The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) celebrated its 25th anniversary April 11. The light-rail system began as a 6.6-mile segment and has grown into 42.2 miles, 62 stations, 21 park and ride lots and a fleet of 104 trains and trolleys.
Koppers Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire the Wood Preservation and Railroad Services businesses of Osmose Holdings, Inc.
The state of Illinois will make a $223-million state capital investment that will create hundreds of jobs and restart Amtrak service between Rockford and Chicago beginning in 2015.
Canada’s Minister of Transport, Lisa Raitt, has issued a Section 31 Notice and Order to VIA Rail to immediately address safety issues at six railway crossings in the Barrhaven community of Ottawa.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) next week will begin major work on the rehabilitation of the Harrison Red Line station and the Orange Line’s 18th Street Connector, as part of a larger $92 million transportation investment in the Near South Side.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) will receive a $1,656,401-grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to help restore the Great Western Railway that was devastated by severe flooding in September.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has approved seven grade crossing projects in Columbiana, Defiance, Mahoning, Putnam, Seneca and Summit counties.
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.
