Search Results for: BNSF

Officials dedicate Kansas $105 million grade separation project

Local leaders, as well as representatives of BNSF and UP dedicated the Central Railroad Corridor grade separation project, touted as one of the biggest engineering and time-saving projects in Wichita, Kan., history. The dedication took place on the elevated platform adjacent to the railroad tracks southwest of Union Station.

The $105 million central rail corridor project began in April 2005 and was designed to elevate train traffic above street traffic to reduce accidents. Elements include eight miles of new track, a centralized traffic control system, six new bridges at 1st, 2nd, Central, Murdock, 13th Street and Chisholm Creek Bridge, as well as a widened Douglas Avenue Bridge.

The project frees up routes for emergency vehicles and will save drivers an estimated 2 million hours a year of waiting at the tracks at the Central, Murdock and 13th Street crossings.

CTA Circle Line plan makes rounds






Plans for the long-awaited
Circle Line, which would link CTA and Metra rail lines in Chicago’s growing
central area, are a step closer to being realized after the Chicago Transit
Authority completed its analysis of options for the project, the Chicago Tribune
reports.

Arizona OKs Flagstaff train horn silencing plan






Flagstaff officials
finally will be able to silence train horns at the city’s five at-grade
railroad crossings in coming months, the Arizona Sun reports. The Arizona
Corporation Commission voted unanimously this afternoon to allow the city and
BNSF to begin installation of safety equipment at each of the crossings.

Port of Vancouver rail project will ease traffic






A rail project set to start
construction In November will let the Port of Vancouver better handle long
trains and reduce delays as it loads and unloads cargo, port officials say. The
Terminal 5 project, currently out to bid, will add nearly seven miles of track
on recently acquired port property, the Daily Journal of Commerce reports.

Broken Bow, Neb., begins railroad quiet zone






They don’t look like much
at first glance: Narrow, freshly installed medians jutting up in the middle of
the road on either side of two railroad crossings, the Grand Island, Neb.,
Independent reports. But since Sept. 1, those medians have allowed Broken Bow’s
east side to finally experience some respite from the horns of the trains that
regularly rush through town.

KDOT submits grant application or passenger rail






The Kansas Department of
Transportation has submitted a final grant application totaling $10 million to
the Federal Railroad Administration for funding under the High Speed/Intercity
Passenger Rail program using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act, said Ron Kaufman with KDOT, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal.

Environmental assessment for Chicago-Iowa City passenger service






The Iowa Department of
Transportation, in cooperation with the Illinois Department of Transportation,
is seeking public input concerning the environmental assessment of proposed
routes for intercity passenger rail service between Iowa City and Chicago.
Released for public review on Sept. 25, the EA will be presented and discussed
at a public input meeting Tuesday, Sept. 29, in Moline, Ill.

Stanwood, Wash., train platform late, over budget






Construction of the new
passenger train platform in Stanwood, Wash., is costing more than anticipated,
and the platform might not be open until just before Thanksgiving for people
who want to ride the rail, according to the Everett, Wash. Herald. Nevertheless,
people in Stanwood are watching eagerly as the Amtrak Cascades stop takes shape
along the BNSF tracks in east downtown.

Railway cancels protest to Norman, Okla., plan












A railroad company’s
objections to the design of the Robinson Street crossing underpass in Norman,
Okla., have been withdrawn, city officials say, according to local media. Sticking
to the original design means the city will experience no delay in building the
underpass and can stick to its original budget of about $25 million, Public
Works Director Shawn O’Leary said.

 

Amtrak Leavenworth, Wash., service to begin September 25






The City of Leavenworth,
Wash., and Amtrak said that the eagerly awaited restoration of rail passenger
service to the popular Bavarian Village, a destination community in the Cascade
Mountains, will begin on Friday, September 25. The first train returning to
Leavenworth, one of Washington’s most visited attractions, will be Amtrak’s
Empire Builder, departing Seattle that evening bound for Chicago.

Billings, Mont., businesses, residents hail new quiet zone






Lynda Frost, a
spokeswoman for Montana Rail Link, said trains traveling through downtown
Billings, Mont., were supposed to stop sounding their horns Sept. 18, one
minute after midnight, according to The Gazette. And those are some big horns,
emitting blasts of 96 to 110 decibels, as per federal regulations. A subway
train, at a distance of 200 feet, registers at about 95 decibels, while 110
decibels is comparable to a power saw three feet away.

Polk Co. looks to improve
 rural grade-crossing safety






A flashing railroad
crossing signal will be installed on a potentially dangerous rural intersection
south of Erskine, Minn., according to the Grand Forks, N.D., Herald. The signal at the
intersection of Polk County Road 206 and the Soo Line Railroad tracks is one of
several railroad crossing safety improvements that will be made in Polk County
over the next year.

Norman, Okla., underpass project cost will increase







Design changes being
mandated by a railroad company will increase the cost of building an underpass
at the Robinson Street crossing in Norman, Okla., by about $1.4 million, city
officials say, according to The Oklahoman. Public Works Director Shawn O’Leary
said the city hopes to use stimulus money to cover most of the increased cost
of the now $26 million project.

 

Study to estimate repairs at Kansas depot






Commissioners unanimously
agreed to spend about $25,000 to study what repairs are needed at the BNSF
Depot at Seventh and New Jersey streets, the Lawrence, Kan., Journal-World
reports. Commissioners agreed to hire Lawrence-based Hernly Associates to
conduct the assessment.

Environmentalists dispute report on Johnson County IM terminal






Environmental
pressures are mounting on BNSF’s proposed freight center in Johnson County,
Kan., with experts saying it would contribute to the region’s already serious
air pollution problems, according to The Kansas City Star. Air-quality experts
at the Mid-America Regional Council are suggesting that diesel emissions from
the massive rail project near Gardner would worsen ozone levels, which already
violate federal standards.

Seeking silent nights






When Lisa Burley moved
into her new southeast Bend, Ore., home in July, she thought she’d found a
perfect, quiet spot to spend her retirement, local newspapers report. Then she
heard the blast of a train horn, warning drivers and passers-by that the train
was approaching a rail crossing. Then she heard another one, and another –
usually three or four every night.

Dignitaries get close up look at new Montana rail line, mine






After an investment of
$408 million and a year of rapid construction, the first coal train will leave
the Signal Peak Energy Mine near Roundup, Mont., next week, carrying the first
load of low-sulfur Montana coal east to an Ohio utility, the Billings Gazette
reports. A new railroad junction near Broadview and the mine site south of
Roundup were officially dedicated Sept. 2 by top executives from BNSF;
FirstEnergy, an Ohio utility; the Boich Group of Ohio; Signal Peak Energy; and
a corral of Montana politicians, including Gov. Brian Schweitzer.

Long Beach seeks input on port expansion plan

The Port of Long Beach will host a series of public meetings to solicit community input on plans to expand a staging area for double-stack trains. The staging yard is in the vicinity of 9th Street and Pier B Avenue. The goal of the expansion is to increase the on-dock rail usage in the harbor.