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.

Mississippi man fearful railroad bridge could collapse






A Mississippi man is
concerned about a railroad bridge he believes is too dangerous for trains to
cross, local television news reports. Adam Webb visits the Coldwater River
often, and is fearful of a bridge located along Highway 178 in Olive Branch,
Miss. Webb believes the bridge is going to collapse under the weight of a
train.

Viaduct sensors help CTA bridge budget gap






A deteriorated CTA bridge
on the Red Line has an important story to tell about the health of the rail
system’s viaducts, the Chicago Tribune reports. Each day, thousands of CTA
elevated trains operate across 564 bridges, many 80-to-100 years old.

Sioux Falls, S.D., switching yard plan recovers after falling off rails






In July 2005, former
Sioux Falls, S.D., Mayor Dave Munson stood on the east bank of the Big Sioux
River near the white monolith of the abandoned Zip Feed Mill, the Sioux Falls
Argus Leader reports. He looked west toward downtown and at rows of railroad
tracks before him and imagined the future. In his mind, new retail,
residential, commercial and entertainment development enlivened the east bank.
The tracks were gone.

CTA. Metra 14th Annual Transportation Symposium helps suppliers






The Chicago Transit
Authority joins the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), Illinois
Department of Transportation (IDOT), Metra and Pace to present the 14th Annual
Transportation Symposium & Business Exchange.  The symposium takes place on Tuesday, November 30 at the
Chicago Hilton and Towers.

BWI rail station platform renovation nears completion






The Maryland Transit Administration
(MTA) said that the entire northbound platform at the BWI MARC/Amtrak Station would
be open for passengers at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 24, 2010. A portion
of the northbound platform has been closed to MARC commuters and Amtrak
passengers during construction, but barriers will be removed Wednesday morning,
Nov. 24, and crews will complete final detail work after the holiday. The
improved, longer platform will open in time to ease the expected rush of
Thanksgiving holiday travelers.

MTA LIRR partnering with NYC Community Cleanup to remove graffiti






A non-profit community
group that has earned accolades for efforts to keep New York City clean is
sending work crews out to help MTA Long Island Rail Road undo the unsightly
work of graffiti vandals scarring LIRR bridges, most in Greater Jamaica. The
LIRR is partnering in the pilot program with NYC Community Cleanup, an
organization that targets litter and vandalism by deploying non-violent
offenders doing community service time. NYC Community Cleanup is a creation of
the Center for Court Innovation in partnership with the state Office of Court
Administration, the Office of the Mayor’s Criminal Justice Coordinator and the
Queens District Attorney and it develops innovative approaches to public safety
problems.

VIA Rail contracts with KMI for safety and risk management software






VIA Rail Canada has
selected KMI, a software firm based in Oakville, Ont., to upgrade the
corporation’s environmental and safety management systems. The C$270,000
contract, which is entirely funded by the Government of Canada’s Economic
Action Plan, will provide VIA with KMI’s integrated software to centralize
environment, health and safety data collection, event reporting and analysis
throughout the corporation’s coast-to-coast network. KMI’s Incident Management,
Corrective Action, and Reporting & Dashboard systems will be implemented at
all VIA locations across Canada by the end of the year.