There's something about this project I really like. Perhaps it's the towns along the rail line and river valley, especially ones like Greenfield......

 

Rail fix on track for 2015 passenger service

By RICHIE DAVIS

Recorder Staff

Sunday, December 8, 2013

(Published in print: Monday, December 9, 2013)

 

About a year from now, preparations should be complete for Amtrak to begin running its first passenger train through Greenfield since the 1980s.

 

The state is now negotiating with Pan Am Railways to purchase the 49 miles of track between Springfield and Northfield and repairs to that track are being completed as part of a federally-funded, $73 million process that’s expected to be complete by the end of 2014.

 

The track improvements, using rail, ties and other equipment that’s already been procured, have been completed as far south as Greenfield and work is expected to resume after this winter and expected to be completed by next June or July.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.recorder.com/news/townbytown/greenfield/9662650-95/rail-fix-on-track-for-2015-passenger-service

dc is making the switch to modern fare payment.

lots of commentary:

 

JAN

10

 

Dispatches from DC: $184 million for an open payment system

By Benjamin Kabak

 

DC is moving forward with another fare payment system that far surpasses New York’s.

The MetroCard just hit the big 2-0 earlier this week, and while the MTA desperately wants to find a suitable replacement, the familiar gold-and-blue piece of plastic is likely to live to see 25. In fits and starts, the MTA has tried to find a way to bring on board something better, something with lower fare collection and maintenance costs, something that will survive the next two or three decades. But an effort that was restarted last year has yet to bear fruit.

 

Meanwhile, other transit systems are moving forward quickly with their own plans to find a next-gen fare payment system. Earlier this week, Washington’s WMATA announced that it will begin testing a new electronic payment program that, if all goes according to plan, will replace the current scheme. It builds off of the SmarTrip tap-and-go system and could give riders more options for paying their fares.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://secondavenuesagas.com/2014/01/10/dispatches-from-dc-184-million-for-an-open-payment-system/

New Train Car Project

BART’s new train cars will feature a slew of new improvements. The cars will be:

• Quieter:  micro-plug doors will help seal out noise
  
• Cooler:  cooling systems will distribute air directly to the ceilings, making it more comfortable for standees on hot days
  
• Comfortable:  padded seats will have lumbar support – and will be covered with wipeable fabric for ease of cleaning
  
• Easy to use: routes will be color coded like the BART system map, and next stop information will be readily available via automated announcements and digital screens.
   
  

 

http://www.bart.gov/about/projects/cars/new-features

MassDOT seems to have had better luck with with CSX than many other states seeking passenger rail over their tracks....

 

Talk of high-speed rail between Springfield and Boston heats up

By CHAD CAIN

Staff Writer

Monday, January 13, 2014

(Published in print: Tuesday, January 14, 2014)

 

 

SPRINGFIELD — With high-speed passenger rail service from Connecticut to Vermont set to begin early next year, state transportation officials are laying the groundwork for another ambitious project to offer service between Boston and Springfield.

 

The expanded east-west service, providing a link to trains heading south to New York or north to Montreal, has been a topic of conversation among transportation officials, politicians, economic development experts and others for several years, ever since plans began to take shape for the separate north-south Knowledge Corridor project that will bring high-speed Amtrak trains through the region starting in early 2015.

 

“Connecting our region with Boston has been a long-standing conversation,” said Timothy W. Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.gazettenet.com/home/10198057-95/talk-of-high-speed-rail-between-springfield-and-boston-heats-up-meeting-next-week

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Oklahoma City to acquire Santa Fe Depot after objections dropped

By Steve Lackmeyer

 

The owners of downtown's Santa Fe Train Depot have dropped objections to a city acquisition of the station through eminent domain, clearing the way for it to be converted into a transit hub.

 

Failed negotiations between the city and the depot's owner, Brewer Entertainment, ended with the city filing for eminent domain last year.

 

The city sought to pay $2.5 million, while Brewer Entertainment countered with a $23.5 million purchase price.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://m.newsok.com/oklahoma-city-to-acquire-santa-fe-depot-after-objections-dropped/article/3924607

the best of no-pants subway day 2K14

 

 

I found this on NY Village Voice:

 

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2014/01/no_pants_subway_ride_2014_new_york_improv_everywhere_photos.php

 

January 19, 2014

South Shore proponents lay tracks for expansion

By Keith Benman

 

In a renewed push to extend the South Shore commuter rail line, proponents are touting its unparalleled economic development potential and saying no new taxes will be needed to build it.

 

Their enthusiasm is boosted in part by a new study commissioned by the South Shore's operator that finds an extension to Dyer would result in 5,600 new daily riders hauling about $147 million per year in paychecks back to Northwest Indiana from Chicago.

 

That economic benefit does not even count the jobs that would be created by those South Shore commuters spending their checks in the region. Those jobs could total more than 5,000 if the rail line someday reached its ultimate goal of Lowell and Valparaiso.

 

That means extending the South Shore to Dyer, and then to Lowell and Valparaiso, could easily outperform the economic impact of any single project since the establishment of Bethlehem Steel here in the 1960s.

"Northwest Indiana has an opportunity to lay the foundation for transformational infrastructure investment by extending the South Shore line," said U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville. "This is a generational opportunity to create jobs. The time is now."

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.nwitimes.com/business/local/south-shore-proponents-lay-tracks-for-expansion/article_a43e1704-bc0a-5a12-8fe3-03ed48d7a860.html

THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FROM MICHIGAN PASSENGER RAIL

January 21, 2014 · by michbyrail · Bookmark the permalink

 

Passenger rail has been booming nationwide and in Michigan. Record-breaking ridership was recorded in 10 of the last 11 years (1) (2), and there has been a whopping 78% growth in Michigan ridership since 2002 (3). Last year alone, more than 800,000 passengers rode Michigan passenger trains.

 

With all of this passenger rail activity in Michigan, the question often arises: what are the local economic impacts of these services? I mean, they’ve got to be good if demand continues to climb the mountain, right?

 

Bingo! Here are the numbers.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://mibyrail.wordpress.com/2014/01/21/the-return-on-investment-from-michigan-passenger-rail/

delays and costs rise for lirr east side access per cbsny:

 

 

Report: LIRR East Side Access To Cost More, Won’t Be Ready Until Next Decade

 

 

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The East Side Access project to bring Long Island Rail Road trains to Grand Central Terminal is already behind schedule and is now expected to come with a heftier price tag.

 

As WCBS 880′s Paul Murnane reported, the effort to bring LIRR trains to a new concourse 10 stories beneath Grand Central was at one time an $8 billion project with a 2013 completion date.

 

MTA board members will be told next week that the project could top $10 billion with a wrap date 2021 or beyond, the Wall Street Journal reported.

 

“There’s challenges that are not yet immediately seen. The MTA needs to keep this project on budget and on time moving forward,” Veronica Vanterpool with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign told Murnane. “It’s really going to improve transit service for about 80,000 or more in daily riders but it’s definitely disappointing news that this project is not on schedule, not on budget.”

 

According to the Wall Street Journal, bids on work in rock caverns ten stories below the street came in over budget.

 

Breaking up that part project into smaller contracts is catching blame for some of the increased cost.

 

New England's #rail success (only a little bit of everything Massachusetts is doing rail-wise is in this article) is based on states/agencies working together. A good lesson for Chicago-Ft Wayne-Columbus, for example....

 

Plans For New England Rail Network Continue

January 26, 2014|By DON STACOM, [email protected], The Hartford Courant

 

Despite the collapse of President Barack Obama's ambitious national high-speed rail proposal, transportation planners in four states and the province of Quebec are busily promoting something similar — though probably more modest — to link Boston, New York and Montreal.

 

The project will take the cooperation of Massachusetts and five railroads that own tracks along three corridors that need extensive construction or upgrades: New Haven to Springfield, Springfield to Boston, and Springfield to Montreal.

 

Massachusetts and CSX, Amtrak, PanAm Southern, Canadian National and the New England Central Railroad each own sections of the roughly 470 miles of rail line. Some of it is in relatively good shape but needs a second track to accommodate high-frequency schedules; other stretches are deteriorated freight lines with severe restrictions on train speeds.

 

Massachusetts has begun heavily investing in rail improvements, with construction underway to let Amtrak run a more efficient route for its Vermonter service.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://articles.courant.com/2014-01-26/news/hc-hartford-new-haven-rail-0127-20140126_1_rail-line-canadian-national-springfield

MEanwhile in Denver, the local news is praising transportation investments"

 

Union Station Renovation To Be A Game Changer For Denver

 

http://denver.cbslocal.com/2014/02/13/union-station-renovation-to-be-a-game-changer-for-denver/

Updated February 17, 2014, 9:55 a.m. ET

NY state eyes study's high-speed rail proposals

Associated Press

 

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York transportation officials are setting up public hearings to discuss options for an idea that has been kicked around for years but has yet to leave the station: high-speed passenger rail service.

 

Boosting the speeds of trains traveling Amtrak's Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls has been the goal of industry leaders, elected officials and transit advocates for two decades. Progress may be coming down the line now that the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration have scheduled hearings next month in six upstate cities along the 463-mile corridor.

 

New York was required to conduct the environmental review to be eligible for any new federal funding for high-speed rail, according to DOT spokesman Beau Duffy.

 

"It has taken longer than anyone had wanted, but we're happy this draft is out and the hearings are scheduled," said Bruce Becker of East Amherst, president of the Empire State Passengers Association, a passenger rail advocacy group.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://online.wsj.com/article/APd65c022e04924e6e8f7e49ec3e7342f4.html

 

Rick Scott announces $215 million for new train depot at Orlando International Airport

By Dan Tracy, Orlando Sentinel

1:53 p.m. EST, February 17, 2014

 

Gov. Rick Scott announced this afternoon at Orlando International Airport that he intends to spend up $215 million in state money to build a new station at OIA that could house several trains, including a privately financed one that would link Central and South Florida.

 

Scott has set aside $123 million in his budget this year. The remainder would come next year, if he is re-elected.

 

"This is the right thing for the state," Scott said. He was joined at the news conference by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs.

 

Although Scott is willing to send the money to Orlando International, his budget is basically a recommendation to the state Legislature, which is responsible for adopting the annual spending plan. The session begins March 4.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-international-scott-20140217,0,892246.story

first section of new wtc path station reopens - looks nice:

 

http://nypost.com/2014/02/26/world-trade-centers-path-station-reopens/

first section of new wtc path station reopens - looks nice:

 

http://nypost.com/2014/02/26/world-trade-centers-path-station-reopens/

 

Moved from the Amtrak thread.

Louisiana delegation meets with feds over New Orleans-Baton Rouge passenger rail

 

A small but high-profile group of south Louisiana politicians met with federal transportation officials last week about the possibility of starting passenger rail service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. State House Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, and Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden, among others, talked to the Federal Railroad Administration on Thursday about potential funding sources for the project. Leger said Andy Kopplin, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu's chief administrative officer, and John Spain, Baton Rouge Area Foundation's executive vice president, also attended the meeting in Washington...

 

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/02/louisiana_delegation_meets_wit.html

^ dont they mean restarting? i cant imagine they werent connected in the past.

 

 

MTA's Fulton Center Hub, 7 Train Extension Nearing Finish Line

 

By: Jose Martinez

February 26, 2014

10:34 AM

 

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says some of its more expensive projects are making steady progress.

 

During a speech at St. Francis College Tuesday night, MTA Capital Construction Co. President Michael Horodniceanu discussed the agency's ongoing Megaprojects, including the Fulton Center in Lower Manhattan.

 

The $1.4 billion transit hub is expected to open in June.

 

The 7 train extension to Manhattan's West Side is set to finish up in October, and the MTA says the project will be a boon to Midtown's economy.

 

"Twenty-five million square feet of new office development, 20,000 residential units, two million square feet of new retail and three million square feet of new hotels. So, that would have not been possible without the extension of the number 7," Horodniceanu said.

 

The Second Avenue subway line, which will cost nearly $4.5 billion to complete, is scheduled to open with three stations in December 2016.

 

But Long Island Rail Road commuters will have to wait nearly 10 more years to stop at Grand Central.

 

The $11 billion East Side Access project is not expected to be ready until 2023.

 

http://www.ny1.com/content/news/tran...ng-finish-line

first calatrava stegosaurus horn goes up on wtc transit hub

 

http://tribecacitizen.com/2014/03/07/the-first-horn-on-the-wtc-transportation-hub/

 

 

^is that was that is? I thought they were building a battleship :wtf:

That project is way over the top. It deserves the criticism its gotten.

Maybe it'll turn out well.  I dunno, somehow he gets away with doing pretty much the same thing everywhere. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUOC0fgImDE

Unfortunately, sounds like all the downtown transit projects have been heavily value-engineered over the years as the costs escalated.  Nice upgrades still, but far short of the rendering porn from 10 years ago.

i cant wait until they both open, then maybe the focus can turn back to the more important bloated and delayed project, at least as far as people who actually live in the city are concerned, the 2nd avenue subway extensions.

 

fulton street transit center - today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and since i was down there anyway here is the wtc calatrava transit center as of today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In  June 1985, I came up out of this subway station with my NY cousin and my parents as part of an East Coast train trip that was my high school graduation present. After coming up the stairwell, I saw two towers to my left that went straight up in the air for 110 stories. At that moment, it was pretty incredible to realize that I would soon be standing on the rooftop observation deck of one of those two towers. I had a Betacam with me and I shot lots of footage from up there. A few years ago I converted that video to DVD. I could never have expected what would happen 16 years later.

 

Took this video of a TriRail commuter trail yesterday:

 

^ heyyy the trirail train. what a surprise. i've used that a few times. nice work!

 

 

speaking of surprizes - due to overcrowding at the pa bus terminal - it looks like the #7 train subway extension to nj has legs! per crains:

 

 

Port commish wants new bus terminal, not WTC

 

A Port Authority official calls for switching funds from World Trade Center rebuilding to a billion-dollar expansion of the badly overcrowded station that serves 200,000 commuters a day.

 

BY DANIEL GEIGER

MARCH 21, 2014 1:42 P.M.

 

After years of complaining about the ever-longer lines of buses queued up to get into the overcrowded Port Authority Bus Terminal, local landlords, residents and transit advocates picked up a powerful ally. He is Kenneth Lipper, a former Wall Street executive, deputy mayor under Ed Koch and board member since June of the terminal's owner, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

 

"We have to bring an end to the idling of all these buses on the streets," Mr. Lipper told Crain's. "I would like to see a brand-new bus terminal, a 21st-century terminal that would be an economic catalyst for the whole development of the West Side as well as a facility that would better accommodate the 65 million riders that come into it each year."

 

Building it, however, would take $1 billion or more. That is money that the Port Authority—which has already lavished $7.7 billion on rebuilding the World Trade Center site and is funding everything including a massive rehab of LaGuardia Airport and three major bridges—can ill afford.

...

 

 

7-line extension

 

...

Although an agency study of potential improvements to the terminal is due next year, the authority failed to fund any upgrades to the facility in its recent $27.6 billion, 10-year capital plan.

 

Mr. Lipper wants the agency to do it in part by shifting money away from the World Trade Center site. There, the authority is weighing a proposal to provide a guarantee of nearly $1.2 billion in order to allow construction of another office tower, 3 World Trade Center.

 

Additional money for the terminal project could come from the sale of the millions of square feet of commercial air rights over the bus terminal to developers and through federal transit funds.

 

"I believe we could put a credible financing package together," Mr. Lipper said.

 

An ad hoc group of executives and community leaders who have spearheaded opposition to the bus traffic have their eyes on an even more dramatic fix.

 

The group--which includes Mr. Katz and Ms. Berthet as well as Ann Weisbrod, former head of the Hudson Yards Development Corp., and Jerry Gottesman, chairman of Edison Properties—is trying to raise support for a multibillion-dollar plan to extend the No. 7 subway line under the Hudson River to Secaucus, N.J.

...

 

The group successfully lobbied Mayor Michael Bloomberg to fund a $250,000 preliminary study of the tunnel and extension that was released last year. It is now looking for $2 million to conduct a more in-depth study that would be a necessary prerequisite for the project to move forward.

 

 

Official response

 

So far, the group says Mayor Bill de Blasio has not expressed interest, nor have other key officials, such as Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Members of the panel are optimistic, however, that government leaders will begin to take notice and act.

 

"Getting the No. 7 extension to Secaucus off the ground is a big undertaking," said Mr. Gottesman, who owns property in Secaucus and on the West Side. "But I am convinced that after a year or two of lobbying, we'll begin to gain traction, or else I wouldn't be doing this."

 

For the time being, Mr. Katz and Ms. Berthet are also lobbying for short-term fixes—particularly better, more centralized management of the bus traffic.

...

 

 

^Has there been any talk of a #7 station in New Jersey other than in at Secaucus?  There's pretty obvious potential in Hoboken, the Hudson-Bergen light rail line, and whatever that neighborhood is up on the hill. 

 

Also, extending the #7 to Secaucus suddenly puts the small cluster of office in Long Island City much more accessible for New Jersey Commuters.  The big Citibank tower over there certainly has at least a few workers from New Jersey and that commute has to be absolutely hellish. 

 

 

well because its south and also the path train already goes directly to hoboken. but the biggest reason for extending to secaucus is to connect the subway system up w/nj transit commuter train riders in nj to take some pressure off penn and the pa bus station. i do recall some talk of an L train extension to hoboken, its a direct shot and it makes ironic sense to connect the hipster highway directly to hoboken, but after the secaucus station was built extending the 7 train to secaucus always made the best sense re ridership numbers to job sites.

 

***

 

in other news -- mta recently released a few 2nd ave stations renders. this one is 96st. its supposed to open in 2016:

 

 

Michigan railroad study planned

By Andrea.Goodell

@HollandSentinel.com

(616) 546-4275

Posted Mar. 25, 2014 @ 9:30 am

 

Holland, Mich.

Want to take the train into Detroit for a day trip or get some work done on your morning commute to Lansing?

 

Michigan isn't there yet, but it's taking the first steps toward passenger rail from Holland to Detroit and points in between with a proposed feasibility study for the project.

 

“This is really an opportunity to get started. This is a long-term issue,” said John Langdon, governmental and public affairs coordinator with the Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/article/20140325/NEWS/140329483/1999/NEWS

More from "that state up north"!

 

Amtrak Receives Funds to Replace Michigan's 40-Year-Old Fleet

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

By Martina Guzmán

 

Michigan is one of five states to receive federal funding to buy new rail equipment. WDET’s Martina Guzman has more.

 

The money from the Federal Government will buy new and much needed rail cars for Amtrak's "Pere Marquette", "Blue Water" and "Wolverine" service lines. Tim Hoeffner is Director of the Office of Rail for the Michigan Department of Transportation. He says, while the equipment being used now is safe, it hasn't been upgraded since the 1970's.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://wdet.org/news/story/new-amtrak-trains-032514/

a new study sez that with hudson yards and other developments, the westside of manhattan will be unready for a commuter boom:

 

http://nypost.com/2014/04/01/west-side-of-manhattan-unready-for-commuter-boom/

 

All we need is a new governor and a couple of these things and we can have the 3C corridor up and running by the time inter league play starts!

 

http://www.wimp.com/traintrack/

Took this video of a TriRail commuter trail yesterday:

 

I've never taken Tri-rail. It's way too expensive and completely inconvenient.

a blurb on penn station expansion from crains:

 

 

Penn Station expansion returns

 

AMANDA FUNG

MARCH 3, 2014 8:23 A.M.

 

The state is moving forward with a plan to expand Pennsylvania Station into the 1912 Farley post office building, a proposal that has had a number of botched starts over the years. The Empire State Development Corp., the state economic development agency, is looking for a broker to sell 1.5 million square feet of unused real estate development rights attached to the Farley building on Eighth Avenue, between West 31st and West 33rd streets, according to The Wall Street Journal.

 

It's unclear how soon a broker will be selected or if developers would be interested in such a deal, but it is the first step toward what would be the state's latest effort to remake the interior of the post office building and turn it into a waiting area for the Amtrak train. The state has owned the building since 2007 and the postal services no longer uses most of the space.

 

All we need is a new governor and a couple of these things and we can have the 3C corridor up and running by the time inter league play starts!

 

http://www.wimp.com/traintrack/

 

ha you said it. those are pretty nifty machines. there is a similar gigantic version laying the deck over the westside railyards for the manhattan west project. ive watched it in action a few times. it goes way too slow to make a video clip of, but there will probably be a time lapse compilation someday. these machines are quite an advance from ye old railroading building days of yore.

new fulton center renders+pics via mta/curbed:

 

 

 

That project is way over the top. It deserves the criticism its gotten.

 

Looks like the bones of dead brontosaurus to me!

 

Not to be nitpicky because the pics are interesting, but shouldn't this stuff be in the mass transit thread? These are subway projects, not intercity rail.

i dk but if you want to be picky on that point, all are connected to path, which is is intercity and interstate.

 

 

speaking of path, there is some news. the pa funded a $1.5B extension to the newark airport airtrain.

however, it wont be done until 2024:

 

http://m.nydailynews.com/1.1601857

 

 

CDOT readies RFP for New Haven-Springfield line

http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/passenger/commuter-regional/cdot-readies-rfp-for-new-haven-springfield-line.html?channel=55&utm_source=WhatCounts+Publicaster+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=RGN+4.9.14&utm_content=Full+Article

Looks like the bones of dead brontosaurus to me!

 

I was thinking the same exact thing; kinda creepy looking.  Loks like it should be in the Museum of Nat. History.

Looks like the bones of dead brontosaurus to me!

 

I was thinking the same exact thing; kinda creepy looking.  Loks like it should be in the Museum of Nat. History.

 

That last pic reminds me SO much of the main hall at Jurassic Park.

RAIL Magazine ‏@RAILMag  21s

Oregon, Washington Consider Alternative To @Amtrak For Cascades Rail Service | @nwNewsNetwork – http://bit.ly/OQmRME  #OR #WA #PDX #SeaTac

Train Is The New... Train? I-95 Traffic Helps Resurrect Old Rail Possibilities

 

By KENNY MALONE

 

A Florida East Coast freight train runs through the middle of downtown West Palm Beach. South Florida's urban core developed around the FEC tracks. Now two projects hope to run passengers along the line for the first time in almost 50 years.

Credit Kenny Malone

I-95 misery has bent Henry Flagler's railroad tracks full circle.

 

Long ago, passenger trains on lines Flagler built turned a community called Fort Dallas, pop. 300, into Miami. Then cars on I-95 turned Miami into the Miami metropolitan area, driving a stake into Flagler passenger trains along the way. Now, in a historic swing of the pendulum, that same highway system may be resurrecting Flagler passenger service.

 

All Aboard Florida and Tri-Rail Coastal Link -- one private and one public project -- each plan to carry people along the Florida East Coast rails for the first time in almost 50 years. The catalyst: highway congestion.

 

READ MORE AT: http://t.co/A4Sras66vZ

very exciting -- june 14!!!

 

http://m.startribune.com/?id=241478411

 

mta doles out $1B for east side access contracts for lining the tunnels and communications:

 

MTA Awards Contracts for East Side Access Manhattan Tunnels and Caverns and Releases Two New YouTube Videos

 

April 16th, 2014

 

 

 

Quote:

East Side Access, the transportation megaproject that is connecting Long Island Railroad customers to Grand Central Terminal, is making major advancements as the MTA announced today that it has awarded two new contracts.

 

The contracts valued at $627.79 million to contractors who will line more than 10,000 linear feet of newly excavated tunnels with permanent structural concrete walls, and install complex communications systems in Grand Central Terminal’s future LIRR concourse.

 

......

 

One of the contracts, valued at $294.2 million has been awarded to Frontier-Kemper Constructors, to build permanent structural concrete lining, including embedded mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, on the newly excavated tunnels north of Grand Central Terminal, running from 50th Street and Park Avenue to 63rd Street and Second Avenue. Frontier-Kemper will also rehabilitate the segment of the 63rd Street Tunnel under the East River that will be used by LIRR trains, which was completed in the early 1970s. And the firm will complete work on the underground portions of two facilities, located at 50th Street and 55th Street, that will ventilate the tunnels and Cavern which will house the new LIRR station at Grand Central. The above-ground portion of the 50th Street ventilation facility has recently been completed.

 

“The work to be performed through these contracts will significantly advance East Side Access, the most complex and largest transportation infrastructure project underway in North America,” said Michael Horodniceanu, President of MTA Capital Construction. “Tunnels that have been drilled through Manhattan bedrock will be waterproofed and lined with concrete and readied for tracks. A cavern that is presently a raw concrete space will be activated with advanced communications networks that will be used by tens of thousands of people each day. When Long Island Rail Road riders come to Grand Central, the systems that will be put in place through these contracts will serve as an unseen backbone making train service possible.”

 

The other contract, worth $333.59 million (with options leading to a total of $550.4 million), has been awarded to Tutor Perini Corporation to complete communications systems that will be used by the public and employees in the future LIRR concourse, and infrastructure support systems needed to make the space usable by the public. The communications systems including telephone, two-way radio, public address, digital signage, and fire detection. The infrastructure support systems include tunnel ventilation, tunnel drainage, tunnel lighting, plumbing and fire protection.

 

The East Side Access project will bring trains from all 11 branches of the Long Island Rail Road into a new concourse being built beneath Grand Central Terminal. The new connection will increase the LIRR’s capacity into Manhattan, and dramatically shorten travel time for Long Island and eastern Queens commuters traveling to the east side of Manhattan. Each cavern will contain four tracks, an upper and lower level platform, and a mezzanine

 

http://new.mta.info/news-east-side-a...ards-contracts

More on the downtown redevelopment plan: http://www.pennlive.com/east-shore/index.ssf/2014/02/public_can_have_its_say_about_middletowns_downtown_revitalization_on_march_14.html

 

Hotel proposed near downtown Middletown

By Barbara Miller | [email protected]

on April 24, 2014 at 1:49 PM, updated April 24, 2014 at 1:51 PM

 

A 100-room hotel is proposed near Middletown’s downtown, joining revitalization plans that include a new Amtrak station and streetscape project.

 

Borough council heard plans for the project Monday from David Stubbs of United Realty and Infrastructure Group (Urigroup). The site is across from the borough hall, a block south of downtown, on the southwest corner of West Emaus and Catherine streets.

 

PennDOT plans to extend Emaus Street to meet West Main Street as part of the Amtrak station project. A pedestrian bridge will also be built to connect the train station and Emaus Street corridor to the Penn State Harrisburg campus. Access to the campus, train station and nearby Harrisburg International Airport were factors in choosing the site, Stubbs said.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/04/hotel_proposed_near_downtown_m.html

Scott Bogren ‏@CTMag1  10m

For a quick snapshot of passenger #rail news from around the country, go here: http://web1.ctaa.org/webmodules/webarticles/articlefiles/RAIL_34_AllAboard.pdf

the endlessly discussed baylink between miami-miami beach is back in play:

 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/04/03/4037128/light-rail-to-miami-beach-may.html