CamTran approves bid to replace Inclined Plane haul ropes as project progresses
It was another sign of progress for a more than $16 million rehabilitation project that is back underway at the historic funicular railway, with the goal of completing work in 2025.
The cables are part of a system that works in tandem with six main haul wheels, or 'sheave wheels,' as the Inclined Plane's cars are hoisted between downtown Johnstown and Westmont Borough.
CamTran Executive Director Rose Lucey-Noll said the project's general contractor, Mosites Construction Co., was the low bidder for the rope project. State funding is covering the work, she said.
'It's positive news,' Lucey-Noll said. 'Everything is progressing now.'
The transit authority previously rejected offers on the ropes' replacement in September after issues with the Incline's wheels halted the project until late last year.
The main haul sheave wheels and two safety wheels, which are situated vertically above them, must be installed in a set order, and all must be in place before the ropes are installed, she said.
The area where the wheels operate 'is a small space, so they have to be put in carefully,' Lucey-Noll said.
CamTran's board also received an update on ongoing repairs to the metal sheave wheels. Lucey-Noll said one safety wheel was recently installed.
The other wheel and five main haul wheels have been repaired and polished and are in storage awaiting approval to be reinstalled, while one other wheel is still undergoing final work at Speranza Specialty Machine Shop in Westmoreland County.
Lucey-Noll said she was optimistic that additional wheels will be installed in March, but it's too soon to speculate how long it will take for both sets of the sheave wheels to be back in place, she added.
When that happens, Mosites Construction, which is already overseeing the broader project on site, will replace the haul ropes, she said.
After all work is complete, CamTran officials have said it will likely take five months of testing, state inspection work and employee training before the Incline can begin carrying passengers again.
A mix of state and federal funds were secured for the Inclined Plane's renovation. Lucey-Noll said the federal portion of the funds, secured years ago, are already 'in process,' so there is no apparent risk of a nationwide federal funding freeze impacting the work.
Also Friday, CamTran officials unanimously approved the purchase of a new 2025 Ford E-450 from Coach & Equipment Inc. The Share-a-Ride bus was approved at an estimated purchase price of $145,000.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Yahoo
KTM AG returns to full production
KTM AG resumed production across all four lines at its main plants of Mattighofen and Munderfing, with 1,000 production employees returning to normal operations. Production for its KTM, Husqvarna, and GasGas motorcycle brands is included. "A special thank you goes to our employees, who have made this restart possible through their tremendous dedication, flexibility, and team spirit over the past months," said KTM AG CEO Gottfried Neumeister in a news release. "Their commitment during one of the most challenging phases has been - and continues to be - a key success factor for the company's future development. Restarting production gives us the stability we need to fully refocus on quality, customer proximity, and further development." While this does not necessarily conclude the saga of KYM parent company Pierer Mobility AG's restructuring, which was announced in November 2024, it further lessens speculation about the overall health of the company that produced last year's Pro Motocross champion, Chase Sexton. In May 2025, the company announced that Bajaj Auto Ltd., a co-owner of KTM AG alongside Stefan Pierer, had secured a one-year, $632 million loan to keep the company operational as it restructured some of its debt. Representing KTM, Sexton is currently fourth in SuperMotocross World Championship points. Husqvarna's top rider is Malcolm Stewart, who sits sixth in the standings. GasGas is best represented by Justin Barcia in ninth. More SuperMotocross News Motocross of Nations to return to U.S. in 2028, 2031Loretta's Lap-a-Thon Benefitting St. Jude returns for 2025Washougal 450 Results | 250 ResultsJo Shimoda earns second Motocross win of 2025 at WashougalChase Sexton beats Jett Lawrence at WashougalHaiden Deegan wins Washougal Moto 1 over Jo ShimodaChase Sexton wins Washougal Moto 1, Jett Lawrence thirdWashougal 450 Qualification | 250 QualificationJason Anderson out for remainder of 2025 SMX seasonWashougal Preview | Betting Guide
Time Business News
20-06-2025
- Time Business News
Strategic AI Shifts Accelerate Transportation Growth
Artificial intelligence in transportation that has benefited all aspects of convenience, safety, and efficiency. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are increasingly implemented in several domains to achieve this end. Increased connectedness, more data availability, a growing vehicle-to-roadway ratio, and the need for efficient systems have fast-tracked the growth and so are companies in industries such as logistics, traffic control, and autonomous vehicles. The increase in linked vehicles and the mass of commuter data also boosts these factors, especially the use of AI systems in various modes of transport. Application areas of AI are traffic flow, maintenance requirements, and the easing of traffic congestion. Due to this, various businesses are adopting AI technologies to make transportation less complicated and time-consuming. Key Growth Drivers and Opportunities Technological Trends: As technological trends in AI Transportation include Autonomous freight and delivery, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), intelligent fleet management, AI-based predictive maintenance, and intelligent traffic systems on a huge scale. It is really about creating safer, more efficient, and sustainable means of transportation. Radar technology, drones, Location intelligence via aerial solution, and AI-powered sensors are at the forefront of transforming the transportation industry by enabling better vehicle navigation and delivery logistics. Challenges The AI in transportation sector is challenged by a number of obstacles. There are implementation costs, concerns over privacy issues with all the data required for AI, and absence of common regulation across jurisdictions. Tasking AI to be integrated into existing systems attempts to determine how long it will take for legacy systems to adopt. Also, there is a shortage of skilled workers, and one has to worry about whether the computer could be biased, or fail when safety is a concern. All this leads to low levels of trust and acceptance in AI based transportation solutions. Innovation and Expansion Knight-Swift Accelerates Safety with Netradyne's Vision-Powered AI In April 2025, the largest full truckload carrier in the industry, Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., has partnered with Netradyne, a leading software as a service (SaaS) provider of edge computing and artificial intelligence (AI), to equip 15,500 Knight and Swift trucks with Driveri D-450 and D-215 fleet safety dash cameras. Knight-Swift's D-450 and D-215 dash cam video footage will be converted by Netradyne into useful safety and efficiency insights. Through the analysis of all driving time, Driveri proactively improves safety by providing in-cab audio alerts in real-time, giving drivers self-coaching, accident warnings, and prompt advice on better choices. HERE Technologies Charts a New Course with AI-Driven Guidance for Smart Mobility In January 2025, the industry-leading provider of location data and technology, HERE Technologies, announced the HERE AI Assistant, its newest artificial intelligence (AI) product. This innovative system, which was created to meet the changing demands of the transportation and automotive sectors, uses many Generative AI Large Language Models (LLMs) to provide location-aware, natural language-powered assistance. Personalized journey planning is revolutionized by the HERE AI Assistant, which responds to sophisticated location-related inquiries with natural language prompts and delivers excellent, real-time responses. As the automobile industry develops software-defined, networked, electrified, and autonomous vehicle systems, the AI-powered capabilities are specifically designed for this sector. Delta's Intelligent Travel Revolution: One Ticket, Many Modes, Zero Hassle In January 2025, Delta launched 'multi-modal' transportation alternatives through its partners Uber and Joby, as well as Delta Concierge, an AI-powered digital tool that will add sophisticated features to its Fly Delta app starting in 2025 and beyond. Customers can travel with greater control and confidence due to Delta Concierge, which is integrated with the Fly Delta app. The experience streamlines a customer's trip by utilizing generative AI to provide smooth and customized moments. Fueling Growth: The Creative Spark Behind Market Expansion Among the major companies in the market are IBM, Daimler, Volvo, Paccar, Scania, Intel, and NVIDIA. With many companies concentrating on sustainable mobility and cutting-edge technology features that integrate with the automotive and transportation industries, the artificial intelligence in transportation market is extremely competitive. The target market's competitive environment is characterized by the existence of both established businesses and up-and-coming startups and niche players. With large expenditures from both automotive and technology businesses, the current market wave is strongly pushing toward the development and implementation of autonomous cars. About Author: Prophecy is a specialized market research, analytics, marketing and business strategy, and solutions company that offer strategic and tactical support to clients for making well-informed business decisions and to identify and achieve high value opportunities in the target business area. Also, we help our client to address business challenges and provide best possible solutions to overcome them and transform their business. TIME BUSINESS NEWS
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Yahoo
Perrone Robotics Celebrates National AV Day with Milestone Achievements Across AV and ADAS Platforms
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., May 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On this official National Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Day, May 31, Perrone Robotics proudly celebrates the progress made in delivering trusted, safe, feature-rich, and operationally-ready autonomous vehicle (AV) solutions across the widest array of platforms and applications in the industry. Through its patented TONY® AV Kit and its TONY® ADAS Kit, Perrone is bringing automation to the real world, today. From downtown transit systems to university campuses, bus yards, corporate fleets, security patrols, and defense operations, Perrone's modular and vehicle-agnostic technology is empowering customers to automate diverse vehicle platforms, including transit vans, 40-foot buses, police cruisers, off-road UTVs, and neighborhood electric vehicles. A Year of Proven Deployments In the past year alone, Perrone's TONY® AV Kit has been outfitted and operating across: Ford E-Transit vans – across multiple geographies for daily autonomous operations Gillig diesel buses – retrofitted for advanced driver assistance New Flyer battery electric buses – for fully automated yard operations Ford Explorers – for autonomous law enforcement research Polaris Ranger XP 1000 – for military-grade, off-road autonomous utility WAEV GEM LSVs – for low-speed community mobility Body-on-Chassis minibus & Dodge van EV conversions – customized for public transit Customer Voices: Proof in Practice "The City of Detroit is committed to advancing real-world applications of autonomous mobility to improve transportation access and efficiency. Through our Connect AV pilot, we deployed the nation's first fleet of autonomous Ford E-Transit vans, powered by Perrone's TONY AV platform. This initiative provides critical insights into how scalable autonomy can enhance first- and last-mile connectivity in urban transit networks," — Tim Slusser, Chief of Mobility Innovation, City of Detroit "Our NEORide partnership with Perrone is retrofitting an entire fleet of diesel buses for ADAS functionality. The impact on safety and operational efficiency is substantial."— Katherine Conrad, Executive Director, NeoRide "The TONY AV Kit retrofit on our electric body-on-chassis minibus marked a major innovation milestone. This was the first time in the U.S. that an EV of this class and configuration was outfitted with a full autonomous vehicle system, showcasing what's now possible in modernizing and future-proofing transit fleets."— Kim Williams, JD, Chief Innovation Officer, Houston METRO "Faculty at The University of Alabama closely collaborate with the campus transit service Crimson Ride, which has the largest ridership in the state of Alabama. We are deploying Perrone's ADAS Kits on our existing buses, and the TONY AV Kit to Ford E-transit vans, bringing real-world safety features and AV readiness to our campus fleet. Also, together with PRI, we are developing end-to-end Software- and Hardware-in the Loop (SiL/Hil) simulation tools to improve ADAS performance."— Dr. Bharat Balasubramania, Executive Director Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies - University of Alabama College of Engineering & Chief Mobility Research and Development Officer, Alabama Transportation Institute "Our work with Perrone Robotics and the special police edition Ford Explorer is opening entirely new frontiers in law enforcement automation. Their TONY AV Kit brings real promise for next-generation officer assistance."— Sean Malinowski, Ph.D., Managing Partner, The Policing Lab "Partnering with Perrone Robotics has enabled our community to experience autonomous mobility across the diverse landscape of North Fork Research Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. Spanning over 500 acres and home to a wide range of tech companies, research labs, and government agencies, including Perrone itself, the operation on premises of transit vans, buses, and specialty autonomous vehicle— Deborah van Eersel, UVA Foundation, Chief Administrative Officer "For over five years, Perrone has been automating our GEM neighborhood EVs with their TONY AV Kit. They have shown what's possible for low-speed, community-focused automated operations."— Paul Vitrano, co-founder, Waev Inc., manufacturer of GEM Celebrating Real-World Progress on AV Day As the industry marks National AV Day on May 31, Perrone Robotics applauds its visionary customers; across public transit, campus mobility, bus yards, defense, security, and utility operations; for pushing automation out of the lab and onto the road. Each project represents real deployments, not future talk. With over 20 years of experience and its patented MAX® software platform and TONY® retrofit kit at the core, Perrone Robotics is uniquely positioned to deliver safe, scalable, and proven autonomy; whether as full AV or as ADAS. "While AV timelines slip and there are frequent projections about what's coming tomorrow accompanied by tightly controlled & limited demos, Perrone delivers today. Autonomy isn't a press release for us. It's a product. It's deployed. It's working."— Paul Perrone, Founder/CEO, Perrone Robotics On this National AV Day, Perrone Robotics invites new customers, agencies, and OEMs to join the movement. Let's build the future of mobility; not with projections, but with delivery and performance. About Perrone Robotics Perrone Robotics is a leading innovator in autonomous vehicle technology, specializing in advanced autonomous vehicle systems for transit, commercial, and government applications. With its patented TONY AV & ADAS Kits and MAX software platforms, Perrone Robotics delivers reliable, scalable, and versatile autonomous solutions designed to transform transportation and mobility. Media Contact:John Mottolamedia@ 434-260-8550 Transit organizations interested in bringing TONY AV and TONY ADAS functions to their fleets can visit for more information. TONY is patented in the U.S. (9,195,233, 9,833,901, 10,331,136, 10,379,007, 11,280,704, 11,314,251, 11,782,442, 12,181,877) and Canada (2643378). Additional U.S. and International patents pending. TONY, MAX, Perrone Robotics, & Mobility of People and Things are trademarks of Perrone Robotics. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Perrone Robotics, Inc. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
