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April 2008
2008 MOW budget: $2 billion
2007 MOW budget: $1.1 billion
Reason for increase: More projects scheduled, delays in project awards pushed some projects into 2008, and continued cost escalation.
Rail: Mainline track replacement program, various locations in New York City, 11.3 miles, $146.7 million; replace 30 switches system-wide, $37.4 million; welded rail replacement program, various locations, 4.6 miles, $11.3 million; replace 16 yard switches, $9.1 million; yard track replacement program, 1.2 miles, $2.8 million.
Ties: Install 40,140 wood ties and tie blocks, and 8,000 concrete ties as part of track replacement projects.
Bridge projects: Rehab Culver Viaduct on Culver Line, 0.9 miles, Brooklyn ($102 million, begin in November); rehab Rockaway Viaduct, Phase 2 on Rockaway Line, 4.15 miles, Queens ($30 million, begin in August); repaint Bronx Park East, 4.1 miles, Bronx ($21.2 million, begin in May); line structure overcoating on the Flushing Line, 1.3 miles, Queens ($10.7 million, begin in July); rehab Ocean Parkway Viaduct, Brighton Line, 0.1 mile, Brooklyn, N.Y. ($7.2 million, began in March).
Station or facility projects: Rehabilitate 27 stations, ($388.1 million); expand AC shop at 207th Street Shop ($144.9 million, begin in June); rehab Jackson Avenue vent plant ($64.1 million, begin in July); modernize three substations ($59.2 million); Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall to 33rd Street tunnel lighting rehab ($51.5 million); intermodal/transfer facility, Bleecker Street/Broadway-Lafayette, N.Y. ($36.8 million, began in March); ADA improvements at four stations ($35 million); install new fan plant on Queens Boulevard Line ($34.5 million, begin in September); Kings Highway Station structural remediation ($23.4 million, begin in July); Newkirk Avenue Station structural remediation, phase two ($20.6 million, begin in July); Rockwell Place substation equipment ($20.5 million, begin in July); pumping facilities - Deep Wells rehab ($10.9 million, began in April); 207th Street Shop heating system ($10.7 million, begin in April); replace power transformers at two locations ($9.5 million, began in March); improvements to Willets Pt.-Shea Stadium Station ($8.6 million, began in March); rehab three substation enclosures ($6.5 million, begin in June); rehab DC feeders/CBH at Jay Street substation ($5.5 million, begin in August); rehab platforms at four stations ($4.6 million, begin in May); construct/rehab 11 scrubber rooms at five locations ($3.9 million, began in January); station normal replacement, Pelham Bay Parkway ($3.7 million, begin in September).
Focus of MOW program: Keep assets — track, structures, line equipment and facilities — in good condition.
2008 MOW budget: $450.8 million
2007 MOW budget: $429.6 million
Reason for increase: The variance is attributed to current projects with contracts under way, such as life safety in the New York tunnels, Hellgate Bridge catenary improvements and the lift span replacement of the Thames River Bridge.
Rail: Replace or rehabilitate 42 miles.
Ties: Install 111,000 concrete and 85,000 wood ties, including 94,000 concrete ties on the Northeast corridor tracks 1 and 4 in the New York Division ($23.7 million) and 17,000 concrete ties on the Harrisburg Line between Stiles and Paoli, Pa. ($12.1 million).
Bridge projects: Work continues on the Thames River Bridge project, which began three years ago. In June, Amtrak will install a new vertical lift span (total project cost: $75 million).
Station or facility projects: Complete the Long Island City ventilation shaft building project in the New York fire and life safety program, which includes reconfiguring four 85-foot-deep shafts connecting the East River Tunnels ($106 million).
Focus of MOW program: To maintain the safety and reliability of the railroad and build on progress made to return the infrastructure to a state of good repair.
Amtrak’s 2008 MOW budget has increased by about $20 million compared with 2007, in part because the national intercity passenger railroad will complete the Thames River Bridge replacement project this summer.
In June, contractor Cianbro Corp. will replace the bridge’s bascule lift span with a 188-foot-long, 35-foot-wide vertical lift.
The $75 million project to replace the nearly 90-year-old bridge between New London and Croton, Conn., began in 2006. In addition to replacing the lift span, Amtrak is installing running rails, guard rails, joint bars and tie plates; extending existing power and control cables; monitoring installation of a new power control system; replacing navigation lights on the bridge; and installing lighting on the pier fenders.
2008 MOW budget: $268.8 million
2007 MOW budget: $140.5 million
Reason for increase: Budgeted more in 2008 than in 2007 to eliminate slow zones on several lines.
Rail: Replace or rehabilitate 34 miles, including 17 miles on the Blue Line O’Hare, 8 miles on the Red Line State Street Subway, 4 miles on the Brown Line, 2 miles on the Red Line Three Track Corridor, 1.5 miles on the Red Line North Main and 1.5 miles on the Loop.
Ties: Install 112,000, including 66,500 plastic ties, 43,500 concrete half ties and 2,000 wood tapered ties.
Station or facility projects: Brown Line Capacity Expansion Project ($530 million, to be complete at end of 2009), which includes rehabilitating 18 stations, lengthening platforms to accommodate eight- rather than six-car trains and making the stations ADA accessible; Howard Station renovation project ($87 million, to be complete in late 2009), which includes rebuilding the station into a state-of-the-art, ADA-accessible facility, building new concrete platform, repairing viaducts, completing trackwork and adding a new entrance at the south end of the station.
Focus of MOW program: Eliminating slow zones.
2008 MOW budget: $117.9 million
2007 MOW budget: $102.6 million
Reason for increase: Increase in material costs, wages and additional work.
Rail: Rehabilitate or replace 287 miles, including cyclical replacement of worn curve rail, cyclical surfacing project and cyclical turnout replacement.
Ties: Install 47,700 concrete ties as part of replacement program in Garrison, Cold Spring and Beacon, N.Y., and Orange, Milford and New Haven, Conn.; and 41,300 wood ties, including replacements in the Bronx, Yonkers, Peekskill and Pleasantville, N.Y., and Stamford, Norwalk and Orange, Conn.
Bridge projects: Rehab undergrade bridge in New York ($4.1 million); rehab undergrade bridge in Connecticut ($2.3 million); bridge timber replacement ($1.6 million).
Station or facility projects: Construct Yankee Stadium Station ($63 million, project began in April 2007 and is scheduled to be complete in September 2009); Hudson Line station projects: Package B, which includes reconstructing the Philipse Manor, Scarborough and Ossining stations ($50 million, currently under construction, to be complete in November 2010) and Package C, which includes rehabilitating Tarrytown Station ($10 million-$40 million, begin in December and complete in October 2012); rehabilitate eight New Haven Line stations ($10 million-$30 million, begin in September and complete in November 2010) Poughkeepsie Station roof project ($5 million-$10 million, begin in July and complete in February 2011); rehabilitate five historic stations ($5 million-$10 million, begin in July and complete in September 2009); Croton Harmon/Peekskill station improvements ($5 million-$10 million, begin in March 2009 and complete in December 2010).
Focus of MOW program: Continued cyclical replacement to maintain track structure in a state of good repair.
2008 MOW budget: $110.6 million
2007 MOW budget: $89.1 million
Reason for increase: More track and infrastructure improvements.
Rail: Replace, rehabilitate or install 194 miles in the Chicago and suburban Metra territory.
Ties: Install 65,000 wood ties.
Focus of MOW program: Continuing the cyclical program of preventative maintenance and renewal.
2008 MOW budget: $33.1 million
2007 MOW budget: $33.1 million
Rail: Replace, rehabilitate or install six miles, including surface rail along Route 11, one mile of street track ($2.7 million); one mile of CWR in Philadelphia ($1.9 million); and rehabilitate four miles of track and the “K” interlocking in Philadelphia.
Ties: Install 25,000 wood ties, including 12,000 on the R5 line between Carmel and Wayne, and 13,000 ties on the R3 West Trenton Line, $1.3 million.
Bridge projects: Replace R5 Jenkintown Bridge, $4 million, start in October 2008 and complete in October 2009.
Station or facility projects: Wayne Junction Station improvements ($23 million, preliminary design); Wayne Station improvements ($20 million, construction bid cycle); Bucks County Intermodal-Levittown Station ($19 million, preliminary design); Bucks County Intermodal-Croydon Station ($17 million, final design); Queen Lane/Allen Lane station improvements ($17 million, final design); Malvern Station improvements ($12 million, preliminary design); Exton parking expansion ($7 million, final design).
Focus of MOW program: Continued emphasis on programmed cyclical preventative maintenance.
2008 MOW budget: $26.3 million
2007 MOW budget: $15.8 million
Reason for increase: Completing Trackway Renovation Phase II (TRII) project. In addition, many wayside assets have reached the end of their useful lives and need to be replaced or rehabilitated.
Rail: Replace about 50,000 direct-fixation fasteners, 67 turnouts, bridge bearing pads and expansion joints, as well as replace timber hi-rail accesses with precast concrete crossings as part of the TRII project.
Ties: Install 200 Azobe switch ties in the city of Atlanta, and Fulton and DeKalb counties.
Bridge projects: Buckhead Station north entrance ($21.2 million, began in April); structural rehabilitation program, which includes abutment and draining rehabilitation, coating rehabilitation of CS115 and CS130, post-tensioned girder grouting and sealant replacement, grout pocket and construction joint renovation Phase I, Westlake and GA 400 facility upgrades, and rehabilitation of at-grade slabs ($19.9 million, began in March 2007); pedestrian bridge rehabs on the East Line ($6.9 million, begin in May).
Station or facility projects: Rehab roofs at Gap Breaker SYX, West End Station and Lenox Station ($59.2 million, began in July 2007); rehab 30 escalators system-wide ($24.1 million, begin in August 2009); replace dilapidated booths in various rail stations and bus garage parking lots ($1.6 million).
Focus of MOW program: Planning the TR-III project, which will include replacement of 90,000 linear feet of running rail, and replacement of switch timber in 91 yard turnouts.
2008 MOW budget: $20.5 million
2007 MOW budget: $16.4 million
Reason for increase: Start of rehabilitation program for Metro Blue and Metro Red lines.
Rail: Rehabilitating light-rail street crossings, as well as continuing work on the 6.6-mile Metro Gold Line Eastside extension ($898 million) and 8.6-mile Exposition Line Phase I ($808.3 million)
Ties: Install about 550 concrete crossing ties and 200 timber switch ties, including on the Metro Blue Line, to upgrade 25 crossings, which includes installing ties, ballast, concrete panels and paving along about 250 track feet per crossing ($11 million, complete in FY2011).
Station or facility projects: New heavy-rail car wash and cleaning platform in downtown L.A. ($15.4 million, begin in July); escalator/elevator modernization program at Civic Center Station ($12 million, begin in July); additional canopies over Red Line subway entrances ($6.6 million, begin in September); install two additional two-car heavy-rail vehicle hoists in downtown L.A. maintenance and repair shop ($4.3 million, began in December); install bicycle lockers and racks at rail stations ($1.3 million, begin in July).
Focus of MOW program: Grade crossing upgrade, switch tie renewal, spot surface and alignment, rail grinding, start-up support, test noise and vibration products.
2008 MOW budget: $19.7 million
2007 MOW budget: $17.6 million
Reason for increase: The MOW department took on additional responsibilities in the creation of a Technical Support Group, comprising a director and six engineers. In addition, the implementation of a program to reduce tree and vegetation growth encroaching the alignment and increased energy costs.
Rail: Install one mile of track, including a pocket track, siding and associated turnouts in Fairview Heights, Ill. ($12 million), and a siding in St. Louis ($250,000).
Ties: Replace or install 1,350 concrete and 480 wood ties, including 1,200 as part of the Fairview Heights pocket track, 400 as part of a tie replacement program and 230 as part of track upgrades ($110,000).
Station or facility projects: Expand the Delmar Transit Plaza ($800,000); rail/bus entry security improvements in St. Louis city and county, and St. Clair County, Ill. ($650,000, begin in summer); add heating elements to eight light-rail station platforms in St. Clair County ($600,000, begin in fall).
Focus of MOW program: Better documentation of maintenance practices, and initiation of data collection and trend evaluation. To better predict where problems may occur and determine what priority is placed on material replacement, the MOW group needs to start collecting data from relatively new system.
2008 MOW budget: $16.3 million
2007 MOW budget: $16.3 million
Rail: Install three to five miles, including Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill, Calif. — mainline high-speed crossover installation project; San Jose extension.
Ties: Install 8,000 concrete ties, including large projects at Walnut Creek in Concord, Calif.
Bridge projects: Permanent fall protection hand railing, system-wide, $1 million annually, began in 2007.
Station or facility projects: Install new station and parking structures at West Dublin/Pleasanton, $70 million, began in 2007. Station is being constructed on existing mainline tracks in a major interstate median.
Focus of MOW program: Tie replacement; wood ties are reaching the end of their serviceable life.
2008 MOW budget: $10.6 million
2007 MOW budget: $250,000
Reason for increase: Necessary system improvements to be performed in FY2008.
Ties: Replace 12 wood ties
Station or facility projects: Upgrade public-address systems at all station platforms (begin in July).
Focus of MOW program: To continue ongoing maintenance and implement rail right-of-way projects that improve service reliability, such as scheduled system upgrades, signal timings modifications, traction power pull box improvements, GPS testing, etc.
2008 MOW budget: $9.2 million
2007 MOW budget: $8.1 million
Reason for increase: Increase in labor and material costs and expansion of scope of work.
Ties: Install 4,000 wood ties in various locations on spot insertion basis.
Station or facility projects: Palo Alto and California Avenue station improvements, including new outside boarding platforms, track shift, replacement of small box culverts, improved accessibility, ($19 million, to be complete in April 2009); rehab Burlingame Station, including new station platforms and reconstruction of 6,500 track feet of main lines ($12.5 million, to be complete in May); add 7,500 feet of security fencing in various locations along the right of way ($600,000, began in March).
Focus of MOW program: Continued focus on state of good repair.
2008 MOW budget: $8.8 million
2007 MOW budget: $3.7 million
Reason for increase: Increase in rehabilitation projects, coverboard replacement and fastener replacement.
Rail: Install two miles as part of the Metro Rail extension from Earlington Heights to the new Miami Intermodal Center.
Ties: Install 1,200 wood ties, including tie replacement in Palmetto Yard as part of normal upgrades to meet track standards ($130,000).
Focus of MOW program: Replacement of rail fasteners on mainline curves and coverboard replacement systemwide.
2008 MOW budget: $5.4 million (track); $1.5 million (signals)
2007 MOW budget: $6.5 million
Reason for increase: Material costs have increased 20 percent.
Rail: Rehabilitate three-quarters of a mile on the TRE main line and 1,000 track feet on the Madill Subdivision. Projects include the Belt Line grade separation project in Irving, Texas, which includes building a double-track elevated structure ($43 million, began in August 2007); Centre Port/DFW Airport Station 1.3-mile double-track project, which includes installing one new #24 crossover and one #24 turnout on concrete ties, constructing a new center platform and adding two 1,000-foot bridges ($20 million-25 million, complete in spring); and Lisa-Perkins 0.7-mile double-track project in Dallas, which also includes adding one and replacing one bridge ($4 million-$5 million, began in January).
Ties: Install 9,000 wood ties, including on the DFW from Ft. Worth to Dallas, and on the Madill Subdivision between Carrollton and Irving.
Focus of MOW program: Upgrade the track and signal system for speed increases from 60 mph to 79 mph, and upgrade infrastructure to provide a more reliable, safer and expedient system.
Trinity Railway Express (TRE) is pursuing plans to double track the majority of its 35-mile Dallas-to-Fort Worth, Texas, commuter-rail line.
In spring, the agency expects to complete a two-year, $20 million project under which TRE will double track a 1.3-mile segment near the CentrePort/DFW Airport Station. The project also calls for constructing a new center platform between the two mainlines and two 1,000-foot bridges.
“We’re starting to look at what we can do to not only beef up service, but build on our existing ridership base,” says TRE Chief Operating Officer Bill Farquhar.
In January, TRE began a project to double track a 0.7-mile segment between the Lisa and East Perkins interlockings. The project also calls for demolishing a timber trestle bridge and constructing two 90-foot-long concrete girder bridges. The double track is expected to be complete by the end of the calendar year, says Wayne Friesner, vice president of commuter rail and railroad management for Dallas Area Rapid Transit, which jointly owns TRE with the Fort Worth Transportation Authority.
Next on TRE’s double-track agenda: the “Valley View” project, which calls for double-tracking a 1.4-mile segment between the Dallas/Tarrant county line and the west side of West Irving Station.
— Angela Cotey
2008 MOW budget: $3 million
2007 MOW budget: $3.5 million
Reason for decrease: Budgeting is for work anticipated to be completed. Union Pacific Railroad has projected $3 million in expenses for FY2008.
Focus of MOW program: Signal upgrade program to improve service reliability.
2008 MOW budget: $2.3 million
2007 MOW budget: $2.4 million
Rail: Rehabilitate or install 900 feet of embedded curved track in downtown San Jose, Calif., transit mall that was originally scheduled for 2007. Replace worn rail; rigidly embedded girder rail will be replaced with T-rail installed in rail boot for noise and vibration mitigation ($3.5 million, including $2.4 million from 2007 MOW budget and $1.1 million from 2008 budget).
Ties: Install 10 to 30 wood ties as needed for maintenance
Bridge projects: Developing corrective action program for bridges and other civil structures after conducting an engineering assessment in 2007.
Station or facility projects: Guadalupe Corridor Southline Station platform retrofit project — raise platform to enable level boarding on new low-floor light-rail vehicles and refurbish 13 stations ($13.4 million, began in February).
Focus of MOW program: Rail replacement and station platform retrofit.
2007 MOW budget: N/A
Reason for increase: New substation and short line extension to reach Northstar commuter-rail line.
Station or facility projects: Design American Boulevard Station (begin in March 2009); design three-car train platform extensions (begin in January 2009).
Focus of MOW program: Traction power substation, rail lubricators and crossing signal upgrades.
2008 MOW budget: $170,000
2007 MOW budget: $975,000
Reason for decrease: As a result of extensive capital project upgrades over the past few years, the planned capital upgrades for FY2008 have been greatly reduced.
Planned Station or facility projects: Light-rail station and parking lot upgrade/overhaul, $170,000.
Focus of MOW program: To maintain the system and facility standards by replacing system/equipment/facility components that have met or exceeded their lifecycles.
2008 MOW budget: $114,000
2007 MOW budget: $496,600
Reason for decrease: Other expansion projects are in progress.
Rail: Install one mile of curve relays.
Ties: Install wood ties as needed.
Focus of MOW program: Curve relays and surface and line to improve the ride.
2008 MOW budget: Sound Transit runs Sounder commuter-rail service over 73.5 miles of track owned by BNSF Railway Co., which is responsible for maintaining the tracks. The agency does have a project in the works to extend the Sounder route seven miles south of the current terminus in Tacoma, Wash., to serve the South Tacoma neighborhood and city of Lakewood. Sound Transit purchased the seven-mile track segment. In 2008, Sound Transit anticipates letting a contract to reconstruct the seven-mile corridor. Construction costs are expected to total $20 million to $25 million.
Rail: Reconstruct seven miles between Tacoma and Lakewood.
Ties: Install 17,000 concrete and 5,100 wood ties.
Station or facility projects: Complete final phase of improvements to Everett Station, including parking, pedestrian bridge and access improvements; construct new Mukileto Station (begin in June); begin improvements at Edmonds Station, including parking, second platform, passenger shelters and access improvements; continue building South Tacoma Station (complete in 2009); build new Lakewood Station (open in September).
2008 MOW budget: N/A
Rail: Replace or install 10 miles.
Focus of MOW program: Repair or replace as needed with limited public funds.
Class Is
Regionals/Short lines
Passenger Railroads
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