FRA Sunsets C3RS RSAC Working Group
Brotherhood Of Railroad Signalmen / March 25th
The
Federal Railroad Administration has decided to withdraw the
Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) from the Railroad Safety
Advisory Committee.
In
addition, the FRA is deactivating the C3RS Working Group, which had
been tasked with exploring how to improve rail safety through a
voluntary, non-punitive safety reporting system.
Trains Magazine / March 6th
Billionaire
tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, who heads the advisory “Department of
Government Efficiency” as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to
upend business as usual in Washington, told a tech conference this week
that Amtrak should be privatized.
Musk
offered no specifics on how Amtrak could be privatized or what company
would be interested in running a passenger railroad that posted a $705
million adjusted operating loss in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
Musk
said Amtrak was an embarrassment compared to other passenger railroads
around the globe. “If you’re coming from another country, please don’t
use our national rail. It can leave you with a very bad impression of
America,” he said.
Amtrak Is Instead Hyping Up Its Trains Of The Future Like The Airo
Literally, just prior to Elon's comments, Amtrak promoted its new Airo train set to launch in 2026.
Amtrak wrote, "Offering a more sustainable way to travel and
featuring a modern design with world-class amenities, Amtrak Airo will
transform the travel experience. The new trains will elevate the journey
with a focus on comfort and efficiency, providing even more advantages
to traveling by rail."
The Airo is in fact built in America, while boosting jobs nationwide
with 13,500+ parts manufactured by nearly 100 suppliers in 31 states.
Even before it hit the tracks, President Roger Harris praised the
project for creating jobs.
"As we build to support the soaring demand for train travel, Amtrak
Airo is creating jobs even before the trains are on the track."
The Airo will be featured across 14 different lines. The experience will be upgraded, along with quicker travel times.
How
California overcame a major barrier to rail electrification
High
Speed Rail Alliance / January 25
Rail electrification with overhead catenary,
critical to high speed rail, is an unambiguous positive for the environment. It
produces no air pollution at point of source, can be powered entirely by
renewable energy, as California High Speed Rail will, and even using
California’s current grid emits more than 100x less CO2 per passenger than
diesel trains. More importantly, the faster acceleration, higher maximum
speeds, and lower maintenance costs compared to other types of trains allow for
higher levels of service, creating a demonstrated “Sparks Effect” of higher
ridership that reduces emissions from cars. For these reasons and more, mainstream environmentalists have embraced overhead electrification as a climate
solution.
Despite the obvious benefits of electric rail,
environmental law has been misused to obstruct vital rail electrification
projects. While the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California’s version of NEPA, provide
critical protections against many environmentally damaging projects, over time
their scope has been expanded by the courts, enabling abuse by wealthy
interests.
Are passenger trains entering a golden age
or reaching the end of the line?
Following decades of
penny-pinching, the first half of the 2020s appeared to be the beginning of a
golden age for passenger rail investment in the United States.
Since 2021, Amtrak has
received approximately $32 billion from the federal government as a result of
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, allowing the national passenger
railroad to address a years-long backlog of infrastructure and equipment
upgrades. The act also provided funding to study the expansion of Amtrak’s
network — including reviving a second route across Montana, the North Coast
Hiawatha, that hasn’t had service since 1979.
While the fruits of that
historic investment are still years away in some instances, officials had other
reasons to celebrate. During fiscal year 2024, Amtrak carried a record-breaking
32.8 million passengers, a 15% increase over the previous year and a return to
its pre-pandemic ridership. The railroad also brought in $2.5 billion in ticket
revenue, a record amount in its 53-year history.
EIN
Presswire / February 3
Increased security and
CCTV headline benefits for commuters as rail operations are returned to public
control four years after they were sold off by the Marshall government -
despite the former Liberal premier’s pledge that he didn’t have a privatization
agenda.
The return of train
services to public hands today – with trams to follow later this year – realizes
a major Malinauskas Labor Government election commitment.
The State Government
announced in April last year that it had reached agreements with the private
rail operators to bring train and tram services back into public hands in line
with Labor’s pledge – which was made before the private contracts were ever
signed. Under these agreements, the State Government will not pay any break
fees.
