D.C. area board supports CSXT rail improvements






A regional transportation
board voted to support a rail company initiative to significantly expand
freight capacity in the busy Washington train corridor, according to The
Washington Post. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’
Transportation Policy Board approved a letter supporting federal grant
applications to help pay for $160 million in freight network improvements for
rail giant CSX Transportation. The board plays a key role in setting regional
transportation policy.

Jersey Bridge train track work continues











Work is commencing on the
train track at the Jersey Bridge, which is used by the Oil Creek and Titusville
Railroad passenger and freight operations, the Titusville, Pa., Herald reports.
According to Bob Dingman, freight line operator, the project involves another
approximate 60 feet of deck replacement along the tracks.

 The work will take
place this week and next week, Dingman said. The contractor for the job is J.C. Lee Construction and
Supply, of Petrolia.

 

 

Unit Rail names Thai Nguyen design engineer






Unit Rail, the rail fastening
division of Amsted Rail, named Thai Nguyen design engineer, responsible for the
design, test and manufacturability of fastening components for the company’s
end users in both the freight and transit railroad segments.

SEPTA ‘Elebrates’ end of project






SEPTA is celebrating the
end of an historic project – the reconstruction of the Market-Frankford
Subway-Elevated Line. A fixture of mass transit in the region, SEPTA’s busiest
and oldest heavy rail line has been fully modernized through a series of
initiatives.

NJ TRANSIT approves study of light rail extension






The NJ TRANSIT Board of
Directors approved a study that explores the feasibility of extending
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service farther west in Jersey City. The Board
approved a $251,000 contract with AKRF, Inc., for consultant services in
support of the first phase of an alternatives analysis for the extension of the
light rail line. The line would extend from its current western terminus at
West Side Avenue Station across Route 440 to a redevelopment zone along the
Hackensack Riverfront.

BNSF to remove tracks through Mildale Farm






Freight
trains rumbling through a regional park don’t do much for its natural beauty,
serenity and ambience, according to The Olathe, Kan., News That problem faced
Johnson County Park and Recreation District officials for years as they
contemplated the future development of the 2,000 acre Big Bull Creek Park east
of Edgerton.

Dulles Metrorail Route 7 service roads to disappear this fall






Traffic patterns will
change permanently between Route 123 and the Dulles Toll Road. Major lane
shifts in Virginia are expected this fall between Tyco and Spring Hill Roads
and between Westpark Drive/Gosnell Roads and Route 123 where the
Tysons West and Tysons Central 7 Stations will be built. Service roads
along the east and westbound lanes of Route 7 will disappear.

 

Opening of P&N Railroad delayed to December






 

A portion of a local
railroad track in North Carolina that has been out of service since the 1980s
will likely reopen at least two months later than first expected, according to
the Gaston Gazette. Officials initially hoped to see a four-mile stretch of the
abandoned Piedmont and Northern Railroad come back into service by Oct. 1. But
Gaston County Commissioner Joe Carpenter said that it won’t happen until Dec. 1
at the earliest. Carpenter gave his update
during the regular board meeting of the Gaston County, N.C., Economic
Development Commission. The four-mile span to be reopened first runs between
Gastonia and Ranlo, and will initially accommodate freight service.

Boise Valley Railroad files with STB to operate Idaho line






Watco
Transportation Services, Inc., said a definitive agreement has been reached
with Rio Grande Pacific Corporation to obtain 36 miles of track from the Idaho
Northern & Pacific Railroad. A notice will be filed shortly with the
Surface Transportation Board to operate the track as the Boise Valley Railroad
(BVRR), to be headquartered in Boise, Idaho.

Study predicts nearly 500,000 Ohio rail riders






As the deadline to apply
for a piece of $8 billion in stimulus funding for passenger rail service
approaches, Ohio officials have cleared a major hurdle with the delivery of a
ridership study that projects annual demand for rail service at nearly half a
million Ohioans, the Dayton Business Journal reported.

Polk Co. looks to improve
 rural grade-crossing safety






A flashing railroad
crossing signal will be installed on a potentially dangerous rural intersection
south of Erskine, Minn., according to the Grand Forks, N.D., Herald. The signal at the
intersection of Polk County Road 206 and the Soo Line Railroad tracks is one of
several railroad crossing safety improvements that will be made in Polk County
over the next year.

Orland Park, Ill., on track to become quiet zone






 

Orland Park, Ill., is
moving forward with efforts to become a railway quiet zone, local newspapers
report. At a public works and engineering committee meeting, Robinson
Engineering recommended channeling poles be installed at railroad crossings at
159th Street and at Wolf Road. The poles are installed
at the center line near the railroad crossing to prevent cars from going around
the gates, Robinson Engineering representative Jeff Pintar explained.

CTA temporarily closing Polk Street entrance to Harrison Station






The Polk Street entrance to
the Chicago Transit Authority Harrison Red Line station will close temporarily
from 11 p.m. Wednesday, September 16 until 4 p.m. Friday, September 18, while
crews relocate fare equipment. During this time, customers must use the
Harrison station entrance at 608 S. State Street to access the Red Line.

L.B. Foster completing $9-million Hampton Roads transit contract






L.B. Foster Company of
Pittsburgh is delivering the final shipment of rail products in September under
a $9-million contract with Skanska USA Civil Southeast for use in the
construction of The Tide Light Rail System in Norfolk, Va. Hampton Roads
Transit, the regional transportation agency, is building the new 7.4-mile
light-rail line linking the Eastern Virginia Medical Center, downtown Norfolk
and Interstate 264.

CREATE program seeks $300-million TIGER Grant






The Illinois Department of
Transportation said it is seeking $300 million in federal stimulus funds for a
package of 16 projects that are part of the Chicago Region Environmental and
Transportation Efficiency Program. CREATE is a first-of-its-kind partnership
bringing together Illinois DOT, the Chicago Department of Transportation and
the Association of American Railroads. Illinois DOT is eligible for the funding
under the federal Transportation Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant
program established in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In addition
to the $300 million being sought via the federal TIGER grant, CREATE partners
also have committed to an additional 39 percent match in funding – $117.4
million in state and private monies – for the program of projects outlined in
the application.

CSXT to replace Mobile, Ala., swing bridge






CSX Transportation Inc. awarded
a $60-million contract to Scott Bridge Company of Opelika, Ala., for the
alteration of the 14-Mile Bridge over the Mobile River. The total project cost
is estimated at $72 million, which includes the construction contract to the
Scott Bridge Company. The project is being funded largely by the federal
government (approximately 94 percent) under the Truman-Hobbs Act, which is
administered by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Caltrain Construction, Maintenance update, Sept. 12-18






Work on Caltrain’s Grade
Crossing Improvement Program continues in Burlingame, San Mateo and Menlo Park
between the hours of 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.: Broadway and Oak Grove Avenue,
Burlingame, Sept. 13-17; First and Ninth avenues, San Mateo, Sept. 14-17; and Encinal,
Glenwood and Ravenswood avenues, Menlo Park, Sept. 17-18. Throughout the
project area, at least one lane of the impacted street will remain open.
Flagmen will direct traffic and pedestrians around the construction.

Crews complete tile work in Northstar Fridley Station pedestrian tunnel






Crews continue to work on
the Northstar commuter rail line in Minnesota in preparation for a November
opening. LRT and Northstar system testing continues. Communications system
testing and programming continued at the LRT station. Punchlist work is ongoing
at the Northstar and LRT stations and in the stations in Coon Rapids, Anoka,
Elk River and Big Lake.