(Source: Bostonglobe.com)

In the half-month since the Senate nearly slashed mass transit from the stimulus bill, yet more locales broke ridership records from coast to coast. The New York City subway system moved 1.62 billion people last year, the most since 1950. Combined with buses, the city moved 2.37 billion people, the most since 1965. The Metro-North rail that services the suburbs outside New York carried a record 84 million passengers.

In the Pacific Northwest, the Amtrak Cascades line from Portland to Seattle set a new record with a 14.4 percent increase. In the South, ridership for the Piedmonttrain between Charlotte and Raleigh was up 30.8 percent last year.

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(Source AFP via Yahoo.com)

One hundred and forty years after a transcontinental railroad linked California to the world, trains are being hailed as integral to the state’s growth in the 21st century.

This time, state officials are preparing to spend billions of dollars on high-speed rail lines modeled in part on Japan’s Shinkansen bullet train and France’s sleek TGV systems.

Supporters say an 800-mile (1,200 kilometer) system of trains running at up to 220 mph (350 kph) will cost about half of the 100 billion dollars that otherwise would have to be spent on new highways and airport runways.

They say it will reduce environmental damage, lessen the state’s dependence on foreign oil, create 450,000 jobs and give a huge boost to California businesses. They envision a system, to be completed by 2030, that will carry 90 million passengers a year.

“We need a high-speed rail. Our rail system in America is so old, we are driving the same speed as we did 100 years ago,” said California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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(Source: Scoop Independent News)

Auckland’s rail electrification right on track

International rail rolling stock manufacturers and suppliers from across the world have responded strongly to a call for Expressions of Interest in response to the release of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority’s Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) Expression of Interest (EOI) document which was advertised on 23 December 2008 and closed on 12 February this year, ARTA’s Chief Executive, Fergus Gammie said today.

In December last year, the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) made an historic decision for the region to approve ARTA taking a major step forward towards the purchase of a new fleet of 140 electric train cars for Auckland.

(obtained via Associated Press)

LONDON (AP) — Board a train in London, and in 2 1/2 hours you can be in Paris, City of Light — or in Manchester, city of gray skies and grit.

It frustrates many travelers that sometimes the trip to Paris is cheaper. Advance fares to the French capital on the high-speed Eurostar train start at 59 pounds ($85), 7 pounds ($9) cheaper than a standard off-peak return to the city in northwest England.

A major report released Thursday provided more fuel for passenger complaints, finding that train travel in Britain is expensive, frustrating and confusing.

The government-commissioned study found that British rail journeys are among the highest-priced in Europe, while passengers find the country’s Byzantine fare structures baffling.

The report by watchdog group Passenger Focus said the same train could contain passengers who had paid 150 pounds ($215) for a ticket and others who paid just 10 pounds ($15). It said the structure of long-distance train fares was “complicated and not logical.”

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