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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.

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.

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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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D.C. streetcar debut date slips

Streetcars in the nation’s capital won’t return until late 2013, one year later than the most recent target date, according to the District Department of Transportation. Washington, D.C. is proceeding with two

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Truck tonnage drops for second month

American Trucking Associations (ATA) Chief Economist Bob Costello says tuck tonnage has encountered a "slow patch." He said ATA’s seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index decreased 2.3% in May after declining 0.6%

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Fallon, Nev., June 24: Acts of selfless bravery

A United Transportation conductor died and another wasinjured in a fiery grade crossing collision at Fallon, Nev., last Friday thatalso took the lives of five other people. The story behind that story is toldin a tribute posted Wednesday on the union’s website, www.utu.org. Someexcerpts:

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FTA taps PB for management framework

Parsons Brinckerhoff said Wednesday it has been awarded a contract by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to develop and document a transit asset management framework and implementation guide that will support the

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Portland set for LRT extension construction

Groundbreaking ceremonies are scheduled for this Thursday for Portland’s 7.3-mile light rail extension to the suburban city of Milwaukie, beginning at the Willamette River, where a multimodal transit bridge will be built.

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CN to merge three U.S. subsidiary roads

Canadian National plans to merge three railroads into one, under the Wisconsin Central Railway moniker, by year’s end, the railroad says, in a consolidation that among other advantages could streamline CN rail

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Rail projects get DOT New Starts boost

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Monday announced $1.58 billion for 28 public transit items, to be funded by Fiscal Year 2011 Section 5309 “New Starts” allocations. Rail transit projects made out exceptionally

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Truck crashes into California Zephyr, killing 6

The preliminary death count remained at six Monday as investigators continued to examine the wreckage left when a highway tractor-trailer rig crashed into a double-deck car of Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr at