The Senate has approved a bill to fund several federal agencies for the 2012 fiscal year. The bill passed by a vote of 69 to 30 and now moves on to The House of Representatives, which has until November 18 to take action.
The Hondo Railway (HRR) was named Shortline of the Year at BNSF Railway’s 15th annual Shortline Conference held in Irving, Texas, on October 13, 2011.
The Hilton & Albany Railroad, Inc. (HAL), a newly formed subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI), signed an agreement with Norfolk Southern to lease and operate a 56-mile segment of NS track that runs from Hilton, Ga., to Albany, Ga.
CN and Ray-Mont Logistics entered an agreement to improve supply chain efficiencies and customer service for specialty grains.
Planning and development efforts for Amtrak’s existing Northeast Corridor and its proposed new, dedicated 220-mph next-generation high-speed rail system are being fully integrated within a new Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Investment Development business line. This integrated business line will bring together all Amtrak funding, policy and planning decisions regarding NEC improvements and ensure that the continued development of high-speed rail is a critical element of Amtrak’s plans for the Corridor.
Florida’s Jacksonville Port Authority, with assistance from the city of Jacksonville and the State of Florida, is seeking $25 million from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Discretionary Grant of the U.S. Department of Transportation for construction of a $45 million Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Dames Point Marine Terminal. The balance of the funding, $20 million, would come from the state.
The proposed ICTF would transport containerized cargo efficiently from ships to rail cars, increasing the port’s ability to move cargo quickly, reducing truck miles and decreasing exhaust emissions and highway maintenance costs. The project would also create employment and attract new business to the region.
"Adding an ICTF to JAXPORT’s already superior highway and rail connections will offer even more cost-effective solutions for shippers in an industry demanding efficiency and speed," said JAXPORT CEO Paul Anderson. "By taking this opportunity to attract federal investment in North Florida, we can continue to expand our competitiveness and our economic significance to the region, state and nation."
U.S. Representative John Lewis and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed joined the State Transportation Board, other officials and private-sector partners in commemorating the signing of an agreement for the initial development of a Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal and commercial center in downtown Atlanta.
To be located in the long under-utilized "Gulch" area near Philips Arena, the Georgia Dome and World Congress Center, the MMPT will be developed for the Georgia Department of Transportation by Forest City/Cousins/Integral, a consortium of private firms.
The Atlanta MMPT will be the hub for existing and proposed transportation networks serving Metro Atlanta and beyond, including MARTA rail and bus, regional express busses and the state’s passenger rail network. It may also accommodate future transportation, including high-speed rail, light rail and streetcar services.
In addition, it will serve as a catalyst for one of the largest Transit-Oriented Development projects in the U.S., with expected commercial, recreational and residential mixed-use development. Georgia Department of Transporation’s $12.2 million, two-year contract with the consortium will provide a conceptual design of the MMPT and potential funding options.
Lewis, a long-time supporter of the MMPT concept, said "it is a great day for Atlanta and the whole region. We have reached an important milestone in this development, and I look forward to returning in a few years for the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the MMPT."
"The Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal will help transform how we move around our city and region," said Reed. "The MMPT will serve as the focal point for many existing and future transit networks. It is an important part of the overall effort to improve and expand public transportation in metropolitan Atlanta and it will help our region maintain its competitive edge."
The Texas Department of Transportation submitted four applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation, requesting more than $93.8 million in federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery discretionary grant money to advance rail and highway projects across the state.
TxDOT is requesting grant money for three rail projects: $9.6 million to rehab the South Orient Railroad line from Sulphur Junction to Fort Stockton, $10 million to build additional track and make other rail improvements at the Port of Corpus Christi and $21.3 million for the multi-state Sunbelt Rail Rehabilitation project to upgrade the Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad, Kiamichi Railroad and Texas Northeastern Railroad lines in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The department is a co-applicant with Arkansas and Oklahoma on the SunbTxDOT submits four applications for TIGER grants
The Texas Department of Transportation submitted four applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation, requesting more than $93.8 million in federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery discretionary grant money to advance rail and highway projects across the state.
TxDOT is requesting grant money for three rail projects: $9.6 million to rehab the South Orient Railroad line from Sulphur Junction to Fort Stockton, $10 million to build additional track and make other rail improvements at the Port of Corpus Christi and $21.3 million for the multi-state Sunbelt Rail Rehabilitation project to upgrade the Dallas, Garland and Northeastern Railroad, Kiamichi Railroad and Texas Northeastern Railroad lines in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The department is a co-applicant with Arkansas and Oklahoma on the Sunbelt Rail Rehabilitation project.
Applications were selected based on the TIGER program criteria and how well they would compete nationally for a limited amount of funding, said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director.
"The agency is committed to providing a safe and efficient multi-modal transportation system, one with a sophisticated rail component designed to improve mobility, reduce congestion and drive economic development across the state," Wilson added.
elt Rail Rehabilitation project.
Applications were selected based on the TIGER program criteria and how well they would compete nationally for a limited amount of funding, said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director.
"The agency is committed to providing a safe and efficient multi-modal transportation system, one with a sophisticated rail component designed to improve mobility, reduce congestion and drive economic development across the state," Wilson added.
Patriot Rail Corp., a privately-held shortline and regional freight railroad company, through its Louisiana and North West Railroad subsidiary, has entered into a long-term lease and rail freight services agreement with Pro Sands Processing, LLC, a frac sand supply, storage and delivery services company serving the oil and gas industry.
Under the exclusive five-year agreement, Pro Sands will lease 10 acres of property at LNW’s newly-constructed Iron Bridge Road transload facility in Gibsland, LA. LNW will deliver freight carloads of frac sand to Pro Sands at the Iron Bridge Road facility where the product will then be dried, processed and transloaded to truck for delivery to energy customers in the region. Pro Sands has committed moving a minimum of 2,400 carloads of freight annually into the facility. Once the Pro Sands facility at Iron Bridge Road is fully operational, it is anticipated that LNW will move up to 5,000 annual carloads of frac sand for them.
"We are pleased to have Pro Sands join other shippers at our newly constructed Iron Bridge Road transload facility," said Patriot’s Chairman, President & CEO, Gary Marino. "Pro Sands is a well-known and established frac sand supplier and at this location will be positioned to serve the energy-related customers in the Haynesville shale region. This new business allows Patriot to fully utilize its assets at the LNW and generate significant carloads and guaranteed revenue."
Crews from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will begin replacement of concrete slabs along Red Line track from Harvard to Alewife. The track sits on concrete slabs that float on rubber disks, which absorb noise and vibration from trains. Years of water filtration into the tunnel has resulted in corrosion and cracking that must be addressed in order to maintain safe and reliable Red Line service.
MBTA work crews will be removing and replacing corroded concrete slabs as part of a project partially funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In addition to correcting problems with the floating slab structure, the project will involve the replacement of track and 3rd rail. Workers will also address leaks in the tunnel to prevent further deterioration.
The Federal Railroad Administration issued new regulations to improve conditions of rail camp cars, backing several recommendations by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the Teamsters Rail Conference.
The sleeping and eating quarters installed in former freight rail cars or trailers will now have to comply with the rules issued by the FRA, including requirements for potable hot and cold water for bathing and washing, an increase in minimum square footage of living space per occupant, improved sanitation provisions and restrictions against locating camp cars in the immediate vicinity of switching and humping of placarded rail cars carrying hazardous materials.
The new rule can be found here: http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/10/31/2011-27818/safety-and-health-requirements-related-to-camp-cars
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division represents 32,000 men and women who work to maintain and build rail track and related infrastructure on freight and commuter rail lines in the United States. Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Network Rail has awarded the £28 million (US$44.6 million) signaling contract for the Reading Western Mainlines program in Great Britain to Invensys Rail.
The scope of the overall program covers the remodeling of the Reading Station Area from Sonning to Pangbourne, a new train care depot and four new platforms, which will provide increased capacity at and through the station.
Over the four year contract period, Invensys will be responsible for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the signaling works, including new LED signals, gantries and posts and new lineside equipment.
The contract award follows the success of the Reading Enabling Project, an intensive 27-month program, which saw control of Reading Station transferred to three WESTLOCK computer-based interlockings at the new Thames Valley Signaling Control Center at Didcot. One of these will be remodeled as part of the Reading Southern Lines signaling project, which will be commissioned over Christmas 2011.
David Attmere, senior project manager at Invensys Rail said, "We’re absolutely delighted to have been awarded this contract, following the work that we have already completed for the Reading Remodeling program. The same core team will deliver this next program of work, remaining co-located on site with Network Rail. This arrangement has worked extremely well and has undoubtedly contributed to the success of the project to date. We’re now looking forward to working closely with our Network Rail colleagues to deliver this next challenging and technically complex program of work."
The first major commissioning of the Reading Western Mainlines project will deliver increased capacity at Reading Station and will take place over Easter 2013; the final commissioning is scheduled for August 2015.
CSX, NJ Transit and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority service on the East Coast has been affected by the severe autumn snowstorm over the weekend.
CSX freight service operating in Massachusetts and other areas of the Northeast has been slowed significantly. Customers with traffic that originates, terminates or passes through this region should expect delays of 24-48 hours as crews clear lines of snow and fallen trees.
Widespread commercial power outages also are impacting service. CSX equipment and personnel have been deployed across affected lines to restore service as quickly as possible.
NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex Lines, including the Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line rail service will remain suspended Monday, October 31, while crews remove hundreds of trees and repair miles of overhead wire damage.
An aerial inspection was made of the lines, which revealed the extensive damage caused by heavy, wet snow and strong winds that brought down the trees and overhead wires. Crews will continue to work around the clock today to make the necessary repairs.
MBTA commuter rail customers who use the Worcester/Framingham, Fitchburg and Haverhill lines should expect delays due to damage caused by the weekend storm. Delays will range anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.
Operations center employees of South Florida Tri-Rail, who are represented by the United Transportation Union, have their first collective bargaining agreement in place. It provides for a signing bonus; an immediate wage increase, plus additional wage increases in 2012 and 2013; a 40-hour weekly guarantee, plus punitive overtime pay; a reduction in the health care insurance premium; a meal period and a scope rule.
Additionally, the agreement provides an enhanced vacation entitlement; a path to enter train and engine service with seniority protection; a bid process for assignments; a formal process for grievance and discipline handling; a 401(k) plan with an employer match and work rules and conditions equivalent to those provided by contract for Tri-Rail’s train and engine workers represented by the UTU.
"Overall, this is an excellent first contract for a newly organized work group," said UTU International Vice President John Previsich, who assisted with negotiations. "It is always very difficult to provide any improvements to the status quo on a new contract as companies are very reluctant to reward employees for choosing to bargain collectively."
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority officially celebrated the completion of a renovation project at its Croydon Regional Rail station with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Federal Transit Administration Administrator Peter Rogoff, SEPTA Board Chairman Pasquale Deon, Sr., General Manager Joseph Casey, elected officials and community leaders celebrated the improvements made to the station, which serves SEPTA’s Trenton Line.
"Croydon Station is a vital transportation link for Bucks County residents traveling south to Philadelphia and north to Trenton for work, school and to make other rail connections for destinations along the Northeast Corridor," said Deon. "Croydon Station also serves as a stop for passengers on our Route 128 bus. It was important for SEPTA to update the station’s amenities to provide our customers with a safe, state-of-the-art station to serve all of their mass transit needs."
Renovations at Croydon Station began in June 2009 and cost $19 million. The project received $8.5 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, with the balance coming from non-ARRA FTA funding that included a 20 percent state and local match.
The station is now fully-compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, making it SEPTA’s 98th ADA accessible station. Additional improvements include full-level platforms with radiant-heated passenger shelters, new signage, lighting and audio/visual public address system; improved storm detention system; radiant heating beneath the exposed walkway and ramp to melt ice and snow; new off-street bus turn-outs and shelters for faster and easier connections between trains and buses; privacy wall on outbound parking lot to benefit local residents; new parking lot and lighting system and landscaping surrounding the parking area and station.
Denver, Colorado’s Regional Transportation District opened the new Auraria West Station, directly across from the site of the former station, on October 31. The station was moved so that it could be expanded to accommodate four-car trains and additional light rail coming into Denver Union Station. This expansion, which will make connections with Golden and downtown Denver, is part of the long-term FasTracks plan that is paving the way for the planned opening of the West Rail Line in Spring 2013.
RailComm has been ranked second in the Rochester Top 100 list. RailComm was recognized based on its dollar and percentage growth.
The Rochester Top 100, now in its 25th year, ranks privately held companies based on their three most recent years of revenue growth. Companies must have at least $1 million in revenue for each of those years and ranking takes into account both dollar and percentage growth.
Seattle, Wash.’s Sound Transit Board endorsed a landmark agreement with the city of Bellevue, Wash., to enable the East Link light rail project to serve downtown Bellevue via a tunnel.
The board authorized Sound Transit CEO Joni Earl to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with Bellevue following upcoming action by the Bellevue City Council. Bellevue Mayor Don Davidson presented the board with a letter stating the city’s commitment to take action on the MOU on or before Nov. 14.
The MOU establishes a collaborative partnership for Sound Transit and the City of Bellevue to work together during the final design and construction processes for East Link to manage the project’s costs and impacts and to share the additional cost of building the tunnel. Benefits of the partnership include saving time for transit riders as well as motorists by avoiding at-grade street crossings in downtown Bellevue and establishing a grade-separated light rail alignment all the way from Seattle to the Bel-Red Corridor.
"Building the voter-approved East Link line is critical for the mobility and prosperity of our region. This agreement is good for the people of Bellevue and good for the people of King County," said Sound Transit Board member and King County executive Dow Constantine.
Following the issuance of a Record of Decision by the Federal Transit Administration, Sound Transit will move the East Link project into final design. Sound Transit is expected to start construction of East Link in 2015 or 2016 and launch passenger service in 2023.
The tunnel is estimated to cost an additional $276 million beyond the cost of an at-grade alignment through downtown after factoring in cost savings from locating East Link’s South Bellevue alignment along 112th Avenue Southeast. The MOU establishes a firm funding commitment by the city of Bellevue for up to $160 million (2010 dollars), identifies the city’s preferred design for the alignment along 112th Avenue Southeast and commits Sound Transit to review and consider the design changes.
A track modernization project that Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road was unable to complete in August because of Hurricane Irene is scheduled to resume this coming weekend, October 29-30, and continue on the following weekend, November 5-6. The work taking place on the mainline will result in some cancellations and service adjustments on the Huntington-Port Jefferson, Oyster Bay, Ronkonkoma, Far Rockaway and Babylon branches.
LIRR personnel will be performing surfacing and railroad tie renewal, welding repairs and installing some new running rail between Queens Village and Carle Place on October 29-30 and between New Hyde Park and Hicksville on November 6-7. When finished, work will provide a smoother ride and more reliable service.
Since one of two mainline tracks will be out of service during the project, the LIRR has revised weekend service on trains that travel the mainline to accommodate the track work.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors, which oversees all surface transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), held a ceremony to rename Muni’s Geneva Yard for SFMTA board member and transit advocate Cameron Beach.
