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Vermonters call for extending Amtrak Ethan Allen service

Members of Vermont’s Presidents of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, Rutland Regional Chamber of Commerce,  and the Addison County Chamber of Commerce on Monday were set to announce their organizations’

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Opinion: A “new” U.S. passenger railcar industry?

By Gene Skoropowski, Managing Director, Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority On March 16, China’s Ministry of Railways signed a $5.7 billion contract with domestic manufacturer China CNR Corp. for 100 220-mph high

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Metropolitan Railway Club of New York offers scholarship

The Metropolitan Railway Club of New York has announcedapplications are available for the Richard J. Collins Memorial TuitionScholarship. “Dependents of club members are eligible to apply for this tuitionscholarship if the club

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Virginia commits state funds to add Amtrak service

In a first for “The Old Dominion State,” Virginia will provide $25.2 million in state funding to run two round-trip Amtrak trains serving Washington, D.C., over a three-year period. One train would

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Amtrak labor force to get back pay May 1

Amtrak employees will receive 100% of their back pay on May 1, according to Amtrak President Joseph Boardman, who informed UTU International President Mike Futhey of the move Thursday. Boardman said the

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Rail rate of return rises to 11.21% in 2008

The Class I railroad rate of return on net investment increased to 11.21% in 2008 from 10.10% in 2007, according to statistics released by the Surface Transportation Board on Thursday, March 19.

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Claude Brinegar, transit funding advocate, dies at 82

Claude S. Brinegar, an oil industry executive who served as U.S. Secretary of Transportation under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and became a persuasive advocate of federal funding of mass transit, died in Palo

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Freight traffic doldrums continue

U.S. freight traffic for the week ended March 14 fell 15% from the comparable week a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported, though traffic was up 1.5% from the previous

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Indiana Rail Road to tap new coal business

The Indiana Rail Road Co. says it has signed an agreement with Peabody Energy to construct a 5.2-mile rail spur to Peabody’s new Bear Run Mine in Sullivan County, Ind., which it

St. Paul Council OKs Central Corridor LRT routing

The St. Paul, Minn., City Council Wednesday approved the proposed $914 million, 11-mile Central Corridor light rail line linking downtown St. Paul with Minneapolis and the existing Hiawatha Line LRT. The approval makes it more likely that the project will remain on schedule and also receive federal funding.

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Ward honored as Railroader of the Year

In front of a March 17 capacity crowd at Chicago’s Union League Club, CSX chief executive Michael J. Ward accepted Railway Age’s 2009 Railroader of the Year Award. During his acceptance speech,

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Obama Administration picks Szabo for top FRA post

President Obama late Wednesday, March 18, nominated Joe Szabo to head the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Szabo is the Illinois state legislative director of the United Transportation Union (UTU). Szabo is a

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Ontario offers grant to Thales Rail Signalling

Ontario is providing a C$12.8 million (US$10 million) grant to support a five-year investment by Thales Rail Signalling Solutions worth C$85 million (US$67 million) to improve the province’s rail transit signaling technology.

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Rail employment down 2.1% in 12 months

U.S. Class I railroads employed 159,511 workers in mid-January 2009, 2.11% fewer than in mid-January 2008, the Surface Transportation Board reported in new statistics posted Wednesday. The biggest decline was in the transportation (train

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UPS cites Kansas City Southern stellar performance

Atlanta-based United Parcel Service, Inc. has recognized Kansas City Southern Railway Co. with an award for providing consistent, reliable service and achieving a perfect peak season for 2008. In the fourth quarter,

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Foam blocks added as part of TRAX bridge

Utah Transit Authority says its will begin installing a state-of-the-art bridge foundation made of 40-foot Geofoam blocks March 19, as part of its West Valley Light Rail line construction project. An inaugural ceremony

CSX goes “green” in Illinois

On St. Patrick’s Day, when many people are sporting the color green, CSX touted “green” by unveiling its first low-emission, fuel-efficient switcher locomotives deployed in Illinois.

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London’s Crossrail awards design contracts to Jacobs

Pasadena, Calif.-based Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., has been awarded design framework contracts by Crossrail Ltd. (CRL) for tunnels, shafts, and stations associated with a new rail line that will be built across London at an