A Siemens-Bombardier merger in play?
Munich, Germany-based Siemens and Montreal, Canada-based Bombardier are engaging in preliminary talks to merge their rail businesses, according to a report in the July 29, 2015 edition of The Wall Street Journal.
Commuter Regional
Tri-Rail says take the bike to the train
Florida’s Tri-Rail regional/commuter rail system on July 24, 2015 placed its first bicycle car, a specially equipped Bombardier bilevel trailer coach, in service.
VHB adds four to its Transit & Rail team
VHB has added four new employees to its Transit & Rail practice in order to better serve clients in metropolitan areas along the East Coast, including Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, the firm announced on July 23, 2015.
AECOM appoints Mendes to top design post
AECOM has appointed Diana C. Mendes, AICP, as director of transit/rail, Design and Consulting Services, Americas.
GO Transit’s new Hamilton station opens
Hamilton, Ont., located at the western end of Lake Ontario some 40 miles beyond Toronto, has received its second GO Transit station, named West Harbour.
NJT sets FY2016 ops, capex budgets; hikes fares 9%
Facing an approximate $56 million budget gap for its 2016 fiscal year, New Jersey Transit’s Board of Directors on July 15, 2105 adopted a FY2016 operating budget and capital program totaling $4.27 billion, and a fare and service plan that includes an average 9% fare increase.
VRE extends contract with Keolis
The Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has exercised its option to extend its contract with Keolis for an additional five years to operate the VRE commuter rail trains which serve Washington D.C.’s Northern Virginia suburbs.
Lyon-Stadler named a PB senior principal engineer
Parsons Brinckerhoff has named Nancy Lyon-Stadler a senior principal engineer in the company’s Cleveland office, as part of PB’s transit and rail technical excellence center.
From the planes to the trains
Keolis Commuter Services has named United Airlines aircraft maintenance veteran Kenneth Trahan as Chief Mechanical Officer for its Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) commuter rail system operations and maintenance contract, the company announced on July 8, 2015.
Commentary
GUEST BLOG: Michael R. Weinman commentary on AIRNet-21 proposal
The following are comments by Michael R. Weinman, Managing Director, PTSI Transportation, in response to the “reasoned and considered thoughts” expressed by Dr. Francis P. Mulvey in the Guest Blog published by Railway Age on June 30, 2015, “We must do something transformational about Amtrak.” Dr. Mulvey’s original words appear in italics.—William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief, Railway Age