#Rail

China, Japan set to sign up to 30 joint ventures in foreign infrastructure markets

Rail superpowers Japan and China are to go ahead with long-discussed moves to cooperate on overseas infrastructure projects, with Thailand’s $5.5bn East Coast scheme under discussion as their debut project. The two sides are to take up the matter when Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe visits Beijing in October. The expectation is that memorandums of understanding for 20 to 30 projects will be signed, possibly including the Thai economic corridor. Before then, in September, a

High-Speed Rail CEO: People Will Ask How They Lived Without It

High-speed rail will reduce travel times between major California cities. That is the belief of the bullet-train authority’s CEO Brian P. Kelly, who spoke in Fresno on Friday (Sept. 7). He said when the rail is built, for example, it will cut the time from San Francisco to Los Angeles compared to a car by half. First, HSR needs to build its initial segment, from Bakersfield to Merced through Fresno. Kelly anticipates that to be completed by 2026. There is no estimate for the

High-speed rail officials update public on Burbank-to-L.A. section of project

The proposed Burbank to Los Angeles section of the state high-speed rail project is still projected to be built alongside the existing tracks used by Metro, Metrolink, Amtrak and freight operators. (Courtesy of the California High Speed Rail Authority) Officials with the California High-Speed Rail Authority met with Burbank and Glendale residents this week to update them on the progress of the project’s Burbank-to-Los Angeles section. During meetings at the Buena Vista Branch

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

High-speed rail in America: Tracks to the future

Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University, explores the benefits that high-speed rail will bring to America and how it will play a vital role in future mobility, especially as the country’s population continues to grow. “We must find ways to move more people, to move these people faster, and to move them with greater comfort and with more safety,” were the words spoken by President Lyndon B. Johnson when he signed

Automobiles, planes, and—oh yes—trains

Passenger trains don’t operate in a vacuum. They compete for business against air and motor vehicles. The results of the competition are reflected in, and measured by, their respective market share. Automobiles win the competition for the great majority of intercity travel, even in the highest-density corridors. Amtrak’s strongest single train, in market share, output and average trip length, is the one that serves the least populated, second-longest and most remote market in

AAR: U.S. carloads, intermodal traffic up in Week 21

U.S. railroads moved 565,502 carloads and intermodal units during the week ending May 26, marking a 4.4 percent increase over the same week last year. Total carloads ticked up 3 percent to 273,226 units during Week 21, while intermodal traffic grew 5.8 percent to 292,276 containers and trailers, according to Association of American Railroads (AAR) data. Eight of the 10 carload commodity groups that AAR tracks on a weekly basis posted increases compared with the same week

APTA to Trump: Use rescinded funds for rail, bus repairs

President Donald Trump has proposed rescinding $279 million of prior-year surface transportation funding, including $100 million of public transit and intercity passenger-rail grants, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced yesterday. In a "legislative alert," APTA said that the president's administration has proposed rescinding: • $47 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) formula grants that had been provided in federal fiscal-year 2005 a

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