NEW YORK — Federal officials are warning of a possible al-Qaida terror plot against New York City’s transit system.
The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said officials have received a “plausible but unsubstantiated” report indicating a threat during the upcoming holiday season.
According to investigators, al-Qaida members may have discussed targeting New [...]

NORFOLK, Va. — American Honda Motor Company Inc. has awarded Norfolk Southern Corp., in competition with all assembly plant and port locations shipping Honda vehicles, the 2008 Performance Excellence Award for Rail Origin Carrier of the Year for service provided at their Lincoln, Ala., automobile manufacturing plant.
The award recognizes transit performance, inventory control and empty [...]

ROUSES POINT, N.Y. — On the eve of thanksgiving, the residents of Rouses Point had much to be thankful as Canadian Pacific held its first 2008 Holiday Train event in the U.S. The Holiday Train will eventually make its way to Carpio, N.D., on Dec. 15, raising food, money and awareness for food pantries along [...]

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Safety, potential accidents and quality of life concerns are prompting nearly 70 percent of Rochester residents to oppose plans to increase freight train traffic through their city, a new survey shows. The survey of more than 500 Rochester residents, conducted October 8-16, also shows strong public sentiment for area elected officials to [...]

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is accepting applications from states for $20 million in grant funding to help small Class II and Class III railroads that sustained infrastructure damage as a result of recent natural disasters.
Under the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Grant Program, federal grant funds may be used to repair and rehabilitate damage [...]

FORT WORTH, Texas –BNSF Railway has completed construction of a third main rail line through Cajon Pass in Southern California that will increase capacity on BNSF’s Chicago to Los Angeles Transcontinental (Transcon) route from 100 to 150 trains a day.
The $90 million project adds almost 16 miles of third main track to BNSF’s route into [...]

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration is now accepting applications from states or state designated authorities for $45 million in grant funding for proposed magnetic levitation (maglev) projects located east of the Mississippi River.
The SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008 limits the eligible projects to those in or between: Pittsburgh, Baltimore-Washington, and Atlanta-Chattanooga. FRA may [...]

NEWARK, N.J. — Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, N.J. Transit and SEPTA  began a six-month effort promoting the ease of traveling between the two systems — including trips between Philadelphia and New York — with a simple connection at the new Trenton Transit Center.
“We’ve made it easier than ever for customers [...]

WASHINGTON — Advanced brake technology will enable locomotive engineers to have better train control, lower the risk of derailment, and allow trains to safely travel longer distances between required brake tests under a new federal rule, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters.
“The concept is simple, better brakes allow trains to operate more safely,” Peters [...]

WASHINGTON — Amtrak’s Board of Directors has selected Joseph Boardman, a nationally recognized transportation industry professional, to become president and chief executive officer of the company, effective Nov. 26.
Boardman offers nearly 34 years of experience in the surface transportation industry at city, county, state, and federal government levels; most recently as the administrator at the [...]