TriMet preps for largest MAX rail replacement project ever

TriMet is days away from the biggest rail replacement to date on the MAX system. May 8 through May 21, MAX Blue, Green and Red lines will be disrupted and all MAX lines will run on reduced frequency as crews complete major, necessary improvements on the alignment along 1st Avenue in Downtown Portland.

Union Pacific to invest $513 million in Texas

Union Pacific plans to invest $513 million in 2016 to improve Texas’s transportation infrastructure, which the Class 1 says will enhance employee, community and customer safety and increase rail operating efficiency.

Gov. Baker evaluates MBTA infrastructure upgrades

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker recently visited a Keolis work site in Ashland, Mass., to review the progress on infrastructure upgrades the Massachusetts Bay Transporation Authority (MBTA) is making as part of a larger effort the MBTA, its Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) and leadership are making to improve service, access, accountability and reliability for riders and taxpayers.

US Rep. Brad Ashford tours Iowa steel company

On April 25, U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford (D-NE-2) joined National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) and GoRail member Paxton & Vierling Steel Co. (PVS) for a tour of its metal service center and structural fabrication facilities in Carter Lake, Iowa.

El Paso streetcar receives first shipment of rail

The first shipment of steel rail on which the streetcars in El Paso, Texas, will run has arrived; about 900 pieces will be used throughout the entire project. Each length of rail is 59 feet long and weighs approximately 2,300 pounds.

J-Track LLC names Dorris VP/GM of new Central Division

J-Track LLC will open a new railroad construction and maintenance company in the Chicagoland area on May 1. The new company, J-Track LLC Central Division, will be led by Vice President and General Manager, Bill Dorris.

Parsons adds Abruzzo as rail bridge leader

Parsons has hired Joseph Abruzzo as its railroad bridge practice leader, where he will be responsible for directing the pursuit and execution of railroad bridge projects worldwide.

NYCT installs composite ties as part of Staten Island project

As Earth Day approaches and as part of recommendations from a blue-ribbon commission tasked with reducing the impact of public transit on the environment, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) has installed approximately 6,500 sustainable composite ties in a major Staten Island Railway (SIR)

Yolo County rail relocation study says area would benefit

A study designed to quantify the economic benefits of relocating existing shortline rail infrastructure in Yolo County, Calif., has found the area could tap into significant benefits if it were to follow through with the relocation.

FRA explains internal review that brought change to bridge safety program

Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Sarah Feinberg, took to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) website to explain the process the FRA has gone through to enhance safety of the nation’s rail bridges.

Silver Line

Construction on Silver Line Phase 2 to ramp up

Construction on Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, a.k.a. the Silver Line, is about to head into a busy period as the project hits the 30 percent complete mark.

Refining profile and saving face

Success in battling defects and extending the life of a rail can be met with a well-planned grinding or milling program.

Materials handling with care and accuracy

Suppliers offer many versatile options to railroads for precise placement and removal of materials needed along the rights-of-way.

Metra lays out 2016 construction program

Metra has laid out plans to begin infrastructure improvements to its stations, track, bridges and road crossings this year to ensure safe and reliable service and maintain a state of good repair systemwide. Construction work is expected to begin this week and continue through the fall, weather permitting.

OmniTRAX names Bridgewell Resources Supplier of the Year

OmniTRAX, Inc., selected Bridgewell Resources LLC, a wholesale distributor of ties and other materials, as the recipient of its first annual Supplier of the Year award.

Palmetto Railways proposes 10-mile line in South Carolina

Palmetto Railways is exploring the development of a 10-mile industrial rail line to serve the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Berkeley County, S.C.

KCS plans to replace more than 92k ties, 100 crossings through five states

Kansas City Southern plans to invest approximately $20 million this year in construction and improvement projects on KCS’s mainline from Kansas through Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and northwest Louisiana, which is a key component of the KCS network.

Koppers hosts tour of South Carolina tie plant

Representatives from the offices of Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Tim Scott (R-SC) joined representatives from GoRail and the Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association (REMSA) on April 5 to tour Koppers’ rail tie manufacturing facility in Florence, S.C.

ConnDOT continues bidding process for Hartford line; launches Walk Bridge site

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a service provider on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield intercity rail line, now branded as the CTrail Hartford Line. The RFP is open only to those service providers approved and “short-listed” after a Request for Qualifications issued by ConnDOT in 2014.

Rocla opens new tie facility in Florida

Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc., producer of pre-stressed concrete railroad ties, has opened its new manufacturing facility in Ft. Pierce, Fla.

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