Axion International plans to increase its production capabilities in 2012. In June of 2011 Axion signed a contract manufacturing agreement with Coll Materials to expand the company’s output and to do so at Coll’s southwest location in order to strategically service Axion’s growing customer base.
Canadian National and Canadian Pacific reached separate 10-year agreements with Canpotex Limited to transport potash volumes that Canpotex ships to export martkets.
By a nearly 4-to-1 margin, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Amtrak. Ballots were counted and the final tally was 77.5 percent in favor and 22.5 percent against.
Union Pacific plans to put $1 billion investment in Nebraska over the next several years as part of its capital investment programs.
With the current work on the Lancaster Train Station project nearing completion, Amtrak revealed a detailed plan for the next phase of station improvements, the Capstone project. Starting as soon as work on the current phase is complete, Amtrak will begin work to restore the passenger areas into an accessible, comfortable and convenient station that is of historic significance.
David L. Starling, president and chief executive officer of Kansas City Southern, has been named 2012 Railroader of the Year by Railway Age magazine. Railway Age and Railway Track & Structures are both owned by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Co.
New York’s MTA Capital Construction (MTACC) has released results of a comprehensive study to assess the impact of blasting on air quality. The report found that most measured pollutants were below applicable national air quality and industry standards. Exceeded levels of some pollutants did not coincide with blasting and were primarily attributed to traffic emissions and other local sources.
Norfolk Southern has cleared the way for more double-stack intermodal trains to use its Heartland Corridor with the opening this week of a newly improved double-stack rail line between Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. The Heartland Connector will reduce transit times by one to two days and increase service reliability for double-stack freight traveling to and from the Port of Virginia and Cincinnati and Detroit.
Canadian Pacific entered into an agreement with Canadian Tire Corporation Limited, which extends to early 2017 and awards the railway with the vast majority of Canadian Tire’s domestic container traffic.
“Transit holds the key to a successful and prosperous region,” said Minnesota’s Metropolitan Council Chair Susan Haigh, while delivering her first State of the Region speech. Several hundred people attended the State of the Region event at Target Field in Minneapolis, where Haigh highlighted the role of transit in economic development and job creation.
In his 2012 State of the State speech, California Governor Edmund Brown Jr. spoke of plans for a high-speed rail system, which would connect the Northern and Southern parts of the state.
In his speech he stated:
“As governor the last time, I signed legislation to study the concept. Now 30 years later, we are within weeks of a revised business plan that will enable us to begin initial construction before the year is out.
“President Obama strongly supports the project and has provided the majority of funds for this first phase. It is now your decision to evaluate the plan and decide what action to take. Without any hesitation, I urge your approval.
“If you believe that California will continue to grow, as I do, and that millions more people will be living in our state, this is a wise investment. Building new runways and expanding our airports and highways is the only alternative. That is not cheaper and will face even more political opposition.
“Critics of the high-speed rail project abound as they often do when something of this magnitude is proposed. During the 1930s, The Central Valley Water Project was called a “fantastic dream” that “will not work.” The Master Plan for the Interstate Highway System in 1939 was derided as “new Deal jitterbug economics.” In 1966, then Mayor Johnson of Berkeley called BART a “billion dollar potential fiasco.” Similarly, the Panama Canal was for years thought to be impractical and Benjamin Disraeli himself said of the Suez Canal: “totally impossible to be carried out.” The critics were wrong then and they’re wrong now.”
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission, directing CSX, Norfolk Southern and Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway to install flashing lights and gates at grade crossings in Delaware, Jefferson and Lorain counties, respectively.
Canadian Pacific says that part of the company’s multi-year plan is to invest between $1.1 billion (US$1.085 billion) and $1.2 billion (US$1.18 billion) for infrastructure renewal, network enhancements and expansion projects in 2012. The 2012 Capital Plan will focus on strategic and targeted investments to improve service and increase network capacity while funding business development and initiatives with rapid return on investment.
Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton released his bonding proposal for the 2012 legislative session, building on his jobs plan to get Minnesotans back to work. The bonding proposal is focused on making the kind of long-term investments to create jobs. The bill would put up to 21,700 Minnesotans back to work and includes $25 million for the Southwest Corridor Light Rail.
A statement by the Governor’s office said, “Investing in strong, reliable infrastructure is a critical part of building an environment where businesses can thrive. Repairing our roads, bridges and rail lines for the future with smart investments can not only give Minnesota the assets to attract businesses, but can also put hundreds of Minnesotans back to work in the construction industries that are suffering from high unemployment.”
“This bill is our chance to put thousands of Minnesotans back to work by investing in important projects throughout our state. My bonding proposal makes reasonable, focused investments on projects that are ready for immediate action. I hope that the legislature will join me in growing Minnesota’s economy now by passing a bonding bill in the first month of the session. Doing so will enable many of the projects and their jobs, to become realities this year,” Governor Dayton said.
U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $77 million in grants to 22 University Transportation Centers to advance research and education programs that address critical transportation challenges facing the nation. The UTCs, which are located throughout the United States, conduct research that directly supports the priorities of the US DOT and the participating universities are a critical part of the national transportation strategy.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel officially re-opened the Grand Avenue Red Line Station, which has undergone a complete rehabilitation over the past several years. Additionally, Mayor Emanuel announced that the city will construct a new Green Line station at Cermak, build a new station at Washington and Wabash and conduct a complete rehabilitation at the station at Clark and Division.
Rockford, Ill., received a $3 million investment to develop a new multi-modal station just south of the downtown area. The Illinois Jobs Now! capital plan funding to design and engineer the new facility is in addition to the $60 million allocated to construct the Chicago-Rockford-Dubuque rail corridor. The two projects together are expected to support nearly 700 jobs and bring rail access back to a part of the state that has not seen service in 30 years.
L.B. Foster Company has begun delivery of $3.4 million of rail and trackwork products to rail contractor Wintrow Construction of Barberton, Ohio, for the construction of 8.5 miles of track and other track materials at the new Vallourec & Mannesmann Tubes Star Steel pipe mill in Youngstown, Ohio.
For four consecutive weeknights hundreds of New York Metropolitan Transit Authority workers labored through the late night and early morning hours cleaning, inspecting, repairing and replacing subway infrastructure on a nearly seven-mile segment of the Lexington Avenue Line.
The White House Council on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Department of Transportation revealed a pilot program to expedite environmental review of Northeast Corridor high-speed passenger rail projects. The statement below is from Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman: