Late in 2013, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston METRO) launched its 5.3-mile North Line and in its first full month of service (January), averaged 4,200 weekday boardings, which is 1,600 more than what was forecasted.
Design firm Perkins+Will was recently selected by the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART) to design eight stations for the fourth and final phase of the Honolulu Rail Transit project.
Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) is installing crane pads for the new Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) at Port Everglades, which is slated to open in the summer of 2014.
In the San Francisco area, a vegetation removal crew has started initial site clearing work along four Caltrain crossings as part of its San Mateo Bridge Replacement Project.
California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) Board of Directors approved right-of-way engineering and surveying contracts with five California firms.
Wabtec Corporation has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Fandstan Electric Group Ltd., a rail and industrial equipment manufacturer, for about $215 million. Wabtec expects the transaction to be completed in the first quarter of 2014, subject to closing conditions and competition authority clearance.
The province of Ontario, Canada, is making CA$5 million (US$ 4.5 million) in upgrades to the Etobicoke North GO Station, which will include extending the platform to accommodate 12-car trains; installing a raised mini platform that connects to on-board train ramps for increased accessibility; adding heated shelters and more lighting and creating 10 more accessible parking spaces.
Kansas City Southern (KCS) was prepared for a hard hit by Winter Storm Nika, which blanketed Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma with several inches of snow, while southern portions of the network experienced some snow, ice and unusually cold temperatures.
Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. (PATH) says it is on track to meet the federal government’s December 2015 deadline for implementing positive train control (PTC) with work to begin on February 14.
Union Pacific‘s Board of Directors approved its 2014 capital spending plan of approximately $3.9 billion, up about $300 million versus 2013, driven primarily by the acquisition of 200 locomotives compared to 100 locomotives purchased in 2013 and somewhat higher capacity investments.
CSX plans to build a new rail inspection yard in Hopkinsville-Christian County, Ken., which will support hundreds of local construction and trade jobs while being built and will initially provide more than 50 on-site jobs servicing the growing freight rail corridor that stretches from the Southeast to the Midwest.
New York City Transit (NYCT) has completed a $31-million rehabilitation of Upper Manhattan’s Dyckman St. 1 Interborough Rapid Transit Station (IRT) after two years of work, including a new elevator linking the mezzanine level and the southbound platform.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has selected four teams to bid on a contract to design and build Package B of Phase 2 of the Silver Line project. Package B consists of the design and construction of a rail yard and maintenance facility to be built at Dulles International Airport.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is looking for a freight rail operator to provide rail services to businesses in Grant and Adams Counties and is now accepting bids through March 19.
Mining of the 2.5-kilometer (1.6-mile) tunnel for the Confederation Line Light Rail Transit project in Ottawa, ON, Canada, is proceeding on time and on budget with 10 percent of the tunnel excavation now complete.
Houston Metro‘s new East End (Green) Line tracks have been undergoing tests by dragging a light-rail vehicle up and down the track with a diesel-powered-shuttle, and crews have been performing live-wiring testing. The test covers 2.3 miles of the 3.3-mile tracks.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Board of Directors awarded a $25.6-million design/build contract to F. H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen and Associates, LLC, for the rehabilitation of the Damen, Western and California stations to improve and upgrade the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line.
BNSF has planned a capital commitment plan of approximately $5 billion for 2014, approximately a $1 billion increase over its 2013 capital spend.
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) has proposed a 10-year, $26.7-billion Capital Plan, which will maintain and build transportation infrastructure for its airports, tunnels, bridges, ports and rail system and includes $3.3-billion for projects on the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. (PATH) system.
For the first time, New York City Transit’s (NYCT) FASTRACK maintenance program came to the 2, 3 and 4 lines in Brooklyn between Crown Heights and Downtown Brooklyn.