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Oct
16

Portal Bridge replacement project officially begins

A ground breaking ceremony was held Oct. 31 for the replacement of the Portal Bridge, a two-track 110-year-old swing span structure linking New Jersey and New York City.

 

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Oct
16

Portal Bridge replacement project officially begins

A ground breaking ceremony was held Oct. 31 for the replacement of the Portal Bridge, a two-track 110-year-old swing span structure linking New Jersey and New York City.

 

Continue reading
Oct
16

Portal Bridge replacement project officially begins

A ground breaking ceremony was held Oct. 31 for the replacement of the Portal Bridge, a two-track 110-year-old swing span structure linking New Jersey and New York City.

 

Continue reading
Oct
16

DEIS released for SEPTA King of Prussia extension

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement review (Draft EIS) for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's (SEPTA) King of Prussia Rail Project (KOP Rail). 

KOP Rail is a proposed extension of SEPTA's existing Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL) into King of Prussia and would provide a "one-seat" ride to King of Prussia from either the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby or the Norristown Transportation Center.

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Oct
16

DEIS released for SEPTA King of Prussia extension

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has released the Draft Environmental Impact Statement review (Draft EIS) for Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority's (SEPTA) King of Prussia Rail Project (KOP Rail). 

KOP Rail is a proposed extension of SEPTA's existing Norristown High Speed Line (NHSL) into King of Prussia and would provide a "one-seat" ride to King of Prussia from either the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby or the Norristown Transportation Center.

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Oct
16

Santana to become CEO of GE Transportation

Rail News Home Railroading People 10/16/2017 Rail News: Railroading People
Rafael SantanaPhoto – GE

GE has named Rafael Santana chief executive officer of GE Transportation effective Nov. 1.
 
Santana is currently president and CEO of GE Latin America. He will succeed Jamie Miller, who will become chief financial officer of GE on Nov. 1.
 
Santana has more than 17 years of experience at GE — including leadership positions in oil and gas, power, and transportation — before being named president and CEO of GE Latin America.
 
Prior to joining GE, Santana served in leadership roles at ExxonMobil and British American Tobacco.
 
In his current role, Santana worked with regional business leaders to make Latin America one of GE's largest and fastest growing regions, GE officials said in a press release.
 
"Rafael has deep roots in GE Transportation, having spent eight years in a variety of commercial and product management roles, as well as leading the Transportation team in Latin America," said GE Chairman and CEO John Flannery. "His experience helping teams navigate through this tough market, combined with his deep global, operational, services and industrial experience make him the perfect fit for this role."

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Oct
16

RTD receives FRA approval to finish G Line testing

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) has been granted conditional approval from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to conclude testing along the G Line.

While FRA's permission is a step in the direction RTD needs to complete testing, the transit authority is still waiting approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which has state regulatory authority over the at-grade crossings. In September, the CPUC rejected RTD's application to finish testing of the G Line.

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Oct
16

RTD receives FRA approval to finish G Line testing

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) has been granted conditional approval from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to conclude testing along the G Line.

While FRA's permission is a step in the direction RTD needs to complete testing, the transit authority is still waiting approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), which has state regulatory authority over the at-grade crossings. In September, the CPUC rejected RTD's application to finish testing of the G Line.

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Oct
16

Gov. Christie kicks off Portal Bridge replacement project

Rail News Home Amtrak 10/16/2017 Rail News: Amtrak
The $1.5 billion project is aimed at improving rail transportation between New York City and Newark, New JerseyPhoto – Amtrak

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie led a groundbreaking ceremony late last week to begin a long-awaited project to replace Amtrak's Portal Bridge.
 
The $1.5 billion project is designed to improve rail transportation between New York City and Newark, New Jersey. It is part of the $30 billion Gateway program to improve rail traffic on the Northeast Corridor.
 
The Portal Bridge is a two-track, 110-year-old swing span structure over the Hackensack River in Kearny and Seacaucus. It has a recent history of malfunctioning that causes rail traffic delays in the corridor.
 
"This project is vital to our economy and the safety of millions of local commuters and people from around the world who use mass transportation along the Northeast Corridor," Christie said in a press release.
 
The bridge is one of the heaviest used rail bridges in North America. New Jersey Transit carries 150,000 riders per day on nearly 400 trains, while Amtrak moves about 16,000 riders per day on more than 100 trains in both directions over the bridge. More than 58 million rail passengers use the bridge annually.
 
Engineering plans to replace the bridge with a north bridge and a south bridge were completed in 2013 and funded by NJ Transit, Amtrak and the Federal Railroad Administration.
 
The project involves the construction of two new fixed-span bridges about 53 feet above mean high water, more than double the height of the current bridge. The new structure will allow for higher train speeds and greater train capacity.
 
Early construction contracts worth $20 million have been awarded to move ahead with the Portal North Bridge project. Those contracts include construction of a finger pier, installation of new fiber optic cable poles, realignment of a transmission pole, construction of a steel bridge structure over the Jersey City Municipal Utility Authority water main, and construction of a retaining wall.
 
NJ Transit and the U.S. Department of Transportation provided funding for the early construction work. Local share funding for the balance of the bridge construction has been arranged through NJ Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
 
Plans to rebuild the Portal South Bridge will come at a later time, according to the press release.

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Oct
16

Santana to lead GE Transportation

General Electric announced that Rafael Santana, president and Chief Executive of GE Latin America, has been named president and CEO of GE Transportation, effective November 1.

Santana, with more than 17 years at GE, held leadership positions in GE Oil & Gas, Power and Transportation before becoming the President and CEO of GE in Latin America. He worked closely with the regional business leaders to make Latin America one of GE's largest and fastest-growing regions. Prior to joining GE, Santana held leadership roles at ExxonMobil and British American Tobacco.

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Oct
16

Santana to lead GE Transportation

General Electric announced that Rafael Santana, president and Chief Executive of GE Latin America, has been named president and CEO of GE Transportation, effective November 1.

Santana, with more than 17 years at GE, held leadership positions in GE Oil & Gas, Power and Transportation before becoming the President and CEO of GE in Latin America. He worked closely with the regional business leaders to make Latin America one of GE's largest and fastest-growing regions. Prior to joining GE, Santana held leadership roles at ExxonMobil and British American Tobacco.

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Oct
16

Griffin joins Amtrak as EVP and chief marketing officer

Amtrak has named marketing expert J. Timothy "Tim" Griffin as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Griffin will report directly to President and Co-CEO Richard Anderson and will be responsible for marketing, passenger experience, Northeast Corridor business development, state supported services business development, long distance services business development and product support and management.

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Oct
16

Griffin joins Amtrak as EVP and chief marketing officer

Amtrak has named marketing expert J. Timothy "Tim" Griffin as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Griffin will report directly to President and Co-CEO Richard Anderson and will be responsible for marketing, passenger experience, Northeast Corridor business development, state supported services business development, long distance services business development and product support and management.

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Oct
13

NJ Transit rolls out 'AquaTrack' units to remove leaves on rails

Rail News Home Maintenance Of Way 10/13/2017 Rail News: Maintenance Of Way
The agency has been using the AquaTrack system since 2003.Photo – NJ Transit

New Jersey Transit has begun deploying its two "AquaTrack" machines to help remove fallen leaves and oily residue on tracks, the agency announced Wednesday.

Each high-pressure power-washing system consists of two 250-horsepower diesel-engine units mounted on a flat car with an operator control cab. Two pressure-pump then units dispense water at up to 20,000 pounds per square inch directly to the top of rail.

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Oct
13

Pennsylvania DOT slates meeting for removal of road bridge over CSX tracks

Rail News Home CSX Transportation 10/13/2017 Rail News: CSX Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) later this month will hold an open house for its plan to remove the McBride Viaduct vehicular bridge over CSX tracks in Erie.The project involves removing the 1,170-foot bridge and all piers, steps and ramps. In addition, PennDOT will install fencing to prohibit pedestrians from crossing the tracks.The open house will take place Oct. 25 in Erie. The McBride Viaduct runs between East 12th Street and East 19th Street. The structure spans multiple sets of CSX tracks.The McBride Viaduct was built in 1938 and has received major rehabilitations since. However, the bridge has been deemed "structurally deficient and functionally obsolete" due to the poor quality of its structural elements, according to the project's website.As part of the plan to remove the viaduct, PennDOT entered a preliminary engineering agreement with CSX. The demolition plans were then submitted in September 2016.

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Oct
13

Pennsylvania DOT slates meeting for removal of road bridge over CSX tracks

Rail News Home CSX Transportation 10/13/2017 Rail News: CSX Transportation
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) later this month will hold an open house for its plan to remove the McBride Viaduct vehicular bridge over CSX tracks in Erie.The project involves removing the 1,170-foot bridge and all piers, steps and ramps. In addition, PennDOT will install fencing to prohibit pedestrians from crossing the tracks.The open house will take place Oct. 25 in Erie. The McBride Viaduct runs between East 12th Street and East 19th Street. The structure spans multiple sets of CSX tracks.The McBride Viaduct was built in 1938 and has received major rehabilitations since. However, the bridge has been deemed "structurally deficient and functionally obsolete" due to the poor quality of its structural elements, according to the project's website.As part of the plan to remove the viaduct, PennDOT entered a preliminary engineering agreement with CSX. The demolition plans were then submitted in September 2016.

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Oct
13

Washington panel OKs safety grants for BNSF, short-line crossings

Washington state regulators have approved $130,000 in grant funding for grade crossing improvements in Yakima County and the city of Tacoma.

In Tacoma, the Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) approved $50,000 in Grade Crossing Protective Fund (GCPF) grants to improve a BNSF Railway Co. crossing at McCarver Street, where two pedestrians were killed between November 2015 and November 2016.

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Oct
13

Caltrans seeks public input on state rail plan

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has published a draft of the California State Rail Plan, which will guide state priorities for investment in what state officials say will be a more coordinated, statewide travel system.

State transportation officials are accepting public comments on the plan through Dec. 11. Seven public workshops have been scheduled, with the first one starting tomorrow in San Luis Obispo, California.

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Oct
13

TTC: Bombardier will miss streetcar delivery deadline

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 10/13/2017 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The agency is pursuing a legal claim against Bombardier for failure to meet delivery targets.Photo – Toronto Transit Commission

Bombardier Transportation won't be able to deliver all 70 streetcars as promised to the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) by Dec. 31, the agency announced yesterday.

The company has revised the figure to 65 units — a change that TTC officials decried as "extremely disappointing and frustrating."

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Oct
13

CN allows Nicor to resume work on Illinois pipeline replacement

Rail News Home Canadian National Railway - CN 10/13/2017 Rail News: Canadian National Railway - CN
Nicor Gas announced Wednesday that it reached an agreement with CN to complete a pipeline replacement that will enable the utility to provide natural gas service to customers in western Cook and eastern DuPage counties in Illinois.The pipeline replacement is part of a nine-year program to modernize Nicor's pipeline transmission system throughout the state. Work was stalled earlier this year at the project site near the location of June 30 derailment of a CN train in Plainfield, Ill. The existing pipeline crosses under CN track.The derailment, which spilled thousands of gallons of crude oil, resulted in a dispute between CN and Nicor. CN, which blamed Nicor for causing the derailment, had declined to allow Nicor contractors to resume work on the pipeline, according to a report in the Daily Herald. Both sides went to court over their dispute. But in an Oct. 11 statement, Nicor officials said the utility "is committed to working with the railroad to ensure the safe and timely completion of the pipeline replacement project."The derailment remains under investigation.

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