THE United States' Railway Supply Institute Committee on Tank Cars (RSICTC) has called on the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) to speed up the process to introduce new safety measures for tank wagons carrying crude oil and ethanol.

THE Greenbrier Companies, United States, says development is underway of a new-generation tank wagon as well as retrofit solutions for wagons already in service or under construction that will improve the safety of transporting hazardous materials including crude oil and ethanol by rail.

AMTRAK staged a ceremony at Philadelphia's 30th Street station on February 6 in the presence of US vice-president Mr Joe Biden and US transportation secretary Mr Anthony Foxx to mark the entry into service of the first of 70 locomotives being supplied by Siemens.

FLORIDA East Coast Railway (FEC) announced on January 30 that it will order 24 ES44C4 Evolution Series diesel locomotives from GE Transportation for use on freight services on its 565km main line between Miami and Jacksonville.

THE mayor of Dallas Mr Tennell Atkins formally launched construction of the southern extension of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (Dart) Blue Line to University of North Texas (UNT) Dallas campus on January 24.

THE procurement of a new generation of high-speed trains for the United States was launched on January 24, when Amtrak and California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) issued a joint request for proposals (RFP) for a contract to supply trains for the Northeast Corridor and the first section of the California high-speed network.

A GROUNDBREAKING ceremony was held in Los Angeles on January 21 to mark the official start of construction on the city's $US 1.8bn light rail Crenshaw Line.

THE railway involved in the derailment and explosion of an oil train at Lac Megantic, Quebec, last July, has been acquired by Railroad Acquisisition Holdings LLC, an affiliate of New York-based Fortress Investment Group following an auction on January 21.

AUSTIN Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro) has revealed plans for a $US27m capacity upgrade on the 51km Capital Metro Red Line between central Austin and Leander, Texas, less than four years after the line opened.

SOUTHEASTERN Pennsylvania Transit Authority (Septa) has awarded ABB a contract to supply a second Enviline energy storage and recovery system for Philadelphia's Market – Frankford line.