The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which owns and operates Caltrain in the San Francisco Bay Area, approved a proclamation for Railroad Safety Month at its monthly board meeting. The proclamation was accepted by Vic Ryerson on behalf of Operation Lifesaver, an internationally renowned program promoting rail safety.
The safety inspection, servicing and maintenance of Amtrak and some California-owned passenger rail equipment will now be performed in an upgraded, more efficient and environmentally-designed facility in Los Angeles.
Wabtec Corporation has signed a contract to provide braking equipment to Bombardier Transportation Canada, Inc., which is building 100 new commuter rail cars for New Jersey Transit.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority rail yard for the Red and Purple Line subway is the first major rail maintenance facility in the nation to earn international recognition for its environmental management system.
Wabtec Corporation has signed a $27 million contract with Parsons to provide equipment and services for the implementation of Positive Train Control at Metrolink in California. Parsons was awarded a contract in 2010 to manage and implement PTC across Metrolink’s 512-mile system.
Colmar USA, Inc., said that its first Hi-Rail machine T7000 has been sold to the Toronto Transit Commission, their first North American customer. The introduction of Hi-Rail machinery in North America complements the scrap metal equipment line that has been Colmar USA’s primary product since it was established in 2002.
The Wickford Junction/North Kingstown Station in Rhode Island, which received $4.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars will receive an additional $13.6 million New Starts grant to extend existing commuter rail service an additional 20 miles from Providence to Boston starting in 2012.
Plans for an MBTA commuter rail station at the South Bay Shopping Center in Roxbury, Mass., moved a step closer to reality as the state issued a request for proposals for the $12-million project, the Boston Herald reports.
Oklahoma could soon have a commuter rail transportation system to get people to and from work and ease travel, the Tulsa Beacon reports. State Rep. Charlie Joyner has been working to make that a possibility. Joyner met with representatives from Trinity Railroad Express, BNSF, Amtrak and Dallas Area Rapid Transit this week in Fort Worth to discuss the possibility of getting a commuter rail system in Oklahoma. He discussed the projected costs and pros and cons.
Metrolinx continues to move forward its bold 5 in 10 Plan, a vision to improve transit in Toronto, with the C$54-million contract with Lovat Inc. to purchase four tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) for the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit project.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, elected officials and contractor S3 Tunnel Constructors launched the tunnel-boring machine that will dig the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway.
The Chicago Transit Board approved a revenue-generating contract to place additional Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) at rail stations and employee facilities. The ATM contract will generate a total of at least $1.3 million over the next five years. This is in addition to the $4.7 million contract announced at last month’s Board meeting.