Seattle monorail shut down through April 30
Seattle’s monorail has shut down for the remainder of April as part of a renovation to prepare for the arrival of the city’s new National Hockey League team, the Kraken, which will debut this fall. KNKX Radio reports the work on the 1-mile line, connecting downtown’s Westlake Center to Seattle Center, which includes the arena where the team will play, will continue through the fall, but the closure will only last through April 30. Renovation work includes a larger passenger boarding area at Westlake Center, automated fare gates at both stations, and other work to increase passenger capacity. The monorail will provide free transportation to and from Kraken games.
Navarro County, Texas, votes to join suit over Texas Central
Commissioners in Navarro County, Texas, have voted to join a lawsuit attempting to block construction of the Texas Central high speed rail project. The Corsicana Daily Sun reports the commissioners voted to retain Dallas-based litigation firm the Beckham Group, which will represent the county at no cost in a multi-party suit including several other counties. The lawsuit will be brought against the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Railroad Administration over the environmental impact study related to the project.
Rail fleet management firm AllTranstek adds four to staff
Rail fleet management provider AllTranstek LLC has added four members to its team: David Campbell (NDT Services and ASNT Level III Consultant), (Ed Rugh (Inspection Team), Jason Ankeny (Fleet Management) and Michael Shirley (Railroad Damage Services). “We’re beyond thrilled to add to the AllTranstek team,” Jeff Wilson, president of the company based in Downers Grove, Ill., said in a press release. “The collective experience of our newest members will be such a valuable resource to our current clients and will be a selling point for potential clients. … Conventional wisdom told us to hunker down for the time being, but that wouldn’t be in keeping with our company mission. We owe it to our customers to be the most knowledgeable experts in the industry. Dave, Ed, Jason and Michael are surely that.” More information on the company is available at its website.
