FEC hires new VP and corporate controller

Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) appointed Melissa Westerman to vice president and corporate controller, effective April 2, 2013.

Construction begins on rail-served South Carolina inland port

The South Carolina Inland Port (SCIP) project in Greer, S.C., which will be linked to the Port of Charleston by Norfolk Southern (NS) mainline that provides overnight service between Charleston and upstate, started construction on March 1.

New broken rail detection system in operation on KCS de Mexico N line

The Kansas City Southern de Mexico Broken Rail Detection (BRD) system on its N line on the Toluca District became operational in December 2012. If a broken rail is detected, a signal displays red, notifying the train crew that an unsafe condition is ahead and to reduce train speed.

UP named most admired by Fortune

Fortune named Union Pacific the most admired among trucking, transportation and logistics companies for the third consecutive year. The magazine’s annual World’s Most Admired list is published in the March 18 edition.

Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain system receives upgrades

In Vancouver, BC, construction has begun at Metro Vancouver’s Main Street-Science World Station, the first of seven SkyTrain stations to undergo accessibility and safety improvements over the next three years.

Pennsylvania transportation system receives first-ever performance report

The Pennsylvania transportation system received its first-ever Transportation Performance Report, a detailed rating of the state’s efforts in safety, mobility, system preservation and accountability.

Second segment of RTD’s I-225 Rail Line breaks ground

On March 1, in Denver, Colo., Denver Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) FasTracks began construction on the second segment of the I-225 Rail Line.

Lawsuit questioning CHSRA environmental compliance dismissed

The Sacramento County Superior Court rejected the town of Atherton’s lawsuit, finding that the California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) has complied with the environmental review requirements in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Sens. Lautenberg and Rockefeller introduce transportation investment bill

U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security and Commerce Committee Chairman John Rockefeller IV (D-WV) introduced legislation

LACMTA CEO gets two-year contract extension; GM of Santa Clara VTA to retire

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board of Directors approved a two-year contract extension with options for two additional one-year extensions to LACMTA CEO Art Leahy. The two-year contract extension is added to a previous four-year contract entered into in April 2009 between LACMTA and Leahy.

Webcor Builders awarded Foothill Extension contract

The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority awarded the third and final design-build contract, worth $48.7 million, for the light-rail project from Pasadena to Azusa, Calif., to Webcor Builders.

TBG Holdings launches new shortline holding company

TBG Holdings Corp. acquired Monkey Rock (MKRO) and will work to transform MKRO shortline and regional railroad holding company. As part of the transition, the company will be renamed Continental Rail Corp.

Pedestrian undercrossing opens along San Diego portion of LOSSAN

The pedestrian rail undercrossing in Encintas, Calif., off Coast Highway 101, near Santa Fe Drive, opened on Feb. 27.

AAR: Railroads tell NTSB partial, not full, PTC implementation possible by 2015

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) says that representatives from the nation’s major freight railroads on Feb. 27 will tell the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that despite an unrelenting commitment to safely implementing fully interoperable positive train control

AECOM to provide design services for Honolulu rail transit project

AECOM Technical Services, Inc., a subsidiary of AECOM Technology Corporation, is working on a $43.9-million contract from the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to provide design services for a portion of Hawaii’s Honolulu Rail Transit Project.

Trinity Railway Express to use Axion’s ECOTRAX crossties

Axion International Holdings, Inc., received an order worth more than $500,000 for its ECOTRAX composite crossties from Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) for use in the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) that connects Dallas and Fort Worth.

Jon Schumaker, former president of Pandrol, passes away

Jon Sutton Schumaker, 74, former president of Pandrol Limited, now Pandrol USA, and a resident of the Cypress Landing Community of Chocowinity, N.C., died Sunday, February 24, 2013 at Vidant Inpatient Hospice of Greenville, N.C.

FTA, OLI make rail transit safety education grants available

Operation Lifesaver, Inc.(OLI), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) partnered to make grant funds available to transit agencies and other governmental entities for rail transit safety education and public awareness initiatives.

SEPTA and HNTB Corp. honored for Norristown High Speed Line Repair project

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and HNTB Corporation received a 2013 Diamond Award Certificate from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania for the Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL) Emergency Slope Repair Project.

Denver RTD receives unsolicited proposal for North Metro

The Denver Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) “call for innovation” to the private sector yielded an unsolicited proposal on February 22 for the North Metro Rail Line, part of its FasTracks program.

LOAD MORE