Orange County Says Trains May be Back in February
There’s a small bright spot in the ongoing saga of the erosion of the southern California coast, and the impact on rail lines and rail service.
BNSF Executes Bridge Deck Replacement
BNSF replaces bridge deck 120 ft. above the ground without a hitch.
CHSRA Selects Stantec to Design Merced-Madera Extension
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Dec.19 announced that it has awarded Edmonton, Alberta, Canada-based engineering firm Stantec a $41 million contract to design the 33.9-mile Merced to Madera extension, the key junction that will connect the 500-mile-long project between the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
MBTA Completes $100M Gloucester Drawbridge Replacement Project
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced Dec. 14 that construction has wrapped up on the agency’s new Gloucester Drawbridge that will carry the Rockport Commuter Rail Line over the Annisquam River.
CTA Approves $105M Track Reconstruction Project on Blue Line’s Forest Park Branch
The Chicago Transit Board approved a contract on Dec. 14 for the first phase of track reconstruction work on the entire Forest Park Branch of the Blue Line.
Toronto Union Station Begins Construction on South Concourse
As part of the Union Station Enhancement Project, crews have begun piling work at Toronto’s Union Station on the south passenger concourse.
MTA to Perform Repairs on E/M East River Tunnel Before Year’s End
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced a 24/7 service outage as of Dec. 8 on two lines along the 53 St. tunnel to perform maintenance and signal upgrades over the course of five consecutive days.
MBTA Celebrates Opening of Green Line’s $2.3B Medford Branch Extension
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) celebrated the opening of the agency’s $2.3 billion Medford Branch of the Green Line Extension on Dec. 12.
Loram: Homan to Retire, Willems to Take Throttle
Loram has announced that CEO Phil Homan will retire in May 2023 following 30 years of service. Bradley Willems, current President and COO, will succeed him.
L.B. Foster, FUCHS Enter Partnership to Develop Friction Management Products
L.B. Foster on Dec. 14 announced a strategic partnership with FUCHS to develop friction management products for the rail industry.
BNSF Rail Talk: Key Component of Northtown’s BNSF Hump Yard Gets Replacement, Upgrade
In railroading, a “bowl” – or classification yard tracks – is where freight cars are sorted and assigned to departing trains. This processing is done in what we call a hump yard.
Sound Transit Shares New Timelines for Ongoing Projects
Sound Transit CEO Julie Timm updated stakeholders on the public transit agency’s current project timelines Dec. 8 via the agency website, outlining the status of five major extension projects. She noted “challenges
BNSF Rail Bridge Project Makes Gains With Water Certification
BNSF Railway’s plans to build a new bridge over the Missouri River, linking Bismarck and Mandan, made headway Dec. 12 as state regulators issued a water quality certification crucial to move forward
PATCO Performs Track Repair Amid Winter Conditions
Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO) crews made a priority track repair in Center City on Dec. 13. The repair took place after a recent scan either did not detect damage on the rails
Watch: Central Valley Training Center Celebrates 2022 Graduates
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) on Dec. 9 celebrated the seventh cohort in the labor industry to complete the Central Valley Training Center’s 12-week pre-apprenticeship program in Selma, Calif.
Watch: Metrolinx’s Culvert Replacement Project
Crews will be replacing a collapsed culvert with a new steel pipe culvert in Small’s Creek, as part of Metrolinx’s Toronto Lakeshore East Rail Corridor project. The work will restore the creek’s water flow through the embankment, improve drainage and reduce the risk of flooding.
NCRR Investing in New Rail-Served Site
North Carolina Railroad Company (NCRR) is investing approximately $200,000 in a new rail-served site, where a wood-products manufacturing facility will be built.
NCDOT Awards $12MM for Small-Road Infrastructure Improvements
Twelve short lines will share approximately $12 million in infrastructure-improvement grant funding from the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
South Shore Line Planning to Move South Bend Airport Station to the Other Side
What started out as a temporary location for the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) station, it has remained on the east side of the South Bend Airport for years.
Amtrak Looks to Remove Pennsylvania ‘Distant Signals’
With Positive Train Control (PTC) operational, Amtrak is seeking Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) approval to remove automatic wayside signals serving as distant signals to existing interlockings on the Mid-Atlantic Division’s Philadelphia-to-Harrisburg, Pa.