Railroad News

Ontario has issued a Request for Bids (RFB) to develop the environmental assessment terms of reference for a portion of its corridor linking Kitchener-Waterloo to London in southwestern Ontario.

The terms will offer an outline for planning and the environmental assessment, which will evaluate how aspects of the project could affect the environment. Topics such as how stations are built, track locations, energy requirements, expected ridership and parking needs will be considered.

Toronto Tunnel Partners (TTP) is the recipient of a contract with Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx to design, build and finance the Highway 401 Rail Tunnel project for the GO Regional Express Rail (RER) program.

Toronto Tunnel Partners (TTP) is the recipient of a contract with Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and Metrolinx to design, build and finance the Highway 401 Rail Tunnel project for the GO Regional Express Rail (RER) program.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has the "groundwork in place for a much better future," according to the Third Annual Report of the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB).

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has the "groundwork in place for a much better future," according to the Third Annual Report of the Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB).

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV, aka, drones) are becoming an important tool in railroad engineering and maintenance. Keolis Commuter Services, which operates regional/commuter rail for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is among the latest to adopt the technology.

Why use drones? For Keolis in the greater Boston area, the region is packed with dense forests. In 2015, there were six collisions with fallen trees and 319 trains encountered slippery conditions due to fallen leaves over a 69-day span. A drone equipped with a high-resolution camera and providing a live data feed can scan a right-of-way for these problems much faster than an inspector in a hi-rail vehicle. A drone can also collect data to inspect inaccessible areas on bridges and buildings.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV, aka, drones) are becoming an important tool in railroad engineering and maintenance. Keolis Commuter Services, which operates regional/commuter rail for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, is among the latest to adopt the technology.

Why use drones? For Keolis in the greater Boston area, the region is packed with dense forests. In 2015, there were six collisions with fallen trees and 319 trains encountered slippery conditions due to fallen leaves over a 69-day span. A drone equipped with a high-resolution camera and providing a live data feed can scan a right-of-way for these problems much faster than an inspector in a hi-rail vehicle. A drone can also collect data to inspect inaccessible areas on bridges and buildings.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board has approved a $91.5 million design-build contract to the firm Halmar International to make improvements to five Metro-North stations.

Metro-North Railroad's White Plains, Harlem-125th Street, Crestwood, Port Chester and Riverdale stations will undergo enhancement work as part of MTA's Enhanced Stations Initiative. Construction to deliver the improvements set to get underway in early 2018, officials said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board has approved a $91.5 million design-build contract to the firm Halmar International to make improvements to five Metro-North stations.

Metro-North Railroad's White Plains, Harlem-125th Street, Crestwood, Port Chester and Riverdale stations will undergo enhancement work as part of MTA's Enhanced Stations Initiative. Construction to deliver the improvements set to get underway in early 2018, officials said.

Amtrak has selected Penn Station Partners to negotiate a master development deal for Baltimore Penn Station.

The team is comprised of Beatty Development Group, Armada Hoffler Properties, Cross Street Partners, Gensler, WSP USA, Network Rail Consulting and Mace Group, among others.

Amtrak has selected Penn Station Partners to negotiate a master development deal for Baltimore Penn Station.

The team is comprised of Beatty Development Group, Armada Hoffler Properties, Cross Street Partners, Gensler, WSP USA, Network Rail Consulting and Mace Group, among others.

The 5.34-mile (8.6-km) Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Toronto-to-York subway extension opened to the public on Sunday, Dec. 17.

The new extension, also known as the TTC Line 1 Extension, connects Sheppard West Station in Toronto to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station in York Region in the province of Ontario. TTC says the extension will reduce commute times and make it easier and faster for residents and tourists to get around.

The 5.34-mile (8.6-km) Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Toronto-to-York subway extension opened to the public on Sunday, Dec. 17.

The new extension, also known as the TTC Line 1 Extension, connects Sheppard West Station in Toronto to the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre Station in York Region in the province of Ontario. TTC says the extension will reduce commute times and make it easier and faster for residents and tourists to get around.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) will use a bidding firms' past performance record on previous PANYNJ projects in contract award decisions.

PANYNJ says the move is part of its "continuing effort to assure completion of Port Authority construction projects on time and within budget."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) will use a bidding firms' past performance record on previous PANYNJ projects in contract award decisions.

PANYNJ says the move is part of its "continuing effort to assure completion of Port Authority construction projects on time and within budget."

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)'s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) made strides toward accelerating environmental reviews and project delivery timelines for rail projects in Florida and Texas late last week.

USDOT signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for Phase II of the All Aboard Florida (AAF)/Brightline Project and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement review (DEIS) for the Texas Central Railway (TCR) High-Speed Rail Project.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)'s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) made strides toward accelerating environmental reviews and project delivery timelines for rail projects in Florida and Texas late last week.

USDOT signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for Phase II of the All Aboard Florida (AAF)/Brightline Project and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement review (DEIS) for the Texas Central Railway (TCR) High-Speed Rail Project.

E. Hunter Harrison, president and CEO of CSX, died Dec. 16 due to unexpectedly severe complications following a recent illness.

"Hunter was a larger-than-life figure who brought his remarkable passion, experience and energy in railroading to CSX," the railway said in a statement.

E. Hunter Harrison, president and CEO of CSX, died Dec. 16 due to unexpectedly severe complications following a recent illness.

"Hunter was a larger-than-life figure who brought his remarkable passion, experience and energy in railroading to CSX," the railway said in a statement.

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Board of Directors has adopted the 2018 operating budgets for the RTA, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace, totaling $3 billion.