OAKLAND - Amtrak is adding Thruway motorcoach service on a portion of the disrupted Los Angeles-Seattle Coast Starlight route, beginning Feb. 29.
The Thruway motorcoach service will connect the Coast Starlight route segment between Sacramento and Portland, Ore., making connections with the Coast Starlight train at Sacramento and other Amtrak train service at Portland. The Thruway […]

ATLANTA — RMI has acquired Optimization Alternatives (OA), an Austin, Texas-based provider of transportation control systems for intermodal terminals. OA will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of RMI. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Since 1986, OA has been recognized as a provider of real-time control and decision support systems throughout North America. Its […]

WASHINGTON — Amtrak today announced the deployment of its new specialized Amtrak Mobile Security Team to patrol stations and trains and randomly inspect passenger baggage.
The Mobile Security Team supplements ongoing patrols already in place by Amtrak to enhance the safety and security of passenger rail travel. The deployment of the Mobile Security Team and the […]

OMAHA, Neb. — Diane Duren, Union Pacific Railroad’s vice president and general manager – Chemicals, is being honored as one of the Top 15 Women in Business by PINK magazine, the national magazine for professional women.
PINK’s exclusive list in the March/April issue profiles the most influential women driving innovation and revenue in corporate America.
“We scoured […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California High-Speed Rail Authority Board has authorized a study to determine the feasibility of achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions for the power needs of the 700-mile electric high-speed train system.
The study, timed to be completed by June of this year, will focus on costs, potential location of facilities and partnerships with […]

NEW YORK — Because of a possible broken water pipe causing water over the tracks north of Penn Station, Empire Service will be disrupted Saturday, Feb. 9 between Albany and New York City.
As a result, two southbound and two northbound trains between Albany and New York ( Nos. 239, 259, 252 and 254) have been […]

WASHINGTON — President Bush’s proposed $3.1 trillion budget for Fiscal Year 2009 provides $800 million for Amtrak, roughly 40 percent less than the passenger railroad’s $1.3 billion budget this year.
But that’s not enough, says Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
“In the last budget of his term in […]

CHICAGO –  Combined bus and rail ridership increased by 4.7 million rides in 2007, a gain of 1 percent over 2006 ridership, for a total of 499.5 million rides.
It is the highest ridership level since 1992. CTA has gained 60 million annual rides since the lowest year of 1997.
Weekend ridership showed the strongest rate of […]

WASHINGTON — Utilizing advanced brake technology advocated by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the BNSF Railway has launched its first revenue service train fully equipped with state-of-the-art electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes.
“We expect that these brakes can make rail operations safer and provide business benefits as well,” FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman said, noting that […]

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation today launched an online Carbon Calculator, giving shippers and others the ability to make the best environmental choice of transportation options.
The user-friendly tool quickly calculates the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions savings of specific rail shipments, providing comparative data among transportation choices.
The Carbon Calculator, accessed through the company’s Web site prompts […]