Trains

Midland, MI, July 02, 2008 -- A safety train equipped with a classroom and training center on rails has rolled into Lansing to provide free railroad and chemical transportation training to local firefighters and other emergency response personnel. The Michigan TRANSCAER Training Tour, presented by The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), has brought chemical and rail industry professionals to several communities in Michigan to provide hands-on training, the training will begin Midland May 22 and conclude in Lansing July 2.    » read more »

May 21, 2008 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today ceremonially signed LD 2019, “An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on Passenger Rail Funding.” The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Boyd Marley (D-Portland), was at the ceremony, as were cosponsors and supporters of the legislation.

Train tracks, Maine: Photo by Sue (CC)

“Long before near-$4 a gallon gas prices, I joined with rail advocates to support extending our rail system for both passenger and freight in Maine,” Governor Baldacci said. “Rail is an increasingly viable option – in economic and environmental terms.”    » read more »

On Eve of Amtrak's Nationwide Celebration, Resolution Highlights Passenger Rail's Critical and Growing Role in Serving America's Travel Needs

May 9, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) introduced a bipartisan resolution to celebrate Amtrak’s first annual National Train Day.

Amtrak trains in Chicago: Photo by Steven Vance (CC)

The resolution, joined by 20 co-sponsors, raises awareness about the critical and growing role that passenger rail plays in serving America’s daily travel needs.    » read more »

Nearly 1.4 Million New Customers Traveled on Connecticut’s Commuter Rail Service; Ridership Also Up During First Two Months of 2008

April 8, 2008 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that rail ridership increased by nearly 1.4 million new riders on Shore Line East and New Haven Line rail service in 2007.

New Haven Line schedule: Photo by churl (CC)

The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) today released its annual rail ridership report for the calendar year 2007 and first two months in 2008, marking across-the-board increases.    » read more »

EPA Clears the Air

Washington, D.C., March 14, 2008 -- New tough emissions standards will slash pollution from locomotive and marine diesel engines by up to 90 percent, helping Americans to breathe cleaner air as soon as this year.    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- Washington, DC– The American Lung Association salutes the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule to require substantial cuts in the air pollution produced by locomotive and marine diesel engines. Communities across the nation urgently need this federal help to help clean up dangerous ozone and particle pollution. Cleaning up diesel locomotives and marine engines will save thousands of lives.    » read more »

Will Reduce 90 percent of Soot Emissions by 2030

WASHINGTON (March 14, 2008) -- Thousands of emergency room visits and more than 1,000 premature deaths will be avoided every year, once a long-awaited federal plan to clean up dangerous, lung-clogging emissions from railroad locomotives and large marine diesel engines is fully implemented, according to scientists and clean-air advocates at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), which has been advocating for a clean-up plan for more than five years.    » read more »

Greater Accountability Placed on Railroad Management and Employees for Safety

Wednesday, February 13, 2008 -- Reducing common mistakes that result in nearly half of all human factor-caused train accidents is the aim of a new federal regulation that places greater accountability on both railroad management and employees for complying with basic operating rules, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.    » read more »

VeriWise Rail and VeriWise Intermodal enhance safety, security and productivity of moving goods by rail

CHICAGO, September 18, 2007 – GE Equipment Services today introduced VeriWise™ RAIL and VeriWise™ INTERMODAL, remote asset management solutions that provide customers with on-demand visibility into the status of their fleet and the cargo it carries.    » read more »

Michigan Department of Transportation Supports Action

September 18, 2007 -- KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Amtrak and Michigan Central Railway have reached an agreement concerning maintenance and investment levels on the rail lines between Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo, Mich., which are currently used for passenger rail operations. As a result of this agreement, Amtrak will support Michigan Central’s request for regulatory approval of the transaction now pending before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that would grant Michigan Central control over those lines.    » read more »

September 17, 2007, NORFOLK, VA -- A special train will travel to Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi Sept. 17-21 to provide emergency preparedness training to first responders as part of the 2007 Norfolk Southern TRANSCAER Whistle-Stop Tour.

TRANSCAER (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a nationwide program that assists communities in preparing for and responding to a possible hazardous material transportation incident.    » read more »