Union Pacific will strengthen Wisconsin’s transportation infrastructure by investing $11 million in the rail line between Rusk and near Eau Claire and between Black River Falls and Wyeville, Wis. The project, which is funded entirely by Union Pacific, began June 5 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Board of Directors has awarded a $210-million contract for the South Coast Rail Project to Vanasee Hangen Brustlin/HNTB Corporation, officially moving the project from planning into construction.
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is launching an emergency project on June 20, 2014, to repair the light-rail tracks and prevent further erosion of land around the Cold Spring Station due to heavy rains. Emergency work will require the temporary closure of the Mt. Washington, Cold Spring and Woodberry stations for approximately three weeks and MTA anticipates the project should be complete by July 11, 2014, weather permitting.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA) says its Bay Area Rapid Transportation (BART) Silicon Valley Project, Phase II, is well positioned to receive unanticipated funding through the state’s Cap and Trade Program, included in the 2014-15 state budget spending plan.
Two representatives, Kathleen Fox and Faye Ackermans, have been appointed to new positions at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Fox, who has enjoyed a four-decade career in the aviation sector, including membership of the Transportation Safety Board since 2007, will become the board’s next chairperson. Ackermans, a 25-year veteran of the rail industry, has been appointed as a part-time member of the Transportation Safety Board.
The California General Assembly and Gov. Jerry Brown reached a budget deal that will includes a $250 million appropriation for high-speed rail in the next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) celebrated the completion of tunneling work for the Central Subway Project, the extension of the Muni Metro T Third Line.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) appointed Louis Gravel as president of Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc. Gravel will succeed Mario Brault, who is retiring in September.
The Honolulu rail transit project has completed the first 100 support columns of the planned elevated rail system.
Unitrac Railroad Materials, Inc., is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month. Since the company’s founding in 1989, Unitrac has offered railroad products, special trackwork and railroad services to customers nationwide.
Metro Transit‘s METRO Green Line Light Rail Line, which links St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn., improving access to jobs and other opportunities, is now open to passengers.
GrandLinq, a public-private partnership (PPP) in which AECOM Technology Corporation participates, has been awarded a contract by the Region of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
Southton Rail Yard, a 300-acre dual rail-serve facility in San Antonio, Texas, designed for transloading energy-related products, celebrated its grand opening June 11.
OmniTRAX, Inc. will now manage the Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railroad, a shortline railway based in Brownsville, Texas, and will also develop a large-scale industrial park on land owned by the Brownsville Navigation District (BND) of Cameron County, the parent governmental body of the Port of Brownsville.
Watco Terminal and Port Services hired Jeff Lederer as general manager at the Pecos Valley Southern Railway (PVSR) in Pecos, Texas. Lederer will be succeeding Mike Salts, who will be returning to the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad (SKOL).
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is taking the next steps in modernizing the Red Line by awarding two station construction contracts.
The CTA Board approved the award of two contracts for the Wilson and 95th/Dan Ryan stations, projects that will replace and expand existing stations and provide customers with a convenient, 21st Century transit experience.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the fiscal year 2015 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) funding bill on a vote of 229-192. The legislation includes funding for the Department of Transportation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other related agencies.
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) approved construction authorization directing Metro Regional Transit Authority (MRTA) to install mast-mounted flashing lights and roadway gates at the 12th Street NW grade crossing located in the city of Canton, Stark County.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA-10) plans to introduce an amendment to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill, H.R. 4745, preventing any appropriated funds from being used for high-speed rail in the state of California. In June of 2012, Rep. Denham offered the same amendment to the THUD appropriations bill for the year 2013, H.R. 5972.
The second annual Rail Summit, held in Chicago, Ill., proved to be another success, rallying some 300 rail executives and decision makers to discuss this year’s theme of economic opportunities resulting from the surge in energy and intermodal growth.