Maine rail task force holds its first meeting in Caribou






Members of a governor’s
task force created to stop the abandonment of 233 miles of northern Maine
freight tracks expressed optimism in a meeting Wednesday about the chances of
keeping trains running on the tracks, the Bangor Daily News reports. Officials
said at the four-hour meeting that 20 private entities have expressed interest
in operating the railroad, but little else new was revealed, as the bulk of the
session took place in executive session.

Virginia sells $492.7 Million in transportation bonds

The Commonwealth Transportation Board sold $492.7 million of Transportation Capital Projects Revenue Bonds to advance transportation projects managed by the Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

The bonds were sold through competitive bidding. Seven underwriters submitted bids on the bonds. Goldman Sachs and Co. had the winning bid with a true interest cost of 3.247 percent. The bonds were rated AA+ by Fitch and Standard and Poor’s, and Aa1 by Moody’s.

The bond funding will be combined with other state and federal dollars to keep highway, rail and transit projects moving forward when the Commonwealth updates its Fiscal Years 2011-2016 Six-Year Improvement Program this spring.

The bond sale, recently approved by Governor Bob McDonnell, is the first issuance of the Transportation Capital Projects Revenue Bonds that were authorized by the Virginia General Assembly in 2007.

"Although our financial challenges and transportation necessities continue, this is a tangible example of how the Commonwealth is making positive strides by maximizing funding options for our roads, bridges, rails and public transportation," McDonnell said.

"Issuing these bonds will permit the completion of projects under way and will allow Virginia to start new project phases in accordance with our Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program," said Secretary of Transportation Sean Connaughton. "Virginia’s transportation system needs more funding to address the backlog of maintenance and construction on our transportation system. But, taxpayers must to be confident that we are using all available financing tools before we ask them to make additional investments in highways and rails. This bond issue is a step in restoring confidence in the integrity of Virginia’s transportation finance program."

Recycled plastic railroad bridge installed at Fort Eustis, Va.

Axion International Holdings, Inc., completed the first of two railroad bridges, constructed from 100 percent recycled plastic, at Fort Eustis, Va. The bridges, designed by Parsons Brinckerhoff, utilize Axion’s patented Recycled Structural Composite ("RSC") a thermoplastic solution consisting of nearly 100 percent recycled post-consumer and industrial plastic. Initial field test results confirm design criteria requirements.

The new short span bridges extend approximately 40 and 80 feet, respectively. Both bridges are designed to deliver a high-load rating of 130 tons, which is necessary in order to transport locomotives and freight.

Work on final 3 miles of Twin Cities Central corridor to begin in September






Visioning Sessions

Contractor crews will
begin working this fall on elements of the western three miles of the 11-mile
Central Corridor LRT Project. In September, they will begin prep work to
retrofit the Washington Avenue bridge to accommodate light-rail trains by reconstructing
the bridge piers. In December, they will start work to tie in the Central
Corridor line from the Hiawatha LRT line just west of the Cedar-Riverside
Station to Pleasant Street on the East Bank. The bulk of the Civil West contract
work, though, will start in spring 2011.

Sound Transit to begin parking expansion for Puyallup Sounder station






On May 17 at 11 a.m.
at the Puyallup Fair "Red Lot," Sound Transit will break ground on a
project to expand parking for commuters using the Sounder Puyallup, Wash.,
station. Developed in partnership with the City of Puyallup and the Puyallup
Fair & Events Center and funded by a combination of local and federal
monies, the project will create 219 permanent satellite park-and-ride spaces at
the lot located at 5th St. SW and 7th Ave SW.

Portec Rail’s Salient Systems unitexpands Asian presence

Li Rose Cheng, a Senior System Software Engineer at Portec RailProducts Inc. subsidiary Salient Systems Inc. since 1997, has been promoted to Vice President, Business Development-Asia, with responsibility for all facets of Salient’s business in Mainland China, Hong Kong and the Pacific Rim. Her duties developing Salient’s expanded presence in Asia include directing sales and marketing activities, as well as establishing operations and service capabilities "necessary to deliver systems and services in this region," the company said. A native of Mainland China, Cheng will continue to be based in Dublin though she will spend significant time in Asia.

Infrastructure work to cause delays in LIRR service






Buses will replace train
service for Long Island Rail Road customers traveling between Long Beach and
Valley Stream the weekend of May 15-16 as work is completed on the construction
of two new railroad bridges over Powell Creek and Hog Island Channel. The
$24.5-million project, which is funded through the MTA Capital Budget and
federal grants, began in March and is wrapping up as planned in time to
accommodate the weekend beach crowds expected in Long Beach beginning Memorial
Day weekend.

Washington State plans rail bypass traffic study






Washington State will do
a detailed traffic study of its plan to route passenger trains traveling up to
79 miles an hour through South Tacoma, Lakewood and DuPont, despite previously
calling such a study unnecessary, the News Tribune reports. The Washington
State Department of Transportation said that it’s required to conduct the
assessment as a condition for using federal stimulus money to pay for the $91-million
rail project.

Louisiana bill is first step to passenger rail service






A Louisiana House committee
took the first steps toward setting up a means to establish train or light rail
services in regions of the state, the New Orelans Times Picayune reports. The Committee on
Transportation, Highways and Public Works gave unanimous support to House Bill
1410 by Rep. Michael Jackson, I-Baton Rouge, a longtime proponent of rail and
mass transit. The bill now heads to the House floor for debate.

Rails seen as relief for North Carolina congested roads






Steady growth across the
Triangle near Raleigh, N.C., will make traffic worse over the next decade, and
thousands of students and workers will be eager to park the car and catch a
train, the News & Observer reports. That’s the forecast in a new report on
demand for commuter trains that would run every 40 minutes during the morning
and afternoon rush hours. Now the area will have to see whether taxpayers,
elected leaders and commuters buy into the idea.

UP vows to fight California high-speed rail






February 14, 2001

Signaling its most forceful
objection yet – and perhaps protracted court battles – Union Pacific has
notified the California high-speed rail authority that it will fight the
state’s newest plans to run bullet trains from the South Bay to the Central
Valley, including along Monterey Highway in San Jose, the Mercury News reports.

VIA speeds up Montreal-Ottawa service






February 14, 2001

VIA Rail
Canada said that as of May 11, travel times on the Montréal-Ottawa route will
improve with the introduction of new schedules. Trip times will be shortened by
as much as 15 minutes, while arrival and departure times for certain trains
will be changed to better suit customer needs.

Customers can text “CooCoo” for LIRR fare info






February 14, 2001

MTA Long Island Rail Road
customers can now obtain train fare information via cell phone text message
from CooCoo, the Long Island-based text engine company that has been providing
train schedules and service updates via cell phone at no extra cost beyond the
phone company’s standard texting fee.

Sound Transit schedules light rail work May 14-16






February 14, 2001

Sound Transit contractors
will complete final installation of light rail track switch heaters May 14-16
on the main tracks near the Link light rail Operations and Maintenance
Facility. Link trains will be delayed starting Friday, May 14th at 10 p.m.
through the start of service Monday morning at 5 a.m.


Plans for railcar mall move forward in Savanna, Ill.






February 14, 2001

The Jo-Carroll Depot
Local Redevelopment Authority, LRA, is accelerating plans for development and
jobs at Savanna Depot Park after the federal government agreed to expedite the
property transfers needed for the proposed railcar mall and other development.

J.L. Patterson & Associates to assist with Oregon high-speed rail






J.L. Patterson &
Associates, Inc., a transportation-engineering firm providing engineering
design, construction management and staff augmentation to public and private
sector clientele, as a sub-consultant to David Evans and Associates, Inc., will
be providing engineering design management, track design and structures design
services for the Oregon Department of Transportation’s High Speed Intercity
Passenger Rail Project. The scope of work includes National Environmental
Policy Act and Preliminary Engineering Services.

BNSF upgrading Wyoming tracks






BNSF plans to spend $84
million on track improvements in Wyoming this year, the Casper Star-Tribune
reports. Major projects will include rail, tie and surfacing work, BNSF
spokesman Gus Melonas said.