ALL ABOARD Hydrogen fuel cells are a greener way to power vehicles. But they have also been cost-prohibitive. Today, though, that’s starting to change — on Monday, German passengers boarded the world’s first hydrogen-powered trains. “Sure, buying a hydrogen train is somewhat more expensive than a diesel train,” said Stefan Schrank, a project manager at locomotive company Alstom, which built the trains, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, “but it is cheaper to run.” ELE

ÖBB and Siemens Mobility presented in Vienna the first result of this innovative pilot project, the prototype of the Desiro ML Cityjet eco. Photo credit: Siemens Austrian Federal Railways and Siemens Mobility are jointly investing in the future of passenger transport and are developing an electro-hybrid battery drive for trains. Both companies presented in Vienna the first result of this innovative pilot project, the prototype of the Desiro ML Cityjet eco. Operating as a batt

Rail superpowers Japan and China are to go ahead with long-discussed moves to cooperate on overseas infrastructure projects, with Thailand’s $5.5bn East Coast scheme under discussion as their debut project. The two sides are to take up the matter when Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe visits Beijing in October. The expectation is that memorandums of understanding for 20 to 30 projects will be signed, possibly including the Thai economic corridor. Before then, in September, a

California state, federal and local municipal officials next week will dedicate the 1.4-mile San Gabriel freight-rail trench as part of the Alameda Corridor-East (ACE) project in eastern Los Angeles County. The project involved construction of four new bridges spanning the 30-foot-deep freight railroad trench at Ramona Street, Mission Road, Del Mar Avenue and San Gabriel Boulevard; and new railroad bridges over two storm channels in San Gabriel, California. The $293.7 mil

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A new inland port terminal is allowing shippers to move cargo between northern Georgia and the Port of Savannah by train rather than sending trucks through the jammed highways of Atlanta. Gov. Nathan Deal attended the official opening Wednesday of the Appalachian Regional Port. The Georgia Ports Authority and state taxpayers spent $26.5 million building the rail terminal in Murray County. Railroad tracks link the inland port to Savannah's seaport more tha

Aug. 17--For the past year, county residents have been able to climb aboard commuter trains for the first time in decades, and many are hooked on SMART's green-and-silver cars that glide on 43 miles of track that link Marin and Sonoma counties. The $500 million Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit system that launched Aug. 25, 2017 is off to a solid start, reporting 700,000 passengers in its first year of service to date. The system has also carried more than 60,000 bicycles. "I ha

The sustainability report highlights how the company implements "responsible business practices." Kansas City Southern has published its 2017 sustainability report, which highlights how the company implements "responsible business practices." The report follows the Global Reporting Initiative's latest standards for disclosing governance, economic, social and environmental topics. The standards provide for the disclosure of measurable data and specific information related to

U.S. rail traffic rose 4.5 percent in August compared with the same month a year ago, according to Association of American Railroads' (AAR) data. U.S. railroads moved 2,828,946 carloads and intermodal units during the month. Carload activity rose 3.8 percent to 1,386,026 units, while intermodal volume climbed 5.1 percent to 1,442,920 containers and trailers compared with August 2017, AAR reported in a press release. Last month, 16 of the 20 carload commodity categories that A

In Europe, Asia and much of the developed world, high speed rail is convenient and accessible. Whether for business or pleasure, travelers are served by an efficient and extensive rail network that connects passengers to the desired destination on time and with relatively little effort. Although these train systems can travel as fast as 350 kilometers per hour, speed is not the only important factor. Rail stations in Europe, for example, are an integral part of the historic u

Residents expressed growing concerns — some new and some old — surrounding the proposed high-speed rail project that plans to carve a path through eastern Ellis County. The Federal Railway Administration has now filed a draft of the environmental report on the train system’s impact in the latest milestone for the project. The reports claim the Dallas-to-Houston route would be built to avoid negatively affecting streams, wetlands, floodplains, and other natural and cultural fe