Commuter Rail – Page 82 – Railfanning.org

N.J. Transit Approves 2007 Operating, Capital Budgets

August 1, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. — The N.J. Transit Board of Directors today adopted a $1.5 billion operating budget and a $1.3 billion Capital Program for Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07) that funds the transit system through June 30, 2007. Without raising fares, N.J. Transit will offer three million more miles of bus and rail service than last year to support anticipated record ridership of more than 860,000 passenger trips daily. “Our transportation network is central to our mobility, our economy, and our quality of life,” said Gov. Jon S. Corzine. “We are working to keep transit affordable and encourage transit usage as a

Metro and Alstom Temporarily Stop Production of Railcars

July 31, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Metro and railcar manufacturer Alstom have jointly agreed to temporarily stop the delivery of rehabilitated railcars to the transit authority until a safety reinspection is completed Alstom has rehabilitated 194 of 364 2000-3000 series Breda made railcars for the transit authority. Today’s decision comes after Metro mechanics discovered a safety problem during a routine maintenance inspection earlier this week. Mechanics found the railcar doors were open on a recently rehabilitated 2000-3000 series railcar even though a signal light in the train operator’s cab showed that the doors were closed. The railcar was not in service. Metro managers ordered

Georgia DOT Receives FRA Grant for Atlanta-Chattanooga High-Speed Rail EIS

July 25, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — A proposed high-speed passenger rail line between Atlanta, GA and Chattanooga, TN will be studied by the Georgia Department of Transportation with a $6,690,857 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and $1,172,714 from non-Federal sources. The funding will be used to prepare a Tier I Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to review the need for the project, possible corridor and station locations, potential ridership figures, and whether maglev technology or conventional high-speed trains should be used. The project also involves coordination with the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Wabtec Awarded $8 Million Contract To Remanufacture Switcher Locomotives For New Jersey Transit

July 24, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WILMERDING, Pa. — Wabtec Corporation on July 21 announced that its MotivePower subsidiary has been awarded an $8 million contract by New Jersey Transit Corporation to supply five "clean-diesel" switcher locomotives operating at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 2 emissions levels. The locomotives, which will be remanufactured at MotivePower’s Boise, Idaho facility, will meet new environmental emissions standards and be equipped with an automatic start/stop system to improve fuel efficiency and extend component life on idling units. The locomotives will be delivered in 2007. "Wabtec’s modern, environmentally friendly switcher locomotives offer our customers many operational benefits," said Albert J. Neupaver,

CTA’s Pink Line Service Begins

June 25, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO – The Chicago Transit Authority’s new Pink Line rail service begins June 25 at 4 a.m., providing more frequent service between Cicero’s 54th/Cermak station and the Chicago Loop. More frequent service on the Forest Park branch of the Blue Line also will begin on Sunday. CTA created the rail enhancements as part of a package of service improvements focused on the West Side and near west suburbs. The Pink Line will operate seven days a week from the 54th/Cermak station in Cicero to the Loop. Pink Line hours of operation are from 4 a.m. to 1 a.m. from 54th/Cermak

Trolleys Return to Downtown Cleveland

March 29, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

CLEVELAND – After a 60-year absence, trolleys will roll once again on downtown streets, offering a way to experience Cleveland’s past and future at the same time. Beginning April 10, office workers and tourists will be able to hop on one of two trolley lines developed by RTA to replace Loop bus service. The E-Line trolley will link entertainment and education venues. The B- Line trolley will connect businesses. Both lines serve Public Square, and will operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with 10-minute frequency. If the nostalgic green-and-gold vehicles complete with cowcatchers, wooden rails and brass bells, don’t

AP: Iran-Pakistan Rail Service Halted

March 25, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

QUETTA, Pakistan – Rail service between Iran and Pakistan has been suspended, The Associated Press reported. Trains had been running between Zahedan, Iran, and Quetta. However, a series of rocket attacks and bombings led to the halt in service, the news agency reported. The bi-weekly passenger service and the weekly freight service was the only rail service between the two counties. There have been five rocket attacks against the rail line over the past 10 days, according to The Associated Press. No word on how long service might be halted.

Commuter Rail Safety System Being Tested

March 25, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The federal government is testing new safety devices for commuter trains that are designed to better protect passengers during crashes, Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta announced. Mineta unveiled the new safety measures and released footage of a crash test of a train equipped with them during a March 23 news conference in Glendale, Calif., site of a deadly commuter train crash in January 2005. The test, conducted earlier in the day at the Department’s rail testing facility in Pueblo, Colo., was designed to determine if the safety devices that are part of the Crash-Energy Management system will

Texas Advocates Want Funding for Feasibility Study

January 21, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

DALLAS – What would happen to jobs, real-estate development and highway congestion if travelers could ride passenger trains that went 110 mph and shippers could route their freight on intermodal containers trains that did 90 mph? That’s the issue railroad executives, state government officials and managers from some of Texas’s biggest corporations will address Jan. 27 when Texas Rail Advocates holds its second annual conference on the South Central High Speed Rail Corridor at the Dallas Forth Worth International Airport Hyatt Regency Hotel. “In the autumn of 2000 the federal government designated nearly 1,000 miles of main line in Texas

NYC Subway Strike Over

December 22, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK – The Transit Worker’s Union on Dec. 22 ended its strike. MTA employees were asked to return to work for their next shift. The MTA said Dec. 22 it would need between 10 and 18 hours after workers show up to get the system up to full capacity; it was expected that buses would be running later in the evening on Dec. 22 For three days, more than 7 million riders had no choice but to find another means of transportation as 33,000 New York City transit workers were on strike. Even though the strike has ended, the