Union Pacific working on infrastructure in Iowa, Illinois
Union Pacific is enhancing Illinois and Iowa’s transportation infrastructure with a $24 million investment.
Ballast, Ties, Rail
L.B. Foster supplies concrete ties to Bay Area SMART transit project
L.B. Foster Company has been awarded a contract to provide 89,175 of its CXT Concrete Ties for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) project.
BNSF plans $106 million capital program in Washington
BNSF plans to invest an estimated $106 million on maintenance and rail capacity improvement and expansion projects in Washington this year.
Federal money to aid track projects in Alaska, Kentucky, fund UTCs
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded more than $12.6 million for Alaska and Kentucky infrastructure projects and will extend University Transportation Center (UTC) grants by one year.
TriMet receives delivery of girders for LRT project, hits ridership record
TriMet in Portland, Ore., received a delivery of 64 steel girders for the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project. The girders will support the Project’s Harbor Structure decking that will carry the light rail over and under several roadways in South Waterfront.
SunRail readies to receive 13 miles of cwr
The Florida Department of Transportation is scheduled to receive nearly 13 miles of rail beginning Monday, July 30 through Wednesday, August 1 for commuter SunRail trains to run on.
L.B. Foster receives company’s largest order ever for rail products
L.B. Foster Company has been awarded the company’s largest rail products contract, valued at approximately $60 million, by contractor Kiewit/Kobayashi, a Joint Venture, for the county-wide construction of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) passenger transit system. L.B. Foster rail, concrete ties, direct fixation fasteners, third rail with accessories and special trackwork will be installed throughout the Honolulu Rail Transit Project’s new elevated railway system and maintenance yard.
Stella-Jones stops acquisition of Brisco Wood Preservers Ltd.
Stella-Jones Inc. will not proceed with the acquisition of certain pole treating assets of Brisco Wood Preservers Ltd., a provider of treated wood poles located in British Columbia.
Kansas DOT awards Unitrac a $3.4 million contract
Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Healey Railroad Corporation and a specialty trackwork manufacturer and distributor of new and relay rail, has received a $3.4 million award for a Kansas Department of Transportation project. The contract involves furnishing rail and other track components for the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad.
CTA preps for track renewal project with job fair, land lease
The Chicago Transit Authority Board has approved a temporary lease for property that will be used as a staging area for construction related to the Red Line South Track Renewal Project.
InnoTrans discounts registration to North American attendees
Hundreds of U.S. and Canadian buyers will make their way to InnoTrans this year at the Messe Berlin Exhibition Grounds in Berlin, Germany. Show dates are September 18-21, 2012.
LIRR tie replacement on the Ronkonkoma Branch enters final phase
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Long Island Rail Road’s work to replace wooden ties on the Ronkonkoma Branch on weekdays between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma is entering its final phase starting Monday, July 23.
The special trackwork update
Diamonds, frogs, turnouts and other special trackwork make difficult manuevers on the railroad possible.
Rail welding brings more than flash
Quality, reliability and safety are issues suppliers look to improve when it comes to the subject of welding rail.
Fascinating fasteners for keeping track tight
Small in size, fasteners keep a tight grip on track.
Keeping track in place is imporant to all railroads, whether it’s a Class 1, regional, shortline or transit line. The following pages highlight this year’s most advanced fastening systems and an overall market outlook.
CSX completes $34 million maintenance “Jamboree”
Earlier this month more than 900 CSX employees worked to complete the company’s 2012 maintenance “Jamboree” on a section of its network in the Southeast.
Illinois authorizes $800 million in rail and transit improvements
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a law to begin the next phase of the Illinois Jobs Now! capital program, which is designed to create jobs, strengthen the transportation system and support economic growth across Illinois.
SFMTA resumes Muni track switch replacement
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in California has continued track improvement work on the Muni Metro system. From July 13 to July 16, SFMTA will install new track switches on the L Taraval Line between 22nd and 23rd avenues and at 35th Avenue.
Secretary LaHood, Gov. Brown visit Port of Oakland rail project site
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and California Governor Edmund Brown Jr., visited the Port of Oakland Army Base redevelopment site in California on Monday, July 9, 2012, to see where the port will be constructing the first phase of its rail project that received $15 million in federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant funding.
The Outer Harbor Intermodal Terminal (OHIT) Rail Access project of the Port of Oakland is expected to improve rail access to and from the port and expand the port’s rail capacity, leading to faster and cleaner goods movement in Northern California, while also providing rail access for the proposed Oakland Army Base redevelopment. These federal funds, along with additional local and state funding, will support the transportation project.
“This $15 million grant from the federal government boosts state and local efforts to create thousands of jobs by investing nearly $1.5 billion in Bay Area transportation projects. We’re not just rebuilding our infrastructure, we are also rebuilding our middle class,” stated Governor Brown.
The Port of Oakland handles 99 percent of all containerized goods in Northern California and is the only major U.S. West Coast container port that handles more exports than imports.
“I am very pleased this federal funding we fought for is coming to the Port of Oakland, where it will create jobs and make important infrastructure improvements. The Port of Oakland’s ship-to-rail exchange project is an excellent investment of federal funds in local and national economies because it both creates jobs and it improves critical public infrastructure in the Bay Area,” said Rep Barbara Lee (D-CA.). “This $15 million TIGER grant for the Port of Oakland is a clear example of the success of the TIGER grant program and why we must preserve and protect TIGER grants from efforts to end the funding.”
The federal funding will be matched more than one-to-one to launch the first phase of the OHIT Rail Access project, which is part of the joint City-Port OAB redevelopment plan.
This OHIT rail project is expected to deliver greater efficiencies in the Port of Oakland’s rail operations, create additional capacity for cargo movement at the seaport, reduce congestion on local roads and highways, create jobs and promote sustainable economic growth in the region.
The project includes building a new arrival track and high-speed turnout from Union Pacific’s mainline, two track leads into the port’s new Joint Intermodal Terminal and a new manifest yard (Knight Yard) to replace the former Oakland Army Base Yard. Knight Yard will be able to handle 100-150 rail cars per day.
The combined City of Oakland redevelopment and the Port’s first phase rail access project on the former Oakland Army Base property is approximately a $500 million investment.
CATS Blue Line Extension to enter final design with FTA approval
The Charlotte Area Transit System in North Carolina has received approval from the Federal Transit Administration to enter Final Design for the 9.3-mile LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE) light-rail project. This allows the project to be developed from the 65 percent to the 100 percent design level and complete preparation of final construction plans, right-of-way acquisition, construction cost estimates, bid documents and utility relocation.