail service provider said this will involve adding value to the services offered to communities served in the maritimes and eastern Québec, as well as business development activities intended to build on partnerships that began in 2014 with local community representatives.
President Obama unveiled his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2016, which includes a six-year $478-billion surface transportation reauthorization proposal that contains rail funding sources through the Generating Renewal, Opportu¬nity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America (GROW AMERICA) Act.
President Obama’s proposed FY16 Budget includes $100 million for the second section of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Purple Line Extension Project. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, business, environmental, labor and community leaders applauded the inclusion of these funds as an important step in keeping LACMTA’s planned subway construction toward West Los Angeles on track.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) in California are initiating an environmental study for the proposed construction of an approximately six-mile extension of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from the now under construction Berryessa BART Station in San Jose to Santa Clara. The Project is planned to include four stations: the Alum Rock, Downtown San Jose, Diridon, and Santa Clara Stations.
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) opened the Mid-Suffolk Train Yard Information Center at Ronkonkoma Station so customers and community residents can learn about the LIRR’s proposal for enlarging its train yard in Ronkonkoma.
Metra has appointed John Milano to deputy executive director for administration, effective Feb. 1.
New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (NORTA) officials, Mayor Mitchell Landrieu and city council members gathered Jan. 28 to kick off the construction on the 1.6-mile North Rampart Street/St. Claude Avenue Streetcar Project, which will connect the French Quarter and Treme to Canal Street and Loyola Avenue via the network of streetcar lines in the city.
Amtrak has made a commitment of $12 million to continue renovations of Chicago’s 90-year-old Union Station. In the coming weeks and months, Chicago Mayor Emanuel will work in coordination with the federal government, the state of Illinois, Metra and Amtrak to facilitate a complete overhaul of Union Station that will require a multi-year, $500-million investment.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the Senate Budget Committee ranking member, has introduced legislation to rebuild America’s crumbling network of roads, bridges and transit systems and other infrastructure projects. The five-year plan would invest $1 trillion and create or maintain at least 13 million decent-paying jobs, says Sanders.
A new pedestrian grade-crossing system was activated at the Wheaton, Ill., Metra station along the Union Pacific West Line on January 26. The system was activated at the Maywood, Melrose Park, Elmhurst, Villa Park, Glen Ellyn, College Avenue, Winfield and Geneva stations in 2011.
In Ontario, Canada, the Region of Waterloo voted to exercise a three-year option to extend its existing light-rail transit contract with Parsons Brinckerhoff and WSP.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton has proposed a plan to fix Minnesota’s aging transportation systems, which would invest $6 billion over the next 10 years to address the state’s highway funding deficit, invest $2.356 billion in local government transportation projects and provide $2.92 billion for Metro and Greater Minnesota transit systems. The Governor’s proposal would create an estimated 119,000 new jobs and build the infrastructure necessary to meet the demands of a growing population and an expanding state economy.
According to a study released by the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), mass transit providers in Northeastern Illinois do not receive the funds necessary from federal and state sources to address reinvestment needs.
For the first time, Oregon’s TriMet operated an electrified MAX test train on the northern segment of the new Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project alignment, including Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, on Wed., Jan. 21. A powered Portland Streetcar train also traveled across the bridge during the systems test.
Two tunnel boring machines (TBM) digging the western segment of the 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) underground tunnel for Metrolinx‘s Eglinton Crosstown line, officially reached the half-way point of their journey Jan. 20 as they broke through the headwall at Allen Road, in Toronto, ON, Canada.
Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario (IO) have selected Plenary Infrastructure ERMF as the preferred proponent to design, build, finance and maintain the East Rail Maintenance Facility (ERMF) project. The facility is being built in Whitby to support GO Transit‘s planned service expansion in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
As part of the Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) Salt Lake City TRAX Station Tactile Tile Replacements and TRAX Grade Crossing Replacements light-rail project, Oldcastle Precast’s Ogden, Utah, facility was contracted to supply 2,400 track feet of their StarTrack Grade Crossing modules.