Hennepin County, Minn., breaks ground on the Interchange project
Hennepin County, Minn., broke ground on its multi-million dollar Interchange project.
CATS Blue Line Extension to enter final design with FTA approval
The Charlotte Area Transit System in North Carolina has received approval from the Federal Transit Administration to enter Final Design for the 9.3-mile LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE) light-rail project. This allows the project to be developed from the 65 percent to the 100 percent design level and complete preparation of final construction plans, right-of-way acquisition, construction cost estimates, bid documents and utility relocation.
SC Ports pursuing inland port to improve efficiency of freight movement
The South Carolina Ports Authority is pursuing the development of an inland port in Greer, S. C., to improve the efficiency of international container movements between the Port of Charleston, the South Carolina Upstate and neighboring states.
Harsco to refurbish Houston light-rail bridge
Harsco Corporation has secured an extended role in its ongoing support of the Houston Metro light-rail project to refurbish the historic Main Street Bridge in Houston, Texas.
Watco names two to new positions
Watco Companies named Gary Vaughn senior vice president, regulatory rela¬tions and compliance.
Gannett Fleming names Mulqueen transit rail practice manager
Bryan Mulqueen was named the national manager of Gannett Fleming’s Transit & Rail Practice. In this role, Mulqueen is responsible for maintaining the quality and consistency of the practice’s work products, leading the growth of the practice and facilitating work sharing and staffing of projects. Based in the Raleigh, N.C., office, Mulqueen also serves as a vice president and project principal for a number of the firm’s transit projects.
Amtrak updates high-speed vision plans
A new report issued by Amtrak summarizes and updates the ongoing planning efforts to expand capacity on the Northeast Corridor rail network to accommodate more trains operating at faster speeds with significantly reduced trip times and improved service reliability, while also developing 220 mph next generation high-speed rail.
Grade crossings in Washington, Ohio to see improvements
Washington state regulators approved funds to improve the safety at two railroad crossings in Stevens County, Wash.
Caltrain modernization progresses with California HSR vote
The California Legislature’s vote to approve funding for the Caltrain Modernization Project as part of the California High-speed Rail Authority’s effort marks a milestone in bringing modern electric rail service to the San Francisco Bay area. The bill authorizes $600 million in high-speed rail funds to modernize Caltrain.
NYCT plans rail bridge and trackwork
New York City Transit will advance rehabilitation of a bridge and perform another round of FASTRACK improvements in the coming weeks.
California approves high-speed rail funding
On Friday, July 6, the California Senate followed the State Assembly in approving funds for the first 130 miles of the planned high-speed rail corridor. Voter-approved bonds to finance the project can now be sold with the bill’s passage.
REES 2012 a success for railway engineering education
A successful Railway Engineering Education Symposium (REES) was held June 11-13 in Overland Park, Kan. REES 2012 brought together 28 “student professors” and 21 instructors, who represented more than 30 universities from both the United States and Canada.
CN to build five sidings on B.C. North Line
Canadian National plans to construct five extended sidings on its B.C. North Line in 2012 as part of a multi-year capital program to expand freight train capacity to handle growing freight volumes along its important Edmonton, Alberta, to Prince Rupert, B.C., corridor.
Ingram resigns from CP’s Board of Directors
Tony Ingram has resigned from the Canadian Pacific Board of Directors. This is the third member of the board to resign in the past month following a tough proxy battle that came to a head at the railroad’s annual meeting in May in which then-president and CEO, Fred Green, stepped down.
OneRail Coalition eager to work with Congress on further improvements
The OneRail Coalition, a diverse group of rail stakeholders, issued a statement congratulating both parties and the House and the Senate for working together to advance transportation reauthorization legislation, which saves and creates millions of jobs by maintaining federal transportation spending at current levels.
Loudoun County on board with Dulles rail
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to fund Phase 2 of the planned rail extension to Dulles Airport. The county’s estimated portion of the project, which will extend Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Silver Line from Reston to Loudoun, is $270 million.
RTD recommends Kiewit proposal to complete full I-225 rail line
Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) staff recommended to the RTD Board of Directors to move forward with a proposal from Kiewit Infrastructure Co., to complete the I-225 Light Rail Line to Peoria, Colo.
WMATA takes delivery of track geometry vehicle
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has accepted delivery of its first track geometry vehicle (TGV), a specialized railcar equipped with advanced technology to analyze the condition of rail and track infrastructure and to alert WMATA to potential defects.
LACMTA gets FTA go ahead on Regional Connector Project
The Federal Transit Administration granted the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority a Record of Decision for the $1.37 billion Regional Connector Transit Corridor, officially certifying that the project has now satisfied all federal environmental guidelines.
Houston Metro celebrates six-mile mark on LRT extension
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Houston, Texas, has completed six miles on the light-rail transit extension. Six miles equals about 64,000 linear feet of track in the ground, leaving nine miles to go.