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Mixed Responses to INVEST in America Act

House Democrats crafted it, House Republicans ridicule it, rail labor loves it, APTA likes it, AAR dismisses it, and ASLRRA notes it’s merely a first step in a tedious process: It’s H.R. 3684, the INVEST (Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation) in America Act, passed by the full House in a largely partisan vote. It has a snowball’s chance in Seattle’s June heat wave of going anywhere. Wasted time, wasted effort? Probably, but that’s Washington.

Commentary

SAFE TRAINS Act: Get On Board

The response from my previous article, “North America Rail Supply and China: Why We Should be Concerned,” has been overwhelming and supportive. Apparently, I ripped a Band-Aid off a topic that’s been unfolding and finally being realized by many over the past decade.

Commentary

CN/KCS Voting Trust Approval Better Than Even

Following the closing of the public comment period for the CN voting trust, which ended June 28, we are re-calibrating our expectations and now believe there to be a ~60% chance the Surface Transportation Board approves it. Our viewpoints swayed slightly in favor of CN following a closer look at the public comments over the past 20 days.

Commentary

Technology Has Changed Life on the Railroad

On the Union Pacific website, Vice President-Network Planning & Operations John Turner offered his thoughts on how technology impacts the role of every railroader, a topic Railway Age wanted to share with a broader audience.

Commentary

Final in a Series: An ROD From the Feds. What’s Next?

Throughout my series about the Gateway Program over the past two years, I have often noted changes in circumstances that could, or at least should, give Gateway proponents reason to consider changing the nature or the magnitude of its component projects. That recently happened with the project to start building two new single-track tunnels under the Hudson River.

Commentary

Battery-Electric Tender for Modern Railway Propulsion

A battery-electric locomotive tender can be built using a modified production freight car chassis and carry long-life, grid-scale battery technology. It may operate as a companion to either a diesel-electric or battery-electric locomotive, offering advantages that include more efficient use of diesel fuel and more effective use of railway traction technology, while extending the operating range of plug-in battery-electric locomotives.

Commentary

Why CN’s Open Gateways Offer is a Big Deal

CN’s offer to keep gateways open on commercially reasonable terms is not getting the attention that it is due. This offer is a key part of its proposal to combine with Kansas City Southern—a transaction that significantly enhances competition.

Commentary

Balancing Public, Private Interests Before the STB

For several months, Railway Age has reported extensively on Amtrak’s efforts to begin running two daily round trips between New Orleans and Mobile, and the strong opposition to the plan voiced by CSX and Norfolk Southern (NS). The focus has been on the railroads. But there’s another vital interest at stake: that of the American people to be able to ride new services on “America’s Railroad.”

Commentary

It’s Now an STB Moment

The Class I railroads have responded to the Surface Transportation Board’s strategic question: “Are You Prepared?” Shippers should look for certain signals.

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