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CURRENT NEWS

Aug 06 2022

Newsday

LIRR shelves battery power, cites cost, reliability issues

By Alfonso A. Castillo

Battery-operated train technology, which the LIRR hoped would revolutionize how it operates nonelectrified tracks, has turned out to be too costly, inconvenient and risky to implement any time soon, the railroad said. Long Island Rail…

Jun 10 2022

Axios

A first step toward high-speed rail in the Pacific Northwest

By Melissa Santos Photo: Allie Carl , Axios

Washington state is ponying up $150 million to plan a high-speed rail line connecting Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver, British Columbia — although there's still a long way to go before the project becomes reality.

Apr 08 2022

Inside Climate News

Climate Change Poses a Huge Threat to Railroads. Environmental Engineers Have Ideas for How to Combat That

By Leah Campbell Photo: Ina Fassbender , Getty Images

Much of the world still relies heavily on railroads to move people and products. But railway infrastructure—from overhead wires to tracks—is at high risk from climate change and associated extreme weather.

Feb 08 2022

Medium

How Electric Rail Could Be More Important Than Electric Cars

By Sergio Alberto Romero Photo: Eberhard Grossgasteiger , Unsplash

Electric cars are going to be important over the long term, that’s without a doubt. The fact is, no matter what industry or sector we’re talking about the less reliance we have on fossil fuels…

Jan 19 2022

TechCrunch

Former SpaceX engineers bring autonomous, electric rail vehicle startup out of stealth

By Rebecca Bellan

Parallel Systems, a company founded by three former SpaceX engineers to build autonomous battery-electric rail vehicles, came out of stealth mode on Wednesday with a $49.55 million Series A raise. The company, which has raised…

Nov 08 2021

The Washington Post

The infrastructure package puts $66 billion into rail. It could power the biggest expansion in Amtrak’s 50-year history.

By Luz Lazo Photo: Lee Powell/The Washington Post

The funding would help rebuild the Northeast Corridor, but is also a path to bringing service to new cities and towns nationwide.

Sep 16 2021

Los Angeles Times

High-speed train to Las Vegas is hailed as an eco jackpot. But will it harm desert sheep?

By Louis Sahagún Photo: Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times

As daylight rose over the parched and jagged Soda Mountains recently, an emaciated-looking bighorn ewe and two gaunt lambs hoofed carefully over volcanic outcroppings as they searched hungrily for increasingly rare clumps of greenery. In…

Sep 06 2021

Medium

Why rail transportation is gradually going to replace air travel

By Enrique Dans Photo: Zeleros

A good article and video on Euronews, “Paris to Berlin in an hour: welcome to the future of high-speed rail travel in Europe”, outlines the three key ideas for the future of decarbonized transportation in…

Aug 24 2021

Treehugger

Is the Hyperloop for Real?

By Lloyd Alter Photo: Teague , Virgin Hyperloop

Is the hyperloop for real? It's a question we have been asking since Elon Musk first came up with the word. Not the concept—it's been around since the 19th century. Nor did Musk have any…

Jul 05 2021

Los Angeles Times

Battery-powered trains could be a climate game changer. Is everyone all aboard?

By Ralph Vartabedian

Colossal freight locomotives are a fixture of the American landscape, but their 4,400-horsepower engines collectively burn 3.5 billion gallons of diesel annually, at a time when railroads and other fossil fuel users face pressure to…

Jun 29 2021

Clean Technica

Railroads To Pour Cold Renewable Energy Water On Fossil Energy Stakeholders

By Tina Casey

There is no love lost between the notorious Koch brothers and the nation’s railroad industry, and the relationship is about to get a lot unlovelier. A massive new, first-of-its-kind renewable energy transmission line is taking…

Jun 15 2021

The Hill

High-speed rail getting last minute push in Congress

By Karl Evers-hillstrom Photo: Greg Nash

High-speed rail is getting a last-minute push from lawmakers and lobbyists as Congress debates how to revamp the nation’s infrastructure. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last week advanced a $547 billion infrastructure bill that…

KEY RESOURCES

Freight Railroads & Climate Change

03/23/21

Our planet and nation face challenges that demand communities, businesses, and policymakers come together and create solutions that will fuel economic recovery and combat climate change. With nearly 200 years of experience moving America through…

MORE NEWS

Science Blog

First Fully Battery-Electric Line-Haul Loco Begins Testing On BNSF Between Stockton And Barstow

By Alan Kandel 01/09/21

BNSF Railway Company … and Wabtec’s … exploration of the future potential of battery-electric locomotives crosses another significant milestone this week as they begin testing the technology in revenue service between Barstow and Stockton, California.…

Winters Bros Waste System

Planning for the future: Waste management solutions from LI’s leader

01/07/21

Long Island is facing a crisis. Within the next four years we will run out of space to put the one million tons of garbage Long Islanders produce annually. If we don’t act now to…

HuffPost

It’s Time For America To Get Serious About Fixing The Trains

by Amy Crawford Photo: Sergei Kibalchich / Getty 06/23/20

Instead of spending billions to bail out airlines, advocates argue for a more carbon-friendly pandemic investment: railroad travel. ...