VIA Rail Canada said that
a tentative three-year agreement has been reached with the Canadian Auto
Workers (CAW), and that there will be no work stoppage. The agreement must be
ratified by union members.
From San Francisco to San
Jose, Sunday, June 27 to Thursday, July 1, a rail detector car will be used on
Caltrain to find flaws in the rails. This on-track car uses ultrasonic
equipment to detect minute flaws in the rails that are not visible to the naked
eye. These flaws may be the result of manufacturing defects or simply develop
over time. If a critical flaw is found, it must be repaired immediately.
Washington, D.C., Metro’s
Board of Directors approved a $5-billion, six-year capital spending plan June
24 as part of its FY2011 capital budget, which was made possible as a result of
increased contributions from the jurisdictions that fund Metro, federal
stimulus dollars provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
and dedicated federal and local matching funds provided by the Passenger Rail
Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.
Local officials including
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are scheduled to take part in a groundbreaking
ceremony for the Metro Gold Line Foothills Extension Saturday morning, June 26,
in Newcastle Park in Arcadia, Calif.
The Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA) received notification that the Federal Transit
Administration issued a Record of Decision for the first 10-mile phase of BART
Silicon Valley. This milestone signifies that VTA satisfied the requirements of
the National Environmental Policy Act, thereby issuing environmental impact
approval for the $2.1-billion Berryessa Extension.
After years of using a
concrete slab as the Amtrak train station, the city of Beaumont, Texas, will
see a new station constructed in coming months, the Examiner reports. Amtrak
received more than $1.1 million in federal funding through the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was allotted for the construction of a new
station in Beaumont.
Teamsters General
President Jim Hoffa called on Congress to stress road and bridge repair and
public transit expansion in the next federal highway bill.
MAX Red Line trains will
not run between Gateway Transit Center and Portland, Ore., International
Airport Saturday, June 26-27 due to track maintenance. Crews are installing
rail expansion joints to reinforce the track and help trains maintain normal
speeds when outside temperatures rise and the rails expand and flex.
ENSCO, Inc., made
significant changes to its executive leadership team. Gregory B. Young has
assumed the role of ENSCO’s President and Chief Executive Officer, effective
June 17. Young leads strategic direction and all company operations including
financial management and performance, business planning and execution, research
and development, and corporate and operating division oversight. He brings
significant experience to his position through a 29-year association with the
company. Young served as ENSCO’s president from 1994-2006 and as a member of
the Board of Directors.
U.S. Secretary of
Transportation Ray LaHood announced members of the Transit Rail Advisory
Committee for Safety (TRACS), a newly-formed advisory committee that will
assist the Federal Transit Administration with developing national safety
standards for rail transit.
The Metropolitan Council awarded
the first heavy construction contract for the Central Corridor light rail
transit Project to Walsh Construction to build the seven-mile St. Paul segment
of the line. Walsh’s $205.1-million award includes betterment work valued at
$10.4 million that was requested by, and will be paid for, by cooperating
agencies and utilities.
As part of BART’s
system-wide Earthquake Safety Program, in July the agency will begin
strengthening structures at the El Cerrito Plaza Station to withstand future
earthquakes. While this work is going on, there will be times that we will need
to change pedestrian access and traffic flow to the station.
The U.S. rail manufacturing
industry stands to undergo considerable growth in the coming years as Amtrak
upgrades its railcars and adds high-speed trains and as lawmakers consider a
transportation bill that calls for significantly greater investments in public
transit, including rail, according to a new study by Duke University prepared
for the Apollo Alliance. Illinois, which is home to 23 rail-manufacturing
facilities and is planning its own high-speed rail network, would reap major
benefits from such a bill.
The county has received
bids from 14 architectural firms on the $1.2-million downtown transit depot
that officials hope is a hub for Greyhound bus and Amtrak railway services in
the next few years, local media report. County staff members will spend the next couple of weeks
reviewing the projects and ranking the top four or five candidates before
presenting them to the commission, said Judy Halaas, county purchasing
technical coordinator.
CSX Transportation officials
told the Albany Times-Union editorial board June 23 that adding passenger
trains traveling 110 mph to CSX tracks would cut the amount of freight traffic
the railroad could handle.
June 25-27, Washington, D.
C., Metro will make upgrades to the track on the Blue 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.
TriMet in Portland, Ore.,
has begun work to improve safety, security and fare compliance at the Gresham
Central MAX station. Over the next two months, crews will be installing
railing, lighting and signage around the platforms to improve visibility, make
the platform a fare zone and help make the overall environment safer. With the
station platform as a fare zone, passengers will be required to have valid fare
before boarding, making it easier to check fares at the station.
America’s growing economy
moves more and more freight on rails and Ohio is increasingly one of the
critical links to keep those goods rolling. Already nearing completion of its
Heartland Corridor between Chicago, Columbus and the Port of Norfolk, Va.,
Norfolk Southern is extending the corridor’s reach to Cincinnati.
As part of their review of
agency finances, DART officials are reviewing funding strategies for capital
projects scheduled beyond the current 37-mile light rail expansion. The
projected shortfall in sales tax revenue will result in the indefinite delay in
the third section of the Orange Line, from Irving to Terminal A at DFW Airport,
the second Downtown Dallas alignment and the Blue Line extension from Ledbetter
Station to the UNT Dallas campus, officials said.
Services that impact the
lives of many are often the subject of public scrutiny, as they well should be,
the Mid-Region Council of Governments said in a press release. However, it’s
also important to separate fact from fiction. And, since you, the taxpayer are
helping fund this service, we think it’s your right to know the truth.
