VPRA
The Long Bridge Rail Partners joint venture of Trumbull Corp. Fay, S&B Construction, and Wagman Heavy Civil Inc. has been selected for the Long Bridge Project-South Package, VPRA reported Jan. 16. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued to the qualified design-build teams in June 2024. This is the second of two packages for the Long Bridge Project. The North Package was awarded to Skanska/Flatiron Joint Venture in December 2023.
The $2.3 billion Long Bridge Project encompasses a 1.8-mile railroad corridor between Arlington, Va., and Washington, D.C. It will add a new two-track railroad bridge next to the existing 119-year-old Long Bridge, doubling rail capacity and relieving one of the largest rail traffic bottlenecks on the East Coast, according to VPRA. The new bridge will aid the commonwealth of Virginia in separating passenger rail from freight rail.
The existing two-track Long Bridge, owned and operated by CSX, operates at 98% capacity during peak periods with nearly 80 CSX freight, Amtrak intercity passenger rail, and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) commuter rail trains crossing it daily, carrying up to 1.3 million Amtrak and 4.5 million VRE riders annually.
The Long Bridge Project will also create a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the river. Additional elements along the corridor include improvements to five other bridges and related railroad infrastructure (see above).
The South Package will use the design-build method to build the new two-track railroad bridge crossing over the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Potomac River; a 16-foot-wide bicycle and pedestrian bridge crossing over the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Potomac River; and all associated infrastructure between Arlington and Washington, D.C., including new retaining walls and associated embankments at the George Washington Parkway, and a new fender system within the Potomac River Navigational Channel, according to VPRA.
“The selection of the Long Bridge Rail Partners moves the project to the next level as all players are now in place,” VPRA said. “The Long Bridge Rail Partners team will take the project through the final design phase, incorporating innovative alternative technical concepts, through construction with completion expected in 2030.”
“The selection of Long Bridge Rail Partners completes the team that will build the largest of our Transforming Rail in Virginia projects, which will significantly change the way Virginians travel,” said DJ Stadtler, Executive Director of VPRA.
“Virginia’s investment in rail will benefit passengers as well as our freight partners up and down the East Coast,” said Tiffany Robinson, Director of the Department of Rail and Public Transportation and Chair of the VPRA Board. “Long Bridge is vital to this expansion. We look forward to working with Long Bridge Rail Partners on this project which will reshape rail service in the Commonwealth.”
“The Long Bridge Rail Partners—Trumbull, Wagman, and Fay, S&B USA Construction—are excited to work with VPRA on such a challenging, transformative project for the Washington metropolitan area,” Trumbull Corp. President Mark Gentile said. “Together with designer STV, we offer extensive bridge, marine, and railway experience to design and build the best solution for VPRA and the region.”
“The award of the Long Bridge-South package puts VRE one step closer toward its transformation from a commuter rail service to a regional one,” VRE CEO Rich Dalton said. “When this bridge opens in 2030, VRE will be able to expand service on both of its lines to meet the growing needs of travelers in the region. And, due to the separation of freight and passenger trains, we will experience improvements in reliability. VRE is pleased to partner with VPRA on this and other Transforming Rail Virginia projects.”
“The Long Bridge Project will unlock the bottleneck in this congested corridor and provide enhanced service for CSX customers, as well as VRE and Amtrak passengers,” said Randy Marcus, Director of State Relations for Virginia, West Virginia, and D.C. at CSX, which sold to VPRA railroad right-of-way that will make Long Bridge and other Transforming Rail Virginia projects possible. “CSX’s collaboration with the commonwealth continues to deliver economic and transportation benefits to businesses and commuters in Virginia and across the region.”
“We are happy with this significant development advancing the Long Bridge project to improve rail infrastructure in Virginia,” said Ray Lang, Vice President of Amtrak, which is contributing $944 million to the Transforming Rail Virginia program. “We are proud to partner with VPRA on the continued growth of passenger rail for travel between the Northeast and Southeast regions.”
In a related development, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Long Bridge Project last October.
TriMet
Paired to create one train, the first two Type 6 LRVs rolled out of TriMet’s Ruby Junction Rail Operating Facility on Jan. 16 to meet riders for the morning commute. In total, 30 new Type 6s—Siemens Mobility’s S700 low-floor LRVs—will enter service in the months ahead, operating on all five MAX light rail lines.
“On the outside, the newest MAX trains look similar to our last generation of vehicles, the ‘Type 5,’ introduced in 2015 when the MAX Orange Line opened,” TriMet reported. “Both are manufactured by Siemens Mobility. They’re the same length—96 feet, 11 inches—and the same width—8 feet, 8 inches. They’re also both blue with orange stripes. But look closely on the inside, and it’s a different story. On the ceiling are digital destination displays (pictured, top), enhanced by graphics and video. They not only show the station the train is approaching, but also are capable of displaying special messages and video packages. By using improved accessibility features, riders will have more information available to them as they ride. New LED lights around the doors indicate when they’re available. The lights will display in green when a door is ready for use, red when it’s closed and cannot be used, and flash yellow when the doors are operating to provide better visual aids for riders. Improved temperature controls will help the trains stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. One thing riders may not notice—at least not at first—is the ability to use predictive maintenance to improve the trains’ reliability. Sensors in the trains will communicate digitally with our maintenance teams, giving them better information to troubleshoot and solve issues before they occur. On board security cameras are better, too. They will provide clearer pictures and feature wireless data for remote downloading of footage.”
The introduction of the Type 6 means TriMet’s first-generation MAX trains, which have been running since 1986, will retire.
Separately, TriMet last August launched the 7.8-mile, 10-station Max Red Line extension, wrapping up its three-year, $218 million A Better Red project to increase the light rail system’s reliability, to serve the growing job center of Washington County, and to provide more people with a one-seat ride to and from Portland International Airport/PDX.
Further Reading: First Public Look: TriMet Type 6 LRV
VTA
Several rehabilitation projects are planned this year for VTA, Santa Clara County’s authority for transit development and operations (light rail, bus and paratransit), congestion management, transportation-related funding, highway design and construction, real estate and transit-oriented development, and bicycle and pedestrian planning. The scheduled shutdowns (see Table below; tentative) will focus on repairing and replacing items on the light rail tracks and overhead catenary system where equipment is approaching the end of its useful life, VTA reported Jan. 16.
In January and February, VTA will be installing new elements of the track and signal system between the Alder and Alum Rock Stations. The first shutdown for this project (Jan. 31-Feb. 2) will focus on track and signal work near the Capitol Ave/Autmnvale Dr grade crossing north of the Cropley Station. The second shutdown for the project (Feb. 7-9) will focus on track and signal work near the Capitol Ave/Hostetter Rd grade crossing north of the Hostetter Station.
Light rail service in areas impacted by construction will be replaced by buses.
SEPTA
Systemwide, SEPTA had a 33% decrease in serious crimes through 2024 compared with 2023, according to new SEPTA Transit Police Department data released Jan. 16 (see below). With approximately 350 fewer incidents reported over the past year, Transit Police marked the largest one-year drop in serious crimes in its 43-year history, reported SEPTA, whose services include regional rail, buses, trolleys, subways and a high-speed line.
The most violent crimes, including aggravated assaults and robberies, decreased by 34% with aggravated assaults dropping from 108 to 87, and robberies dropping from 230 to 134. Shooting incidents on the system decreased by 25%.
At the same time, SEPTA said it has “rebounded from a historical shortage of police officers just two years ago to now meeting and exceeding budgeted headcount.” With 248 officers, Transit Police has its largest force in more than a decade.
“We want our customers to know that SEPTA has made significant strides in our efforts to improve safety and security on the system,” SEPTA Interim General Manager Scott A. Sauer said. “Across SEPTA, we are embracing a back-to-basics approach with employees at all levels refocusing on improving safety, customer service and reliability.”
“We are continuing with successful recruitment efforts, including 16 new officers who started their careers at SEPTA last month and another class of 13 recruits who began academy this week,” added SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson. “We are also continuing to hire experienced police officers from other departments.”
