SunRail gets nod from Florida governor
Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Friday gave approval to the proposed 61-mile, $1.2 billion SunRail commuter rail project in central Florida, surprising many who expected him to reject the plan following his
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Raleigh, N.C., eyes old factory for new rail station
North Carolina’s state capital may choose to rehabilitate a manufacturing plant as a new passenger rail station, in a move to save money and acquire a convenient downtown location. Local press have
UTA readies debut of Siemens S70 LRVs
Some TRAX passengers in Salt Lake City and vicinity will begin riding Siemens S70 light rail transit cars Thursday, July 7, as the cars begin entering revenue service. The S70s will enter
RailComm aids RailAmerica dispatch system
Jacksonville, Fla.-based RailAmerica has been using RailComm’s Domain Operations Controller (DOC®) train control system to dispatch multiple subdivisions of its short line railroads since 2002. Now the DOC® System at RailAmerica’s American
Fifth Third Bank invests in experience
In October 2010 Fifth Third Bank did what we wish every bank would do: It hired a rail finance veteran to head its Surface Transportation Division. Rob Hart is a veteran of the Illinois Central, where he was involved in equipment planning, capital budgets, and corporate finance, and was ultimately named Treasurer.
The RRIF program is open for business
$7 billion is available for Class II and Class III railroads.
Railroads at Midyear: New gains, new challenges
Ever since Warren Buffett gave his blessing to railroads by buying one, financial analysts and pundits have been examining this 175-year-old industry for clues to its re-emergence as a savvy investor’s favorite.
Lack of alternative is not a regulatory concept
Rail shipper and carrier executives convened in San Francisco recently for the annual North American Rail Shippers Association meeting. Despite the anti-rail rhetoric of a minority of rail customers—who were for the most part absent—the meeting had the atmosphere of a reunion of old friends.
King Intermodal: An investment in the future
Coal has always been extremely important to the rail industry, as highlighted by its well-earned moniker “King Coal.” Indeed, the marriage between coal and the railroads was a natural one, with railroads being the best at bulk land shipping and coal being a widely abundant natural resource.
The road to irrelevance is paved with good intentions
A Railway Age editorial I posted on line last in June 2011 about the most recent legislative attempt to break up Amtrak and privatize the pieces drew a 99% favorable response. Here’s an excerpt:
Keeping rolling stock rolling
How Union Pacific achieved a record 8.6-day car cycle time. For many years, freight car shortages plagued the railroad industry.
Safety : Merging survival and avoidance approaches
Most global passenger rail suppliers accept a basic schism in their marketplace: Europe and most of Asia seek passenger designs based on crash avoidance. U.S. counterparts had to meet crash survivability priorities.
Investors focus on pricing power
The economic downturn brought a great deal of hardship to carriers across the supply chain. Many shippers took the opportunity to re-bid their trucking contracts out of cycle, placing even more pressure on companies in the trucking sector.
21st century growth spurt for New York’s subways
Ongoing fiscal distress continues to roil New York’s subway operations, but system expansion literally is on a full bore. What does North America’s largest rapid transit property do for an encore? Get larger. After two decades of stagnation, New York City’s famed (and oft-maligned) subway system is adding underground mileage again.
New York looks to airport connections
NYC official: Newark Airport rail access is good for New York and the region! It’s unlikely that New York City Transit will ever operate subway trains to or from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
CSX touts GenSet locomotive in Selkirk, N.Y.
Representatives from CSX and New York State Thursday unveiled the state’s second ultra-low emission GenSet locomotive at an event at CSX’s Selkirk Yard. Jointly funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
U.S. freight carload traffic slips in latest week
U.S. freight carload traffic fell 0.2% in the week ending June 25, 2011, the Association of American Railroads said Thursday. Counterbalancing that, U.S. intermodal volume rose 3.3% measured against the comparable week
DOT funds clean-fuel transit technologies
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Wednesday announced that transit providers will be able to compete for a share of $101.4 million in federal funding by proposing innovative projects that create “green” jobs, promote
Wabtec buys GE Transportation parts business
Wabtec Corp. says it has acquired a transit aftermarket parts business from Erie, Pa.-based GE Transportation, which provides parts for propulsion and control systems for the passenger transit car aftermarket in North
DOT aids Amtrak NEC engine purchase
Amtrak’s planned purchase of 70 Cities Sprinter ACS-64 locomotives from Siemens Mobility, initiated last October, got a boost Wednesday from the Department of Transportation, in the form of a $562.9 million loan.