www.progressiverailroading.com US News
Safety Article
After the Quebec accident HERE
"44,000 jobs created for every $1 billion spent on infrastructure"
BENEFITS OF HIGH SPEED RAIL FOR LAS VEGAS
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 Letter to the editor: Constant rhetoric against building the high-speed train from Las Vegas to Victorville, California is foolish in many ways.
Creating the startup for the long-overdue rail system between states should serve as a need to keep extending the lines. The second phase could be extended to Disneyland. Then we could start looking north to Carson City, Utah, etc. If the system is successful, other states' congressmen will want to jump into the act and start approving funding for interstate rail lines.
What we know for sure is many jobs will be created, including manual labor and high-tech work. High speed rail will help slow our dependence on foreign oil and reduce carbon emissions that are polluting our atmosphere. The feds providing $100 billion for these projects is a drop in the bucket compared with the trillions we have spent on wars and foreign aid. If Congress would start trying to help America grow and provide funding for these projects, we would no longer have problems with unemployment and people hating the government. More info |
TEXAS PRIVATE HIGH SPEED RAIL ADVANCING
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 Tom Schieffer's name gives octane to Texas high speed rail projectA Japanese-funded outfit has recruited Tom Schieffer to its fold. Schieffer's name gives this venture added credibility, especially in North Texas. He was ambassador to Japan under President George W. Bush.
The Texas Central Railway is working on a Dallas-to-Houston route that it says will not need government money.
The railway project figures Dallas-Houston itself would be a lucrative route, but the push is on within North Texas to get stops west of here, possibly Arlington, DFW Airport or Fort Worth. These trains would be true high-speed rail - bullet trains - traveling at more than 200 mph.
The goal is train service leaving North Texas every half hour all day long. Each one would carry up to 500 passengers. The estimate is 90 minutes from Dallas to Houston, with some models paring that down to at little as 77 minutes.
The selling points of the service would be the convenience of not having to fight the airport fight, especially the weather delays and the hated TSA body searches. Rental cars would be available at either end of the line, and passengers could get their keys on board the train en route. Cost of the project could exceed $10 billion, and a consortium of Japanese rail operators and lenders is putting this together. More info
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OKLAHOMA HIGH SPEED RAIL TALKS BEGIN
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 State starts looking at high speed rail projectProposals for passenger rail service connecting Oklahoma City and Tulsa are drawing support from officials in and between the state's two largest cities - but there is no consensus yet on the details or type of high-speed rail system. David Streb, director of engineering for ODOT, said the hearings are the first step of an environmental impact study that is the first phase of the process of studying potential passenger rail service. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has scheduled meetings in Tulsa, Stroud, and Oklahoma City to gather public input as part of a study into establishing rail service between the cities. Streb said the FRA has designated the Tulsa-Oklahoma City corridor as one of 11 high priority rail corridors to be developed nationwide. "The Federal Railroad Administration felt this is worthy enough to provide about $3 million for the study, which to me is a feather in Oklahoma's cap," Streb said. Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett said he supports a high-speed rail connection. More info |
USHSR INTERVIEW - INSTITUTIONAL REAL ESTATE
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Institutional Real Estate discussed high speed rail and transit oriented development opportunities coming to America with USHSR President Andy Kunz.
"In this interview, Kunz makes the case that high speed rail will change the way we do business and will unlock a fortune in new transit-oriented real estate developments across the country. What's more, he says, it could be entirely funded by private investors." Listen now |
JOIN USHSR TODAY!
USHSR membership puts you at the forefront of a new revolution in 21st century, sustainable transportation in America. Be out in front of the trends and play a leading role in America's next industrial revolution, and real estate boom! Join today
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HYPERLOOP CONCEPT HITS THE SCENE!
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Entrepreneuer Elon Musk, famous for electric car maker Tesla, has excited the world with his new idea for a super fast train in a tube called Hyperloop.
Futuristic ideas like this always generate lots of interest, and media coverage... especially coming from a high-profile, successful business man. Traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 30 minutes sure sounds appealing considering how long the trip takes now, and the levels of hassle one has to go through flying or driving. "Elon Musk clearly sees the great value of high speed rail!" said Andy Kunz, USHSR President. "Hyperloop is an exciting concept and we commend Mr. Musk for devoting time and brain power to take a serious look at this type of transportation. He has already done a great service for America advancing electric cars, and is producing a less expensive model for the masses, which we applaud. While we support advances in transportation and futuristic thinking, we focus on what's the most advanced, readily available fast rail systems we can build today - tested, proven, safe and successful systems. Our transportation and energy situation is getting so bad, we need high speed rail yesterday across America!" Hyperloop is many years away from being ready for commercial application, if its even feasible. Years of testing and research have yet to be done. Its not impossible, but there's a lot of steps between slick renderings and a commercially viable operational system. Musk's investigation into such an experimental transport system has already raised more questions than answers. Once the idea can be further developed, tested, and scaled up to test with humans inside, it then it has to go through all the complicated politics, funding, permitting, environmental review, public hearings, land acquisition, NIMBYS, lawsuits, and all the rest of the process the California high speed rail project is currently going through. Following that, there's the complicated construction process, which for something that's never been built anywhere is even more challenging. "It doesn't seem plausible to me," said Richard White, a professor of American history at Stanford and author of Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America. "I'm suspicious about everything, especially cost. How's he going to build this thing for $US6 billion? You can't even build the Bay Bridge for that much money." The still-unfinished renovations of the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland are expected to cost $US6.3 billion. Dan Richard, CEO of the California High Speed Rail Authority said "If and when Mr. Musk pursues his hyperloop technology, we'll be happy to share our experience about what it really takes to build a project in California, across seismic zones, minimizing impacts on farms, businesses and communities and protecting sensitive environmental areas and species." So don't pack your bags just yet. In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek on Monday, Musk said he regretted mentioning the Hyperloop last year, saying that he has no time to work on the project and instead has to run SpaceX and Tesla Motors, his two other companies. More info | Hyperloop analysis | Another system | One more | Next great transport idea |
NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSN. -TRANSPORTATION
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National Governors Association Meeting on Infrastructure Investments was held last week. Watch it on video. Secretary Foxx and Chairman Shuster were the special guests. More info
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BTS Releases Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI);
Freight Shipments Fell 0.2% in June from May
(Excerpts from report. Full report HERE)
The amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry fell 0.2 percent in June from May, declining after a one month increase, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) released today. The June 2013 index level (113.8) was 20.0 percent above the April 2009 low during the most recent recession (Tables 1, 2, and 2A).
The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments by mode of transportation in tons and ton-miles, which are combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.
Analysis: The decrease of 0.2 percent in June freight transportation was driven by a decline in rail carloads and pipeline shipments. Coal and grain were the weakest commodities for rail carloads. Trucking, rail intermodal (a separate measure from rail carloads), and water were stable, while air freight grew.
www.railway-technology.com Updates...
UK railway crime down 2% in 2012/13
The British Transport Police (BTP) has announced that crime on the UK's railways decreased by 2% in 2012/13, marking the ninth consecutive year of decreasing offences.
The British Transport Police (BTP) has announced that crime on the UK's railways decreased by 2% in 2012/13, marking the ninth consecutive year of decreasing offences.
Brazil delays bids for $16.4bn high-speed rail project
The Brazilian government has postponed the bidding process for its BRL38bn ($16.4bn) high-speed rail project, which would link the country's two largest cities, by at least one year.
The Brazilian government has postponed the bidding process for its BRL38bn ($16.4bn) high-speed rail project, which would link the country's two largest cities, by at least one year.
Greenbrier to provide railcar maintenance for CIT Rail in the US
Greenbrier has signed a maintenance agreement with CIT Rail to provide dedicated access to its railcar repair and parts shop in Atchison, Kansas.
Greenbrier has signed a maintenance agreement with CIT Rail to provide dedicated access to its railcar repair and parts shop in Atchison, Kansas.
Skanska wins rail contracts in Finland and Norway
Skanska has secured a SEK320m (€37.5m) contract from Länsimetro for the construction of the Keilaniemi metro station in Espoo, Finland, and a SEK600m (€69m) contract for a tramway extension project in Bergen, Norway.
Skanska has secured a SEK320m (€37.5m) contract from Länsimetro for the construction of the Keilaniemi metro station in Espoo, Finland, and a SEK600m (€69m) contract for a tramway extension project in Bergen, Norway.
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