BOSTON, MA - The Boston Globe has reported that the MBTA’s high-speed trolley line connecting Mattapan to the Red Line in Ashmont is out of service for the foreseeable future because of “propulsion problems,’’ one of the issues the T promised to spend millions of dollars to fix.
The trolleys — four are currently used daily on the 2.6-mile line that loops through Dorchester, Milton, and Mattapan — are some 70 years old and off-the-shelf parts are no longer available, MBTA spokesman Joseph Pesaturo said.
 One of the ten pre-WWII PCC cars that service the Mattapan-Ashmont line. |
Since 7 a.m. February 6th, three of the four cars have been disabled by the propulsion problems, which will not be quickly repaired, Pesaturo wrote in an e-mail. The MBTA is instead running shuttle buses along the trolley route.
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“The trolley car is not generating enough power to operate in a reliable manner,” Pesaturo said. He did not elaborate further on the problem.
“Because of their age, the 70-year-old cars require constant repair and replacement of parts that are no longer available on the market, and must be manufactured by MBTA machinists,” he said.
He declined lay out a timetable for resumption of service, except to note that “necessary repair work requires some time.”
Last February, the MBTA pledged $7.9 million to overhaul the trolley cars and keep them in service until at least the early 2020s.
Asked whether the propulsion systems were worked on after the pledge was made, Pesaturo said the trolley fleet “requires constant repair work and demands more maintenance attention than other MBTA passenger vehicles.”
In December, a crash attributed to an operator error injured 17 people on the line when two trolleys collided. Since then, the line has been operating with four trolleys instead of five, Pesaturo said.
CAYCE, SC - Two Amtrak employees were killed early yesterday when an Amtrak train collided with a CSX train parked on a siding near Cayce, South Carolina.
 NTSB Representatives surveying the crash scene. |
The Amtrak train, which was carrying more than 130 passengers, was traveling on track owned and controlled by CSX, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Robert Sumwalt said at a press conference yesterday.
The Amtrak train was supposed to continue south on the main track, but a switch diverted it to the siding.
Before the incident, the CSX train had dropped off automobiles at a nearby unloading facility. That train then returned to the main track and backed into the siding, Sumwalt said.
CSX controls the dispatching of all trains — including directing the signal systems which control the access to sidings and yards — in the Columbia subdivision where the accident occurred, Amtrak officials said in an update after the incident.
The Amtrak train had seven passenger cars and one locomotive, while the CSX train had two locomotives and 34 empty autorack cars.
Throughout the several next days, NTSB investigators will "thoroughly document" the accident site, Sumwalt said. The board also will interview crews on the train, as well as dispatchers.
The collision came on the heels of two other fatal accidents involving Amtrak trains. In mid-December, an Amtrak train derailed from a bridge near DuPont, Washington, leaving three passengers dead. And last week, an Amtrak train struck a garbage truck at a grade crossing and killed one person.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - (Folks! We found this one hard to believe but here it is!) Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would roll back a state law that prevents certain counties from purchasing, leasing, acquiring, constructing or operating a light-rail project.
Introduced by State Rep. Justin Moed (D-Indianapolis), House Bill 1080 would repeal the current state law that prevents the Indianapolis area from exploring the option of pursuing light-rail as a mass transit option.
Yesterday, the state Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Transportation approved the bill on a 7-2 vote, according to WISHTV.com.
 State Representative Justin Moed! |
Moed has said that the bill is necessary if the city is to compete for major employers looking to locate their businesses in the area. For example, Amazon is reportedly considering Indianapolis as a home for its second headquarters.
Last month, the Indiana House Roads and Transportation Committee approved Moed's bill.
"This is no longer Naptown," Moed said in a press release. "This is a growing city people are looking to move to. We just need to make sure the city of Indianapolis and central Indiana have all the tools they need to grow."
The bill would not force the city to use light rail, but would add new possibilities for transportation, Moed said.
Of course, not everyone is on board with the proposal, however. In yesterday's committee, State Sen. Mike Delph (R-Carmel) voted against the measure. He said he'd rather see state funds go toward fixing the city's pothole problem, WISHTV.com reported.
LITTLE ROCK, AR - According to Peter Ehrlich, retired San Francisco F-line operator, aside from San Francisco and New Orleans, where can one see three streetcars at the same time. In the next photo, we are on Main Street at 5th in North Little Rock. Car 411, the lead car, is working the Blue Line, the route that travels from North Little Rock across the Arkansas River into Little Rock. Car 408, the second car, is a pull-in off the Green Line, or Little Rock Loop line (the carbarn is behind us, a block away, at 6th Street). In the distance, an inbound Blue Line car is turning from Broadway onto Main Street. It will make the stop at the N. Little Rock Civic Center, and then cross the single-track bridge over the river. June 6, 2015.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) crews have sectioned and aligned existing Green Line rail with new tracks for the Crenshaw/LAX Line.
Rail, fasteners, screws, nuts and bolts are in place and await final assembly, Metro officials said in a blog post.
 Junction of Green and Crenshaw lines just west of the I-405 freeway, and southeast of LAX! |
The agency closed five Green Line stations on January 26th as crews work to connect the Green Line to the Crenshaw/LAX Line. The stations will remain closed through April 7.
State-of-good-repair work also is being performed on the closed section of the Green Line during the Crenshaw/LAX work.
The $2 billion Crenshaw/LAX Line will travel 8.5 miles between the Green Line and the Expo Line. Metro broke ground on the project in January 2014.
On February 15th, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) marked its 25th anniversary.
Board members, elected officials and community stakeholders joined Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for a ceremony to mark the occasion. The event took place at Los Angeles Union Station.
When Metro was formed in 1993, its system consisted almost entirely of buses, although the Blue and Red rail lines were operating at the time. The agency now operates four light-rail lines (Blue Line from Los Angeles to Long Beach;
Expo Line from Los Angeles to Santa Monica; Gold Line from Redondo Beach to Norwalk and Gold Line from East Los Angeles to Asuza via Union Station) and two subway lines totaling 105 miles of rail service.
Metro and its construction partners are building four new rail lines or extensions.
Metro CEO Phillip Washington marking their 25th Anniversary at Los Angeles Union Station! |
"I am both astonished and proud of the numerous accomplishments this agency has achieved over the years in bringing new multimodal transportation improvements to L.A. County," said Metro board member John Fasana in a press release.
Since its formation, Metro has had seven Chief Executive Officers. Phil Washington currentlty serves as the agency's CEO. He joined Metro in March 2015 after serving as general manager and CEO of the Regional Transportation District of Denver.
MEMPHIS, TN - It is beginning to look like this system is aiming to start up again in the April-May 2018 time frame. (....We heard they are shooting for April 23rd....). Two of their cars seem ready to go in the next photo.
Memphis Double Truck Birney 453 and ex-Melbourne Car 79!
Three Memphis cars were still at Gomaco, one still in the paint shop as of the beginning of February. Meanwhile, Car 453 was seen out testing in early February.
MILWAUKEE, WI - Milwaukee’s first streetcar, manufactured by Brookville Equipment Corporation is scheduled to arrive in March 2018. The factory is about 600 miles away from Brew City in the tiny town of Brookville, Pennsylvania.
“The reality is these are modern transit vehicles. They are state of the art,” Joel McNeil, Vice President of Business Development for Brookville Equipment Corporation said.
Brookville Equipment Corporation has 85 streetcars in service across the country, but workers say Milwaukee’s streetcar is a little different.
“This car is going to have video monitors in each vehicle to show destinations and it’s a little more modern. It’s going to have a full video recording system to monitor vehicles for safety and for the safety of other people around,” electrician Chris Lasher said.
It’s also all-electric.
“It’s actually equipped with onboard batteries similar to supercharged sports car you see out there that are battery powered,” McNeil explained.
Milwaukee’s streetcars are 67 feet long and can go more than 40 miles per hour. The factory is making five for the city. The first four are for the initial route. The fifth is for the lakefront line. Construction on that route is supposed to begin this spring.
A look inside the factory immediately reveals which streetcar will arrive in Milwaukee first. The three sections of it are already pieced together. Work still needs to be done on the interior, but once that’s complete, the streetcar will fit 120 people. There are options to stand or sit.
A handful of Milwaukee-area companies supplied parts for the project. Milwaukee Composites donated the flooring.
“They really upped the game. Obviously, they see the commitment and the long-term benefit and were excited to contribute,” Ben Crana, Supply Chain Director for Brookville Equipment Corporation said.
You won’t find a steering wheel in the streetcars, but there is a joystick and a horn. In fact, you’ll find those two parts in more than one spot.
“The streetcars are actually double-ended, so they can be operated from either end of the car,” McNeil said.
It takes nine months to make each car. Then the company needs to test them at the Brookville facility and on the tracks in Milwaukee. If all goes as planned, people should be riding the Milwaukee Streetcar this fall.
The price tag for the design and creation of the streetcars is $23 million. The federal funds being used for it cannot be used for anything else.
The streetcar will be named “The Hop.” That’s part of the sponsorship deal with Potawatomi. The goal is to have the individual cars delivered to Milwaukee with “The Hop” logo and the Potawatomi decals already installed.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA - Progressive Railroading reported on February 9th that CDPQ Infra Inc. announced that construction on a new 41-mile light-rail network in Montreal will begin in April. Initial testing on the system will start at the end of 2020, with passenger service slated to begin in summer 2021.
Known as the Reseau express metropolitan (REM), the CA$6.3 billion project marks the largest public transportation project to be built in greater Montreal in 50 years, CDPQ Infra officials said in a press release.
 Artists concept of one of the Reseau Express Metropolitan (REM) stations!
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CDPQ awarded the infrastructure, engineering, procurement and construction contract to Groupe NouvLR, which is composed of SNC Lavalin Grands Projects Inc., Dragados Canada Inc., Groupe Aecon Quebec Ltd., Pomerleau Inc. and EBC Inc.
For the REM's rolling stock and maintenance, CDPQ tapped Alstom Transport Canada Inc. and SNC-Lavalin O&M Inc.
The contractors will "harmonize their respective proposals in the next few months to finalize the details of the schedule and begin work in spring," CDPQ officials said.
CDPQ awarded the two contracts after analyzing other proposals received, including a bid from Bombardier Transportation.
In a statement issued yesterday, Bombardier officials said they were disappointed the company wasn't selected.
"We believe that the offer we submitted was both very competitive and ideally suited to meet the sustainable mobility needs of the greater Montreal area," said Benoit Brossoit, president of Bombardier Transportation, Americas region.
In March 2017, Quebec committed to provide CA$1.28 billion toward the REM. And in June 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudea pledged CA$1.3 billion to help build the system.
NEW YORK CITY, NY - Two commuter-rail accidents at train stations in the New York City were caused by engineer fatigue resulting from undiagnosed sleep apnea, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined on
February 6th.
The September 29, 2016, accident involving a New Jersey Transit train at the terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey, killed one person and injured 110.
Hoboken Terminal 9-29-2016!
The MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) accident that occurred Jan. 4, 2017, at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York, injured 108 people.
Both accidents involved trains that struck end-of-track bumping posts and crashed into stations. Both incidents had "almost identical" probable causes and safety issues, NTSB officials said in a press release.
In addition to recommending safety-sensitive personnel be screened for obstructive sleep apnea, the NTSB recommended the use of technology such as positive train control in terminal stations and improving the effectiveness of system safety program plans to improve terminal operations.
The NTSB made two recommendations to NJ Transit and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LIRR's parent organization) and two to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
"Today's new recommendations, if acted upon, have the potential to eliminate end-of-track collisions," said NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt. "That translates to protection for passengers on trains, and for people standing on terminal platforms."
The complete accident report will be available in several weeks, board officials said.
In August 2017, the NTSB expressed "disappointment" with the withdrawal of a notice of proposed rule-making by the FRA and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The rule would have addressed rail workers and commercial drivers who may be affected by obstructive sleep apnea.
"Obstructive sleep apnea has been in the probable cause of 10 highway and rail accidents investigated by the NTSB in the past 17 years," board officials said. "Medical fitness and fatigue, two of the NTSB's 10 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements for 2017-2018, are tied to obstructive sleep apnea.
On February 14th,
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a special investigation report on two end-of-track collisions at terminal stations in New Jersey and New York.
The report includes new safety recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and new safety recommendations to New Jersey Transit and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
In addition, the report reiterates two safety recommendations to the FRA, including that the FRA require railroads to medically screen "safety-sensitive" employees for sleep disorders.
Last week, the NTSB announced that both accidents, which involved two commuter railroads in the New York City area, were caused by engineer fatigue resulting from undiagnosed and untreated obstructive sleep apnea.
The September. 29, 2016, accident involving a NJ Transit train at the terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey, killed one person and injured 110. The MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) accident that occurred Jan. 4, 2017, at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, New York, injured 108 people.
Both accidents involved trains that struck end-of-track bumping posts and crashed into stations. Both incidents had "almost identical" probable causes and safety issues, NTSB officials said in a press release.
In addition to recommending safety-sensitive personnel be screened for obstructive sleep apnea, the NTSB recommended the use of technology such as positive train control in terminal stations and improving the effectiveness of system safety program plans to improve terminal operations.
In its report issued yesterday, the NTSB made the following new safety recommendations to the FRA:
• require intercity passenger and commuter railroads to implement technology to stop a train before reaching the end of tracks.
• include the Collision Hazard Analysis Guide for Commuter and Intercity Passenger Rail Service as part of the regulation or part of a detailed compliance manual to assist railroads in implementing Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 270.
The NTSB also recommended that NJ Transit and MTA:
• review and revise the hazard management portion of their system safety program plans to ensure that they document previous incidents and use them when identifying and assessing operational hazards; and,
• ensure that operator impairment due to medical conditions, including obstructive sleep apnea, is part of the hazard management portion of their system safety program plan.
To the FRA, the NTSB reiterated the following safety recommendations:
• require railroads to medically screen employees in safety-sensitive positions for sleep apnea and other sleep disorders; and,
• develop and enforce medical standards that railroad employees in safety-sensitive positions diagnosed with sleep disorders must meet to be considered fit for duty.
PORTLAND, OR - Accordinfg to a report from Progressive Railroadingn on Valentine's Day, The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) this spring will begin the process to replace 26 of its oldest light-rail vehicles.
The "Type 1" vehicles, built by Bombardie,r have been operating since light-rail service began in 1986. TriMet will replace the units with vehicles that have updated mechanical and electrical systems, modern safety features and low floors to make boarding quicker, agency officials said in a press release.
The agency plans to start the design phase for the new vehicles sometime next year, with manufacturing to begin in 2020. The new units could enter service as early as 2021.
TriMet aims to retire the Type 1s in 2022. The older units cost 28 percent more to maintain than newer vehicles, and replacement parts for Type 1s are getting harder to find, agency officials said.
The Type 1s surpassed the original equipment manufacturer's estimated useful life of 1.5 million miles of service per car in 2014 and the units are expected to reach 2 million miles per vehicle by the time they're retired.
The agency is soliciting public comments on the design of the new "Type 6" units. TriMet used public feedback to determine features for its Type 5 units, which were unveiled in 2014.
Built by Siemens, the Type 5 cars entered service with the opening of the Orange Line in 2015.
 One of the 26 Type 1 cars and mate in service! |
