Alaska Railroad completed a new communication site on Bald Mountain in 2016.Photo – Alaska Railroad Corp.
Amtrak
2018 C&S budget: $102.5 million
2017 C&S budget: $69.2 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: For fiscal-year 2018, continue PTC projects on the Empire Corridor and Springfield Line.
CSX
2018 C&S budget: $44 million
2017 C&S budget: $56.5 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: C&S capital focuses on SRO obsolescence, signal reliability, communications upgrades, defect detectors and hump yard improvements.
Note: The budget doesn’t include $116 million expected to be spent on signal upgrades for positive train control (PTC) implementation this year.
Norfolk Southern Corp.
2018 C&S budget: $31 million
2017 C&S budget: $30.8 million
Major C&S projects planned in 2018: Replace process control system (PCS), centralized traffic control (CTC) and direct traffic control (DTC) system at Elkhart Yard, and replace PCS system at Enola Yard.
CSX crews recently took on a signal cutover project along a line in Depew, New York.Photo – CSX
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Canadian elected officials earlier this month gathered to install the final piece of light-rail track for the O-Train Confederation Line in Ottawa, Ontario.
On May 4, Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and other leaders boarded a train at the Tremblay Station and traveled into the line's downtown tunnel, where officials hammered rail clips to secure the final piece of rail into position.
Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.
Contact Progressive Railroading editorial staff.
Sound Transit's Hilltop Tacoma Link light-rail extension received $75 million from the Federal Transit Administration through its Small Starts grant program. It's the piece of financing needed for the project.
Sound Transit says the grant was awarded "following tireless advocacy by members of Washington's congressional delegation." The transit agency noted key proponents of the project, including U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA-6), who repeatedly urged approval of the funds.
The Port of Québec will receive CA$15.5 million (US$12.1 million) from Canada's National Trade Corridors Fund to upgrade port infrastructure including rail.
Three projects at the port will benefit from the funding that officials say will "help local businesses compete by moving local goods to market and by making improvements to port infrastructure."
The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association's (NRC) 15th Annual Railroad Construction and Maintenance Equipment Auction this year sold a total of 367 items and brought in $1.15 million from on-site and online bidders.
A draft agreement for a new rail service operator along the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line in California is now available for public view, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) announced late last week.
The commission will consider the draft agreement at a June 14 meeting in Watsonville, California.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) staff will recommend three options to be studied further for the northern alignment of the West Santa Ana Branch Transit Corridor.
The 20-mile light-rail project will connect Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) and Artesia. LACMTA has identified a route for the light-rail project south DTLA, but has run into challenges identifying the northern alignment.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York City Transit (NYCT) will make structural repairs and station improvements at the 34 St-Penn Station subway complex starting May 20.
As TriMet's Providence Park MAX Improvements project moves into its final phase, the agency has announced that its MAX Blue and Red lines resumed regular service May 12.
New Jersey Transit's board has appointed William Viqueira chief financial officer and treasurer.
Viqueira has more than 20 years of experience in corporate finance, including a decade as an investment banker with Merrill Lynch. He also worked at Lucent Technologies, where he served as treasurer and head of mergers and acquisitions.
Union Pacific Railroad has named Clark Ponthier senior vice president-supply chain and continuous improvement. He begins his new job May 29.
Ponthier has more than 30 years of experience in broad supply chain, manufacturing and engineering at Fortune 500 companies. Most recently, he served as Ingersoll Rand's VP of operations and integrated supply chain-residential HVAC and supply.
A new fee on ride-hailing services will fund the agency's $179 million FastTracks repair program.Photo – transitchicago.com
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Brightline will launch passenger-rail service to Miami from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on May 19.
Trains will travel from an existing station in Fort Lauderdale into MiamiCentral, a new 11-acre intermodal development in downtown Miami. The railroad will provide eight northbound and eight southbound trips each day between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Florida.
The governments of Canada and Quebec have agreed in principle to jointly fund the Lac-Megantic rail bypass project, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced late last week.
The government of Canada will fund 60 percent and Quebec the remaining 40 percent of the CA$133 million cost to build the nearly 8-mile bypass.
CN’s operational performance slipped significantly into March primarily because of a series of miscalculations, mishaps and severe weather events since fall 2017.Photo – CN
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CN’s operational performance slipped significantly into March primarily because of a series of miscalculations, mishaps and severe weather events since fall 2017.Photo – CN
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