L.B. Foster Rail Products facility selected for IndustryWeek 2011 Best Plants Award

L.B. Foster Company’s Pueblo, Colo., rail products plant has been chosen by IndustryWeek magazine as one of 10 North American manufacturing facilities to receive the publication’s 2011 Best Plants Award. IndustryWeek’s website reported L.B. Foster’s rail joints and bars facility has been recognized for excellence in manufacturing. The magazine notes that the plant demonstrates extraordinary continuous improvement in the workplace and sustained efforts to provide customer satisfaction.

AECOM Technical Services awarded $38 million HART design contract

Hawaii’s Honolulu Rail Transit Authority awarded a $38.8 million contract to AECOM Technical Services, Inc., to design the project’s airport section of the elevated rail guideway.

SMART board names contractor for phase 1 of project

Sonoma Marin Area Rapid Transit in Southern California has selected Stacy and Witbeck/Herzog to build Phase 1 of the train’s backbone between Santa Rosa and San Rafael, Calif.

IDOT receives $186 million for HSR project

The Federal Railroad Administration awarded more than $186 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation for a high-speed rail project that will reduce travel times and put Americans back to work this spring.
 


Unitrac hires Tony Chambers

Unitrac Railroad Materials has hired Tony Chambers as its Southeast regional sales manager.

Letter From The Publisher

Dear Railway Track & Structures and Rail Group News readers,

Happy New Year. January 1 marked my first day as publisher of the Simmons-Boardman Rail Division, which consists of Railway Age, International Railway Journal and Railway Track & Structures.

Skanska joint venture signs $347 million BART contract

Skanska signed a design-build contract to construct a 16-kilometer (9.9-mile) extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system near San Francisco, Calif. Skanska is leading a joint venture with Shimmick Construction and Herzog Contracting Corporation.

Atlantic Track names four to team

Atlantic Track promoted Ricky Knox to the newly created position of Southeast regional manager. Knox has been with Atlantic Track since 2004 and has been in the railroad industry for more than 20 years.

TriMet marks one-year milestone of light rail bridge

One year ago, the Federal Transit Administration gave TriMet permission to authorize Kiewit Infrastructure West to begin design and construction of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge, the first bridge to be built over the Willamette River in more than 40 years. In that time, more than 1 million pages of calculations have gone into the engineering of the bridge, now being built in the river. Drilling for the first of 12 shafts is complete and crews placed a rebar cage in advance of concrete, which was poured on Friday, Dec. 23.

VIA Rail uses bus bridge for Montreal/ Gasp

As a preventive measure, VIA Rail Canada will redirect passengers on board the Montreal/Gaspé train service onto buses for the Matapedia/Gaspé leg of the trip, in both directions. VIA has taken this decision, in consultation with the Société des chemins de fer de la Gaspésie (SCFG), following questions raised as to the condition of the rail network in the area. The situation will remain as such until an updated notice is released.

Armtec secures more than $30 million in rail projects in the Toronto area

Armtec Infrastructure Inc. has secured a number of rail infrastructure projects, valued at more than CA$30 million (US$29 million), within the Greater Toronto Area. These projects were anticipated as part of the previously announced CA$50 million (US$48.6 million) in new contracts that are expected to be booked during the fourth quarter.

Evraz to upgrade Pueblo, Colo. operation

EVRAZ plans to upgrade its Pueblo, Colo., rail facility. The upgrades are primarily focused on product quality and operational improvements and are also intended to expand head hardened rail manufacturing capacity.

KCS’ Starling details infrastructure and equipment investment

Kansas City Southern President and CEO David Starling reviews 2011 and plans the next year’s progress for KCS.

CN and United Steelworkers reach tentative agreement for maintenance-of-way employees

Canadian National and the United Steelworkers Local 2004 have reached a tentative agreement to renew the labor contract for approximately 2,800 maintenance-of-way employees in Canada. The current agreement is scheduled to expire on Dec. 31, 2011.

FASTRACK coming to NYCT

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority is set to introduce FASTRACK, a new way of working on the rails. Beginning Monday, January 9, the 4, 5 and 6 lines will be shut down from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., suspending all Lexington Avenue Line service between Grand Central-42nd Street and Atlantic Avenue in both directions for four consecutive weeknights.

Rail-related projects receive $279 million in TIGER funds

United States Department of Transportation awarded $511 million in TIGER III discretionary grants to 46 capital construction projects in 33 states, of which $279 million of funding will go to rail-related projects.

Sound Transit receives $10 million for South 200th street extension project

The U.S Department of Transportation awarded $10 million in TIGER funding to Seattle area’s Sound Transit in support of constructing an extension of Link light rail from Sea-Tac Airport to South 200th Street.

CP completes first year of infrastructure upgrades to enhance northern network

Canadian Pacific has completed the first year of infrastructure enhancements as part of an aggressive three-year plan to upgrade its North Main Line between Winnipeg, MB, and Edmonton, AB, Canada.

North Dakota receives $10 million for line near Devils Lake

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $10 million in federal resources to help upgrade the rail line near Devils Lake, N.D. These federal resources will be added to additional funding the state’s congressional delegation worked to secure from Amtrak and BNSF to help cover the cost for the project, which many deem critical to regional commerce.

DART takes next steps to direct DFW Airport connection

Dallas Area Rapid Transit is making the final push to DFW Airport with the award of a design-build contract to construct a 5.2-mile extension of the Orange Line from the future Belt Line Station to the airport’s Terminal A. A joint venture of Kiewit, Stacy and Witbeck, Reyes, Parsons (KSWRP) was selected by the DART Board of Directors to complete the $149,750,000 project known as Irving-3 (I-3).

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