Southern California’s Caltrans and Metrolink have jointly developed a pilot project to show commuters that trains are a viable alternative to freeway traffic. Both train and freeway travel times are now displayed on electronic highway message signs near the Fullerton and Anaheim train stations.
Rip Rapson, the president and CEO of The Kresge Foundation, issued a statement formally responding to the announcement that a long-planned light-rail project in Detroit would be abandoned in favor of a regional bus rapid transit system. The foundation is part of the private funding group that initiated the rail project. Members of that group, M1 Rail, together pledged almost $100 million. Kresge’s commitment is $35 million.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road launched a pilot of LIRR Train TimeTM, a digital service that provides real-time train arrival status to customers using mobile devices or desktop computers. Starting December 19, LIRR customers using the Port Washington Branch will be able to use the service by going to http://mta.info/lirr/TrainTime.
Canadian Pacific appointed Tony Ingram and Edmond Harris, both seasoned railroad executives, to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately.
The Seattle-area Sound Transit Board of Directors adopted a 2012 budget that includes more than $700 million for new construction, as Sound Transit continues building the mass transit expansions voters approved in 2008.
Canadian Pacific and the province of Manitoba, Canada, signed a 10-year memorandum of agreement to help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall transportation system in Manitoba.
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority was awarded a $12.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, via the Federal Transit Administration.
AECOM Technology Corporation has been awarded a $10.6 million contract for the second phase of the New Orleans Streetcar Expansion project in the Rampart/St. Claude corridor.
HDR appointed three to key executive management positions. HDR, Inc. Chairman and CEO Richard R. Bell, who led the company’s employee ownership buyback in 1996, is retiring at year-end after 37 years with HDR. Bell will continue to serve on HDR’s Board of Directors.
The Damage Prevention & Loading Services (DP&LS) group will be fully integrated into the Association of American Railroads’ Transportation Technology Center subsidiary next year.
The Federal Railroad Administration gave more than $177 million to the Illinois Department of Transportation for a passenger rail project that will operate twice daily round-trip service between Chicago and the Quad Cities and put nearly 2,000 Americans back to work this spring.
The Federal Transit Administration will provide $116 million to extend TRAX light-rail transit service from downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, into the suburb of Draper. The 3.8-mile extension is the final project in a bold seven-year, 70-mile effort to significantly expand transit options for residents and commuters in the Salt Lake City area, one of the nation’s fastest growing cities.
The Federal Railroad Administration gave $7 million to Georgia and Washington D.C. to continue work on the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor linking Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., to Washington, D.C.
Canadian Pacific has improved service for its Canadian grain customers this crop year by reducing scheduling variability and increasing access to rail car supply. Crop year-to-date, empty order fulfillment, a metric that highlights rail car availability, has increased by 19 percent or 11,000 units versus a year ago.
The future of mass transit in the Charlotte region reached another milestone this month. The Charlotte Area Transit System received its Record of Decision from the Federal Transit Administration for the LYNX Blue Line Extension light rail project.
At the second annual awards ceremony in Mexico City on December 6, Kansas City Southern de Mexico recognized ArcelorMittal, Cemex, Dow Química Mexicana, ExxonMobil, Mexichem, M&G Polímeros, Petróleos Mexicanos, Ternium and Vitro. By choosing to use rail on shipments that could have moved by truck, these companies reduced their carbon footprint by avoiding the generation of 316,823 tons of CO2 by shipping their freight via rail.
Former Richardson, Texas, Mayor Gary Slagel was appointed by Richardson, Addison, Highland Park and University Park to represent them on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board of directors.
Watco Companies named Geoff Holder has regional safety manager for the east region and named Jamie Brooks administrative assistant for the Gulf region.
Washington state regulators approved funds to improve the safety at railroad crossings in Clark County.
The Federal Railroad Administration awarded a $928.6 million grant to the California High-Speed Rail Authority for initial construction of California high-speed rail. Construction will begin next year in Fresno, Calif., creating tens of thousands of jobs in California.