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Pinellas leaders want first leg of light rail Posted by: News  on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 08:00 AM TAMPA — All aboard, it’s time to pick a route for light rail in Tampa Bay. As the deadline nears for the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority to complete its master plan, ideas for the first leg of the light rail system are surfacing — as are some differences of opinion. Read the Full Story Here.

DART celebrates 25 years with free doughnuts at Union Station Posted by: News  on Tuesday, August 19, 2008 - 08:00 AM Commuters were greeted with free coffee and doughnuts at Union Station in Dallas this morning as Dallas Area Rapid Transit celebrated its 25th anniversary of when voters created the agency. DART Chairman Randall Chrisman offered doughnuts as streams of DART riders rushed through the station. He pointed out that while other agencies around the country were facing cuts as operation costs increased, DART was adding services. Read the Full Story Here.

Sound Transit to run test trains through Rainier Valley Posted by: News  on Monday, August 18, 2008 - 08:00 AM Sound Transit will begin testing a light-rail train in Rainier Valley on Thursday, adding a new kind of traffic to busy Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. The tracks pass through 18 intersections and 10 pedestrian signals, plus three stations in the median. Trains will run as often as every six minutes in each direction, at a top speed of 35 mph. Although engineers have designed state-of-the-art signals and walkways, the sheer volume of activity makes this a hazardous five miles. Read the Full Story Here.

Supporters report commuter rail project moves to final design Posted by: News  on Saturday, August 16, 2008 - 08:00 AM LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Florida transportation officials have the federal go-ahead to start final design of the proposed Central Florida commuter rail project, rail supporters announced Monday. The nod opens the door for $30 million in federal money, Florida Department of Transportation officials said. Read the Full Story Here.

Rail safety bill passes muster in the Senate Posted by: News  on Friday, August 15, 2008 - 08:00 AM Last week, the U.S. Senate approved the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act (S. 1889), which aims to improve safety for railroad employees, train passengers, and people who reside next to or drive across tracks. The bill would renew federal rail safety programs that have not been reauthorized since 1994, said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) — who helped author the bill — in a prepared statement. Read the Full Story Here.

FRA to evaluate 25 proposals for intercity passenger-rail grants Posted by: News  on Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 08:00 AM Let the competition begin. The U.S. Department of Transportation has received 25 proposals from 22 states that are competing for $30 million under a new grant program aimed at improving intercity passenger-rail service. The proposals generally call for improving intercity passenger-rail reliability, increasing rail capacity and reducing highway congestion. Projects range from installing advanced signaling system to reconfiguring track junctions to constructing additional mainline track. Read the Full Story Here.

Hillsborough light rail gets a push forward Posted by: News  on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 - 08:00 AM TAMPA — Hillsborough County transit officials voted Monday to push ahead on efforts that could bring light rail to the Tampa area. The vote is considered a first step toward getting voters to decide in 2010 if local taxes should be set aside for rail. Monday's vote approved a study that is needed before federal financing is made available. Read the Full Story Here.

Metro areas embrace transit Posted by: News  on Tuesday, August 12, 2008 - 08:00 AM America's major metro regions may be on the verge of transit independence. They tap federal aid when they can but increasingly find money for system expansion right at home. They're learning to get cities and suburbs on the same page as they prepare for a post-petroleum age. Read the Full Story Here.

Five things I would do to help Florida if I were Gov. Crist Posted by: News  on Monday, August 11, 2008 - 08:00 AM These are tough times, especially for Floridians: Economic downtimes hurt us disproportionately because speculative uptimes favor us wildly. Thus far, the governor and legislature have been acting as though we can shrink ourselves into long-term expansion by slashing the state budget. But we need bold initiatives. So, here are five things I would do if I were governor to get us permanently out of our doldrums: Read the Full Story Here.

Amtrak to Big Easy via D.C. Posted by: News  on Saturday, August 09, 2008 - 08:00 AM If you want to take an Amtrak train from Jacksonville to New Orleans, it will mean going to Washington first. It wasn't always the case. There was passenger train service from Jacksonville to New Orleans until Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The Sunset Limited was suspended after the storm and has not been restarted east of New Orleans. Read the Full Story Here.

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