Wallut appointed president of Alstom Transportation; SVP of North American rail business
Jerome Wallut has been appointed president of Alstom Transportation Inc. and senior vice-president of Alstom’s North American rail transportation business.
Wabtec acquires Australian signal design service firm C2CE
Wabtec Corporation has acquired C2CE Pty Ltd., an Australian-based provider of railway signal design services. C2CE provides turnkey train control, signaling and communications solutions, including design, project management and installation for railway markets in Australia and Southeast Asia. The company also designs and installs high- and low-voltage power distribution systems and provides electrical and communications solutions for industrial markets.
Minneapolis approves Southwest LRT
The Minneapolis City Council granted the Southwest light-rail transit project municipal consent, allowing the Metropolitan Council to seek approval from the federal government to enter Final Engineering. Hennepin County and the cities of Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Hopkins and St. Louis Park all provided municipal consent to the project previously.
Chicago-St. Louis HSR receives a $102-million investment
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Jobs Now! capital program will make a $102-million investment to improve system performance and reliability on a key segment of the Chicago-to-St. Louis high-speed rail line.
CTA to perform renovations on Blue Line station
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) will close the California Blue Line station for 42 days beginning Thursday, September 4, for major renovations as part of the “Your New Blue” modernization program for the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line. The station is scheduled to re-open October 16.
UP reorganizes its operating department
Union Pacific made multiple operating department appointments, which went into affect September 1.
UNITRAC hires new VP of operations
UNITRAC Railroad Materials, Inc., has hired Scott Arnold as the vice president of operations at UNITRAC’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in Knoxville, Tenn. Arnold comes from Yale Locks, where he served as the director of operation and brings with him more than 20 years of manufacturing experience.
Scanlon retiring as head of San Mateo County Transit District
Michael J. Scanlon, who has led the San Mateo County Transit District for the past 15 years, is retiring. The Transit District is an administrative body that holds jurisdiction over SamTrans bus service, Caltrain commuter rail and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority.
GCRTA opens Cedar-University Rapid Station
Officials from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) joined local Cleveland officials, as well as representatives from the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority on Aug. 28 for a ribbon cutting ceremony at Cleveland’s Cedar-University Rapid Station.
Maryland DOT terminates agreement, pulls funding of CSX Morrell Park facility
The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) said on Aug. 28 that it has terminated its agreement with CSX Transportation, Inc., and CSX Intermodal Terminals, Inc., (CSX) to attempt location of the Baltimore Rail Intermodal Facility at Morrell Park and has pulled all state funding from the project.
MTA’s Blue Ribbon Panel makes final recommendations
A Blue Ribbon Panel of transportation experts studying safety and maintenance practices at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) three railroad operations – Metro-North Railroad, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and New York City Transit (NYCT) – has released its final recommendations for improvement, including creating better data systems to monitor track conditions, adjusting schedules to provide more time for track work and bolstering the safety culture at Metro-North.
UP invests $20 million in Kansas’ infrastructure; begins double track project in Texas
Union Pacific will strengthen Kansas’ transportation infrastructure by investing $20 million in the rail line between Topeka and Kansas City, Kan. The project, funded entirely by Union Pacific, began June 16 and is scheduled to be completed by mid-November.
R.J. Corman acquires Roadway Working Training
R.J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC (RJC), has acquired Roadway Worker Training, Inc. (RWT), based in St. Augustine, Fla.
Oklahoma plans $100-million grade crossing safety initiative
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin are implementing a new initiative to fast-track hundreds of projects to improve more than 300 rail crossings statewide and upgrade safety warning features on rail crossings.
Rocla opens new crosstie manufacturing facility
Rocla Concrete Tie, Inc. (RCTI), supplier of pre-stressed concrete ties, has opened a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in San Jose Iturbide, Mexico.
Springfield Rail Improvements Project begins with grade separation
Local and federal officials gathered on Thursday, August 21, 2014, for a ground-breaking ceremony of a underpass at Carpenter Street in Springfield, Ill. The grade separation is part of a larger rail project that will consolidate rail traffic and improve safety as part of the Chicago to St. Louis high-speed corridor.
CTC allocates funds for California rail projects
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated funds for three California rail projects.
FRA funds grants for Short Line Safety Institute
The Federal Railroad Administration funded two grants totaling $350,000 to support development of a Short Line Safety Institute. The institute will help mitigate risk associated with shipping hazardous materials by rail by working to improve the culture of safety within the shortline and regional rail industry while improving its overall safety record.
Met Council receives federal OK to begin design of Blue Line extension
The Metropolitan Council received federal approval to begin designing the METRO Blue Line Extension northwest of Minneapolis, Minn., the region’s fourth light-rail transit project. Future approvals needed include approval to enter Final Engineering (anticipated late 2016) and approval of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (anticipated in 2018).
LACMTA released DEIS for proposed Eastside rail extension
A Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) on a proposed extension of the Gold Line light-rail system from East Los Angeles to either South El Monte or Whittier was released by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA).