North America – Page 22
-
NewsNJ Transit orders double-deck EMU cars
USA: The NJ Transit board has approved the purchase of a further 25 Alstom Multilevel III double-deck electric multiple-unit cars as option on a December 2018 contract for an initial 113 vehicles. The cars will replace Arrow III single-deck vehicles. The order is being funded as ...
-
NewsCommuter rail operations and maintenance to be brought in-house
USA: Having opted to bring the operation and maintenance of its Sprinter and Coaster commuter rail services in-house from June 26, San Diego’s North County Transit District has awarded Siemens Mobility a Technical Support & Spares Supply Agreement covering its Desiro diesel multiple-units. The deal announced ...
-
Metro Report InternationalPro Football Hall of Fame light rail line study
USA: Stark Area Regional Transit Authority has awarded consultancy WSP USA a contract to undertake studies for a light rail service connecting the centre of Canton, Ohio, with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and potentially with Belden Village and Akron-Canton Airport. Any future service would ...
-
NewsAmtrak to order more long-distance Chargers
USA: Amtrak’s board of directors has approved the purchase of further Siemens Charger diesel locomotives, Vice-President & Chief Mechanical Officer George Hull announced on February 8.
-
NewsChinese coaches arrive in Montréal
CANADA: The first two of 44 double-deck coaches which Montréal city region transport agency Exo has ordered from Chinese manufacturer CRRC Tangshan are expected to be delivered during February. They will undergo minor finishing work and inspection at the Pointe-Saint-Charles maintenance depot, followed by an extensive ...
-
In depthComment: Rail freight’s big battery booster
A string of recent orders for battery-electric locomotives from railways in North America and Australia offers hope of decarbonising the heavy haul freight sector, as well as the promise of innovations which railways elsewhere could adopt in the future.
-
NewsUnion Pacific to create ‘world’s largest’ battery-electric loco fleet
USA: Union Pacific has ordered 20 battery locomotives for trials as part of a plan to create what it says will be the world’s largest fleet of operator-owned battery-electric freight locomotives. Progress Rail is to supply 10 EMD Joule locos and Wabtec 10 FLXdrive locos. Associated ...
-
NewsCharger locos ordered for Montréal commuter services
CANADA: Montréal regional transport authority Exo has awarded Siemens Mobility a C$132m contract to supply 10 Charger diesel locomotives for use on its commuter services. The Chargers will be delivered from 2025 to replace F59PH locomotives which Exo acquired in 2011 from GO Transit in Toronto, ...
-
NewsCN appoints next CEO as board changes agreed
CANADA: Canadian National has appointed Tracy Robinson as its next President & Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Jean-Jacques Ruest, who is to retire from the CN Board on February 28, but will continue in an advisory role until March 31 to ensure a seamless transition. Robinson joins ...
-
NewsSpace engineers rethink rail freight with autonomous battery-electric vehicles
Prototype autonomous battery-powered container wagons are being developed by engineers at California start up Parallel Systems. Co-founder, CEO and former SpaceX engineer Matt Soule explains how the company aims to bring new thinking to rail freight.
-
NewsDesigning a train ‘the rest of the world will envy’
CANADA: Design studio PriestmanGoode developed the styling for the push-pull trainsets which Siemens Mobility is supplying for VIA Rail’s Québec City – Windsor Corridor service, focusing on a ‘sleek, modern’ appearance, ‘accessibility, comfort, and personal space’ and the use of durable materials. ...
-
NewsWisconsin Talgo trains bound for Nigeria
NIGERIA: The long-running saga of the two Talgo trainsets which were ordered for operation in the US state of Wisconsin but never entered service has taken another twist, with Talgo selling them for use on the Red Line in Lagos.
-
Metro Report InternationalComfort, technology and sleek minimalism selected for Atlanta metro trains
USA: Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority has unveiled the designs for the CQ400 metro trains to be supplied by Stadler from 2023. This follows a public outreach programme which MARTA said led to its users choosing ‘comfort and technology for the interior and sleek minimalism for ...
-
NewsIndiana double-tracking to improve commuter and freight services
USA: An agreement to double-track nearly 28 km of main line south of Lake Michigan has been signed by Anacostia Rail Holdings’ Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District and utility company Northern Indiana Public Service Co. This will result in ...
-
In depthInterview: ‘We have the tools – it is in our hands to deliver’
The next decade will be crucial for the global fight against irreversible climate change, and rail is the only mode that is well placed to deliver significant decarbonisation in the transport sector, UIC Director-General François Davenne explains to Chris Jackson.
-
NewsBNSF to take back southern Montana corridor
USA: BNSF is to take back the operation of the former Northern Pacific main line through southern Montana, which was leased to Montana Rail Link in 1987. The east–west route between Huntley, Montana, and Sandpoint, Idaho, had been leased to MRL for 60 years by predecessor ...
-
Metro Report InternationalPuebla tram-train ceases operation
MEXICO: The tourism-oriented tram-train service in Puebla ceased operation on December 31, with the local government announcing that it was no longer economically viable. The 17·2 km route was launched in January 2017, using the Ferrosur freight railway including various rehabilitated sections to link the historic ...
-
-
NewsAlabama-USA Corridor rail investment programme to improve port links
USA: State Governor Kay Ivey has announced the Alabama-USA Corridor, a proposed $231·6m programme of rail investment to provide improved intermodal transport inland from the port of Mobile to support economic development ‘It can provide options for freight containers to reach new destinations inland, which our ...
-
NewsCanadian National and Google Cloud form technology partnership
CANADA: CN and Google Cloud have announced a seven-year strategic technology partnership. This includes collaboration to develop a digital platform to give customers more visibility of logistics planning, shipping and payments, with simplified ordering and automated tracking. CN will also gradually move the majority of its ...