Year: 2011

AAR data show traffic surge in December

U.S. freight carload traffic for the week ending Dec. 24, 2011 was up a hefty 11.9% compared with the same week one year ago, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. U.S. intermodal volume for the same week was up 22.9% from the same week last year. 

LIRR M-7 Bombardier

As New Year begins, transit benefits shrink

Parking commuter benefits will rise from $230 to $240 per month in 2012, but corresponding public transit user benefits provided by employers will be cut severely, due to the inability of Congress to reach consensus on the matter. 

  • News

Bombardier wins $296 million U.K. add-on order

Bombardier Transportation announced Dec. 28 it has secured an add-on order, worth $296 million, for 130  ELECTROSTAR electric multiple-unit (EMU) cars for the U.K.’s Southern rail operation.

RSI: Congress may increase truck size, weight

A lobbying effort by the trucking industry could encourage Congress to increase truck sizes and/or truck weight on the nation’s roadways in the next surface transportation bill now being considered in both the House and the Senate, according to Railway Supply Institute President Tom Simpson.

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Canada’s rail sector rebounds

The Railway Association of Canada reported Tuesday that the nation’s rail sector has rebounded from the global economic downturn, posting solid volume growth and investing “significantly” in capacity and efficiency initiatives.

China develops 500 km/h HSR train

China’s official news agency, Xinhua, announced that the Ministry of Railways over the past weekend launched a test train capable of achieving 500 km/h (310 mph) cruising speeds. CSR Corp. Ltd. built the train.

Employment gains in year, slips from past month

Employment numbers released by the Surface Transportation Board show Class I railroads employed 160, 119 people in mid-November, down 119 positions (0.08%) from the previous month but up 3.27% from November 2010.

raileducation pen

Titan wins Amtrak marketing contract

Advertising company Titan says it has landed the exclusive right to sell Amtrak’s media in the Northeast Corridor from New York to Washington D.C., beginning Jan. 1, 2012. The contract encompasses station

ameriTRAM in Charlotte

North American ameriTRAM tour continues

Contrary to published reports, KinkiSharyo has continued to showcase its prototype ameriTRAM streetcar even after the APTA Annual Expo in New Orleans last October. The company had its prototype on display at the maintenance shops for Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit (HBLRT) in Jersey City, N.J., on Dec. 23.