September - 2018

High-Value Rail Estate

Transit-oriented developments have been gaining momentum over the past five years as a desire for city life has intensified. As a result, more cities are emphasizing development around both existing and new rail stations. A combination of public policy and private investment is helping to transform these stations into hubs of their communities. “We’re seeing this all around the country now,” said John Holak Jr., vice president and general manager of rail and transit at Urban

Alameda Corridor-East freight-rail trench to be dedicated

California state, federal and local municipal officials next week will dedicate the 1.4-mile San Gabriel freight-rail trench as part of the Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) project in eastern Los Angeles County. The project involved construction of four new bridges spanning the 30-foot-deep freight railroad trench at Ramona Street, Mission Road, Del Mar Avenue and San Gabriel Boulevard; and new railroad bridges over two storm channels in San Gabriel, California. The $293.7 mil

One City's Path to Smart City Leadership

As San Jose has shown, it's as much about having the right people and organizational structures in place as it is about technology. When San Jose, Calif., Mayor Sam Liccardo took office in 2015, he prioritized tech innovation as a means of improving service delivery and quality of life. Speaking about San Jose's smart city vision statement released in March 2016, Liccardo asserted that the city "cannot continue providing the same services in the same ways. … To thrive, San Jo

LA Metro Encourages Public Input on NextGen Bus Study; Launches New Online Interactive Engagement To

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has launched a new online interactive engagement tool to gather more public input as part of the agency’s NextGen Bus Study. The study, launched in January, is designed to create a new bus network that is more relevant, reflective of, and attractive to the residents of Los Angeles County when it launches in the fall of 2019. This effort will improve service to current customers, attract new customers and win back pa

CA: SMART Toots its Horn After First Full Year of Service

Aug. 17--For the past year, county residents have been able to climb aboard commuter trains for the first time in decades, and many are hooked on SMART's green-and-silver cars that glide on 43 miles of track that link Marin and Sonoma counties. The $500 million Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit system that launched Aug. 25, 2017 is off to a solid start, reporting 700,000 passengers in its first year of service to date. The system has also carried more than 60,000 bicycles. "I ha

Transportation And Technology – So Interlinked It’s Almost Impossible To Plan For Tomorrow

As local government leaders finalize fiscal year budgets, many are even more focused on long-range transportation planning. That’s because transportation planning is much harder than planning next year’s budget. How do government officials plan for transportation costs considering the fact that the technology that will be required in three, five or ten years is still being developed? It is a critically important task because there is no doubt that technology will define the f

Kansas City Southern unveils 2017 sustainability report

The sustainability report highlights how the company implements "responsible business practices." Kansas City Southern has published its 2017 sustainability report, which highlights how the company implements "responsible business practices." The report follows the Global Reporting Initiative's latest standards for disclosing governance, economic, social and environmental topics. The standards provide for the disclosure of measurable data and specific information related to

AAR: August 'very good' for U.S. rail traffic

U.S. rail traffic rose 4.5 percent in August compared with the same month a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads' (AAR) data. U.S. railroads moved 2,828,946 carloads and intermodal units during the month. Carload activity rose 3.8 percent to 1,386,026 units, while intermodal volume climbed 5.1 percent to 1,442,920 containers and trailers compared with August 2017, AAR reported in a press release. Last month, 16 of the 20 carload commodity categories that A

High Speed Rail in the US: Myth or Near-Future Possibility?

In Europe, Asia and much of the developed world, high speed rail is convenient and accessible. Whether for business or pleasure, travelers are served by an efficient and extensive rail network that connects passengers to the desired destination on time and with relatively little effort. Although these train systems can travel as fast as 350 kilometers per hour, speed is not the only important factor. Rail stations in Europe, for example, are an integral part of the historic u

Ellis County residents express new concerns as high-speed rail project moves forward

Residents expressed growing concerns — some new and some old — surrounding the proposed high-speed rail project that plans to carve a path through eastern Ellis County. The Federal Railway Administration has now filed a draft of the environmental report on the train system’s impact in the latest milestone for the project. The reports claim the Dallas-to-Houston route would be built to avoid negatively affecting streams, wetlands, floodplains, and other natural and cultural fe