Loudoun County on board with Dulles rail

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to fund Phase 2 of the planned rail extension to Dulles Airport. The county’s estimated portion of the project, which will extend Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Silver Line from Reston to Loudoun, is $270 million.

RTD recommends Kiewit proposal to complete full I-225 rail line

Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) staff recommended to the RTD Board of Directors to move forward with a proposal from Kiewit Infrastructure Co., to complete the I-225 Light Rail Line to Peoria, Colo.

WMATA takes delivery of track geometry vehicle

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has accepted delivery of its first track geometry vehicle (TGV), a specialized railcar equipped with advanced technology to analyze the condition of rail and track infrastructure and to alert WMATA to potential defects.

LACMTA gets FTA go ahead on Regional Connector Project

The Federal Transit Administration granted the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority a Record of Decision for the $1.37 billion Regional Connector Transit Corridor, officially certifying that the project has now satisfied all federal environmental guidelines.

Houston Metro celebrates six-mile mark on LRT extension

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas, has completed six miles on the light-rail transit extension. Six miles equals about 64,000 linear feet of track in the ground, leaving nine miles to go.

Ontario government pushes forward with previously approved transit plan

Ontario, Canada, is moving forward to deliver the largest transit expansion in the city of Toronto’s history, which will help ease congestion and create thousands of jobs.

TriMet marks the beginning of second year of Portland-Milwaukie Project Construction

July 2 marks the beginning of year two of construction on Oregon’s Triment Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge. During the first year of construction, 64 firms worked on the bridge, which is now 41 percent complete. Overall project construction jobs total 1,525.

All surface transportation reauthorization bill needs is President’s signature

Both the House and Senate passed “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century,” or MAP-21, on Friday, June 29. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation into law shortly.

RTD breaks ground on two expansion projects

The Denver Regional Transportation District is breaking ground on two expansion projects. The final structure on the West Rail Line that will serve Denver, Lakewood, Golden and Jefferson County and the first segment of the Northwest Rail Line between Denver Union Station and south Westminster.

Sound Transit sets budget, schedule for Northgate extension

The Seattle Sound Transit Board of Directors adopted a lifetime budget and schedule to extend light rail from the University of Washington to the Northgate area north of Seattle. Sound Transit expects to break ground on the North Link project this summer and open for service in 2021.

HART requests $1.55 billion in New Starts funding

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation submitted a request for $1.55 billion in federal New Starts funding for the Honolulu rail transit project.

OneCity Transit Plan for Toronto outlined in letter to City Council

A new 30-year, $30-billion plan to enhance Toronto, ON, Canada, transit was unveiled yesterday.

CTC approves $61.3 million for SFMTA Central Subway Project

California Transportation Commission unanimously approved a commitment of $61.3 million in state high-speed rail connectivity funds to the The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Central Subway Project.

Former N.Y. Governor David A. Paterson joins MTA Board

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority welcomed Former New York Governor David A. Paterson to its board. Gov. Paterson was nominated to serve on the board by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on April 23 and was confirmed to the position by the New York State Senate on June 20. He succeeds Nancy Shevell, who served on the board from June 2001 through January 2012. His term expires on June 30, 2017.

Beijer Electronics awarded WMATA contract

Beijer Electronics, through its subsidiary Westermo, won a $SEK30 million (US$4 million) contract from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to provide its new solution for IP communication (Westermo IP-train solution).

Remembering William D. Kennedy

William D. Kennedy, a respected expert on tunnel ventilation and former vice president and senior engineering manager with Parsons Brinckerhoff, died on June 23 at the age of 69.

Atkins names practice manager for transit and rail

Atkins, which specializes in engineering and design consultancy, hired Jonathan McDonald, PE, as vice president and senior practice manager for the company’s transit and rail practice. He is based in Atkins’ San Francisco office.

SEPTA celebrates modernization of two 1920s-era subway stations

Two 1920s-era subway stations on Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s Broad Street Line have been modernized under a $30 million project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

MTA awards contract for station finishes at 96th Street along Second Avenue Subway

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority has awarded a contract for the station finishes, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, ancillary buildings and entrances for the 96th Street Station of the Second Avenue Subway. The contract, valued at $324.6 million was awarded to a joint venture of E.E. Cruz and Company and Tully Construction Company Inc.

$20 million federal investment jump-starts expansion of 95th Street CTA Station

The Chicago Transit Authority will be able to move forward on major upgrades to one of the busiest stations in its transit system as a result of an infusion of $20 million in federal funding to the 95th Street Terminal Improvement Project. The intermodal project will reduce pedestrian and bus congestion, cut travel times, improve accessibility and create jobs on the South Side of the city.