Todd DeFeo

Tracks are in the Ground for New Atlanta Streetcar Line

July 3, 2013 Todd DeFeo

ATLANTA — Crews continue to install tracks for a new streetcar line that is set to start operating next spring. When it opens, the 2.7-mile streetcar line will connect with MARTA, the city’s transit system. Future plans call for the new streetcar to tie into the Atlanta BeltLine, a public-private partnership that is building walking paths along a ring of mostly abandoned railroad right-of-ways that circle the city. Workers are expected to install a block of track every three to four weeks. The new line is funded with nearly $100 million – or roughly $37 million per mile – in

Watching DART in Dealey Plaza

May 8, 2013 Todd DeFeo

Amtrak CEO: Time for ‘dedicated, multi-year federal operating and capital funding’

May 7, 2013 Todd DeFeo

Amtrak turned 42 years old this month, and the railroad’s president says it is time for a “dedicated, multi-year federal operating and capital funding for Amtrak and intercity passenger rail.” The national railroad, created as a result of the President Richard Nixon-signed Rail Passenger Service Act of 1970, took over passenger service from struggling railroads, and its first train, The Clocker, departed from Union Station in New York at 12:05 a.m. on May 1, 1971. Today, the railroad operates 305 weekday trains across a network of 21,100 rail miles. “With record ridership and strong financial performance, Amtrak is successfully fulfilling

Amtrak: Private Dollars Will Follow Taxpayer Funding

December 31, 2012 Todd DeFeo

Amtrak wants to upgrade its operations along the Northeast Corridor and bring about true high speed rail.

Sandy relief bill includes millions for Amtrak

December 31, 2012 Todd DeFeo

Amtrak could receive millions as part of a $60.4 billion Hurricane Sandy supplemental spending bill Congress approved earlier this month.

Amtrak: Private dollars will follow taxpayer funding

December 18, 2012 Todd DeFeo

As Amtrak looks to upgrade its operations in the Northeast Corridor, the railroad made it clear public money will be needed to jump start the project.

Railroads’ Humble Beginning (Part III)

October 3, 2012 Todd DeFeo

Across the Atlantic Ocean, the United States was keeping pace with its British counterparts.

The End of the Southern’s Crescent

October 2, 2012 Todd DeFeo

While Amtrak started its operations in 1971, not all railroads gave up passenger service. Southern Railways’ Crescent route between New York and New Orleans was once such example.

Railroads’ Humble Beginning (Part II)

October 2, 2012 Todd DeFeo

In 1772, Oliver Evans created a 21-ton boat on wheels that could travel on both land and water. The vehicle boasted a paddle that helped it glide across the water. A steam engine helped it ride along the land.

The Brief Tenure of the Illinois Central Gulf in Middle Tennessee

October 1, 2012 Todd DeFeo

After the Tennessee Central wrapped up its operations on Aug. 31, 1968, some of the railroad’s locomotives were parked in Hopkinsville, Ky., news accounts suggest. The next day, the Illinois Central assumed the line’s operations between Hopkinsville and Nashville, Tenn.