NCDOT performs work on five crossings

The N.C. Department of Transportation’s Rail Division has made safety improvements at railroad crossings in the Iredell County town of Mooresville, the Buncombe County city of Canton, the Jackson County community of Balsam, the Stanly County city of Albemarle and the Randolph County city of Archdale.

Mooresville:
NCDOT revised crossing signals and installed gates at the intersection of Williams Street and the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. This $245,796 improvement project was paid for with 90 percent federal funding and 10 percent funding from Mooresville. Maintenance for the project will be divided equally between Mooresville and Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Buncombe:
NCDOT installed crossing signals and gates at the intersection of Old Wilson Road and the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. This $248,699 improvement project was paid for with 90 percent federal funding and 10 percent state funding. Maintenance for the project will be divided equally between the state and Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Balsam:
NCDOT installed crossing signals and gates at the intersection of Old Balsam Depot and the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. This $247,643 improvement project was paid for with 90 percent federal funding and 10 percent state funding. Maintenance for the project will be divided equally between the state and Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Albemarle:
NCDOT revised crossing signals and installed gates at the intersection of Mountain View Church Road and the Winston Salem Southbound Railroad tracks. This $198,590 improvement project was paid for with 90 percent federal funding and 10 percent state funding. Maintenance for the project will be divided equally between the state and the Winston Salem Southbound Railway Company.

Archdale:
NCDOT installed crossing signals and gates at the intersection of Johnson Street and the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. This $211,380 improvement project was paid for with 90 percent federal funding and 10 percent state funding. Maintenance for the project will be divided equally between the N.C. Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railroad.

All five projects are a part of a comprehensive statewide NCDOT program to enhance highway safety by adding or improving signals and gates at public railroad crossings. Automatic warning devices are now in place at more than 2,400 of North Carolina’s over 4,100 public at-grade crossings

 

UP names 79 Pinnacle Award winners for chemical transportation safety

Union Pacific Railroad named 79 companies as annual Pinnacle Award recipients for chemical transportation safety. The award annually recognizes UP customers that implemented successful prevention and corrective plans and achieved a rate of zero non-accident releases for shipments of regulated hazardous materials.

"Chemical transportation safety is critical and this is Union Pacific’s opportunity to acknowledge and thank our customers for their continuing efforts to eliminate chemical releases from rail cars," said Diane Duren, vice president and general manager – chemicals. "Rail is the safest way to haul the chemicals that Americans use every day, whether it is chlorine for drinking water or fertilizer for our farms that help feed the world.

"We work closely with our customers to help prevent a release during transit of chemical shipments and jointly demonstrate a commitment to the safe transportation of hazardous materials."

The award program, which began in 1996, is open to all Union Pacific chemical and petrochemical customers. Criteria include safe-loading techniques, securement of shipments and zero NARs. A non-accident release is an unintentional release of hazardous material during transportation not caused by an accident or train derailment. NARs consist of leaks, splashes and other releases from improperly secured or defective valves, fittings and tank shells and also include improper venting from safety relief devices.

Non-accident releases of hazardous material declined more than 16 percent on UP’s network from 2003 – 2010, due in part to increased inspections by the railroad’s hazardous materials safety field personnel and customers adhering to the Pinnacle Award criteria.

To view the 2011 Pinnacle Award recipients please visit:
http://www.uprr.com/newsinfo/releases/safety/2011/0411_pinnacle.shtml

McHugh defines five priorities of Amtrak for surface transportation bill

"The development of intercity passenger rail and Amtrak’s national system should be afforded a significant role in the nation’s federal surface transportation programs," said Joe McHugh, Amtrak vice president for government affairs and corporate communications in a written testimony recently provided to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads.

Amtrak believes the rail section of the new federal surface transportation bill now being developed by Congress should include these top five priorities:

• provide dedicated, multi-year funding for intercity and high-speed rail;
• establish a national investment strategy;
• create a clear and leading role for Amtrak;
• ensure coordinated corridor planning and project execution; and
• address liability and insurance issues.

McHugh added that "If our nation’s intercity passenger rail system – and the transportation system of the United States as a whole – is to be developed and sustained, it is imperative that Amtrak and other federal rail programs be integrated into a comprehensive and truly multi-modal surface transportation authorization bill."

RailAmerica to acquire three Alabama railroads

RailAmerica, Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of three short-line freight railroads in the state of Alabama for a total purchase price of $12.7 million. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2011 and is subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. The three railroads, known individually as the Three Notch Railroad (THNR), the Wiregrass Central Railroad (WGCR) and the Conecuh Valley Railroad (COEH), are currently owned by affiliates of Gulf and Ohio Railways, Inc.

The Three Notch Railroad includes 35 miles of track connecting Georgiana and Andalusia, Ala.; the Wiregrass Central Railroad is a 20-mile railroad that runs between Waterford and Enterprise, Ala.; and the Conecuh Valley Railroad is a 15-mile railroad linking Troy and Goshen, Ala. Each of the three lines interchanges with CSX Transportation and serves customers shipping primarily agricultural and manufactured products. Collectively, the three lines hauled approximately 6,000 carloads of freight during the fiscal year ended 2010.

RailAmerica President and CEO John Giles said, "We are pleased to add these high-quality assets to our existing Alabama rail franchise. Collectively, the railroads have a solid customer base as well as a number of opportunities for further growth. Additionally, the railroads are clustered in close proximity to our existing Alabama operations, which we expect to create significant operating efficiencies. We look forward to partnering with new and existing customers on the line and with the local community to continue growing business on these lines."

Giles added, "We continue to have a strong balance sheet to take advantage of acquisitions that complement our core business. We approach this process with a disciplined focus on investment criteria designed to generate attractive returns and operational synergies."

For the next twelve months, RailAmerica anticipates these railroads will generate approximately $3.7 million in revenue, $1.2 million in operating income and $0.7 million in depreciation and amortization. RailAmerica intends to use cash on hand to finance the purchase.

 

 

Chadron railroad can begin rebuild with $4.9M DOT grant agreement

The City of Chadron, Neb. and the Nebraska Northwest Railroad will soon begin rebuilding its tracks and rail yard thanks to an agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation for a $4.9 million grant.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s TIGER II program will be matched by $1.2 million from the City of Chadron.

"Under President Obama’s leadership, projects like this one are creating jobs, reinvigorating the economy and building a world-class transportation network that our businesses need in order to compete now and continue to grow in the future," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

The project, which will lead to improved freight mobility and safety in the area, includes the replacement of switches, ties, rail and ballast on 7.5 miles of main line track and 1.2 miles within the Chadron Rail Yard. It will rehabilitate an existing car storage track and upgrade 22 timber bridges. When complete, the improved track will allow the railroad to accommodate the standard 286,000-pound cars used by regional construction and building industry and agricultural industry shippers.

"This project will boost our economic competitiveness making it easier and less expensive for businesses to ship their products," said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. "This targeted investment will also increase safety for railroad workers and improve railroad reliability through the replacement of aging infrastructure."

DOT moves $300M in grants from “award to obligation”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced more than $300 million in obligated grants that will enable the expansion of high-speed intercity passenger rail corridors from coast-to-coast.

Work can now begin on rail projects that will create new manufacturing and construction jobs, spur economic development in corridors and, in the long-term, develop a national transportation network with world-class railways.

"We have heard the call of the American people to build the safest, fastest and most efficient ways to move people and goods," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Thanks to the leadership of President Obama, communities across the country are already feeling the economic benefits of rail and today we take another step forward, bringing new jobs to our citizens. Through high-speed rail, we are helping America win the future."

The Federal Railroad Administration has been working collaboratively with states to move grants from "award to obligation," ensuring high-speed intercity passenger rail projects can get underway and put American people to work. The more than $300 million invested and released to states this week includes:

California Department of Transportation – Four projects totaling more than $22 million. A $13 million grant will refurbish 15 locomotives and upgrade engines to reduce emissions. An $8.2 million investment will go for several coach cars on the San Joaquin Corridor and Capitol Corridor. $950,000 will provide for preliminary engineering and environmental work on the Pacific Surfliner to Ortega. And $200,000 will provide for planning of the Pacific Surfliner route from San Diego to Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo.

Connecticut – A $40 million investment to upgrade the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail corridor will provide for 10 miles of double track to be installed on the Amtrak-owned, New Haven-Springfield corridor. This will help to decrease delays and improve travel time and reliability for both freight and passenger service along the corridor.

Maryland/Baltimore Tunnel – For one of the largest choke points in the Northeast Corridor, $60 million will fund a preliminary engineering and environmental analysis to study the replacement and augmentation of the 100-year old B&P Tunnel on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. This would seek to eliminate a major bottleneck in performance and reliability for the NEC.

Missouri – Three projects totaling $3.8 million. A $500,000 grant to develop Missouri’s State Rail Plan, establishing priorities that enhance passenger and freight rail services. A $1.4 million investment will improve 13 highway-rail at-grade crossings between Sedalia and Kansas City. $1.9 million will provide for preliminary engineering and environmental analysis to design and construct a second main track from Lee’s Summit to Pleasant Hill delivering faster speeds and increased reliability.

New Jersey/Portal Bridge – This 100-year-old, bridge is one of the most heavily traveled bridges in the country. $38.5 million will provide for the final design of the new bridge to alleviate delays to Northeast Corridor passenger service, increasing capacity and improving reliability.

Washington – A $145 million investment will fund rail corridor improvements and new equipment for the Cascades route from Vancouver to Blain. This will ultimately provide more frequent and efficient passenger rail service between Portland and Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority – $600,000 will provide for a study to examine the feasibility of expanding the Downeaster line with increased service frequency, higher speeds and reduced travel times. The study will also examine expanding the proposed service extension to Brunswick, Maine, as well as Auburn, Maine.

New York – A $3.3 million investment will add track and rail capacity in the congested Upstate New York area for Amtrak’s Adirondack and Ethan Allen Express services near the Village of Ballston Spa.

West Virginia -$1 million will create a State rail plan to establish strategies for rail services that benefit the public and businesses, while guiding priorities for the State’s investments in rail.

 

Banyan Rail Services subsidiary enters tie service agreement with KCS

Banyan Rail Services Inc., based in Boca Raton, Fla., has announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Wood Energy Group, Inc. has entered into an amended service agreement with Kansas City Southern Railway Company for the gathering, pick-up and disposal of scrap rail ties. Wood Energy, based in St. Louis, Mo., is one of the nation’s largest railroad tie reclamation and disposal companies.

Under this amended service agreement, Wood Energy has been selected to pick up and remove more than 500,000 railroad ties per year for the next two years. The original service agreement designated Wood Energy to dispose of the ties once delivered by KCS to Wood Energy. This agreement covers the gathering, pick-up and disposal of rail ties along KCS’ 3,500-mile, 10-state rail system serving the central and south central U.S.

Greg Smith, president of The Wood Energy Group, said, "This new KCS tie contract is an excellent addition to our core business. By virtue of this amended agreement, Wood Energy will increase its total tie reclamation volume to well over 2 million ties annually. It has been a pleasure to work with the folks at the KCS and we are excited about this opportunity to expand our services with them."

Banyan Rail Services Inc. is a railroad support services company headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida. The Company owns The Wood Energy Group, Inc., one of the nation’s largest railroad tie reclamation and disposal companies.

KCS, RPC open transload facility in Mexico

In a March 30 ribbon-cutting ceremony, KCS and Rehrig Pacific Company celebrated the opening of a new transload facility to be served by KCS and operated by RPC at an industrial park in the City of Queretaro. KCS de Mexico president and executive representative Jose Zozaya and RPC chief executive officer Joseph Doka were on hand. Also attending the ceremony was KCS executive vice president sales and marketing Pat Ottensmeyer.

The Queretaro transload facility allows KCS to better serve customers within the industrial park with an unloading platform and capacity for 19 cars on two tracks, creating significant savings in transportation, logistics and storage costs for area customers. Transload facilities add capacity to the KCS network by providing customers not located directly on the rail line with access to rail service.

As part of their visit to the State of Queretaro, Zozaya and Ottensmeyer toured the Queretaro market area with members of the KCS sales and marketing team. The group visited existing and potential customers and toured the area on the ground and by plane to gather market intelligence.

Queretaro is a vast industrial area with many customers already served by KCS. The manufacturing sector contributes 29 percent to the state’s gross domestic product. With more manufacturers choosing to locate in Queretaro, KCS sees significant potential to bring additional rail service to the area.

"KCS has identified Queretaro as a target market ripe for conversion from truck to rail," said Ottensmeyer. "We will be aggressively marketing our intermodal, transload and carload conversion opportunities in this burgeoning market."

 

New York awarded $3.3M from feds

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced $3.3 million for the State of New York to add track and rail capacity in the congested Upstate New York area, advancing the state’s high-speed intercity passenger rail program.

The project will relieve congestion, leading to greater reliability and faster travel times, and is necessary to achieve the faster speeds for future high-speed rail development. The project is being funded from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

"Adding track in Saratoga Springs and Ballston Spa will reduce congestion and improve reliability," said Secretary LaHood. "President Obama’s bold vision for high-speed rail will deliver a much-needed boost of jobs, help reinvigorate our manufacturing base and reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

New York State received $3.3 million for two miles of second mainline track used by Amtrak’s Adirondack and Ethan Allen Express services near the Village of Ballston Spa, NY. Both of these services saw an increase in ridership in 2010, and the second mainline track will relieve significant congestion near the Saratoga train station and a major freight classification yard. The existing congestion requires Amtrak trains to wait up to 30 minutes for the track to clear. The New York Department of Transportation is contributing $3.5 million for this project, which has also signed a service outcome agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway. Construction will begin in spring 2011.

"New York is committed to moving forward with high-speed rail and these federal resources are an important step in that direction," Governor Andrew Cuomo said.

 

Caltrain Board postpones adopting reduced train schedule

California’s Caltrain Board of Directors voted unanimously to postpone a decision on a reduced train schedule until April 21 and directed staff to work to identify additional funds that would make the cuts unnecessary. Board members expressed the desire to make no cuts to the current 86-train schedule, which has achieved record-level ridership.

Director Adrienne Tissier, who also chairs the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, said she was "extremely frustrated" at the prospect of cutting the rail service. "The system is not broken, but we’re looking today to break it. It is a model for a system that runs beautifully," said Tissier.

The service reductions are under consideration due to a projected $30 million deficit in Fiscal Year 2012.

The proposed 76-train schedule presented to the Board today offered significantly more service than an earlier 48-train schedule.
The vote to postpone a decision about service reductions followed a presentation about a recent annual ridership count, which showed Caltrain customers using the rail service at an all-time high. The count, conducted in February, shows average weekday ridership at 41,442, an increase of nearly 13 percent over last year.

A preliminary budget presentation at the meeting showed Caltrain can close its budget deficit under a 76-train schedule by using one-time-only funds.

To retain the current 86-train schedule Caltrain would need an additional $3.5 million in funding.

"We need to go back in the next two weeks for that $3.5 million," said Tissier. "We can bring full service back. We can keep stations open. We can keep Baby Bullet alive … Why stop short today?"

Additional funding possibilities include right-of-way repayment to SamTrans from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, funds allocated for electrification and the Dumbarton Rail Corridor, and regional money from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission for maintenance that could be converted to operating funds.

Without a dedicated source of funding, Caltrain struggles every year to put together an operating budget. Director Omar Ahmad said, "This is not a sustainable budget … We need to put forward a budget that we can look people in the eye and say this is sustainable."
The Caltrain partners and MTC have been working with community coalitions to address the long-term funding of the rail system, which does not have a permanent, dedicated source of revenue. The Silicon Valley Leadership Group, which has made Caltrain’s fiscal crisis its primary focus, is hosting a series of town hall meetings to address the problem.

 

House T&I Committee: Federal government must not get in the way of safe, effective transportation

The Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard testimony April 7 from a wide array of transportation stakeholders regarding their priorities for streamlining and improving programs, and reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens, for consideration in a reauthorization of surface transportation programs.

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is preparing to draft major transportation and jobs legislation that will include policy reforms to improve rail and hazmat transportation in the United States.

"These titles will focus on improving the efficiency of programs, and ensuring that the federal government does not get in the way of safe, effective transportation and flow of commerce in the United States," said U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-PA), chairman of the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee.

Chairman Shuster’s Statement from Today’s Hearing:

"The Transportation Committee is working on the reauthorization of a transportation bill – it is important to note that this will be a "Transportation" bill, not just a "highway" bill. I am proud that under Chairman Mica’s leadership the Committee is looking to address a wide variety of transportation needs.

"In our subcommittee, Chairman Mica has asked me to focus on putting together a strong rail title to the transportation bill, and we are also considering important issues regarding the transportation of hazardous materials.

"Chairman Mica and members of the Committee have traveled across the country to hold listening sessions in an effort to get as much input as possible on the transportation bill where we plan to do more with less.

"The Subcommittee will receive testimony from rail stakeholders regarding legislative priorities for changes or reforms, particularly in the areas of intercity passenger rail, high speed rail, rail safety and rail financing.

"Additionally, the Subcommittee will hear from hazardous materials stakeholders regarding legislative priorities for reauthorization of the hazardous materials transportation safety programs at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

"These titles will focus on improving the efficiency of programs, and ensuring that the federal government does not get in the way of safe, effective transportation and commerce in the United States."

 

FRA issues safety advisory for switch operations

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a Safety Advisory to remind freight railroad operators and their employees about hazards associated with switching operations.

FRA’s Safety Advisory addresses the need to follow federal regulations and railroad operating rules that govern the procedures for leaving rolling equipment in the clear of adjacent tracks. This Safety Advisory is in response to two recent incidents where railroad employees were killed during switching operations.

"Equipment inappropriately left on adjacent tracks is a serious and potentially life threatening matter," said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. "We can take important steps to increase awareness and stop this dangerous practice."

The FRA Safety Advisory recommends that railroad companies review the recent incidents with employees and reinstruct them on procedures and rules governing leaving rolling equipment clear of adjacent tracks. It also recommends that railroads review job-briefing procedures.

The Safety Advisory is available at http://www.fra.dot.gov/rrs/pages/fp_350.shtml.

Amtrak on its way to setting annual ridership record

March marked 17 consecutive months of year-over-year ridership growth for Amtrak, was the best March ever for the company and puts Amtrak on track to set another annual ridership record.

"Our ridership has grown more than 36 percent since 2000, and I expect that trend to continue – and if gas prices continue to rise – to accelerate. Our only restriction will be the available capacity," Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman told a House Appropriations committee that is considering the national passenger railroad’s FY 2012 budget request.

This performance is part of a long-term trend that has seen Amtrak set annual ridership records in seven of the last eight fiscal years, including more than 28.7 million passengers in FY 2010.

Specifically, there was a 5.5 percent increase in riders in March 2011 vs. March 2010, or more than 137,000 passengers. The 17 straight months of year-over-year ridership growth spans from November 2009 to March 2011 and averages a 6.3 percent growth rate over this period.

Comparing the first six months of FY 2011 (October to March) to the same time period in FY 2010 shows ridership is up 5.9 percent, or 802,745 passengers. In addition, during that same period ridership has increased on all three of Amtrak’s major business lines: Northeast Corridor up 3.9 percent, state-supported and other short distance corridors up 7.7 percent and long-distance trains up 5.3 percent.

Sec. LaHood issues statement concerning $2.4B in HSR funds

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued the following statement today regarding the $2.4 billion available for High-Speed Rail:

"Today, we are another step closer to delivering an innovative, national transportation network that brings new jobs and economic opportunity to the American people. Since I announced the availability of an additional $2.4 billion for high-speed rail projects, governors and members of Congress have been clamoring for the opportunity to participate. That’s because they know that high-speed rail will deliver tens of thousands of jobs, spur economic development across their communities and create additional options for their citizens as the country’s population grows. We have received more than 90 applications from 24 states, the District of Columbia and Amtrak for projects in the Northeast Corridor, with preliminary requests totaling nearly $10 billion dollars. We are extremely pleased to see the bipartisan enthusiasm behind all of the requests to get into the high-speed rail business. Thanks to President Obama’s bold vision for a national high speed rail network, we will win the future for America."

Caltrain tentative financial agreement could minimize service reductions

Executive staff from Caltrain’s three member agencies and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission reached agreement on a tentative financial plan that, if approved, would significantly reduce the agency’s projected Fiscal Year 2012 operating deficit and allow considerably more service than an earlier proposal.

Based on the agreement, Caltrain staff is recommending that the Board authorize a 76-train weekday schedule for Caltrain service beginning in July 2011.

The proposed schedule is a 60 percent increase in weekday train frequency over an earlier 48-train schedule, which was released in February as a worst-case scenario to reflect the agency’s $30 million operating deficit. Unlike the earlier proposal, the 76-train schedule maintains the current span of early morning, midday and late evening weekday service hours; supports service between Gilroy and San Francisco; and provides continued, but modified, weekend and special event service, including baseball service.

In addition, where the original schedule proposed suspension of service at up to 16 stations, the 76-train schedule would require suspension of weekday service at only three – Bayshore, Hayward Park and Capitol.

"The 76-train proposal is a significant improvement over the worst-case scenario, and there is a lot to like in the new schedule. It actually provides more service to some stations than they have now and it preserves the competitive travel times our customers have come to expect from Caltrain," said Caltrain Executive Director Michael J. Scanlon.

Scanlon also emphasized that any solution to the Caltrain fiscal crisis is entirely temporary.

"This is an emergency, short-term fix and it does not address the core financial issues that continue to threaten Caltrain service," Scanlon said. "Caltrain needs a permanent, dedicated source of revenue. Without that, the fiscal crisis we faced this year will only get worse and the future of the rail system will continue to be in doubt."

The tentative funding agreement that makes the new weekday and weekend schedules possible was negotiated among the three Caltrain partners – San Francisco through the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the San Mateo County Transit District- and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

The agreement involves augmenting the support of the Caltrain operating budget through the swapping state and regional capital funds and through funds that VTA will pay to SamTrans for the initial purchase of the Caltrain right of way.

The new schedule reduces net operating costs by approximately $3.3 million and includes a staff recommendation to generate over $2 million through a fare increase and an increase in parking fees.

Scanlon cautioned that the agreement would only cover the coming Fiscal Year 2012 but added that the parties will continue to negotiate through the summer in hopes of reaching agreement this fall on how to address Caltrain budget shortfalls in Fiscal Year 2013.

The Caltrain partners and MTC also are working closely with community coalitions to address the long-term funding of the rail system, which does not have a permanent, dedicated source of revenue.

 

Vermont rail system using RailComm’s Track Warrant Control System

RailComm’s Track Warrant Control System is now being utilized at the Vermont Rail System. RailComm’s Domain Operations Controller (DOC®) train control system can be accessed through a web-enabled software-as-a-service (SaaS) delivery.

SaaS provides a "pay-as-you-go" model, thus eliminating capital equipment procurement constraints. Through this delivery, railroads can be remotely dispatched by the Vermont Rail System wherever an Internet connection is available. It is now possible to relocate dispatchers to alternative locations, if the need arises. Vermont Rail System management members can log in from their offices, homes, or even from hotels to directly view dispatching activities and obtain management reports.

Since the DOC® control application resides on servers within the RailComm-managed data center in Rochester, N.Y., the requirement for local IT support at each railroad is greatly reduced.

Sound Transit launches new website featuring improved trip planner, rider-focused design

Faster, easier access to more information will improve commuting experience.

Sound Transit in Seattle, Wash., has launched a new website with features that make it easier for people to take advantage of bus and train service throughout the region.

In addition to a clean, intuitive design, the website features an improved trip planner with interactive maps that provide more information about transit connections and the locations of stations, stops and parking. Schedules are easier to read. Menus are designed to be more intuitive for riders. As before, the trip planner covers all Sound Transit services as well as those of other regional agencies.

"More than 90 percent of the people who log on to our website are riders. Their input was critical to our process," said Ron Klein, Sound Transit executive director of Communications and External Affairs. "We listened, we tested, we revised and we tested again."

The site is located at www.soundtransit.org. Improvements to the trip planner include the ability to type in start and end points of a transit trip and see multiple options on an interactive map. The map allows riders to change the start and end points by dropping and dragging colored flags. The locations of parking facilities and transit stations and stops are easier to find than on the old trip planner.
Rider alerts – the best way to get breaking information on issues that affect service – have been highlighted and improved. Riders can continue to subscribe to receive rider alerts and an array of other information via e-mail or text messages.

 

FRA issues final rule on concrete ties

The Federal Railroad Administration published its final rule regarding concrete crossties.

A portion of the rule as published in the Federal Register reads: "FRA is amending the Federal Track Safety Standards to promote the safety of railroad operations over track constructed with concrete crossties. In particular, FRA is mandating specific requirements for effective concrete crossties, for rail fastening systems connected to concrete crossties, and for automated inspections of track constructed with concrete crossties.

"In this final rule, FRA is establishing standards for the maintenance of concrete crossties in track Classes 1 through 5. Specifically, FRA is establishing limits for rail seat abrasion, concrete crosstie pad wear limits, missing or broken rail fasteners, loss of appropriate toeload pressure, improper fastener configuration and excessive lateral rail movement. FRA is also adding a section requiring the automated inspection of track constructed with concrete crossties."

AAR calls on Congress to continue safety programs, short line tax credit

The Association of American Railroads called on Congress to continue supporting grade crossing safety programs, tax credits that help short line railroads remain competitive and policies that encourage public-private partnerships for rail infrastructure as it considers reauthorization of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). In testimony before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, AAR President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger also urged the panel to reject policies that undermine railroads’ ability to compete or invest in infrastructure, including allowing bigger trucks onto our nation’s highways.

New Mexico Governor approves tax break, UP to invest $400M in New Mexico rail facility

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez signed into law a bill passed by the New Mexico Legislature granting Union Pacific a locomotive fuel tax deduction. This legislation paves the way for UP to begin construction of an all new rail facility near Santa Teresa, N.M. in June 2011.

Construction of the new facility will create approximately 3,000 jobs during the build phase from 2011 to 2015. UP expects that more than 600 jobs will be based at the facility once it reaches full capacity in 2025. The estimated overall economic impact of the project for N.M. exceeds $500 million, UP’s investment highlighting the company’s strong commitment to enhancing the nation’s transportation infrastructure and setting the standard for outstanding customer service.

"Our strategic investment in this new facility helps improve capacity and enhance efficiency on a key part of our network, while also demonstrating our long-term commitment to deliver premium service to our customers," said Jim Young, Union Pacific chairman and chief executive officer. "Investments of this kind are guided by our mission to serve and are leading to new business and record levels of safety and customer satisfaction."

This facility will be located just west of the Santa Teresa Airport on 2,200 acres and will include fueling facilities, crew change buildings, an intermodal yard and an intermodal ramp with an annual lift capacity of up to 250,000 intermodal containers. The New Mexico economy will get an immediate boost when construction on the project begins later this year.