CHSRA awards design-build contract to Dragados USA/Flatiron JV

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) awarded a $1.23-billion contract to construct a 60-plus mile portion of high-speed rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco to the joint venture team of Dragados USA and Flatiron.

MetCouncil appoints next regional administrator

Metropolitan Council Chair Adam Duininck has appointed Wes Kooistra as regional administrator of the Twin Cities area council, replacing Pat Born, who will retire July 3.

FTA says WMATA has “serious safety lapses”

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently conducted an inspection of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) rail and bus systems that identified “organizational deficiencies and operational concerns that significantly limit WMATA’s ability to recognize and resolve safety issues.”

MassDOT completes line acquisition from CSX

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) completed the $23 million acquisition of the Framingham Secondary Rail Line, a 21-mile segment of rail that connects Framingham and Mansfield, from CSX.

GREX acquires bridge monitoring company

Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) has acquired SENSR from Reference LLC, located in Elkader, Iowa. The company is now known as SENSR Monitoring Technologies, LLC (SMT), a wholly- owned subsidiary of GREX.

Construction begins on first aerial structure for California HSR project

Construction has begun on the first aerial structure that will eventually host 200 mph rail as part of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s high-speed project.

Ontario Northland and Teamsters Rail reach agreement for MOW employees

Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (Ontario Northland) and Teamsters Rail Conference Maintenance of Way Employees Division (TCRC MWED) have reached a tentative five-year collective agreement.

Granite names Rantala to head business development

Granite Construction Incorporated named Richard Rantala senior vice president of business development, reporting to Granite Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Christopher Miller.

Rebuilding a legacy

Dependable, long-term funding allowed SEPTA to take on a $5 billion backlog of state-of-good-repair projects.

O-Train Confederation Line kicks off track installation with laying of first rail

Royal Galipeau, Member of Parliament (Ottawa–Orléans), Bob Chiarelli, Member of Provincial Parliament (Ottawa West–Nepean) and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson installed the first official rail of the O-Train Confederation Line light-rail transit project June 12.

DSEIS for LACMTA’s Regional Connector project released

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) have released a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project, an underground light-rail system under construction that will connect the existing LACMTA Gold, Blue and Expo lines in downtown Los Angeles.

BART Board approves FY16 budget

With record ridership stretching Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) resources, the board of directors voted to direct money to initiatives designed to increase train passenger capacity and to improve on-time performance through a $1.57 billion FY16 budget.

SEPTA to begin modernization project next week

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) will begin a modernization project on its Route 101/102 (Media/Sharon Hill) trolley lines June 15.

AAR: Freight railroads making measurable strides toward PTC implementation

Association of American Railroads (AAR) President and CEO Edward R. Hamberger said that America’s freight rail industry is making progress on positive train control (PTC) and remains committed to ensure all is being done to safely reach the goal of nationwide interoperability.

CHSRA picks “Rail Delivery Partner” for new phase of program

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) Board of Directors approved a Rail Delivery Partner (RDP) contract, led by Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., which CHSRA says takes an expanded approach to the planned high-speed rail program.

HART awards contract to build three rail stations

The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit awarded a $78.9-million construction contract to Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company to build three rail stations in the Waipahu area at West Loch, Waipahu Transit Center and Leeward Community College.

Former FRA Administrator Szabo named executive director of CMAP

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) will soon have a new executive director, Joseph Szabo.

NTSB says evidence does not point to phone use in Amtrak 188 accident

The National Transportation Safety Board says analysis of phone records of the locomotive engineer operating Amtrak 188, Brandon Bostian, did not indicate the phone was in use at the time of the accident, which occurred on May 12.

Metro-North, LIRR say they’re in compliance with FRA safety advisory

As a result of work completed in March 2014 in response to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Emergency Order 29, Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad are already in compliance with the recommendations made recently to all U.S. passenger railroads by the Federal Railroad Administration in its Safety Advisory 2015-03.

NTSB issues recommendation to address WMATA third rail power supply

In its ongoing investigation of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority (WMATA) train accident at L’Enfant Plaza on January 12, 2015, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators found problems with certain electrical connections in WMATA’s system that require immediate action and issued a safety recommendation.

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