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Updated October 15, 2024 Contents Introduction Cross-Cutting Issues Federal Funding for Research and Development White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Federal Efforts to Boost Regional Innovation Commercializing the [...]

The article discusses the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, caused by a container ship collision, detailing the ownership of the ship, its operational details, and the subsequent impacts on port traffic and recovery efforts. It also examines the role of harbor pilots, the debate overshipping channets, and the logistical challenges posed by the closure of a major shipping channel, emphasizing the economic repercussions for the Port of Baltimore and surrounding areas.

January 19, 2022 Contents Introduction STB Governance and Structure Authority to Set Maximum Rates Proposals for Reform in Rate Reviews 'Captive Shippers' and Competitive Service Demurrage Charges and the Railcar [...]

May 18, 2021 Since the 1990s, the U.S. Department of Transportation has provided funding to support development and construction of a train system operated by magnetic levitation (maglev). Maglev trains [...]

March 19, 2020 Contents Introduction Sources Railroad Restructuring (1957-1987) What Happened to the Company/Industry Executive or Regulatory Agency Action and Assistance Congressional Action and Assistance The Rail Passenger Service and [...]

The article focuses on federal government has been involved in preserving and improving passenger rail service since 1970, when the bankruptcies of several major railroads prompted Congress to create Amtrak, officially, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation to preserve a basic level of intercity passenger rail service. It mentions several issues may pose obstacles to passenger rail expansion for Amtrak as well as for private-sector and state-led projects.

The article focuses on the U.S. Congressional Research Service. It reports on the East Palestine, OH, train derailment involving hazardous materials and the response to it. It describes the evacuation of residents due to potential exposure to toxic combustion byproducts and the investigations and legislative responses prompted by the incident.

The article focuses on the options for electrifying and decarbonizing railroads to reduce emissions and improve efficiency. Topics include the California Air Resources Board's new zero-emission regulations and their potential impacts, various technologies for railroad electrification such as battery and hydrogen power, and the current state of federal support for these initiatives.

The article focuses on initiatives by the U.S. federal government to help improve intercity passenger rail service in the U.S. It discusses the creation of Amtrak or the National Railroad Passenger Corp. by the U.S. Congress, the categories of efforts to improve intercity passenger rail, the high-speed rail corridors designated by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, and federal loans for passenger rail projects.

The article focuses on issues related to locomotive idle which may cause issues related to air quality and blocked crossings. It mentions Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to regulate locomotive engine noise under the Noise Control Act and limit emissions under the Clean Air Act. It also mentions auxiliary power unit (APU), is a small engine that can keep the locomotive's main engine warm, the batteries charged and the brakes applied.

The article focuses on authorization of federal funding for Amtrak was included in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015 which expires at the end of Fiscal Year 2021. It mentions Amtrak has depended on annual appropriations from the federal government to cover its capital (infrastructure, vehicles) and operating (train crews, maintenance) costs. It also mentions COVID-19 pandemic led to a sudden drop in travel demand in March 2020.

The report discusses the implications of reauthorizing railroad firm Amtrak based on long-term trends through the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, not its near-term prospects for recovery to pre-Covid-19 pandemic levels of service and performance. Topics include Amtrak's ratio of revenues to expenses for the FY2004-FY2019, and food and beverage service provided by the railroads.

The article focuses on the issues in the reauthorization of on Amtrak. It mentions about issues for Congress such as finance, future of the national network, and access to freight rail infrastructure and on-time performance, and food and beverage service. It also informs on Amtrak ratio of revenues to expenses.

The federal government has been involved in preserving and improving passenger rail service since 1970, when the bankruptcies of several major railroads threatened the continuance of passenger trains. Congress responded by creating Amtrak-officially, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation-to preserve a basic level of intercity passenger rail service, while relieving private railroad companies of the obligation to maintain a business that had lost money for decades. In the years since, the federal government has funded Amtrak and, in recent years, has funded passenger-rail efforts of varying size and complexity through grants, loans, and tax subsidies. Efforts to improve intercity passenger rail can be broadly grouped into two categories: incremental improvement of existing services operated by Amtrak and implementation of new rail service where none currently exists. Efforts have been focused on identifying corridors where passenger rail travel times would be competitive with driving or flying (generally less than 500 miles long) and where population density and intercity travel demand create favorable conditions for rail service. Improving existing routes: On the busy Northeast Corridor line owned by Amtrak, several projects to modernize or extend the life of existing infrastructure have been completed using federal grants overseen by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). Amtrak has also received annual appropriations above authorized levels for use on the Northeast Corridor in recent years, but proposed projects to add capacity or reduce trip times require a level of investment that outstrips existing options for passenger rail funding. Federal grants have enabled state-supported routes off the Northeast Corridor to add additional trains per day and/or to reduce trip times (whether by increasing speeds or rerouting trains onto more direct alignments). Some grant funds have also preserved service on Amtrak's long-distance lines, which account for under 15% of ridership but incur the largest operating subsidies. State-supported and long-distance routes generally operate over tracks owned and maintained by freight railroads (called "host" railroads), which can interfere with existing service and complicate plans to add trains to already congested freight lines. Interference by freight trains has been cited by Amtrak as a major contributor to its trains' poor on-time performance, although freight railroads sometimes dispute this. A federal law passed in 2008 was designed to hold host railroads to new performance standards, but has been the subject of court challenges for nearly a decade. While legal issues surrounding ontime performance standards may be resolved in the short term, on-time performance has fallen from its system-wide high of 80% (four trains out of five arriving at all stops on time) achieved in 2012 and has been slow to rebound. New rail services: Amtrak has partnered with several states to extend existing routes beyond their former termini to serve new stations, sometimes using additional federal grant money. A high-profile project to build a truly high-speed rail system in California was awarded nearly $4 billion out of the roughly $10 billion appropriated for intercity rail projects in 2009- 2010, but projected costs exceed earlier estimates and current funding is sufficient to build only an initial segment. The Trump Administration is now seeking the return of some federal grants. A smaller and less technically complex project to introduce new rail service connecting Chicago, IL, and Iowa City, IA, received federal funding but was delayed at the state level, and it is not clear when or if it will be completed. Meanwhile, several efforts are under way in the private sector to bring intercity passenger rail to major urban corridors. One of these, the Brightline service in Florida, has already begun serving Miami and West Palm Beach on a line that will eventually reach Orlando. While privately funded and operated, these projects do benefit from public assistance in other ways, as Brightline was allowed to issue tax-subsidized qualified private activity bonds to finance construction. Pilot programs to allow private railroads to compete for the right to serve existing Amtrak routes have been less successful. Rail programs were included in the most recent surface transportation authorization, which expires at the end of FY2020. Issues in reauthorization include whether and how to fund plans to build new infrastructure for improved rail services, especially on the federally owned Northeast Corridor; federal support for operating intercity rail services; the process by which rail lines are planned; the obligations of freight railroads to carry passenger trains; and whether other opportunities exist for the private sector to build or operate passenger rail services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on reauthorization of the surface transportation program by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act. It mentions federal surface transportation program did not pay specific attention to freight movement. It also mentions Highway infrastructure decisions are mainly made by the states, but federal fuel tax revenue is an important source of funds for the projects states pursue.

The article focuses on federal role in maintaining railroad bridge safety in the U.S. It mentions about the enactment of Rail Safety Improvement Act of 1988 which issue regulations regarding the safety of maintenance-of-way employees working on bridges; and role of Federal Railroad Administration in addressing the same.