news

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New Orleans RTA ponders three new streetcar lines

Resuming a push for streetcar expansion interrupted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, New Orleans’ Regional Transit Authority is advocating additions (or extensions) to its existing operations, at a projected cost of $212

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U.S. rail fatalities down 11.9% in first half of 2009

U.S. railroads reported 327 fatalities in the first six months of 2009, mostly due to trespassing and highway-rail grade crossing collisions. That was an 11.9% improvement over the 371 fatalities reported in

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CN opens Toronto Automotive Compound to tap Ontario market

Canadian National Friday officially opened its new C$14 million (US$13 million) Toronto Automotive Compound at MacMillan yard, north of the Ontario provincial capital. The new facility’s track layout will accommodate the unloading

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FRA grants $28 million for Pittsburgh maglev effort

The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded $28 million for continued planning of a proposed maglev operating linking downtown Pittsburgh with the city’s international airport. The proposal has survived for nearly 30 years,

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Walder, new MTA chief, promises management shakeup

Jay Walder, confirmed by the New York State Senate Thursday as the new chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has vowed to initiate change within the organization, starting with its

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AAR: Traffic decline tapering off

The Association of American Railroads late Thursday reported that, while U.S. freight rail carloads of 1,116,182 for August were 16.4% lower compared with the same month last year, the percentage decline for

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Some commodity groups see carload gains

Seven of the 19 carload freight commodity groups charted by the Association of American Railroads showed gains for the week ended September 5, compared with the corresponding week in 2008. The gains

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CTA awards Teleste Corp. security camera contract

The Chicago Transit Authority has awarded a $4.3 million contract to Teleste Corp. of Georgetown, Tex., for the supply of two new types of high-resolution digital security cameras and related equipment. One type will be

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Ottawa settles with Siemens over scrapped LRT project

Ottawa will pay Siemens Canada and two other contractors C$36.7 million (US$33.9 million) to settle a lawsuit triggered when the city abandoned efforts to build a C$1 billion north-south light rail line. The project had been approved by the city council, but rejected by the council in late 2006 after an election changed the body’s representation.

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Denver eyes EMUs for airport rail access

Denver is opting for electric multiple-unit (EMU) rail service to link the city’s proposed regional rail system, with its hub at Denver Union Station, with Denver International Airport. The city’s Regional Transportation

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Amtrak NEC riders experience “security surge”

Amtrak Wednesday implemented a “multi-force security surge” at stations and on trains in the Northeast Corridor, which included “random passenger bag inspections at unannounced locations,” according to the Transportation Security Administration. A

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B.H.I.T. acquires rail tie reclamation company

B.H.I.T., Inc. , a publicly traded company based in Boca Raton, Fla., has acquired 100% of the equity securities of the Wood Energy Group, Inc. for $6.4 million. St. Louis-based Wood Energy is a railroad tie reclamation/energy

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RSSI issues update on grade crossing legislation

The six-year, $500 billion surface transportation bill spearheaded by Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, would terminate the Section 130 rail-highway grade crossing program two years

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APTA: Take transit and save $762 a month

The American Public Transportation Association released a report Sept. 4 showing that an individual in a two-person household can save an average of $762 a month by taking public transportation and living with one