Las Vegas Railway Express, Inc. (X Train), the company building a luxury passenger train with planned rail service between Southern California and Las Vegas, Nev., has selected Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto Architects as its chief architectural design firm for the X Train’s Las Vegas terminal facility, as well as the interior design concepts for the passenger cars.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is making more than $470 million in unspent earmarks immediately available to states for projects that will create jobs and help improve transportation across the country.
Construction of the biggest Seattle-area Sound Transit 2 construction project to date has kicked off – the 4.3-mile Northgate Link light-rail extension from Husky Stadium to stations serving the U District, Roosevelt and Northgate.
United Transportation Union-represented yardmasters employed by Canadian National’s Illinois Central Railroad have reached a new tentative agreement following mediation assistance from the National Mediation Board. A March tentative agreement was rejected by the membership, which will now vote, through September 15, on the new tentative pact.
Negotiations were led by UTU International Vice President Paul Tibbit and UTU General Chairperson Doyle Turner.
“This tentative agreement, as with others negotiated with Class 1 railroads, is intended to bring parity in wages, benefits and work rules to the thousands of employees in the railroad industry, along with the many other protections offered by union membership,” Turner said. “The seniority, scope and discipline rules these members now enjoy are what makes union membership valuable.”
Illinois Central connects Chicago with New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., and also reaches Omaha, Neb., and Sioux City, Iowa.
The Federal Railroad Administration has obligated $100,000 in response to an application from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to study the restoration of Amtrak passenger rail service between Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile.
In Westchester County, N.Y., County Executive Robert Astorino, Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef and Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell explained their intention to vote yes at the next New York Metropolitan Transportation Council meeting to include the new Tappan Zee Bridge project in the region’s long-range transportation plan.
The Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway, a RailAmerica Inc. property, is now serving a new crude oil-unloading terminal developed by Genesis Energy, L.P. The Walnut Hill, Fla., terminal, which started service on Monday, August 13, is designed to receive approximately 100-car unit trains of crude oil via the AGR from various shale regions in the U.S. and Canada.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority reached a three-year contract with the Amalgamated Transit Union, representing more than 2,300 bus and rail maintenance employees.
Caltrain’s San Bruno Grade Separation Project, which will enhance safety at three rail crossings in downtown San Bruno, Calif., is nearing the half-way mark. The supports and bridges for the $147 million public safety project are clearly visible, giving the public a clear idea of the size and scope of the grade separation.
The Editorial Board of Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit presented “The 2011 SAGE Best Paper Award” to researchers at Transportation Technology Center, Inc., including Principal Investigator Huimin Wu, Senior Vice President Technology Semih Kalay and Scientist Harry Tournay for their paper “Development of the wheel‐rail interface management model and its applications in heavy haul operations.”
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio approved construction authorization from the Ohio Rail Development Commission directing Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway to install safety upgrades, including flashing lights and gates at fourteen highway-rail grade crossings in Canton, Ohio.
Hampton Roads Transit in Virginia will mark the first birthday of The Tide light rail in Norfolk on Friday, August 17, with a celebration at the MacArthur Square station.
Dallas businessman James Adams is the newest member of the Board of Directors of Dallas Area Rapid Transit. He was appointed by the Dallas City Council.
On August 13, Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK) joined representatives from FarmRail System, RailWorks Corporation and the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC), along with Sayre, Okla., City Manager Guy Hylton and other local officials to discuss an upcoming rail project on the rail line between Sayre and Clinton, Okla., and the positive impact the project will have on the region.
Union Pacific is enhancing Missouri’s transportation infrastructure by investing $7.4 million in the rail line that runs just west of Jefferson City and Pleasant Hill. The project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by the end of October.
Chicago Transit Authority ridership has continued its upward trend in the first six months of 2012, with June marking the 16th consecutive month of ridership increases.
The Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded Sound Transit $400,000 towards energy efficiency projects, including new lighting at the Federal Way, Auburn and Kent transit centers. The improvements covered by the grant will save more than an estimated $80,000 a year in utility and operations costs and allow the agency to leverage an additional $175,000 in utility rebates.
Carl Hybinette has joined the Watco Compliance Service Team as vice president of engineering. Hybinette will be responsible for the day-to-day compliance and engineering activities at Watco Compliance Services.
Canadian National and Superior Silica Sands have entered into a multi-year agreement to move frac sand from a new processing plant now under construction in northern Wisconsin.
To enhance safety and improve railroad operations, the Federal Railroad Administration has awarded Alion Science and Technology a contract with a ceiling of $10 million to conduct research that gauges human performance in rail operations and maintenance. The global engineering, R&D, IT and operational solutions company will provide technical expertise to FRA’s Human Factors Research Division, which aims to reduce human factors that cause train, trespasser and grade crossing accidents.