Transit and passenger rail

We provided specialty consulting services in support of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s (MassDOT) new commuter rail service between Boston and key cities on the south coast.

The project will restore passenger rail along 78.8 miles of new track with two new terminal layover facilities. The system will run electric trains with the electrification system tying into the existing Northeast Corridor and will construct ten new commuter rail stations and two remodeled stations with surface parking.

We developed a global project delivery and packaging strategy for the program that included design, project management and construction packaging strategies, and an overall program sequencing/phasing approach.

We performed independent cost estimates and a comprehensive program schedule for the entire $3.4 billion project.

We also performed a comprehensive risk evaluation consistent with FTA OP-40 and a Monte Carlo risk simulation analysis.

As a key partner in the Transit Capital Program (TCP) Joint Venture, we were awarded a five-year contract by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) (the nation's second-largest public transportation system) to deliver program management services.

In addition to managing the CTA's core program, TCP (with our company as the lead) is providing oversight and management for the CTA's $2.2 billion Red/Purple Modernization Program.

TCP's program management services encompass overall program and project planning, project prioritization/selection, design and procurement oversight, construction oversight, design management, project controls (program level and detailed project level), enterprise asset management, and project administration for the CTA's Infrastructure Core Program and the Red/Purple Modernization (RPM) Phase One project.

Originally a small brick warming shed that was not large enough to house a staffed ticket office, ridership at the College Avenue Station had outgrown the station’s size.

Metra tasked our company to create a 21st century transit-oriented facility that maximized the intermodal transportation attributes of the station, complimented the surrounding mix of architectural styles, and ensured that improvements are feasible and sustainable.

In response, our team of specialists developed a 2,100-square-foot Queen Anne style depot, complete with pedestrian tunnel linking train platforms and adjacent parking areas. Existing platforms were reconstructed and lengthened, and the site regraded/reconfigured to create additional parking.

As a subconsultant to Swanson Contracting Company, we were selected to rebuild Tracks 12, 13, and 14 in the Amtrak 14th Street Coach Yard located in Chicago, Illinois.

The 14th Street Coach Yard is where Amtrak sets the stage for its long-distance performance, repairs locomotives and cars, and assembles and dispatches trains.

Due to the importance of this yard, detailed staging/phasing plans were developed and extensive coordination required with Amtrak to ensure that yard operations were not impacted by construction.

This project was constructed under a design-build delivery method, funded by Amtrak, and designed to Amtrak Standards with our company serving as the Engineer of Record.

As part of this project, we provided survey, track/civil design, project controls, ARRA reporting, and utility and agency coordination.

Passenger rail service between Chicago and Rockford ceased in 1981, making Rockford the largest metropolitan area in Illinois without passenger rail service. Over the past two decades, the general population between Rockford and the O’Hare International Airport has continued to grow, with many new residential developments being established along the I-90 corridor. As a result, highway traffic volumes between Chicago and Rockford are significant and cause frequent backups the closer one gets to Chicago.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is committed to building and maintaining a safe, reliable multimodal system of transportation that serves all residents throughout our state and retained our company to provide preliminary engineering, environmental analysis, and program management services to re-establish passenger rail service along this corridor.

The overall improvements included 55 miles of rail replacement, 80 existing at-grade crossings to be upgraded with flashers, gates, and bells, 78 existing at grade crossings to be upgraded to concrete crossing panels, and new stations in South Elgin, Genoa, Rockford at Alpine Rd., and downtown Rockford.

As the Program Manager, we provided project budgeting, cost estimating, scheduling, logistics planning, procurement management, progress tracking and issue identification and resolution.

We also provided technical design (including track, yards, signals/systems and PTC), land acquisition, survey, environmental, permitting, and railroad coordination with the host railroads in the corridor, including Amtrak, CN, UP, and Metra.

We are the lead firm in a Joint Venture performing the role of Program Manager and Construction Manager (PM/CM) on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) $1.2 billion Red/Orange Line Transformation Program.

This program will provide infrastructure improvements to the existing Red Line and Orange Line systems to support a new and enlarged fleet of both Red Line and Orange Line vehicles.

The project scope includes full upgrade of the signals systems for both transit lines, extensive renovations and modernization of two car houses, the expansion of one yard, and the complete rebuild of another yard.

Test tracks for the Orange Line and Red Line were also included in the project, as well as system-wide track, signal, and power improvements on both lines.

The Joint Venture developed type studies, concept designs, bridging documents for signals design-build, and managed the final design process, design consultant contracts, and field construction.

The team also implemented full project controls and process improvement for eBuilder and safety certification.

The existing South Shore Line (SSL) is a vital transportation link connecting Northwest Indiana to Chicago.

As part of their 20-Year Strategic Business Plan, the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) proposed improvements to approximately 25 miles of the SSL located in Lake, Porter, and LaPorte Counties in Indiana.

The project included the addition of a new second mainline track on the route, forcing the relocation of the existing street-running tracks along 10th and 11th Streets in Michigan City, Indiana. These improvements allow the SSL to add trains for more frequent service, to reduce delays, and to improve travel times.

As part of a team, we were selected for the Preliminary Engineering phase and developed the 30% design and cost estimates to satisfy Federal Transit Administration (FTA) requirements for entry into Final Engineering.

Following the approval to enter the New Start Engineering phase of the FTA’s Capital Investment Grant Program, we (as part of team) developed final contract plans and specifications and secured critical environmental permits.

Various disciplines contributed to this effort, including survey, environmental/permitting, civil, track, structures, geotechnical, roadway/traffic, parking, utilities, and agency coordination.