Commentary

Transport research program, 50, adds rail to mix

After a half-century, America’s celebrated cooperative model of transportation research has gained a railroad focus.

Philadelphia expects 1,000 for HSR Congress

More than 1,000 high-speed rail planners, operators, and equipment manufacturers are expected to gather in Philadelphia July 10-13 for UIC HIGHSPEED 2012, a World Congress sponsored by the Paris-based International Union of Railways, and the concurrent UIC HIGHSPEED 2012 International Trade Exhibition.

Cost up—again—for East Side Access

Long Island Rail Road access to Grand Central Terminal now has been pushed back to 2019, six years beyond its original target date, while the cost of East Side Access has risen once more, to $8.24 billion, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority acknowledged Monday.

FRA notes Downeaster expansion milestone

Amtrak’s Downeaster expansion reached a milestone Monday with the official completion of new station platforms in Brunswick and Freeport, Me., which have not seen passenger rail service since 1959.

New Jersey: “Fair share” OK for Gateway Tunnel

Amtrak’s Gateway Tunnel project, designed to add rail capacity on the Northeast Corridor under the Hudson River, will get its “fair share” of fiscal support from New Jersey, the state’s transportation commissioner says.

Amtrak reorganizes Operations management

Amtrak Friday unveiled its long-anticipated reorganization of its Operations management structure, saying it has created “four business lines to establish clear accountability for the financial performance of individual trains and to improve customer service delivery.” The Operations reorganization plan will be rolled out in phases during the next 16 months, with full transition to the new structure in October 2013.

Customs relief in sight for Amtrak’s Adirondack

Amtrak’s Adirondack has been plagued for years by extensive border delays in both directions to its New York-Montreal journey due to both U.S. and Canadian customs clearance procedures. Now, spurred by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), the railroad and both nations may be able to reduce delays.

Amtrak restores Chicago-Michigan speeds

Amtrak said Friday schedules for its Wolverine Service and Blue Water passengers had been restored to normal, following extensive and expeditious trackwork along much of the route by landlord Norfolk Southern.

New York Penn Station expansion set to proceed

A Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PA) executive on Tuesday said a contract for the first phase of expanding New York’s Pennsylvania Station, targeted to cost $270 million, would be awarded Wednesday.

MTA East Side Access deadline slips again

Confirming what many have suspected, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota on Tuesday acknowledged that the agency’s East Side Access Project likely would not be completed until 2019, due to unexpected construction difficulties.

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