China increases commitment to rail infrastructure
China will invest more than $100 billion per year in rail construction on average during the next three years, an increase from a previously announced increase to roughly $88 billion this year,
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AAR to FRA: Stick to scope of PTC mandate
The Association of American Railroads Thursday urged the Federal Railroad Administration to “faithfully follow the Congressional statutory mandate requiring railroads to implement positive train control (PTC) technologies across certain portions of the
New Jersey county, township reach short line accord
Officials from Morris County, N.J., have reached agreement with Roxbury Township counterparts on a $6 million planned reconstruction of four miles of rail line within the municipality. The Chester Branch line, linking
Pandrol cites product use on China HSR lines
Pandrol says its fastenings are in use on two of China’s recently completed high speed dedicated passenger links. The two lines have commenced operations with top speeds of 155 mph; increases to
Pakistan prepares for freight rail link with Iran, Turkey
Pakistan will mark its independence day August 14 with the launch of through freight rail service, including container traffic, linking its capital, Islamabad, with Istanbul, Turkey, via Tehran, Iran’s capital. The route
KCS reshuffles operations management
Kansas City Southern announced Wednesday that it has assigned broadened responsibilities to David R. Elbrecht, former vice president transportation of the Kansas City Southern Railway Co. (KCSR), who on July 24 was appointed senior vice
NS to spend $95 million on Crescent Corridor terminal
Norfolk Southern announced Wednesday that it plans to build a $95 million intermodal terminal in Greencastle, Pa., as part of the railroad’s Crescent Corridor initiative to establish a high speed intermodal freight rail
No one-person crews for New York subways–yet
The Transport Workers Union demonstrated its strength in recent contract negotiations with MTA New York City Transit Authority. An arbitration ruling made public Tuesday gives workers an 11.1% pay increase over a three-year period.
Google Transit adds five Amtrak routes for trip planning
Five Amtrak routes have been added to Google Transit, Google’s public transportation trip planning function, for trip planning, Amtrak and Google have announced. The routes include: Empire Service (New York-Albany-Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y.); Ethan Allen Express (New York-Albany-Rutland, Vt.); Hiawatha Service trains (Chicago – Milwaukee); Pacific Surfliner Service (San Diego-Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo, Calif.); and San Joaquin service (Oakland-Sacramento-Fresno-Bakersfield, Calif.).
Domestic container traffic gains in second quarter
U.S. domestic container traffic continued to defy overall downward intermodal volume trends in the second quarter, gaining 0.9%, compared with the comparable 2008 period, according to the Intermodal Association of North America
TriMet adds Siemens Type 4 LRVs to system
Light rail riders throughout Portland’s TriMet system last weekend began boarding the agency’s new Type 4 cars, built by SiemensTransportation Systems, Inc., as the agency put the first of 22 Type 4s into revenue service.
Bombardier signs maintenance contract with Germany’s LNVG
Bombardier Transportation said Wednesday it has received a maintenance contract from the Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen mbH (LNVG) in Lower Saxony, Germany, for two Bombardier TRAXX locomotives and 34 double-deck intermediate and driving coaches.
RailAmerica announces contract-switching business
Jacksonville, Fla.-based RailAmerica says it has launched a new contract-switching business, RailAmerica Contract Switching Services (RACS), to serve industrial customers. With contract switching, businesses that have a continuous need for railcar handling
Huron Central Railroad nears short-term reprieve
Ontario has moved to assist short line Huron Central Railroad in the short term, providing funding to continue operations between the railroad’s headquarters city of Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, and averting
Recession keeps cutting into Amtrak ridership
July marked the ninth straight month Amtrak ridership dropped as cuts in business travel impacted ridership, attributable to the ongoing recession, the national passenger rail corporation says. Ridership fell 8.4% to 2.5 million
Montana state board rejects coal mine’s rail spur application
The Montana State Land Board Monday, fearful of conflicting effort, rejected a right-of-way application from a proposed Wyoming border coal mine seeking to build a rail spur into Montana. The rail line
UK plan: Cut short-haul flights, add high speed trains
Britain’s transport Secretary, Lord Andrew Adonis, has proposed a plan to create a network of 250-mph trains that would "progressively replace" short-haul flights. "For reasons of carbon reduction and wider environmental benefits, it is manifestly
MTA plans new five-year, $25.5 billion capital program
New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released a proposed new five-year capital investment program Monday. It adds up to $25.5 billion and includes, during the period 2010-2014, more than 500 new subway
APTA cites latest transit rider savings calculations
The American Public Transportation Association Monday released its latest “Transit Savings Report,” stating individuals who rode public transportation saved on average $9,167 annually, or about $764 per month, based on the August
Deadline looms for Huron Central Railway
Communities lining Ontario’s North Shore are racing to beat an Aug. 15 deadline to preserve freight rail service on the Huron Central Railway, linking Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. A committee formed