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Hampton Roads light rail, high-speed rail deserve support






"News of the 46-percent
cost overruns of the light rail project in Norfolk has some people wanting to
throw out the baby with the bath water. We shouldn’t," said Gene Waters, a
former Chesapeake City Council member, light rail committee chairman and an HRT
commissioner. "I personally observed the hard work, integrity and dedication of
both commissioners and staff at Hampton Roads Transit. After discovering the
cost overruns, I’m sure it was very difficult for Norfolk’s HRT representative,
Councilman Randy Wright and others to request the resignation of then-HRT chief
Michael Townes.

Los Angeles asks feds for help in borrowing money for transit






Three decades is a long
time to wait for a train. So Los Angeles is asking the federal government for
help in borrowing $9 billion to speed construction of 12 new mass-transit rail
lines, The Wall Street Journal reports. With Washington’s backing, city
officials say they could make a dramatic improvement to public transportation
in just 10 years — including a dreamy-sounding Subway to the Sea — after
decades of stalled attempts to equip the sprawling metro area with a
comprehensive public-transportation system.

Maine governor outlines $79-milion bond package for transportation






Maine
Gov. John Baldacci provided the details of a $79-million bond proposal that includes
money to save northern Maine’s last major rail line and to fund transportation
projects across the state, the Bangor Daily News reports. Pitching the bond package as a type of stimulus
measure, Baldacci said the additional state borrowing would create or protect
thousands of jobs in the state while investing in much-needed highway and
infrastructure projects.

Collins secures commitment to keep MMA Railway operating






U.S. Senator Susan
Collins of Maine, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured a
commitment from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to work with her,
state, and local officials in an effort to keep the important Maine, Montreal
& Atlantic Railway operating in Northern Maine. Secretary LaHood pledged to
send the Federal Railroad Administrator to Maine to work on a plan to keep the
railway operating.

FTA delivers scathing report on safety of D.C. Metro






A federal investigation has
identified pervasive flaws in rail safety at Metro and severe inadequacies in
the agency responsible for oversight. Findings released March 4 call for
widespread changes in how the nation’s second-busiest subway system is
supervised and managed, the Washington Post reports.

OnTrackAmerica points to new developments in Pennsylvania






OnTrackAmerica, a
non-profit transportation consultancy committed to revitalizing North America’s
economy and environment by placing railroads at the center of a balanced
transportation system said there have been several new developments in its
ongoing, multi-faceted agenda.

 

St. Louis Metro Transit Board advances long-range plan






Helping more people get
to work and stimulating job growth and economic development are the goals of a
30-year long-range plan unanimously approved Feb. 12 by the St. Louis Metro Transit
Board of Commissioners. Called "Moving Transit Forward," the plan for the
future of transit in the region presents the results of nearly a year of
in-depth study by Metro officials and staff from the East-West Gateway Council
of Governments (EWGCG), the region’s planning agency.

BART statement on FTA letter on Oakland Connector






BART has received FTA
Administrator Peter Rogoff’s letter stating that the FTA has rejected BART’s
plan to meet the FTA’s standards of full compliance with Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act. This letter cites no substantive deficiencies in BART’s latest
draft action plan to correct Title VI deficiencies identified in a December
2009 audit. Instead, the basis of the FTA Administrator’s rejection rests
solely on the fact that BART’s plan contains a timetable with an end date
beyond September 30, 2010-the deadline for awarding stimulus fund grants.

LA Metro sets Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 community meetings






As environmental work
continues for the Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 project, Los Angeles Metro
will hold four community scoping meetings on February 22-27 in Pico Rivera,
South El Monte, Montebello and Whittier to review two build alternatives: light
rail transit via State Route 60 and on Washington Boulevard in addition to a
transportation systems management (improving bus services), and a no-build
alternative.

Chromite mine prospects stirring excitement






February 14, 2001

With the formal
acquisition this week of one of the key chromite deposits among the remote Ring
of Fire properties northeast of Thunder Bay, Ont., Canada, U.S. iron-ore giant
Cliffs Resources positioned itself as the most likely company to build the mine
everyone‘s been talking about, The Chronicle Journal reports. But while the
euphoria associated with the development of what could the largest chromite
mine in the world is understandable, the company says many details still have
to be hammered out.

Paper company seeks grant for track repair






Irving Tissue is seeking
state funding for a $1 million project that would repair 4,200 feet of railroad
tracks leading to its Fort Edward, N.Y., plant, the Glens Falls Post Star
reports. The repairs to the tracks are needed to accommodate the expected
increase in train traffic to the plant when a new paper machine comes online in
the fall, Fort Edward town Supervisor Mitch Suprenant said.

Portland’s WES marks first year in service






TriMet WES Commuter Rail
line marks its first year in service on February 2. Oregon’s first commuter rail
line connects the Portland suburban cities of Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and
Wilsonville with weekday rush hour service.

Commission votes in favor of Oakland Airport Connector






The commission for the Bay
Area’s transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency voted 11 to 5
to keep $70 million in Stimulus funds with the Oakland Airport Connector Project.
However, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission will revisit the issue at a
special February 17 meeting.

Don’t judge rail report by its partisan cover






When it comes to
attention-grabbing covers, the title "Great Rail Disasters" with an
illustration of a train wreck is tough to beat for creating a sense of danger
and drama, Ted Jackovics wrote in the Tampa, Fla., Tribune website. Inside, the
44-page American Dream Coalition report focuses on "foolish
investments" and "pork barrel spending" in a critique of rail as
a passenger transportation alternative.

Oakland Airport Connector project advocates vow to work with FTA






BART has received the
Federal Transit Administration’s letter asking for further analysis of the
Oakland Airport Connector project’s impact on minority communities under Title
VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Over the past decade, BART has diligently
worked with the FTA to meet all its requirements and as a result, the FTA has
consistently signed off on every aspect of the Oakland Airport Connector (OAC).
In fact, as recently as December, the FTA informed BART it had approved the
project for what’s called "pre-award authority" to continue advancing
the project. It also invited BART to complete the steps to secure award of $25
million in federal New Starts funding and award of $70 million in Stimulus
funds. At the time, there was no mention that additional documentation was
needed.

LA Metro to host open house for Westside Subway Extension






Los Angeles Metro invites
people in the Century City, Calif., area to learn about plans to bring the
subway west and share views. This lunch time open house is intended to bring
Century City workers up to speed with progress on the proposed Westside Subway
Extension, discuss plans for a future Century City station, and solicit input.

Wisconsin high-speed rail plan on track






Wisconsin transportation
planners are on a lightning-fast track, feverishly preparing to build the
85-mile, high-speed rail corridor from Milwaukee to Madison when $817.7 million
in federal stimulus funding is secured, the Milwaukee Business Journal reports.

Norfolk transit chief faces board






When Hampton Roads
Transit’s board meets in special session Jan. 11 to discuss the future of
embattled President Michael Townes, the members cannot immediately fire him, The
Virginian-Pilot reports. Townes’ contract requires that he be given 30 days
notice of a vote to terminate his employment. That notice was given Dec. 28,
when four board members wrote him demanding that he resign or they would
introduce a resolution to dismiss him at the Jan. 28 board meeting.

Automatic Train Stop for Denver transit






Denver’s Regional Transportation
District — in the wake of a fatal commuter rail crash in Los Angeles — is
installing $3 million in safety technology, The Denver Post reports. The Automatic
Train Stop technology, or ATS, is designed to prevent trains from going through
a red signal, the cause of the 2008 Los Angeles accident in which 25 people
were killed.