The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program partners and the Federal Highway Administration announced the availability of the combined Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (75th Street CIP).
Canadian National (CN) opened a new employee training center in suburban Chicago. The 55,000-square-foot facility will host up to 250 CN students from across the United States every week, with hands-on training for all key railway jobs.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has approved six freight rail improvement projects totaling more than $24 million in grants and loans. The goal of Wisconsin’s freight railroad assistance program is to increase the use of rail transportation and support economic development and job creation.
Ferromex railroad has chosen RailComm to provide yard automation to 80-plus newly-installed switch machines, which will be controlled via the RailComm Domain Operations Controller (DOC) in Torreon City, Mexico.
Bentley Systems, Inc., a company dedicated to providing software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, has announced the project finalists in the 2014 Be Inspired Awards competition.
United Transportation Union Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (UTU-SMART)-represented trainmen, engineers and yardmasters employed by Lake Terminal Railroad have ratified a new six-year agreement by a unanimous vote.
Union Pacific says it will move forward with plans for a new rail yard in Robertson County, Texas, that will strengthen Texas as a national freight transportation hub, create jobs and deliver significant economic stimulus to the region.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Transportation Development Association of Wisconsin (TDA) are teaming up to promote, educate and celebrate the freight rail system that contributes to the state’s economy, environment and quality of life during Freight Rail Week in Wisconsin October 6 – 12.
Hensel Phelps Construction Co. has been awarded the contract to design and build the rail yard and maintenance facility for Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (Silver Line).
The North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) had a direct impact on the North Carolina economy of an estimated $794 million during 2013, according to a recently completed study conducted by RTI International (RTI).
The American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) presented the 2014 Dr. William W. Hay Award for Excellence to Union Pacific for its Santa Teresa Terminal project in New Mexico.
While speaking to the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, Claude Mongeau, president and chief executive officer of Canadian National, said CN’s capacity to invest in continued improvements in rail transportation to support Saskatchewan’s thriving economy requires a sound, commercially-driven regulatory regime.
In Toronto, ON, Canada, Metrolinx purchased a segment of Canadian National rail line principally used by GO Transit passenger trains in the Georgetown-Kitchener, ON, area west of Toronto for CA$76 million (US$68 million).
U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL-14) joined representatives from Atlantic Track and the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) for a tour of Atlantic Track’s manufacturing facility in Richmond, Ill.
Work was completed recently on a railroad crossing at the intersection of Andy Griffith Parkway and Rockford Street in Mount Airy, N.C. The old crossing was identified as a safety hazard and was slated for resurfacing through the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Freight Rail & Rail Crossing Safety Improvement Fund (FR&RCSI).
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $4.3 million to upgrade critical infrastructure and fund rail projects in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. The grants are intended to support communities affected by recent natural disasters, as well as communities looking to support and attract businesses.
“The Obama Administration and the Commerce Department are committed to helping communities affected by natural disasters rebuild so they can rebound economically,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “The EDA investments announced today support a diverse group of projects – from infrastructure improvements and transportation upgrades to workforce training and disaster recovery efforts – that will enable communities across Arkansas to be more economically resilient in the wake of future natural disasters and other challenges.”
The investments include $1.2 million to the city of Pine Bluff, Ark., which will help upgrade roughly 40 miles of rail line to increase economic resiliency and diversity by providing alternate transportation in times of natural disasters to area businesses and manufacturers. Also, the proposed continued upgrading of the rail line is a vital component of broader efforts to restore and improve critical rail infrastructure that will service Southeast Arkansas and Northeast Louisiana. According to the grantee, the project will enhance the area’s ability to attract new industry and to grow existing industry by improving local logistic infrastructure and will create 24 jobs in the area.
A $1.2 million grant in Corning, Ark., will support rail improvements to an industrial site, enabling Peco Foods, Inc., to build poultry processing and hatchery facilities and associated infrastructure on a 120-acre site in Clay County. According to the grantee, the company has committed to a $165 million investment and the creation of 942 jobs. The feed mill operation will produce 15,000 tons of self-use feed per week to support the breeder and grower flocks grown for the Pocahontas plant and those ingredients will be sourced primarily from local farmers.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Shawnee, Okla., received $1,232,023 in Public Works funds to fund the construction of rail infrastructure improvements at the Iron Horse Industrial Park in Pottawatomie County. This project is part of Phase II of development of the park and will provide rail service to the tenants, which include both native and non-native businesses and provide greater access to both domestic and international markets. This investment is part of a $1,232,023 project that the grantee estimates will create 15 jobs and leverage $350,000 in private investment.
The City of Sioux City, Iowa, received $631,102 in Economic Adjustment funds to fund continued implementation of infrastructure and site work necessary for construction of a new, flood-protected rail system to serve and support industries locating or relocating operations into the new Southbridge Business Park, which is located outside the city’s flood-prone area. This project supports the city’s efforts to implement flood protection and disaster resiliency measures in the region severely impacted and still recovering from the 2011 flooding of the Missouri River.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) and the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) have been awarded nearly $2 billion in storm resiliency funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). All of the grants are part of the FTA Emergency Relief Program & Disaster Relief Appropriations.
Union Pacific Railroad will perform $18 million of work on a rail line between Paola and Parsons, KS. The UP-funded project began September 16 and is scheduled to be completed by mid-December.
A combined $1.5 billion in Sandy resiliency grants to repair and fortify New Jersey’s transit system has been awarded to New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) Board of Commissioners approved a major redevelopment of Greenville Yard that will include a new ExpressRail facility, the fourth of its type to be built by the agency, that will support the adjacent Global Marine Terminal. This will allow the terminal to ship and receive containerized cargo by rail.