Durbin: Increase rail investment under new Transportation Bill

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to increase funding for job creating Illinois rail and multimodal priorities, including rail line relocation grants, Amtrak and the TIGER grant program, in its bill to reauthorize the Surface Transportation Act. Durbin also urged the Committee to reject the proposals in the House Transportation bill that would eliminate or dramatically reduce funding for programs that are essential to creating jobs in downstate Illinois communities.

Honolulu to seek line of credit to improve rail’s financial plan

Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle presented a proposed solution to further strengthen the financial plan of Honolulu’s rail project, remain on target for its successful completion and obtain full funding in the amount of $1.55 billion from the federal government.

Construction completed at GO Transit’s new Allandale Waterfront Station

GO Transit’s new Allandale Waterfront Station in Barrie, ON, Canada, has opened for service. The new station allows GO Transit to extend service further into downtown Barrie, which will improve access and increase ridership on the Barrie line.

Hampton Roads Transit gets new president, CEO

The Transportation District Commission of Hampton Roads in Virginia selected William Harrell as the new president and CEO of Hampton Roads Transit. The vote was unanimous.

Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service sets annual ridership record in 2011

For the first time in its history, Amtrak’s Hiawatha Service between Chicago and Milwaukee, has a ridership that surpassed 800,000 in 2011. The year-end numbers put ridership at 823,163. According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, that is a nearly four percent increase from 2010 when ridership totaled 792,848.

SunRail project breaks ground

The $1.3 billion SunRail project in central Florida broke ground on Friday, January 27, 2012, at the future home of the Altamonte Springs station, located at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Boulevard and State Road in Seminole, Fla.

BART set to launch next stage of Transbay Tube retrofit

Bay Area Rapid Transit in San Francisco, Calif., is continuing its work of earthquake safety strengthening of the Transbay Tube, which was not damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake but remains BART’s top earthquake safety priority.

Chicago South Shore UTU members ratify new pact

United Transportation Union engineers, conductors and collectors employed by Chicago South Shore & South Bend, an electric-line passenger operation between Chicago and South Bend, Ind., have ratified a new two-year agreement.

Pre-construction work begins on Vancouver’s Evergreen Line

Canada’s Evergreen Line in Vancouver, B.C., is taking a major step forward with pre-construction beginning in the next couple of weeks, bringing new jobs and improved transit options for residents of Metro Vancouver.

Secretary LaHood proposes streamlining major transit awards

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood proposed a significant change in the way major transit projects compete for federal funds by streamlining the process and making decisions more responsive to local needs.

PATH reports record ridership in 2011

The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey’s PATH rail system reported record ridership in 2011, with 76.6 million commuter trips made during the year, the highest number since the agency took over operation of the system in 1962.

Dulles Metrorail project awarded $116 million in New Starts funding

U.S. Congressmen Jim Moran and Gerry Connolly and Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner said the Department of Transportation has awarded nearly $116 million funding for construction of Phase 1 of the Dulles Metrorail project in northern Virginia.

Dulles rail tunnel completed

The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project in northern Virginia has completed the tunnel that will carry the future rail line under a portion of Tysons Corner, Va., just outside of Washington, D.C.

Metro-North ridership beats LIRR numbers

New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Railroad provided 82 million rides last year, up 1.4 percent over 2010, with ridership gains on all lines and in all markets from traditional morning inbound commutation to nights, weekends, middays and holidays.

HART’s GET revenue surpasses projections

The General Excise and Use Tax (GET) surcharge collected this past quarter for Honolulu’s rail project came in significantly higher than projected, marking the third consecutive quarter that revenue has surpassed projections, the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation reported.

BLET members ratify Amtrak contract

By a nearly 4-to-1 margin, members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with Amtrak. Ballots were counted and the final tally was 77.5 percent in favor and 22.5 percent against.



Amtrak outlines plan for Capstone project at Lancaster Station

With the current work on the Lancaster Train Station project nearing completion, Amtrak revealed a detailed plan for the next phase of station improvements, the Capstone project. Starting as soon as work on the current phase is complete, Amtrak will begin work to restore the passenger areas into an accessible, comfortable and convenient station that is of historic significance.

New York Second Avenue Subway blasting did not exceed pollutant levels

New York’s MTA Capital Construction (MTACC) has released results of a comprehensive study to assess the impact of blasting on air quality. The report found that most measured pollutants were below applicable national air quality and industry standards. Exceeded levels of some pollutants did not coincide with blasting and were primarily attributed to traffic emissions and other local sources.

NS Heartland Connector open for business

Norfolk Southern has cleared the way for more double-stack intermodal trains to use its Heartland Corridor with the opening this week of a newly improved double-stack rail line between Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. The Heartland Connector will reduce transit times by one to two days and increase service reliability for double-stack freight traveling to and from the Port of Virginia and Cincinnati and Detroit.

UIUC to lead rail-specific UTC

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a grant of $3.5 million to a multi-university consortium led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to establish a rail transportation and engineering research center.

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