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+3 +2
Metrolink becomes first railroad to roll out Positive Train Control
The Metrolink passenger railroad Thursday will become the first commuter service in the nation to roll out a sophisticated collision avoidance system designed to overcome human error.
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+17 +1
Great places for fans of steam locomotives
The mournful wail of the whistle, the whoosh of boiler steam and the welcome warning of "All aboard!"
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+20 +1
U.S., rail industry agree on safety improvements for crude oil trains
The Department of Transportation has outlined several steps aimed at improving the safety of crude oil in trains after a series of derailments.
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+14 +1
Model railway-themed cafe in Gifu appeals to Japan’s train buffs
Tucked in Yanagase City’s shopping street in Gifu Prefecture is a unique restaurant for all train-lovers out there. Haruka, named after the owner’s favorite West Japan Railway Co. express train, is a railroad-themed café owned by Masaki Shingu, a former route and sightseeing bus driver in Nagoya.
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+11 +2
Siemens wins US high-speed train contract, outbids rivals Caterpillar, GE
Siemens and US engine maker Cummins had been awarded a $226-million (162-million-euro) contract to build 32 diesel locomotives for the US market, the German industrial conglomerate announced Tuesday. The passenger locomotives would be delivered to five US states, including California, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Washington, which were developing high-speed rail routes with US rail operator Amtrak, Siemens said.
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+18 +1
These Chevy Vegas were designed for vertical (nose down) shipment. Circa 1969.
The Vega was designed for vertical shipment, nose down. General Motors and Southern Pacific designed "Vert-A-Pac" autorack cars to hold 30 Vegas each, compared with conventional tri-level autoracks which held 18. The Vega was fitted with four removable cast-steel sockets on the underside and had plastic spacers—removed at unloading—to protect engine and transmission mounts. The rail car ramp/doors were opened and closed via forklift.
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+27 +3
The Doorstep Railway of Hanoi
You might have heard of the Railway Food Market in Thailand but here’s another urban oddity to feast your eyes on. This is the main line railway that passes through the residential old quarter and commercial neighbourhoods of Hanoi, Vietnam. The trains pass through the heart of the city twice a day, just inches away from the doorsteps of residential buildings.
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+19 +1
11,000 Kilometer Proof That Trains Still Win at Moving Stuff Around the Planet
About 30 yards from where I'm writing this is the Northern Transcon, one of two transcontinental routes operated by the BNSF Railway. Trains pass through at a rate of about two every three hours—up to several an hour occasionally—heading west into Portland, Ore. and east to Chicago and points between.
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+28 +1
Dealing With Death on the Railroad
Railroads have seen a recent uptick in highway-rail crossing and trespassing fatalities. But the memories of the gruesome events don’t just haunt families and friends of victims, they stick with train engineers and conductors as well—sometimes for a lifetime.
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+23 +1
Japan Company To Give Maglev Tech To U.S. For Free
The Japanese rail operator JR Tokai said it would not charge the US to license its proprietary "maglev" technology, which allows trains to hover about 4 inches (10 centimeters) above tracks and travel at speeds of 310 mph (500 kph), according to Nikkei. It is hoping the US will use its train for a proposed high-speed rail line between Washington D.C. and Baltimore.
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+21 +1
Passenger train derails in India; at least 19 dead
A passenger train derailed in western India on Sunday, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 100, police said. The engine and four of the 20 coaches jumped the tracks near Roha station, 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Mumbai, said police officer Ankush Shinde.
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+20 +1
Big Boy 4014, one of the world's biggest steam engines, to be restored
The locomotive was retired in December 1961, and is being taken to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for restoration, that is anticipated to take three to five years.
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+17 +1
China Built A Prototype For A Train Capable Of Reaching 1,800 MPH
Scientists at Southwest Jiaotong University in China have built a prototype testing platform for a near-vacuum high-speed maglev train that is theoretically capable of reaching speeds up to 2900 km/h or about 1,800 mph. Currently, the fastest commercially operated maglev reaches just 431 km/h and even the world record is just 581 km/hr.
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+5 +1
French rail company orders 2,000 trains too wide for platforms
France's national rail company SNCF said on Tuesday it had ordered 2,000 trains for an expanded regional network that are too wide for many station platforms, entailing costly repairs. A spokesman for the RFF national rail operator confirmed the error, first reported by satirical weekly Canard Enchaine in its Wednesday edition.
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+7 +1
Why do trains carrying oil keep blowing up?
Early on the morning of July 6, 2013, a runaway freight train derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, setting off a series of massive explosions and inundating the town in flaming oil. The inferno destroyed the downtown area; 47 people died.
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+19 +1
Woman killed by conductor for getting on wrong train car
A woman was crushed to death after a conductor pushed her off a moving train for boarding the wrong coach early Thursday in western India, police said.
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+21 +1
All Aboard! A Reading List For Riding The Rails
We're not sure anyone has ever published a book list that includes both Anna Karenina and The Little Engine That Could -- so this might be a first! Find recommended tales of travel by train.
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+19 +1
The man who hoped to die in a railway crash
Author Jeremy Clay tells the story of the man who rode the trains, hoping for a disaster.
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+17 +1
The Ferrari of Rail: Ultra-Luxurious Train Design for Japan
Japan is set to get a new luxury sleeper train with spacious modern cabins designed by Ken Okuyama, who’s best known for his work with Ferrari. The $50 million Cruise Train will run on both electric and non-electric rails and feature large glass-paneled windows, high ceilings and leather seating. Envisioned as the future of train travel in Japan, this designer creation won’t be for everyone: it’s got a max capacity of just 34 passengers.
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+14 +1
All aboard: China's railway dream
At Asia's biggest rail cargo base in Chengdu in south-west China, the cranes are hard at work, swinging containers from trucks onto a freight train. The containers are filled with computers, clothes, even cars.
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