Caltrain’s San Bruno Grade Separation Project, which will enhance safety at three rail crossings in downtown San Bruno, Calif., is nearing the half-way mark. The supports and bridges for the $147 million public safety project are clearly visible, giving the public a clear idea of the size and scope of the grade separation.
Hampton Roads Transit in Virginia will mark the first birthday of The Tide light rail in Norfolk on Friday, August 17, with a celebration at the MacArthur Square station.
Dallas businessman James Adams is the newest member of the Board of Directors of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. He was appointed by the Dallas City Council.
Chicago Transit Authority ridership has continued its upward trend in the first six months of 2012, with June marking the 16th consecutive month of ridership increases.
The Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded Sound Transit $400,000 towards energy efficiency projects, including new lighting at the Federal Way, Auburn and Kent transit centers. The improvements covered by the grant will save more than an estimated $80,000 a year in utility and operations costs and allow the agency to leverage an additional $175,000 in utility rebates.
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas (METRO) and contractor Houston Rapid Transit are blazing light-rail tracks on the North, East and Southeast lines and chilling 9,000 pounds of ice each day to make sure crews stay cool enough to work during the season’s high temperatures. The transit authority says maintaining safety on the new lines (scheduled to open in 2014) calls for expertise and coordination and Safety Coordinator Daniel Motley has plenty to offer. Motley comes to METRO with 30-plus years of experience, most recently in the mid-east as construction safety leader for one of the largest petro-chemical projects ever attempted. Today, he is in the field daily, checking on rail expansion crews and work conditions.
The Federal Transit Administration granted the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority a Record of Decision (ROD) for the $5.6 billion Westside Subway Extension,
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board Chairman Tom Nolan and Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin issued a statement on the San Francisco Civil Grand Jury Report, “Better Muni Service Needed, Without Switchbacks.”
In an effort to reduce future expenses and avoid additional impacts to rail service, the Chicago Transit Board approved an amendment to the existing design/build contract for the North Red Line station improvement project.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency said that pre-construction associated with the Central Subway tunnel will begin on August 13 in North Beach. The work involves relocating utility lines on a half-block section of Columbus Avenue between Union and Powell streets.
The completion of the work to rehabilitate seven stations along the West End D Line in Brooklyn, N.Y., is now complete.
For the first time in the nearly 150-year history of the railroad, San Francisco Bay-area’s Caltrain average weekday ridership is more than 50,000, according to the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board.
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.
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.
Miami-Dade Transit opened its 23rd Metrorail station, the new Miami International Airport (MIA) Station on July 28.
In Dallas, Texas, Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s long-anticipated Orange Line to Irving opened on July 30.
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.
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.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority was honored by the American Public Transportation Association with the 2012 Outstanding Public Transportation System Achievement Award for efforts to enhance service, efficiencies and overall effectiveness.
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.
