Governor Rendell proposes temporary funding for Port Authority

The Port Authority of Allegheny County issued the following statement regarding: Pennsylvania Governor Rendell’s announcement on temporary funding for the Port Authority:

This morning, Gov. Ed Rendell detailed a proposal to local leaders that would provide $45 million in funding to help sustain public transportation service in Allegheny County. The plan would have to be approved by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), which is a regional planning agency that directs the use of transportation funds in the region.

The $45 million would come from unused economic development funds and not from other transportation projects.

The governor made the announcement during a press conference this morning in downtown Pittsburgh, following a briefing with SPC members.

This would be a temporary fix for Port Authority and would not resolve the state’s transportation funding crisis. Port Authority is anxious to have serious discussions with state leaders in the new year about a responsible long-term solution for transit and highway funding.

Port Authority will examine the proposal in the coming weeks and determine how it might impact fares and service. The Authority will not take any action until after the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission votes on the matter later this month.

California’s high-speed rail begins in Fresno

The California High-Speed Rail Authority has picked the area where the first segment of California’s and the nation’s first high-speed rail track will be constructed.

The 65-mile portion of track, with a price tag of $4.15 billion, will stretch from just north of Fresno and continue north of Bakersfield, passing straight through Fresno. It is just the start of an 800-mile high-speed rail project that will ultimately connect San Diego to San Francisco with trains running up to 220 miles per hour.

Two new stations will be constructed along the track, one in downtown Fresno and the other near Hanford. The new track will be aligned with existing tracks. The entire Central Valley portion of the high-speed rail project, from Merced to Bakersfield, will generate 135,000 much-needed full-time construction jobs. Yet to be chosen is the site for the 800-mile system’s heavy maintenance facility, which could be located in Fresno County and would bring an additional 1,500 jobs.

"The Authority Board’s courageous decision today will create major economic stimulus for Fresno County," Fresno County Supervisor Henry Perea said. "Not only will we will see thousands of jobs for Fresno County residents, but we’ll also see Fresno County position itself as the nation’s high-speed rail development center."

TAMC to buy land for rail line

California’s Transportation Agency for Monterey County approved its first land purchase of about three acres near the Salinas train station for its planned $110 million project for commuter rail service between Salinas and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Monterey County Herald reports that the agency will use state rail transportation money to acquire the property at 20 New St. from Powers RV. The parcel will be used for part of the overnight layover area for commuter trains.

Agency directors approved the real estate acquisition at their Wednesday meeting in Salinas.

The project, which TAMC estimates will begin service in 2014, is in the final stages of environmental review with preliminary design work being done. The agency is poised to move into land-acquisition efforts, Hale said.

The commuter line will have stations in Salinas, Castroville and Pajaro for service to Silicon Valley and San Francisco. The agency has been planning the project for several years.

The Salinas parcel was acquired early in the process because the owners were planning to sell the land and asked the agency to go ahead with the purchase. Negotiations started in 2009. The $1.93 million price includes $219,000 for cleanup of hazardous arsenic and petrochemical hydrocarbons on the site.

APTA commends National Deficit Commission gas tax recommendation






"On behalf of the American Public
Transportation Association’s (APTA) 1,500 members, I commend Chairmen Erskine
Bowles and Alan Simpson for including in their recommendations to the National
Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform proposals to support the
critical need to preserve and improve the nation’s surface transportation
network, which includes public transportation systems, highways, and bridges,"
said American Public Transportation Association President William Millar.
 

Work to begin on Appalachian Regional Short-Line Rail Project






Work can begin on the
Appalachian Regional Short-Line Rail project with the signing of a $12.9-million
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray
LaHood said. The signing took place between the U.S. Department of
Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

KCS launches new branding






Kansas City Southern has
launched a new branding initiative, honoring its unique legacy and embracing
the future of freight rail transportation. The new branding includes the
grouping of original logos for The Kansas City Southern Railway Company, Kansas
City Southern de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. and Panama Canal Railway Company and adds
the statement, "Business Without Borders." The original logos and new
tag line, along with the red, gold and black colors of the heritage paint
scheme displayed on KCS locomotives, will be featured on marketing collateral,
video, print advertisements and a new Website, now in development.

Patriot Rail executes agreement to operate railroad in North Carolina






Patriot Rail Corp. said it
has executed a long-term license and operating agreement with the North
Carolina Department of Transportation to commence rail service on the Piedmont
and Northern Railway in Gaston County, North Carolina. Under the 20-year
agreement, Patriot will be responsible for operating, maintaining and marketing
freight rail service on the P&N.

Weekend renovation on D.C. Metro’s Red and Orange Lines






Dec. 3-5, Metro in
Washington, D.C., will upgrade its track and stations to improve long-term
reliability and service. As a result of this crucial work, which is critical to
maintain the railroad in a state of good repair, trains on the Red and Orange
lines will be single-tracking, and riders should expect their trips to take up
to 30 minutes longer than usual. 



Progress Rail acquires C&S Signaling

Progress Rail Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Caterpillar Inc., has announced its acquisition of C&S Signaling LLC, a
signaling business serving the railroad industry, based in Crestwood, Kentucky.
The acquisition strengthens Progress Rail’s position in grade-crossing warning
system design, material management and signal installation and maintenance.
Details of the transaction were not disclosed.




URS team wins U.K. high-speed rail contract






URS
Corporation, as part of a team with Mott MacDonald and Grimshaw, has been
awarded a contract by High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. to provide engineering design
services for the development of a proposed high-speed rail line between
Birmingham and Manchester in the U.K.

 

Montreal’s STM presents 2011-2013 Triennial Capital Expenditures Plan






The Société de transport de
Montréal (STM) presented its Triennial Capital Expenditures Plan outlining the
estimated C$1.9 billion in expenditures planned for 2011-2013 and their effects
on subsequent years. Such investments are needed to replace or upgrade
equipment and infrastructure that already have or will reach the end of their
service life in the next few years, including métro railcars and a number of
buses, among others.

Canada rail line can start upgrading






Agreements between Huron
Central Railway and the federal and provincial governments are being finalized,
paving the way for infrastructure improvements along the rail line, the Sault
Star reports. Sault Ste. Marie CAO Joe Fratesi said Huron Central will sign
separate agreements with the federal and provincial governments that will see C$15
million from each level of government flow for the upgrades.

D.C. Metro sets December weekend track maintenance schedule






In December, Metro in Washington,
D.C., will conduct major track work on all the Red, Blue, Orange and Yellow
lines to help maintain the rail system in a state of good repair and help
improve service reliability. All weekend projects will impact travel times. 

Metro
will not conduct any track maintenance work during the Christmas and New Year’s
holiday weekends. 



 

Twin Cities Central Corridor Light Rail Project update






Fourth Street in downtown
St. Paul is reopened to traffic after crews substantially completed utility
relocation and road construction the day before Thanksgiving. In December,
crews will finish installing pavers, lights, traffic signals and pole foundations
for the overhead system of wires that will power the light-rail trains.

Caltrain construction, maintenance update Nov. 28-Dec. 3






Work will continue on the
new pedestrian underpass at the Santa Clara station. The underpass will connect
the north- and southbound platforms, allowing two trains to pass through the station
at the same time and improving safety for pedestrians in the station. Passengers
at the station are boarding the train from a temporary platform. The temporary
platform will be in use for approximately six months.

BNSF, Illinois set terms for $45-million project






BNSF and the State of
Illinois have reached a preliminary agreement on how to spend $45 million in
state funds to upgrade the rail network at Galesburg, Ill., to help passenger
and freight trains operate efficiently on the shared track system, The Journal
of Commerce reports.

Shipping oil by rail touted over pipeline






One of Canada’s oldest
industries could open new markets to Asia without the need for an expensive or
controversial pipeline to the West Coast, executives from both major railroads
said, the Calgary Herald reports.