NCDOT names new rail division director
The North Carolina Department of Transportation appointed Anthony Fuller as the new director of the Rail Division.
Additional funding safeguard approved for HART rail project
A bill establishing a method for short-term borrowing as a safeguard for Honolulu’s rail project was approved Wednesday, clearing the way for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation to secure $1.55 billion in federal funding.
Amtrak awarded IT award for its eTicketing program
IDG’s CIO magazine awarded Amtrak the 2012 CIO 100 for its eTicketing program as an innovative business technology application. The 25th annual award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology.
Manufacturer rep agency, Railliance, Inc., launches
Industry sales veteran Eric Schook has formed Railliance, Inc., a manufacturer’s rep agency specifically focused on rail (freight, transit and industrial) industries. Schook has nearly 20 years of experience in domestic and international railway supply with Cattron, Hirschmann and Ansaldo STS.
BNSF plans $65 million capital program in New Mexico
BNSF plans to invest an estimated $65 million on track and rail capacity improvement projects in New Mexico this year.
CP awards Parsons-LifeSpan structural monitoring contract
Parsons has been awarded a contract by Canadian Pacific for the structural monitoring and advanced condition assessment of its La Crosse Rail Bridge. The bridge was one of the first 15 bridges built across the Mississippi River and it spans between La Crescent, Minn., and La Crosse, Wis.
CSX and NASCAR’s Regan Smith urge motorists and pedestrians to exercise care around railroad tracks
CSX Corporation and NASCAR driver Regan Smith kicked off Train Safety Awareness Week by reminding people to stay away from railroad tracks and use caution at grade crossings.
LACMTA to open Culver City and Farmdale stations along Expo Line
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will officially open to the public both the Culver City Station and the Farmdale Station along the recently-opened Expo Line on Wednesday, June 20 at 12 noon.
CTA to rebuild 10-mile stretch of Red Line
The Chicago Transit Authority plans to take on one of the biggest CTA construction projects in CTA history: the complete reconstruction of the South Red Line from Cermak-Chinatown to 95th Street.
SANDAG begins construction on Sorrento to Miramar Double Track Project
The San Diego Association of Governments started construction on Phase 1 of the Sorrento to Miramar Double Track Project, one of 20 capital improvement projects now in development along San Diego County’s 60-mile segment of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo rail corridor (LOSSAN).
Paul Haggis to lead CP Board
Canadian Pacific elected Paul Haggis to chairman of the company’s board of directors.
BNSF to invest $80 million in Arizona track maintenance
BNSF plans to invest an estimated $80 million on maintenance and rail capacity improvement projects in Arizona this year.
UP plans $19 million capital program in Colorado and Wyoming
Union Pacific is enhancing transportation infrastructure in Colorado and Wyoming by investing more than $19 million.
APTA: Public transportation ridership surged in first quarter
Public transportation ridership surged in the first quarter of 2012, as Americans took nearly 2.7 billion trips, an increase of five percent over the first quarter of last year, according to a report released by the American Public Transportation Association. This was the fifth consecutive quarter of U.S. public transit ridership increase, as 125.7 million more trips were taken than the first quarter of 2011.
M/W workers on M&NA ratify first agreement with UTU
United Transportation Union-represented maintenance-of-way employees on Missouri & North Arkansas Railroad, who chose the UTU as their bargaining representative in January, have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement.
LACMTA begins advanced utility relocation work for Crenshaw/LAX light-rail
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun the advanced utility relocation work for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor construction project, which is the first contract awarded under LACMTA’s new Project Labor Agreement, a pact between LACMTA and the building trades to implement a targeted hiring program that will help provide jobs to economically disadvantaged workers.
Holland buys L.B. Foster’s railway securement business
L.B. Foster Company has completed the sale of its railway securement business to Holland, L.P. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. L.B. Foster acquired the shipping systems division as part of its acquisition of Portec Rail Products, Inc., in December 2010.
KCS set to increase speed on segments of its Gulfport to Hattiesburg line
Kansas City Southern is set to increase train speed over some segments of its Gulfport to Hattiesburg, Miss., line. Effective June 8, speeds will move from 10 to 25 mph, but a 10 mph speed limit will continue through downtown Wiggins for the time being.
WMATA’s GM and CEO responds to NTSB report
On May 17, the National Transportation Safety Board issued three reports involving a derailment, rear-end collision and an incident where a hi-rail maintenance vehicle struck two wayside workers on Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority property.
Caltrans awards funds for California transit projects
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) awarded approximately $350 million in grants to improve public transit across California. An estimated 80 projects will upgrade transit service, purchase eco-friendly buses, modernize transit stations and create jobs throughout the state. The grants are funded through Proposition 1B, the 2006 voter-approved transportation bond, which is providing $3.6 billion over a 10-year period to improve public transit in California.