Vans will replace trains
between Oyster Bay and Locust Valley on the MTA Long Island Rail Road’s Oyster
Bay Branch November 21-22 as work continues on the replacement of the West
Shore Road railroad bridge in Mill Neck. While the work is performed this
weekend, West Shore Road will remain open for highway traffic, there will be no
detour route required.
The Illinois Commerce Commission has granted
approval Grade-crossing safety improvements in three communities across the
state. ICC OKed the installation of automatic flashing light signals and gates
at the 130th Street grade crossing of BNSF track located near Cameron, Warren
County. The estimated cost to install automatic flashing light signals and
gates is $234,377. The Grade Crossing Protection Fund will be used to pay 95
percent of the warning device installation costs, not to exceed $222,658. BNSF will
pay all remaining installation costs, as well as all future operating and
maintenance costs.
The Patrick-Murray
Administration said MBTA will hire of a diverse group of 15 employees with
funds from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The new jobs support the
$9-million Fitchburg, Mass., Commuter Rail Line project, funded through the ARRA
stimulus program and part of Governor Deval Patrick’s Massachusetts Recovery
Plan. The Massachusetts Congressional delegation worked with colleagues in
Washington, D.C., to allocate a total of $319 million in recovery funds for
transit projects at the Regional Transit Authorities and the MBTA.
It is fitting an
expansion project at the Newberry Rail Yard would be dedicated on Veterans Day,
said Lycoming County, Pa., transportation planner Mark Murawski, according to
the Williamsport Sun-Gazette. The railroads were instrumental in helping the
nation win its wars by transporting men and equipment vital to the war effort.
Today, railroads still are vital to the nation, he said Nov. 11 during a
ceremony marking the opening of a bulk transfer facility at the rail yard.
The battle of the borough
train station continues as historians voiced concerns that the Victorian-style
NJ Transit station will go through the winter with peeling paint and rotting
holes in the wooden walls and window sills, the Asbury Park Press reports. NJ
Transit officials confirmed there are no plans for work on the station until
after next summer when contracts are scheduled to be awarded for repairs and
painting. However, they insist the station is structurally sound.
MBTA officials laid out a
four-step plan Nov. 9 to address last week’s critical third-party review of the
system’s safety and finances, The Raynham Call reports. Transportation
officials also reiterated that the agency is not backing away from the proposed
expansion of transit service to the South Coast cities of Fall River and New
Bedford, Mass.
As part of Chicago Transit Authority’s
work to replace the signal and train control systems in the Loop, the weekend
beginning November 14 crews will be installing a new signal control facility at
Lake and Wells that will require elevated trains to reroute on Saturday and
Sunday. Brown, Green, Pink and Orange line trains will be temporarily rerouted
from approximately 4 a.m. on Saturday, November 14 until 8 p.m. Sunday,
November 15. Brown and Orange line trains will operate on the Lake and Wabash
elevated tracks only. Green and Pink line trains will operate on the Wells and
Van Buren elevated tracks only.
Construction work is
finished on the railroad tracks that will carry freight trains through Novato,
Calif. Now the tracks need to be inspected, and then freight trains are
expected to start rolling by March 2010, the Novato Advance reports. Meanwhile,
planning and design work is under way for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit
(SMART) commuter train, and construction work should start in 2011.
Norfolk Southern and the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are investing $11 million in the railroad’s
Philadelphia Navy Yard intermodal facility to expand track and parking
capacity. The expansion is part of Norfolk Southern’s multi-state Crescent
Corridor initiative to establish a high-speed intermodal freight rail route
between the Gulf Coast and the Northeast. The proposed investment — $6 million
from Norfolk Southern and $5 million from Pennsylvania — will create the
capacity to handle more than 72,000 containers and trailers annually.
Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-2010.
When federal officials
evaluate the idea of upgrading the New Haven-to-Springfield, Conn., rail line
to accommodate high-speed trains, they’ll have two core questions: Is the
project worthwhile, and can it deliver results quickly?
At a weekend
conference about the future of America’s rail systems, several experts said the
New Haven-to-Springfield plan-along with dozens of others throughout the
country-will have to meet two essential standards to stand a chance of getting
federal funding, The Hartford Courant reports.
St. Louis regional
transit leaders joined with state and local elected officials October 26 to
celebrate the grand opening of Metro’s new paint facility that will be used to
repaint the MetroLink Light Rail Vehicles. Located in East St. Louis, Ill., the
new $4.3-million facility enables Metro to prepare and paint the LRVs in an
environmentally-controlled area that is healthier for employees and better for
the environment.
Many of the 87 Light Rail
Vehicles in the Metro System have been in service since the 1990s, clocking an
average of 500 miles per day as they carry passengers back and forth along the
46-mile alignment. Not surprisingly, the heavily utilized trains require fresh
paint to maintain their structural integrity, extend the life of each vehicle
and keep them looking their best. While Metro has been manually repainting the
LRVs at its maintenance facility in St. Louis, the new paint booth will improve
the process through increased technology, and minimize the environmental impact
of maintaining the trains.
Event attendees had the
opportunity to tour the new operation and see the features that enhance the
process. The new facility is a 9,600-square-foot pre-cast panel structure containing
two distinct work areas, one of which is the totally enclosed paint booth. This
design enables Metro employees to clean and prepare the trains for painting on
one side of the facility, while other trains are simultaneously being painted
on the other.
The prep area includes a
dust collection system that is one of the "green" features of the operation.
Six separate work areas in the prep bay, where employees use various air tools,
are tied into a central vacuum system that will collect all the dust and other
particles and transport them to dust collection bags in a separate room.
The paint booth itself is
equipped with two automated "lifts" that give the individuals applying the
spray paint easy access to all parts of the train. Each lift can accommodate up
to two painters, further streamlining the process. The trains are painted with
low VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint, and an extensive exhaust system
helps to further minimize the environmental impact of the process, while also
reducing the risk of dust or other particles marring the paint job. Outside air
flows in through the ceiling, where filters remove particles from the air
before it enters the paint booth. Exhaust fans then return the air to the
environment, pulling it through filters in the paint booth pits. The filters
are designed to remove paint and other particles so that the exhaust air meets
environmental standards.
In addition, 400 energy
efficient fluorescent lights illuminate the paint booth, enabling Metro
employees to apply the paint with precision, and allowing for careful
inspection of the completed paint job before the trains are put back into circulation.
"This facility will allow
Metro to effectively and efficiently restore the body of the Light Rail
Vehicles, extend the service life of each train and create a consistent image
for Metro’s customers," notes Ray Friem, Metro’s Chief Operating Officer of
Transit Services.
Bob Baer, Metro’s
President and CEO added, "We really appreciate the support for this project
from St. Clair County Transit District and the elected officials from St. Clair
County."
Plocher Construction
Company of Highland, Ill., was the general contractor for the project, which
was awarded in September 2008 and included civil site work, utility work and
track work, in addition to the building and paint booth construction. Actual
construction was completed six months ahead of schedule and approximately 10
percent under the estimated budget of $4,783,821. Funding for the project came
from federal formula funds with a local contribution of $246,000 from the St.
Clair County Transit District. St. Louis County, Mo., also contributed funds to
the facility. The Light Rail Vehicles that will be repainted at the new
facility operate all along the entire alignment in St. Louis City and St. Louis
County in Missouri and in St. Clair County, Ill.
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.
Fulfilling a commitment to
the PATH rail system’s long-term growth, the Port Authority of New York and New
Jersey’s Board of Commissioners authorized more than $340 million worth of
contracts to help replace antiquated mechanical train controls on the
101-year-old system with state-of-the-art, computerized signals.
He is one of the
exemplary ambassadors of the rebranding Nigeria campaign in diaspora, the Daily
Champion in Nigeria reports. A man who has made immense contribution to the development of
modern railways in the world, he is one of the exemplary ambassadors of the
rebranding Nigeria campaign in diaspora.
The Illinois Commerce Commission has granted
approval for installation of new
automatic warning devices at the N.
Chestnut Lane highway-rail grade crossing of the Norfolk Southern track located
in the City of Mt. Vernon, Jefferson County.
BNSF’s Memphis Intermodal Facility is set to completely open next month and the railroad is putting the final touches on the multiyear, multimillion-dollar renovation.
Planning for what would be a $200 million renovation began in 2002, BNSF began buying additional land in 2004 for the terminal’s expanded 185-acre footprint and construction began in 2005.
The railroad will be able to perform 600,000 lifts a year with an option for one million more if the demand warrants a full buildout of the yard. Five production cranes, at 90-feet tall, twice the height of the old production cranes, and three stacking cranes will do the lifting. In addition to the new electric cranes, which reduce the terminal’s carbon footprint, the yard will also have 7,400 feet of track, 2,000 truck parking spaces, the ability to stack more than 6,000 40-foot containers, four new buildings for administration, truck maintenance and other facilities and 110 intermodal employees.
The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes/IBT, Midwest System Federation membership finalized ratification of its Tentative Agreement with the Iowa Interstate Railroad by an overwhelming margin.
The five-year contract provides for annual wage increases and a number of improvements in work rules. The agreement also requires that Iowa Interstate Railroad enroll its BMWED employees in GA – 2300 and GA – 4600, the National Health and Welfare Plan.
"It’s been a struggle to get to this point.Our members recognized the value in this contract and illustrated that with their vote," said Midwest System Federation General Chairman Mark Wimmer. "The patience and support of our members at Iowa Interstate has finally paid off."
The Midwest System Federation represents approximately 700 members of the BMWED who build, construct, inspect and maintain railroad tracks, bridges, buildings and equipment.
Service on the Red Line
near the Fort Totten Metrorail station has returned to normal after a fatal
train collision in June, which resulted in slower Metrorail service along the
Red Line in the Washington, D.C., area.
As part of developing his
budget recommendations for 2010, Chicago Transit Authority President Richard L.
Rodriguez has announced a series of internal cost cutting measures and
efficiencies aimed at reducing a projected $300-million revenue shortfall that
has resulted from lower than expected tax revenues.
The
more than 60 people who attended a meeting to discuss the development of the
Maine Rail Plan told state officials that the most pressing statewide and
regional rail issue facing them is the fear that Aroostook County may lose
vital railroad track in the near future, according to the Bangor Daily News. The
crowd gathered at the University of Maine at Presque Isle to take advantage of
the only opportunity for county residents to weigh in on the immediate future
of Maine railroads.
