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St. Louis eyes stimulus funds to soften transit cuts

Facing $45 million in service cuts targeted for light rail and bus operations by March 30, St. Louis officials are seeking ways to apply $12 million in federal stimulus funds to blunt the budget knife. The $12 million, if able to be applied to operations, “means that close to a quarter of the deficit will be resolved if this switch goes through, and that’s going to go to restoring service,” said D.J. Wilson, a spokesman for East West Gateway Council of Governments, in St. Louis.

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St. Louis eyes stimulus funds to soften transit cuts

Facing $45 million in service cuts targeted for light rail and bus operations by March 30, St. Louis officials are seeking ways to apply $12 million in federal stimulus funds to blunt the budget knife. The $12 million, if able to be applied to operations, “means that close to a quarter of the deficit will be resolved if this switch goes through, and that’s going to go to restoring service,” said D.J. Wilson, a spokesman for East West Gateway Council of Governments, in St. Louis.

Austin rail debut faces further delay

Austin, Tex.’s Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority says testing and training for its 32-mile passenger rail line is behind schedule, and could further delay the route’s operational debut, currently set for March 30.

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Austin rail debut faces further delay

Austin, Tex.’s Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority says testing and training for its 32-mile passenger rail line is behind schedule, and could further delay the route’s operational debut, currently set for March 30.

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February 2009

  February 10, 2009 NJ Transit sets sights on more EMUs After investing heavily in Bombardier multilevel cars to augment its passenger rail fleet, New Jersey Transit now says it’s ready to

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Portec pleased with 4Q, full-year results

Portec RailProducts, Inc. Thursday said its unaudited fourth-quarter net income was $1.5 million, or 16 cents a share, up 32% from $1.15 million in the fourth quarter of 2007.

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Portec pleased with 4Q, full-year results

Portec RailProducts, Inc. Thursday said its unaudited fourth-quarter net income was $1.5 million, or 16 cents a share, up 32% from $1.15 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. The company also

Obama budget plan: More money for ‘high speed’ rail

The Obama Administration Thursday unveiled a budget plan that identifies $5 billion in funding over a five-year period for “high speed” passenger rail projects in the U.S., supplementing the $8 billion it provided in its stimulus package for a two-year period.

Obama budget plan: More money for HSR

The Obama Administration Feb. 26 unveiled a budget plan that identifies $5 billion in funding over a five-year period for “high speed” passenger rail projects in the U.S., supplementing the $8 billion it provided in its stimulus package for a two-year period.

Transit market buoys Wabtec fourth-quarter profit

Crediting strength in its transit and transportation markets, Wilmerding, Pa.-based Wabtec Corp. Wednesday said it posted fourth-quarter net income of $31.1 million, or 64 cents per share, on sales of $405.2 million. That compares with net income of $28.7 million, or 58 cents per share, on sales of $365.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, or a 9% jump in fourth-quarter profit. Per-share results were short of analyst expectations of 65 cents per share on revenue of $391 million.

Transit market buoys Wabtec 4Q08 profit

Crediting strength in its transit and transportation markets, Wilmerding, Pa.-based Wabtec Corp. Feb. 25 said it posted fourth-quarter net income of $31.1 million, or 64 cents per share, on sales of $405.2 million. That compares with net income of $28.7 million, or 58 cents per share, on sales of $365.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2007, or a 9% jump in fourth-quarter profit. Per-share results were short of analyst expectations of 65 cents per share on revenue of $391 million.

MTA L Line trains go to full CBTC

New York City’s Canarsie L line became the first in the system Tuesday to operate trains under full communications-based train control (CBTC) with ATO (automatic train operation), as trains began their Brooklyn/Manhattan route with motormen aboard in a supervisory capacity. ATO operations initially will be limited to off-peak service, with rush-hour operation to be phased in.

CN appeals STB mandate on EJ&E overpass costs

Canadian National has filed an appeal in U.S. federal court challenging a mandate issued by the Surface Transportation Board that it pay the majority of costs for two rail crossing upgrades on the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co., which it acquired in January for $300 million.

Fort Worth authority eyes rail to the airport

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority has completed an environmental study assessing commuter rail service from southwest Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The proposed service, possibly using diesel multiple-unit (DMU) trains, would interface with existing DART light rail service at the Airport.

Phoenix warms to light rail

Add Phoenix to the growing list of cities with a successful light rail launch. The 20-mile LRT line, which debuted late last December, averaged 30,600 riders per weekday, significantly above the 26,000 boardings per weekday anticipated by Metro.

Montana Rail Link taps 10East

10East Corp. says Montana Rail Link, Inc. has chosen to use the RailDOCS™ Preventive Maintenance Management System (PMMS) in support of preventive maintenance and government compliance activities in its signal department.

Balfour Beatty Rail lands two Denver RTD work orders

Balfour Beatty Rail, Inc.’s Transit division says it has successfully negotiated the first two work orders in its systems on-call services contract with the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD), with a combined value in excess of $16 million. Both work orders have a completion date of Oct. 31, 2010.

Freight traffic on U.S. railroads struggles

U.S. railroads reported that freight volume during the week ended Feb. 14 was once again down in comparison with last year, according to the Association of American Railroads. Carload freight fell 12.2% from the level achieved in the comparable week of 2008, though AAR noted carload volume for the week reached its highest level so far in 2009 and was up 6.2% from the previous week ended February 7.

LaHood: We’re committed to HSR

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood says the Obama Administration is committed to high speed rail not just as a recipient of short-term stimulus funding, but for the long fun as well, and seeks to expand HSR in “five or six regions” in the U.S.