Backers of a proposed
$400-million Detroit River rail tunnel announced June 17 they have launched the
first steps toward construction, The Windsor Star reports. CP Railway, Borealis
Infrastructure and the Windsor Port Authority have joined together to work on
building a new double-stack high-clearance tunnel to replace the existing rail
freight tunnel constructed in 1909.
California, the top
recipient of funds from President Barack Obama’s high-speed rail program,
expects to issue a tender for a bullet-train line linking Los Angeles and San
Francisco by late 2011, BusinessWeek reported.
June 18-20, Washington,
D.C., Metro will make upgrades to the track and a bridge on the Red Line to
improve reliability and service. As a result of this crucial work aimed at
keeping the railroad in a state of good repair, riders can expect delays of up
to 30 minutes.
CSX Transportation joined
with the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority and the National Gateway to
celebrate the arrival of five new ultra-efficient intermodal cranes at the Port
of Toledo, Ohio. The cranes are bound for the new Northwest Ohio Intermodal Terminal
in North Baltimore, Ohio.
Imagine boarding a train
in Queen Creek and arriving 35 minutes later at a restaurant on Tempe’s Mill
Avenue, then hopping back on board for a 10-minute jaunt to Chase Stadium in downtown
Phoenix, The Arizona Republic asks.
Amtrak is using $115
million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve
tracks, buildings and control systems in Chicago this construction season, as
part of a $1-billion construction program to fund capital projects designed to
rebuild critical infrastructure.
Two rail tunnels under
the Hudson River – one dug by NJ Transit and another by Amtrak – could be built
within 20 years to handle the growing passenger load between New Jersey and
Manhattan, transportation officials said, The Record reports.
(The Teamster Rail
Conference sent the following letter to its membership): The Teamsters Rail
Conference takes great interest in efforts by our nation’s railroads to
maintain and improve the industry’s workplace security and safety – as well as
workforce training and awareness – especially in light of heightened security
threats and increased use of technology. As your representatives, we care
deeply about your job, your employers’ long-term security and viability, and
employer accountability across the rail industry.
The NJ TRANSIT Board of
Directors advanced the first phase of a project that will transform Perth Amboy
Station into an ADA-accessible facility, with high-level platforms and
elevators to provide access for customers with disabilities.
NOMAD
Digital Limited, a provider of train-to-shore data connectivity solutions, has
been awarded a contract with train builder Talgo. The contract is to deliver
and operate a high-quality wireless broadband and live passenger information
system on all Talgo’s train sets, servicing its cross border route from
Vancouver, Canada, through Seattle and Portland and Eugene, Oregon. The project
forms part of a train refurbishment program that Talgo is undertaking.
The Canadian federal
government should get on board with a high-speed rail line linking Ontario and
Quebec or risk being left in the dust by the Obama administration in the United
States, the premiers of both provinces said Wednesday, according to the Toronto
Star.
Representatives from the Connecticut Department of Transportation and URS engineering consultants held an information session
in Brookfield Town Hall June
16 to introduce four alternatives for improving the Danbury rail line. One
potential option includes extending passenger service up to New Milford, which
would include a stop in Brookfield, the Brookfield Patch reports.
Thirty companies
representing the U.S.’ rail and infrastructure technology, engineering,
security and construction sectors will convene at the Emirates Palace Hotel in
Abu Dhabi on June 20 to launch the "The U.S. Commercial Railroad &
Infrastructure Trade Mission to the United Arab Emirates," led by the
U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council and the Association of American Railroads.
Construction for a bridge
over Lenwood Road near West Main Street in Barstow, Calif., is expected to
begin in two years and will transform the current two-lane road into a
four-lane road, the Desert Dispatch reports.
The new method to paint
the railroad bridge across Alabama’s Coosa River was cheaper than the other
proposed method, but just not cheap enough, local media report. Gadsden Associate Planner Shane
Ellison said the city received only one bid for the CSX Transportation railroad
bridge coating project, and it was much higher than the grant funds the city
has for the project.
Sealy, Texas, residents
could hear a few less trains blow their horns while passing through town within
a year as the city moves forward with plans to construct a quiet zone
stretching the length of the city, the Sealy News reports.
BART and Caltrans will need
to close a portion of westbound Interstate 580 in the Dublin/Pleasanton area
beginning 11p.m. on Saturday, June 19 through 9 a.m. Sunday, June 20. Ramps
from Interstate 680 leading to the impacted segment of I-580 will also be
closed. These closures are necessary to accommodate construction crews as they
install bridges perpendicular to the highway, which will provide access to the
new West Dublin/Pleasanton Station.
Union Pacific is
investing more than $7 million to improve the rail line that runs from East
Clinton, Ill., to near Dixon, Ill. Work on the 46-mile stretch of railroad track began June 7
and is scheduled to be completed by the end of July. The project includes
removing and installing more than 50,000 ties, spreading 16,700 tons of rock
ballast to reinforce the roadbed and replacing 41 grade crossing surfaces.
Burns & McDonnell has
reached an agreement to acquire Harrington & Cortelyou, Inc., a consulting
engineering firm with a well-established national reputation for engineering
design of fixed and movable highway and railway bridges. Based in Downtown
Kansas City, Harrington & Cortelyou has been providing engineering and
construction management services since 1907. The firm has designed and
supervised construction of more than 800 bridges in Missouri, including several
major bridge improvements in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc., was selected as part of
the Denver Transit Partners (DTP) team by the Denver Regional Transportation
District (Denver RTD) to construct the 46-year, multi-billion dollar Eagle P3
commuter rail project. The DTP team, which will design, build, operate,
maintain and finance the Eagle P3 Project, is made up of a group of transit
industry experts including Balfour Beatty Rail, Fluor Corporation, Macquarie
Capital Group Limited, Ames Construction, Hyundai-Rotem USA, Alternative
Concepts, Inc. (ACI), Fluor/HDR Global Design Consultants, PBS&J, Parsons
Brinckerhoff, Interfleet Technology, Systra, Wabtec and many others.
