TriMet Board adopts FY13 budget, includes cuts and fare changes to close shortfall
TriMet Board of Directors in Portland, Ore., adopted the agency’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget.
Parsons Brinkerhoff names two to management team
Parsons Brinckerhoff named Greg Kelly to the newly created position of global chief operating officer. Clifford Eby succeeds Kelly as president of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s Americas Transportation operating company.
Not quite the end of the line
To all my faithful readers, this will be the last monthly installment of “Chicago Perspective.” I thank you for giving me a platform for 13 years where my thoughts, opinions, theories and assessments of the industry have been allowed to flourish.
Signs, they are a-changin’
Chicago, where I live and where RT&S is put together each month, represents various things to various people. To my grandfather, who worked with the American Angus Association, memories of the old Union Stockyards come to mind.
SEPTA schedules track renewal project for Route 34 trolley
Track renewal for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority will take place on Baltimore Avenue from 40th to 42nd Street, 49th to 52nd Street, 54th to 55th Street and at the intersection at 58th Street.
Illinois to St. Louis HSR corridor enters final stage of construction
The Illinois Department of Transportation and Union Pacific are beginning the final phase of 2012 upgrades to Illinois’ signature high-speed route, Chicago-St. Louis, for future high-speed Amtrak trains.
Study says Caltrain modernization could produce billions in economic benefits
Modernizing San Fransisco-area Caltrain commuter service is expected to create the equivalent of almost 9,600 jobs, increase property values and generate overall economic benefits of up to $2.5 billion, according to a new study the Bay Area Council Economic Institute released ahead of a decision on high-speed rail that could provide critical funding for the project.
Rehabbed Amtrak station opens in Battle Creek, Michigan
The city of Battle Creek, Mich., has completed a $3.6-million renovation and remodeling of the Intermodal Transportation Center used by Amtrak and other carriers, transforming it into a modern facility that is so different that even the entrance and the address have been changed.
WSDOT has funds available for freight rail projects
The Washington State Department of Transportation is accepting applications to receive state funding for freight rail projects in Washington that create family-wage jobs and demonstrate the economic and environmental advantages of freight rail.
First twin tunnels section completed for TTC subway extension
The first 1.6 kilometers (one mile) of twin tunnels for the Toronto Transit Commission Toronto-York Spadina Subway Extension (TYSSE) in Canada has been completed.
Santa Clara VTA awards railroad relocation contract
California Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors voted Thursday, June 7, 2012, to authorize VTA’s general manager to execute a $45,040,277 contract with RGW Construction, Inc., for the Mission/Warren/Freight Railroad Relocation (MWT) Program improvements.
Raisbeck steps down from CP
David Raisbeck resigned from the Canadian Pacific Board of Directors, a position he has held since October 2009.
FRA issues final rule regarding ENS at grade crossings
The Federal Railroad Administration issued new regulations requiring railroads to install signs at grade crossings and pathway crossings with telephone numbers the public can use to alert railroad companies to unsafe conditions.
NJ Transit aims to keep citizens off the tracks
Led by duo public service announcements spotlighting the deadly consequences resulting from poor choices made at railroad crossings, NJ Transit Board Chairman and New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner James Simpson, NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein and members of the NJ Safety at Railroad Crossings Leadership Oversight Committee unveiled a new series of safety initiatives at separate events in Camden and Bergen counties.
FASTRACK returns to the NYCT’s Lexington Avenue Line
Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit is bringing FASTRACK back to the Lexington Avenue Line.
DesertXpress HSR project renamed XpressWest
DesertXpress Enterprises has renamed its Las Vegas to Southern California high-speed rail service “XpressWest” to more accurately reflect its role as the first leg of a larger western high-speed passenger rail network.
Port of Coos Bay preps for next phase of rail line rehabilitation
The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay issued documents and is seeking bids for the 2012 Major Track Rehabilitation Project. This is the largest reconstruction phase to date related to the Coos Bay Rail Line rehabilitation.
CTA Purple Line viaduct project progresses
Crews are continuing work on the Chicago Transit Authority Purple Line viaduct at Greenleaf Street in Evanston. Rail service along the Purple Line will be temporarily suspended from the Howard Terminal to the Davis Street station Friday, June 8 until 4 a.m. Monday, June 11.
SFMTA readies for Central Subway tunnel construction, names new director of capital programs and con
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in California is ramping up construction of the Central Subway with major work to prepare for tunneling, including excavation of almost an entire city block.
Chicago’s RTA releases Green Transit Plan
Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority and several of its transportation partners have released the Chicago Regional Green Transit Plan, which quantifies the environmental benefits of the region’s public transit system and will serve as the roadmap for how transit can help the Chicago region become more sustainable.