FEC opens new facility adjacent to Port Everglades
Florida East Coast Railway, LLC (FEC) unveiled its new Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) adjacent to Port Everglades July 14.
LIRR union coalition set to strike
United Transportation Union Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (UTU-SMART) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) General Chairperson Anthony Simon on July 15 issued a statement on the labor situation at New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) LIRR.
JLP awarded $7-mllion contract
J.L. Patterson & Associates, Inc. (JLP), has been awarded a $7 million contract by the North County Transit District to provide bridge inspection and management services for the district’s major bridge structures.
UP performing trackwork between Milwaukee and Sheboygan
Union Pacific will strengthen Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure by investing $6.1 million in the rail line between Milwaukee and near Sheboygan, Wis. The project, funded entirely by Union Pacific, began June 10 and is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of September.
NRC contributes to three University rail programs
Over the past four years, the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association, Inc. (NRC), has made financial contributions to a variety of university rail education and training programs in an effort to support up-and-coming professionals seeking careers in the rail industry and to help develop a well-qualified workforce for its member companies.
In Memoriam: Richard W. Sprague, 1929-2014
Richard Wilder Sprague, 85, retired senior vice president of Bangor and Aroostook Railroad (BAR), died peacefully on July 5, 2014, in Malvern, Pa.
InnoTrans 2014: Largest ever
InnoTrans 2014 is shaping up to be the largest-ever of this biennial global railway trade show, which attracts close to 3,000 companies representing every railway discipline.
San Fernando Valley ban on light rail lifted
California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation, which will allow the installation of light-rail transit along the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) Orange Line. The bill, authored by Assembly Member Adrin Nazarian, provides the flexibility needed to address the growing demands of public transportation in the Greater San Fernando Valley.
Ohio plans work on 11 crossings
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has approved 11 highway-rail grade crossing projects in Hamilton, Hancock, Sandusky, Portage, Erie, Butler and Paulding counties.
DART readies new DFW Station
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW Airport) are making final preparations on the last segment of the Orange Line, which arrives at the new DFW Airport Station on August 18. Soon, the country’s longest light-rail system will connect to the country’s fourth-busiest airport, providing more transportation options for travelers.
Gripping fastening systems
Albeit tiny, fastening systems are important to railroads and transit systems worldwide, as they hold everything in place.
CSX completes maintenance jamboree
Earlier this month, more than 525 CSX employees worked to complete the company’s 2014 maintenance “Jamboree” on a section of its network in the Southeast, replacing about 68,000 ties and 200,000 feet of rail and completing nearly 120 miles of surfacing work.
Hudson Bay Railway reopens
The Hudson Bay Railway line reopened on July 5, 2014, with freight train 295 arriving in Churchill, SK, Canada, carrying supplies for the community after OmniTRAX Canada suspended service due to permafrost issues.
Sound Transit launches first Northgate Link TBM
The first of two tunnel boring machines (TBM) that will dig Sound Transit’s new twin light-rail tunnels from the Northgate neighborhood in Seattle to the University of Washington (UW) began mining July 9.
NJ Transit adopts FY15 operating and capital budgets
The New Jersey Transit Board of Directors approved a $2.019-billion operating budget that holds fares stable for the fifth consecutive fiscal year and a $1.203-billion capital program that supports continued investments in infrastructure and equipment to maintain the system in a state of good repair for Fiscal Year 2015.
INRD’s track investment results in faster train speeds
The Indiana Rail Road (INRD) is investing millions of dollars in private capital on the north end of its Indianapolis Subdivision this summer, which will result in faster, quieter-moving trains and smooth grade crossings.
All Aboard Florida unveils design for Fort Lauderdale station
Local Florida officials joined All Aboard Florida executives at the revealing of designs for the passenger service’s new Fort Lauderdale station, which was planned and designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) in association with Zyscovich Architects.
Expansion of rail unloading capacity at Port Metro Vancouver complete
Work to expand the rail unloading capacity of the West Coast Reduction facility at Port Metro Vancouver has been completed.
Minneapolis, Met Council’s Southwest LRT tentative agreement removes shallow tunnel from plan
Minneapolis and the Metropolitan Council (Met Council) have reached a tentative agreement regarding the plan to build the Southwest Light Rail Project from Minneapolis to Eden Prairie, Minn.
LACMTA makes recommendation for Purple Line extension contractor
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) recommended awarding a $1.636-billion contract to design and build a 3.9-mile extension of the Purple Line subway from Wilshire and Western to Wilshire and La Cienega to a joint venture composed of three construction companies.