Rail America has been using RailComm’s Domain Operations Controller (DOC) train control system to dispatch multiple subdivisions for their railroads since 2002. The DOC System at Rail America’s American Rail Dispatch Center will soon have the ability to dispatch based on Canadian Railroad Operating Rules (CROR). The new functionality is being designed in conjunction with Rail America personnel.
Barloworld and Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc., a subsidiary of Progress Rail Services Corp., a Caterpillar company, formed a joint venture, Electro-Motive Diesel Africa (Proprietary) Limited. The new joint venture will provide rail and transit customers with locomotive products and services, including access to diesel and emissions technology.
Forty-seven transportation projects in 34 states and the District of Columbia will receive a total of almost $500 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) 2012 program.
The Virgina Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approved $11.4 billion in allocations for transportation improvement projects over the next six years beginning July 1. The Six-Year Improvement Program distributes funding for highway, road and bridge projects, as well as rail, transit, bicycle, pedestrian and other transportation improvements across the state.
The board of The T (Fort Worth Transportation Authority) in Texas unanimously approved a new site for the agency’s TEX Rail commuter rail station.
Los Angeles Mayor and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board Chair Antonio Villaraigosa joined Culver City Mayor Andy Weissman and other local elected officials to dedicate the opening of the Expo Line Culver City Station located in the heart of Culver City at the intersection of Washington and National.
AECOM Technology Corporation is part of a consortium that has been awarded a $555 million contract for a package of work on Australia’s Regional Rail Link in the state of Victoria.
No official word from the U.S. Department of Transportation has been released regarding awards of the fourth round of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, but news from various congressional offices is revealing what projects will benefit from the latest round of grants. The initial tally indicates rail related projects did not fare as well as they had in past TIGER funding cycles, but several key projects will see federal money.
The approval by the city of San Jose, Calif., is the last endorsement needed for a regional agreement to fully fund the modernization of the San Francisco Bay area Caltrain system.
BNSF plans to invest an estimated $140 million in capital programs in both Colorado and Wyoming this year.
June 15 saw the wrap-up of another round of FASTRACK activities as hundreds of Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit workers completed their tasks along the Lexington Avenue Line prior to the start of the morning rush.
The Surface Transportation Board made public its approach for the continuation of the Tongue River Railroad Company, Inc.’s (TRRC) revised proposal to build and operate a new rail line in Montana. This approach takes into account a number of recent changed circumstances and will allow the board to complete its review of TRRC’s current plans for a new railroad line.
The results of a study regarding railroad worker fatigue management, sleep and sleep disorders have been made publicly available. The website, titled “Railroaders’ Guide to Healthy Sleep” (www.railroadersleep.org), is the result of a collaborative project that began in 2010 between Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Harvard Medical School, the WGBH Educational Foundation and the UTU. The final product reflects anonymous survey results from numerous BLET and UTU members.
The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay Port Commission has selected David Koch as its new chief executive officer. Koch has been serving as the port’s interim CEO since December 2011 and the port’s chief operating officer starting in October 2010.
Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new a six-year collective bargaining agreement with Canadian National’s Grand Trunk Western property.
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), a member of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee and a leading advocate for the freight rail, intercity passenger rail and rail transit industries, toured the corporate headquarters offices of RailWorks Corporation in Manhattan on Thursday, June 14.
Skanska has signed a contract with the Moynihan Station Development Corporation (MSDC) to complete the first phase of an expansion to New York City’s Penn Station, to create the new Moynihan Station. The contract value for Skanska is $148 million, which will be included in order bookings for Skanska USA Civil for the second quarter 2012.
Parsons Brinckerhoff named Greg Kelly to the newly created position of global chief operating officer. Clifford Eby succeeds Kelly as president of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Americas Transportation operating company.
To all my faithful readers, this will be the last monthly installment of “Chicago Perspective.” I thank you for giving me a platform for 13 years where my thoughts, opinions, theories and assessments of the industry have been allowed to flourish.
Chicago, where I live and where RT&S is put together each month, represents various things to various people. To my grandfather, who worked with the American Angus Association, memories of the old Union Stockyards come to mind.
