Amtrak opens Niantic River Bridge

Amtrak has achieved the main focus of its project to replace the movable Niantic River Bridgein East Lyme, Conn. On the night of September 7, all rail traffic shifted to the new bridge and the existing 105-year-old bridge was removed from service. 

Metro-North plans New Canaan Branch track maintenance

Track maintenance work on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Railroad’s New Canaan branch, connecting New York to Conneticut, will happen over the course of the next four weeks.

All structural work complete for the I-210 Gold Line bridge

After more than one year of intense activity, Southern California’s Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority says that all structural work has been completed on the I-210 Gold Line Bridge.

LOSSAN pedestrian safety project installs rail bridge

A portion of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) coastal rail line between Oceanside and Downtown San Diego, Calif., will be shut down as construction crews work to install a new rail bridge for the pedestrian safety undercrossing at Santa Fe Drive in Encinitas.

City of Indianapolis receives $900,000 for rail relocation

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded nearly $900,000 to the city of Indianapolis, Ind., to relocate freight rail traffic from the CSX Transportation mainline that goes through the heart of downtown Indianapolis to the nearby Indianapolis Belt Railroad. This project will separate passenger and freight rail operations, remove 10-12 existing grade crossings and improve safety while decreasing congestion and emissions.

UP to rebuild Shermer Road bridge

Union Pacific plans to replace the current berm/rail system on Shermer Road south of Willow Road in Glenview, Ill., with a permanent bridge. It is expected to be rebuilt within two years.

Chicago-area commuter rail bridge move a success

A commuter rail bridge, believed to be the largest truss bridge ever moved after assembly, was rolled into place over Torrence Avenue near 130th Street in Chicago, Ill.

BNSF performs maintenance and capacity improvements in Iowa and Illinois

BNSF plans to invest an estimated $154 million on maintenance and capacity improvements in both Iowa and Illinois this year.

Assembled truss to be moved for CREATE project

As part of the Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Project, on Saturday, August 25, the 130th & Torrence grade separation project general contractor, Walsh Construction, will use four Self-Propelled Mobile Transporters to relocate the fully-assembled,4.3-million-pound, 394-foot-long truss bridge to its final position on the new piers.

LB Foster appoints Kasel SVP, Rail Business

L.B. Foster Company appointed John Kasel to senior vice president, Rail Business. In this new role, Kasel will be responsible for the performance and success of the company’s rail-related businesses, which will be combined under his leadership.

Mass transit framework garners additional support for Tappan Zee bridge project

In Westchester County, N.Y., County Executive Robert Astorino, Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell explained their intention to vote yes at the next New York Metropolitan Transportation Council meeting to include the new Tappan Zee Bridge project in the region’s long-range transportation plan.

TTCI employees receive “The 2011 SAGE Best Paper Award”

The Editorial Board of Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit presented “The 2011 SAGE Best Paper Award” to researchers at Transportation Technology Center, Inc., including Principal Investigator Huimin Wu, Senior Vice President Technology Semih Kalay and Scientist Harry Tournay for their paper “Development of the wheel‐rail interface management model and its applications in heavy haul operations.”

UP performing $7.4 million in Missouri infrastructure improvements

Union Pacific is enhancing Missouri’s transportation infrastructure by investing $7.4 million in the rail line that runs just west of Jefferson City and Pleasant Hill. The project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by the end of October.

L.B. Foster provides 11,000 CXT concrete ties for Tesoro refinery

L.B. Foster Company has been awarded a contract by RailWorks Track Systems, Inc., to supply 11,000 of its CXT Concrete Ties for the construction of an unloading facility at the Tesoro oil products refinery in Anacortes, Wash.

CN invests US$35 million in Wisconsin to serve Superior Silica Sands

Canadian National and Superior Silica Sands have entered into a multi-year agreement to move frac sand from a new processing plant now under construction in northern Wisconsin.

2012 chief enigneers’ survey: WISH LIST

Safety remains at the top of engineering department’s list of equipment guidelines.

You want to impress a railroad engineer with a piece of maintenance equipment? Make sure it’s versatile, reliable, as well as easy to maintain, to transport and to use. Above all else, it must be safe.

Maintaining ballast below the ties

Optimal track conditions rely heavily on ballast maintenance.

Ballast doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. For those outside of the industry, the flashy signals, rail and crossties are what railroad lines are made of.

Union Pacific working on infrastructure in Iowa, Illinois

Union Pacific is enhancing Illinois and Iowa’s transportation infrastructure with a $24 million investment.

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.

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