Passenger

Siemens secures order to electrify Hawaii’s transit system

Siemens has received a multi-million dollar order from Ansaldo Honolulu JV to electrify the track for the new Honolulu rail transit system. The rail system is the first for the state and is scheduled to be completed in 2019. It will span 20 miles from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center with 21 stations along the route, including Pearl Harbor and the Honolulu Airport.

MTA recognizes safety honors agency wide

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority recognized agency-wide contributions to a safer work environment at the 15th annual Chairman’s Safety Awards last week. At a ceremony in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall, MTA leaders recognized team achievements within the MTA and its operating agencies.

NYCT FASTRACK wraps up week on 6th Avenue Line

New York City Transit’s intense maintenance and clean-up program, FASTRACK, wrapped up a weeklong stint along the Sixth Avenue B, D, F and M lines. Once again, hundreds of transit workers inspected, repaired, maintained, cleaned and painted subway infrastructure in stations and tunnels between 59th Street-Columbus Circle and West 4th Street.

BART outlines roadmap to boost small business

Bay Area Rapid Transit in the San Francisco Bay area is looking to give small businesses a boost by increasing contracting opportunities within the transit district. At a recent board of directors meeting, BART’s Office of Civil Rights outlined a comprehensive strategy to change the agency’s processes in awarding contracts to small businesses, especially socially and economically disadvantaged businesses and those who employ disabled veterans. The plan was met with enthusiasm from the community during the meeting with one observer calling it a model for the Bay Area and even the nation.

MTA completes tunnel boring on megaprojects

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority said that on Monday, Molina, the tunnel boring machine digging the last of the four East Side Access tunnels in Queens, came to a halt six feet underneath the Long Island Rail Road mainline in Long Island City, completing its run. The milestone marks the end of tunnel boring for the East Side Access project and all MTA megaprojects.

Phoenix LRT route gets OK from local government

Phoenix Arizona’s Valley Metro received regional approval from the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) on the route and transit mode for the Phoenix West extension. Light rail will be extended 11 miles from downtown Phoenix, through the State Capitol area, to approximately 79th Avenue and the I-10 West freeway. This is Valley Metro’s first freeway corridor project, providing the growing West Valley with a higher-capacity and more efficient transit option by 2023.

RTD Board approves I-225 LRT proposal

The Denver, Colo., Regional Transportation District Board of Directors formally approved a proposal by Kiewit Infrastructure Co. to complete the I-225 Light Rail Line to Peoria by November 2015. The line would open in mid-2016 after about six months of testing. With a vote of 14-0 and one member absent, the RTD Board’s decision paves the way for the agency to complete another FasTracks rail line. On July 3, RTD staff recommended the proposal to the board after finding that it offered the best value with a financially sound solution that allows RTD to take advantage of the current market. The Kiewit team includes Mass. Electric Construction Co., AECOM and RBC Capital Markets.

L.B. Foster receives company’s largest order ever for rail products

L.B. Foster Company has been awarded the company’s largest rail products contract, valued at approximately $60 million, by contractor Kiewit/Kobayashi, a Joint Venture, for the county-wide construction of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) passenger transit system. L.B. Foster rail, concrete ties, direct fixation fasteners, third rail with accessories and special trackwork will be installed throughout the Honolulu Rail Transit Project’s new elevated railway system and maintenance yard.

ACE to approve San Gabriel trench contract

The Alameda Corridor-East Construction Authority Board of Directors is expected to award a $172.6 million contract on July 23 to construct a 1.4-mile railroad trench for Union Pacific freight and Amtrak passenger trains with street bridges built at four crossings, in San Gabriel, Calif.

Springfield, Mass., Union Station to receive $21 million for renovation

Nearly $21 million in federal funding has been formally approved for the Springfield, Mass., Union Station and the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, according to a statement from Rep. Richard Neal’s office . Approximately $17 million will be used in the planned renovation of the historic landmark in the city’s northern blocks region and an additional $3.9 million will be directed to the PVTA for the maintenance of the local public transportation system.