In Britain, hydrogen is a Breeze

Alstom and rolling stock leasing company Eversholt Rail have unveiled a concept for a hydrogen multiple-unit (HMU) for the British market that involves converting existing EMUs (electric multiple-units) for operation on non-electrified routes. The concept, dubbed Breeze, involves reengineering class 321 EMUs originally built by British Rail Engineering Limited in 1988-1991. Most of the fleet of 117 trains is due to come off lease within the next few years due to the delivery of new equipment.

Gonzales new VP, CFO of TTCI

Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI), the research and testing organization of the Association of American Railroads, announced the promotion of Kari Gonzales to Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Kenny takes NJT Rail Ops throttle

New Jersey Transit has named veteran passenger railroad executive Raymond P. Kenny as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Rail Operations, effective immediately.

Commentary

URPA responds to Stephen Gardner

Amtrak Senior Executive Vice President Stephen Gardner’s response to Railway Age’s recent coverage of Amtrak encapsulates perfectly why Amtrak is such a rolling financial and commercial disaster. It also shows that Amtrak’s senior leadership is either deep in the well of self-delusion, or possibly intentionally misleading its various stakeholders.

FRA: PTC round two grants total $46.3 million

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on Dec. 21 awarded $46.30 million in grant funding for 11 projects in 10 states to assist with deploying Positive Train Control (PTC) systems, marking the second selection of PTC systems deployment projects under the Fiscal Year 2018 Consolidated Appropriations Act administered via the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, collectively totaling $250 million.

Design-build contract awarded for Dallas commuter rail

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has awarded a joint venture of Archer Western Construction and Herzog Contracting a $783 million design-build contract for the 26-mile Cotton Belt commuter rail line.

Commentary

35 questions for Stephen Gardner. Care to answer them?

Regrettably, Stephen Gardner’s year-end response to the many op-eds appearing this past year in Railway Age (“Amtrak A ‘Failure’? Hardly. Here’s How We See It,” Dec. 20) fails to explicitly answer the factual issues previously raised here. Instead, his retort to the decisive points raised in op-ed and editorial pieces this year reads very hollow, ignoring the salient issues and making excuses for what could not be achieved. Throwing questionable data around these issues prevents concise, acceptable answers.

Commentary

Amtrak: Number-crunching doesn’t do it justice

Today, as well as for most of its existence, Amtrak has had both its supporters and detractors focused on numbers—numbers of passengers, dollars of investment, size of deficits, miles of rail service, and statistical comparisons with others. There is a passion here that drives interest, much like the passion of sports fans immersed in statistics.

Amtrak power renewal: 75 Siemens Chargers for long-distance trains

Amtrak will acquire 75 new Siemens Charger diesel locomotives for $850 million to replace aging power in its National Network locomotive fleet.

FTA awards $16.6MM to enhance transit access nationwide

The Federal Transit Administration has awarded $16.6 million to 20 agencies nationwide to support planning projects that aim to enhance access to public transportation.

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