Union Pacific will strengthen transportation infrastructure in Nebraska and Iowa by investing nearly $4.5 million in the rail line between Omaha, Neb., and near Missouri Valley, Iowa. The project, funded entirely by Union Pacific, began March 5 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of May.
On March 14, 2014, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro-North Railroad President Joseph Giulietti responded to findings of a report by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) looking into Metro-North’s safety record and said the report is troubling and raises real concerns.
Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) will break ground March 20 on the North Metro Rail Line, a new passenger rail service that will improve transit options for Denver’s northern region and connect riders to existing transit services.
Orange County Transportation Authority (OTCA) has opened the first grade separation project of seven in its OC Bridges program and has opened Placentia Avenue to traffic where BNSF now crosses over the road.
OmniTRAX, Inc., named the 2014 Safety People of the Year; each of the five winners was selected by division managers based on nominations from team members at the individual rail lines.
Atkins has been awarded a construction management services contract by the Fort Worth & Western Railroad (FWWR) for a bridge and retaining wall construction project adjacent to FWWR’s operational facilities on East Long Avenue in Fort Worth, Texas.
According to an estimate released by the Association of American Railroads (AAR), the nation’s freight railroads project they will spend approximately $26 billion to build, maintain and upgrade their nationwide rail network this year.
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has released its recommendations for authorization of the transportation bill that is set to expire at the end of September 2014.
BNSF has committed to making $250 million in investments for rail transportation improvements in North Dakota.
Amtrak plans to move forward on key improvement projects in 2014, including continued installation of positive train control (PTC), the start of major construction to upgrade Northeast Corridor high-speed rail and expansion of station accessibility for passengers with disabilities.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is launching a track crossing improvement project at Union Avenue and Clipper Mill Road March 14 that will temporarily close three light-rail stations at Mt. Washington, W. Cold Spring and Woodberry.
Union Pacific will begin a$1-million track improvement project in Nebraska March 10 and will start at the Webb Road crossing and progress eastward through Grand Island. The work is anticipated to be completed in three weeks.
Sound Transit has identified an alignment along Stadium Way and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to the Hilltop District for the planned expansion of Tacoma Link light-rail service.
Starting in March, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will begin the first project for the Your New Blue improvement program for the Blue Line O’Hare branch, a $492-million program to provide faster, smoother commutes and improved stations.
The Your New Blue includes a number of track and station improvement projects along the 12.5-mile stretch of the O’Hare Branch between the Grand and O’Hare stations and is the largest, most comprehensive investment in the Blue Line since the O’Hare branch was extended to the airport from Jefferson Park in 1983-1984.
“Your New Blue Program represents a huge investment in CTA riders and visitors traveling to Chicago via O’Hare and the many vibrant communities along the North and Northwest Sides,” said CTA President Forrest Claypool. “These long-overdue improvements are part of Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel’s efforts to modernize our transit system for the 21st century.”
The first phase of Your New Blue involves replacing crossties, tie plates and other track materials on the Milwaukee elevated track structure between the Damen and Logan Square stops.
Later in 2014, the CTA will begin rehabilitation projects at the Western, Damen and California rail stations. In all, the four-year Your New Blue program will upgrade 13 stations, including adding a new elevator at Addison; improve tracks and signals; install new water-management systems and repairs to ensure dry and clean subway stations and upgrade traction power to improve service and reliability.
Funding for Your New Blue is being provided by a variety of local, state and federal sources, including $86 million from Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s Jump Start program.
Construction has begun on the $248.3-million, 24-mile-long Perris Valley Metrolink Extension in Southern California, which will extend the current Metrolink 91 Line to new stations in North Riverside, Moreno Valley/March Field, Downtown Perris and South Perris/Menifee.
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) continued the effort to restore and extend the Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act through 2016.
The Federal Transit Administration signed a Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) in the amount of $670 million to fund the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LACMTA) $1.37-billion Regional Connector Project.
