March - 2018

High-speed rail ‘could help relocation’: South Surrey-White Rock MP

South Surrey-White Rock MP Gordie Hogg says he is encouraged following a recent meeting with B.C. Premier John Horgan that there is a chance for meaningful forward progress on relocating rail traffic away from waterfront areas in the riding. Hogg – who was in Victoria last week to meet with Horgan and provincial ministers and MLAs – noted in particular Horgan’s subsequent announcement that the province will chip in $300,000 towards a U.S. business-case study of a high-speed r

Time to think big about high-speed rail

Reporter Marek Warszawski did a good job highlighting the issues regarding development of the high-speed rail through Fresno. He concluded that Fresno should strongly support the HSR despite cost overruns, I agree. The article cites former Mayor Jim Patterson’s objections related to excessive cost. Major projects frequently have cost overruns. What would the Bay Area be like without BART, also the cost overruns in reconstructing the Bay Bridge and locally, the costly PG&E pow

Editorial: Game of Drones

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering a plan to integrate drones across U.S. national airspace. Several large corporations have proposed a low-altitude control grid, which they would operate, to manage these unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), popularly referred to as drones. For Americans who prefer their skies to be as unpeopled as possible—and for those who don’t like the idea of little propeller-driven machines flying above their homes—this may well inspir

BTS Statistical Release: 2017 North American Freight Numbers

BTS 13-18 Friday, March 16, 2018 BTS Contact: Dave Smallen Tel: 202-366-5568 david.smallen@dot.gov SOURCE: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, TransBorder Freight Data NOTE: Numbers might not add to totals due to rounding. Percent changes based on numbers prior to rounding. All five major transportation modes – truck, rail, pipeline, vessel and air – carried more U.S. freight with Canada and Mexico by value in 2017 than in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Transporta

SNCF America, Inc. States Proposed Texas Central Rail Project Would Doom Texas' Passenger Rail F

Summary of Comments Submitted to Federal Railroad Administration by Global High-Speed Rail Operator AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SNCF America, Inc. has submitted comments in response to the Federal Railway Administration (FRA) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for the Dallas to Houston High-Speed Rail Project proposed by Texas Central Rail (TCR). SNCF is a global leader in passenger transport services and one of the largest operators of high-speed rail in th

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces Half A Billion Dollars in Infrastructure Investments to

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) today announced the list of 41 recipients of nearly $500 million in discretionary grant funding for road, transit, maritime and rail projects through the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program. “TIGER grants are targeted investments for our local communities that will increase safety, create jobs and modernize our country’s infrastructure,” said Secretary Elaine L. Chao. More than 64%

Public Trial of 'Last Mile' Pods Underway in London

The public will be able to ride in one of the driverless pods along a 2-kilometre route Members of the public are being invited to test a fleet of driverless pods in Greenwich, London as part of a research project to help shape ‘last mile’ transport. Over the next four weeks, visitors and residents at the Greenwich Peninsula will have the opportunity to engage with the new technology and share their experiences. “Typically these type of vehicles are described as suitable for

CERAWeek: Rick Perry Says Innovation, Not Regulation, Is ‘New Energy Realism’

U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks at CERAWeek by IHS Markit on March 7 in Houston. (Image: CERAWeek by IHS Markit) HOUSTON—If there was one thing Rick Perry, U.S. Secretary of Energy, wanted the assembled crowd of energy executives, analysts, media and other interested parties to take away from his keynote address on March 7 at CERAWeek by IHS Markit it was that innovation, not regulation, has set America on a path toward energy security, and it will continue to do so.

Embroidering Electronics Into the Next Generation of ‘Smart’ Fabrics

Is an archaic sewing skill a key to connected, sensing, communicating fabrics of the future? Archaeology reveals that humans started wearing clothes some 170,000 years ago, very close to the second-to-last ice age. Even now, though, most modern humans wear clothes that are only barely different from those earliest garments. But that’s about to change as flexible electronics are increasingly woven into what are being called “smart fabrics.” Many of these are already available

The Ticking Time Bomb for Suburban Retail

Lightning-speed deliveries and autonomous cars could accelerate the current big-box implosion. Thanks largely to the rise of e-commerce, chains like Macy’s, Toys “R” US, and Best Buy are shuttering faster than analysts predicted even a year ago, with at least 24 major retailers planning store closures in 2018. According to some forecasters, there’s an even larger retail apocalypse on the horizon. As overbuilt malls, corporate mergers, and autonomous vehicles converge, “the in