Six months after being sidelined, DC Metro cars remain out of service
DC Metro’s 6000-series railcars, sidelined since last November after incidents in which trains separated while in motion, will remain out of service. The Washington Post reports the 184-car fleet of 20-year-old, Alstom-built cars will remain out of use indefinitely because of issues with overhaul of the cars’ couplers. Investigators found some incorrect bolts and hardware were used, and that bolts were not correctly torqued. An inspector with the independent Washington Metrorail Safety Commission told commissioners that Metrorail is developing new procedures to properly rebuild the couplers.
Metra puts contract for Auburn Park station out to bid
Chicago’s Metra has put out to bid the contract for the planned Auburn Park station on the city’s South Side, advancing the project for the new stop on the Rock Island District. “We are pleased to take this significant step towards making this new station a reality for the residents of the Auburn Gresham area,” Metra Executive Director/CEO Jim Derwinski said in a press release. “Once again, we must thank Sen. Jacqueline Collins for spearheading this project and keeping it on track – she is truly a passionate and tireless advocate for her constituents.” Features of the station at 79th Street will include a new vendor building with glass storefronts; a 480-foot long platform with a polycarbonate canopy and a snow-melt system to keep the platform clear without use of de-icing chemicals, and a new 80-space parking lot. More information, including planned meetings for bidders, is available here.
Local group asks city council to save Hamilton, Ohio, station
A local preservation group is asking the Hamilton, Ohio, city council to act to save the city’s CSX railroad station by spending an estimated $600,000 to move it two blocks onto city-owned property. The Journal-News reports Citizens for Historic And Preservation Services wrote the council ask that it purchase and move the former Cincinnati, Hamiltn & Dayton station, saying the structure “can be the catalyst for extending the revitalization of downtown” into the area with the station. The group asked that the effort include both buildings that are part of the station — one dating to the 1860s and the other to the 1880s — because of their “unique architectural qualities.” Council members have expressed support for the move, as well as concerns about not knowing how much more it would cost to renovate the structure for a yet-to-be-determined purpose.
