State approves funds to improve rail safety throughout Washington State






State regulators approved
funds to improve the safety of 165 railroad crossings throughout Washington State.
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) approved $35,250
from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund (GCPF) for BNSF to replace or install
yield or stop signs, wood posts with retro-reflective tape, retro-reflective
cross buck signs and emergency notification signs statewide. The UTC also
approved $6,000 from the GCPF for Pend Oreille Valley Railroad to make the same
improvements to 24 crossings in Pend Oreille County.

ADM expansion requires CRANDIC to add track






The completion of ADM’s
new $540-million dry mill ethanol plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has created a
need for more railroad track, KCRG-TV reports. The CRANDIC Railway began
construction this month of a new 9,000-foot track that will go from Old Bridge
Road to just east of Fairfax, CRANDIC Marketing Manager Jeff Woods said.

In Chicago, new RTA leader calls for more public-private partnerships






John Gates Jr., a
successful businessman named August 19 as the new chairman of the Regional
Transportation Authority in the Chicago area, acknowledges he has a steep
learning curve ahead of him about buses and trains, but he intends to use his
financial expertise to bring more private-sector involvement into mass transit,
the Chicago Tribune reports.

Opinion: Tennessee should get aboard high-speed rail






When the idea of an
Atlanta-Chattanooga-Nashville high-speed train route was talked about publicly
two years ago, proponents contended it should be given serious consideration, according
to an editorial in the Nashville Tennessean. A $1-million feasibility study
that had recently been conducted on the Nashville-to-Chattanooga leg showed the
project to be doable, but that it would cost an estimated $5.4 billion in
public and private dollars.

Caltrain starts 18-month-long station improvement project in Santa Clara






The northbound platform at
the Santa Clara, Calif., Station will be demolished this week. All passengers
will board the train from a temporary platform. Passengers are asked to observe
all posted signs and follow direction from identified ambassadors in the
station. The temporary platform will be in use for approximately six months.

Group launches passenger rail manufacturing center in Ohio

EWI launched a
first-of-its-kind Passenger Rail Manufacturing Center from its headquarters in
Columbus, Ohio. The mission of the Center is to develop and strengthen manufacturing
supply chains for the rail and rolling stock industries, improve railroad
product affordability and develop technical innovations that will allow
railroad manufacturers to collaborate effectively with original equipment
manufacturers and deliver a new wave of manufacturing job opportunities at the
state and national level.

 

HJ Skelton wins contracts for Calgary light rail projects.

HJ Skelton has been awarded
the special trackwork contract for both the Calgary West LRT Project and the
Calgary NE and NW extensions. The contracts include the supply of concrete
ties. The special trackwork, on both ballast and slab tracks, consists of a
variety of Diamond Crossings and switches.

 

Major Crescent Corridor improvements completed

A critical choke point on Norfolk Southern’s Crescent Corridor has been eliminated with a reconfigured rail junction near Front Royal, Va. This was the final and most complex of six capacity improvement projects in Northern Virginia to handle more trains at higher speeds.

Oklahoma lawmaker wants commuter rail

Oklahoma could soon have a commuter rail transportation system to get people to and from work and ease travel, the Tulsa Beacon reports. 
State Rep. Charlie Joyner has been working to make that a possibility.
 Joyner met with representatives from Trinity Railroad Express, BNSF, Amtrak and Dallas Area Rapid Transit this week in Fort Worth to discuss the possibility of getting a commuter rail system in Oklahoma. He discussed the projected costs and pros and cons.


D.C. Metro sets weekend renovation on Red, Blue, Yellow lines






August 20-22, Washington,
D.C., Metro will upgrade its track, platforms and bridges on the Red, Blue and
Yellow lines to improve reliability and service. As a result of this crucial
work, which is critical to maintain the railroad in a state of good repair,
riders can expect delays of up to 30 minutes. 



Sound Transit begins construction on Edmonds Station upgrades






Sound Transit celebrated
breaking ground on the first phase of construction of a new Sounder commuter
train station in Edmonds, Wash. The transit hub, scheduled to open next spring,
will replace a temporary structure south of the Amtrak station with a new east
platform, passenger shelter, re-paved parking area, upgraded lighting and
secured storage for bicycles.

New milestone for New York MTA’s Fulton Street Transit Center






The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority in New York City said underpinning for the Corbin
Building and the foundation for the Fulton Street Transit Center are complete.
This marks a major milestone in the $1.4-billion project that will connect five
subway stations and 10 subway lines, improving access for over 300,000 daily
customers that pass through this major transit hub in lower Manhattan. The
overall project, funded primarily with federal funds, remains on schedule and
will be completed in 2014.

DHS scientists to continue studying airflow in MBTA subway system






Commuters in Boston’s MBTA
subway system will notice scientific equipment and researchers with electronic
monitoring devices throughout the system August 20 -27, while the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues a scientific study of airflow
throughout the underground portion of the subway system. The first portion of
the study was conducted in December.

Ohio trail to change for CSX rail line






CSX Transportation wants to
raise a portion of the Keystone Viaduct on the Great Allegheny Passage at Sand
Patch so its double-decker train cars can clear the structure, the Somerset, Pa.,
Daily American reports. The Somerset County commissioners approved a memorandum
of understanding Tuesday with CSXT that outlines all the improvements the
railroad will need to make for the project. The agreement also lists who will
be responsible for construction, closure of the trail and when the actual work
is being performed.

Dow launching rail boot system at AREMA exhibition






The Dow Chemical Company
will introduce the TRAXSYSTM Rail Boot System in North America and present its
extensive rail technologies portfolio at the AREMA Conference and Exhibition in
Orlando, Fla., Aug. 29 – Sept. 1, 2010. Dow experts will be on hand at booth
#130/128 to discuss how the Company’s offerings can advance rail transport
safety and extend the working life of tracks, platforms and equipment 

TriMet launches TransitTracker by text






Portland, Ore., TriMet
riders have a new way to receive real-time arrival information for buses and
MAX: text message. This arrival information option, one of the first in the
nation, is useful for mobile phone users who have text message service plans
but not more expensive mobile web service plans.