Dearborn, MI gets $28 million for train station

The Michigan Department of Transportation has received $28.2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to consolidate Dearborn’s two passenger rail facilities into a pedestrian-friendly, intermodal station in the West Downtown section of the city.

The new station will serve local residents and students at University of Michigan-Dearborn and Henry Ford Community College. It will also accommodate tourists via a new pedestrian overpass at the Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village, Dearborn’s largest tourist attraction with 1.7 million visitors every year. The intermodal facility will be designed for the planned Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail, as well as future high-speed intercity passenger rail service. It will also accommodate city, regional and intercity bus systems; local and tourist shuttles; bicycle and greenway linkages and, auto, taxi and limousine connections to Detroit International Airport.

The new Dearborn station will continue to serve Amtrak’s Wolverine passenger rail service, which provides three round trips daily between Pontiac, Mich., and Chicago, Ill. In 2010, Dearborn’s current station ranked third in Amtrak ridership in Michigan with more than 82,000 travelers.

Chicago RTA’s free senior ride program to end September 1, 2011

Recent legislation has changed the Regional Transit Authority Senior Ride Free program. Beginning September 1, 2011, only low-income seniors enrolled in the Illinois Circuit Breaker Program will be eligible for free transportation. All other seniors can still travel on Metra, CTA and Pace fixed routes at reduced prices by using the RTA Reduced Fare Permit.

Seniors who are not eligible for free transportation will receive an RTA Reduced Fare Permit. The seniors who qualify for the ride free permit will receive a Circuit Permit that will look similar to the current Circuit Permit Ride Free for people with disabilities.

From now through August 31, seniors can continue using their Seniors Ride Free Permits. The RTA started mailing the new Permits the first week of August. Existing Seniors Ride Free Permits will be deactivated on September 1, 2011.

Virginia

Virginia’s first light-rail system opened to the public at 6 a.m., Aug. 19 and will begin carrying paying customers on Aug. 22, 2011.

Caltrain recommends new operator to run train system

Caltrain management has negotiated a proposed contract with TransitAmerica Services Inc. of St. Joseph, Mo., to operate the Peninsula commuter rail system and that it will recommend the contract for approval to the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board at its September 1 meeting.

The recommendation is based on a competitive process that extended more
than 15 months and included detailed and expert evaluation of five
proposals from top rail management firms.

L.B. Foster relocating water system tubular products facility

L.B. Foster Company is relocating its Threaded Products unit from Houston to a new manufacturing facility in Magnolia, Texas. This innovative plant will utilize advanced technology threading and conveyance equipment to increase production capacity and improve delivery scheduling. The Magnolia facility expands L.B. Foster’s ability to meet agricultural, municipal and industrial water well needs with quality water system tubular products and services. The new plant will also extend operating hours to better service existing and new regional markets.

The new threaded products plant is strategically located adjacent to L.B. Foster’s joint venture operation, LB Pipe & Coupling Products, LLC. The site also includes additional acreage for the storage and staging of pre-purchased inventory to accommodate Just-in-Time delivery to jobsites nationwide. The facility replaces L.B. Foster’s Langfield Road site in Houston, which began operations in 1963. The new plant is located north of Houston at 21270 FM 1488 in Magnolia, Texas. It is managed by L.B. Foster Threaded Products within the L.B. Foster Tubular Products Group.

UP invests more than $7 million on Minnesota, Wisconsin track improvements

Union Pacific will invest more than $7 million to enhance the rail line that runs from St. Paul, Minn., to Hudson, Wis. The nearly 24-mile project includes removing and installing rail and more than 40,000 ties, as well as renewing the surfaces at 26 grade crossings. Crews will also spread 12,850 tons of ballast to help provide a more stable roadbed.

 

Metrolink secures $46.3 million in PTC funding

Metrolink’s plans to implement Positive Train Control in southern California ahead of the federal mandate received a boost last week when the agency received $46.3 million dollars in funds to support the installation of the new rail safety technology.

The California Transportation Commission allocated $22.8 million in Proposition 1A High-Speed Rail Passenger Train bonds and $10 million in Proposition 1B State and Local Partnership Program funds to advance the agency’s PTC implementation program. Additionally, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded a $13.5 grant to Metrolink to fund a segment of the program that supports the Pacific Surfliner, located between San Onofre in Orange County and Moorpark in Ventura County.

"Metrolink is grateful to the leaders who demonstrated their commitment to rail safety by allocating these funds. Our program is now fully funded, and Metrolink is well on our way to being the first commuter rail agency in the nation to implement positive train control," said Metrolink Chairman Richard Katz.

In addition to the funds for the PTC program, the CTC also allocated $800,000 in State Transportation Improvement Program Intercity Rail Program funds to Metrolink for the design of its sealed corridor safety enhancement program in Ventura County.

Caltrain:

California’s Caltrain said an analysis of preliminary data has indicated that the Peninsula’s rail corridor can accommodate integrated high-speed rail and Caltrain service largely through modernizing and then sharing the corridor’s existing track infrastructure in most areas.

The analysis supports a concept proposed by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, State Senator Joe Simitian and State Assemblyman Richard Gordon that calls for the project to minimize community impacts and considerably reduce the project’s cost by remaining substantially within the existing Caltrain right-of-way.

LTK Engineering Services to assessed the capacity of the corridor using a computer model to simulate rail operations. The analysis demonstrates that electrification of the corridor and installation of an advanced signaling system could provide sufficient track capacity to feasibly operate six electric Caltrain trains and two high-speed trains per hour.

The addition of a seven-to-eight-mile four-track section near the middle of the rail line would provide a set of passing tracks and expand capacity even further to accommodate these trains.

To date, design alternatives for the project have consisted of fully grade-separated, four-track options that span most of the corridor’s length.

The Caltrain analysis indicates that a much-less intrusive, more cost-effective alternative is sufficiently valid to justify additional study.

Compared to previous alternatives, the blended approach would accommodate high-speed rail at a lower cost by primarily utilizing Caltrain’s existing right-of-way and would connect to the Downtown Rail Extension Project, providing Caltrain and high-speed trains with access to the Transbay Transit Center, which is currently under construction in downtown San Francisco.

"We’re encouraged," said Caltrain Executive Director Mike Scanlon. "More analysis is needed but this operational concept could help deliver a state-of-the-art rail system in a way that is cost effective and minimizes community impacts."

Moving forward, other considerations remain unresolved, including a precise definition of the project’s infrastructure needs including the location and design of the potential four-track section and a better understanding of the project’s total cost. The approach will also need to be adopted by the California High-Speed Rail Authority, which is currently reviewing the analysis.

In the coming weeks, Caltrain plans to engage community stakeholders in a public process that includes opportunities to review and discuss the results and provide feedback that will help guide future analysis.

San Mateo County Supervisor Adrienne Tissier welcomed the results. "If we’re going to realize all of the benefits of modernizing the Caltrain corridor, we’re going to need to explore creative solutions," said Tissier, who also chairs the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and serves on the Caltrain Board of Directors. "These findings are extremely encouraging because they demonstrate that there is a path forward and an approach that could finally help build some regional consensus."

PB recommends Brunswick site for Downeaster Layover Facility

The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority plans to extend the Amtrak-operated Downeaster passenger rail service from Portland to Brunswick, Maine. Parsons Brinkerhoff has evaluated six potential sites located along the rail corridor in Brunswick for the development of a train layover facility.

The layover facility currently is located in Portland located near the passenger rail and bus station but is problematic in terms of size and lack of covered facilities.

Six potential sites were identified in the beginning of the study by Parsons Brinkerhoff and include:

• Brunswick Industrial Park, 1.4 miles west of the station
• Brunswick West, 0.5 miles west of the station
• Naval Air Station Brunswick, 1.4 miles east of the station
• 175 Bath Road, 2.2 miles east of the station
• Brunswick East, 3.0 miles east of the station
• 393 Bath Road, 4,1 miles east of the station

After an initial screening process, 175 Bath Road, 393 Bath Road and the Naval Air Station were found to be insufficient sites and Brunswick Industrial Park, Brunswick West and Brunswick East were considered final candidates.

Parsons Brinkerhoff then rated the physical attributes of each site based on the criteria of:

• Availability of land
• Topography
• Hazardous materials
• Utility connections
• Residence proximity
• Land use compatibility
• Railroad operations
• Road connections
• Traffic impacts

The Brunswick West site ranked highest and has been recommended by Parsons Brinkerhoff for further development.

Oak Forest, Metra receive federal funds for station project

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded the Illinois Department of Transportation a $1,304,400 grant for the modernization of the Oak Forest Metra Rail Station.

"Today’s funding for the Oak Forest Metra Station will increase the appeal of public transit as an affordable, reliable, environmentally friendly alternative to car travel," said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). "Bringing these changes to the station will spur economic development in Oak Forest and surrounding communities."

Metra’s Oak Forest Station, located on two highways, Route 50(Cicero Ave.) and Route 6 (159th St), is the second busiest Rock Island District Line stop. The Oak Forest Metra Rail Station is used by nearly 1,500 commuters every day and 23 weekday commuter trains to Chicago. The current Metra Station, which Metra has identified as a priority to update, was first built 50 years ago and is outdated in regards to ADA accessibility and modern safety measures

Swift to start COFC intermodal cross-border Mexico service

Phoenix, Ariz.-based Swift Transportation plans to start a new COFC Intermodal service into and out of Mexico. The COFC network will service between the U.S. and North Eastern Mexico, Central Mexico, Guadalajara and Mexico City areas. This service is in conjunction with its rail partner, Kansas City Southern and their subsidiary, Kansas City Southern de Mexico Railroad.

Swift’s new COFC intermodal product expands service to and from Mexico in domestic containers covering all major centers in North America. Swift will continue to offer existing Trailer on Flat Car products to and from Mexico. These two intermodal products serve to complement Swift’s over the road cross-border business operated in conjunction with Trans-Mex LLC.

"The expansion of the COFC product to and from Mexico completes our COFC geographic footprint and permits Swift to capitalize on considerable advantages in the cross-border (Mexico – US) segment," said Swift Transportation President Richard Stocking. "The entire Swift team is excited to add value to our customers through constant innovation and new product launches. Swift is committed to our best-in-class philosophy and we are aligned to achieve greatness."

Public transit systems forced to implement fare increases or service cuts

Public transit systems are faced with implementing new service cuts and fare increases on top of cuts and increases enacted during the past budget cycle, according to a new study released by the American Public Transportation Association. Nearly 80 percent of public transit systems have already implemented fare increases or service cuts in 2010 or are considering them for the future because of flat or decreased local and/or regional funding.

The report, "Impacts of the Recession on Public Transportation Agencies," noted the top three causes of stress in operating budgets among public transit systems were local/regional funding, state funding and increasing fuel prices.

Seventy-one percent of responding agencies saw flat or decreased local and/or regional funding and 83 percent saw flat or decreased state funding. These decreases are on top of an already stagnant funding situation in 2010.

"Public transportation systems are currently experiencing decreases in their funding during a time when many are serving increased number of riders," said APTA President William Millar. "Systems are forced to continue to freeze positions and lay off workers, which makes providing necessary transit service even more difficult."

Larger agencies particularly have faced challenges due to the lack of state, local and regional funding. Sixty-three percent of larger agencies implemented or approved hiring freezes, more than the number from the previous 2010 survey (54 percent). Seventy-five percent of larger agencies reduced the number of positions and 46 percent of larger agencies reported implementing or approving layoffs.

In addition, 85 percent of transit agencies have seen flat or decreased capital funding. This results in nearly one in three (31 percent) delaying vehicle acquisitions and 20 percent delaying capital maintenance. APTA said the phasing out of the federal government’s American Reinvestment and Recovery Act has increased stress on state and local budgets. The association notes that ARRA provided a needed boost for state and local infrastructure projects.

Recently the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee proposed to cut an additional 37 percent in federal funding to public transportation and all surface transportation programs.

"If the House proposal is implemented, it will have a chilling effect on our country’s ability to create jobs and provide access to jobs necessary to move the economy forward," said Millar.

Noting that public transit investment returns almost four dollars in economic benefits for every one dollar spent and that each billion dollars the federal government puts into public transit yields 36,000 jobs saved or created, Millar went on to say, "now is the time to invest more in public transit, not less."

Parsons Brinckerhoff designing LACMTA

The Exposition Construction Authority has awarded a $542 million contract for the design and construction of Phase 2 of the Expo Corridor light rail in California to the joint venture of Skanska/Rados. Parsons Brinckerhoff will design the project on behalf of the Skanska/Rados design-build team.

The first phase of the Expo Line, which extends 8.5 miles from downtown Los Angeles to Culver City, includes 10 stations. Phase 1 is about 90 percent complete and expected to begin operation in 2012.

Phase 2 will extend the line 6.6 miles from Culver City to Santa Monica and is expected to open in 2015. The extension will include seven stations, terminating at 4th Street/Colorado in Santa Monica. Pre-construction work and utility work for phase 2 is expected to begin later this year.

Completion of the 14-mile Expo Line will enable travel from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica in approximately 46 minutes, even in rush hour, and will provide access to destinations such as the University of Southern California, Exposition Park, the Crenshaw District and West Los Angeles. By 2030, an estimated 64,000 passengers are expected to ride the line each day, which would make it one of the most heavily used light rail lines in the country.

Travelers will be able to transfer to other Metro rail lines at the 7th Street/Metro Center station, where the Expo Line will connect to the Blue, Red and Purple lines.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is providing funding for the $1.5 billion project, which is being designed and built by the Exposition Construction Authority. Metro will own and operate the line once it is complete.

ARG Trans signs Coos Bay Rail Link pact, names GM

ARG Trans has signed an interim contract with the Oregon International Port of Coos Bay to operate the Coos Bay rail line, known as Coos Bay Rail Link. ARG Trans also announced the appointment of Tom Foster as CBR’s general manager.

ARG Trans President Scott Parkinson said, "We are excited to partner with the Port to operate the Coos Bay Rail Link and develop business opportunities that will create jobs and enhance the local economy."

The rail line extends from a connection with Union Pacific at Eugene to Coquille, Ore. Central Oregon & Pacific Railroad closed the line in 2007 and the Port purchased it from RailAmerica in 2009.

CBR is undergoing nearly $24 million in repairs to upgrade the line from 10 mph to between 25 and 40 mph. Partial service is expected to resume in October. The interim agreement will cover operations while the rail line is being rehabilitated.

Parkinson added, "Tom Foster brings a wealth of experience in shortline railroad operations and marketing. We are fortunate to have his expertise supporting the start up of the Coos Bay Rail Link."

Foster was formerly the general manager of the Puget Sound & Pacific Railroad.

 

LIRR to test hand-held credit card ticket payments

Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Long Island Rail Road in New York is launching a pilot program using wireless, hand-held Ticket Issuing Machines (TIMS) that will allow customers to purchase tickets on board trains with all major credit cards and with a ‘debit-as-credit’ card, including Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

Beginning August 16, LIRR conductors assigned to trains running between Ronkonkoma and Greenport will be carrying an Apple iPhone 4 equipped with a PaySaber cradle device that uses an application designed by the LIRR that enables train crews to make credit card sales and ‘debit-as-credit’ sales and print out tickets in one easy transaction. The device will be used to process onboard cash sales as well during the pilot program.

To save time and avoid higher, on-board fares, the LIRR strongly urges customers to purchase tickets in advance at station ticket windows or Ticket Vending Machines.

Customers who opt to buy tickets onboard will still be required to pay an extra fee of up to $6.50 per ticket if they board at a station which has a ticket machine and/or a ticket window that is open. In situations where a customer must buy on board the train and isn’t carrying sufficient cash, making a ticket purchase with a credit card or ‘debit-as-credit’ card will be an added convenience.

"This device uses the latest technology to offer a real convenience to customers," said LIRR President Helena Williams. "Credit card and ‘debit-as-credit’ card transactions will allow customers to pay for their LIRR fares even when they don’t have enough cash on hand. It also will help the LIRR to speed up end-of-tour accounting of onboard transactions.

"We live in a time that is more and more a cashless society," said Williams. "Our younger customers in particular often don’t carry cash. Smart phone technology is offering new improvements and efficiencies almost every day. It’s time for the LIRR to explore how these applications can help provide better customer service."

During the pilot, the electronic, hand-held devices will replace the familiar "duplex" paper ticket and ticket punch system that conductors have been using for decades. Instead, customers will be issued a smaller ticket printed by the device with no punching of the ticket required at the time of issue. Customers should retain the ticket to be used on any connecting trip.

As part of the pilot, customers will also be able to use credit cards to make bar cart purchases on the North Fork Wine Train departing Ronkonkoma for Greenport at 5:21 p.m. on Fridays. The North Fork Wine Train features a different Long Island vineyard selection each week during the summer season.

The pilot project is scheduled to run through October 9. At the conclusion of the pilot, the railroad will determine if more testing is needed before a decision is made about expanding use of the hand-held devices to other branches of the LIRR.

A select group of LIRR conductors have been training on the new devices. Crew members were involved in the design and development of the application, offering a number of key suggestions that led to improvements. Crew members will also be involved in the evaluation of the devices during and after the pilot program.

 

Beacon Enterprises awarded WMATA Red Line IT contract

Beacon Enterprise Solutions Group, Inc., a design, implementation and management of Information Technology Systems infrastructure solutions company, has been awarded a Washington, D.C.-based project by teaming partner ICS Nett, Inc., a federal prime contractor, to provide ITS infrastructure services to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Red Metro Line.

This first contract award to Beacon by ICS is projected to bring $4 million in new net sales to Beacon. Under the agreement, Beacon will initially provide installation management, maintenance, program and project management services, as well as camera installation for WMATA’s Red Metro Line CCTV infrastructure. Beacon will also provide future ITS infrastructure services for various projects, including public address systems, fire intrusion alarm, telephony, wireless systems, structured cabling system and networking.

"The relationship with ICS is allowing Beacon to expand the verticals to which we offer our core services and will help stabilize our net sales volume which has been somewhat unpredictable the last couple of quarters. Providing Rail Telecom services to ICS Transportation Division is a very solid strategic move for Beacon," said Beacon President and COO Jerry Bowman.

Spectrum Infrared to supply switch heaters to IHB

Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad has acquired more than 70 SPECTRUM RRSH Track Switch Heaters from Spectrum Infrared, a division of Advanced Detection Systems, Inc., to be installed at the Blue Island and Riverdale Yards. The design of the SPECTRUM RRSH provides a fully integrated control system, eliminating the need for way side control panels. According to Spectrum Infrared, the RRSH Track Switch Heater reduces energy costs, increases reliability in the harshest of winter snowstorms and is the lowest life cycle cost track switch heater in the industry.

The design of the RRSH units will minimize the amount of energy in Btu’s required to keep the switches clear of snow and ice during the coldest period of winter. This will enable the switches to maintain full operation on these days.

 

Gonzales joins PB

Gary Gonzales has been named a senior principal engineer in the Denver office of
Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Gonzales has more than 20 years of experience working on Colorado Department of Transportation and Regional Transportation District projects. His experience includes traffic and Intelligent Transportation System planning, design and construction/program management for highway and transit projects. For the past four years, he served as CDOT’s program engineer and liaison to the RTD FasTracks program. He has also served as the traffic and ITS manager for the multimodal, design-build Transportation Expansion project.

 

Atlanta commission agrees to draft list of $6.14 billion transportation projects

The Executive Committee of the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable reached a unanimous agreement on a draft list of transportation projects to get the region moving in the next 10 years. The five-member committee voted to approve a $6.14 billion draft list of transportation projects to be potentially funded by a penny sales tax to come before voters next year.

"Today, the Roundtable Executive Committee worked tirelessly to craft a constrained list of priority projects that represent tremendous benefits to the entire region," said Norcross mayor, Bucky Johnson, chairman of the Roundtable Executive Committee. "We had representatives from all the major jurisdictions in the Atlanta region rolling up their sleeves to help the Executive Committee select projects with the greatest impact. By working creatively and cooperatively, we approved a constrained list of investments today that can usher in a new era of transportation possibilities for our residents."

With public feedback, the five-member Roundtable Executive Committee completed their task of narrowing a $22 billion list of projects down to $6.14 billion. That meant whittling a regional list of more than 400 transportation projects to just over 100 in two and a half months.

The list now must be approved by the full 21-member roundtable by October 15 and submitted to the Georgia Department of Transportation. The next meeting of the full roundtable will be held on Friday, September 16.

Rail-related projects that are part of the draft include:

MARTA North Heavy Rail Line Extension to SR 140: Project cost of $903,900,000 ($37,000,000 funding commitment).

Atlanta Beltline Streetcar Circulator and Trail: Project cost of $1,547,100,000 ($601,892,477 funding commitment).

Northwest Corridor (Acworth to Arts Center Station) Fixed Guideway Transit – Phase 1 from Midtown to Cumberland: Project cost of $1,234,900,000 ($856,499,900 funding commitment).

I-85 North Transit Corridor (all phases): Project cost of $1,303,300,000 ($95,000,000 funding commitment).

MARTA State of Good Repair and Station Enhancements (consolidated): Project cost unknown ($600,000,000 funding commitment).

MARTA East Heavy Rail Line Extension from Indian Creek Station to Wesley Chapel Road Near I-20 East: Project cost of $791,600,000 ($225,000,000 funding commitment).

Clifton Corridor Transit – Rail Corridor Phases 1A, 1B and 1C: Project cost of $1,113,400,000 ($700,000,000 funding commitment).