The Surface Transportation Board issued a decision granting final approval for the Alaska Railroad Corporation to construct and operate approximately 35 miles of a new rail line connecting Port MacKenzie in south-central Alaska, to a point on ARRC’s existing mainline, between Wasilla and an area north of Willow, Ala.
Travelers using Seattle’s historic King Street Station, grand and ornate when it opened in 1906, will be transported back to that era when seismic and utility upgrades and historic restoration work are complete in two years.
South Florida Regional Transportation Authority will receive $5.7 million through the Federal Transit Administration’s TIGGER III Grant Program. The funds will be used to construct Tri-Rail’s first green, LEED certified, sustainable station at Pompano Beach. The SFRTA project was one of 46 nationwide selected to receive grants.
The FTA reviewed 266 project applications representing more than $1 billion in funding requests from transit providers across the country. The awards to the projects selected totaled over $100 million.
“We are grateful to the FTA for providing the funds to go forward with this very important project. It is a win-win for South Florida. A win for the environment and a win for the economy due to the construction jobs it will create,” said SFRTA Chair, Commissioner Kristin Jacobs.
The rebuilt Pompano Beach Station will generate more than 100 percent of the station’s energy demand through solar panels. The project will send the excess energy to the power grid and store daytime energy for nighttime lighting of the station, parking area, and other parts of the facility.
Implementation of this demonstration project will result in a significant reduction in energy consumption, which is consistent with the FTA’s livability and environmental sustainability goals to support green building. Tri-Rail’s Pompano Beach Station will be the first transit station in the State of Florida to be 100 percent supported by solar energy and will become SFRTA’s green station prototype for future improvements at all Tri-Rail stations.
Portland-area TriMet’s ridership during the month of October showed strong upward trends and reached new records. For the month, there were 8.8 million trips taken on buses, MAX and WES Commuter Rail, up more than two percent compared to October 2010.
The Bureau of Land Management released the Record of Decision for the DesertXpress Passenger Rail Project in San Bernardino County, Calif. and Clark County, Nev.
The Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines Inc. proposed construction, operation and reactivation of a 20-mile railroad line between Wallaceton and Gorton, in Clearfield and Centre Counties, Pa.
More than 30 legislators (state and federal), businesses, organizations and communities have recently sent letters to the U.S. Department of Transportation, expressing extensive support for a TIGER Grant to expand the Port of Quincy Intermodal Terminal in Washington State.
Wabtec Corporation has acquired Fulmer Company, manufacturer of motor components for rail, power generation and other industrial markets. Based in Export, Pa., Fulmer has annual sales of about $15 million. Wabtec expects the transaction to be accretive in the first year.
Seattle’s Sound Transit Board received the Federal Transit Administration’s Record of Decision for the East Link light rail project and voted unanimously to launch work on the final design for the route between Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond.
The Federal Transit Administration has doled out $112 million to 46 transit projects, which were chosen for their capacity to help cut the nation’s dependence on oil and create marketplace for 21st century “green” jobs.
The Federal Transit Administration awarded $5.6 million to the Texas Department of Transportation for planning and environmental work to advance the development of the Oklahoma City-South Texas Corridor. Future intercity passenger rail service will connect Oklahoma City, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and South Texas, some of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation.
Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) met with Tesoro CEO Greg Goff to review the company’s major expansion plans in North Dakota, including a new rail project to ship North Dakota crude to its Anacortes, Wash., facility.
The I-210 Gold Line Bridge, which will one day serve as the “Gateway to the San Gabriel Valley,” moved closer to completion with the approval of its final design by Caltrans and the The Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension Construction Authority. The bridge is the first component of the 11.5-mile Gold Line Foothill Extension light-rail project from Pasadena to Azusa, Calif., to advance from the design phase to the construction phase.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors unanimously approved a resolution ratifying a Memorandum of Agreement that will ensure the continuation of the Dulles Rail extension to Loudoun County. The Memorandum of Agreement is a multi-party agreement that outlines the fiscal responsibilities of federal, state and local entities in the estimated $2.8 billion phase 2 of the rail project.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the overwhelming demand for TIGER grants has once again far surpassed the available funding.
The Chicago Transit Board approved a $1.24 billion budget for 2012 that holds the line on fares and maintains current service levels, relying on deep management cuts and work rule changes from labor unions. The proposed budget is $66.2 million, or 5.1 percent, less than the 2011 budget.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood awarded $7.9 million for the Washington Department of Transportation to construct a new station in Tukwila, Wash., replacing the current, temporary wooden structure and creating enhanced intermodal and parking facilities.
Siemens is to equip 9,000 of the total 11,000 automatic train control elements in the route
network of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) with the European Train Control System
(ETCS) type Trainguard 100. The order is worth a total value of around 125 million euros (US$170.5 million).
Norfolk Southern has made significant strides in its corporate sustainability program, including achieving nearly 40 percent of its five-year greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal during the first year.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency received $20 million in federal funds for Phase II of the Third Street Light-Rail Project, the Central Subway. In addition to these funds, the SFMTA will send to the Federal Transit Administration the final submittal for the New Starts Full Funding Grant Agreement by September 19.
“The momentum continues to build for San Francisco’s Central SubwayPproject because it will expand transit options in the heart of the city,” said Jerry Lee, vice chairman of the SFMTA Board of Directors. “The city’s transportation infrastructure serves as the lifeblood of our expanding industries as well as our vibrant neighborhoods and the residents, visitors and employees that support them.”
“The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce continues to support the Central Subway Project for the simple reason that it will improve San Francisco’s economic growth,” said Jim Lazarus, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce senior vice president of public policy. “Economic growth does not happen by accident. A great workforce and the right policies bring businesses to the City; well-planned infrastructure makes it possible for them to thrive here.”
The project will serve as an engine for economic growth and recovery in San Francisco, creating thousands of job opportunities as the project moves into the construction phase.
During these difficult economic times, the progress and development of the Central Subway will employ thousands of individuals throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Furthermore, the improved service will decrease transit travel times, relieve congestion, enhance the environment and stimulate economic activity along the corridor.
The project has consistently received positive reviews as part of the FTA’s New Starts program. The new infusion of $20 million from the program means that Central Subway has received $92.4 million in New Starts funds to date. The total project cost (with contingency) is expected to be $1.57 billion, with the federal government contributing close to $1 billion.
The SFMTA continues to work closely with its funding partners: the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the leadership in Sacramento and the FTA. This collaboration has leveraged state and local funds to secure $942.2 million in federal New Starts funding for this project that would otherwise be unavailable to San Francisco for any other project.