The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, officially opening the new University Transportation Center (UTC) for Railway Safety, which was made possible through a two-year, $3-million grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).
Sound Transit will conduct an open house on February 13 to provide the public an early opportunity to learn about the proposed concepts for replacing the aging Tacoma Trestle, a timber bridge east of Freighthouse Square, which was originally constructed more than 100 years ago and will be replaced with a modern, concrete, double-track structure.
California High-Speed Rail Authority’s (CHSRA) Board of Directors approved right-of-way engineering and surveying contracts with five California firms.
Tutor Perini Corporation has been awarded two contracts by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for portions of the East Side Access (ESA) project, collectively valued at approximately $844 million.
Wabtec Corporation has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Fandstan Electric Group Ltd., a rail and industrial equipment manufacturer, for about $215 million. Wabtec expects the transaction to be completed in the first quarter of 2014, subject to closing conditions and competition authority clearance.
The province of Ontario, Canada, is making CA$5 million (US$ 4.5 million) in upgrades to the Etobicoke North GO Station, which will include extending the platform to accommodate 12-car trains; installing a raised mini platform that connects to on-board train ramps for increased accessibility; adding heated shelters and more lighting and creating 10 more accessible parking spaces.
Transport Canada has proposed grade crossings regulations that would establish new safety standards for federally-regulated grade crossings.
Kansas City Southern (KCS) was prepared for a hard hit by Winter Storm Nika, which blanketed Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and parts of Arkansas and Oklahoma with several inches of snow, while southern portions of the network experienced some snow, ice and unusually cold temperatures.
Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corp. (PATH) says it is on track to meet the federal government’s December 2015 deadline for implementing positive train control (PTC) with work to begin on February 14.
Union Pacific‘s Board of Directors approved its 2014 capital spending plan of approximately $3.9 billion, up about $300 million versus 2013, driven primarily by the acquisition of 200 locomotives compared to 100 locomotives purchased in 2013 and somewhat higher capacity investments.
CSX plans to build a new rail inspection yard in Hopkinsville-Christian County, Ken., which will support hundreds of local construction and trade jobs while being built and will initially provide more than 50 on-site jobs servicing the growing freight rail corridor that stretches from the Southeast to the Midwest.
New York City Transit (NYCT) has completed a $31-million rehabilitation of Upper Manhattan’s Dyckman St. 1 Interborough Rapid Transit Station (IRT) after two years of work, including a new elevator linking the mezzanine level and the southbound platform.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has selected four teams to bid on a contract to design and build Package B of Phase 2 of the Silver Line project. Package B consists of the design and construction of a rail yard and maintenance facility to be built at Dulles International Airport.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is looking for a freight rail operator to provide rail services to businesses in Grant and Adams Counties and is now accepting bids through March 19.
In Portland, Ore., TriMet is requesting a mediator from the state’s Employment Relations Board (ERB) after the agency and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) failed to reach an agreement on wages and benefits.
Mining of the 2.5-kilometer (1.6-mile) tunnel for the Confederation Line Light Rail Transit project in Ottawa, ON, Canada, is proceeding on time and on budget with 10 percent of the tunnel excavation now complete.
U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) secured a commitment from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to deploy a new track inspection program to Casselton, the site where a recent derailment occurred and where four derailments have taken place in nine years.
Houston Metro‘s new East End (Green) Line tracks have been undergoing tests by dragging a light-rail vehicle up and down the track with a diesel-powered-shuttle, and crews have been performing live-wiring testing. The test covers 2.3 miles of the 3.3-mile tracks.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Board of Directors awarded a $25.6-million design/build contract to F. H. Paschen, S.N. Nielsen and Associates, LLC, for the rehabilitation of the Damen, Western and California stations to improve and upgrade the O’Hare branch of the Blue Line.
BNSF has planned a capital commitment plan of approximately $5 billion for 2014, approximately a $1 billion increase over its 2013 capital spend.
