HART CEO promises more transparency

Daniel Grabauskas, the new executive director and CEO of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, pledged greater transparency for the Honolulu rail transit project.

TriMet, Caltrain continue to see strong ridership

Both Portland, Ore.-area TriMet and San Francisco, Calif.-area Caltrain are seeing strong ridership numbers.

Initial findings from the Caltrain annual ridership count show average weekday ridership at an all-time high, 42,354, an increase of 4,575 passengers per weekday, or 12.1 percent higher than 2011. This marks the second year ridership has increased, despite service cuts and fare increases driven by Caltrain’s on-going fiscal challenges.

TriMet, Caltrain continue to see strong ridership

Both Portland, Ore.-area TriMet and San Francisco, Calif.-area Caltrain are seeing strong ridership numbers.

DART starts light rail train tests in Irving

Dallas Area Rapid Transit in Texas completed the first light-rail test train into Irving, as it completed the five-mile section between Bachman Station and the Irving Convention Center on Monday, April 9. The first section of the
14-mile Orange Line opens July 30.

USDOT receives 703 applications for TIGER 2012 grants

The demand for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) 2012 grants have far surpassed the available funding, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

NYCT FASTRACK coming to the 1, 2 and 3 lines

New York City Transit’s FASTRACK is returning to the Seventh Avenue Line. Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit conducted four FASTRACK line shutdowns in the first quarter of this year resulting in an unprecedented amount of work. During the first late-night shutdown on the Broadway/Seventh Avenue 123 corridor, 800 maintenance workers completed more than 400 tasks each night, a monumental effort that would have taken months under normal operations. And, according to NYCT, there is still more work to be done.

Centennial celebration of San Francisco’s first streetcar kicks off

San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), joined U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, chair of the SFMTA Centennial Honorary Committee, to launch the 100th anniversary celebration of the Municipal Railway, founded on December 28, 1912.

Denver RTD celebrates 10 years Central Platte Valley Light Rail C Line

This month the Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver, Colo., is marking 10 years of light-rail service on the Central Platte Valley (CPV) C Line. Since RTD opened the 1.8-mile line April, 5, 2002, the line has carried more than 17 million passenger trips. Now a decade later, RTD and its community partners are marking the 10th Anniversary.

NYCT launches second track improvement initiative

In New York a major track renewal and component replacement project along the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Queens Boulevard Line will begin on April 7. The track closure will be in effect 24 hours a day as the tracks and support equipment are completely replaced with new ties, tie blocks, plates and rails.

Metro Gold Line contractor receives Notice To Proceed

California’s Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority issued a Full Notice to Proceed to Foothill Transit Constructors, A Kiewit Parsons Joint Venture for the $486 million Foothill Extension from Pasadena to Azusa light-rail alignment project. The Full Notice to Proceed affords the Kiewit Parsons Joint Venture the ability to implement all aspects of the design-build contract, including design and construction of the 11.5 miles of tracks, stations, crossings, bridges, utilities, maintenance facility and more. The total project budget is $735 million.

Boring complete on Sound Transit second tunnel

The second tunnel boring machine mining new light-rail tunnels in the Seattle, Wash.-area, between Capitol Hill and the University of Washington finished its underground journey Monday afternoon.

RT&S launches “Rail Brief” weekly engineering newsletter

The editors of Railway Track & Structures are pleased to bring you “Rail Brief,” a weekly e-mail newsletter that brings breaking news about rail engineering and maintenance-of-way to your inbox. Whether it occurs on or off the track, RT&S “Rail Brief” will cover advancing projects, developing technologies and other updates on rail infrastructure.

Chicago Mayor Emanuel plans $7 billion city infrastructure program

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel put into action a $7 billion, three-year infrastructure program, Building a New Chicago, which is one of the largest investments in infrastructure in the city’s history. The program will touch nearly every aspect of the city’s infrastructure network and create more than 30,000 jobs over the next three years.

MassDOT, MBTA recommend proposal to close MBTA FY13 budget gap

Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey and Acting Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Jonathan Davis announced their recommended proposal for closing the MBTA’s $185 million budget gap for next fiscal year.

SFMTA recommends two-year budget proposal with maintenance focus

The Transportation for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees all transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), released proposals to balance the agency’s upcoming two-year budget. The proposals make a significant investment in maintenance that will increase Muni’s reliability, reduce overtime through adequate staffing and focus on key initiatives such as the Transit Effectiveness Project.

Granite JV awarded $56 million Arizona streetcar project

Granite Construction Incorporated, in a joint-venture with Old Pueblo Trackworks, comprising Granite and RailWorks Track Systems, has been awarded a $56 million contract by the city of Tucson, Airz., to build the first federally-funded streetcar project in more than 60 years. Granite will book its share, approximately $29 million, into backlog during the first quarter of 2012.

HART CEO, FTA and Hawaii’s congressional delegation meet in D.C.

Newly selected Honolulu Area for Rapid Transit CEO and Executive Director Daniel Grabauskas met with the head of the Federal Transit Administration and with Hawaii’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C., to discuss the status of Honolulu’s rail project in preparation for receiving additional federal funds.

New York MTA capital funds secured in deal

From the editors at Railway Age

New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo reportedly has brokered a deal with Republican state legislative leaders to fully fund the last three years of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s five-year capital plan.

Treasury report: Now is the key time to invest in infrastructure

A new report released by the U.S. Department of Treasury with the Council of Economic Advisers finds that now is the key time to invest in infrastructure to create middle-class jobs, increase long-term competitiveness and support a more secure energy future.

LACMTA Expo Line to open April 28

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new light-rail line between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City will open to the public on Saturday, April 28. This opening will be the segment from downtown Los Angeles to the Expo/La Cienega Station. Construction work continues on the Culver City station, which is expected to open later this summer.

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