Commuter Rail

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Amtrak

N.J. Transit: Longer Platforms, Expanded Station Building Coming to Metropark

December 16, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
NEWARK, N.J. – N.J. Transit is planning to renovate the station building and build longer, wider platforms at N.J. Transit’s busiest outlying rail station – Metropark Station on the Northeast Corridor in Woodbridge Township. “These improvements will ensure that Metropark Station remains an efficient and modern gateway for commuters in the growing Central New Jersey region,” said Transportation Commissioner and N.J. Transit Board Chairman Kris Kolluri. “While providing an enhanced customer experience, the project will also enable the station to serve more riders in the future to support capacity expansion projects such as the Access to the Region’s Core tunnel
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Amtrak

FRA, New Jersey Transit Begin Study of Portal Bridge

December 15, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON – Public comments are being sought for a project to replace, repair, or retain a 96-year-old railroad bridge on the heavily congested Northeast Corridor connecting the Newark, N.J., and New York. The Federal Railroad Administration and New Jersey Transit will jointly prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS), in cooperation with Amtrak, to study improvements to enhance capacity and operation of the Amtrak-owned Portal Bridge that spans the Hackensack River. Originally constructed in 1910, the bridge is nearing the end of its projected lifespan, officials say. “Because of the bridge’s critical role in the successful operation of the Northeast Corridor,
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Commuter Rail

New Signs announce January Yellow Line Extension to Fort Totten

December 6, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON – Metro officials are starting to install more than 5,000 signs and maps in the Metrorail system that reflect the extension of the Yellow Line to Fort Totten. The extension will be effective starting Dec. 31. The Metro Board in April agreed to extend the Yellow Line from Mt. Vernon Sq/7th Street-Convention Center to the Fort Totten Metrorail station during off-peak hours (weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 7 p.m. to closing, and weekends) as part of the 18-month pilot. The District of Columbia will cover the $5.75 million cost of expanding service. By extending the Yellow Line to
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Commuter Rail

N.J. Transit Dedicates New Multilevel Rail Cars to Nine Communities

November 23, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — N.J. Transit dedicated its first multilevel rail cars to nine communities served by the state’s commuter rail system. At a Nov. 15 ceremony during the League of Municipalities gathering at the Atlantic City Convention Center, the cars were dedicated in recognition of the strong ties between N.J. Transit and the host communities of Trenton, Hamilton, West Windsor, Edison, Rahway, Woodbridge, Elizabeth, Newark and Summit. Each of the 234 multilevel cars will display a commemorative plaque in honor of a community served by the rail network as they are delivered over the next two years. “These municipalities
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Commuter Rail

Two Killed by N.J. Transit Trains

November 22, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
BRADLEY BEACH, N.J. — Two people were killed Tuesday, Nov. 21, by a pair of N.J. Transit commuter trains. A woman was killed just before midnight Monday, delaying rail traffic on the North Jersey Coast Line. About two hours, as a second train was traveling to pick up stranded passengers who were on the first train, a man’s clothing was caught in a passenger coach door. He was dragged and killed, The Associated Press reported. The news agency reported a N.J. Transit crew member may not have been in the proper place to watch the platform as the train pulled
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Commuter Rail

Romney Implements Bag Inspections On The MBTA

October 14, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
BOSTON – Gov. Mitt Romney earlier this month directed the MBTA to re-institute regular random bag inspections on the public transit system in order to shake up normal routines and make it more difficult to plan and carry out a potential terrorist act. The MBTA conducted random bag searches for a limited time before and during the Democratic National Convention in 2004. “Terrorism is not a traditional criminal activity,” Romney said. “We are fighting a war against people who have as their objective the overthrow of the United States government. Given that kind of threat, we have to adjust our
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Commuter Rail

Multilevel Rail Cars to Debut on Northeast Corridor

October 14, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
NEWARK, N.J. – After months of extensive testing, N.J. Transit will place the first multilevel train into service on Dec. 11 for customers on the Northeast Corridor between Trenton and New York. “These cars provide much needed capacity to meet our growing demand while we build the Trans-Hudson Express Tunnel,” said N.J. Transit Chairman and Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri. “We look forward to customers coming aboard.” “The Port Authority was proud to partner with N.J. Transit by providing $250 million for the first 100 multilevel rail cars,” said Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia. “That investment was the precursor to
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Commuter Rail

Metro Unveils New 6000 Series Train On Green Line

October 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON – Earlier this month, Metro officially introduced its first six new 6000 series train on the Green Line. The first three pairs, operating as a six-car train, departed the Greenbelt Metrorail station at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 3, to the Branch Avenue Metrorail station. By the end of the year, 50 of the new cars are expected to be in service, and by the end of 2008, Metro expects to have all 184 of these new rail cars in service. “Once again, the Metrorail system has achieved another milestone in its illustrious 30-year history,” said Gladys Mack, Chairperson of Metro’s
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Commuter Rail

Commuter Rail, Bus Rapid Transit Feasibility Study Launched by Tulsa Transit

October 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire
TULSA, Okla. – Tulsa Transit’s board of directors has approved a six-month feasibility study on commuter rail and/or bus rapid transit between downtown Tulsa and downtown Broken Arrow. “This has been a topic of discussion for many years in both Tulsa and Broken Arrow, but until this time, there has not been a serious feasibility study,” Tulsa Transit General Manager Bill Cartwright said. “The firm we have retained, Lockwood, Andrews & Newman has completed similar studies in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas. They have extensive knowledge in the rail/bus rapid transit field and their studies have resulted in implementation in