#National

DB consortium selected for California high speed rail consultancy contract

USA: California High-Speed Rail Authority announced on October 6 that the DB Engineering & Consulting USA consortium has submitted the highest-scoring proposal for the Early Train Operator services contract. The winner of the ETO contract would provide CHSRA with an operating perspective during the planning and procurement of civil works, rolling stock and facilities, with the aim of ensuring that the high speed line will be attractive to passengers while minimising operating

Some Tulsa-to-OKC Rail Supporters Already Thinking of High-Speed Trains

Some Oklahoma passenger rail opponents believe it's time to consider high-speed rail between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. A concept presented at an interim study calls for trains on elevated tracks, which would be similar to this Shinkansen train in Taiwan. How would you like to get to Oklahoma City in 25 minutes? Some passenger rail supporters think it’s possible with high-speed rail. At state Sen. Kevin Matthews' interim study on passenger rail Tuesday, McGrath Construction Pre

CA bullet train segment cost is 27% higher than initial estimate

Dive Brief: Costs for the 119-mile stretch of a high-speed rail line planned through California's Central Valley are $1.7 billion higher than expected, so far, at $8 billion, according to the Los Angeles Times, citing a June report that was recently made public. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) said the overruns are due to the increasing cost of land acquisition, the need to move underground utilities and discussions with freight rail companies around logistic

An Infrastructure Deal Should Be Easy, But Isn't

The stars should be aligned for a big infrastructure deal. The lingering devastation from the hurricanes that crippled Houston and Florida underscored the national problems of crumbling roads and bridges, inadequate transportation systems and aging electrical grids. President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats both want Washington to spend billions on repairs and construction. The need is critical. The American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave the country's infr

Hyperloop One names 4 potential US routes

Dive Brief: Hyperloop One has selected 10 routes — including four in the U.S. — as part of its Hyperloop One Global Challenge, according to the company. It wants to have three full-scale systems operational by 2021. Officials issued an open invitation to public and private groups in May 2016 to develop a plan for a hyperloop system in their respective localities. The company will now allocate resources to each team to determine the top three commercially viable routes. The U.

Agencies Told to Cut Regulatory Budgets in Fiscal 2018

President Trump’s point person in his push for deregulation has sent regulatory officers at all agencies instructions to submit a budget for fiscal 2018 that produces “a net reduction in total incremental regulatory costs.” In a Sept. 7 memo, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs Administrator Neomi Rao called on agencies to plan implementation of Trump’s executive orders on easing regulatory burdens by better controlling regulatory cost allowances. The director of the

U.S. House Passes Bill To Allow Self-Driving Cars in Every State

Self-driving cars have been on the horizon for the past few years, as companies like Tesla and Waymo have been focused on bringing autonomous vehicles to the market. Even though self-driving tech has been improving, it seems perpetually a few years away. Now, the U.S. House just passed legislation that could accelerate the development of self-driving cars by allowing them to be driven in all 50 states. The House bill, called the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Res

Automatic Emergency Relief from FTA Regulatory Requirements Applicable to Hurricane Harvey Response

Charter Transit agencies may take actions, such as providing service for evacuations, returning evacuees from shelters to their homes, transporting utility workers, and providing service to shelter residents, as long as these actions are directly related to Hurricane Harvey, without triggering the charter rule. Transit agencies may provide such services for up to 45 days from a declaration of emergency by the President, governor or mayor. For Texas, the Presidential declarati

MARITIME ADMINISTRATION MOBILIZES NATIONAL DEFENSE RESERVE FLEET VESSELS IN SUPPORT OF HURRICANE HA

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) has activated two National Defense Reserve Fleet vessels for a pre-scripted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mission to support relief efforts in Texas. The State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College’s training ship, EMPIRE STATE VI, and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s training ship, KENNEDY, have received orders to set sail within 10 days for the 4 to 5 day transit fr

Trump predicts swift emergency funding for Texas

President Trump predicted Monday that Texas will receive swift emergency funding from Congress to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. “I think you’re going to see very rapid action from Congress, certainly from the president,” Trump told reporters at a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. “You’re going to get your funding. It’s a terrible tragedy.” Trump added that he expects to see an emergency spending request on his desk “fairly soon,” and b

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