Commuter Rail – Page 77 – Railfanning.org

Virginia Railway Express Receives FRA RRIF Loan for New Railcars

November 24, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Virginia Railway Express, a commuter railroad operating in northern Virginia, is receiving a $72.5 million loan from the Federal Railroad Administration to finance a portion of the cost of acquiring 50 new bi-level passenger railcars. The new equipment will allow VRE to replace old railcars, increase the size of its fleet, add seating capacity to each railcar and improve service for its riders, officials said. The state of Virginia is providing an additional $20 million. VRE is the first commuter rail operator to receive a loan under FRA’s Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan program.

Northstar Commuter Rail Receives $55 Million Earmark in Congressional Conference Report

November 16, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ANOKA, Minn. — Northstar Commuter Rail leaders said they were pleased to hear this week that the conference report for the fiscal year 2008 federal transportation appropriations bill recommends $55 million for Northstar construction. Of the 40 new rail projects in the report, Northstar ranked 10th highest in total recommended dollars. “Northstar’s ranking in the bill demonstrates how important this project is to our country’s transportation system,” said Dan Erhart, chair of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA). “We have our Congressional delegation to thank for this good news, primarily Senators Norm Coleman and Amy Klobuchar, and Representatives Jim Oberstar

CTA: Service Reductions, Fare Increases on the Horizon

November 15, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Board earlier this month approved a 2008 budget that includes significant service reductions, fare increases and layoffs in order to bridge a projected $158 million “shortfall.” At the same time, board members said they hoped the Illinois General Assembly can reach agreement on a transit funding package to avoid the fare increases and service reductions. Effective Jan. 20, 2008, the CTA will eliminate 81 of its 154 bus routes; lay off more than 2,400 employees; and raise fares to record levels, officials said. In addition, the CTA will close three of its eight garages. Fares

D.C. Metro Sets Six Public Hearings on Fare Increases

November 1, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

Six public hearings in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia will be held on Nov. 13, 14 and 15 to receive the public’s input on proposed fare increases for Metrorail, Metrobus and parking that would take effect in January. All of the hearings will begin at 7 p.m. There will be an open-house held at 6:30 p.m. before each hearing. The hearing dates and locations are as follows: Tuesday, Nov. 13 at the Bechtel Conference Center, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA (hearing number 525) Wednesday, Nov. 14 at Metro headquarters in the Jackson Graham Building, 600

N.J. Transit Previews New Pascack Valley Line

November 1, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

RIVER EDGE, N.J. — Various railroad and elected officials recently took a whistle-stop tour aboard a Pascack Valley Line (PVL) train to announce expanded service featuring 121 additional trains per week – including full weekend service for the first time in more than 60 years. “As a Bergen County resident, I know firsthand the difficulties residents face on our crowded roadways,” N.J. Transit Board Member Susan Hayes said. “The new trains mean Bergen County residents will have new travel options during the middle of the day, on weekends and late at night, creating a better match between service and demand.”

MARTA: Ridership Increases in FY07 Thanks to Improved Service and New Fare Equipment

November 1, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA — MARTA experienced a significant boost in ridership in FY07 providing service for 147.5 million passenger boardings – 6.6 percent more than the previous fiscal year, officials said. Rail ridership also increased 12.2 percent with 77.7 million passenger boardings. Thanks to the additional ridership, passenger revenue was also up 3.5 percent contributing to a budget surplus for the second year in a row. “MARTA’s efforts to improve service and to take a more customer focused approach to the way we do business have successfully resulted in an increase in ridership,” said MARTA General Manager Richard McCrillis. “We are extremely

MARTA Welcomes New General Manager Dr. Beverly Scott to Lead the Agency

November 1, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA — MARTA’s new General Manager and Chief Executive Officer Beverly Scott joined the Authority this week after being selected last month by the MARTA Board of Directors. Scott has over 30 years of experience in the transit industry and has held leadership positions at some of the nation’s largest transit agencies. “Dr. Scott brings to the table a wealth of transit experience at an important point in MARTA’s history and a critical time for transportation planning in the region,” said Interim Board Chairman Reverend Walter L. Kimbrough. “With Dr. Scott’s leadership and vision, we will continue to improve our

NTSB to Release Two Factual Reports on D.C. Subway Accidents

October 23, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

As part of its continuing investigations into two metrorail accidents the National Transportation Safety Board will open public dockets and release a series of factual reports on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007, at 11:00 am. The two docket items are: About 10:16 a.m. on Sunday, May 14, 2006, a southbound Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail Red Line subway train struck and fatally injured a Metrorail employee as the train was about to enter the Dupont Circle station in Washington, D.C. The fatally injured employee was an automatic train control system mechanic who had been working with two other mechanics

NTSB: Mechanical Problems Led to WMATA Derailment

October 16, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has found that mechanical problems led to a subway derailment in Washington, DC earlier this year that injured 23 passengers. The Board said that the probable cause of the derailment of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) train was a wheel climb on a car as it traversed a standard turnout near the Mt. Vernon Square station. The wheel climb was initiated by a rough wheel surface created during maintenance, the Board determined. The accident was also caused by the lack of quality control measures to ensure that wheel surfaces were smoothed

NTSB to Hold Public Heading on WMATA Derailment

October 11, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting on Oct. 16, 2007, in its Board Room and Conference Center. One of the two items on the agenda are: On Jan. 7, 2007, about 3:45 pm, northbound WMATA Greenline Metrorail train 504 derailed one car (the 5th of 6 cars) on the train as it traversed a crossover from track 2 to track 1 near Mount Vernon Station. About 80 passengers were on board at the time of the accident. Twenty-three passengers were transported to local hospitals for treatment and released. Media Contact: Keith Holloway — Special to