Colo Railroad Builders’ Texas Division hits safety milestone
Colo Railroad Builders’ Texas Division has worked 1,000 days injury free.
Charlotte receives federal funds for LYNX Blue Line project
Charlotte, N.C., has received $18 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to expand the LYNX Blue Line.
SCVTA to begin grade separation, bridge replacement and other safety enhancements
On Friday, September 28, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority in California will break ground on the Mission/Warren Area Improvements Project (MW Project).
Rehabbed CTA Thorndale Red Line Station to open
On September 28, Chicago Transit Authority will reopen the doors of a cleaner, brighter and renewed Thorndale Red Line station to customers and the Edgewater community.
New DART budget sets groundwork for expanded rail operations
The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors approved a $1.07 billion budget for fiscal year 2013 that supports expanded Orange and Blue Lines, as well as the continued construction towards a direct rail connection to DFW Airport in 2014.
UP makes operating department changes
Union Pacific made operating department changes, which will be effective October 1.
Projected TEX Rail ridership higher in annual update to FTA
New projections show that in Texas, the Fort Worth Transportation Authority’s TEX Rail will reach an average daily ridership of 18,100 by 2035, up 1,500 since the T’s commuter rail project was approved to enter preliminary engineering by the Federal Transit Administration in March, 2012.
ARRC washout repair going better than expected
Alaska Railroad Corporation (ARRC) track repair crews have made better-than-expected progress in repairing a major washout that has left 500 feet of the mainline track dangling just south of Gold Creek (ARRC Milepost 261, about 35 miles north of Talkeetna).
Amtrak testing higher speeds along NEC
Beginning September 24 and continuing into next week, Amtrak plans to operate high-speed test trains at 165 mph in four areas covering more than 100 miles of the Northeast Corridor.
MassDOT Board of Directors appoints Scott MBTA GM
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors appointed Beverly Scott as general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and MassDOT Rail and Transit Division Administrator. A 30-year transportation veteran, Scott will be the first female general manager of the MBTA.
TTCI adds NYCT’s Bianco to board
Transportation Technology Center, Inc., Board of Directors elected Carmen Bianco, senior vice president, Department of Subways, New York City Transit, as a new board member.
Multimodal transportation center in Joliet, Ill., breaks ground
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, joined by Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider and other state and local officials, broke ground September 21 on a new multimodal transportation center in downtown Joliet, Ill.
PANYNJ to study extending PATH rail service to Newark Liberty International Airport
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners approved long-awaited plans to consider extending the World Trade Center-Newark PATH rail line to Newark Liberty International Airport.
NJ DOT and NJ Transit unveils “Another Train Coming” safety device
Transportation Commissioner and NJ Transit Board Chairman James Simpson joined NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein September 21 at Plauderville Station in Garfield to unveil a new “Another Train Coming” rail safety device designed to enhance pedestrian safety around the tracks. The installation is part of an ongoing effort to ramp up rail safety across the state through recommendations from the NJ Safety at Railroad Crossings Leadership Oversight Committee.
“Ensuring the safety of NJ Transit customers and residents in the communities we serve requires a multifaceted approach, which is what the committee aims to achieve through its ‘E-cubed’ tactics-engineering, enforcement and education,” said Commissioner Simpson. “While Plauderville Station’s new technological warning system represents the engineering component, it will be supported by an array of other initiatives, including crossing enforcement by the NJ Transit Police Department and NJ Transit’s continuous efforts to educate our school children through our successful rail safety program.”
The New Jersey Department of Transportation and NJ Transit recently installed the “Another Train Coming” warning system at the Outwater Lane grade crossing, adjacent to the Plauderville rail station. The warning system consists of active signs in all four quadrants of the rail crossing, with an LED text message that reads, “DANGER, Another Train Coming,” as well as an audio component that repeatedly sounds the same message.
Metrolink and SCRST enforce safety at five crossings
As part of California’s Rail Safety Month, Metrolink and the Southern California Rail Safety Team (SCRST) targeted law violators at five crossings in the cities of Los Angeles and San Fernando on September 21.
CP hires vice president and CIO
Canadian Pacific appointed Michael Redeker to vice president and chief information officer, effective October 15, 2012. Redeker was most recently chief information officer at ATB Financial.
Sandhogs join MTA tunnels in Queens and Manhattan
Sandhogs working on the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s East Side Access megaproject broke through the final piece of reinforced concrete separating newly built tunnels in Queens from newly built tunnels in Manhattan.
First TRACS safety meeting with FTA oversight underway
The U.S. Department of Transportation kicked off the first meeting of the Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS) since President Obama signed the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act” (MAP-21), which granted the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) authority to implement and enforce transit safety oversight standards on heavy rail, light rail, buses, ferries and streetcars.
Metrolinx seeking private operator, not TTC, for Eglinton light rail
Metrolinx recently decided to engage in a process known as Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP), where a private company will design, build, finance, maintain and operate its new light-rail lines.
NCDOT awarded $26.5 million to alleviate passenger rail congestion
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $26.5 million to the North Carolina Department of Transportation to improve reliability and reduce delays on Amtrak service in eastern North Carolina. The resulting improvements are centered in the area between Rocky Mount, N.C. and Petersburg, Va., and will improve service for both the Amtrak Carolinian line, which runs between New York City and Charlotte, N.C., and the Amtrak long distance trains that run between New York City and Florida.