The Federal Railroad Administration obligated $7.913 million of the Fiscal Year 2010 funding to the New York State Department of Transportation for its NY Hudson Subdivision Signal Reliability Project.
There will be no service on Southern California’s Metrolink Orange County and Inland Empire lines the next three weekends as San Diego Northern Railroad construction crews work to improve passenger and freight rail services by installing a second mainline track and new rail bridges in the corridor. Additionally, Orange County Line trains 644 and 645 will be cancelled on Fridays, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4.
Amtrak’s schedule also will be affected, but it will offer some transportation options for those wanting to take public transportation. Metrolink Monthly Pass holders can ride Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains within the station pairs on their Metrolink ticket for free as part of the Rail2Rail program. Metrolink’s weekend pass is not valid on Amtrak trains.
This work is part of the LOSSAN (Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor) Coastal Rail Improvements, a project in which the San Diego Association of Governments, North County Transit District and Amtrak are working to add a second track to the 60-mile LOSSAN coastal rail corridor to improve passenger and freight rail services.
NJ Transit is the first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet, Google’s recently released contactless payment system. With Google Wallet, NJ Transit rail and bus customers have the option to use their smartphones to tap and pay for transportation tickets at select locations.
"Our partnership with Google demonstrates that NJ Transit and the state are at the forefront of emerging technology, paving the way for further exploration of new customer service technologies," said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. "I’m proud that New Jersey’s public transportation system is the very first public transportation agency to partner with Google Wallet, joining thousands of retailers accepting Wallet across the nation."
"Transit has been a common element of every major successful NFC effort globally and is a critical component of Google Wallet’s success," said Stephanie Tilenius, vice president of commerce at Google. "Transit is the fastest way to accelerate adoption and reach usage density in major urban centers by habituating the behavior of tapping and paying with phones and we’re excited to launch our transit effort here with NJ Transit."
Google Wallet is a free mobile app that transforms customers’ smartphones into their wallets, making "tap and pay" transactions quick and convenient by storing virtual versions of users’ credit cards on their phones. The technology uses "near field communication," which enables wireless data transmission between two objects when they are brought in close proximity with one another. By making payments with a simple wave of their phone in front of a sensor, customers who use Google Wallet will no longer have to juggle cash or credit cards to make purchases.
Now, NJ Transit customers can use Google Wallet to purchase transportation tickets at New York Penn Station ticket vending machines and ticket windows, Newark Liberty International Airport Rail Station, on bus route nos. 6, 43, 80, 81, 87 and 120 and on some buses on the 126 line.
Currently, Google Wallet is available on Sprint’s Nexus S 4G phone and supports Citi MasterCard credit cards and a Google Prepaid Card, with plans to support additional card companies and more Android devices with NFC capabilities in the future.
GE Transportation will invest $231 million in manufacturing improvements and site upgrades to its Erie, Pa., site and a new manufacturing plant in Fort Worth, Texas, to meet accelerating domestic and global demand.
"These latest investments in our U.S. facilities put GE Transportation in a position to shape the future of the transportation industry worldwide," said Lorenzo Simonelli, president and CEO of GE Transportation. "We’re making significant investments in GE’s technology leadership, product innovation and state-of-the art manufacturing operations to serve our customers worldwide."
GE Transportation’s return to double-digit growth in 2011 has resulted in job growth in the U.S. The business has announced more than 2,000 jobs in the U.S. in 2011, including more than 1,100 jobs filled at GE Transportation’s key manufacturing location in Erie. GE Transportation will hire about 360 new employees in Erie by the end of 2011, including 160 production workers to meet increasing demand for mining equipment. GE will also hire about 200 employees to backfill positions following the upcoming early retirement of production workers in Erie. The company is offering a Special Early Retirement Option and a Voluntary Retirement Incentive Program to eligible employees as part of the union contract ratified in June 2011.
In Erie, GE will invest $58 million in research and testing technology, facilities and equipment to reduce engine emissions and improve fuel efficiency of GE locomotives and as well as engines used in the marine and stationary power industries. This includes investments in test laboratories, called test cells, for large-scale diesel engines at the Erie plant. The enhanced test cells will enable GE engineers to refine an industry-leading locomotive that is fuel-efficient, reliable, durable, affordable and meets stringent EPA Tier 4 emissions standards scheduled to take effect in 2015.
GE will invest an additional $38 million in the Erie plant this year to increase capacity and modernize machining, equipment and tooling used for producing locomotives, drive systems for mining trucks and other transportation products. Production at the Erie plant is currently at levels equivalent to the facility’s peak production levels achieved most recently in 2008.
GE Transportation will also spend $40 million on facility upgrades and site beautification at its more than 100-year-old Erie plant, including new offices for hundreds of employees and a Customer Showcase Center.
The Company also intends to build a 236,000 square-foot facility adjacent to its new manufacturing plant in Fort Worth, Texas, to complement its manufacturing operations in Erie. Pending necessary public approvals, GE plans to invest approximately $95 million in the new facility to manufacture and assemble AC motorized wheels for off-highway vehicles. The Company plans to launch production at the new facility in mid-2012 and anticipates hiring approximately 130 employees there.
Transit providers across the nation will receive a share of $928.5 million in federal funds for more than 300 public transportation projects in urban, suburban and rural areas. The money will put people to work renovating and building much needed transit facilities, manufacturing new clean-fuel buses and helping communities plan responsibly for their future transit needs.
"Investing in America’s transit systems, rails, roads, ports and airports will generate tens of thousands of construction-related jobs and put more money in the pockets of working Americans," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "But we must do more. Congress needs to pass the American Jobs Act so we can continue to invest in critically needed projects like these, to repair and rebuild our nation’s transportation system."
The grants that are made, which are available through the Federal Transit Administration’s fiscal year 2011 Alternatives Analysis, Bus Livability and State of Good Repair Programs, will go toward replacing or refurbishing aging buses, building or improving bus terminals, garages and other transit facilities, installing bus-related equipment and conducting studies to help communities select the best transit options to meet future transportation needs.
The grant selection process was highly competitive and FTA reviewed 839 project applications representing $4.9 billion in funding requests from transit providers across the country for the Fiscal Year 2011 discretionary grants.
The planned Woodward Avenue corridor project in Detroit is one of the projects to receive funding. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments will receive $2 million to study a possible second phase of the planned Woodward Avenue corridor transit project and the best mode of transit to pursue. The first phase, a light-rail line still in the early planning stages, would end just south of Eight Mile Road. The second phase may one day provide additional transit solutions another 7.5 miles to Maple Road.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Department of Commerce will form a partnership to encourage the creation of domestic manufacturing jobs and opportunities for U.S. suppliers through transportation investments.
The Department of Commerce’s Manufacturing Extension Partnership will help to ensure manufacturers meet the U.S. Department of Transportation’s strict Buy America and Buy American standards, connecting U.S. manufacturers and suppliers for work on highways, railways and transit projects and in the process, help to create jobs.
"Investment in transportation is a critical piece of President Obama’s American Jobs Act," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Not only are we improving how we move people and goods, but we are strengthening our economy by providing opportunities for American companies and their employees to build our transportation system here at home."
With a network in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, MEP serves more than 34,000 American suppliers, helping them to retool their manufacturing capabilities to meet demand, compete in the global marketplace and sell American-made products all over the world.
"This initiative is a win for workers and communities across America," said Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank. "The Manufacturing Extension Partnership will connect U.S. manufacturers and suppliers with hundreds of millions of dollars in upcoming highway, railway and airport projects, providing new job opportunities in every corner of the country."
MEP will leverage more than 1,300 expert manufacturing assistance field staff in over 350 locations to provide knowledge of local manufacturing capabilities from across the nation. MEP will identify suppliers’ production and technical capabilities to match them up with viable business opportunities that may have otherwise gone to foreign suppliers, ensuring maximum economic benefit for taxpayer-funded transportation investments across all modes.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will team up with MEP to connect American suppliers with opportunities created by the Obama Administration’s historic investments in high-speed intercity passenger rail, including track and station construction and the development of next-generation trains. MEP will help DOT to guarantee American companies and workers receive benefits from public investments like the upcoming $782 million order for domestically-built passenger rail trains that will travel in California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and Iowa.
MEP will also help DOT assure that American companies and workers benefit when the state of California issues a request for information for new bi-level passenger coaches. Responses to the RFI will inform the states of the manufacturer’s capacity to complete the order and identify potential domestic suppliers. A request for proposals will be issued this winter and winning bids will be selected next summer.
Already, MEP is working with the Federal Transit Administration to improve its ability to assess the merits of requests for waivers from Buy America requirements, eliminate the need for some waivers and strengthen FTA’s support for these requirements.
At the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Canadian Pacific will be the exclusive Canadian rail transportation provider for Contrans, using Raildecks multimodal flat rack containers. The agreement extends the long-haul efficiencies of rail to markets currently served by transport trucks across Canada.
"Raildecks’ innovative product extends the efficiencies of intermodal rail to industrial products shippers," said John McBoyle, vice president intermodal at Canadian Pacific. "We believe industrial product customers will be attracted to the consistency, efficiency and reliability of our long-haul intermodal network."
"The Raildecks solution provides a viable option to convert some of the industrial freight that is moving over the road to be transported on intermodal rail," said Rick Jocson, CEO of Raildecks. "By converting a traditional over-the-road commodity to rail, Raildecks are reducing greenhouse gas emissions, freeing up major roads and highways and reducing costs for shippers."
Canadian Pacific has been testing Raildecks’ 53 ft. collapsible, multimodal carriers over the summer at its Toronto Intermodal Facility in Vaughn, ON, Canada. The testing proved the concept, as pipe and other industrial products moved seamlessly on CP’s longhaul intermodal trains. Previously, shippers relied on trucks to move these types of products over a long distance.
The United States Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, presented the prestigious 2011 Jury Prize for Overall Design Excellence from The Watford Group and The Center for Industrial Design in Transportation to New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Railroad at the Brunel Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Metro-North was the first American railroad to win this coveted award in its 26-year history. Forty-three railways from 15 countries on three continents entered 150 projects in this year’s international competition. The Brunel Awards are open to all passenger and freight railways throughout the world and recognize and promote the best in railway design and engineering.
"As we work to rebuild our transportation systems and create jobs, it is more essential than ever that we recognize the innovative engineers, architects and designers who make new rail projects possible," said Secretary LaHood. "These projects, including eight right here in the United States, all exemplify the idea that when we invest in transportation, we lay the groundwork for a new century of economic development, opportunity and growth."
"Considering the caliber of the competition, it was certainly a thrilling and rewarding experience," said Metro-North President Howard Permut, who accepted the Jury Prize from LaHood.
In describing the selection, the report of the Awards Jury stated: "Metro-North carries the most passengers every year on the American continent and has undergone both extraordinary changes of company culture as well as the shift to incorporation of design as a strategic business tool."
The Jury Prize is only eligible to a railroad that enters project in all five categories, which Metro-North did, winning first place in the "Freight and Railway Support Buildings" category for its Croton-Harmon Locomotive and Coach Shops. These two 21st century facilities are designed for a 21st century fleet, with ultra-modern equipment maintenance capability that provides employees with a safe, clean work environment. They represent the largest capital and engineering project ever undertaken by Metro-North.
The Toronto Transit Commission will mark a major milestone Oct. 18, when Chair Karen Stintz welcomes the TTC’s 28 billionth rider since the Commission was formed in 1921. The TTC Chair will present the 28 billionth rider with a special gift at Davisville Station.
The TTC has the third largest ridership in North America, after Mexico City and New York City.
The renovated Amtrak Wilmington Train Station in North Carolina was recognized for its design excellence at the 2011 Brunel Awards International Railway Design Competition. It was selected from a pool of more than 150 entries submitted from 14 countries.
The Amtrak-led renovation balanced the need to modernize the station while retaining its historic charm. The project included detailed restoration to various parts of the station including the grand staircase located in the lobby and the historic men’s and women’s waiting rooms on the second floor of the station. It also provided for a new passenger information display system and enhancements to the station’s accessibility to people with disabilities.
The Brunel Awards competition recognizes and promotes the best in railway architecture, engineering, landscape and environmental design, product design, locomotive and car design, graphic arts and corporate branding amongst railways from Europe, Asia and the Americas.
The Wilmington Train Station is the 12th busiest station in the Amtrak system with 717,772 passengers in Fiscal Year 2011. In addition to Amtrak, the Wilmington Station also serves two commuter services; SEPTA and the Delaware Transit Corporation. In March 2011, the station was rededicated the Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Railroad Station in honor of the long-time Amtrak rider, strong advocate of passenger rail and current Vice President of the United States.
Amtrak is also being recognized with a Brunel Commendation for the Superliner I Coach Overhaul completed by its in-house Mechanical Department. This project involved restoring stored or wrecked train cars and returning them to service. As a result of this effort, Amtrak has increased capacity on many of its Long Distance trains.
Chicago area’s Metra Board of Directors approved the release of a preliminary 2012 budget that calls for a fare increase that averages about 25 percent across all fare types. The budget plan now will be the subject of a series of public hearings before the board votes on a final budget on Nov. 11.
Metra’s proposed 2012 budget includes $686.8 million for operations and a $244.1 million capital program.
Metra has been warning for months that it faces a budget deficit next year due to a spike in diesel fuel prices, the demands of meeting new federal regulations, higher insurance premiums and a variety of other rising costs. Meanwhile, proceeds from the regional transportation sales tax have fallen short of expectations due to the faltering economy. Metra has decided to stop diverting funds from its capital budget, meant for infrastructure improvements, to plug holes in its operating budget. That practice helped Metra get through tough times until now, but simply is not sustainable given our critical capital needs.
Metra was able to reduce the deficit by $17.5 million through a variety of steps, including locking in the price of 75 percent of its fuel needs, making administrative cuts and finding other operational efficiencies. Those actions reduced the size of the needed fare increase by 7 percentage points. However, there still is a projected budget gap of $53.6 million that will need to be covered by a fare increase.
Under the fare increase proposal, one-way tickets would increase an average of 15.7 percent across all fare zones. Ten-ride tickets would go up an average of 30 percent and monthly passes would increase an average of 29.4 percent. Reduced fare one-way tickets would increase an average of 10.3 percent, reduced fare ten-ride tickets would increase an average of 18.9 percent and reduced fare monthly passes would go up an average of 10.8 percent. Taken together, the overall average increase is 25.1 percent.
In addition to the fare increases, several fare policies would change. One-way tickets would only be valid for 14 days, instead of a year and they would no longer be refundable. The ten-ride ticket discount would be reduced so that riders would get 10 rides for the price of nine, rather than 10 for the price of eight. Ten-ride tickets would remain valid for a year, but would only be refundable within three months of the date of purchase. The 10-ride tickets could be refunded on a prorated basis, but there would be a $5 handling fee. Monthly passes would be valid through the end of the month (instead of noon on the first weekday of the following month) and refunds would be subject to a $10 fee.
Also, the Metra subsidy for the Link-Up and PlusBus tickets would be eliminated and riders would have to pay the full costs of those passes. Young adult fares on weekends and holidays also would be eliminated.
The fare increase and other changes would begin on Feb. 1, 2012.
Metra Board will vote on a final budget at its Nov. 11 meeting. The budget will then be forwarded to the Regional Transportation Authority, which will vote on the region’s transportation budget in December.
The Department of Transportation awarded $160,000 in funding to study the feasibility of establishing passenger rail service from Bloomington-Normal, which is currently served by Amtrak service from Chicago to St. Louis – Peoria.
"Connecting Peoria to the high-speed rail service in Bloomington-Normal opens up new possibilities for businesses and travelers from Chicago to St. Louis," said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.
The Amtrak station in Normal is the busiest in Illinois outside of Chicago and a considerable amount of that ridership is from the Peoria area. According to the Economic Development Council of Central Illinois, over 5,000 people travel from the Peoria area to Bloomington-Normal to work on a daily basis, and over 2,500 travel in the reverse direction. It has been estimated that more than 95 percent of these commuters travel alone in a single-occupancy vehicle. Having a study investigating passenger rail options is the first step to better connecting these two hubs and reduce travel times and congestion while improving air quality in the region.
Tony Cox has been promoted to vice president of engineering. His main areas of focus will be safety, service, growth, efficiency and profit¬ability and people. In this position Cox will be responsible for the supervising and plan¬ning of all engineering and track related activities including working with all regional management teams defining priorities, expectations and establishing performance met¬rics and measurements.
Tony has been with Watco for four years and has recently served as senior chief engineer and was responsible for planning, development and overseeing of the capital and mainte¬nance budgets and supporting the Regional Chief Engineers.
Tony has 28 years of railroad experience including the management of track departments with Kyle Railways, Statesrail and Rail America.
Skanska has been contracted to build a double track railway on the Vestfold Line in Norway. The contract amounts to NOK $1.36 billion, about SEK 1.57 billion, (US$ 0.25 billion), which will be included in order bookings for the fourth quarter. Customer is the Norwegian National Rail Administration (Jernbaneverket).
The Vestfold Line will contribute to a more efficient flow of traffic between Drammen and Porsgrunn, Norway and the area around the Oslo Fjord will be better connected with sustainable transports. The new route is adapted for future train speeds of up to 250 km/hour (1.5 mph). The contract Skanska has signed is for the projects Station and Fibo. The Station project covers a 2,370 meter (1.5 mile) tunnel and the construction of the 866 meter (.53 mile) station hall. Furthermore, Skanska will construct 1,000 meter (.62 mile) of drain tunnels. The Fibo project covers the 1,930 meter (1.2 mile) long main tunnel.
"This is an important project for us. The project is completely in line with Skanska Norway’s strategy to be the best at large and complex civil construction projects. Therefore it is very gratifying that Jernbaneverket has chosen to work with us," said Petter Eiken, business unit president of Skanska Norway.
The project is scheduled to be completed in December 2015.
U.S. Department of Transportation selected 11 Michigan transportation projects to receive funding, including the Woodward Light Rail project, which will receive $2 million.
"Many families depend upon public transportation to shop and to get to class or to work," said U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. "In these tough economic times and with gas prices taking more of a bite out of family budgets, these projects will go a long way in making transportation more affordable."
The Central Woodward Corridor Alternatives Analysis in Detroit was selected on a competitive basis through the FY 2011 Alternatives Analysis Program. The study will include a possible 7.5-mile extension of the first phase of the planned Woodward Light Rail Transit, which will end just south of Eight Mile Road. The 7.5-mile Central Woodward corridor extends north from Eight Mile Road in Wayne County to Maple Road (Fifteen Mile Road) in downtown Birmingham, which is in southern Oakland County.
This project will significantly enhance regional mobility and help to attract and retain businesses and the valued workforce. It will also significantly improve mobility between major medical facilities and universities in the region. The 7.5 mile study area is a major commercial and retail corridor that is also extensively utilized by commuters. Downtown Birmingham is a regional destination that contains offices, condominiums, upscale dining and retail and entertainment destinations.
The Washing Metropolitan Area Transportation Authoirity Board of Directors’ Customer Service and Operations Committee approved a plan to realign its Blue Line service in mid-2012, resulting in improved service for more than 108,000 customers on the Green, Yellow, Blue and Orange lines. The realignment will provide additional capacity where it is needed most, provide more transfer-free rides and make room for trains that will operate on the new Silver Line.
During peak periods, more than 46,000 Orange Line customers will benefit from six additional trains per hour, three in each direction, resulting in 18 percent more capacity on the line, or approximately 2,600 seats per hour. The new trains will operate between West Falls Church and Largo Town Center.
The Orange Line is WMATA’s second busiest, carrying approximately 180,000 passenger trips on a typical weekday. In a phenomenon known as "Orange Crush," peak trains on the Orange Line between Courthouse and Rosslyn carry more passengers per car than anywhere else on the system.
During peak periods, the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom is at capacity, with 26 trains per hour in each direction. The additional "slots" in the schedule will be made possible by routing three Blue Line trains in each direction over the Yellow Line bridge each peak hour. Trains following this service pattern will travel between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt and will be considered Yellow Line trains.
For 33,500 Blue and Yellow Line customers in Virginia, the realignment will mean more trains providing faster access to downtown via the Yellow Line bridge. A smaller number (about 16,000) weekday peak-period customers who travel on Blue Line trains via Arlington Cemetery will experience a maximum of six-minutes additional waiting time for a train.
In addition, stations on the northern segments of the Green/Yellow lines will see additional trains during weekday peak periods. Stations from Shaw-Howard to Greenbelt will benefit from six additional Yellow Line trains each peak hour, three in each direction, between Greenbelt and Franconia-Springfield. For the first time, a customer can travel from Greenbelt to Franconia-Springfield without transferring. More than 28,000 customers will benefit from the change.
WMATA Board members were presented with a new transitional Metrorail map that will be used to show the new service patterns during peak periods. The map was designed by Lance Wyman, one of the original designers of the Metrorail map, with several rounds of customer input through focus groups and online surveys. The new service pattern between Franconia-Springfield and Greenbelt is depicted by extending the Yellow Line, with dashed lines to indicate "rush-hour only," to both new endpoints. Regular Yellow Line service between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq/Fort Totten is reflected with a solid Yellow Line. Similarly, a dashed extension Orange Line has been added to the map between Stadium-Armory and Largo Town Center to reflect the six trains per peak hour (three in each direction) that will operate between West Falls Church and Largo Town Center.
Responding to customer feedback, the future Dulles extension will be known as the Silver Line. During construction, the extension will be depicted on the map as a spur. Upon completion, the Silver Line will be shown on the map between Wiehle Avenue and Stadium-Armory.
Amtrak carried nearly 30.2 million passengers in Fiscal Year 2011 ending September 30, marking the highest ridership total since the National Railroad Passenger Corporation started operations in 1971 and the eighth ridership record during the past nine years. Ridership versus the prior year is up by more than five percent and ticket revenue is up by more than eight percent, despite significant weather related disruptions in the Northeast, Central and Western U.S.
"Thirty million passengers is not just a statistic. That number is made up of real people who live real lives and use Amtrak for personal, business and recreational travel," said Emmett Fremaux, the head of the Amtrak Marketing and Product Development Department.
"We thank all our passengers for choosing Amtrak and our state partners for working with us to develop the kind of service that attracts ever increasing numbers of riders," said Amtrak President & CEO Joseph Boardman. "Amtrak is fulfilling its national mission and is part of the solution to meet America’s growing transportation and energy needs."
Factors contributing to the continuing success of Amtrak include high gasoline prices, continued growth in business travel on the high-speed Acela Express trains with free Wi-Fi service, with more AmtrakConnectsm deployments coming soon on other services across the country, the increased appeal and popularity of rail travel and effective marketing campaigns.
These gains came despite service disruptions due to hurricanes, tropical storms and record snows in the busy Northeast Corridor, record flooding in the Central U.S. and heavy construction that temporarily reduced train frequencies on the Chicago-St. Louis route.
The previous Amtrak record for ridership and ticket revenue was set last fiscal year (FY 2010).
CSX Corporation appointed Anne Chettle Reinke to vice president federal legislation, effective upon the retirement of Michael Ruehling after many years of distinguished service.
Reinke, who joined CSX in 2003 as director federal affairs, will report to Ellen Fitzsimmons, senior vice president law and public affairs. From the company’s Washington, D.C., offices, Reinke will direct all federal government affairs activities and continue to play a key role in shaping initiatives that support the quality and efficiency of rail transportation.
"We are fortunate to have someone of Anne’s caliber step into the role that Mike has managed with great insight, integrity and success for many years," Fitzsimmons said. "Mike, Anne and the entire Washington office have made significant contributions to a more complete understanding of the critical role of rail transportation in solving some of our nation’s most pressing logistics challenges."
Ruehling, who joined CSX in 1989 after serving on the staff of former U.S. Senator Wendell Ford (D-Ky.), was appointed vice president state relations in 1995. He was named vice president-federal legislation in 2004 and will retire at the end of 2011.
The 133-mile Coos Bay Rail Link in Coos Bay, Ore., ran its first revenue freight train Oct. 12, from CBR’s connection with Union Pacific at Eugene to Cordes on Oregon’s south coast. Operations will be extended 17 additional miles to Coos Bay and Coquille in early 2012, as track and bridges are renovated.
"Initially, we are providing service to customers as needed," said General Manager Tom Foster. "Forest products will be a major source of traffic."
Coos Bay Rail Link is undergoing $25 million in repairs to upgrade the entire line from 10 mph to between 25 and 40 mph. When completed, the line will be able to handle 286,000-lb. gross weight cars.
"It’s exciting to restore freight rail service to the region," said Foster. "We’re looking at a number of business development opportunities to generate more shipments in the months and years ahead."
A $5,288,000 investment from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program will help Chicago’s Metra reduce emissions and improve air quality in and around their trains.
"Reducing the cloud of smoke from Metra locomotives will save fuel and help limit exposure to harmful air pollution," said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). "This $5.2 million investment will help pay for this important clean-up."
In February, Durbin met with newly appointed Metra CEO Alex Clifford to discuss Metra’s ongoing review of diesel locomotive emissions. Metra, which is currently using funding from the Department of Transportation’s TIGER II program to retrofit locomotives operating in their train yards, estimates that by shutting down instead of idling the locomotives, the automatic systems could save an estimated 800,000 gallons of diesel fuel and reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 80,000 tons per year. In November of last year, Durbin asked several federal agencies to work with Metra looking into the results of a Chicago Tribune report that discovered the high level of diesel soot and air pollution in commuter rail cars.
The funding was approved by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and awarded to three projects along the following Metra routes:
• Milwaukee District Service (North and West lines): $4,000,000 in funding to repower two locomotives used to provide commuter rail service to the Chicago area. The repowering will consist of a new diesel engine and control package. Estimates indicate that a repowered locomotive equipped for commuter application would generate approximately 18 to 20 percent in fuel consumption savings and a reduction of approximately 33,250 gallons of diesel fuel and 600 metric tons of greenhouse gases per locomotive annually.
• Union Pacific Service (North, Northwest and West lines): $368,000 in funding to incorporate automatic engine shut-down/start-up technology on 24 locomotives to save fuel and reduce emissions by reducing idling time for these locomotives. By shutting down locomotives instead of idling, an estimated 609,190 gallons of fuel can be saved per year and CO2 can be reduced by 81,598.7 tons per year.
• BNSF Service: $920,000 in funding to replace the main engine driven generator-inverter combinations, which provide various amenities to people on board trains, ranging from electric lights to heating, on five passenger locomotives to save fuel and reduce emissions.
