Progress Rail acquires Inspired Systems

Progress Rail Services Corp., has acquired Inspired Systems Pty Ltd; a move that will expand its rail signaling offerings, according to the company.

USDOT picks new WMATA board members to tackle safety culture

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has appointed three new Federal representatives, each with considerable expertise in safety, to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board of directors.

CHSRA Board of Directors adopts 2016 Business Plan

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) Board of Directors adopted the 2016 Business Plan, which lays out an approach to sequencing the Phase 1 system that will ultimately connect the San Francisco Bay Area to the Los Angeles Basin via the Central Valley with high-speed passenger rail service. The plan will now be delivered to the legislature by May 2.

Dallas City Council names long-time DART VP to board

Former Dallas Area Rapid Transit Vice President of Marketing and Communications and current Richland College faculty member Sue Bauman has been appointed to the DART Board of Directors by the Dallas City Council.

FRA makes $25 million available for rail infrastructure safety upgrades

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is now accepting applications from local governments, states and railroads for $25 million in competitive grants to increase rail safety. Applications are due by June 14, 2016.

Lodestar Energy Group to develop new multimodal site

Lodestar Energy Group (LEG) is developing a new multimodal site at the Gulf Inland Logistics Park near Dayton, Texas. The site will contain two facilities: a rail-served Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) facility and a complementary rail car storage yard.

Metra meets on-time goal for 13th consecutive month

Chicago’s Metra completed its 13th straight month of meeting or exceeding its on-time performance goal in March 2016, posting an on-time performance rate of 96.8 percent for the month. The rate exceeded the five-year average for the month of March of 96.3 percent.

US Rep. Brad Ashford tours Iowa steel company

On April 25, U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford (D-NE-2) joined National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association (NRC) and GoRail member Paxton & Vierling Steel Co. (PVS) for a tour of its metal service center and structural fabrication facilities in Carter Lake, Iowa.

Gov. Nathan Deal signs MARTA expansion legislation

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has signed S.B. 369, a bill that empowers the city of Atlanta to hold a fall ballot referendum asking voters to support a half-penny sales tax to expand the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) system.

CDPQ Infra proposes new LRT linking downtown Montréal, South Shore, West Island, North Shore and the airport

CDPQ Infra, a subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, unveiled plans for its Réseau électrique métropolitain (REM), an integrated, public transportation project.

Miami proposes six new urban rail lines

The Miami-Dade Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) adopted a resolution on April 21, 2016 endorsing the Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit (SMART) plan, which envisages the construction of six new urban rail lines in Miami-Dade County.

Anacostia promotes Marlon Taylor, transitions to new railroad

Anacostia Rail Holdings (ARH) has promoted Pacific Harbor Line’s (PHL) Director of Operations Marlon Taylor to a new role with New York & Atlantic Railway (NY&A) as assistant vice president.

Construction begins on Sound Transit’s East Link light-rail extension

On April 22, federal, state and local officials celebrated the start of construction of Sound Transit’s East Link light-rail extension connecting Seattle, Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond’s Overlake area and Microsoft campus.

South Shore taps double-track dollars

The Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) Board of the Directors took another step toward expanding commuter access to Chicago with a $1.6-million matching grant to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) to help fund $4 million in preliminary engineering and environmental work for the South Shore double tracking project.

FRA releases list of the 15 most dangerous railroad crossings in the US

As the next step in its ongoing efforts to increase safety at railroad crossings, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has released a list of railroad crossings in the United States where multiple incidents have occurred in recent years. The list includes 15 crossings where 10 or more incidents have occurred during the last decade.

First phase of Denver Eagle P3 open for business

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver on April 22 began University of Colorado A Line commuter rail service from downtown Denver to Denver International Airport. The line is among the nation’s first transit projects built by a public-private partnership and is a part of an ambitious transit expansion plan for the eight-county metropolitan area.

THUD allocates $56.5 billion to fund transportation

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development passed $56.5 billion legislation to fund its programs for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, including several allocations for rail.

NRC auction proves to be yet another success

The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc. (NRC) Annual Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction was held April 14 at the Blackmon Auctions facility in Little Rock, Ark.

Loram names Katie Hadenfeldt vice president sales and marketing

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc., has appointed Katie Hadenfeldt to the position of vice president sales and marketing. In her new role, Hadenfeldt will have responsibility for all aspects of Loram’s contract services sales and marketing efforts, along with all new and existing product development initiatives.

J-Track LLC names Dorris VP/GM of new Central Division

J-Track LLC will open a new railroad construction and maintenance company in the Chicagoland area on May 1. The new company, J-Track LLC Central Division, will be led by Vice President and General Manager, Bill Dorris.

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