New York State awarded $17.8 million in funding from the State’s Passenger and Freight Rail Assistance Program to 12 rail projects that will repair and replace 65 miles of track and ties, rehabilitate grade crossings and bridges and construct new connections to improve safety and operations.
Four rail projects in South Dakota have received $56 million in public and private funds.
Following months of work, a multitude of inspections and an additional CA$10 million (US$8.6 million) investment, Central Maine & Quebec Railway (CMQ) got the go-ahead from Transport Canada.
On December 5, CMQ received the official revocation of a series of notices and orders, confirming immediate threats no longer exist on CMQ railway. The notices and orders were transferred to CMQ following its purchase of bankrupt Montreal Maine & Atlantic.
CMQ has spent the past four months installing more than 32,000 new crossties, 110,000 linear feet of rail and 25,000 tons of ballast, upgrading bridges, culverts and crossings, completing surfacing work and removing more than 300 in-track rail defects from its main tracks and sidings. The Sherbrooke subdivision is the 125-mile backbone of CMQ’s Quebec rail line and stretches from Lac-Mégantic to Brookport just east of Farnham.
“We had to make this investment. The line was covered in snow last February and March when we were finally able to begin our diligence, but we made a commitment to Lac-Mégantic Mayor Laroche and citizens, as well as many regulators, that we would address the years of neglect,” said CMQ President and Chief Executive Officer John Giles. “It was an extremely tough undertaking. We had industry peers questioning the amount of work that we signed up for with such a short construction season. I knew we were in good hands with Ron Marshall, general manager of engineering, leading this project with his team.”
When asked about the scope of project, Marshall commented, “This is one of the most challenging construction seasons I’ve ever been involved in. But I knew from my experience working with this team at RailAmerica that I would have the support I needed. This investment demonstrates our team’s commitment to operating the railway in a safe and responsible fashion.”
CMQ considers Phase 1 of its transformation now largely completed.
“Not to say we don’t have a lot more track and infrastructure work to do next spring, but we have already started Phase II, which focuses on growth, customers and interline partners,” said Giles.
National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) selected the winners of its 2014 Safety, Field Employee of the Year, Small Project of the Year and Large Project of the Year awards. The winners will be recognized at this year’s NRC Conference, January 7-10, 2015, in Hollywood, Fla.
The House and Senate’s effort to keep the federal government operating through the end of fiscal year 2015 was revealed late Tuesday in the form of a trillion-dollar-plus spending bill, Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of 2015.
Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) has finished installing the first mile of the 20-mile elevated guideway in west Oahu, Hawaii.
The 96th Annual Railway Tie Association Symposium and Technical Conference was held October 14 – 17 in Orlando, Fla., where 307 attendees gathered together to discuss the crosstie industry, as well as the railroading environment as a whole.
The Chicago Transportation Authority (CTA) broke ground Dec. 8 on the Wilson Station Reconstruction Project, which will modernize the 91-year-old stationhouse and the station’s more than 100-year-old track structure.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board received an update from Los Angeles World Airport (LAWA) officials on its Automated People Mover (APM) project, saying that the light-rail-line could be in service by 2024.
Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Healy Railroad Corporation, promoted Phil Pietrandrea to president. Pietrandrea, who joined Unitrac in 2006, most recently served as senior vice president of sales and marketing for the company.
Work began December 4 on Caltrain’s San Mateo Bridges Replacement Project, an infrastructure project that will provide seismic upgrades to four aging railway passes on the Peninsula.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released its proposed $2.9-billion Operating Budget and $3.6-billion Capital Budget. Combined, together with debt service, the proposed agency budget for 2015 totals $7.8 billion in proposed spending.
The Alabama State Port Authority contracted R.T. Milord Company to develop Phase I of the Garrows Bend Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at the Port of Mobile (Alabama).
Beginning on December 4, Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) trains will be operating on a revised schedule as contractors begin work on the next phase of the Ben Franklin Bridge rehabilitation project, which connects Philadelphia, Pa., and Camden, N.J. The new schedule will affect service between midday Thursday and early Monday morning and will remain in effect until early February 2015.
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) awarded approximately $560 million to 77 transportation projects including light-rail projects throughout the state.
The East Rail Line in Denver, Colo., reached a milestone November 24 when the “Golden Spike” was put into place joining the final rails of the 22.8-mile passenger rail line between Union Station and Denver International Airport.
The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) is moving forward with more than $13 million in economic development investments across the state, which will expand rail access, improve safety and sustain rail projects spanning from Mecklenburg County northeast to Durham County and from Durham County southeast to Wake and Craven Counties.
North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple said he is pleased with actions taken by BNSF in response to the comprehensive review and analysis of rail operations and infrastructure around Casselton, N.D., following the Nov. 13 derailment, the second derailment in the area within the last year.
Three bridge concepts presented for the Kenilworth channel crossing on the Minneapolis Southwest LRT (Green Line Extension) would reinterpret the existing wooden railroad bridge with new, low-profile structures.
Cardi Corporation has been awarded a $42-million contract for the replacement of four bridges in New Bedford and Fall River along the future South Coast Rail Line in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) said the improvements will advance South Coast Rail, while providing immediate benefit to the active freight operations in the region.