Parsons Brinckerhoff supporting expansion of LRT system in Phoenix

Valley Metro in Phoenix, Ariz., awarded a contract to a joint venture of Parsons Brinckerhoff and PGH Wong Engineering to provide program management/construction management services to support the planned expansion of the metro Phoenix high-capacity transit system.

Additional $300 million in funding secured for Dulles rail Phase 2

The Virginia Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved an amended Senate budget, which will provide $300 million dollars in additional state funds to Phase 2 of the Metrorail to Dulles Project in northern Virginia.

Houston METRORail construction nears halfway mark

Construction progress for three new Houston METRO light-rail lines is more than 45 percent complete and expected to end in time for 2014 service dates.

Contractor named for Mesa, Ariz., LRT extension

Valley Transit Constructors, a Kiewit/Mass Electric Joint Venture, was selected as the team that will continue designing and building the Valley Metro 3.1-mile Central Mesa light-rail extension in Arizona. Parsons Transportation Group, also part of the team, will serve as lead designer.

Caltrain modernization advanced by regional agreement

A regional agreement between the California High Speed Rail Authority and more than a half-dozen California Bay Area public agencies will fully fund the electrification and modernization of the Caltrain system, a long-planned, critically-needed improvement that will improve the service and help ensure the long-term viability of the commuter rail system.

Sound Transit completes boring of first University Link light rail extension tunnel

Seattle-area Sound Transit tunneling contractors Traylor Kemper Frontier pushed through the wall into the Capitol Hill station site to complete a two-mile light-rail tunnel from the University of Washington. The 21-foot diameter tunnel boring machine emerged within three millimeters of its target as part of the University Link light rail expansion.

FasTracks Committee endorses staff recommendation of rail/bus hybrid for Northwest service

The Denver Colo., Regional Transportation District Board’s FasTracks Monitoring Committee endorsed the RTD staff’s hybrid option recommendation on how to proceed with the FasTracks Northwest Rail Line. The vote was 13 – 2 moving, the motion to the full RTD Board of Directors for a final decision will take place March 27.

SEPTA hires private security firm, Transit Police set to go on strike

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority police officers went on strike at 2:00 p.m., March 21.

While SEPTA management was hoping to negotiate a new contract without a strike, it has implemented a contingency plan to deal with this situation.

LACMTA releases Final EIS/EIR

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority released its Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report for the Westside Subway Extension Project.

SEPTA proposed FY2012 budget suspends improvement projects

For the third straight year, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority expects to defer critical improvement projects due to funding cuts, according to the authority’s Fiscal Year 2013 Capital Budget proposal.

CTA previews Loop track renewal project

The Chicago Transit Authority previewed upcoming track renewal work that will affect primarily weekend service in the Loop beginning in mid-April through late-2012. The project will involve special trackwork at the Loop junctions and the replacement of nearly 11,500 feet of elevated rail and track components that were installed in the mid-1980s, which are nearing the end of their useful life.

NJ Transit Board approves Bloomfield Avenue Station upgrades

Improvements to make Newark Light Rail’s Bloomfield Avenue Station accessible to customers with disabilities and more convenient for all customers will begin this spring, under a contract approved today by the NJ Transit Board of Directors.

LACMTA expands additional train testing on new Expo Line

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will expand the operation of test trains along the LACMTA Expo Line corridor beginning Sunday, March 18, running trains from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week, on a schedule of every 12 minutes to simulate regular service on the line once the system opens in early 2012.

2011 CTA ridership hits highest level in two decades

CTA ridership grew by more than 15 million (three percent) in 2011, with more than 530 million boardings on trains and buses across the city, the highest total in 20 years and one of the highest increases among big-city transit operations across the United States.

Axion International receives second tie order from BART

Axion International received its second purchase order from San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit for switch ties. Axion says its ECOTRAX ties has no chemicals or preservatives added and can be reused at the end of their useful lifecycle, eliminating standard disposal issues.

Met Council testifies before legislature on need for expanded transit system

Light rail transit, not more buses, is the most cost effective option for supporting the existing jobs and the tens of thousands of jobs the Southwest corridor will add before 2030, Minnesota’s Twin Cities Metropolitan Council Chair Susan Haigh told a State Senate panel.

Court dismisses lawsuit seeking to stop East Link light rail project

In the Seattle, Wash.-area, a Kittitas County Superior Court Judge issued a summary judgment in the lawsuit by Kemper Freeman seeking to stop the East Link light rail project.

NYCT fourth round of FASTRACK improvements to start

Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit is bringing FASTRACK to the Eighth Avenue Line beginning March 12, following success on the Lexington Avenue, Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue Lines.

WMATA progresses capital rebuilding effort

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority provided an update on its progress to rebuild the system following years of underinvestment. In the six-month period from July 1 to December 31, 2011, Metro spent $307 million on capital projects ranging from replacing railcars, switches, rail and track components to rehabilitating station platforms, escalators and elevators.

Projected cost of Dulles rail project decreases

Preliminary engineering cost estimates decreased for Phase 2 of the Dulles Rail Project in northern Virginia, which includes 11.4 miles of rail through the Dulles Corridor to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County.