Search Results for: track construction

Governor submits California’s application for $4.7 billion for HSR






Joined by federal, state and local officials in
united support, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger discussed his submission of the
state’s application for nearly $4.7 billion in federal American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act funding for engineering, design and construction on California’s
high-speed train system. Pledging a dollar-for-dollar match from state and
local funds, including the high-speed rail bond passed by California voters in
November 2008, the state’s application would generate a nearly $10 billion
investment. This funding would collectively create nearly 130,000 jobs
throughout California.

UP opens new high bridge near Boone, Iowa






Union Pacific
Chairman and CEO Jim Young, Iowa Department of Transportation Director Nancy
Richardson and Boone, Iowa, Mayor John Slight commemorated one of North America’s
tallest double-track railroad bridges, the new Kate Shelley Bridge in Iowa
spanning the Des Moines River. Young, Richardson and Slight rode a Union
Pacific train over the bridge, which is more than 2,800 feet long and 190 feet
high.

Calif. reveals high-speed train plans






The California High-Speed
Rail Authority on released its much-anticipated "alternatives
analysis," the most detailed view yet of how the massive transportation
project might forever transform the region from San Francisco to San Jose, the
Mercury News reports.

 

BNSF engineering team completes major projects in 96-Hour window






In just 96 hours recently,
the BNSF engineering team completed several projects on the Lafayette
Subdivision in Louisiana, according to the company newsletter. Considered an
engineering "blitz," the team aimed to maximize track work and minimize
disruption for community members, all while making sure safety was a top
priority. The work window was granted from 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 21, through 6
a.m. Friday, Sept. 25.

Iowa officials reopen Waterloo Bridge damaged in 2008 floods






Iowa Governor Chet Culver joined
Congressman Bruce Braley in Waterloo to reopen the Iowa Northern Railway
bridge, a freight line that was damaged when the Cedar River flooded in 2008.
The reconstruction project is funded through $1 million in Culver/Judge I-JOBS
funds, and $2.1 million in federal railroad funds, secured by Congressman
Braley. The bridge is completely repaired except for the laying of the tracks.

Port Authority completes major components of ExpressRail






Continuing its initiatives
to maintain world-class facilities while improving air quality at the Port of
New York and New Jersey, the Port Authority said that two major components of
the Port of New York and New Jersey’s $600 million ExpressRail project have
been completed. The projects will allow 1.3 million cargo containers to be shipped
by rail, taking approximately three million trucks off state and local roads.

Railroad shows intermodal facility plans to public






Pan Am Southern railroad,
which wants to build an intermodal yard in the area, showed the town planning
board and residents how it plans to deal with noise and traffic concerns at a
meeting at Halfmoon, N.Y., town hall, local newspapers report.

Why commuters are still waiting on Cap Metro’s train






Capital Metro in Austin,
Texas, didn’t know what it was getting itself into, the Austin American-Statesman
reports. That might sound like a shot from one of the transit agency’s critics.
Instead, it is in effect the agency’s explanation for why its MetroRail
commuter line from Leander to downtown Austin is now 15 to 18 months late in opening.
And still counting.

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.

 

CTA to host public meetings on proposed line extension






The Chicago Transit
Authority is inviting the public to meetings to provide input on the proposed Red,
Orange and Yellow Line Extensions. 
Attendees will have an opportunity to provide comments on the proposed
alternatives, the purpose and need for the project, the potential effects and
mitigation measures to be considered in the Environmental Impact Study (EIS).

CSXT rolls out Bessemer, Ala., hub without hubbub seen in McCalla






CSX Transportation began
operating a railroad hub in Bessemer, Ala., the week of Sept. 14 without any of
the hullabaloo that a planned Norfolk Southern hub has stirred up down the
tracks in McCalla, Ala., according to the Birmingham News. CSXT received the
first train Sept. 14 at the $6-million container-loading terminal on 25 acres
in the Interstate Industrial Park.

SEPTA ‘Elebrates’ end of project






SEPTA is celebrating the
end of an historic project – the reconstruction of the Market-Frankford
Subway-Elevated Line. A fixture of mass transit in the region, SEPTA’s busiest
and oldest heavy rail line has been fully modernized through a series of
initiatives.

L.B. Foster completing $9-million Hampton Roads transit contract






L.B. Foster Company of
Pittsburgh is delivering the final shipment of rail products in September under
a $9-million contract with Skanska USA Civil Southeast for use in the
construction of The Tide Light Rail System in Norfolk, Va. Hampton Roads
Transit, the regional transportation agency, is building the new 7.4-mile
light-rail line linking the Eastern Virginia Medical Center, downtown Norfolk
and Interstate 264.

New half-mile railroad bridge replaces historic Boone trestle








Freight trains have begun
moving across a new $43-million bridge over Iowa’s Des Moines River that
reportedly is the tallest double-track railroad structure in North America, the
Des Moines Register reports.

 The Boone High Bridge, which is 2,550 feet long
and 190 feet high, will improve operational efficiency and customer service on
Iowa’s busiest railroad corridor, said Mark Davis, a spokesman for the Union
Pacific Railroad, which commissioned the bridge project.

Park Forest, Ill., CN appear ready to finalize agreement






By now, those of us who
usually drive between Sauk Trail and Indianwood Boulevard on Orchard Drive in
Park Forest have found new ways to get from here to there, according to a
column by Jerry Schnay in the Southtown Star. The village is replacing sewer
pipes in the area, the start of a three-year project that will eventually
result in the complete renovation of Orchard Drive, including a center turn
lane north of Lakewood Boulevard and two left-turn lanes at the intersection of
U.S. 30 at the north end of town.