FRA awards West Virginia $1 million

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has allocated $1 million for the State of West Virginia to develop a state rail plan that will serve as a blueprint for guiding the state’s rail investment strategies.

"This plan will help West Virginia identify rail lines that will best serve shippers and passengers well into the future," said Secretary LaHood. "It is an important part of the President’s plan to win the future by targeting critical rail projects."

The grant will be matched by $1 million from the state of West Virginia. The plan will inventory existing freight and passenger rail lines in the state and analyze the potential for new freight, high-speed, intercity and commuter corridors, including tourist railroads.

"Planning for freight and passenger rail has been ignored for too many years, and state rail plans will create a sound basis for future, targeted investment," said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo. "Such plans are all part of the President’s long term vision to best use our railroads and create new opportunities for rail."

Illinois HrSR corridor work resumes

Ninety six miles of tracks and a quarter-million railroad ties for future high(er)-speed Amtrak trains will be installed in Central Illinois starting the weekend of April 2-3, leading to the substitution of chartered buses for some Lincoln Service trains for several weeks and the detour of the Texas Eagle between Chicago and St. Louis.

The temporary changes will allow Union Pacific Railroad crews to improve infrastructure to allow Amtrak service at speeds up to 110 mph, an increase from the current maximum of 79 mph. The Illinois Department of Transportation anticipates a track segment between Dwight and Pontiac will be ready for faster service next year.

The Chicago to St. Louis HrSR corridor is among the first HrSR projects in the country to begin construction, breaking ground north of Alton last September. Last week, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and railroad partners announced the start of 2011 construction, with $685 million in work this year.

Meanwhile, new transportation centers in Joliet and Normal are planned and fully funded through federal, state, local and railroad partnerships, with construction now underway in Normal. At Amtrak Chicago Union Station, work is continuing that will lead to expanded passenger capacity in 2012-13 and federal funding for track improvements has been received at the St. Louis Gateway Station.

 

California to apply for Florida

The California High-Speed Rail Authority voted unanimously to apply for all of the high-speed rail funding recently returned to the federal government by the state of Florida. The Authority Board of Directors approved the staff recommendation that California pursue the $2.43 billion recently made available and offer a 20 percent state match in order to make California more competitive for these funds.

The funds could allow the completion of the entire backbone of the statewide system – linking Merced and Bakersfield, including stations in each respective city. In addition to completing the backbone, it could also allow the Authority to build either north or south – north 39 additional miles toward the Bay Area or south, past Bakersfield, up to the Tehachapi Mountains.

Obtaining just over half of Florida’s money, along with the state match, would still give the Authority the potential to lay the track that will connect Merced to Bakersfield – the critical "backbone" of the statewide system where high-speed trains will travel at 220 miles per hour and ensure that California’s system is competitive with other modes of travel.

"California has proven that it can and will lead the nation with a vision of true high-speed rail," said Curt Pringle, Chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority Board. "Every mile of track laid in the Central Valley represents another step toward realizing a statewide system to connect north and south, which will bring private investment, job creation, and economic strength to California."

Florida’s declined funding, if re-allocated to California, has the potential to create up to 64,000 jobs.

"Applying every new dollar to extend construction of our system’s backbone in the Central Valley is the logical next step to build toward connecting our system into metropolitan areas," said Roelof van Ark, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. "A continued and long-term commitment from the federal government is needed in order to give the very interested private sector the confidence it needs to invest."

At a special Board meeting of the Authority, residents and elected officials from the Merced and Bakersfield communities spoke in support of vying for the re-allocated funds in order to complete the system’s backbone.

Governor Jerry Brown has joined California’s two U.S. Senators in supporting as many of the re-allocated dollars as possible being redirected to California, urging the President to reallocate the funds to California and saying "The $2 billion that Florida rejected are more than welcome here."

Under the Authority’s proposal, electrifying the track, purchasing the trains, and operating passenger service would come at a later phase of development.

 

Metrolinx acquires key commuter-rail segment of CN’s Kingston Subdivision

Metrolinx has purchased a section of Canadian National’s Kingston Subdivision rail line, used primarily for commuter and passenger rail operations in eastern Toronto, for C$299 million.

The rail line is composed of the two- and three-track rail corridor east of Union Station in downtown Toronto to a junction near Whites Road in Pickering, Ont., where the line connects with GO Transit’s separate rail right-of-way.

Metrolinx President and Chief Executive Officer Bruce McCuaig said, "With today’s announcement, Metrolinx gains full ownership of an important segment of GO Transit’s Lakeshore East commuter rail corridor from Union Station to Oshawa, Ont., and a direct connection to GO’s Stouffville corridor in eastern Toronto.

"Owning this rail corridor section better positions GO to improve service, better control operations and plan future service growth."

Metrolinx now owns 61 per cent of the rail corridors on which GO Transit operates.

CN President and Chief Executive Officer Claude Mongeau said, "We are pleased to have concluded this sales agreement to transfer a critical link in the commuter rail network to Metrolinx, while protecting CN’s operating rights over this line to ensure continued service to its freight customers. CN has a strong partnership with Metrolinx and we will continue to support commuter rail as a sustainable mode of transport in the Greater Toronto Area."

TDOT introduces new safety campaign

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is launching a new safety campaign aimed at eliminating tragic collisions, fatalities and injuries at the state’s 2,815 public at-grade railroad crossings. New billboards and posters will be installed near high traffic railroad crossings across the state to remind drivers and pedestrians to make safe decisions at crossings and around railroad tracks.

"More than seven hundred fatalities occurred in the U.S. last year as a result of vehicle-train collisions," said TDOT Commissioner John Schroer. "Those statistics are proof we need to intensify our efforts to educate the public about taking unnecessary risks at railroad crossings."

As part of the safety campaign, sixteen billboards and 94 large digital posters will be displayed now through late 2013 at rotating locations near railroad crossings with high traffic volumes. The program is funded through the "Ton Mile Tax," which are funds collected by TDOT from railroads that operate within the state and earmarked specifically for safety related programs.

In the last two years, there have been 95 vehicle-train collisions in Tennessee, killing five people and injuring 26 others. So far in 2011, one person has died in a vehicle-train collision. According to Operation Lifesaver, more than 450 people in the U.S. were killed while trespassing on tracks last year, an 8.2 percent rise in trespassing fatalities since 2009.

 

WMATA April work to improve safety and reliability

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority will discontinue Orange Line service between the Minnesota Avenue and New Carrollton Metrorail stations from 8 p.m., Friday, April 15 to closing on Sunday, April 17, as the transit agency continues to make repairs to the aerial structure at the Cheverly Metrorail station.

Metro will also conduct major weekend, weeknight and weekday track maintenance work as part of its effort to rebuild the Metrorail system.

All weekend work will begin at 10 p.m. Friday nights and conclude at closing (midnight) on Sunday. All weeknight projects will begin at 9:30 or 10 p.m. and conclude at closing (midnight).

FTA gives green light for Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project to enter into Final Design

The Federal Transit Administration has approved the 7.3-mile Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Project to enter into Final Design. This allows the project to be developed from its current 30 percent design to 100 percent design. Final Design is expected to last about a year.

"This approval means that the region’s top transit priority stays on schedule as it moves closer to construction," said TriMet General Manager Neil McFarlane.

Following Final Design, TriMet expects to sign a contract with the federal government for their commitment to fund 50 percent of the project. That contract is expected to be signed by mid 2012. Once signed, the project moves into full construction.

Due to the limited construction windows in the Willamette River due to migrating fish, the FTA has approved early construction work on the project’s light rail bridge. The "fish window" allows in-river work from July through October. Bridge construction is set to begin on July 1, 2011.

Up to 14,000 jobs will be created during the construction of the project.

The $1.49 billion project is the sixth MAX line to be built is set to open in September 2015.

Gov. Walker wants $150M for Amtrak Hiawatha upgrades

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker plans to apply for $150 million in federal funds to improve the Hiawatha Amtrak railroad connecting Chicago to Milwaukee, reports Businessweek. The funds would provide Milwaukee a new maintenance facility, as well as two train sets and eight locomotives.

This application for funds comes only three months after the Governor turned down $810 million to build a Madison-to-Milwaukee high-speed line. When he turned the funds down he stated the line would be a waste of taxpayer money.

When speaking of the new project, he said it would save the state money through lower operating expenses, fewer capital costs and more ticket revenue.

The money would be coming from the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail funds Florida rejected. Walker will be filling jointly with Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Amtrak.

The project would allow for faster trips, traveling up to 110 mph between Chicago and Milwaukee-cutting travel time by 30 minutes.

Amtrak to tweet Northeast Corridor service disruptions

Amtrak is responding to customer requests to be notified directly of major Northeast Corridor service disruptions using Twitter and a new @AmtrakNEC handle in a pilot program effective March 29.

Twitter users who choose to follow @AmtrakNEC will be notified of major service disruptions resulting in extreme delays or stoppage of all rail traffic, whether the issue is the result of commuter, freight or Amtrak rail equipment, severe weather, police activity and track or other infrastructure matters.

Followers of @AmtrakNEC on Twitter will then be notified when the corridor is significantly disrupted for Acela Express and Northeast Regional and other Amtrak trains between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Keystone Service trains between Harrisburg, Pa., and New York City, via Philadelphia and Shuttle trains between Springfield, Mass., and New Haven, Conn. Notifications of disruptions that affect a single Amtrak train will continue to be made aboard that train — and at stations — and will not result in a tweet.

There will be a link to these tweets from Amtrak.com and they will be relayed to the news media along with the more detailed Amtrak Service Alerts already being produced and posted on Amtrak.com. Train status information will continue to be available through the tools on both the standard and mobile versions of Amtrak.com, calls to 800-USA-RAIL and on information display systems at stations.

Amtrak will continue to engage its Twitter followers using the @Amtrak primary account, on Facebook and through other means. The @AmtrakNEC handle will be "push" only.

Amtrak will review the number of followers and the re-tweets of these messages to determine if the pilot program should be modified, made permanent and/or expanded to additional corridors.

BNSF launches mobile app for customer shipment management

BNSF has released four new mobile applications that enable customers to manage their BNSF shipments on their smart phones. The new applications – Unit Trace, Switch and Release, Coal Train Tracing and Driver Lot Location – are now available on the new BNSF mobile website.

"At BNSF we are constantly looking for ways to enhance processes and tools that make doing business with BNSF easier" said John Lanigan, BNSF executive vice president and chief marketing officer. "We are proud to offer our customers some of the most robust mobile functionality in the industry."

"These tools offer a very fast and convenient way to access information when I’m away from my computer," said Fernando Mendez, China Shipping North America, intermodal manager. "Truly one of the best on-the-go tools for tracking and tracing shipments."

The Unit Trace and Switch and Release applications make equipment management easier and more productive. Customers can manage their shipments remotely by alerting BNSF that they have unloaded a railcar and are ready for BNSF to pick up the empty car. They can also track their shipment while it is on the BNSF network. For coal customers, BNSF offers a specially designed Coal Train Tracing application that tracks entire trains by a specific mine or utility locations.

After testing the tools for two months Randy Cook, operations manager intermodal with Orient Overseas Container Line said, "I’ve found them to be very useful. Being able to track my shipments from anywhere saves me time and allows me to more easily manage my shipments on BNSF."

Another online application, DLL, helps drivers efficiently plan their routes and obtain proactive shipment location information. It displays the location of a customer’s trailer or container and can be used to check billing information, last facility location, destination facility, chassis number, estimated date and time of arrival and more.

"Technology plays a key role in how we run the railroad," said Jo-ann Olsovsky,
BNSF vice president technology services and CIO. "We recognize the importance of mobility supporting our customers’ ability to manage their logistics remotely."

All of the applications can be accessed through the newly launched BNSF mobile-friendly website on any Blackberry, iPhone, Droid, or Windows 7 phones. In addition, customers can now obtain information about BNSF, facility hours and directions, loading guidelines, careers at BNSF as well as login to the secure customer portal – all from smart phones.

STB issues final EIS for Alaska

The office of Environmental Analysis of the Surface Transportation Board relased the final Environmental Impact Statement for Alaska Railroad’s Port MacKenzie Rail Extension, recommending Mac East Variant and Houston South as the rail route for STB approval.

The 32-mile rail extension will link the deepwater Port MacKenzie to the mainline of the Alaska Railroad. The STB finding finalizes a rigorous environmental impact study, field work and public involvement process that began in 2007.

Construction is scheduled for completion in 2014. The project is estimated to cost $128 million.

 

Vermont pushes for federal money to fund Western Corridor high-speed rail project

Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) was joined by Governor Peter Shumlin and business and community leaders recently as they welcomed Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration Karen Rae to push for federal funding of Vermont’s Western Corridor high-speed rail project.

With the rejection of high-speed rail funds by several states in recent months, Vermont’s congressional delegation has been pushing for those funds to be reallocated to Vermont’s Western Corridor project, which runs from Rutland to Burlington.

Welch invited businesspeople, community members and state and local officials to explain to Rae the importance of rail to Vermont’s economy and the potential benefits that will come with improving the passenger and freight rail line along the state’s western corridor. As Deputy Administrator for the Federal Railroad Administration, Rae is tasked with developing and implementing the Obama Administration’s freight and passenger rail policy.

"High-speed rail is a real priority for Vermont businesses and local communities," Welch said. "A strong rail network will not only tie entrepreneurs, small businesses and towns to regional hubs like New York, Albany, Boston and Montreal, it will bring people from those places to Vermont. Vermonters are ready and willing to put this money to good use creating good jobs, improving our transportation infrastructure and expanding travel and tourism businesses."

"Vermont is working closely with other states in the northeast and Quebec to make sure that reliable and efficient service is available to travelers and rail shippers," Shumlin said. "The extension of the Ethan Allen Express up to Burlington is a direct and tangible next step that will be followed by links to Manchester and Bennington. This project and the planned extension of the AMTRAK Vermonter into Montreal are major steps in the transformation of our passenger rail system."

Missouri wants $1 billion for HSR between Kansas City and St. Louis

Missouri will apply for $1 billion in reallocated federal funds to construct high-speed rail service from St. Louis to Kansas City. The application will include a two-phase proposal: immediate upgrades to improve speeds along existing rail lines; and longer-term planning, engineering and preparation for construction of a separate, dedicated high-speed line between the two cities.


The Missouri application is seeking funding for a variety of immediate projects that will include new sidings, mainlines, bridges, removal of grade crossings, train cars, and other equipment and infrastructure to enable Amtrak trains traveling between St. Louis and Kansas City to travel at greater speeds than they currently do, with greater schedule reliability. Train service also would be enhanced by improvements to the station at Jefferson City. The longer-term planning money would fund preliminary design, engineering and preparation for the building of a true high-speed rail line between the two cities.

If granted, about $373 million of the federal funds would be used in the immediate future for significant improvements and upgrades to rail equipment and infrastructure and would complement the high-speed rail project already underway in the St. Louis to Chicago corridor. Another $600 million would be used over the longer term to complete necessary planning and design for building the separate, dedicated high-speed line across Missouri and for purchasing necessary properties.

For the past two years, Gov. Nixon has been working cooperatively with the state of Illinois on pursuing funds for development of the St. Louis to Chicago high-speed rail corridor; in addition, Missouri also has already received $32 million in federal funding for improvements to the St. Louis to Kansas City corridor.
million of the federal funds would be used in the immediate future for significant improvements and upgrades to rail equipment and infrastructure and would complement the high-speed rail project already underway in the St. Louis to Chicago corridor. Another $600 million would be used over the longer term to complete necessary planning and design for building the separate, dedicated high-speed line across Missouri and for purchasing necessary properties.

For the past two years, Gov. Nixon has been working cooperatively with the state of Illinois on pursuing funds for development of the St. Louis to Chicago high-speed rail corridor; in addition, Missouri also has already received $32 million in federal funding for improvements to the St. Louis to Kansas City corridor.

New England Railroad Club awards Vincent Terrill Lifetime Achievement Award

The first New England Railroad Club Vincent R. Terrill Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Vincent R. Terrill on March 22, 2011. The award will carry Terrill’s name in honor of the region’s "distinguished railroad chief engineer and dedicated railroad advocate" and will be presented to railroad industry employees of note every year.

WATCO names assistant GM to shortline

WATCO Transportation has named Thad Davis assistant gen¬eral manager for the Stillwater Central Railroad. Davis will be assisting in overseeing the day-to-day operations on the SLWC. He will help coordinate efforts between all railroad departments to achieve performance goals with optimum safety, economy, efficiency and effectiveness along with overseeing Customer relationships.

NJ TRANSIT to host open house on study to improve transit in Gloucester and Camden Counties

NJ TRANSIT will host a public open house to discuss potential transit improvements along the congested highway corridor that connects suburban Gloucester and Camden counties with the City of Camden and Philadelphia.

The open house is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5, 2011 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the Blackwood Campus of Camden County College in Gloucester Township, NJ. The meeting will be held at the Atrium, Forum 101 in the Connector Building-Civic Hall.

LACMTA to hold public hearing to evaluate maintenance facility sites for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Co

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 31, to update the community and to receive verbal comments on the evaluation process of the proposed maintenance facility sites for the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Light Rail Project.

Metro staff is analyzing four sites for the development of a new maintenance facility, which will be used to store, maintain, repair, and clean light rail vehicles. The four sites are located in the cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood, Hawthorne and Redondo Beach. Metro staff will also update the community on an analysis of parklands and historic resources. The hearing will take place Thursday, March 31, 2011
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
at the Inglewood City Hall 
Community Room A, First Floor,
One West Manchester Blvd.
Inglewood, CA 90301

The Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Recirculated Draft Environmental Impact Report is now available for review and public input and is posted under Reports and Info at www.metro.net/crenshaw.

The deadline for comments is April 11, 2011 by 5 pm. Comments can be made at the hearing, mailed to Roderick Diaz, Project Manager, Metro, One Gateway Plaza, 99-22-3, Los Angeles CA 90012, or e-mailed to [email protected].

The Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor is an 8.5 mile light rail line that will extend from the intersection of Exposition and Crenshaw Boulevards to the Metro Green Line’s Aviation/LAX station. The project will serve the cities of Los Angeles, Inglewood, Hawthorne, and El Segundo and portions of the unincorporated Los Angeles County.

Gov. Christie’s proposed FY 12 budget includes $3.5 billion in NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT

The New Jersey Department of Transportation has proposed a FY 12 capital program that provides for robust investment in the state’s transportation network and promotes long-term economic growth.

The $3.5 billion program represents the first year of a five-year Transportation Capital Plan that Governor Chris Christie announced in January. That plan puts New Jersey on the path toward fiscal health by prioritizing projects, decreasing borrowing and increasing pay-as-you-go cash funding.

The proposal, which outlines spending priorities totaling $2.3 billion for NJDOT and nearly $1.2 billion for NJ TRANSIT, reflects the Governor’s commitment to improve the safety and functionality of a multi-modal transportation network that provides mobility for millions of New Jersey residents and visitors every day.

"Renewing New Jersey isn’t just a slogan, it’s the product of cohesive policies that attract businesses, create new jobs and control taxes," Governor Christie said.

The FY 12 program relies primarily on federal and state sources for funding.

Under the proposed program, state support from the Transportation Trust Fund and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey would amount to $1.6 billion, of which $978 million would be directed to NJDOT and $622 million to NJ TRANSIT.

Federal support amounts to $1.66 billion, of which $1.17 billion would go to NJDOT and $497 million to NJ TRANSIT.

NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT rail-related highlights


• NJDOT multimodal programs, covering maritime, freight, rail and bicycle and pedestrian initiatives, would receive $162 million. 

• NJ Transit’s $1.164 billion capital program addresses New Jersey’s mass transit needs by funding state-of-good-repair projects, preventive maintenance, local programs and debt service.
• Funds track replacement projects.
• Supports railroad signal system upgrades.

• Invests in overhead power line and electrical substation upgrades.

• Provides for security improvements.
• Funds rail station and bus terminal improvements.

The FY 12 Transportation Capital Program has been submitted to the members of the Legislature for their review and is being shared with the state’s three Metropolitan Planning Organizations, whose input will help shape the final program that will be voted on by the Legislature as part of New Jersey’s budget for FY 12.

CPR to invest $100M in North Dakota capacity, service

Canadian Pacific Railway will make an investment of $100 million in North Dakota between 2010 to 2012. The investment plan will expand network capacity and enhance rail service in order to meet increased traffic demands.

"North Dakota is a source of growth for CP and the Midwest’s economy with its increased grain production, vast oil deposits in the Bakken Formation and the continued strength of ethanol," said Jane O’Hagan, executive vice-president, marketing & sales and CEO. "CP has been a key part of North Dakota’s economy for the past century. We look forward to providing service to our customers far into the future and know these improvements will help alleviate current concerns, and meet our customers’ future demands for consistent, reliable rail transportation alternatives."

"This is another step forward in our continuing efforts to expand our market access for farmers, for oil production and for other industry," said North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple.

CPR’s 2011 North Dakota investment plan includes:

• Hiring over 70 new employees to expand CPR’s train crew base in 2011, growing CPR’s workforce in North Dakota by 18 percent.
• A new Superintendent of Operations territory focused on traffic between Enderlin and Portal.
• Capacity expansion over the next two years on the Newtown, Portal and Carrington subdivisions including yard track extensions in Max and Flaxton, and installation of a new runaround track in Newtown.
• Increased budget for maintenance work on the Newtown subdivision. Notably, the installation of over 17 miles of rail replacement between Drake and Max including upgrades to 41 crossings.
• Strategic installation of snow fence and grading projects to reduce winter snow drifting between Drake and Max.

Current year infrastructure investment will begin in the spring with a majority of work expected to be completed in Fall 2011.

 

UP launches new transloading service for agricultural products customers

Union Pacific’s new Plant-to-Port transportation and transload program provides customer product transfer from covered hopper unit trains directly to marine containers at the railroad’s Yermo, Calif., facility. The program includes double-stack intermodal train service on dock to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. UP Distribution Services adds door-to-door supply chain logistics to the service, meaning customers can manage their entire freight movement through UP with a single point of contact.
Plant-to-Port initially will serve distillers dried grains customers but is designed to handle bulk grain and processed grain products.

"This new unit train service provides a first-of-its-kind, plant-to-port transportation solution for our DDG customers," said Paul Hammes, Union Pacific vice president and general manager – Agricultural Products. "The Renewable Fuels Standard mandates increased ethanol production through 2015 and customers will need export solutions to supply new co-products markets. Demand from Asia is driving DDG, grain and grain products export growth to the west coast and we are offering those markets a source of empty marine containers, freight delivery and throughput capacity."

Empty 40-foot marine containers moved from UP’s Intermodal Container Transfer Facility in Long Beach are staged at the railroad’s Yermo facility prior to customer product arrival, expediting the transloading process.

UPDS provides marine container supply management, real-time product tracking, direct ocean carrier contact and transload management, all with a staff dedicated to this service.