railroad infrastructure

Collaboration must be key for railroads to thrive, experts say

WASHINGTON — The near-term future of freight rail might be one marked by collaboration, whether that’s through private or public partnerships among other supply chain stakeholders or between the railroads themselves as they compete against the trucking industry, according to panelists at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting this week.

One idea that continues to be discussed is that infrastructure investors are interested in developing giant rail industrial parks in North America,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/collaboration-must-be-key-for-railroads-to-thrive-experts-say

Highways, ports get $2B boost in Biden infrastructure deal

A bipartisan group of senators negotiating with President Joe Biden boosted new funding for highway and port infrastructure each by $1 billion from an initial framework announced in June, according to a new fact sheet released by the White House.

The “Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal” announced on Wednesday increases new funds for roads, bridges and major projects from $109 to $110 billion, with port infrastructure investment increasing from $16 billion to $17 billion.

The $550 billion in total new...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/highways-ports-get-2b-boost-in-biden-infrastructure-deal

Biden strikes deal on $1.2 trillion infrastructure package

President Joe Biden agreed on Thursday to a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that has support from 21 Republican and Democratic senators but has yet to pass scrutiny on Capitol Hill.

“We’ve struck a deal,” Biden tweeted on Thursday after meeting with a group of 10 senators at the White House. However, “there is plenty of work ahead to bring this home,” he told reporters after unveiling the plan at the White House.

“It’s going to require hard work and collaboration. The committee chairs [in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/biden-strikes-deal-on-1-trillion-infrastructure-package

White House cuts size of infrastructure package by almost 25%

The White House sliced nearly 25% off its $2.25 trillion, 10-year infrastructure package, bargaining down to $1.7 trillion in an effort to negotiate with Senate Republicans who offered their own $568 billion, five-year package in April.

“In our view this is the art of seeking common ground,” said White House spokesperson Jen Psaki during a press conference on Friday. “This proposal seeks a willingness to come down in size, giving in on some areas that are important to the president while also...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/white-house-cuts-size-of-infrastructure-package-by-almost-25

DOT allots $1 billion in latest round of infrastructure grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is laying out $1 billion in the latest round of a competitive grant program that began in 2009 for freight projects.

DOT published on Tuesday a Notice of Funding Opportunity to apply for money through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants, a renaming of what had been called “BUILD” grants under the Trump administration and “TIGER” grants under the Obama administration.

The Biden administration plans to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-allots-1b-in-latest-round-of-infrastructure-grants

Biden unveils sweeping $2 trillion infrastructure plan

The White House has released an outline of President Joe Biden’s vision for infrastructure: a $2 trillion, 10-year American Jobs Plan that includes upgrading transportation infrastructure as well as renewing the electric grid, high-speed broadband to all parts of the U.S. and delivering clean drinking water.

Biden envisions the plan fully paid for within 15 years – but only if he is able to pass an adjoining plan to increase corporate taxes from the current 21% passed under the Trump...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/biden-unveils-sweeping-2-trillion-infrastructure-plan

News alert: Civil engineers upgrade US infrastructure to C- from D+

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the nation’s infrastructure an overall grade of C-minus, up from a grade of D-plus four years ago, the association revealed Wednesday in its quadrennial report card.

The evaluation was based on an evaluation of 17 infrastructure categories, including roads, bridges, ports, rail, aviation and inland waterways.

2021 report card (with comparison to four years ago):

  • Roads: D (D)
  • Bridges: C (C+)
  • Ports: B- (C+)
  • Rail: B (B)
  • Aviation: D+ (D)
  • Inland...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/civil-engineers-upgrades-us-infrastructure-to-c-from-d

Federal Railroad Administration issues revised rule on track safety

A photograph of a train with tank cars passing by a Union Pacific train.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a final rule that revises its standards for rail integrity and track safety, according to a Wednesday notice in the Federal Register.

The rule became effective on Wednesday. FRA said the revisions would reduce unnecessary costs and incentivize innovation while also improving rail safety. 

The regulation governs the minimum safety requirements for railroad tracks. The revisions allow for technologies such as continuous rail testing for...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/federal-railroad-administration-issues-revised-rule-on-track-safety

Coalition seeks one-year extension of FAST Act

A coalition of 88 business and government groups is pressing Congress to extend the current surface transportation law for one year before it expires in three weeks.

The $305 billion Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act – known as the FAST Act – was signed by President Obama in 2015 and is set to expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. In addition to creating grant programs for states and establishing performance levels for the highway, rail and maritime sectors, the law...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/coalition-seeks-one-year-extension-of-fast-act

Commentary: Will railroads grow organically or just recover?

The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of FreightWaves or its affiliates. 

That search for modal share growth is still fundamentally the real strategic challenge for the seven Class 1 North American railroads.

 Profitability remains excellent.

 Net cash flow? Down a bit during the second quarter of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic economic shock hit. We will find out by how much less over the next few weeks as second quarter earnings are...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/commentary:-will-railroads-grow-organically-or-just-recover?

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