Norfolk Southern‘s yard in Memphis, Tenn., has a new name and it is “Harris Yard,” in honor of Deborah Harris Butler, the railroad’s executive vice president planning and chief information officer, who is retiring Oct. 1, 2015.
Progress Rail Services Corporation, supplier of railroad products and services to the railroad and transit industries, has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Rail Product Solutions, Inc. (RPS) from Amsted Rail Company, Inc. RPS is a provider of track fastening products and integrated fastening systems.
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has completed a major renovation project on the Clark/Division Red Line station. The project added a new entrance, as well as a fully renovated and modernized the station.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has selected Dr. Joshua Schank as the first-ever head of its newly created Office of Extraordinary Innovation, effective October 5, 2015.
Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) 248 has issued its recommendations to settle the four-year contract dispute between New Jersey Transit and the Rail Labor Coalition of 14 unions representing 4,300 union workers, reports the United Transportation Union.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) approved the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) corrective action plan to improve the safety of its Metrorail and Metrobus systems as required by an FTA Safety Directive.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Board of Directors approved the contract for the L.A. County Grade Crossing and Corridor Safety Program, authorizing engineering studies to identify potential safety improvements at approximately 153 pedestrian and vehicular grade crossings along 160 miles of LACMTA-owned right-of-way in Los Angeles County.
Bentley Systems, Incorporated, provider of software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, has released the list of project finalists in the 2015 Be Inspired Awards program.
Metra Director of Safety Hilary Konczal has been named to the World Safety Organization (WSO) Board of Directors and received the group’s James K. Williams Award for his dedication to programs and practices that promote safety.
The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority and its contractor marked the substantial completion of the Pasadena, Calif., to Azusa, Calif., segment. The construction authority said the $1-billion project is on budget and on time with passenger service expected to begin in the spring of 2016.
The Eglinton Crosstown light-rail transit tunnel boring machines named Don and Humber will begin their journey westward on September 29, 2015, marking another milestone toward the completion of the new LRT.
According to a 2015 survey released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), if high-speed rail were available today, two-thirds (63 percent) of Americans are likely to use high-speed trains and this jumps to nearly seventy (67) percent when respondents were informed of the costs and time saving benefits of high-speed rail service.
On September 22, 2015, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-05) joined Railway Engineering-Maintenance Suppliers Association and National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association member L.B. Foster Company for a tour of its concrete tie manufacturing facility.
Charles Moorman is completing his service as executive chairman of the Board of Directors of Norfolk Southern. Effective Oct. 1, 2015, Moorman will continue to serve as a director and senior advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer James Squires until Dec. 31, 2015, when he will retire from both roles.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has awarded a contract for the Sugar Creek Road grade separation project, which is designed to improve railroad capacity, efficiency and safety along Sugar Creek Road in Charlotte, N.C.
The White House Office of Management and Budget, Council on Environmental Quality and U.S. Department of Transportation says the Obama Administration will take steps to accelerate critical infrastructure projects, including an enhanced Federal Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard, new guidance to federal agencies establishing metrics for the permitting and environmental review of infrastructure projects.
In its first report to the legislature, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) detailed underlying problems at the MBTA that are even more serious and deep-seated than reported in April by the Special Panel to Review the authority.
The Metra Board of Directors has formally called on Congress to extend the Dec. 31, 2015 deadline to install Positive Train Control (PTC), agreeing with a staff analysis that in the current regulatory environment, Metra will not be able to legally operate beyond that date.
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) awarded $3.75 million in state funds for the South Hamilton Crossing grade separation project. The funds are part of $7 million in funding for transportation projects in Butler and Hamilton County.
Canadian Pacific completed the sale of more than 280 miles of track from Schenectady, N.Y., to Sunbury, Pa., to Norfolk Southern.
