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April 2014
Part 1 : Freight and passenger railroads ramp up 2014 budgets to improve more infrastructure
Part 2 : Large freight railroads forge a heavy slate of infrastructure work for 2014
Part 3 : Small freight railroads' infrastructure programs suggest a busy year
Part 4 : Passenger railroads share ambitious infrastructure programs for 2014
2014 MOW Plans (By Budget Amount)
2014 MOW budget: $2.15 billion
2013 MOW budget: $1.5 billion
Reasons for increase: Capital budgets are programmed on a 5-year cycle, and individual variations from year to year are due to an overall capital strategy to allocate funding for projects to maximize safety, efficiently invest funds and minimize disruptions to customers.
Rail: Reconstruct 9.9 miles of track and convert 3.4 miles of track to CWR.
Major rail projects: Ongoing extension of 7 Line, which will add 1.7 miles and include a terminal station adjacent to the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan, more than $2 billion, construction under way since 2007 with service anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter; and ongoing Second Avenue Subway project to create a 2-mile underground line with 3 new stations and a station extension, more than $4.5 billion, construction under way since 2007 and service projected to start in 2016.
Ties: Install 22,200 wood and 5,000 concrete ties; total of 16,000 full ties and 11,200 tie blocks.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 21 mainline switches.
Bridge work: Rehabilitate structural elements of thru-span bridges on the Dyre Avenue line in the Bronx, $11.1 million, work started in March and projected for completion in 18 months; and several line structure overcoating projects to be performed on portions of the Culver and Canarsie lines in Brooklyn, $75 million, work to begin in the third quarter and take about 24 months to complete.
Stations: Fulton Street Station Complex, more than $1.4 billion, under way since 2004 and anticipated for closeout in 2015, includes a new entry building, and improved access and connections to 12 subway lines; rehab 10 stations in Brooklyn, $380 million, includes work on street-level control houses and tunnel structures; and renew 5 stations in the Bronx, $100 million, includes repairs to structural components.
Facilities: Enhance security at several locations throughout the system, $22 million; address elevator controls and repair roof and façade at Livingston Plaza in Brooklyn, $21.7 million, to start in July and take 33 months to complete; rehab Rapid Transit Operations Construction Flagging facility in Manhattan, $7.1 million, to start in September and take 24 months to complete; and rehab Automated Fare Control facility in Brooklyn in coordination with station repair projects along the BMT Sea Beach Line, $2.2 million, to start in November and take 46 months to complete.
2014 MOW capital budget: $864.5 million (All FTA Standard Cost Categories)
2013 MOW capital budget: $660.6 million (All FTA Standard Cost Categories)
Reasons for increase: Ramping up FasTracks Program requires progressively increasing capital expenditures, with investment activities projected to peak this year, then ramp down to program completion (funded thus far) by about 2019.
Rail: Install 17,000 lineal feet of rail at Denver Union Station for future commuter rail and Amtrak platforms, includes 8 tracks into the station and an additional storage and runaround track for Amtrak; and install 51,300 single-track feet and 139,600 double-track feet of rail for Eagle project, and 9,900 double-track feet of rail (ballasted and paved) for I-225 project.
Major rail projects: Install 19,000 feet of elevated, continuous-welded rail at Denver Union Station platforms, $478 million, contractor is Kiewit Western Corp.; install 36 miles of track for the Eagle project, $2.27 billion, contractor is Denver Transit Partners; build 10.5 miles of track for I-225 project, $687 million, contractors are Sema Construction and Kiewit Infrastructure Co.; and build 13.3 miles of track for North Metro Line, $343 million, contractor is Regional Rail Partners.
Ties: Install 180,085 concrete ties at Denver Union Station platform and CRT throat area by year's end; install 45,000 concrete ties along Eagle corridor, $3.8 million; install 45,012 concrete ties throughout North Metro corridor, $4.1 million; and install 1,810 concrete ties throughout I-225 corridor, $172,000.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 22 switch points at CRT platform and storage tracks at Denver Union Station; install 52 switches/turnouts throughout the Eagle corridor, $10 million; and install 18 switch points throughout the North Metro corridor.
Bridge work: Complete 43 bridge projects on the Eagle corridor, more than $95 million; and 8 bridge projects on the I-225 corridor, more than $24 million.
Facilities: Build commuter-rail station and platform, $143 million, and at-grade light-rail station and platform, $64 million, at Denver Union Station; construct 7 stations on the Gold Line, 6 stations on East Corridor and 1 station on Northwest Electrified line along Eagle corridor, to progress in 2014 and be completed this year or in 2015 or 2016, $76.9 million; build new structures or perform work at 8 stations on I-225 corridor, to progress in 2014 and be completed by year's end or in 2015, more than $7 million; expand commuter-rail maintenance facility (CRMF) to accommodate North Metro Line, more than $12 million, complete in November; expand CRMF yard, $2.9 million, complete in November; and build switching station for North Metro Line, $500,000, complete in August.
2014 MOW budget: $700 million
2013 MOW budget: $541 million
Reasons for increase: The need for work is constantly growing and additional funds are available. About half of the 2014 budget will come from Amtrak general capital and the other half from other sources, such as states and federal programs.
Rail: Install or replace 23 miles of rail.
Major rail projects: Work will begin this year on the New Jersey high-speed rail project, which received $450 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act dollars. To be completed in September 2017, the work calls for upgrading track, catenary, signal systems and electrical power, and reconfiguring switches at the western entrance to Penn Station in New York City. Also will perform state-funded trackwork in Michigan and New York.
Ties: Install 104,000 wood and 60,000 concrete ties.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 45 turnouts, including 31 on the Northeast Corridor; construct interlockings in Baltimore, Philadelphia and South Brunswick, N.J.
Bridge work: Conduct preliminary design for B&P Tunnel and Susquehanna River bridge replacements in Maryland; advance final design for Connecticut River Bridge in Connecticut and Pelham Bay Bridge in New York; and continue work on Hudson Yards concrete casement for possible pathway of new tunnels into Penn Station.
Stations: Improve accessibility for the disabled at various stations, $38 million; improve 29 stations; and complete design, assessments or property surveys for 179 stations.
2014 core capital program budget: $207.3 million
2013 core capital program budget: $154.6 million
Major rail projects: Install rail, ties and ballast on the North Central Service line; install rail and switches on the BNSF line; replace rail on the Milwaukee District line; undercut and surface track on various Metra lines and the Union Pacific line; and renew grade crossings on various Metra, Milwaukee District and Union Pacific lines.
Ties: Replace crossties, switch ties and ballast on the BNSF, Milwaukee District, Rock Island, Union Pacific and Metra Electric District lines.
Grinding: Grind rail on various lines, including secondhand, corrugated and in-track welded rail.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Modernize and upgrade the A-5 interlocker at Pacific Junction in Chicago; modernize and upgrade the Lake Street interlocker at the north end of the Ogilvie Transportation Center; modernize and upgrade outmoded electro-mechanical facilities at the south end of Chicago Union Station; rehab or rebuild signal equipment and replace track adjacent to the A-2 interlocker at Western Avenue; and replace several motor-operated switches used to sectionalize an overhead Metra Electric District power line.
Bridge work: Continue to replace 22 old bridges on the Union Pacific North Line; improve bridges and culverts on the Milwaukee District North and West lines; improve bridges along the BNSF, Milwaukee District and Union Pacific lines; and rehab retaining walls at bridges on the BNSF line.
Stations or facilities: Rehab the Van Buren Street and West Chicago stations; continue ongoing ADA platform and ramp improvements at various stations; rehab platforms, lighting, stairs and shelters at various stations; perform various upgrades at yards on the BNSF, Milwaukee District, Rock Island, Metra Electric and Union Pacific lines; and update and rehab facilities for crews and other rail personnel on the Union Pacific line.
* All information from Metra's 2014 Final Program and Budget Book
2014 MOW budget: $132 million
2013 MOW budget: $139 million
Reasons for decrease: Completed two major projects in 2013: West Haven Station and the signalization of the Danbury Branch.
Rail: Install, replace or rehab 9.6 miles of rail, including 7.6 miles in New York and 2 miles in Connecticut; involves curves in both states and CWR; total capital budget for track projects is $44 million versus $39 million in 2013.
Surfacing: Surface 88 miles in New York and 62 miles in Connecticut.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install a total of 41, including 28 crossovers and 13 turnouts. Install 6 No. 8 turnouts at Grand Central Terminal, 3 No. 20 turnouts and 7 No. 20 crossovers on the Hudson Line, 2 No. 20 turnouts, 4 No. 20 crossovers and 3 No. 15 crossovers in Connecticut, and 2 turnouts West of Hudson.
Ties: Install 48,700 wood ties, including 30,050 in New York on the Hudson and New Haven lines, and 18,650 in Connecticut on the New Haven Line.
Bridge work: Install or fix 18 bridges in New York and 8 in Connecticut. East of Hudson projects call for replacing bearings and repairing steel under Track 2 in Mamaroneck, repairing stone arches and pointing work at 110th Street, installing lateral bracing at Bronx River, and repairing steel at 8 overhead bridges. West of Hudson projects include miscellaneous steel repairs at 4 bridges, steel or steel abutment repairs at 2 bridges, and culvert rehabilitation at 1 bridge. Connecticut projects include 4 new bridges, timber replacement at 3 bridges and steel repairs at 1 bridge.
Stations or facilities: Provide continued support to MTA Capital Construction Co. to bring MTA Long Island Rail Road/East Side Access to Grand Central Terminal; and complete second phase of New Haven Line station improvements involving ongoing work at 6 stations, to be completed in August.
2014 MOW budget: $125 million (includes Tasman Drive pocket track)
2013 MOW budget: $88 million
Reasons for increase: Certain project budgets increased, including rail rehabilitation, green facility improvements, track intrusion abatement/prevention and traction power improvements.
Rail: Install, replace or rehab 0.5 miles of track.
Major rail projects: Install Tasman Drive pocket track, 0.3 miles, $14 million; repair broken panels at various locations; repair broken rail and concrete panels at various locations on First Street, replace crossover at Clayton Avenue and N. First Street, repair 2 turnouts and install interlocking at Santa Teresa Station; and replace pedestrian swing gates and several traction power substations, and rehab or replace worn overhead contact system components throughout Santa Clara County.
Ties: Install 650 wood and 600 concrete ties.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 14 switches, 6 turnouts (Nos. 6, 8 and 10) and 1 double crossover at Tasman Drive.
Bridge work: Continue to monitor and inspect light-rail bridges and structures in accordance with California Public Utilities Commission.
Stations or facilities: Possible fencing along light-rail corridor to deter pedestrian intrusion; replacement of swing gates along the corridor.
2014 MOW budget: $51.7 million
2013 MOW budget: $47 million
Reason for increase: Not a significant change — reflects the expected expenditure for new and ongoing projects.
Rail: Complete 20 miles of new double-track alignment; rehab 2 miles of track.
Major rail projects: Install 12 miles of new rail in Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale and Azusa; install 8 miles of new rail in Culver City, Los Angeles and Santa Monica; and rehab 2 miles of rail in Long Beach.
Ties: Install more than 50,000 concrete ties.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 10 new interlockings in various locations, mostly No. 10 turnouts; all but 1 interlocking on ballast and ties, with 1 embedded.
Bridge work: Construct 2 new bridges and rehab 4 bridges.
Stations or facilities: 13 new stations are under construction in various locations and 16 existing stations will be rehabbed.
2014 MOW budget: $51 million (annual track program)
2013 MOW budget: $67.9 million (annual track program)
Reason for decrease: The 2013 track program included the installation of rail fasteners at Massapequa Park.
Rail: Perform cyclical renewals over the entire track infrastructure, including (in 2014) such work as rehabilitating 13 grade crossings, surfacing 85 miles of track, and installing 3,024 hand ties and 700 field welds.
Ties: Install 43,440 wood and 12,720 concrete ties.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 7 switches, including 3 wood switches on Long Beach Valley, 2 wood switches on the Main Line and 2 concrete switches on Montauk Valley; also surface 72 main track and interlocking switches.
Bridge work: Replace the Ellison Avenue bridge in Westbury, N.Y., $24 million, start in May; replace the Colonial Road bridge in Great Neck, N.Y., $20.1 million, start in July; rehab the 150th Street bridge in Queens, N.Y., $25 million, began in March; rehab the Bay Ridge Branch freight bridges in Glendale, N.Y., $5 million, start in summer; and rehab various other bridges in Queens and Nassau counties, $24.6 million, continue from previous year.
2014 MOW budget: $44.5 million
2013 MOW budget: $42.3 million
Reasons for increase: Aging infrastructure and equipment supporting the maintenance of a state of good repair impacted the MOW budget.
Rail: Replace, install or rehab 2 miles of rail, with the majority of the work in Atlanta and some in Decatur, Ga.
Ties: Install 95,000 board feet of switch timber in various lengths, which is equivalent to 20 switches fully re-timbered.
Bridge work: Bridge coating of the structure over I-20, $2.5 million, start in April and complete in April 2015; rehab pedestrian bridge at Inman Station, $2 million to $2.5 million, start in October.
Stations or facilities: Facility upgrades systemwide, budgeted at $5 million per year; construct new fare collection facility and industrial wastewater facility; and renovate existing administration buildings, $56 million, begin in April 2015.
2014 MOW budget: $43 million
2013 MOW budget: $49 million
Reason for decrease: Electronic maintenance shops were transferred to fleet divisions.
Rail: Replace, install or rehab 2 miles of rail.
Major rail projects: Replace 57 turnouts with ladder track and revenue loop around Metro Green Line light-rail facility, and improve 2 track miles of rail in N-Line Sunset Tunnel.
Ties: Install 10,000 wood ties as part of Green Line light-rail facility project and 10,500 composite ties as part of Sunset Tunnel project; also, install about 600 ties as part of small project run by track maintenance.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 57 new turnouts with adjoining ladder track over next two years at Metro Green Line light-rail facility; and heavy maintenance overhaul of 3,000 track feet on San Jose Avenue and inside the Cam Beach Facility, includes 20 turnouts in the yard and street switches.
Facilities: Roof and HVAC replacement at Metro Green Line light-rail facility.
2014 MOW budget: $38.7 million (Railway Corridors Group only, excludes Capital Infrastructure Group expenditures)
2013 MOW budget: $22 million
Reasons for increase: Maintenance budget has increased due to aging infrastructure and increased service; 2014 program includes rail upgrade, increased welding program, structural rehabilitation, track and signal rehabilitation, and the purchase of specialized equipment for rail geometry and rail-flaw testing.
Rail: Replace, rehab or install 15 miles of track.
Major rail projects: Install 15 miles of new rail in Uxbridge Subdivision, involves replacement and upgrade of 100-pound to 115-pound rail; install ties and ballast in Kingston and Uxbridge subdivisions.
Ties: Install 18,250 wood ties; also install 5,000 concrete ties in platform areas, 150 steel ties for a test in yard and turnout areas, and 100 composite ties for a yard test.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Replace 4 turnouts and perform turnout upgrades.
Bridge work: Construct South Blair Street grade separation in Whitby, Ontario, $40 million, started in October 2013.
Stations or facilities: Build Lewis Road train layover facility in Hamilton, Ontario, $30 million, start in July.
2014 MOW budget: $18.5 million
2013 MOW budget: $7.4 million
Reasons for increase: Funding the past few years has been concentrated more on PTC, locomotive and passenger-car procurements. As these projects move forward, more funding is becoming available for track and structures projects.
Rail: Replace, install or rehab about 4 miles of rail for curve replacements; ongoing programs to rehab grade crossings, upgrade insulated joints and replace compromise welds with transition rails.
Major rail projects: Begin $250 million Perris Valley Line project, involving about 21 miles of new and rehabbed track, crossings and signals for a commuter-rail extension from Riverside to Perris, complete in 2015.
Ties: Install 17,000 hardwood ties.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 5 turnouts and 4 switch point PTC derails.
Bridge work: Culvert replacements and FRA bridge rating work, systemwide, about $10.9 million.
2014 MOW budget: $15 million
2013 MOW budget: N/A
Major rail projects: Line extension south from existing Fremont station to Warm Springs in Alameda County, Calif., under construction, 1 station, 4.6 route miles, 9.2 track miles including electrified third rail, extension to be completed in fall 2015; first phase of San Jose line extension from Warm Springs to Berryessa in Santa Clara County, Calif., under construction, 2 stations, 9.9 route miles, 19.7 track miles including electrified third rail, extension to be completed in late 2015 or 2016; e-BART extension from BART Pittsburg/Bay Point to Antioch in Contra Costa County, Calif., 2 stations, 9.1 route miles, service to begin in 2017.
2014 MOW budget: $5,483,165
2013 MOW budget: $4,892,000
Reasons for increase: Major rail replacement and tie replacement projects.
Rail: Replace 1.6 miles of rail with new 136-pound rail, $2.5 million.
Major rail projects: Replace 1 mile of rail in Tarrant County, Texas; and replace 0.6 miles of rail in Dallas County.
Ties: Install 5,060 composite ties, $1.67 million.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Replace turnout in Dallas County that originally was to be replaced last year, and replace a No. 11 turnout and switch ties as required.
Bridge work: Replace timber ballast deck with precast concrete deck at bridge in Dallas County, $442,718.
Stations or facilities: Continue variable message boards project at 10 stations, $2.5 million.
2014 MOW budget: $5.1 million
2013 MOW budget: $7 million
Reasons for decrease: Project delayed in 2013 and some of the funding rolled over.
Rail: Rehab rail at various locations along right of way, totaling 51 miles.
Major rail projects: Main state-of-good-repair project on right of way in San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
Ties: Install 1,000 wood ties; replace 2,980 wood ties with concrete ties as part of a San Mateo bridges project.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Replace switch components and upgrades, no new installation as part of system track maintenance.
Bridge work: Replace 4 bridges in San Mateo, $30 million; replace and widen Los Gatos Creek bridge in San Jose, $21 million; replace 3 roadway bridges in San Francisco, $20.2 million; replace Quint Street bridge over right of way in San Francisco, $20 million; and close Marin and Napoleon bridges in San Francisco, replace with berms, $4.7 million.
Stations or facilities: State-of-good-repair work only.
2014 MOW budget: $3.5 million
2013 MOW budget: $1.2 million
Reason for increase: Complete 2 underground light-rail stations as part of the $1.8 billion University Link extension.
Major rail project: University Link extension, a 3.1-mile line that will connect the University of Washington and Capitol Hill to downtown Seattle via an underground alignment.
Stations or facilities: Continue building 2 underground light-rail stations as part of the University Link extension, complete in 2015.
2014 MOW budget: $546,500
2013 MOW budget: $1.3 million
Reason for decrease: Previous Central Business District rail replacement project was delayed due to design changes and scope of work; is now rescheduled for fiscal-year 2015.
Rail: Install 2 miles of rail.
Major rail projects: I-3 project involving 10.6 miles of track to open in September.
Ties: Install 300 composite ties.
Stations or facilities: Concrete replacement at rail facilities, $273,000; HVAC/mechanical equipment replacement at 8 stations, $760,000; and fire management panel replacement at City Place Station, $200,000.
2014 MOW budget: N/A
Rail: Install 7.4 miles of rail in East End and Southeast corridors.
Ties: Install 3,000 composite ties in Redline Corridor.
Switches/turnouts/interlockings: Install 28 yard switches; install 26 switches, 2 interlockings, 5 double turnouts and 2 single turnouts on the Redline Corridor.
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