WASHINGTON — Millions of new vehicles crisscross North America’s railroads each year on their way from assembly plants to distribution centers and dealers. Railroads now carry approximately 70 percent of all new vehicles manufactured in the United States.
These vehicles ride the rails in a dedicated fleet of enclosed, streamlined tri-level and bi-level rail cars, all […]

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is awarding $44.2 million to the Alaska Railroad for a dual use railroad/highway bridge over the Tanana River to the U.S. military’s Joint Tanana Training Complex.
The bridge, which is part of the Northern Rail Extension project, is part of the new 80-mile rail line from North Pole to […]

PITTSBURGH — Portec Rail Products Inc. announced record unaudited net income of $2,403,000 or $0.25 per share for the three months ended June 30, 2008, a 27 percent increase over second quarter 2007 net income of $1,887,000 or $0.20 per share.
Average basic and diluted shares outstanding were 9.6 million for both periods. Net sales for […]

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has denied a request by the State of Nevada to reject the application of the United States Department of Energy for authority to construct and operate an approximately 300-mile railroad line in Nevada, in the Board proceeding entitled United States Department of Energy — Rail Construction and Operation — […]

The nation’s freight railroads, already the most environmentally friendly form of ground transportation, are using innovative “green” technologies to further reduce their environmental footprint.New technologies such as hybrid-powered locomotives and on-board computers that read route terrains are helping railroads lower emissions by as much as 80 percent and reduce fuel consumption by 16 percent.
Freight railroads […]

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board will hold a public hearing next month to discuss “issues related to the common carrier obligation of railroads—the duty of railroads to provide transportation or service on reasonable request—with respect to the transportation of hazardous materials.”
The hearing follows one held in April on the general topic of the common […]

NEW YORK — RailWorks Corp. has appointed Michael P. Holt as president of the National Transit division of its transit systems subsidiary, L.K. Comstock & Company Inc.
Holt comes to L.K. Comstock with more than 30 years of construction experience in the public and private sectors, focusing on heavy civil, building, and water and wastewater treatment […]

LEBANON, Maine — Two teenagers lost limbs after they were struck by a train while sunbathing on a railroad trestle, authorities said.
A 13-year-old girl lost a leg below the knee and her 14-year-old friend’s foot was severed. Authorities say the teens, who were cutting class, fell asleep on the trestle while sunbathing, The Associated Press […]

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — The Toronto Transit Commission ordered specialty-engineered composite railroad switch ties from Axion International, the company said.
The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), a public transport authority, operates buses, streetcars, subways and advanced light rapid transit in Toronto, Ontario.
Axion, in conjunction with Rutgers University, has developed plastics technology that uses almost 100 percent recycled […]

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific’s most environmentally friendly yard locomotive is on the job at J. R. Davis Rail Yard in Roseville, Calif.
The first of four next generation Genset locomotives arrived in Northern California […]