Search Results for: transit

Caltrain passes key milestone in modernization effort






Caltrain’s plan to
electrify and modernize Peninsula commuter rail service received a critical and
historic approval from the federal government yesterday – clearance to run the
most modern equipment available in the world. The Federal Railroad
Administration issued a waiver of longstanding rules that prohibit what is
known as "mixed traffic" – operating standard American trains and lighter rail
equipment on the same tracks.

TransLink selects companies to propose Smart Card/Faregate system






Three consortia that supply
smart card electronic fare payment systems and fare gates to some of the
biggest transit operations in the world have qualified to submit proposals to
supply a Smart Card and Faregate system for Vancouver’s TransLink, to be in
operation by the target date of first quarter of 2013.

MBTA upgrading accessibility at Science Park/West End Station






Continuing the
Patrick-Murray Administration’s commitment to providing accessible
transportation service to all residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
MBTA General Manager Rich Davey joined local officials and members of the West
End community at the Science Park/West End Station to announce a $22-million
investment for accessibility improvements to the station. The project includes
the construction of two elevators that will provide access from a new street
level lobby to the train platforms at the top of the viaduct.

Nortrak wins Metra order; manufactures 20,000th frog

VAE Nortrak North America
Inc. won a Metra Commuter Service master purchase agreement for rail. The
master purchase agreement is for new 115RE and 136RE AREMA rail for a period of
18 months. The first train with 64,000 lineal feet of welded rail will be
loaded on a rail train and headed for Chicago for this season’s
welded-rail-laying program.

 

Norfolk light-rail official: Water may not be culprit






Water may not be to blame
for the settling of light-rail tracks at the intersection of Brambleton Avenue
and Second Street, The Virginian-Pilot reports. Don Lint, Hampton Roads Transit
light-rail construction manager, said that once the tracks and the panels they
are bolted to are removed next week, the agency will have a better idea of what
went wrong.

LACMTA considers Green Line extension






The Los Angeles Metro
Transit Authority is exploring ways to provide commuters with an alternative to
the 405 freeway by extending the South Bay Metro Green Line. One option is into
North Redondo Beach, to many residents’ dismay, the Beach Reporter reports.

John Haussmann joins HDR as principal project manager






John Haussmann, P.E., has
joined HDR as a vice president and principal project manager based in the
company’s Walnut Creek, Calif. office. He will focus on major transit projects
in California and throughout the western United States. Prior to
joining HDR, Haussmann was the regional transit manager for PBS&J’s west
and central regions. From 1997 to 2008 he served first as chief operating
officer and then CEO/president of T.Y. Lin International.

Norfolk light-rail crews to rebuild Fort Norfolk intersection






Light-rail
construction crews, who are working toward a mid-July completion deadline in downtown
Norfolk, Va., must rebuild an intersection after flooding caused the underpinnings
to settle, The Virginian-Pilot reports. The
at-grade crossing at Brambleton Avenue and 2nd Street in the Fort Norfolk area
will be torn out for two weeks starting June 1, Hampton Roads Transit spokesman
Tom Holden said. The work will not affect traffic on Brambleton but will detour
2nd Street traffic.

 

Los Angeles Metro appoints two top officers






Los Angeles Metro CEO Art
Leahy said the agency appointed Chief Operations Officer Colonus "Lonnie"
Mitchell to the position he has held on an interim basis since December 2009
and hired architect and urban planner Martha Welborne to the Authority’s top
planning job..

MTA LIRR breaks ground on $25-million train wash in Babylon, N.Y.






MTA Long Island Rail Road
President Helena Williams and Babylon Mayor Ralph Scordino and other public officials
broke ground today on a new $25.5 million train wash facility located in the
Village of Babylon. The project, which promises to create between 20 and 30
construction jobs, is being financed with federal stimulus funds through the
Federal Transit Administration. The Babylon Train Wash Facility was selected by
Governor David Paterson and the MTA as a shovel-ready project that represented
the best use of federal stimulus funds.

Seattle City Light upgrading power lines in Capitol Hill






Seattle City Light will
be upgrading power lines in Capitol Hill during the next year to increase their
power capacity. The work is designed to meet local power needs, improve
reliability, and provide electricity to the Sound Transit light rail station
now under construction.

St. Louis Metro approves FY 2011 budget






The Metro
Board of Commissioners for the St. Louis area approved an operating budget of
$232.4 million for Fiscal Year 2011 that includes funds to restore transit
services that were cut in 2009. The budget also includes freezes on salaries and
hiring and reductions to expenditures across the board.

LA Metro Board adopts FY11 budget






The Los Angeles County
Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors adopted a $3.8-billion
budget for Fiscal Year 2010-11. The spending plan is $47 million less than the
current Metro budget but still advances a variety of transportation
improvements for the region including a spate of new highway and transit
building projects. These are funded largely with federal stimulus funds and the
new Measure R transit sales tax.

D.C. Metro GM says improved safety, reliability plan in place






Washington, D.C., Metro
General Manager Richard Sarles testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies of the U.S.
Senate Committee on Appropriations May 19 and reiterated the transit agency’s
request for $150 million in fiscal year 2011. 

In doing so, Sarles provided a
description of his back-to-basics action plan to improve the safety and service
reliability of the Metro system.