Railroad News

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) reduced its structural deficit by 65 percent in fiscal-year 2017 compared with the previous year's deficit, the agency announced yesterday.

The MBTA's deficit was $30 million in FY2017 versus $86 million in FY2016. In addition, core operating expenses for the most recent fiscal year were $6 million less than they were in the prior year.

Port of Oakland Commissioners last week approved an $11 million rail-spur project that would connect Union Pacific Railroad tracks with Cool Port.

Cool Port is a 280,000-square-foot distribution center now under construction on 25 acres of Port of Oakland property. BNSF Railway Co. also will have access. 

Port of Oakland Commissioners last week approved an $11 million rail-spur project that would connect Union Pacific Railroad tracks with Cool Port.

Cool Port is a 280,000-square-foot distribution center now under construction on 25 acres of Port of Oakland property. BNSF Railway Co. also will have access. 

You asked for , but despite our computers looking very hard, we could not find it. What happened ?

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) says it has met federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 requirements by fully investing the more than $2.55 billion granted to the state since 2009 to build the nation's first high-speed rail system.

CHSRA explains that these funds have helped to create thousands of new jobs and generated approximately $4 billion in economic activity in the Central Valley and across California.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) says it has met federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 requirements by fully investing the more than $2.55 billion granted to the state since 2009 to build the nation's first high-speed rail system.

CHSRA explains that these funds have helped to create thousands of new jobs and generated approximately $4 billion in economic activity in the Central Valley and across California.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) says it has met federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 requirements by fully investing the more than $2.55 billion granted to the state since 2009 to build the nation's first high-speed rail system.

CHSRA explains that these funds have helped to create thousands of new jobs and generated approximately $4 billion in economic activity in the Central Valley and across California.

London Trackwork Inc. has been awarded the supply contract for the Valley Line LRT project in Edmonton, Alberta.

The company will embed 42,720 linear meters of rail using Icosit rail grout. According to London Trackwork's website, the rail grout is "designed as load-bearing, flexible leveling grout for elastic fixing of grooved rail (girder rail) or T-rails on concrete slabs, steel bridge decks and in tunnels."

London Trackwork Inc. has been awarded the supply contract for the Valley Line LRT project in Edmonton, Alberta.

The company will embed 42,720 linear meters of rail using Icosit rail grout. According to London Trackwork's website, the rail grout is "designed as load-bearing, flexible leveling grout for elastic fixing of grooved rail (girder rail) or T-rails on concrete slabs, steel bridge decks and in tunnels."

London Trackwork Inc. has been awarded the supply contract for the Valley Line LRT project in Edmonton, Alberta.

The company will embed 42,720 linear meters of rail using Icosit rail grout. According to London Trackwork's website, the rail grout is "designed as load-bearing, flexible leveling grout for elastic fixing of grooved rail (girder rail) or T-rails on concrete slabs, steel bridge decks and in tunnels."

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) yesterday marked its 70th anniversary.

The agency was created by the Illinois Legislature to consolidate several privately owned companies that operated transit lines in the Chicago area. Before the CTA was created, those struggling companies competed with each other for riders, according to an announcement on the agency's website.

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) has appointed Floun'say Caver as deputy general manager of operations.

Caver fills the position vacated by Michael York, who retired last week. Caver joined GCRTA in 2000 and left in 2002 to earn a doctorate degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. He returned in 2006 as GCRTA's manager of budgets.

Ending funding of Amtrak long-distance routes would disproportionately affect low income households in rural communities across the country, according to a report released today by the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP).

NARP's "Dismantling a National Transportation Network" report was issued in response to President Donald Trump's fiscal-year 2018 budget proposal earlier this year that called for cutting funding to certain long-distance routes in Amtrak's national network.

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) late last week approved advancing to the next phase of technical work for a streetcar extension to the Missouri River.

The next planning phase will focus on completing conceptual design for the project, KCSA officials said in a press release. Other efforts will include survey work and utility location, estimating costs, performing an environmental assessment and conducting public outreach.

The U.S. Coast Guard last week lifted draft restrictions at the Port of Corpus Christi, although recovery efforts continue at the port after it was impacted by Hurricane Harvey in late August.

The full 47-foot draft of the ship channel is open to vessels, and the daylight-only transit restriction was removed. Vessel traffic remains one way on the Corpus Christi Ship Channel; all other restrictions have been lifted, port officials said in a press release.

The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority's board has awarded a $2.6 million utility relocation design-bid-build contract to W.A. Rasic Construction Co. Inc. for a 12.3-mile light-rail project between Glendora and Montclair, California.

The contract is the first of two to be procured as part of the $1.4 billion Glendora-to-Montclair segment, which will extend the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (Metro) Gold Line route through communities in the San Gabriel Valley and into San Bernardino County.

The Federal Transit Administration  (FTA) has awarded $8.4 million in critical grant funding to Puerto Rico to help its public transit systems recover from Hurricane Maria.

The funding was in addition to $40 million provided by the Federal Highway Administration to help restore service on roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Maria. Those funds supplement the $2.5 million in emergency funds awarded to the territory for damage after Hurricane Irma. 

KC Streetcar Authority (KCSA) made plans to move forward with the next phase of technical work for the Streetcar Riverfront Extension and Multi-Modal project.

"The opportunity to better connect our city to our historic riverfront through streetcar and improved transit connections is a generational opportunity that could redefine Kansas City and downtown in the years to come," said Tom Gerend, executive director of KCSA.