Articles by Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW ORLEANS – For the first time in 40 years, the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority will resume revenue service of the Canal Streetcar line. "The new Streetcar will be a bright, functional and most-welcomed addition to our city," said Sandra Shilstone, president and CEO of the New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation. "Generations of New Orleanians have ridden the Streetcar to and from work, and visitors love the old-world charm of the ride." The new Canal Streetcar will take thousands of locals and tourists to work and play each day as it travels the 5.5-mile route from the French Market,

NEWARK, N.J. — For the second straight year, Governor James E. McGreevey’s budget calls for N.J. Transit fares remain at their current level. "Public transportation must remain affordable for the hundreds of thousands of hard-working New Jerseyans who commute to work every day," McGreevey said. "This is an important addition to their quality of life – and yet another way we’re investing to keep New Jersey’s economy the strongest among the Northeastern states." In keeping the fares the same this year, McGreevey decided to allocate an extra $85 million to N.J. Transit. These additional funds, combined with internal cost efficiencies,

WASHINGTON — In testimony before the full Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, on the safety and security of passenger rail and public transportation systems, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) highlighted an identified $6 billion in critical security needs to keep America’s public transportation systems safe. “In the United States, more than 9 1⁄2 billion trips are taken on public transportation systems every year. 32 million times every weekday Americans board public transportation vehicles throughout the country-in urban, suburban, and rural communities,” said APTA President William W. Millar. “To put it in perspective, 16 times more Americans travel by

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A proposed high-speed rail system through California’s Central Valley could cause an agricultural, environmental and financial “train wreck” if it promotes more urban sprawl, according to American Farmland Trust. At a public hearing held in March, Edward Thompson, Jr., the organization’s state director, said the environmental report underestimates the impact the rail project will have on agriculture. Thompson called on local and state officials to step up their efforts to manage the state’s growth by getting better control on development and by protecting the “best farmland on the planet. … This doesn’t mean we need more laws