Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Detailed activities include celebrating its 40th anniversary with a leadership summit; initiating updates to the volunteer education process; and increasing the organization’s social media presence.

An XpressWest representative attributed the extensive wait to the complexity of the project and amount of due diligence the Federal Railroad Administration must complete to approve the loan.

Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo joined Union Pacific, senior railroad industry leaders and labor officials at a kick-off event to highlight the dangers of using electronic devices on the job.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs will study the restoration of Amtrak passenger rail service between Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile.

Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate potential passenger rail improvements between Washington, D.C. and Boston.

Based on recommendations from General Passenger Safety Task Force. Interested parties are invited to submit comments on the proposed rule by Aug. 27, 2012.

Exclusions determined do not individually or cumulatively have significant effects on the human or natural environment so do not require the preparation of an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Requires railroads to install signs at highway-rail grade and pathway crossings with telephone numbers the public can use to alert railroad companies to unsafe conditions.

Goal of the study, which will be funded through a $3.2 million FRA grant and $200,000 each from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Norfolk Southern, is to reduce passenger travel times between the cities and efficiently move freight through the congested Chicago-to-Porter, Ind., segment.

For manufacture of approximately 130 new bi-level passenger cars. Comes from a multi-state effort to jointly purchase standardized rail equipment to be used on Amtrak’s intercity routes in California, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana and Missouri. Funding is being provided by the FRA’s High-Speed and Intercity Passenger Rail Program.