Phoenix Valley Metro on Wednesday began operating a solar-cooled light rail transit stop, located at Third and Washington streets in the state capital. The station structure (pictured below) combines solar power with
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has been awarded $3.3 million to study the performance of certain track components to improve safety and efficiency on rail routes served by freight rail and
Massachusetts’ Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs has issued a certificate to the Department of Transportation (MassDOT) that sets out a scope of work for a final environmental impact report for South
The Department of Transportation has awarded $72.8 million to Massachusetts to rehabilitate 50 miles of track in the Bay State, allowing Amtrak service to Vermont to return to an earlier and potentially
U.S. railroads reported 225 fatalities to the Federal Railroad Administration in this year’s first four months, an 8.7% increase compared with the corresponding period last year. Trespasser fatalities increased 14% to 130.
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
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
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
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
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.
$7 billion is available for Class II and Class III railroads.
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.
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.
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.
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:
How Union Pacific achieved a record 8.6-day car cycle time. For many years, freight car shortages plagued the railroad industry.
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.
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.
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.
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.
