Rail service

27 January 2008 -- Heavy snow in southern China has left thousands of railway passengers stranded as they head home for the Lunar New Year holiday.

Chinese state media says more than 150,000 people were stuck Sunday at the Guangzhou railway station, which is the southern end of a key railway link to the capital Beijing.

Authorities say they expect the number of stranded to rise as high as 600,000 by Monday.

Railway officials say it is not immediately clear when service will be restored.    » read more »

27 January 2008 -- Nine people were killed in western Turkey and at least 14 hurt when a passenger train jumped the tracks.

Authorities say at least two cars overturned Sunday near the town of Kutahya.

The train with more than 400 people on board had left Istanbul and was headed for Denizli when it derailed.

Investigators are looking at several possible causes for the accident, including high speed and ice on the tracks.

Source: VOA News

Governor Also Convinces Health Secretary to Consider Border Health Services

Jan. 25, 2008 -- MEXICO CITY – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson met today with Mexican President Felipe Calderón to make a pitch to position a major international rail project so that it benefits southern New Mexico.    » read more »

01/18/2008 -- BOSTON, MA – Senator John Kerry welcomed the compromise reached by Amtrak employees and the Amtrak Corporation today, where employees agreed in principle to a contract and averted a possible strike. Amtrak employees have been working without a contract since 2000. Without a contract in place, they would have been able to strike at the end of this month, shutting down the commuter rail used by thousands of Bay State residents every day.    » read more »

January 16, 2008 -- "I am continuing to monitor closely the negotiations between Amtrak and its workers. Amtrak is a vital transportation lifeline for New Yorkers. In the State of New York, Amtrak operates 140 routes, employs more than 1,900 people, and has two of the top ten busiest stations in their rail system.    » read more »

December 19, 2007 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced the availability of additional rail parking for New Haven’s Union Station at the former site of the New Haven Coliseum. The parking lot is leased from the city by Propark, Inc., who will operate the lot until the city finalizes plans to develop the property.    » read more »

19 December 2007 -- Pakistani officials say at least 56 people were killed and more than 120 injured when a train packed with holiday travelers derailed Wednesday in southern Pakistan.

Rescue crews used cutting equipment to free the last survivors trapped in badly damaged rail cars.

The packed train was heading from the southern city of Karachi to Lahore when about 12 of its 16 cars came off the rails near Mehrabpur.

Local villagers helped rescue those trapped in the wreckage, before emergency crews arrived on the scene.    » read more »

Additional Daily Service Signals Implementation of the Governor’s MARC Growth and Investment Program Is Underway

ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 12, 2007) – Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley today announced he is adding service to the MARC Commuter Rail Penn Line operating between Washington’s Union Station and Baltimore. Three new trains will be added to boost capacity during the afternoon rush hour and provide late evening service for the first time.    » read more »

Signing ceremony marks final financial hurdle for commuter rail construction

December 11, 2007 -- Anoka – Federal, state and local officials gathered today at the Anoka County Government Center for the signing ceremony of the Full Funding Grant Agreement (FFGA) for Northstar Commuter Rail. The FFGA commits $156.8 million in federal matching funds and immediately releases another $97.5 million in state bonding money for Northstar construction and trains.    » read more »

Agreement is for Two Historic Buildings at Sacramento Railyard

12/08/2007 -- California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced that an agreement has been reached among California State Parks, the California State Railroad Museum Foundation and Thomas Enterprises regarding the Downtown Sacramento Railyard. As a major component of the agreement, State Parks will receive two historic buildings in the railyard, under certain conditions, for use as the new Railroad Technology Museum.    » read more »

INDIANAPOLIS (December 4, 2007) - Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels today announced the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has reached an agreement in principle to purchase more than 150 miles of abandoned railroad corridors that will nearly double rail trail corridors in the state.

"Our goal is to have a trail within 15 minutes of every Hoosier within ten years," Daniels said. "Today we have made a quantum leap forward that puts Indiana several steps closer to achieving this objective."    » read more »

$17 Million Project Creates New Economic Gateway to Milwaukee

November 26, 2007 -- MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle joined U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, Wisconsin Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and other state and local officials and business leaders today for the grand reopening of the downtown Milwaukee Intermodal Station.    » read more »

Baucus, Tester Say That Additional Funds Will Provide A Real Boost To Nation's Rail System

October 30, 2007 -- (Washington, D.C.) – Montana’s U.S. Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester today praised the U.S. Senate for passing multi-year legislation that will authorize increased funding for the nation’s rail system.    » read more »

As traffic on roads and tarmacs grows, bipartisan plan would improve Amtrak's infrastructure and expand rail into more towns and cities

October 30, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate passed an $11.4 billion bill introduced by Sens. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Trent Lott (R-MS) to fully fund Amtrak and bring the passenger rail system into the 21st century. The Lautenberg-Lott bipartisan plan would authorize infrastructure improvements and the expansion of rail routes into new American towns and cities over the next six years.    » read more »

Plan will help bring Nation's trains into the 21st Century

10/30/2007 -- BOSTON - Senator Kerry today issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage of the Passenger Rail Improvement and Investment Act. The Act, which Kerry co-sponsored, provides Amtrak with funding to improve railroad tracks and stations across the Northeast Corridor, and requires reforms that will reduce costs as well as train delays.    » read more »