UP, CSXT launch RailChem Connect between Texas and Southeast






Union Pacific and
CSX Transportation launched RailChem Connect, a coordinated rail service for
expedited transport of chemicals between the Texas Gulf Coast region and the
Southeast. The new RailChem Connect service is the result of increased
coordination and re-designed interline service by the two railroads for their
chemicals market customers. The service allows shipments to bypass smaller rail
yards for expedited transit between major hubs. These changes, along with
increased operations coordination between the railroads, increase reliability
of east- and west-bound service between Union Pacific-served chemical markets
such as Houston, southern Texas and Louisiana, and CSXT-served consumption markets
in the southeastern states. RailChem Connect offers more consistent transit
times, faster equipment turns and a shorter route than previously available for
chemical shipments in this corridor.

Metro Gold Line Eastside Extension opening set for Nov. 15






Following five years of
construction and coming in on budget with a flawless four-million-plus-hour
construction safety record, the Edward R. Roybal Metro Gold Line Eastside
Extension from Union Station downtown to East Los Angeles will open to the
public on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Agreement reached on Philadelphia waterfront transit expansion plan






Standing with U.S.
Senator Arlen Specter, Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, Philadelphia Mayor
Michael Nutter, Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Utilities Rina Cutler,
SEPTA General Manager Joe Casey, DRPA Board Chair John H. Estey, Board Vice
Chair Jeff Nash and others, DRPA CEO and PATCO President, John J. Matheussen,
announced an agreement that will result in Light Rail Service along Market
Street between City Hall and the Delaware River Waterfront initially serving
Pier 70 to the South and SEPTA’s Route 15 Trolley at Girard Avenue to the
North.

Weber named Nordco engineering vice president






Steve Weber has been
named Vice President of Engineering for Nordco, Inc., where he will focus on the
development of new products. Weber’s extensive experience includes both
development of new product lines and maintenance of existing products. His most
recent position prior to joining Nordco was in the outdoor power equipment
industry.

 


Rail Co-operation Agreement advances Schefferville Project






Labrador Iron Mines
Holdings Limited has signed a Rail Co-operation Agreement with New Millennium
Capital Corp. regarding the reconstruction of the "Timmins Extension"
rail spur line that will run from the TSH Railroad main rail line near
Schefferville, Quebec, approximately 2.5 miles to LIM’s planned processing
center at Silver Yards and on a further approximately 13 miles to NML’s planned
processing center at the Timmins mining area.

Council members concerned about NS construction






Front Royal, Va.,
Councilman N. Shae Parker verbally blasted representatives of Norfolk Southern over
the firm’s proposal that will involve the use of explosives for a construction
project, according to local newspapers. The railroad is offering to pay Front Royal $160,000 in exchange for
vacation of a portion of Depot Avenue and the acquisition of a temporary
construction easement on a 100-foot wide strip of town property.

Final South Shore weekend outage set for Oct. 31-Nov. 2






The South Shore in
northwest Indiana is alerting passengers to the last in a series of planned
temporary weekend construction outages. The fifth and final 2009 weekend outage
is scheduled for October 31 – November 2, 2009.  South Shore trains will not operate in either direction between
South Bend and Gary Metro Center beginning 2:30 a.m. Saturday, October 31, thru
3:00 a.m. Monday, November 2.

UP, NS introduce Gulf Coast Flyer for chemical shipments






Union Pacific
and Norfolk Southern introduced Gulf Coast Flyer, a rail service for
the safe transport of chemicals between the Union Pacific-served southern Texas
and Louisiana regions and Norfolk Southern destinations across the northeastern
and southeastern United States.

CSXT adds another RailComm DOC® Yard Automation System






RailComm has been selected
to provide a wireless remote control yard system at CSX Transportation’s
Willard Yard in Ohio. The proposed control system will interface to the existing
control and communications network. Existing field devices and communications
will be utilized and interfaced to the new central control system.


Mayors’ Council approves Vancouver transit funding stabilization option






The Mayors’ Council
on Regional Transportation in Vancouver, B.C., has approved a transportation
plan ‘supplement’ that will generate $130 million in new annual revenue,
allowing TransLink to maintain road and transit operations at current levels. The
decision will put further expansion of the transportation system on hold for
the time being.

LIRR Valley Stream switch & signal work progressing on schedule






Major signal and switch
modernization work being performed in Valley Stream by the MTA Long Island Rail
Road progressed on schedule, and the LIRR had a normal morning rush hour on October
26. On Oct. 25, the LIRR posted a video update on Facebook and YouTube that
illustrates the behind-the-scenes efforts undertaken by LIRR employees this
weekend to modernize the LIRR.

PTC safety costs chafe railroads






Passenger- and
freight-railroad operators are pressing the White House to scale back proposed
rules that would mandate billions in new safety hardware to prevent collisions,
warning that the financial burden could lead to cuts in passenger-train service
instead of the expansion President Barack Obama wants, reports the Wall Street
Journal.

$4 million earmarked for Fort Madison bridge






Iowa Another $4 million has
been included in a federal appropriations bill to replace the BNSF bridge over
the Mississippi River at Fort Madison, The Hawk Eye Website reports. Rep. Dave
Loebsack, D-2nd District, said the money will come from the 2010 Homeland
Security Appropriations bill to repair and rebuild vital infrastructure in the
district.

Metrolink activates expanded use of automatic train stop technology






In its ongoing effort to
enhance public safety, Metrolink Board Chair Keith Millhouse announced that the
agency has activated Automatic Train Stop technology at an additional 49
priority locations throughout its rail system. This ATS installation will
expand the number of locations of ATS inductors to 105 on Metrolink routes in
Orange County, San Gabriel Valley, Antelope Valley and Ventura County. The new
installations are also compatible with the Pacific Surfliner ATS-equipped
Intercity trains that operate on the Metrolink system. Metrolink received
expedited approval from the Federal Railroad Administration for the expanded
ATS program as another important safety measure while the commuter rail service
continues to accelerate the development and deployment of Positive Train
Control in Southern California.

Proposed National Gateway projects create thousands of jobs






The National Gateway
initiative will spur thousands of employment opportunities throughout the
Midwest and East Coast, creating growth and building the nation’s economic
competitiveness. The National Gateway is an $842-million, multi-state
public-private infrastructure initiative that will create a more efficient
freight rail route between Mid-Atlantic ports and Midwestern markets. Planned
improvements that will create job opportunities include raising bridges,
increasing tunnel clearances and building new terminals along existing rail
corridors to support the movement of double-stacked containers on rail cars.

Contract approved for Sound Transit University Link tunnel work






The Sound
Transit Board on Thursday unanimously approved a contract to dig twin-bored
tunnels between the Capitol Hill Station and downtown Seattle for the
University Link light rail extension. The contract, with JCM U-Link Joint
Venture, is for $168.9 million, which includes a 10 percent contingency. The
firm’s bid was 12 percent below the engineer’s estimate.


Governor pushes for action on Connecticut rail yard






Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi
Rell said that she would push ahead with plans to borrow $100 million so that
the state can build a key part of the New Haven rail yard, the Hartford Courant
reports. One of Connecticut’s biggest contractors recently offered to build a
293,000-square-foot maintenance center for rail cars that was only about half
as expensive as transportation officials and a consultant had projected.