Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Rail

Mica Extends Olive Branch to Amtrak, Dems Pound Rail Privatization Plan

By Tanya Snyder | Jun 23, 2011 | No Comments

Rep. Corrine Brown (D-FL), the top Democrat on the Railroads Subcommittee, began her remarks at yesterday’s Transportation Committee hearing like this: My notes say that I’m supposed to say, ‘Thank you Mr. Mica for holding today’s hearing.’ I don’t think so. Because I think legislation that affects the entire passenger and freight rail system in […]

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Cutting Train Budgets Could De-Rail Transamerican Routes

By Kathryn Reid Moore | May 17, 2011 | No Comments

The idyllic cross-country train trips that many Americans still take could get derailed by today’s “slash and burn” federal budget policies. Meanwhile, fears for the safety of rail passengers in the post-bin Laden era are drumming up political support for costly security measures and raising, once again, questions about why the federal government funds rail […]

Excitement at Transbay Event, But Federal Transportation Bill Uncertain

By Matthew Roth | Aug 12, 2010 | 9 Comments

Senator Barbara Boxer, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, US DOT Secretary Ray Lahood, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Transbay Joint Powers Authority Board Chairman and SFMTA CEO Nat Ford at the Transbay Transit Center groundbreaking. Photos: Matthew Roth. Though most of the California political class celebrated the groundbreaking of the new Transbay Transit Center with U.S. […]

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Obama Aide Defends Transit Safety Plan as Different from Rail Rules

By Elana Schor | Apr 21, 2010 | No Comments

Federal Transit Administration (FTA) chief Peter Rogoff today mounted a defense of the White House’s transit safety plan, assuring some skeptical members of Congress that he does not want to "replicate" inter-city rail safety rules that have taken flak for impeding the development of viable U.S. train networks. As of last year, D.C.’s Metro had […]

A Day After Their TIGER Win, Freight Railroads Carve Out More Turf

By Elana Schor | Feb 18, 2010 | 3 Comments

The freight rail industry yesterday claimed the top three awards in the Obama administration’s competition for $1.5 billion in TIGER stimulus grants, with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood singling out train shippers for an online shout-out: (Chart: AAR) You know, although passengers and commuters have human faces, we need to remember that trade depends upon the […]

The White House Transportation Budget: What’s In Line for the Axe?

By Elana Schor | Feb 1, 2010 | 1 Comment

In a fiscal year 2011 budget that proposes to increase spending on several core transportation priorities, the White House also aims to eliminate a few infrastructure programs that may prove popular with lawmakers. Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) used the STP program to earmark millions of dollars for road projects in his home state, including the […]

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