Michael Townes, the
embattled CEO of Hampton Roads Transit in Virginia said that he would retire at
the end of September and step down as CEO and president of the agency on Jan.
31, according to the Hampton Roads Daily Press. Townes had been under mounting
pressure to step down after costs of the Norfolk light-rail project, the first
in the state was over budget by nearly $100 million.
Progress Rail Services’ Galesburg,
Ill., facility is now rail served. The 11-acre facility, which primarily is
used for processed scrap metal, will now have the ability to receive railcars
for dismantling as well as ship prepared scrap by rail on BNSF, according to Recycling
Today. Progress is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc.
Mayor Richard M. Daley,
Chicago Transit Board Chairman Terry Peterson and Chicago Transit Authority
President Richard L. Rodriguez joined federal, state and city officials Jan. 9 at
the Fullerton rail station for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the
completion of 18 station renovations as part of the CTA’s $530-million Brown
Line Capacity Expansion Project.
The Federal Transit
Administration has granted the San Francisco Muni approval to enter into Final
Design for the Central Subway Project, which is Phase II of the Third Street
Light Rail Project that will connect communities from Visitacion Valley to
Chinatown with modern, convenient light rail. The Third Street Light Rail
project represents the most significant investment in the expansion of the Muni
system in generations.
The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority opened the new Long Island Rail Road Atlantic Terminal
in downtown Brooklyn, improving the experience of travel for thousands of
commuters each day in a majestic pavilion that features an artist/architect
collaboration in a soaring, light-filled atrium.
Portec
Rail Products, Inc., said that it has increased its expansion into China as the
company recently received new customer orders for its Fault Detection and
Friction Management product groups from China. Portec Rail has had a steadily‐growing
presence in China for its Friction Management
products, and has now penetrated the Chinese market with its Fault Detection product
group.
East Bay Congressman John
Garamendi (D.Calif.) toured BART to see how a new construction project, using
$13 million in federal stimulus money, is putting thousands of people to work
and will ultimately provide more seating, more trains and improved on-time
performance for BART commuters riding between Pleasant Hill, Oakland and San
Francisco.
Amtrak
says it is ready for an exciting 2010 with major projects and new initiatives
that will benefit passengers, increase service, rebuild infrastructure, and put
America’s railroad at the center of intercity and high-speed passenger rail
development and expansion.
When Hampton Roads
Transit’s board meets in special session Jan. 11 to discuss the future of
embattled President Michael Townes, the members cannot immediately fire him, The
Virginian-Pilot reports. Townes’ contract requires that he be given 30 days
notice of a vote to terminate his employment. That notice was given Dec. 28,
when four board members wrote him demanding that he resign or they would
introduce a resolution to dismiss him at the Jan. 28 board meeting.
Denver’s Regional Transportation
District — in the wake of a fatal commuter rail crash in Los Angeles — is
installing $3 million in safety technology, The Denver Post reports. The Automatic
Train Stop technology, or ATS, is designed to prevent trains from going through
a red signal, the cause of the 2008 Los Angeles accident in which 25 people
were killed.
The very foundation of the
Burlington, Iowa, railroad bridge project over the Mississippi River may have
to be shifted before significant work can continue on-site for increasing the navigation
channel by constructing a lift-span, the Burlington Hawkeye reports. In
drilling foundations for a new pier on the east side of the span to support the
new lift-span, contractors encountered large rocks and sheet metal that
prevented them from finding bedrock and securing the foundations.
Unitrac has been named a key supplier and valuable
partner in the CSX Transportation supply chain. The company has been identified
as a key supplier that goes that extra mile by providing quality products and
timely deliveries.
The American Public
Transportation Association has launched the Center for High-Speed Rail to advance
and promote high-speed rail in the United States. The Website for the Center
for High-Speed Rail is www.highspeedrailonline.org .
With the extension and a
new method for painting the bridge, Gadsden, Ala., officials think the project
will be completed before the grant expires in September, the Gadsden Times
reports. The city received a grant for $500,000 from the Federal Railroad
Administration in 2005 for the CSX Transportation Railroad Bridge coating
project, but the appropriation was reduced because of across-the-board
rescissions by the Federal Highway Administration.
Reading Blue Mountain and
Northern Railroad has acquired a short-line between Towanda and Monroeton in northeastern
Pennsylvania. RBMN, which currently operates more than 300 miles of railroad in
Eastern Pennsylvania, purchased the assets of the approximately six-mile
Towanda-Monroeton Shippers Lifeline Railroad Inc. from former owner, Joseph
Zadrusky of Scranton, on Dec. 30, 2009. The line is approximately 40 miles
north of RBMN’s current terminus in Mehoopany, Pa. RBMN will be able to connect
its two properties by working with Lehigh Railway L.L.C., which leases a
Norfolk Southern line that connects to the Towanda-Monroeton line in Towanda.
The line will become part of the RBMN system.
Paducah & Louisville
Railway is looking for incentives to build a new headquarters in downtown
Paducah rather than move to one of the other cities where it does business, according to The Paducah Sun.
Railroad President Tony Reck told The Sun that the company is hoping to
stay in Western Kentucky, but isn’t close to making a commitment to any place.
Work on Caltrain’s Grade
Crossing Improvement Program, which will enhance safety at 25 grade crossings
in San Mateo County, continues at the following locations: Oak Grove Avenue,
Burlingame; First Avenue, San Mateo; Main Street, Redwood City; Watkins Avenue,
Atherton; and Oak Grove Avenue, Menlo Park.
Increasing travel options, improving access to goods and services and keeping the state competitive are some of the objectives of the 2009 Minnesota Comprehensive Statewide Freight and Passenger Rail Plan by the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
The rail plan, mandated by the 2008 Minnesota legislature and still in draft form, is the first step in obtaining federal funding for construction of lines within Minnesota and the region that tie into an emerging national rail system, according to Transportation Commissioner Tom Sorel.
"A priority in the plan is intercity passenger rail service between Chicago and the Twin Cities," Commissioner Sorel said. "While the corridors for the project have yet to be determined the connection would support development and economic competitiveness of the Midwest and provide an alternative to automobile and air travel."
In addition to service between Chicago and the Twin Cities, the plan also includes high-speed connections for Duluth and Rochester to the Twin Cities, in cooperation with the Mid-West Regional Rail Initiative.
The report also envisions additional passenger rail services to St. Cloud, Moorhead, Mankato and Eau Claire. Other corridors identified for future development beyond 2030 or as part of national system expansion include Albert Lea, Willmar and Winnipeg.
"This plan recommends that the rail system be developed incrementally with a goal of implementing key passenger services and preparing projects for federal funding as it becomes available," Commissioner Sorel said.
The plan estimates freight and passenger rail 20-year capital costs at $6.2 to $9.5 billion (uninflated). This total assumes $2.2 to $4.4 billion of private investment for freight improvements, and $4.0 to $5.1 billion in federal, state, local and additional private investments for passenger rail development. Mn/DOT officials said that the state rail plan cost estimates are based on high-level, system-wide unit costs, not detailed engineering costs being developed for specific corridors.
The document is now available for public review and comment on Mn/DOT’s Website at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/railplan/. Mn/DOT will accept comments on the plan through Friday, Jan. 29, 2010.
The 2009 NRC/RT&S/Commercial Insurance Associates Safe Railroad Contractor of the Year Awards will be presented at NRC Conference being held at the JW Marriott in Palm Desert, Calif.
This year marked the fifth consecutive year of record participation in the contest, with 46 separate railroad contracting companies participating. Every one of these companies should be commended for their extensive efforts to promote and improve safety in the railroad contracting industry and for subjecting their full safety program and range of practices to an extensive outside review. These companies represent the very best of the NRC and the entire railroad construction and maintenance industry.
Special congratulations to the four category winners:
• US Trackworks LLC of Wayland, Michigan
• Delta Railroad Construction of Ashtabula, Ohio
• Mass Electric Construction/MECRail of Irving, Texas
• Loram Maintenance of Way of Hamel, Minnesota
A full list of awards is available at www.nrcma.org.
Dean Wise is joining BNSF as vice president, Network Strategy, effective Feb. 1, and will report directly to Matt Rose, chairman, president and chief executive officer.
Wise will also serve as a member of the Executive Team. He will, over the next few months, assume the responsibilities of Pete Rickershauser, who will retire April 30. Those responsibilities include directing the railroad’s Haulage Management, Interline Management, Network Strategy Development, Public-Private Partnerships and Short Line Business Development.
Wise earned a bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and a master’s degree from Harvard and has most recently been a partner of Norbridge Inc., a recognized consultant in the freight, transport and logistics industry.
