The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Board of Directors, which oversees all surface transportation in the city, including the Municipal Railway (Muni), held a ceremony to rename Muni’s Geneva Yard for SFMTA board member and transit advocate Cameron Beach.
The Federal Railroad Administration obligated $7.913 million of the Fiscal Year 2010 funding to the New York State Department of Transportation for its NY Hudson Subdivision Signal Reliability Project.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc., in cooperation with its local partners, completed construction of an Automated People Mover system capable of fully automated, driverless operation. The APM system connects Miami Airport Station with the Miami Intermodal Center over an approximately 1.25 miles of track, smoothly and efficiently transporting passengers on a one-way journey of roughly four minutes from one end of the system to the other.
Service began on September 8, 2011.
The APM project began in September 2008 when MHIA and Sumitomo Corporation of America, as a subcontractor to the Parsons-Odebrecht Joint Venture, won the competitive bid process. MHIA was responsible for supplying the operating system, which includes the vehicles, train control, power distribution and communication systems. The APM project was successfully completed in just 36 months.
Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Richard Davey appointed Jean Fox manager of the South Coast Rail project. A Freetown resident, who serves on the Board of Selectmen, Fox has worked at the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board since 2007.
“We have built positive state and local partnerships during the planning process for South Coast Rail and with Jean’s strong connection to the community, we anticipate these will continue,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. “South Coast Rail is a priority that will deliver real economic benefits for the region for decades to come and I look forward to working with Jean as we move this project forward.”
As manager of the project to bring commuter rail service to Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton, Fox’s responsibilities will include securing funding for construction and operation of the lines, shepherding the project through the environmental review and permitting process and keeping the public fully engaged throughout the design phase.
“South Coast Rail is a priority for the Patrick-Murray Administration and the communities in the region,” said Fox. “My predecessor, Kristina Egan, made great strides during her tenure in catalyzing public engagement and enthusiasm for commuter rail service that will build on the region’s many assets. This project will also enhance growth an opportunities for South Coast residents and businesses.”
She begins her new job at MassDOT September 12.
The Toronto Transit Commission hired Andy Byford to become TTC’s first chief operating officer. Byford will join the TTC in November from Sydney, Australia where he was COO of RailCorp.
Byford’s appointment follows an international search conducted to fill the senior operations position at the TTC, formerly the general manager of operations. The title change and role is in keeping with organizational structures in large urban transit systems around the world.
In addition to overseeing TTC operations, Byford will act as deputy chief general manager.
“I am very excited to be joining the TTC and look forward to being part of the team to drive forward our customer service delivery,” said Byford.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency received $20 million in federal funds for Phase II of the Third Street Light-Rail Project, the Central Subway. In addition to these funds, the SFMTA will send to the Federal Transit Administration the final submittal for the New Starts Full Funding Grant Agreement by September 19.
“The momentum continues to build for San Francisco’s Central SubwayPproject because it will expand transit options in the heart of the city,” said Jerry Lee, vice chairman of the SFMTA Board of Directors. “The city’s transportation infrastructure serves as the lifeblood of our expanding industries as well as our vibrant neighborhoods and the residents, visitors and employees that support them.”
“The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce continues to support the Central Subway Project for the simple reason that it will improve San Francisco’s economic growth,” said Jim Lazarus, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce senior vice president of public policy. “Economic growth does not happen by accident. A great workforce and the right policies bring businesses to the City; well-planned infrastructure makes it possible for them to thrive here.”
The project will serve as an engine for economic growth and recovery in San Francisco, creating thousands of job opportunities as the project moves into the construction phase.
During these difficult economic times, the progress and development of the Central Subway will employ thousands of individuals throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Furthermore, the improved service will decrease transit travel times, relieve congestion, enhance the environment and stimulate economic activity along the corridor.
The project has consistently received positive reviews as part of the FTA’s New Starts program. The new infusion of $20 million from the program means that Central Subway has received $92.4 million in New Starts funds to date. The total project cost (with contingency) is expected to be $1.57 billion, with the federal government contributing close to $1 billion.
The SFMTA continues to work closely with its funding partners: the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the leadership in Sacramento and the FTA. This collaboration has leveraged state and local funds to secure $942.2 million in federal New Starts funding for this project that would otherwise be unavailable to San Francisco for any other project.
A team of engineers hired by New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority Metro-North Railroad is inspecting and assessing the catastrophic flood damage to the Port Jervis Line. Meanwhile buses are providing alternative service for the 2,300 people who normally use the line each weekday.
The Regional Transit Authority of New Orleans, La., has awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff for construction management services for the expansion of the city’s streetcar system.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority reopened the downtown side of the Cortlandt Street R subway station on September 6, in time for the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. MTA Chairman and CEO Jay Walder was joined by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, State Senator Daniel Squadron, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and NYC Councilmember Margaret Chin to celebrate the occasion.
The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which owns and operates Caltrain in the San Francisco Bay Area, approved a proclamation for Railroad Safety Month at its monthly board meeting. The proclamation was accepted by Vic Ryerson on behalf of Operation Lifesaver, an internationally renowned program promoting rail safety.
The safety inspection, servicing and maintenance of Amtrak and some California-owned passenger rail equipment will now be performed in an upgraded, more efficient and environmentally-designed facility in Los Angeles.
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.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority rail yard for the Red and Purple Line subway is the first major rail maintenance facility in the nation to earn international recognition for its environmental management system.
Wabtec Corporation has signed a $27 million contract with Parsons to provide equipment and services for the implementation of Positive Train Control at Metrolink in California. Parsons was awarded a contract in 2010 to manage and implement PTC across Metrolink’s 512-mile system.
Colmar USA, Inc., said that its first Hi-Rail machine T7000 has been sold to the Toronto Transit Commission, their first North American customer. The introduction of Hi-Rail machinery in North America complements the scrap metal equipment line that has been Colmar USA’s primary product since it was established in 2002.
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.
Plans for an MBTA commuter rail station at the South Bay Shopping Center in Roxbury, Mass., moved a step closer to reality as the state issued a request for proposals for the $12-million project, the Boston Herald reports.
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.
Metrolinx continues to move forward its bold 5 in 10 Plan, a vision to improve transit in Toronto, with the C$54-million contract with Lovat Inc. to purchase four tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) for the Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit project.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, elected officials and contractor S3 Tunnel Constructors launched the tunnel-boring machine that will dig the first phase of the Second Avenue Subway.