Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott recently joined state and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking for the new MBTA Salem Commuter Rail Station.
Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and CEO Edward Hamberger on June 27 told the House Transportation subcommittee on railroads, pipelines and hazardous materials that the billions of private freight railroad investments spent annually on infrastructure and maintenance today provides
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) celebrated the opening of the Littleton commuter rail station June 21 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The California Transportation Commission allocated $108.7 million to three commuter rail projects that will help ease traffic congestion, improve safety and support economic growth.
Limited commuter and subway service will return to New York beginning Wednesday afternoon.
A commuter rail bridge, believed to be the largest truss bridge ever moved after assembly, was rolled into place over Torrence Avenue near 130th Street in Chicago, Ill.
The governments of Canada and Ontario announced funding to support a preliminary engineering study on a commuter rail link between Peterborough and Toronto, ON. Dean Del Mastro, member of Parliament for Peterborough and Jeff Leal, member of the Provincial Parliament for Peterborough, were joined by Tony Smith, founding president of the Shining Waters Railway, to confirm the successful negotiation of the funding agreements.
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Masabi US Ltd, will be bringing mobile ticketing to MBTA commuter rail riders this fall. With applications for iPhone, Android and Blackberry, customers will be able to purchase commuter rail tickets and passes. Once tickets are purchased, customers will be able to use and display directly via their phone screen.
Norma Navarro is the new vice president of commuter rail and Nevin Grinnell is the new vice president/chief marketing officer for Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
Navarro has served DART in several capacities since joining the agency in 1990, most recently as assistant vice president, commuter rail administration. In her new role, she will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the Trinity Railway Express and will serve as DART’s liaison with the T in Fort Worth, who co-own the 35-mile commuter rail line with DART.
Grinnell joins DART after more than 20 years in marketing, primarily in the food and beverage and consumer products sectors. Most recently, he was senior vice president of marketing for the NCH-Retail Product Group, where he was responsible for company strategy and new product innovation. He has also held marketing leadership positions at Frito Lay and Dr. Pepper Snapple Group.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood signed the $178.6 million grant agreement that gives the green light for construction to begin on the 32-mile Orlando SunRail commuter rail project. He was joined by Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff, Florida Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica, Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.), Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and other state and local officials at a ceremony held at the future site of the Florida Hospital Station.
This grant is the largest federal transit investment in Central Florida and covers half of the projected total cost of $357.2 million. FTA will pay out the Full Funding Grant Agreement through 2013.
The line will connect downtown Orlando to Orange, Seminole and Volusia Counties along existing railroad tracks. In addition to having 12 new stations, it will consist of seven locomotives and 14 passenger rail cars. Stops along the line will include Florida Hospital Station, Central Station and Orlando Health/Amtrak Station.
The line is considered the first phase of what is projected to be a 61-mile commuter rail line extending further north to Deland and further south to Osceola County, Fla.
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick joined Congressman Michael Capuano, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and state and local officials to commence groundbreaking for the $15.9 million Talbot Commuter Rail Station, as part of the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line Rehabilitation Project. The project will create an estimated 120 construction jobs, with project completion scheduled for 2013.
"The Fairmount Line investments are creating jobs and improving transportation options for residents across the community," said Governor Patrick. "This is a smart investment that will pay off for decades to come."
The Talbot Avenue Station is the third of four commuter rail stations under construction as part of the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line Rehabilitation Project. The Talbot Avenue Station will include new high level platforms, canopies, passenger shelters, benches and windscreens and electronic message signs. Sidewalks adjacent to the station will also be reconstructed with new wheelchair ramps at major intersections.
"It’s great to see public transportation investment in the heart of our City. Improving the Fairmount Line has long been a top public transportation priority for my Administration and I want to thank Governor Patrick and his team for their commitment to this issue," said Mayor Menino. "This new station, along with the recent renovations at Uphams Corner and Morton Street and the work underway at the Four Corners/Geneva station, will greatly improve transit access for the underserved communities of Dorchester and Mattapan."
The Talbot Avenue and Woodrow Avenue railroad bridges will also be replaced later this year in conjunction with the Talbot Avenue Station project. The bridges will be replaced using the fast-track method. The 9.2 mile Fairmount Commuter Rail Line runs from South Station through Dorchester and Hyde Park, terminating at the Readville Station. It is the only MBTA Commuter Rail Line that exclusively serves the City of Boston.
"The strides we are making with the Fairmount Line projects is testament to the Patrick-Murray Administration’s commitment to making quality improvements to public transportation that make a real difference for residents," said MassDOT Transportation Secretary and CEO Jeffrey Mullan.
Amenities at the new station will include closed circuit television (CCTV) video surveillance cameras, police emergency call box systems, public telephones and an off street drop-off/pick-up area.
Wabtec Corporation has signed a contract to provide braking equipment to Bombardier Transportation Canada, Inc., which is building 100 new commuter rail cars for New Jersey Transit.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray
LaHood and Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff said that Utah would
receive $37 million in advanced payments for two rail projects funded under its
New Starts grants program.
In the TwinCities area, the Northstar Corridor
Development Authority (NCDA) Executive Committee, after careful review of the
Federal Transit Administration’s required technical analysis, decided to recommend
to the Authority that the federal application for the extension be placed on
hold.
The Michigan Department
of Transportation’s looming purchase of privately-owned railroad tracks between
Dearborn and Kalamazoo as part of an improved high-speed rail corridor to
Chicago also will directly benefit a commuter rail project linking Detroit and
Ann Arbor, Crain’s Detroit Business reports.
As part of the Patrick-
Murray Administration’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan to enhance economic
development and create jobs by strengthening public transit and rail service, Mass.
Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Ray LaHood and Congressman John Olver to announce the groundbreaking for the
$55.5-million Wachusett Commuter Rail Extension Project.
Sound Transit on Sept. 21
will celebrate the tenth anniversary of its Sounder commuter rail service, which
has grown in ridership from 102,552 in its first year of operation to an
estimated 2.8 million by the end of this year.
The Wickford Junction/North Kingstown Station in Rhode Island, which received $4.4 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars will receive an additional $13.6 million New Starts grant to extend existing commuter rail service an additional 20 miles from Providence to Boston starting in 2012.
Oklahoma could soon have a commuter rail transportation system to get people to and from work and ease travel, the Tulsa Beacon reports. State Rep. Charlie Joyner has been working to make that a possibility. Joyner met with representatives from Trinity Railroad Express, BNSF, Amtrak and Dallas Area Rapid Transit this week in Fort Worth to discuss the possibility of getting a commuter rail system in Oklahoma. He discussed the projected costs and pros and cons.
Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc.,
an industry-leading rail infrastructure contractor, as part of the Denver
Transit Partners (DTP) team, reached financial close and received official
notice to proceed from the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) to
construct the multi-billion dollar Eagle P3 commuter rail project. The DTP team
will design, build, operate, maintain and finance the Eagle P3 Project.
Groundbreaking is scheduled for August 26, 2010.
