Following the lead of New Jersey, San Diego County, Calif., and sister Texas city Austin in an effort to sway the Federal Railroad Administration on safety oversight—though taking a different approach—the Denton County Transportation Authority says it will seek an Alternative Vehicle Technology (AVT) waiver so that DCTA can operate new Stadler GTW diesel multiple-unit (DMU) trains without temporal (time-of-day) separation from freight trains.
The nation’s freight railroads say they have reached a tentative agreement with the last of 13 labor unions, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees.
Markup by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Thursday of its version of surface transportation reauthorization legislation, H.R. 7, included a 33-to-22 vote to remove bigger truck language from the bill. The Committee also inserted language seeking a comprehensive study to assess the impacts of heavier and longer trucks on safety, cost to the highway infrastructure and freight diversion.
Progress Rail has announced it is closing its London, Ontario, locomotive operation, where 450 workers have been locked out since New Year’s Day.
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A new report by the Federal Railroad Administration’s Office of Safety Analysis shows that in the first 11 months of 2011, U. S. railroad accidents and incidents declined 5.7% from the same period in 2010 to 10,037. Rail fatalities, as defined by the FRA, were down 4.9% to 644, though strictly most of these were not preventable by the railroads.
U.S. freight carload traffic for the week ending Jan. 28, 2012 was down 2.8% compared with the fourth week of 2011, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. By contrast, U.S. intermodal volume for the week rose 5.5% compared with the same week last year.
Canadian Pacific announced it is now shipping crude oil by rail from a new transload facility near Lloydminster, Sask. CP said the facility is a facility is a key enhancement to a growing energy portfolio. It accommodates the needs of NuStar Energy LP, with a further expansion planned this year.
Intermodal container volume set a new record in 2011 with 12.4 million moves, beating former record-year 2007 by 3.7%, the Intermodal Associaton of North America (IANA) said Thursday.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Wednesday introduced a five-year surface transportation funding bill, a successor to the now-expired SAFETEA-LU, that would extend Congress’ mandated deadline for Positive Train Control (PTC) by five years, from Dec. 31, 2015, to Dec. 31, 2020. It also would revamp the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) program–and allow larger and heavier trucks on U.S. highways
BNSF Railway Co. on Wednesday announced a planned 2012 capital commitment program of approximately $3.9 billion, up $400 million, or about 11.4%, from its 2011 capital spend of $3.5 billion.
As Daffy Duck might plead: Who’s in charge here?
Here we go again. A “friendly” GOP House committee chairman has introduced legislation that would reauthorize the expired surface transportation program. Without benefit of any hearings, the bill introduced by Rep. John
Freight car builders and component suppliers have good reason to look at 2012 and beyond with renewed optimism and real confidence. That’s because, according to the most recent figures released by Economic Planning Associates, carbuilders received orders for no fewer than 89,073 cars and intermodal platforms, the highest annual level since EPA began tracking the market in 1980.
Though conflicting concepts on the future of U.S. ground transportation are part of the process, the American Public Transportation Association is encouraged by action by both houses of Congress to renew federal surface transportation funding, APTA said Tuesday.
Legislation designed to fix the nation’s crumbling transportation infrastructure will actually accelerate road and bridge damage and trigger an increase in taxpayer subsidies to the trucking industry, the Association of American Railroads said Tuesday, pointing to language in a House bill that allows for 20% heavier trucks and triple trailers.
Hampton Roads Transit will add a new crossover on The Tide light rail transit system. To facilitate construction this weekend, LRT service will be suspended between Harbor Park and EVMC/Ft. Norfolk stations during construction the weekend of Feb. 4-5.
Florida’s Pinellas County Project Advisory Committee on Monday formally adopted a proposal to build 24 miles of light rail transit linking St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Pinellas Park, and Gateway.
Bombardier Transportation said Tuesday it will deliver up to 60 FLEXITY trams to Basel, Switzerland’s Transport Authority (BVB). Bombardier notes it is the largest order placed by BVB in the agency’s 116-year history. The contract is worth roughly $241 million.
The Federal Transit Administration Monday gave the city of Milwaukee environmental approval for an initial streetcar line. City Engineer Jeff Polenske said FTA had issued a “finding of no significant impact” (FONSI) for the proposed route.
