CTA to make largest Blue Line investment in 30 years
The Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) will overhaul its Blue Line O’Hare Branch, which will provide faster travel times and updated stations while creating more than 1,300 jobs.
Passenger
UTA readies S-Line for official opening
The first segment of the Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) Sugar House Streetcar line (S-Line) will open December 8. The UTA says new service connects thousands of area residents with local employers, shops and area attractions while spurring millions of dollars in residential and retail development along the route.
APTA’s Melaniphy: Congress needs to fund Positive Train Control implementation
American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President and CEO Michael Melaniphy reiterated the commuter rail industry’s commitment to Positive Train Control (PTC) installation but said Congress needs to help cover PTC costs for the technology to be implemented as soon as possible.
Two unions sue BART board over contract snafu
Bay Area Rapid Transit’s (BART) largest unions, SEIU 1021 and ATU 1555, filed a lawsuit against members of the transit agency’s board of the directors, challenging the directors’ action on the ratification of the unions’ contract.
Rep. Maloney introduces legislation to help passenger railroads fund PTC investment
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY-18) introduced the Commuter Rail Passenger Safety Act, to help commuter rail lines, such as Metro-North, fund and implement positive train control (PTC) systems.
Rebuilding effort continues as service returns to Metro-North Hudson Line
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad resumed more than 98 percent of its regular Hudson Line service December 4, following last weekend’s derailment.
Twin tunnels completed for the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension
Construction of the twin tunnels is complete for the Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE). The final segment of tunneling was finished when tunnel boring machine (TBM) “Torkie” broke through the headwall at the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station site, finishing the 10th and final tunnel drive for the project.
MWAA says more testing needed before Silver Line Phase 1 is ready
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) said that additional tests are needed on Phase 1 of the Silver Line, focusing on software updates related to the automatic train control system, before the project can be turned over to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
BART completes Transbay Tube earthquake safety retrofit work
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) has completed one phase of the Transbay Tube earthquake safety project ahead of schedule.
Transport Canada to improve oversight plan following rail safety audit
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada issued its 2013 Fall Report and criticized Transport Canada’s safety management system (SMS) of the nation’s rail network saying the department “needs to address significant weaknesses in its oversight of safety management systems implemented by federal railway companies to manage safety risks on a day-to-day basis.”
TriMet installs vegetated trackway at future light-rail station
The Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project is taking sustainable transit further with a pilot installation of eco-track on SW Lincoln Street downtown.
Valley Metro light-rail extension receives environmental clearance
Phoenix’s Valley Metro has received the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for the 1.9-mile Gilbert Road light-rail extension.
HART awards contract to CH2M Hill
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) has awarded a contract for General Engineering Consultant (GEC) support services for the next phase of the rail project.
SCVTA completes environmental mitigation for BART Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) has completed the Alum Rock Fish Passage, a mitigation effort for the Mission Warren Area Improvements Project, a support project for the Bay Area Rapid Transit Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension.
MBTA, MassDoT, Massport collaborate on projects for big savings
Three Massachusetts transportation agencies, managing three different projects, worked closely together to save a total of more than $4.1 million while completing the work and limiting disruptions to subway service for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Blue Line Orient Heights Station.
Sound Transit picks preferred alternative for Lynnwood light rail; plans to open University Link extension early
The Sound Transit Board of Directors identified a preferred alternative to extend light rail from the Northgate mall area in Seattle, Wash., north to Lynnwood in Snohomish County. The preferred route will mostly run adjacent to I-5 with stations in the Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood areas.
MTA wraps up blasting for Second Avenue Subway
All blasting operations for Phase 1 of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Second Avenue Subway Project are complete.
Study says Texas highways would accommodate high-speed rail
A University of Texas, Arlington (UT Arlington), feasibility study of high-speed rail in Texas shows that trips between most city pairs that use existing Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) right-of-way can be made in less than two hours, making it competitive with air travel and superior to highway driving.
Caltrans and Amtrak California set ridership record
In 2012-2013, Amtrak California carried a record 3.9 million passengers on its Pacific Surfliner and San Joaquin rail lines. Over the past 10 years, ridership on the Pacific Surfliner and the San Joaquin increased by nearly one million passengers and ticket revenues skyrocketed from $44 million to $102 million.
All Aboard Florida picks Fort Lauderdale Station location
All Aboard Florida passenger line plans to develop its Fort Lauderdale station on parcels of land adjacent to the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) corridor on NW 2nd Avenue, between Broward Boulevard and NW 4th Street.