Commentary

Dear NTSB . . . . .

The National Transportation Safety Board recently released an open letter to MTA Metro-North Railroad containing its initial safety recommendations derived from the ongoing investigation into the Dec. 1, 2013 derailment of train 8808, which killed four passengers and injured 59.

MPO backs SMART Larkspur funding plan

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) has maintained that success of its passenger rail startup in its California namesake counties was ultimately linked to ferry service to and from San Francisco. That vision now has been endorsed by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area’s metropolitan planning organization (MPO).

LIRR starts Long Beach Branch restoration

MTA Long Island Rail Road has launched a $120 million construction program designed to protect the railroad’s Long Beach Branch from the kind of devastating damage caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

Illinois infrastructure plan includes $1.85 billion for public transportation

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has unveiled a six-year, $8.6-billion capital construction program plan consisting of federal, state, and local funds. The plan incorporates $1.85 billion for public transportation.

O’Connor, Yaeger, Hayden among new Metro-North leadership

MTA Metro-North Railroad has appointed three industry veterans to executive posts in its transportation, mechanical, and engineering divisions, as part of a major reorganization, newly appointed President Joe Giulietti announced in early April.

See Tracks? Think Train!

Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI) on March 8, 2014 launched a new public service advertising campaign called See Tracks? Think Train! that aims to reduce pedestrian and driver injuries and fatalities around railroad tracks by highlighting behaviors that put people at risk.

CDOT readies RFP for New Haven-Springfield line

Connecticut’s Department of Transportation (CDOT) will solicit proposals for an operator for Amtrak’s New Haven-Hartford-Springfield route beginning in 2016, according to Gov. Dannel Malloy. The RFP will be issued within the next year.

SunRail taps Railhead Corp. for digital video recorders

Railhead Corp. said it has been selected by SunRail to provide Locomotive Digital Video Recorder (LDVR) systems for the Orlando, Fla., metropolitan area regional rail service, slated to begin service later this year.

Parsons acquires Delcan

Parsons Corp. has acquired Markham, Ontario-based Delcan Corp., an international multidisciplinary engineering, planning, management, and technology firm that provides a broad range of integrated systems and infrastructure solutions to the transportation market. The firm is now called “Delcan, a Parsons Company.”

PTSI Transportation launching The Route Learning System™

PTSI Transportation, a railway management consultancy firm with 42 years’ experience in operations training, and customer and onboard service, is developing The Route Learning System™, its new digital training, testing, and management system tool for railroad and rail transit physical characteristics.
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