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.
Kansas City Southern de Mexico (KCSM) has initiated a new Safety Friday program, following an in-depth analysis that found more injuries occur early on Fridays than any other time of the week.
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.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) released its findings and recommendations from a 60-day safety assessment of Metro-North Railroad. The assessment, known as Operation Deep Dive, found that Metro-North’s management “emphasizes on-time performance to the detriment of safe operations and adequate maintenance of its infrastructure, resulting in a deficient safety culture, increased risk and reduced safety on the Metro-North system.”
Watco Transportation Services has named Travis Herod vice president of transportation safety and compliance. In this position, Herod’s responsibilities include leading the Transportation Safety Team in safety training, certifications, safety incident solutions and proposals and mentoring managers and team members.
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.
CSX appointed Gary Sease to vice president, corporate communications, effective March 30. He succeeds Vance Meyer, who is leaving CSX after leading significant communications efforts, including successfully strengthening the company’s brand and developing social media capabilities over the past nine years.
Profiles in Diversity Journal has recognized Union Pacific as one of the nation’s 25 Most Influential Companies for Veteran Hiring for its commitment to veteran hiring, progressive reservist policies and dedication to supporting employee veterans.
The Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc. (X Train), Board of Directors elected Michael Barron as chairman of the board, succeeding John McPherson, who is moving to become the chairman of the Compensation Committee.
A North American railroad yard in North Baltimore, Ohio, has chosen to upgrade its current yard control system to include 18 new switch locations with use of the RailComm Domain Operations Controller (DOC®) System. In addition, 16 derail locations are being added throughout the yard.
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.
Oregon’s Columbia River Crossing project will shut down completely by May 31, 2014, after the Oregon Legislature adjourned without reinstating construction funds for the CRC I-5 Bridge Replacement project March 7, according to the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT).
BNSF has committed to making $250 million in investments for rail transportation improvements in North Dakota.
Construction has started on the Evergreen Line tunnel in Vancouver, BC, Canada, with the use of tunnel boring machine named “Alice,” after Alice Wilson, Canada’s first female geologist.
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 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority opened its new Yawkey Station and marked the start of enhanced passenger rail service on the Framingham/Worcester Line.
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.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has awarded Keolis North America a $2.6-billion, eight-year contract to manage, operate and maintain the passenger rail service. The contract includes the option for two additional two-year extensions and if granted, the total contract value would rise to $4.2 billion over 12 years.
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.
