JANUARY 4 -- Denton Road in Wayne County’s Van Buren Township is the first location in the United States to be equipped with unique retractable barricades that serve as warning devices at a railroad crossing.

By next week, the Denton Road railroad crossing will have a set of three-foot-high reflective deterrents popping out of the pavement. The retractable posts, or “bollards,” designed by Intelligent Perimeter Systems, are housed in self-contained cartridges underground. When a train approaches, the posts will rise from the pavement and discourage drivers from driving around lowered crossing gate arms.

Michigan DOT selected the double-crossing because of low traffic volume and low accident rate.

A five-member presidential emergency board made its recommendations to settle a labor dispute between Amtrak and eight of its labor unions. Pursuant to the Railway Labor Act, the two sides must now preserve the status quo until Jan. 31, while the non-binding recommendations for settlement are studied.

The eight unions party to PEB No. 242 are the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the American Train Dispatchers Association, the Joint Council of Carmen, the Transportation Communications Union, the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and International Association of Machinists.

Contract talks between Amtrak and all of its unions have been in progress since August 2000. Sticking points include back pay, contributions to health care insurance and changes to work rules.

DECEMBER 28 -- Virginia Beach, Va., is seeking a $15-million grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation to help pay for a rail line that runs between Newtown and Birdneck roads if an agreement to sell it is ever reached, according to local newspaper reports. The track is owned by Norfolk Southern and is considered the logical extension of the Norfolk, Va., light rail project, which began construction this month with utility work at Harbor Park. The $232.1-million rail line will run from Eastern Virginia Medical School to Newtown Road, a 7.4-mile route that stops at the threshold of the region’s most populous city.

Project proponents have long argued that extending the line into Virginia Beach is important for its long-term success. But that can’t move forward until an agreement is reached on the ownership of the rail property.

The application to VDOT is being made under the Transportation Partnership Opportunity Fund. The application says that Virginia Beach wants “to create more transit-oriented development along this corridor” and may include along the route a bicycle path directly linking the two cities.

The NS route is considered ideal because it runs parallel to Virginia Beach Boulevard and through the commercial heart of the resort city, including the thriving Town Center area. Virginia Beach backed out of a larger light rail line in 1999. In 2003, Hampton Roads Transit, which is building the light rail project, agreed to negotiate the sale of the entire 15-mile rail line on behalf of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. The joint negotiations were unsuccessful. Norfolk eventually reached agreement with the corporation to run part of light rail along a segment of NS tracks, while talks with Virginia Beach continued.

NS reportedly wants $40 million for the 10.6 miles of unused track, which includes a 66-foot-wide right of way, while the city has offered less based on an appraisal it had done.

In November, NS began the process of officially abandoning the rail. During its most recent meeting, the Virginia Beach City Council passed an ordinance authorizing the acquisition of the rail line, giving the city the right to buy it.

DECEMBER 28 -- 2007 was a great year for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. RTA was named the best transit system in North America by the American Public Transportation Association and received other awards for increasing ridership and offering world-class customer service.

Ridership increased for the fifth straight year. Official totals will be announced in January. Downtown trolley service really took off, with some days recording more than 4,000 customers. Bicyclists also responded to expanded hours for bikes on rail. As late as November, customers took their bikes on more than 4,000 transit trips per month.

Two major capital improvements were completed: The expansion of the parking lot at the popular North Olmsted Park-n-Ride and a new transit station at West 117th Street. Other achievements include adding security cameras to some rail stations, rail vehicles and buses.

RTA continued to cope with rising fuel prices and began lobbying Ohio to find a dedicated source of state funding for transit.

MBTA Launches Wireless Services In Subway Core

MBTA T customers in some of the subway’s busiest stations can now use their cellular phones and other wireless devices while underground. T customers with services from T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon Wireless are able to receive and make calls from the eight train platforms at Park Street, Downtown Crossing, Government Center and State Street Stations.

Wireless services are also available, for the first time ever, in the train tunnels connecting the four downtown Boston stations that comprise the core of the nation’s first subway. Additional stations and tunnels are expected to be added to the underground wireless network in 2008 and 2009.

The MBTA contracted with InSite Wireless, LLC, to design, build and operate a wireless infrastructure solution that allows multiple licensed cellular providers to deliver wireless voice and data services to T riders. The system is designed to deliver seamless service coverage from above ground to station platforms, walkways and the trains traveling between stations. Under a 15-year license agreement with InSite Wireless, the MBTA will be paid a minimum of $4 million. As the wireless network expands to other parts of the subway system, additional license fees will be negotiated.