$1 Million in high-speed rail grants for Georgia, Kansas.






U.S. Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood said $750,000 in grants for Georgia and $250,000 in grants
for Kansas will further develop their high-speed rail programs. The Georgia
grants, from the Federal Railroad Administration’s High-Speed Intercity
Passenger Rail (HSIPR) program, come in three portions: $250,000 to develop an
interstate rail network compact with neighboring states; $250,000 for an
Atlanta to Birmingham, Ala., feasibility study; and, $250,000 for a Macon, Ga.,
to Jacksonville, Fla., feasibility study.

Illinois celebrates start of high-speed rail work






Local, state and federal
officials recently celebrated the launch of a $1.1-billion high-speed rail
project in Illinois, the first in the nation, reports the Alton, Ill.,
Telegraph. The contingent touted fast, safe travel, more efficient transport of
freight and reduced need for foreign oil and less pollution with the
forthcoming high-speed rail system.

Boston’s Copley Square subway portal gets a return to glory






In a world of functional
but mundane MBTA entrances, the portal for inbound travelers at Copley Square
is one of a kind: a filigreed framework of flowers and curlicues in cast iron,
at once classically inspired and reminiscent of the Art Nouveau kiosks that
distinguish the Metro in Paris, the Boston Globe reports.

Depot work under way in Cleveland, Tenn.






Grade work on the
driveway of the old Southern Railway Depot in downtown Cleveland, Tenn., is
well under way. Once the exterior work is completed, restoration of the
building will begin, the Cleveland Daily Banner reports.

BNSF to add 49 jobs in Galesburg, Ill., by year’s end






BNSF has created 21 new
jobs in Galesburg, Ill., this summer and will add another 49 before the end of
the year, according to one of the railroad company’s senior officials, The
Register-Mail reports. 

The jobs are signs of a recovery in the freight
business, which was hammered by the economic recession. At the height of the
recession, BNSF furloughed 187 employees in Galesburg but all of those workers
have since been recalled, said Paul Nowicki, BNSF’s vice president for
government affairs.



New CSXT terminal in Ohio to bypass Chicago






A key component of CSX
Transportation’s northern tier strategy will come into play in early 2011 with
the opening of the Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal, The Journal of Commerce
reports. The $175-million intermodal hub near North Baltimore, Ohio, will
reduce transit times by at least a day as it routes containerized cargo from
West Coast ports around Chicago to the many distribution facilities located in
the Ohio Valley.

Editorial: High-speed rail bill due






(The following editorial,
"It’s payback time for high-speed rail in San Jose," appeared in the
San Jose, Calif., Mercury News Sept. 20, 2010.) A bill is coming due for the
California High-Speed Rail Authority — separate from the $43 billion price tag
for the bullet trains that, if all goes as planned, will zoom between San Diego
and San Francisco. This bill is payable to San Jose.

BART Board reaffirms contract for Oakland Airport Connector






The BART Board of Directors
voted 7-1 to reaffirm its decision to authorize General Manager Dorothy Dugger
to enter into a contract with the two firms the Board selected in December 2009
to design, operate and maintain the much anticipated Oakland, Calif., Airport
Connector. The vote is likely the final action the Board of Directors will need
to take before the agency breaks ground on the historic project, which promises
in the short-term to create thousands of jobs. While in the long run, provides
a world-class transit connection between the Oakland Airport and BART’s
Coliseum Station for millions of customers for decades to come.

Amtrak replacing faulty ties






Amtrak is working on its
railroad, spending tens of millions of dollars replacing thousands of the
concrete ties that hold up its tracks because the ties are failing, the Providence,
R.I., Journal reports.

ENSCO, Inc., awarded patent for rail components video inspection system






ENSCO, Inc., has received
a patent for its Video Inspection System for Rail Components from the United
States Patent and Trademark Office. The patent covers the company’s innovative
machine vision system and methods for inspection of rail components such as
turnouts, fastenings and joint bars using advanced fully automated machine vision
techniques.


Editorial: Build the NY/NJ rail tunnel






(The following editorial
appeared in the Newark, N.J.,
Star-Ledger Sept. 16, 2010.) If
Gov. Chris Christie abandons the Hudson rail tunnel project, it will make his administration’s
$400-million blunder over Race to the Top seem like only a warm-up exercise.
The federal government has already agreed to devote $3 billion to the project,
the largest dedication of federal support for mass transit ever.

Chicago-area RTA: Expect fare hikes but no new services






Chicago-area Regional
Transportation Authority officials predicted that there will be no major
expansion of the Chicago area’s transit system for many years and that fare
increases are likely as early as next year just to keep the existing system
operating, the Chicago Tribune reports.

ICC to award grant for rail safety education






The Illinois
Commerce Commission’s Railroad Safety Section has issued a Request for Grant
Proposals for local railroad safety education and enforcement programs. The ICC
recently received a grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to continue
working with local communities and railroads in Illinois to implement railroad
safety education or enforcement programs.