SEPTA alerts available through ReadyNotifyPA






Deputy Managing Director
for Emergency Management MaryAnn E. Tierney and SEPTA General Manager Joseph M.
Casey said that SEPTA alerts are now offered through ReadyNotifyPA, the City of
Philadelphia’s emergency text and e-mail alert system. The new alerts will
provide SEPTA riders with another avenue to receive real-time information on
delays and service interruptions. The announcement came during a press
conference on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 in SEPTA’s Control Center.

LA Metro Blue Line sets temporary closure next two weekends






Metro Blue Line
passengers in the Los Angeles area will experience travel delays of up to 40
minutes for the next two weekends beginning this Friday night, August 13, due
to construction of the Expo light rail line, which will connect with the Metro
Blue Line in downtown Los Angeles. Special Metro Bus bridge service will
parallel the train route during the construction work.

Vossloh awarded major contract in Sweden






Vossloh has concluded
with Trafikverket, the Swedish infrastructure authority, a framework agreement
for supplying a new type of in-sleeper actuation system for switches and
crossings over a period of 10 years, including an option for five more years.
The total contract value is above €100 million (about $128 million). Fully
integrated into the sleeper, the system chosen by Trafikverket is a customized
version of the Easyswitch actuation system previously developed by Vossloh
Cogifer.

Patriot Rail buys six shortlines from Weyerhaeuser

 

Patriot Rail Corp., a privately-held short line and regional freight railroad holding company, has agreed in principle to purchase the shortline railroad assets of Weyerhaeuser Company. The acquisition is subject to certain closing conditions, including Patriot’s due diligence and regulatory approval, and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2010.

ENSCO wins $24-million FRA contract






In-Channel Work Press Release

ENSCO, Inc., has been
awarded the Operations, Maintenance, Instrumentation and Analysis Support
contract from the Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Research and
Development. The task-order contract, composed of a one-year base period and
four one-year options, has a five-year ceiling value of more than $24 million.
ENSCO shall perform engineering and operations services to support the
development and application of advanced research and technologies for enhanced
rail safety. The contract continues ENSCO’s longstanding relationship with the
FRA. The company has been a major provider of instrumentation, field-testing,
engineering analysis as well as research and development services since the
1970’s.


UP issues invitation to bid on CREATE B2 project near Proviso Yard






In-Channel Work Press Release

Union Pacific has posted an
invitation to bid for work on the CREATE B2 Project. Work includes track
roadbed, drainage, bridge and retaining wall construction to add a railroad
flyover connection between the Union Pacific line and Indiana Harbor Belt
Railroad near Proviso Yard in the near west suburbs of Chicago..

Atlantic Track and Turnout Co. purchases capital assets of Mid-South Rail






In-Channel Work Press Release

Atlantic Track and Turnout
Co. is expanding its railroad trackwork manufacturing capability by purchasing
the capital assets of Mid-South Rail, Memphis, Tenn. Jeff Grissom, president of
Mid-South Rail, will retain day-today responsibility as director of engineering
for the Memphis plant and will assume new responsibility as director of
engineering and manufacturing for Atlantic Track.


Amtrak reaches Niantic Bridge channel-closure agreement






In-Channel Work Press Release

Discussions between
Amtrak, East Lyme Selectman Paul Formica, the U.S. Coast Guard and local
boaters and marine businesses have resulted in an agreement that balances the
use of the Niantic River channel by the marine community and the need to keep
the bridge-replacement project moving forward and on schedule.

Infotech Enterprises acquires Wellsco Inc.






In-Channel Work Press Release

Infotech Enterprises Limited said that its wholly owned subsidiary,
Infotech Enterprises America Inc., has acquired Wellsco Inc., located in
Paragould, Ark. in an all-cash deal. Wellsco is a focused engineering services
provider to the U.S. telecommunications industry. Headquartered in Paragould, Wellsco
has more than 180 employees located across five offices. It counts some of the
largest Telecom companies in the U.S. as long-term customers.

 

DC Metro Board commits to implementing NTSB recommendations






In-Channel Work Press Release

Washington, D.C., Metro
Board Chairman Peter Benjamin made the following remarks at a joint meeting
between the Metro Board of Directors and the National Transportation Safety
Board at Metro headquarters on Monday, August 9: 
Safety is the top priority
at Metro, for the Board, for Metro management, for all of our staff from top to
bottom. This Board intends to ensure that, to the best of our ability, each and
every National Transportation Safety Board recommendation to Metro associated
with its review of the June 22, 2009 accident is implemented. 



Opinion: Baltimore tunnel derailment points to unfinished business






In-Channel Work Press Release

(The following column by
Michael Dresser appeared on The Baltimore Sun Website on August 9, 2010.) Baltimore
received a relatively gentle reminder last week of some unfinished business
that it can ill afford to ignore. A CSX Transportation freight train derailed
last Thursday in the Howard Street tunnel, the scene of the nearly disastrous
July 18, 2001, derailment and fire that paralyzed much of downtown for a week.
Thirteen cars of a 79-car train left the tracks – 11 of them in the tunnel
under Howard Street and two outside the portal at Mount Royal Avenue.

South Shore plans service outage August 28-30






In-Channel Work Press Release

The South Shore commuter
line in northwest Indiana is alerting passengers to a series of planned
temporary weekend construction outages. The next weekend outage is planned for
August 28-30. During these construction related weekend outages, the South
Shore Line will not operate trains in either direction between South Bend and
Gary Metro Center beginning 2:30 a.m. Saturday thru 3:00 a.m. Monday. The South
Shore will operate regular weekend train service between Gary Metro Center and
Chicago.

VR Mergers & Acquisitions announces sale of Central Illinois Railroad






February 14, 2001

VR Mergers &
Acquisitions – St. Louis is pleased to announce the sale of Central Illinois
Railroad Holdings to strategic railroad buyer, R & R Contracting. The sale
included substantially all of the assets of Central Illinois Railroad Company,
Central Railink Services and Central Railgroup Construction Services.

UP investing $33 million in Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin track






February 14, 2001






February 14, 2001

Union Pacific is investing
more than $18 million to improve the rail line that runs from Fremont to North
Bend, Neb. Also Union
Pacific is investing more than $11 million to improve the rail line that runs
from Jefferson City, Mo., to Wooldridge, Mo. Also in Missouri, UP is investing more than $2 million to improve the rail line
in St. Louis, Mo., that runs from Vandeventer Ave. to near Jefferson Barracks.
In Wisconsin, UP Railroad is investing more than $2 million to improve the rail
line that runs from Merrillan, Wis., to near Millston, Wis.  


 

 

FRA sets up to $25 million for high-speed passenger rail research






February 14, 2001

U.S. Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood today announced the Federal Railroad Administration is
soliciting research proposals to foster rapid development of high-speed and
intercity passenger rail service technologies in the United States. 
A pool of
$25 million is available for basic and applied technology research, development
and demonstration projects to advance the state of the art in track and
structures, train control systems, operating practices and rolling stock. FRA
is seeking projects focused on accelerating development of technologies that
ensure safe, efficient and strategic deployment of integrated passenger rail
systems. The solicitation is open to all sources.

High-speed rail workshop for Florida business owners






February 14, 2001

Governor Charlie Crist is
applauding Florida’s application to the Federal Railroad Administration seeking
$1.1 billion in funding that will allow Florida to deliver high-speed rail
express service in the Tampa-Orlando corridor with operating speeds of 168 mph
by 2015, local media report.