Vancouver’s C$2.83 billion Broadway Subway Project is expected to move forward this year, extending the existing SkyTrain Millennium Line 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles) and adding six stations—despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has released a final rule to streamline its Project Management Oversight (PMO) for major capital projects.
While New Mexico Rail Runner Express (NMRX) service remains suspended due to COVID-19, work is under way to upgrade the wireless network for its commuter rail fleet, which includes nine Wabtec-manufactured Rail Runner locomotives and nine cab cars. Positive Train Control (PTC) installation also continues.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced that it is distributing $320.6 million to 50 projects that improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of freight rail and intercity passenger service in 29 states.
Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD) inaugurated the 13-mile Phase 1 section of its 18.5-mile North Metro Rail (N Line) commuter railway on Sept. 21. The line connects Denver Union Station via Commerce City and Northglenn to 124th Avenue in Thornton, and offers an end-to-end trip time of 29 minutes. The north-south line also features five stations and 2,480 dedicated park-and-ride spaces along the route, as well as the two-mile Skyway Bridge, the longest bridge in Colorado.
As a lifelong railroader, I’m especially pleased to join Operation Lifesaver Inc. (OLI) and others across the nation in observing Rail Safety Week (RSW). In addition to Canada, this year we also welcome our colleagues in Mexico in helping all of us in North America to raise the profile of rail safety awareness.
A $47.55 million grant has been awarded to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the purchase of CSX’s S-Line rail corridor from Raleigh to Ridgeway, N.C., near the Virginia state line, which will eventually contribute to higher-speed rail (HrSR) service to the Southeast.
Social media and virtual messaging is spreading the word for Rail Safety Week (Sept. 21-27) due to the pandemic. The #STOPTrackTragedies campaign is encouraging safe behavior near highway-rail grade crossings and railroad rights-of-way, and raising awareness of the need for rail safety education.
The Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink) has selected HDR as program manager for Phase 1 of its SCORE (Southern California Optimized Rail Expansion) capital improvement program. HDR had been serving as interim program management consultant since August 2019.
New green, yellow and red color-coded icons on New Jersey Transit’s mobile app indicate, respectively, light, medium and heavy ridership conditions on the agency’s trains and buses. NJT said it has launched this new feature in a pilot program “that allows rail and bus customers to see how full their ride is before they step on board, making a better-informed personal decision that optimizes their comfort level as they return to the system.”
