Railroad News

The Portland Streetcar earlier this week resumed regular service on downtown Portland's 11th Avenue after track improvement work.

The street will remain closed to vehicular traffic and MAX light-rail service through May 20 as crews complete track and intersection improvements in the area, according to a Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) news release.

The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) late last week unveiled modified station plans for the South Shore Line's West Lake Corridor project.

The modifications include adding a layover facility at the future Hammond Gateway Station in Hammond, Ind. NICTD also moved the platform location and parking for the Munster Ridge Road Station in Munster, Ind. As a result, the agency won't need to acquire a set of homes south of Ridge Road as previously planned.

The Kansas City Streetcar Authority (KCSA) has selected a team led by HDR Inc. to conduct a study for a proposed streetcar extension to the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

The team will examine alignment details, station locations and cost estimates for the extension, according to a KCSA press release. The team also will study the initiation of the federal funding process.

The U.S. Senate yesterday confirmed Jeffrey Rosen as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Rosen served as general counsel and senior policy adviser for the White House Office of Management and Budget from 2006 to 2009, and as general counsel at the USDOT from 2003 to 2006. He had been a senior partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP before and after those appointments, according to a USDOT press release.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker yesterday joined local elected officials to mark the completion of the $20 million Boston Landing commuter-rail station.
 
Footwear manufacturer New Balance financed the station's construction and will continue to pay for all maintenance costs over the next 10 years, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) officials said in a press release.

The stop is next to the company's world headquarters.

ANGI Energy Systems LLC has built turnkey equipment for the first trackside compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station for locomotives. The company next month will ship the equipment to Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad. ANGI's design incorporates components of transit, trailer and heavy-duty truck fueling to leverage "time-tested" methods for fast-filling high-pressure fueling systems, company officials said in a press release. The station integrates ANGI fueling algorithms and on-board locomotive telemetry to help ensure accurate and full target fueling. Late last month, OptiFuel Systems LLC shipped two dual fuel locomotive engine systems to IHB for the short line's CNG repower program.

Snap-on Inc. has acquired Norbar Torque Holdings Ltd. and its U.S. and Chinese joint ventures for $72 million. Norbar is a European manufacturer of torque products, including wrenches, multipliers and calibrators. The company has a "strong presence in critical industries," including rail, Snap-on officials said in a press release. The acquisition complements and expands Snap-on's existing offerings for critical industries, they added.

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) last week kicked off construction on a transit-oriented development (TOD) project at its Chamblee rail station.

Named "Trackside" for its proximity to the rail station, the $25 million project will include two buildings with 70,000 square feet of office space, 10,000 square feet of retail space and 4,300 square feet of green space.

Metra yesterday broke ground on a new Heritage Corridor Line station in Romeoville, Ill.

The station will be the first new stop on the line since Metra's creation in 1984, officials from the railroad said in a press release.