Maryland issues statewide freight plan






Building upon an analysis
of commodity flows in the Maryland Freight Profile, Maryland DOT developed the
Maryland Statewide Freight Plan, a multi-modal and comprehensive view of the
state of freight and a freight strategy including a prioritized project list
and complementary policies and funding approaches. The Plan provides an
in-depth overview of the State’s current and long-range freight planning
activities and investments and is intended as a living document that will be
consistently updated with feedback from internal and external stakeholders or
users and beneficiaries of the freight network to also include passenger
services as well.

 

NJ TRANSIT to improve Newark Penn Station Plaza






The NJ TRANSIT Board of
Directors authorized a major pedestrian and traffic circulation improvement
project at Newark Penn Station that will enhance safety, reduce vehicular
congestion, strengthen the historic facility’s connection to an increasingly
vibrant downtown business and entertainment district and create an estimated
125 jobs.

Major MTA LIRR signal modernization project In Valley Stream






Train service on five MTA
Long Island Rail Road South Shore branches will be affected during the weekend
of October 24 and 25 as work is completed on a major signal and switch
modernization project in the Valley Stream area. The work will require a
48-hour suspension of train service through Valley Stream. Customers using the
Babylon, Montauk, Far Rockaway, Long Beach and West Hempstead Branches will
take buses for all or part of their trips and other trains will be diverted. To
avoid delays, customers are advised to use North Shore branches this weekend.
Unaffected lines include the Hempstead, Oyster Bay, Port Jefferson, Port
Washington and Ronkonkoma (west of Ronkonkoma) Branches.

CSXT rolls out Bessemer, Ala., hub without hubbub seen in McCalla






CSX Transportation began
operating a railroad hub in Bessemer, Ala., the week of Sept. 14 without any of
the hullabaloo that a planned Norfolk Southern hub has stirred up down the
tracks in McCalla, Ala., according to the Birmingham News. CSXT received the
first train Sept. 14 at the $6-million container-loading terminal on 25 acres
in the Interstate Industrial Park.

DRPA sets open houses on Philadelphia waterfront transit






DRPA CEO and PATCO
President John J. Matheussen said there will be two open houses in Philadelphia
on an Alternatives Analysis for expanding transit to Philadelphia’s Waterfront.
The first open house is scheduled for September 22 and the second will be held
on September 30. Identical information will be posted at both open houses.

Park Forest, Ill., CN reach agreement






The village of Park Forest,
Ill., and Canadian National Railway have reached an agreement on mitigation
measures related to CN’s recent acquisition of the old EJ&E Railroad, but
not all residents are happy with the deal, the Southtown Star reports.The Park Forest Village
Board approved the agreement, under which CN will give the village more than $7
million to help with traffic congestion, noise, and other issues stemming from
the EJ&E deal.

D.C. area board supports CSXT rail improvements






A regional transportation
board voted to support a rail company initiative to significantly expand
freight capacity in the busy Washington train corridor, according to The
Washington Post. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’
Transportation Policy Board approved a letter supporting federal grant
applications to help pay for $160 million in freight network improvements for
rail giant CSX Transportation. The board plays a key role in setting regional
transportation policy.

Jersey Bridge train track work continues











Work is commencing on the
train track at the Jersey Bridge, which is used by the Oil Creek and Titusville
Railroad passenger and freight operations, the Titusville, Pa., Herald reports.
According to Bob Dingman, freight line operator, the project involves another
approximate 60 feet of deck replacement along the tracks.

 The work will take
place this week and next week, Dingman said. The contractor for the job is J.C. Lee Construction and
Supply, of Petrolia.

 

 

Unit Rail names Thai Nguyen design engineer






Unit Rail, the rail fastening
division of Amsted Rail, named Thai Nguyen design engineer, responsible for the
design, test and manufacturability of fastening components for the company’s
end users in both the freight and transit railroad segments.

SEPTA ‘Elebrates’ end of project






SEPTA is celebrating the
end of an historic project – the reconstruction of the Market-Frankford
Subway-Elevated Line. A fixture of mass transit in the region, SEPTA’s busiest
and oldest heavy rail line has been fully modernized through a series of
initiatives.

NJ TRANSIT approves study of light rail extension






The NJ TRANSIT Board of
Directors approved a study that explores the feasibility of extending
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service farther west in Jersey City. The Board
approved a $251,000 contract with AKRF, Inc., for consultant services in
support of the first phase of an alternatives analysis for the extension of the
light rail line. The line would extend from its current western terminus at
West Side Avenue Station across Route 440 to a redevelopment zone along the
Hackensack Riverfront.

BNSF to remove tracks through Mildale Farm






Freight
trains rumbling through a regional park don’t do much for its natural beauty,
serenity and ambience, according to The Olathe, Kan., News That problem faced
Johnson County Park and Recreation District officials for years as they
contemplated the future development of the 2,000 acre Big Bull Creek Park east
of Edgerton.

Dulles Metrorail Route 7 service roads to disappear this fall






Traffic patterns will
change permanently between Route 123 and the Dulles Toll Road. Major lane
shifts in Virginia are expected this fall between Tyco and Spring Hill Roads
and between Westpark Drive/Gosnell Roads and Route 123 where the
Tysons West and Tysons Central 7 Stations will be built. Service roads
along the east and westbound lanes of Route 7 will disappear.

 

Opening of P&N Railroad delayed to December






 

A portion of a local
railroad track in North Carolina that has been out of service since the 1980s
will likely reopen at least two months later than first expected, according to
the Gaston Gazette. Officials initially hoped to see a four-mile stretch of the
abandoned Piedmont and Northern Railroad come back into service by Oct. 1. But
Gaston County Commissioner Joe Carpenter said that it won’t happen until Dec. 1
at the earliest. Carpenter gave his update
during the regular board meeting of the Gaston County, N.C., Economic
Development Commission. The four-mile span to be reopened first runs between
Gastonia and Ranlo, and will initially accommodate freight service.

Boise Valley Railroad files with STB to operate Idaho line






Watco
Transportation Services, Inc., said a definitive agreement has been reached
with Rio Grande Pacific Corporation to obtain 36 miles of track from the Idaho
Northern & Pacific Railroad. A notice will be filed shortly with the
Surface Transportation Board to operate the track as the Boise Valley Railroad
(BVRR), to be headquartered in Boise, Idaho.

Study predicts nearly 500,000 Ohio rail riders






As the deadline to apply
for a piece of $8 billion in stimulus funding for passenger rail service
approaches, Ohio officials have cleared a major hurdle with the delivery of a
ridership study that projects annual demand for rail service at nearly half a
million Ohioans, the Dayton Business Journal reported.

Polk Co. looks to improve
 rural grade-crossing safety






A flashing railroad
crossing signal will be installed on a potentially dangerous rural intersection
south of Erskine, Minn., according to the Grand Forks, N.D., Herald. The signal at the
intersection of Polk County Road 206 and the Soo Line Railroad tracks is one of
several railroad crossing safety improvements that will be made in Polk County
over the next year.

Orland Park, Ill., on track to become quiet zone






 

Orland Park, Ill., is
moving forward with efforts to become a railway quiet zone, local newspapers
report. At a public works and engineering committee meeting, Robinson
Engineering recommended channeling poles be installed at railroad crossings at
159th Street and at Wolf Road. The poles are installed
at the center line near the railroad crossing to prevent cars from going around
the gates, Robinson Engineering representative Jeff Pintar explained.

CTA temporarily closing Polk Street entrance to Harrison Station






The Polk Street entrance to
the Chicago Transit Authority Harrison Red Line station will close temporarily
from 11 p.m. Wednesday, September 16 until 4 p.m. Friday, September 18, while
crews relocate fare equipment. During this time, customers must use the
Harrison station entrance at 608 S. State Street to access the Red Line.