The Expo Line was the first of three SkyTrain lines to launch. On Dec. 11, 1985, it offered eight days of free service as a showcase of Expo ’86, prior to officially starting revenue service in January 1986. Its running rails and rail pads are now being replaced. (SkyTrain/TransLink Photograph)

For Metro Vancouver’s SkyTrain, C$35MM for Running Rail Replacement

The government of Canada and TransLink are each contributing C$17.498 million to replace approximately 12.6 miles (20.2 kilometers) of running rail and some 24,000 rail pads for SkyTrain’s Expo Line in metro Vancouver.

Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit is gearing up for a June 30 launch of the first 10.8-mile segment of its nearly 20-mile light metro line. (HART Photograph)

HART Gears Up for Service Launch

The launch date has been set for the first segment of Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit’s (HART) long-awaited light metro service.

NYMTA Transit Tech Lab Releases Results of Operational Efficiency, Human Capital Utilization Challenges

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Partnership for NYC Transit Tech Lab on May 9 reported the results of its Operational Efficiency and Human Capital Utilization challenges, in which 15 companies have been selected to collaborate with regional transit agencies and test technologies, such as AI (artificial intelligence), LiDAR and edge computing, to “mitigate service disruptions, automate operations and combat workforce shortages.”

Unit crude from North Dakota to the Pacific Northwest crosses Lake Pend Oreille outside Sandpoint, Idaho, on April 29, 2023, using BNSF’s new bridge that entered service in November 2022. Workers on the older, adjacent bridge are placing concrete caps on new piers as part of a major renovation of the 119-year-old structure. (Photograph and Caption, Bruce E. Kelly)

BNSF Rebuilds One Bridge, Begins Another in the Northwest

Progress is well under way on structural upgrades to BNSF’s 119-year-old Bridge 3.9A over Lake Pend Oreille outside Sandpoint, Idaho. The completion in November 2022 of the adjacent 4,873-foot long Bridge 3.9B allowed BNSF to

rail bridges

BNSF Receives Permits to Replace Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge 

The North Dakota Department of Water Resources has issued two state permits to BNSF Railway, which are the final regulatory approvals required to replace the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge over the Missouri River between the two cities.

(Sound Transit Photograph)

Sound Transit Link Construction: A Spring Update

Starting this summer, we’ll be launching new light rail service at least once a year, for the next several years. Here’s the latest on construction progress and opening timelines.

Ties on I-90 Bridge Must Be Rebuilt for Sound Transit Service

Crews have been working in the former express lanes of Interstate 90 for a couple of years now, attempting to repair faulty track supports along Sound Transit’s future light-rail extension.

FRA Accepts WYDOT Grant Request to Replace I-80 Bridges

The Wyoming Department of Transportation has announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has accepted a multi-million dollar grant request to replace two bridges on Interstate 80 that cross over the Union Pacific Railroad.

Swing span bridge over Siuslaw River.

Coos Bay Rail Line to Undergo Bridge Rehabilitation

The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has received an award of $20 million from the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program to support rehabilitation of 15 bridge structures along the 134-mile Port-owned and operated Coos Bay Rail Line.

An ACS64-led Amtrak Northeast Regional train prepares to depart Penn Station New York, bound for Washington, D.C. William C. Vantuono photo

GDC Revises Hudson Tunnel Project Procurement Strategy

The Gateway Development Commission (GDC) on April 18 announced that it has revised its procurement strategy to build the Hudson Tunnel Project, dividing the “Civil Works” construction of the new tunnel from one package to four packages, including additional early works projects.

(Amtrak Photo)

Amtrak Launches Procurement for East River Tunnel Renewal

Amtrak has begun the procurement phase of the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project by issuing a Request for Qualifications for construction services to replace two of the tunnel’s four tubes.

Jay Yenerich, Regional Chief Engineer, Bowman

Jay Yenerich Joins Bowman

Bowman Consulting Group has hired Jay Yenerich as Regional Chief Engineer for Transportation in Arizona. With more than 25 years of statewide project management experience in transit, highway, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

Illinois Officials Celebrate Progress on Springfield Rail Improvements Project

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other officials gathered in Springfield to commemorate the Rail Improvements Project’s progress on April 5.

The Norfolk Southern Data Science and Engineering teams were presented with a 2023 Innovation-Driven Company award at the Technology Association of Georgia Technology Awards ceremony on March 29. (NS Photograph)

NS Takes Home Technology Innovation Awards

Norfolk Southern (NS) late last month was presented with 2023 “Innovation-Driven Company” awards from the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) for its rail wear predictive analytics and digital train inspection programs.

Construction on the Foothill Gold Line light rail project from Glendora to Pomana, Calif., is more than two-thirds’ complete. (Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority Photograph)

LA Metro’s Foothill Gold Line Project Marks Milestone

All reconstruction work requiring long-term street closures is now finished for the 21 at-grade crossings along Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (LA Metro) Foothill Gold Line light rail project. This is

Conrail is receiving a $5 million grant from the NJDOT for its Garden State Secondary Fluidity Improvements-Phase 1 project. (Conrail Photograph)

MnDOT, NJDOT Award $35MM in Freight Rail Improvement Grants

The departments of transportation in Minnesota (MnDOT) and New Jersey (NJDOT) are investing $6.95 million and $27.8 million, respectively, in projects that will improve freight rail infrastructure.

VPRA Seeks Construction Partners for Long Bridge Project

The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) announced March 29 that it has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking qualified design-build teams for the north end of the Long Bridge project.

Metrolinx Upgrades Add Capacity Along Kitchener GO Line

Metrolinx has been completing upgrades to the Kitchener GO Line since taking ownership of the track between Georgetown and Kitchener in 2018.

Valley Line LRT Bridge Pier Repairs Completed

Work is essentially complete on repairing several defective supporting piers on Stage 1 of Edmonton’s new Valley Line LRT. The piers support two short, elevated sections that carry the line across a

CN is among the Rail Climate Change Adaptation Program award recipients, and will receive C$300,000 to develop a “Climate-Induced Ground Hazard Risk Assessment Tool.” (Photograph Courtesy of CN via Twitter)

Transport Canada Allocates C$5.4MM for Rail Resiliency

Transport Canada is distributing up to C$5.4 million to 20 infrastructure projects country-wide that it says will make railroads “more resilient to extreme weather risks.”

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