Commuter Rail – Page 72 – Railfanning.org

Feds Give ARC Tunnel Rating Boost

February 6, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. — The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has boosted its rating for the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) Tunnel project to “medium high,” improving the project’s rating and positioning for federal funding. In its New Starts ratings report dated Feb. 5, the FTA noted that the ARC Tunnel project has “put together an experienced design team and performed thorough analysis of project requirements.” The report also indicated that a final Record of Decision to advance the project is expected this year. “This rating recognizes ARC nationally as a critical transportation project and demonstrates why it is important to

Japanese Bullet Train Returns to San Francisco

February 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

SAN FRANCISCO — Californians are showing increasing interest and support for high-speed trains in advance of a November ballot measure, proponents of high-speed rail say. On Feb. 1, officials held a seminar in San Francisco to discuss “Shinkansen,” Japan’s High-Speed Train System. Retired San Mateo Superior Court Judge Quentin Kopp offered opening remarks to a crowd of public officials, policy makers and California resident about the economic and environmental benefits of high-speed trains. “The sincerity and commitment expressed here today, reflects the strong bonds between our countries,” Kopp said. “This is a critical year for high-speed rail in California, and

NTSB: Inadequate Procedures and Safeguards Contributed to Two Fatal WMATA Accidents

January 23, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board is calling on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to tighten rules governing wayside worker safety following a pair of Metrorail accidents that resulted in three employee fatalities. “The safety provisions that are in place are understandably geared to the thousands of the daily Metro commuters,” said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “However, we also need to make sure that the same attention to safety is established for employees who service and maintain the track, signals, and railcars for the Metro system.” On May 14, 2006, a southbound WMATA Metrorail Red Line

NTSB to Discuss Two Fatal Subway Accidents

January 17, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting on Wednesday (Jan. 23) regarding two fatal Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail accidents. The incidents happened within six months of one another that involved wayside workers. On May 14, 2006, a southbound WMATA Metrorail Red Line subway train struck and killed a Metrorail employee as the train was about to enter the Dupont Circle station in Washington, D. C. The employee was an automatic train control system mechanic who had been working with two other mechanics at the interlocking just north of the Dupont Circle

Northstar Commuter Rail Project Secures Final Federal Funding Approvals

December 11, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ANOKA, Minn. — A Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) commits $156.8 million in federal matching funds and immediately releases another $97.5 million in state bonding money for Northstar Commuter Rail construction and trains. “Minnesota has reached a new milestone today with the signing of the Full Funding Grant Agreement for Northstar,” said Dan Erhart, Chair of the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA). “Not only is this a day of celebration for those who have kept the project on track, but for Minnesotans who will soon be riding the trains, employers who will have their workers on board and communities along

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.