Sound Transit Light Rail Running on ‘Clean Energy’
Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit) reported that its Link light rail system in the Seattle metropolitan area is running on carbon-free electricity.
Light Rail
Simmons Expands Product Line, Launches Technical Center
Simmons Machine Tool Corp. has established the Niles Technical Application Center (NTAC) at its manufacturing facility and headquarters in Albany, N.Y., to offer Niles-Simmons machinery to the rail, aerospace, defense and other non-automotive industries in North America.
NJ Transit: Protecting Riders, Employees with New Tech
New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) will participate in a multi-week test of new technologies—from air purification to antimicrobial light—to help protect employees and riders during the pandemic. It is part of the COVID-19 Response Challenge that launched in July.
Larry Willis, TTD President, 53
Larry Willis, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), died Nov. 29 due to injuries sustained from a Nov. 22 biking accident. He was 53.
Transport Canada Updates Rail Employee Fatigue Rules
Transport Canada has updated the Duty and Rest Period Rules for Railway Operating Employees, placing new limits on duty-period length; increasing the minimum rest period between shifts; and establishing limits on total hours worked per week, month and year.
FTA Awards $1.37MM for Asset Management Projects
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is distributing $1.37 million in grants among six transit agencies for projects that demonstrate and evaluate innovative technologies to maintain a state of good repair.
San Diego MTS, ARM Ink Rail Maintenance Contract
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) has signed a five-year contract with Advanced Rail Management Corp. (ARM) for the San Diego Trolley Inc. (SDTI) rail maintenance program, including rail grinding on all open and embedded track sections and special trackwork.
Agreement Reached for Maryland’s Purple Line Project
Operations for the Purple Line project in Maryland will soon be back to normal. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) reached a $250 million settlement with three companies connected to the public-private partnership.
Hans von Lange, 1923-2020
Hans von Lange, an iconic figure in the global railway maintenance-of-way supply industry, died Nov. 16, 2020. He was 97. Son Michael Lange, one of nine children and head of Exton, Pa.-based Globe-Connect LLC, provided the following memorial for his father, who he says “lived a life full of adventure, challenges, dangers, failures and successes”:
Carter Named President, Amsted Rail
Chicago-based Amsted Rail has appointed Michael Carter President, succeeding John Wories.