Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn unveiled a six-year, $8.6-billion construction program that he says will improve roads and bridges throughout Illinois while making major investments in public transportation.
The Metropolitan Council voted 14-2 on April 9 to approve the Southwest LRT (METRO Green Line Extension) Project, the Minneapolis area’s third light-rail transit line.
A major tie replacement and track resurfacing project will get underway during the last two weeks of April on Metra’s BNSF Line to Aurora, Ill. Metra said the project is part of an effort to maintain and improve the quality of service.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) revealed its intention to issue a proposed rule requiring two-person train crews on crude oil trains and establishing minimum crew size standards for most mainline freight and passenger rail operations. The FRA also intends to advance a rulemaking on train securement and recommends a rulemaking on the movement of hazardous materials.
Amtrak awarded Michael Baker Jr., Inc., an engineering unit of Michael Baker International, a three-year, $4.2 million dollar contract to provide construction management and inspection services for five major projects as part of the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and Amtrak Hudson Line Improvements Program.
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, Regional Rail Authority and Housing and Redevelopment Authority gave approval Tuesday, April 8, to final agreements with United Properties, the Minnesota Twins and Metro Transit for development around Target Field Station, a multimodal transportation station located just to the west of the ballpark in Minneapolis, Minn.
A new report details how the Northeast Corridor (NEC), carrying 750,000 daily Amtrak and commuter passengers, is a critical national asset, an economic engine for the U.S. and contributes about $50 billion a year to the national economy.
Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), launched a new public service advertising (PSA) campaign called See Tracks? Think Train!, which aims to reduce pedestrian and driver injuries and fatalities around railroad tracks by highlighting behaviors that put people at risk.
Harsco Corporation Board of Directors has unanimously selected F. Nicholas Grasbergeras as the company’s president and chief operating officer, effective immediately. The appointment is the first step in a planned transition during which Grasberger will continue his duties as chief financial officer while the search for his successor in that role is conducted, and will become the company’s president and chief executive officer by mid-year 2014 once this process is complete.
Kinkisharyo, a North American manufacturer of low-floor light-rail cars, awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to Protran Technology LLC to outfit more than 500 railcars with the Protracker Roadway Worker Protection System (RWPS).
U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) led a letter from 16 senators, calling on the Senate Appropriations Committee to support new investment and resources for a Safe Transportation of Energy Products Fund to address existing and emerging issues related to the transportation of Bakken crude and other energy products. The Senators also called for increased investment for inspection personnel.
Union Pacific Railroad began work to improve infrastructure in Nebraska and by investing more than $9 million in the rail line between near Missouri Valley, Iowa, and Arlington, Neb. The project began April 1 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of the month.
Personnel from VIA Rail Canada will be monitoring the grade crossing area located near Fallowfield Station in Ottawa, Ontario, following several reports of faulty signals. The area encompasses the crossings at Fallowfield Road, Woodroffe Avenue and the OC Transpo Transitway.
The Chicago Transit Authority is changing its procedures concerning the scheduling of rail operators, the result of a comprehensive internal agency review of scheduling procedures following the March 24, 2014 incident at the O’Hare Blue Line station where an operator fell asleep at the controls and launched part of the train into an escalator.
A record number of attendees joined researchers from Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Association of American Railroads 19th Annual Research Review April 1-2, 2014. This year’s theme was “Innovative Technology Developments in North American Railways.”
The Senate Finance Committee passed legislation, Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act, on April 3 renewing a set of provisions known as “tax extenders.”
Two Illinois state agencies pledged funding for transportation studies covering Decatur and Macon County that will examine how to increase and better handle freight moving through the region. The studies will look for ways to capitalize on growth of multi-modal shipping at the region’s Midwest Inland Port and at the operations of Archer Daniels Midland Co.
The Evansville Western Railway, an affiliate of CSX, commenced operations at a state-of-the-art intermodal terminal located just off State Road 60 in Winter Haven, Fla. Known as the Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center (ILC), this facility serves as a centralized hub for transportation, logistics and distribution serving Orlando, Tampa and South Florida.
The Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-way Employees and Signalmen (FAMES) Committee published a series of recommendations to improve roadway worker projection when trackwork occurs where adjacent track is present. Between 1997 and 2012, 25 percent of roadway worker fatal accidents have occurred on adjacent track.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) began a project in late March to rehabilitate aging rails on San Jose Avenue, adjacent to the Cam Beach Yard near Balboa Park Station.
