According to an analysis by the Construction Design Alliance of Ontario (CDAO), Ontario and Toronto taxpayers could save up to half a billion dollars in construction and design costs for Metrolinx’s Eglinton Crosstown transit project by tendering it differently.
In a six to one decision, the California Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the Court of Appeals and the approval by the Exposition Construction Authority of the extension of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Expo Line light-rail transit project from Culver City to Santa Monica.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) late last week issued an Emergency Order and Safety Advisory to help prevent trains operating on mainline tracks or sidings from moving unintentionally. The order was made in response to the July 6, 2013 derailment in Lac-Mégantic, QB, Canada.
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) is undertaking a study of alternatives for a potential extension of Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) passenger rail service from Haverhill, Mass., to the Plaistow, N.H. area.
The Goldschmidt Thermit Group, a company based in Germany that specializes in welding, acquired 100 percent of PortaCo, Inc., a producer of hydraulic power units and tools headquartered in Moorhead, Minn. The Goldschmidt Thermit Group has been represented in the United States market since 1967, by Orgo-Thermit, Inc.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) selected Atkins to serve as a general engineering consultant (GEC) in support of LACMTA’s rail network operations, maintenance and expansion plans.
The Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-Way Employees and Signalmen (FAMES) Committee issued three recommendations following a report finding a spike in roadway worker fatalities in the hour following the traditional noon mealtime.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit will commence Fix & Fortify work to the Montague Tubes August 2 and will continue during the weekends for 14 months.
The board of the Fort Worth Transportation Authority (The T) in Texas is scheduled to take action at its August 12 meeting to designate the first phase of the multi-phased TEX Rail commuter rail project.
The Tuscola Industrial Rail Park in Tuscola, Ill., has been designated as a CSX Select Site. Select Sites are locations for manufacturing projects along the CSX network that can progress rapidly because standard land use issues have been addressed and the site is ready for development following a comprehensive due diligence process. RT&S magazine previously reported the introduction of CSX’s Select Site program January 11, 2012.
“We are excited to add this property to the Select Site program. The community of Tuscola has been great to work with to move the certification program along quickly. This site is competitive and delivers on our program objectives to provide industrial companies with easier development decisions, reduced risk and faster speed to market,” said Clark Robertson, assistant vice president, regional development, CSX.
CSX introduced the Select Site program in 2012 to better serve customers in their own backyards by adding rail transport access routes for some of the premier manufacturing properties in the eastern U.S. CSX partnered with The Austin Company, a nationally-known site selection firm, to screen candidate sites and assist communities with the application and certification process.
“Located in a pro-business community, Tuscola Industrial Rail Park offers industry one of the few location options in the country at the convergence of railroad, interstate and natural gas corridors,” said Jonathan Gemmen, senior location consultant, The Austin Company.
To receive CSX Select Site designation, the location must meet a rigorous list of criteria, including infrastructure and utility availability, environmental reviews, appropriate zoning and entitlement, air quality permitting, rail serviceability, proximity to highways or interstates and other attributes. Once certified, the sites are also featured on a user-friendly web portal featuring press releases, promotional materials and direct marketing to site selection professionals.
In addition to the Tuscola Industrial Rail Park, CSX has designated 10 other sites located across CSX’s 23-state service territory.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has secured $200 million of insurance protection that will help pay for future repairs for damage to its infrastructure in the event of a storm featuring destructive storm surges similar to those experienced during Superstorm Sandy.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Blue Line Transit Mall Station in Long Beach has been renamed Downtown Long Beach Station to more clearly reflect the location.
Watco Companies has hired Drew White as director of engineering for project management. In this position, White will report to Ron Close, senior vice president of supply chain management and become a team member of the Project Management Team.
IGSM Group, Inc., has repositioned itself within the railroad industry as a publicly-held shortline and regional railroad holding company. As part of the shareholder-approved plan, IGSM has filed to change its name to Continental Rail Corp. (CRC).
M-1 Rail has selected Stacy and Witbeck, Inc., to serve as construction manager/general contractor for the construction of the 3.3-mile Woodward Avenue streetcar in Detroit, Mich. M-1 Rail is slated to break ground by early fall between Larned Street and Adams Street in downtown Detroit.
The Cambium Group, Inc., a licensee of Lonza Wood Protection (LWP), has started production of ammoniacal copper zinc arsenate (AZCA)-treated crossties. Cambium will be the first Canadian producer of these ties, which the company says are an alternative to creosote crossties.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) tunnel boring machine (TBM) Mom Chung has launched, commencing construction beneath downtown San Francisco of one of the Central Subway‘s two tunnels.
Atkins secured a construction management contract for a Union Pacific at-grade railroad crossing in Fort Worth, Texas and also won a contract to provide government compliance and federal reporting services for BNSF.