Amtrak Returns to Denver Union Station
AMTRAK’S CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR returned to Denver Union Sta- tion on February 28, 2014, when eastbound No. 6 backed in with pri- vate car Virginia City bringing up the markers; that day’s No. 5 was the last to use the temporary station that had been in use since Febru- ary 2011. The building will function as a regional intermodal trans- portation hub, serving not only Amtrak long distance trains but also as the focal point of the 122-mile RTD FasTracks system of heavey rail, light rail, and bus lines. A 22-slot bus concourse is set to open in May, while the 23-mile East Rail Extension to Denver International Airport
Central Maine & Québec
STARTUP IS DELAYED: The United States Surface Transportation Board has ap- proved Central Maine & Québec Railway’s re- quest to waive the Board’s usual requirement of 60 days notice to employees of CMQR’s im- pending acquisition of the bankrupt Montréal, Maine & Atlantic Railway’s trackage in Maine (and Québec), which would have allowed CMQR to complete the transaction as early as March 16, 2014, rather than April 15. Howev- er, the railroad is still working with the Cana- dian Transportation Agency to obtain a Cer- tificate of Fitness to allow it to operate the Québec lines and does not expect to begin op- erations until June 1. Reportedly Lac-Mégantic, Québec, mayor
24 APRIL 2014 •
RAILFAN.COM
is set to open in 2016 along with the 11-mile Gold Line to Wheat Ridge. The 18-mile North Metro Rail Line to Thornton and Northglen and the 41-mile Northwest Rail Line to Westminster are also in the works; on March 20 ground was broken on the North Metro project. In addition to hosting a wide range of ground transportation options, Union Station will also accommodate the 112-room Crawford Hotel in its upper floors and 22,000 square feet of retail space (including three restaurants) at ground level along with a 12,000 square foot Great Hall and an expansive outdoor plaza.
Collette Roy Laroche said during a meeting with CMQR president John Giles that eventu- ally dangerous materials, such as the crude oil that devastated her town when a Montreal, Maine & Atlantic unit oil train derailed and exploded on July 6, 2013, will roll through town again. In a related note, the Transporta- tion Safety Board of Canada reports that the crude involved in the July 6 incident was as light and flammable as gasoline and had been improperly labeled.
Central Montana
TRESTLE REPAIRS ARE UNDER WAY: Central Montana Rail’s Judith River Trestle is expected to return to service in July as a contractor is replacing a 300-foot section of
the 2000-foot long structure that was under- mined during a flood in May 2011. Since then the railroad’s customers have been cut off from their only connection to the outside world with BNSF Railway at Moccasin, Mont., and have had to truck their grain to el- evators located on BNSF. Last year $4 mil- lion in grants was obtained for repairs from the Montana Department of Transportation and the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and work on the structure was started in early January. Central Montana Rail operates about 85 miles of former Milwaukee Road and Great Northern trackage between Moccasin, Kingston Junction, and Geraldine, Mont. The railroad operates six former Great Northern GP9s and hosts the Charlie Russell Chew Choo dinner train.
NICK DʼAMATO
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