On April 21, BNSF introduced its new Memphis Intermodal Facility to customers, community
and state leaders during the facility’s grand opening ceremony. BNSF’s Memphis
Intermodal Facility is now fully operational after a $200-million expansion and
rebuilding.
The Association of
American Railroads said that Charles Keltner, a BNSF employee from Fort Worth,
Texas, has been awarded this year’s John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence
Award. U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.) also was honored with the
Congressional Chafee Award, which each year goes to a member of Congress who
demonstrates dedication to the environment.
Amtrak testified April 21
before a Senate committee that "the security of our system is our top priority"
and its efforts are focused on defeating or deterring the most dangerous and
likely terror tactics, including use of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) on
board a train or at a station and the emerging threat of an active shooter.
The Chicago Transit
Authority is advising customers that trains traveling on the Orange Line
between Midway and the Loop are operating at no more than 35 mph while repairs
are made to the signaling system along the rail line. CTA has a thorough maintenance and
safety system in place and while performing inspections along the Orange Line,
a potential defect with a component of the signaling system was discovered.
Negotiations have begun
with CN on the possibility of producers and investors acquiring the rail line
from Lyalta to Oyen, Alta., the Drumheller Mail reports. The group, operating
under the name Badlands Rail Company, has made an offer to CN.
The Union Pacific is
closing the Ridgely Tower in Springfield, Ill., one of the last manually
operated rail switching towers in Illinois, The State Journal-Register reports.
The tower, south of Sangamon Avenue and west of 16th Street, controls rail
traffic along the Union Pacific/Amtrak line between St. Louis and Chicago and
the Springfield to Peoria line of the Illinois and Midland Railroad. One of
five operators sits in the tower around-the-clock to control rail traffic using
a series of levers.
The Ann Arbor, Mich.,
Transportation Authority (AATA) board of directors took another step forward
this evening in the process of exploring the possibility of countywide public transit.
The board voted 6-1 to approve conducting contract negotiations with planning
consultant Steer Davies Gleave (SDG) to develop a transit master plan for
Washtenaw County.
The Société de transport
de Montréal (STM) said that four new elevators in Henri-Bourassa station will
become operational April 26. These additional elevators will raise the
number of stations accessible to the mobility-impaired to six on the métro’s
Orange line, after Montmorency, de la Concorde, Cartier, Berri-UQAM and
Lionel-Groulx. Bonaventure station is also equipped with elevators allowing
access to both train platforms from the fare collection booth, as the station
does not have an entrance building directly from the street.
Customers can expect
lengthy delays of up to 40 minutes April 23-25 as old track components are
replaced on the Red, Blue and Orange lines in the Washington, D.C., area,
causing inbound and outbound trains to take turns sharing one track on portions
of the rail system.
Riders planning to take the Red, Blue and Orange lines to
area sports events and activities this weekend should add up to 40 minutes to
their travel times.
Sound Transit contractors
will finish installing light rail track switch heaters April 23-25 on the main
tracks near the Link light rail Operations and Maintenance Facility. Link
trains will be delayed starting Friday, April 23 at 10 p.m. through the start
of service Monday morning at 5 a.m.
Wheaton, Ill., officials
have endorsed permanently closing one of its streets at a rail crossing as part
of a $100-million plan to add new tracks and upgrades along the Union Pacific
line, the Chicago Tribune reports. The City Council approved a resolution
calling for closing the Chase Street crossing, just south of Wheaton College.
The federal
Surface Transportation Board directed Canadian National to come before the
Board and explain the significant differences between information on
street-crossing blockages in the Chicago area that the railroad has provided to
the Board and the results of an independent audit conducted by the Board.
The Delaware River Port
Authority and PATCO have completed an extensive Alternatives Analysis study
focusing on identifying mass transit transportation needs and solutions for
Southern New Jersey. This study concluded with a recommendation for light rail
transit along the Conrail rail right-of-way from Glassboro to Camden.
Stressing that the
upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill should be "revolutionary,
not evolutionary" when it comes to federal investment in intercity passenger
rail, Amtrak testified before a Congressional field hearing in Chicago that "[t]he
need for reliable, multi-year funding is our biggest policy challenge."
CSX Transportation will
move a regional headquarters from Chicago to North Baltimore, Ohio, early next
year, according to railway officials, the Findlay, Ohio, Courier reports. Construction
is under way on a $175-million intermodal rail yard near North Baltimore. The
yard is scheduled to be completed next year, and the headquarters will be
located at the yard, according to company officials.
The first public open house
to discuss the Springfield rail corridor study drew more than 220 people to the
Prairie Capital Convention Center April 20, the State Journal-Register reports.
City and Sangamon County officials pushed for the study after the Illinois
Department of Transportation concluded the Union Pacific/Third Street line
would be the best route for high-speed passenger trains between Chicago and St.
Louis. Local officials contend the analysis will find 10th Street is a better
alternative for consolidated train traffic, possibly also including trains that
now use 19th Street.
Money for noise mitigation
that was part of Frankfort, Ill.’s, settlement with the Canadian National
Railway will be used to buy insulated windows and doors for nearby residents,
the Chicago Tribune reports. The village has received a $2.7-million grant for
noise mitigation projects from the CN. Village officials have been meeting with
residents who live near CN’s tracks to determine ways to tone down railroad
noise.
Norfolk Southern is on
track to break ground later this year for its new intermodal facility in
Greencastle, Pa., a company official told members of the Greencastle-Antrim
Chamber of Commerce, local media report.
Following a national
search, TriMet has selected Shelly Lomax as its new executive director of operations.
Lomax has served as the interim executive since January. She will have direct
responsibility for the Operations division, which includes all bus, MAX and WES
operations and maintenance, system safety and security, accessible transportation,
labor relations, facilities and planning and development. Operations has 2,100
employees and a $300-million budget.
Leaving a little earlier
in the morning or a little later in the afternoon will help ensure a punctual,
uninterrupted ride for Amtrak Missouri River Runner passengers through the
middle of June. Maintenance work on the Union Pacific tracks near Sedalia is
causing Amtrak to temporarily adjust its schedules from April 25 to June 16,
2010.
