Railfanning.org News Wire

Staten Island Railway Expands Rush Hour Service

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK — Citing record ridership growth, the Staten Island Railway (SIR) said it was expanding its rush hour express train service. The expansion, which began Nov. 14, will provide additional service to commuters who rely on SIR express and local service to and from the Staten Island Ferry while also providing an alternative to construction-related delays on area highways, officials said. “NYC Transit has devoted considerable time and effort into crafting schedules and in developing quality service improvements that our SIR riders would find attractive,” said MTA Executive Director & CEO Elliot G. Sander. “That hard work is paying

BART to Use $5.4 Million in Funding for Security Cameras

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

SAN FRANCISCO — BART will soon be buying millions of dollars in new security cameras for its stations, thanks to $5.4 million in funding from a voter-approved bond measure, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office announced. The $5.4 million is the first installment from the $19.9 billion Proposition 1B bond measure, which voters approved last year in November. “From day one, the Governor has pledged that public safety is priority number one,” said Matthew Bettenhausen, the Governor’s Director of the Office of Homeland Security. “It’s why he added security funds into the bond measure in the first place. This is the first

Feds Give $128 Million in Funding for Norfolk Light Rail Project

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Norfolk’s light rail system is one step closer to reality, now that the federal government has signed a “full funding grant agreement.” Under the agreement, the federal government will provide $128 million in tax dollars, more than half of the $232 million in capital costs for the project. The money will be allocated through 2010. “Fighting future gridlock depends on building transit projects like this one,” Federal Transit Administrator James S. Simpson said. “Construction of ‘The Tide’ will transform an abandoned rail right-of-way into a lifeline for those who currently depend on transit, and will help meet future

U.S. DOT Pledges $1.3 Billion for Second Avenue Subway to Relieve New York City Commuters on Congested Lexington Avenue Line

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The federal government is giving $1.3 billion in tax dollars for New York’s Second Avenue Subway line, which when completed, will help ease congestion for commuters in the nation’s biggest city, officials announced earlier this month. “It was bold ideas and big dreams that made New York City the place it is today, and it is ambitious projects like the Second Avenue Subway that will keep it that way,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters, noting that this is the second largest transit investment the federal government has made. The Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) gives

CTA Approves Contract to Replace Rail Ties

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Board this month approved a $26.6 million contract to replace deteriorating timber rail ties with concrete ties in the Red Line subway. The contract approved today will eliminate 2.5 miles of slow zones in both directions in the subway from Clark/Division to just north of North/Clybourn and just under a mile between Lake and Roosevelt. This is in addition to work currently underway to install concrete rail ties in the Red Line from Grand to Clark/Division. Trains are expected to return to normal speeds by the end of the month along that section of track.

Metro finds Cash Treasure by Selling Junk

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — One person’s junk is another person’s treasure, and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is bringing in big bucks by selling items that would otherwise end up in the trash. The transit agency made a record $1.3 million last year by selling old and damaged buses, outdated and unwanted parts, scrap metal and even used motor oil. Metro sold thousands of items last year through auctions, and online, walk-in and phone sales. “It’s a creative way to manage resources,” Metro General Manager John B. Catoe said. “Efforts like these are especially important at a time when we are

MARTA Approves New Agreement for Ad Space

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA — MARTA’s Board of Directors has selected CBS Outdoor Group Inc. to manage the sale and use of advertising space on buses, rail cars, stations, bus shelters and benches. The deal totaling a guaranteed minimum of $60.3 million includes a 15-year contract for bus shelters and benches and a five-year contract for transit advertisements, including rail cars, buses and stations. As part of these contracts, CBS will replace aging bus shelters, implement rigorous cleaning and maintenance programs for advertising venues, and offer new ways for customers to provide feedback, officials said. “At the core of this agreement is an opportunity

N.J. Transit Moves to End Locomotive Idling

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. — N.J. Transit is moving to a new policy that aims to significantly reduce diesel locomotive idling, Executive Director Richard Sarles said earlier this month. The new policy would be effective Jan. 1, 2008. Earlier this year, N.J. Transit ended locomotive idling above 40 degrees, but is expanding the policy to include temperatures down to zero degrees to further reduce noise, diesel fuel consumption and emissions. “Our new policy of turning off our locomotives to reduce idling will mean quieter rail yards and an improved quality of life for the communities we serve,” Sarles said. N.J. Transit has

N.J. Transit Plans Meetings to Discuss West Trenton Line

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. — N.J. Transit is planning a pair of public meetings to discuss a proposal to restore passenger rail service on the West Trenton Line. The proposed 27-mile line would link the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) West Trenton Station in Ewing (Mercer County) to N.J. Transit’s Raritan Valley Line in Bridgewater (Somerset County). Service on the Raritan Valley Line continues to Newark Penn Station. New stations are proposed in Ewing, Hopewell Township, Hopewell Borough, Montgomery and Hillsborough. The line would provide additional transportation options in central New Jersey and promote Smart Growth planning and land-use principles near the

FRA Publishes Collision Hazard Analysis Guide for Passenger Rail Operators

November 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has published a step-by-step guidebook on how to identify and analyze potential hazards along a rail corridor for use in developing effective risk reduction strategies that will improve the safety of commuter and intercity passenger rail operations. The analysis provides a foundation for ensuring that hazards such as highway-rail grade crossings, overhead and trackside structures, or bridge abutments are evaluated and addressed. The FRA publication supports the American Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) ongoing Commuter Rail System Safety Program Plan initiative, officials said.