Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Freight

Can a 100% Private Passenger Rail Line Turn a Profit?

By Tanya Snyder | Mar 27, 2012 | 19 Comments

Public-private partnerships have recently become a popular policy prescription for the prospect of reviving inter-city passenger rail. But now, a private company is setting out to do it alone – no public support needed. Florida East Coast Industries has announced that it will start operating passenger service between South Florida and Orlando in 2014. They’re calling […]

Freight Rail Industry Planning Record Investment in 2012

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 30, 2012 | No Comments

An increase in American exports is helping drive a record-level of new investment in freight rail, according to a news release by the Association of American Railroads. The railroad industry is planning a $13 billion investment in the nation’s freight rail network in 2012. That would round out the biggest three-year period of investment in […]

TIGER III Will Boost Freight Transportation But Not Transform It

By Ben Goldman | Dec 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

Of the 46 recently-announced TIGER grant recipients, 18 projects had at least a “substantial freight component,” according to the Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors. Over $232 million — 45 percent — of this latest round of the popular transportation funding program will go to freight projects. That’s a very impressive share, considering that […]

Senate Commerce Committee Sets the Standard For Transpo Performance

By Tanya Snyder | Dec 14, 2011 | No Comments

The EPW Committee passed the highway portion of the transportation bill last month. The Banking Committee will tackle transit on Friday. And today, transportation reformers applauded as the Commerce Committee passed its bill dealing with the rail and safety component, including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Deron Lovaas of NRDC said in his blog post about the […]

Study: American Competitiveness Hinges on the Greening of Freight

By Angie Schmitt | Apr 1, 2011 | No Comments

Economic competitiveness and sustainability — when it comes to the performance of North America’s freight system, the two terms are nearly synonymous. That is the key finding from a new report by NAFTA’s Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. While fuel saving technologies are expected to reduce emissions from passenger vehicles by 12 percent […]

GAO: Trucking the Least Efficient Mode of Freight Shipping

By Tanya Snyder | Mar 1, 2011 | 9 Comments

Freight transportation, which accounts for nearly a quarter of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, doesn’t get as much attention as passenger transportation because most people don’t feel it affects them as much. But more than 15 million trucks deliver 70 percent of the goods this country consumes – and the GAO says that’s a mistake. The Government […]

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