Charlotte engineers: Streetcar debuts in 2015

An initial 1.5 miles of Charlotte, N.C.’s planned 10-mile streetcar line will begin operating by March 2015, city engineers told residents and local media Thursday evening.

Traktionssysteme Austria adds U.S. office

Traktionsysteme Austria (TSA), a supplier of rail vehicle propulsion system components, has established a U.S. presence with Traction Systems, Inc., which will directly serve customers in North America.

Watco, Bourque Logistics form alliance

Bourque Logistics on Thursday said it has formed an alliance with Watco Compliance Services to offer combined railcar maintenance and regulatory compliance services to rail shippers.

Wall Street rewards CP stock

Investors on Wall Street, watching events at Canadian Pacific carefully throughout the week, continued to reward the company Thursday for its apparent—and now affirmed—shakeup of CP’s Board of Directors.

U.S. carload traffic still down; intermodal still up

The trends, both good and bad, continue for U.S. freight traffic ending the week of May 12, 2012, the Association of American Railroads reported Thursday. U.S. freight carload traffic fell 5.2% from levels recorded in the same week one year ago, while U.S. intermodal volume notched another weekly gain, up 3.1%, compared with the same week in 2011.

Operation Lifesaver warns photographers on safety

Operation Lifesaver Thursday cautioned professional photographers to be aware of the risks of taking photos of high school seniors and wedding parties on train tracks or trestles.

Pact eases way for Charlotte LYNX extension

Charlotte’s LYNX Blue Line Extension (BLE) light rail project along the North Carolina Railroad corridor moved a big step forward Wednesday with the announcement that the North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR), the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), and Norfolk Southern Corp. had signed lease, construction, and operating agreements for the 2.7-mile addition to the light rail line.

CP’s Green, five directors step down from Board

In a sweeping move, Canadian Pacific early Thursday announced not only the departure of President and CEO Fred Green—a move widely expected—but also the declaration of six existing directors not to stand for re-election. Green’s departure was effective “immediately”; he also will not stand for re-election as a director.

West of Hudson transit study enters Phase 2

MTA Metro-North Railroad announced that it has completed Phase 1 of the West of Hudson Regional Transit Access Alternatives Analysis Study, and is now embarking on Phase 2. The agency will hold an open house in Newburgh, N. Y. (Orange County) next month to present the latest information on the study.

El Paso OKs streetcar study

City Council members in El Paso, Tex., on Tuesday voted 6-to-2 to approve $1.25 million for an engineering and environmental assessment for a streetcar system.

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