D/FW airport rail link adjustments weighed
Current plans for Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s Orange (light rail) line to serve Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport are being reconsidered as adjustments to airport access are weighed.
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Rail safety investment brings big payoff in 2008
American railroads again made big safety investments in 2008, and again they paid off in a big way.
Funds may aid Virginia Beach to buy right-of-way
Scrambling belatedly to secure light rail transit service after rejecting same a decade ago, Virginia Beach, Va., may receive a $20 million state grant to acquire 10.6 miles of Norfolk Southern right-of-way within the municipality. The route, if acquired, would almost certainly become an addition to “The Tide” light rail line now being constructed in neighboring Norfolk, which ends at the Virginia Beach border.
Norfolk Southern eyes Pennsylvania intermodal site
Continuing its advancement of the Crescent Corridor, Norfolk Southern appears ready to begin developing a major intermodal hub in Chambersburg, Pa., near the Maryland border, in conjunction with the Franklin County (Pa.) Area Development Corp. Corporation President L. Michael Ross said the NS site will be accessible by road via Exit 3 of Interstate 81 in what will be the Antrim Commons Business Park.
AAR sounds alarm on Senate
The Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday reported a bill aimed at eliminating the railroads’ limited antitrust exemption. The Association of American Railroads said the effort “could alter economic oversight of the railroads.”
NS honors mechanical employees’ safety record
Norfolk Southern says the employees in its mechanical department turned in a history-making safety performance in 2008, completing the year with a reportable injury ratio of 0.53, the lowest ever achieved by any operating department at Norfolk Southern.
Greenbrier Cos.: GE Railcar cancelation would hurt
Greenbrier Cos. Inc. says it could be forced to trim expenses, and lay off more employees, if GE Railcar Services Corp. holds firm in reducing an existing delivery contract of 11,900 railcars over an eight-year period. Greenbrier said GE Railcar, a subsidiary of Fairfield, Conn.-based General Electric Co., “desires to substantially reduce, delay, or otherwise cancel railcar deliveries.”
Capitol Corridor list: 10 projects “shovel ready”
Northern California’s Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) says it’s prepared to target up to $98 million in federal Stimulus Package funding to 10 “shovel-ready” projects, and has the list prepared for federal officials to evaluate March 9, when CCJPA representatives will be in Washington. Total cost of the projects involved is $144 million.
Houston banks on more LRT
Houston’s Metropolitan Transit Authority Wednesday unanimously approved a $1.46 billion contract for four new light rail lines, which would add 20 miles to its current initial seven-mile route, cementing its decision to bank on LRT in lieu of Bus Rapid Transit routes.
South Dakota OKs DM&E land acquisition effort
Canadian Pacific subsidiary Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad can proceed with a $6 billion plan to extend rail right-of-way 262 miles west of Wall, S.D., to Wyoming’s Powder River Basin coal fields, the South Dakota Transportation Commission ruled Wednesday.
Exhibit highlights “The West the Railroads Made”
A national traveling exhibit depicting the impact made by U.S. railroading will arrive at the MercantileLibrary at the University of Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday, March 7, where it will run through Sept.
ARINC Inc. awarded LIRR control center contract
Annapolis, Md.-based ARINC Inc. will design and produce a supervisory control system and communications systems for the Long Island Rail Road’s Harold Interlocking Complex in Long Island City, N.Y. Harold is among the busiest such complexes in the U.S., handling LIRR, New Jersey Transit, and Amtrak train movements as well as some freight activity.
TTC readies LRT expansion despite fiscal squeeze
Budget constraints notwithstanding, the Toronto Transit Commission appears determined to move ahead on the first of seven planned light rail transit extensions, setting a September groundbreaking for the Sheppard East line.
CN reaches accord with another EJ&E community
Canadian National and West Chicago, Ill., have come to terms on CN’s operations over the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway, which CN acquired in January. West Chicago will accept CN’s commitment to $1.8 billion in improvements on the line to reduce the impact of the anticipated frequency increase on the EJ&E.
Charles H. Clay, short line founder, dies at 83
Charles H. Clay, a Soo Line alumnus and founder of several short line railroads in the upper Midwest, died March 1. He was 83. Born in Troy, Mont., Clay worked in the
Metrolink engineer let railfan access cab
The Metrolink engineer involved in the Sept. 12, 2008 Chatsworth, Calif., train crash had earlier allowed a teenaged railfan access to the locomotive cab, overseeing him as the railfan piloted the train, and planned to do so again the day of the accident, which killed 25 and injured 130, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Austin’s Cap Metro recommits to Opening Day
Seemingly overriding its own pessimistic assessment offered only last week, Austin, Tex.’s Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority has reiterated its intent to open its initial 32-mile route on March 30, linking Leander with downtown Austin.
Circuit Court rejects shipper challenge of UP rates
In a ruling March 2, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago affirmed an earlier decision by a federal court judge in Milwaukee, rejecting a claim by We Energies that Union Pacific overcharged it $23 million for coal deliveries to its Wisconsin power plants. Milwaukee-based We Energies is UP’s largest customer in the Badger State.
Miami airport breaks ground for people-mover
Miami International Airport began construction Monday of its 1.27-mile, $342 million MIA Mover line. The dual elevated guideway project will include two station stops while connecting the airport with Miami Intermodal Connector, a passenger intermodal hub offering access to Amtrak, Tri-Rail, and Metrorail services, along with bus and taxi options.
New York Empire Corridor bottleneck gets belated backing
After years of postponements and delay, the 18-mile single-track rail route between Albany and Schenectady, N.Y., may finally be double-tracked in 2009, if the expected approval by the Capital District Regional Planning Committee later this month is backed by funding.