MetCouncil appoints next regional administrator
Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck has appointed Wes Kooistra as regional administrator of the Twin Cities area council, replacing Pat Born, who will retire July 3.
FTA says WMATA has “serious safety lapses”
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently conducted an inspection of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) rail and bus systems that identified “organizational deficiencies and operational concerns that significantly limit WMATA’s ability to recognize and resolve safety issues.”
MassDOT completes line acquisition from CSX
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) completed the $23 million acquisition of the Framingham Secondary Rail Line, a 21-mile segment of rail that connects Framingham and Mansfield, from CSX.
GREX acquires bridge monitoring company
Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) has acquired SENSR from Reference LLC, located in Elkader, Iowa. The company is now known as SENSR Monitoring Technologies, LLC (SMT), a wholly- owned subsidiary of GREX.
Construction begins on first aerial structure for California HSR project
Construction has begun on the first aerial structure that will eventually host 200 mph rail as part of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s high-speed project.
CN and Alabama State Port Authority sign MOU
Canadian National signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA), which owns the public terminals at the Port of Mobile, intended to drive increased supply chain efficiency and a greater share of transportation markets in North America.
Ontario Northland and Teamsters Rail reach agreement for MOW employees
Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (Ontario Northland) and Teamsters Rail Conference Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC MWED) have reached a tentative five-year collective agreement.
Harsco Rail marks changes to Aftermarket Service Team
After more than 31 years working for Harsco Rail in several customer related service roles, Tom Totzke will retire May 31, 2015.
Granite names Rantala to head business development
Granite Construction Incorporated named Richard Rantala senior vice president of business development, reporting to Granite Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Christopher Miller.
Rebuilding a legacy
Dependable, long-term funding allowed SEPTA to take on a $5 billion backlog of state-of-good-repair projects.
Grade crossings: The annual report
Whether they are made up of concrete, rubber or another substance, grade-crossing surface suppliers continue to make safety a top priority.
Advances in rail grinding
Rail grinding service providers look to supply precise, efficient and flexible equipment.
O-Train Confederation Line kicks off track installation with laying of first rail
Royal Galipeau, Member of Parliament (Ottawa–Orléans), Bob Chiarelli, Member of Provincial Parliament (Ottawa West–Nepean) and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson installed the first official rail of the O-Train Confederation Line light-rail transit project June 12.
KCS says MOW crews keep operations safe in challenging spring weather
Kansas City Southern (KCS) says that frequent storms, rain and high water have created a number of challenges on its network this spring. The most significant of these are trees with roots saturated due to heavy rain, falling onto the tracks; power outages affecting signal equipment and grade crossing warning devices; track washouts and driftwood from high water gathering around bridges.
DSEIS for LACMTA’s Regional Connector project released
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have released a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project, an underground light-rail system under construction that will connect the existing LACMTA Gold, Blue and Expo lines in downtown Los Angeles.
RailComm finalizes rail yard SaaS contract with Kinder Morgan
RailComm completed negotiations with energy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan for a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) contract for remote rail yard control at its Deepwater Terminal in Pasadena, Texas.
UP plans $92 million investment in Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico properties in 2015
Union Pacific plans to invest about $23 million in its infrastructure in Nevada, $46 million in Arizona and $23 million in New Mexico.
BART Board approves FY16 budget
With record ridership stretching Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) resources, the board of directors voted to direct money to initiatives designed to increase train passenger capacity and to improve on-time performance through a $1.57 billion FY16 budget.
SEPTA to begin modernization project next week
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will begin a modernization project on its Route 101/102 (Media/Sharon Hill) trolley lines June 15.
AAR: Freight railroads making measurable strides toward PTC implementation
Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger said that America’s freight rail industry is making progress on positive train control (PTC) and remains committed to ensure all is being done to safely reach the goal of nationwide interoperability.