Trains

Train Times to Accompany Motorists Stuck in Traffic

To encourage train ridership, Caltrans and Metrolink have teamed up to display train times on electronic signs along two oft-congested Southern California freeways.

24 December 2011 - 9:00am

The Orange County Register

Mag-Lev Project Meets Approval in Japan

Japanese officials recently approved plans to build a 320-mile magnetic levitation train system. The $114 billion project is expected to begin construction in 2014.

23 August 2011 - 10:00am

Ecomagination

Take a Ride on Chicago's Elegant Electroliner

Writer J.J. Sedelmaier recalls riding the beautifully streamlined Electroliner trains, which ran on the same tracks as other Chicago rail transit but were a special event all to themselves.

22 August 2011 - 12:00pm

Salon

The Bus and The Train Are Friends

Bus rapid transit has seen a recent spike in interest, and with that interest has come the analysis that BRT takes away from light rail projects and vice versa. But as this post points out, they need each other and work better when both are around.

27 May 2011 - 6:00am

the transport politic

Copenhagen's Bikes on Rails

Jonna McKone of TheCityFix looks at Copenhagen's recently added rail cars that are specifically for bicyclists and other passengers with special needs.

7 January 2011 - 5:00am

TheCityFix

B.C. and Washington Seek High Speed Rail to California

Officials in the Pacific Northwest are calling for a high speed rail line that connects British Columbia with California.

21 October 2010 - 1:00pm

CBC

Maglev: Dreaming the Impossible Dream?

The idea of a magnetic levitation train has been bubbling for decades, but has yet to materialize in the U.S. Some say the idea is a pipe dream, but this column from The Baltimore Sun says the idea just needs the right home.

25 August 2010 - 5:00am

The Baltimore Sun

Friday Funny: Slide to Work

This video shows a slide installed on a staircase leading down to a subway station in Berlin, making it quick an easy to catch the train on time.

2 July 2010 - 2:00pm

Chicago Now

Bright Times Ahead for Amtrak

Amtrak Chief Joseph Boardman says now is a good time for the much-troubled national rail system. Support from the federal government is helping the system grow and improve, according to this interview.

30 June 2010 - 5:00am

Los Angeles Times

High Speed Train Opens in South Africa

Timed to open near the start of the country's World Cup, the new Gautrain high speed rail system has launched in Johannesburg.

8 June 2010 - 12:00pm

BBC

South Africa's Crumbling Urban Rail Network

More than a third of the rolling stock in South Africa's urban rail network will go out of service within the next three years, creating a looming rail catastrophe across the country.

4 May 2010 - 9:00am

Daily News

Kids in Train-ing

Trains across the former Soviet Union have peculiar staff: kids. Wired's Autopia blog explains.

1 May 2010 - 5:00am

Wired

America's Spanish High Speed Rail Envy

Spain has rapidly developed high speed rail system, leaving many U.S. politicians -- including President Obama -- wondering how the U.S. can catch up. This article and video from PBS looks at the Spanish model.

18 January 2010 - 6:00am

PBS

Riders Choosing Trains as Green Alternative

In a world increasing concerned with reducing global warming, people and nations are embracing trains as an alternative to cars and planes because of their reduced carbon footprint. However, cost and time remain critical factors for travelers.

15 January 2010 - 7:00am

CNN - Eco Solutions

Reopened Passenger Train Reconnects Balkans

A passenger train line across the Balkans had been closed for 18 years. As it reopens and reconnects the region to the rest of Europe, there are signs of improved relations in the war-torn region.

12 January 2010 - 7:00am

The New York Times

Ridership Rising on Canada Line

The new Canada Line rail service that links downtown Vancouver to the airport has seen steadily increasing ridership since its opening in August.

29 December 2009 - 11:00am

The Globe and Mail

Josh Stephens

Mixing It Up at RailVolution

Sat, 10/31/2009 - 14:39

BOSTON -- If you've ever studied the bar menu at Trader Vic's then you know about such wonders as Tropical Passion, Moku Nani, and the Potted Parrot. Each is made of a unique but secret blend of dark rum, light rum, spiced rum, tropical juices, and of course "subtle flavorings." But by the time you'd realize that the only real difference is the glass they come in, you're too probably drunk to notice--or care.

Minus the palm fronds, the RailVolution conference is much the same.

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Rail Safety Improvements Years Away

Head-on train collisions can be avoided by simply keeping one train per track. There's a plan to make that happen, but it's years from implementation.

9 October 2009 - 6:00am

Miller-McCune

Russia Rolls Out New High Speed Rail

Siemens has retrofitted trains for cold Russian winters; they are being rolled out now between Moscow and St. Petersburg and could be a model for American HSR.

26 September 2009 - 5:00am

New York Times

Federal Mag-Lev Funding Reignites Debate in Las Vegas

Federal authorities recently announced $45 million in support of plans to construct a magnetic levitation train line between Las Vegas and Southern California, re-igniting a debate over two proposed rail connections.

18 September 2009 - 11:00am

The Las Vegas Sun