Commuter Rail

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Commuter Rail

DOT Announces New High Speed Corridors

December 19, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Transportation will begin accepting expressions of interest to finance, design, build, operate and maintain high-speed trains on the Northeast Corridor and in 10 other federally-designated corridors around the nation. “This is a first step in a process established by Congress to put ideas to paper, and to make concrete proposals for what the future might look like,” Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said. “Imagine traveling by train between New York City and Washington, D.C. in just two hours or cutting your trip time by 25 percent between New York City and Boston,” Peters said.

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Commuter Rail

Feds: Possible al-Qaida Plot Against NYC Transit System

November 28, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK — Federal officials are warning of a possible al-Qaida terror plot against New York City’s transit system. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said officials have received a “plausible but unsubstantiated” report indicating a threat during the upcoming holiday season. According to investigators, al-Qaida members may have discussed targeting New York and any such plot could include using suicide bombers or explosives placed on subway and passenger rail systems.. The conversations took place in late September. Despite the warning, officials said they have no specific details to confirm the plot has developed beyond

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Commuter Rail

Traveling Between N.J. Transit, SEPTA Easier Than Ever

November 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. — Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, N.J. Transit and SEPTA  began a six-month effort promoting the ease of traveling between the two systems — including trips between Philadelphia and New York — with a simple connection at the new Trenton Transit Center. “We’ve made it easier than ever for customers to transfer between N.J. Transit and SEPTA, including a $79 million investment in Trenton Transit Center and new joint ticketing options,” said N.J. Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles. “Now, we want to get the word out and encourage customers to take advantage of the

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Commuter Rail

Rosenker: Take Advantage of New Safety Technologies

October 7, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — National Transportation Safety Board Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has told the rail transportation industry to take advantage of newly emerging technologies that can provide the biggest safety improvements in coming years. Speaking to the International Railroad Safety Conference in Denver, Colo., Rosenker acknowledged the improving safety trends in the railroad industry over recent decades; since 1980, employee fatalities are down 82 percent and grade crossing fatalities down 59 percent. But accidents continue to occur, and the nation is still shocked by the collision in Chatsworth, Calif., last month that killed 25 and injured more than 100. Although

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Commuter Rail

Metro-North and NYSDOT Extend Ferries for Two Years

October 6, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK — MTA Metro-North Railroad and the New York State Department of Transportation have developed a funding plan to continue the operations of the Haverstraw-Ossining and Newburgh-Beacon Ferry Services for the next two years. As part of this funding plan, State Sens. Thomas P. Morahan and William J. Larkin Jr. have secured $658,000 and $600,000 respectively to ensure the continuation of two ferry runs that provide Rockland and Orange county residents with access to Metro-North’s Hudson Line train service. Additional state and federal funds also have been secured, that along with an estimated $300,000 in farebox revenues, will cover

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Commuter Rail

Oink, Oink: Calif. ‘Bullet Train to Bankruptcy’

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Citizens Against Government Waste and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation have listed a proposed high-speed rail line in California in their sixth annual California Piglet Book. The book is touted as “the definitive guide for reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the state government.” California voters in November will have the chance to vote on Proposition 1A, a “bullet train to bankruptcy,” CAGW said. If voters approve the project’s initial $9.95 billion down payment, promoters will likely need to come back to taxpayers for another $70 billion to complete the project, CAGW said. — Railfanning.org News Wire

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Commuter Rail

Senate Approves Rail Safety Bill; Billions go to Passenger Rail

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON —  The U.S. Senate has approved the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The legislation will increase funding for Amtrak over the next five years, require new safety controls on trains that help reduce crashes, allow states to regulate solid waste processing facilities along rail lines and allocate funding for improvements to Washington, D.C.’s Metro transit system. “This is a real step forward for anyone who’s tired of sitting in traffic, paying high prices at the pump and waiting in long lines at airports,” Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., chairman

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Commuter Rail

More Money For Minnesota High-Speed Passenger Rail Line

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — More of taxpayers’ dollars will move the Duluth to Minneapolis high-speed passenger rail line closer to completion, officials said. U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., said the project has been awarded $1.1 million from the Federal Railroad Administration. The funding will be used to complete an environmental impact statement for the project. “Work on the Northern Lights Express is moving along at full throttle,” Oberstar said. “This is the kind of project that will save energy and alleviate congestion on our highways.  With high fuel prices, we need to do all we can to give consumers alternatives to driving.”