Eugene Skoropowski has
joined HNTB Corporation as passenger rail services director for the South East
Division, based in the firm’s Lake Mary, Fla., office. He brings more than 40
years of experience gained in a career that spans the nation from Boston to
Oakland, Calif.
With
the release of new Strategic Guidance and the FY 2010-2014 Five Year Financial
Plan, Amtrak aims to continue the solid ridership growth seen in recent years
and position itself to maximize this historic moment in federal and state
support for more passenger rail service, including for the development of
high-speed rail corridors.
On the fourth anniversary
of the opening of the Los Angeles Metro Orange Line, Metro work crews have
officially completed the first construction phase of the line’s four-mile
extension in the North San Fernando Valley: a parking lot at the Chatsworth
Metrolink/Amtrak Station.
Steve Weber has been
named Vice President of Engineering for Nordco, Inc., where he will focus on the
development of new products. Weber’s extensive experience includes both
development of new product lines and maintenance of existing products. His most
recent position prior to joining Nordco was in the outdoor power equipment
industry.
Labrador Iron Mines
Holdings Limited has signed a Rail Co-operation Agreement with New Millennium
Capital Corp. regarding the reconstruction of the "Timmins Extension"
rail spur line that will run from the TSH Railroad main rail line near
Schefferville, Quebec, approximately 2.5 miles to LIM’s planned processing
center at Silver Yards and on a further approximately 13 miles to NML’s planned
processing center at the Timmins mining area.
The Mayors’ Council
on Regional Transportation in Vancouver, B.C., has approved a transportation
plan ‘supplement’ that will generate $130 million in new annual revenue,
allowing TransLink to maintain road and transit operations at current levels. The
decision will put further expansion of the transportation system on hold for
the time being.
Iowa Another $4 million has
been included in a federal appropriations bill to replace the BNSF bridge over
the Mississippi River at Fort Madison, The Hawk Eye Website reports. Rep. Dave
Loebsack, D-2nd District, said the money will come from the 2010 Homeland
Security Appropriations bill to repair and rebuild vital infrastructure in the
district.
The National Gateway
initiative will spur thousands of employment opportunities throughout the
Midwest and East Coast, creating growth and building the nation’s economic
competitiveness. The National Gateway is an $842-million, multi-state
public-private infrastructure initiative that will create a more efficient
freight rail route between Mid-Atlantic ports and Midwestern markets. Planned
improvements that will create job opportunities include raising bridges,
increasing tunnel clearances and building new terminals along existing rail
corridors to support the movement of double-stacked containers on rail cars.
TriMet in the Portland,
Ore., area is beginning work on the first of several stimulus-funded projects
aimed at improving rider and pedestrian safety, security and convenience at
Eastside MAX stations. TriMet is using federal stimulus funds to repaint six
MAX stations, starting at the E 162nd Ave station in Gresham.
The North County Transit
District reached an agreement with AECOM (formerly DMJM+Harris) to settle all
claims arising from the design services performed by DMJM+Harris for the SPRINTER
light rail project in the San Diego area. The settlement allows each party to
avoid future litigation regarding disputed claims. With this agreement, NCTD
should complete the SPRINTER project well within its federally approved budget
of $484.2 million.
Thales has selected
BelAir Networks for
both onboard and trackside Wi-Fi infrastructure for mass transit deployments,
including the Bergen Light Rail project
in Norway. BelAir Networks is the global market share leader in mesh Wi-Fi for the last eight
quarters and is the Wi-Fi equipment provider to North America’s largest Wi-Fi
networks. The new Bergen Light Rail project, which will serve 380,000 citizens
in Norway’s second largest city, is slated to launch in 2010.
Robert W. Turner, senior
vice president for corporate relations for the Union Pacific in Omaha, said
significant improvements are planned for the local rail line, according to The Mason
City, Iowa, Globe Gazette. Turner accompanied Gov. Chet Culver Oct 20 on the
Iowa Unlimited visit to Mason City and Manly.
U.S. Secretary of
Transportation Ray LaHood talked Oct. 20 at Knox College n Galesburg, Ill.,
about the role of transportation in helping the local, state and national
economy recover, according to The Galesburg Register-Mail. LaHood said all
indicators show the country is coming out of the recession, but it won’t be
over until unemployment numbers drop.
NJ TRANSIT Executive
Director Richard Sarles joined U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, Congressman Rob
Andrews and other officials to break ground on a project that will offer
convenience and new travel options to South Jersey rail customers by directly
linking the River Line with the Atlantic City Rail Line (ACRL).
Supporters of a
northeastern Ontario short line railway are laying the groundwork to keep a
vital Sault Ste. Marie-to-Sudbury transportation link open past next year, Northern
Ontario Business reports.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is spearheading a
regional effort to keep the Huron Central Railway operating beyond August 2010
or find another carrier willing to service industry along the 300-kilometer
(186-mile) long track.
The Association of
American Railroads applauded the Federal Railroad Administration’s Preliminary
National Rail Plan and its recognition that freight rail’s investment in
infrastructure maintenance and capacity enhancements meets national safety,
reliability and capacity needs.
Amtrak is using $25 million
in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to replace
transformers and other electrical equipment – some of which date to before
World War II – at 40 substations that deliver the power needed to propel
passenger trains on the electrified tracks between New York and Washington,
D.C.
The Transportation Department had hoped to award some of the $8 billion in grants for high-speed rail investment from February’s $787 billion economic stimulus package this month, but officials have pushed the timetable back until winter due to the flood of applications.
So far, 24 states have submitted 45 applications totaling close to $50 billion. Nationally, there are 10 corridors of at least 100 miles where infrastructure is being built to allow trains to surpass 110 mph. In addition, The Transportation Department also received applications from states to develop high-speed rail projects individually.
No future date has been announced for when the grants will be given.
Local, state and Vermont
Railway officials are exploring the concept of installing a concrete tunnel
beneath the railroad bridges at Merchants Row and Main Street in downtown
Middlebury, according to the Addison Independent. This new tunnel, officials
believe, could provide a perfect fix for the two ailing bridges while allowing
enough vertical clearance to accommodate double-stack freight cars that railway
officials need to run from Whitehall, N.Y., to Burlington.
A year after Congress told
federal regulators to issue $20 million in grants to help short line railroads
recover from storm damages, the Federal Railroad Administration is ready to
make the final $5 million of those funds available, the Journal of Commerce
reported.
