Posted on 08 March 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
JR Tokai (Central Japan Railway Company) says it will compete in the developing of Florida’s planned high-speed railway. The former state-owned company may partner with America’s General Electric in supplying Shinkansen trains for the proposed line connecting Tampa, Orlando and, ultimately, Miami. Travel time for the proposed Tampa-Orlando link would be around 45 minutes, with [...] [...more]
Posted on 08 March 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The Oregon Department of Transportation (Odom) is to buy two new 13-coach Talgo passenger trains for $36.6 million, using federal stimulus money, for delivery in 2012. They will be used in the corridor between Eugene, Oregon, and Vancouver (Canada), supplementing five existing Talgo trainsets. Washington state owns three of these, and Amtrak owns two. The two [...] [...more]
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The start of final design work on San Francisco’s central subway light rail 2.7km extension project has been approved by America’s Federal Transit Administration. Estimated to cost $1.6 billion, the new branch is to leave the existing Third Street line at Fourth Street and run underground to Chinatown. It is intended to construct tunnels [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
On January 14, Mexico federal district government leader Marcelo Ebrard launched a 10-point preventative maintenance programme aimed at improving security and also upgrading Mexico City’s metro network. The cost is to be met by increasing fares one peso. Metal detectors and X-ray machines are to be installed at 30 stations, together with the provision of additional [...] [...more]
Posted on 05 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The New Haven Line, part of New York’s Metro-North Railroad, carries more than 35 million passengers a year from and to the state of Connecticut. The first two-car set of 300 M-8 electric multiple units being built in Japan by Kawasaki Rail Car for the New Haven at a cost of almost $700 million have [...] [...more]
Posted on 01 February 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
America’s railroads had their worst year in decades in 2009, with demand plummeting for coal, timber and other freight. Trains carried 20% less cargo than in 2008, according to the Association of American Railroads, and nearly 21,000 jobs were lost. The period was the worst since the association’s recordkeeping began in 1988. There was a [...] [...more]
Posted on 22 January 2010 by Railways Africa Editor
The US Surface Transportation Board has approved the Northern Rail Extension project of the state-owned Alaska Railroad, which is expected to provide year-round freight access to military training grounds near Delta Junction. The 130km extension will run from Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks to Delta and nearby Fort Greely. The project is expected to finish [...] [...more]
Posted on 24 December 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
In South Carolina on the night of 16 November, a southbound Amtrak passenger express from Charleston to Savannah, Georgia, slammed into a vehicle at a crossing in Hardeeville, killing the four occupants – one a 12-year-old. Police believe the car attempted to beat the train by driving around the automatic gates. Stuck to the front [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 December 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Travellers on the 75km Caltrain line from San Francisco to San Jose will be able to call or go online to check delay information starting in spring 2011. The Caltrain board of directors signed a $1.8 million deal with a Maryland-based transportation firm to instal GPS tracking technology inside the trains. The operator will [...] [...more]
Posted on 12 December 2009 by Railways Africa Editor
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway investment company has announced its intention to purchase the 77.4% of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railway (BNSF) stock it doesn’t already own, effectively making Buffett the owner of BNSF. It will be the biggest deal yet in a career of big deals. Berkshire Hathaway is to pay $34 billion in [...] [...more]
