Global transportation activity is expected to double by 2050, leading to a 16% rise in emissions, even when accounting for current commitments to decarbonising operations. The railway industry significantly contributes to this, with passenger and freight operations consuming large amounts of carbon-based fuels and other natural resources. While the industry is committed to change, it faces several significant challenges regarding reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving overall sustainability. The railway industry is among those working

he French government will invest 100 billion euros to expand and upgrade the rail network to reduce the country’s carbon emissions. This was announced last week by French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.   The plan includes launching express commuter trains similar to the Paris RER system in other major French metropolitan areas, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said. It has not been announced yet for which cities this will be the case. This metropolitan RER is

Bane NOR has selected consultancy PwC to carry out an independent investigation into the events that led to the multi-billion-euro Folloban railway being suspended shortly following its opening. PwC, on its part, will enlist the help of Holte Consulting AS and other technical subcontractors to carry out the evaluation. The investigation will be concluded in June. Problems on the Folloban arose shortly after the festive opening of the railway between Olso and the city of

ProRail and Infrabel, the Dutch and Belgian rail infrastructure managers will further collaborate with North Sea Port to increase rail freight between the two countries and start a follow-up study this year. The cooperation aims at growing the volumes moved by rail between Ghent in Belgium and Terneuzen in the Netherlands. The study was carried out in order to solve the current bottlenecks identified by North Sea Port (NSP), Infrabel, and ProRail. The first bottleneck

Stadler has teamed up with Utah State University (USU) and the ASPIRE Engineering Research Center for the development, manufacturing and testing of a FLIRT Akku battery-powered two-car multiple unit tailored to the American market. While already a staple in various parts in Germany, the battery-powered FLIRT Akku has yet to be adapted to US infrastructure and national regulations. ASPIRE has been brought on board for the development of the trackside charging infrastructure while USU will

In the post-pandemic world, while many travelers have been obsessed with airlines, ground stops, cancellations and delays, Amtrak’s ridership is bouncing back — more than doubling in the Northeast corridor, and 88% across the country. At the same time, Amtrak was strengthening its long-haul services, with trains like the Empire Builder, the Zephyr, the Sunset Limited and the Southern Crescent, the Southwest Chief and the Coast Starlight, to name a few. And while we don’t

Increased rail capacity for freight is an important part of the shift from road to rail freight transportation.For freight, this is not just about more train paths.A key enabler will be how we improve the use of current capacity.Longer, Faster, Heavier freight services and improvements in Train Planning Rules will provide a significant uplift in volumes and the productivity of existing services. The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) along with associated new digital capabilities

Union Pacific’s latest attempt to move toward cutting its train crews down to one person remains on hold because of the longstanding safety concerns of the union that represents conductors. The railroad had wanted to start a pilot project this year in the western end of its home state of Nebraska to test out how quickly a conductor based in a truck could respond to train problems and compare that to how fast the conductor

Through the first five weeks of 2023, total North American carload and intermodal traffic was virtually flat (-0.9%) with same point last year, according to the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR)  report. Both the U.S. and Mexico experienced decreases, while Canada saw growth. North American rail volume for the first five weeks of this year on 12 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads came in at 3,171,238 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers. Cumulative volume