SFMTA recommends two-year budget proposal with maintenance focus

The Transportation for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees all transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), released proposals to balance the agency’s upcoming two-year budget. The proposals make a significant investment in maintenance that will increase Muni’s reliability, reduce overtime through adequate staffing and focus on key initiatives such as the Transit Effectiveness Project.

Granite JV awarded $56 million Arizona streetcar project

Granite Construction Incorporated, in a joint-venture with Old Pueblo Trackworks, comprising Granite and RailWorks Track Systems, has been awarded a $56 million contract by the city of Tucson, Airz., to build the first federally-funded streetcar project in more than 60 years. Granite will book its share, approximately $29 million, into backlog during the first quarter of 2012.

Ground breaks to eliminate major bottleneck in Missouri

A groundbreaking in Osage, Mo., has taken place for a new railroad bridge that will eliminate one of the worst rail bottlenecks in the country. The $28 million project received $22.6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Program.

Illinois high-speed rail corridor work resumes

The Illinois Department of Transportation and Union Pacific will be upgrading Illinois’ high-speed route, Chicago-St. Louis, for future high-speed Amtrak trains, from April 16 through May 25. The improvements for 110-mph service include the installation of new premium rail with concrete crossties and ballast; upgrades to bridges, culverts and drainage; signal and wayside equipment installations and upgrades and roadway-rail grade crossing improvements.

Construction to begin on intermodal facility at Charlotte, N.C., airport

The City of Charlotte, N.C., signed a lease agreement with Norfolk Southern Corporation, a move that will kick off construction of Charlotte’s new regional intermodal facility at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). Once operational, the facility is expected to generate $9 billion in economic impact over the next 20 years.

LIRR expands quiet car pilot program

The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Long Island Rail Road is expanding its Quiet Car pilot program to include all peak hour trains on the Far Rockaway Branch and select rush hour trains on the Hempstead, Long Beach and West Hempstead branches beginning Monday, April 2.

CN sells two Toronto area lines to Metrolinx for GO Transit services

Canadian National sold two rail line segments in the Greater Toronto Area to Metrolinx for C$310.5 million (US$311.6 million).

GO Transit’s Richmond Hill commuter rail service operates over a portion of CN’s Bala Subdivision. Metrolinx is acquiring a segment of the subdivision from approximately Rosedale Valley Road north through the Don Valley to CN’s main east-west freight line north of Steeles Avenue near the Toronto-York Region border.

TEX Rail plans move forward with FTA approval

The Texas Fort Worth Transportation Authority’s TEX Rail commuter rail project has been approved by the Federal Transit Administration to advance to Preliminary Engineering.

The approval to enter PE will allow the authority to proceed with the engineering needed for construction.

New York MTA capital funds secured in deal

From the editors at Railway Age

New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo reportedly has brokered a deal with Republican state legislative leaders to fully fund the last three years of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s five-year capital plan.

LACMTA Expo Line to open April 28

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s new light-rail line between downtown Los Angeles and Culver City will open to the public on Saturday, April 28. This opening will be the segment from downtown Los Angeles to the Expo/La Cienega Station. Construction work continues on the Culver City station, which is expected to open later this summer.

Trio of trusses

Planning, coordination and structural engineering magic come together
on a project to replace three century-old bridges in Massachusetts.