Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle presented a proposed solution to further strengthen the financial plan of Honolulu’s rail project, remain on target for its successful completion and obtain full funding in the amount of $1.55 billion from the federal government.
BNSF plans a 2012 capital commitment program of approximately $3.9 billion, a $400 million increase over its 2011 capital spend of $3.5 billion.
A fourth round of the TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant program will make $500 million available for surface transportation projects having a significant impact on the nation, a metropolitan area or region.
GO Transit’s new Allandale Waterfront Station in Barrie, ON, Canada, has opened for service. The new station allows GO Transit to extend service further into downtown Barrie, which will improve access and increase ridership on the Barrie line.
The Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads in Virginia selected William Harrell as the new president and CEO of Hampton Roads Transit. The vote was unanimous.
The Association of American Railroads said the nation’s major freight railroads are projected to invest a record $13 billion in capital expenditures in 2012 to expand, upgrade and enhance the nation’s freight rail network. The freight railroads also expect to hire more than 15,000 employees this year, replacing retiring workers and adding new positions nationwide.
The Kansas City Southern de Mexico and Raloy Lubricants Company opened the Diamond International transload center for the handling of liquid and dry cargo. With capacity to handle 400 rail cars and 27,000 tons annually, the transload center will be operated by Raloy, whose products are specialized lubricants used primarily in the automotive industry.
For the first time in its history, Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service between Chicago and Milwaukee, has a ridership that surpassed 800,000 in 2011. The year-end numbers put ridership at 823,163. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, that is a nearly four percent increase from 2010 when ridership totaled 792,848.
United Transportation Union-represented engineers and conductors employed by Apache Railroad in Arizona have ratified a new three-year agreement providing for wage increases, certification pay, improvements in disability and life insurance benefits, an increase in the employer match for a 401-k plan, substantial improvements in the healthcare insurance plan and a reduction in the employee contribution.
RailComm has been chosen to provide its Domain Operations Controller train control system for Paducah & Louisville Railway in Kentucky. The DOC system will have functionality for Track Warrant Control and Centralized Traffic Control through the companies web-enabled software-as-a-service delivery method.
The $1.3 billion SunRail project in central Florida broke ground on Friday, January 27, 2012, at the future home of the Altamonte Springs station, located at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and State Road in Seminole, Fla.
The cleanup of almost 2 million railroad ties from a site in Radford, Va., brings to an end a multi-year effort to clear the former industrial location and eliminate a potential environmental concern. Norfolk Southern completed removal of the ties earlier this month, delivering on a long-standing offer to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality to transport the ties for free if a suitable disposal site could be found.
Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco, Calif., is continuing its work of earthquake safety strengthening of the Transbay Tube, which was not damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake but remains BART’s top earthquake safety priority.
United Transportation Union engineers, conductors and collectors employed by Chicago South Shore & South Bend, an electric-line passenger operation between Chicago and South Bend, Ind., have ratified a new two-year agreement.
Port San Antonio in Texas and Watco Companies, L.L.C., plan to launch a new rail service at the Port’s East Kelly Railport.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s reconstruction of its Piedmont & Northern Rail Corridor in Gaston County, N.C., will be significantly completed by February 20, 2012. This will allow operation of trains over the corridor for the first time in more than 20 years. Patriot Rail will provide freight rail service to customers over the line.
Canada’s Evergreen Line in Vancouver, B.C., is taking a major step forward with pre-construction beginning in the next couple of weeks, bringing new jobs and improved transit options for residents of Metro Vancouver.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood proposed a significant change in the way major transit projects compete for federal funds by streamlining the process and making decisions more responsive to local needs.
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s PATH rail system reported record ridership in 2011, with 76.6 million commuter trips made during the year, the highest number since the agency took over operation of the system in 1962.
Yangtze Railroad Materials named Jeremy Tucker national sales manager.
