Norfolk Southern and Operation Lifesaver are bringing their Whistle-Stop safety train tour to Delaware and eastern and central Pennsylvania to stress the importance of public safety around railroad tracks.
Auto Truck opened a new work truck upfitting and manufacturing facility June 23, located at 3699 N. Booth Avenue, Kansas City, Mo.
Alaska Railroad (ARRC) crews continue to make progress on plugging an 80-foot-long washout following high waters at Skookum Creek (ARRC milepost 59.7).
The incident began about 7:30 a.m. June 17, when high water eroded the trackbed, leaving the track suspended over the water. Alaska Railroad track maintenance crews, heavy equipment and a rockhauling work train have been working round-the clock for three days to plug the gap and re-route a high volume of water.
“Earlier this week, this area experienced significant isolated rainfall that measured as much as a half inch every 10-15 minutes for a sustained period,” said ARRC Vice President Engineering Clark Hopp. “We are essentially dealing with a new river channel that did not previously exist.”
While freight traffic is not affected, passenger train traffic southbound from Anchorage has been suspended since the incident occurred. A decision to restore passenger service will be made at 7p.m. on June 20 and is based on the progress of the repair efforts.
The railroad has not yet determined the final financial impact of the outage. However, ARRC says revenue losses are expected to reach tens of thousands of dollars due to refunds and cancellations. Track repair expenses will also be considerable, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Virginia’s Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) approved a $13.1 billion, six-year improvement program, which allocates
$3.2 billion for rail and public transportation projects.
U.S. Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patty Murray (D-WA), ranking member and chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, respectively, have introduced a bill that would authorize a new Short Line Rail Safety Institute the senators say will enhance the safety practices and culture of shortline railroads.
Union Pacific will strengthen Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure by investing $11 million in the rail line between Rusk and near Eau Claire and between Black River Falls and Wyeville, Wis. The project, which is funded entirely by Union Pacific, began June 5 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Board of Directors has awarded a $210-million contract for the South Coast Rail Project to Vanasee Hangen Brustlin/HNTB Corporation, officially moving the project from planning into construction.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is launching an emergency project on June 20, 2014, to repair the light-rail tracks and prevent further erosion of land around the Cold Spring Station due to heavy rains. Emergency work will require the temporary closure of the Mt. Washington, Cold Spring and Woodberry stations for approximately three weeks and MTA anticipates the project should be complete by July 11, 2014, weather permitting.
Alaska Railroad passenger train traffic southbound from Anchorage was interrupted June 17 due to high water damage to the track at Skookum Creek, located between Luebner Lake and Portage.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) says its Bay Area Rapid Transportation (BART) Silicon Valley Project, Phase II, is well positioned to receive unanticipated funding through the state’s Cap and Trade Program, included in the 2014-15 state budget spending plan.
Two representatives, Kathleen Fox and Faye Ackermans, have been appointed to new positions at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Fox, who has enjoyed a four-decade career in the aviation sector, including membership of the Transportation Safety Board since 2007, will become the board’s next chairperson. Ackermans, a 25-year veteran of the rail industry, has been appointed as a part-time member of the Transportation Safety Board.
The California General Assembly and Gov. Jerry Brown reached a budget deal that will includes a $250 million appropriation for high-speed rail in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
The Indiana Rail Road (INRD) outlines a new bridge project that will get underway in July and details its new and rebuilt fleet of ballast cars in the latest edition of its newsletter, “Mileposts.”
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) celebrated the completion of tunneling work for the Central Subway Project, the extension of the Muni Metro T Third Line.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) appointed Louis Gravel as president of Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. Gravel will succeed Mario Brault, who is retiring in September.
The Honolulu rail transit project has completed the first 100 support columns of the planned elevated rail system.
Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc., is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. Since the company’s founding in 1989, Unitrac has offered railroad products, special trackwork and railroad services to customers nationwide.
Metro Transit‘s METRO Green Line Light Rail Line, which links St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn., improving access to jobs and other opportunities, is now open to passengers.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed reconstruction of CSX‘s Virginia Avenue Tunnel, located immediately beneath Virginia Avenue in southeast District of Columbia.
GrandLinq, a public-private partnership (PPP) in which AECOM Technology Corporation participates, has been awarded a contract by the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
