From Progessive Railroading Daily News

Today, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced it will begin accepting grant applications April 9 for the deployment of positive train control (PTC) systems and complementary advanced technologies under a new $50 milion rail safety technology program.

Eligible applicants include passenger and freight railroads, railroad suppliers, and state and local governments.

The program requires that the funded PTC projects or related systems be ready for deployment within 24 months of the grant award.

The FRA will give preference to collaborative projects sponsored by multiple railroads and public authorities that satisfy one or more specific objectives, particularly interoperability, FRA officials said in a prepared statement.

Meanwhile, Amtrak plans to expand its existing PTC technology to cover all of the tracks it owns along the Northeast Corridor (NEC) and on its Michigan Line by the end of 2012 — three years ahead of the federal deadline.

Amtrak also is working with freight and commuter railroads that operate on Amtrak-owned tracks, as well as with the host railroads on whose tracks Amtrak trains operate, to ensure PTC systems are interoperable.

Currently, Amtrak uses an Advanced Civil Speed Enforcement System on many sections of track along the NEC between Washington, D.C., and Boston; and an Incremental Train Control System on most of its Michigan Line between Kalamazoo and Porter, Ind.

The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 requires the deployment of interoperable PTC systems on mainline tracks that carry passenger trains or Poison Inhalation Hazard/Toxic Inhalation Hazard materials by Dec. 31, 2015.

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=22954

From Trains Magazine

From Crain’s Detroit Business

Metro Detroit’s regional planning agency has pushed back its goal of having a demonstration commuter train line running daily between Ann Arbor and Detroit operating by October.

Instead, the line will operate for special events, such as University of Michigan football games and Detroit’s Thanksgiving Day parade, said Carmine Palombo, transportation project director for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.

No new target date for the daily service has been set.

“The lack of existing funds to construct the needed projects to allow freight and passenger trains to travel safely in the corridor has altered our timeframe for providing the initial service,” he wrote in an e-mail to Crain’s on Friday.

The plan was to have four daily round-trips and three on the weekends, he said. Now, a list of events, times and costs is being worked out.

Read more:
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20100319/GEO01/100319819#

From AnnArbor.com

Washtenaw County commissioners are questioning the worth of the county’s $125,000 annual investment in SEMCOG after running into delays with the Ann Arbor-to-Detroit commuter train project.

At an administrative briefing Wednesday, commissioners questioned whether the county should continue paying the annual membership fee to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.

“Their failure to follow through on those promises certainly leave me scratching my head again,” he said. “What is it that we gain from being part of this regional conversation and sending our dollars to promote that organization and their regional planning efforts if the planning that they’re doing doesn’t serve the interests of our citizens or the broader region in general?”

Read more:
http://www.annarbor.com/news/washtenaw-county-officials-question-worth-of-investment-in-semcog/

From The Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

Ablustery wind tugged at us as we caught the Amtrak in Winona for a trip to Kalamazoo, Mich., in early December. Weather wasn’t a concern, though. Soon we’d be in a cozy passenger car. Albert and I arrived in Chicago one hour late but had another hour before departing for Kalamazoo.

Approaching the gate, we discovered that adults who were older than 65 and young families can board ahead of the crowd.

We arrived in Kalamazoo ahead of a blizzard, which continued through our three-day stay and until the day we were set to head back home.

On the day we left, the train arrived in Kalamazoo only one minute late, in spite of the storm. The cars contained passengers heading to Chicago for Christmas shopping — one filled with high school students traveling to perform a concert.

Read more:
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=21&a=444965