In an article published June 5 on Resilience.org, activist Bill Moyer outlined his case for investment in high speed electric rail, and is leading an effort in his home state of Washington to lobby for this mode of  transportation that has existed in Europe and Asia for decades, and had widespread use in the U.S. until the mid-twentieth century. Moyer is part of a growing American majority who believe that investing in renewable energy sources to ‘move’ our country forward will pay major dividends in the way of new jobs, cost savings, operations efficiency and a cleaner environment. Click here to read the complete article.
 
 

Railway Age reported that contractors on Caltrain’s Peninsula Corridor Electrification Project (PCEP) agreed to extend the deadline for first day of construction from March 1, 2017 to June 30, 2017.  This announcement was issued just days after the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that the execution of a $647 million funding FFGA (Full Funding Grant Agreement) is now on hold, and will remain on hold until President Trump decides which federal funds will go where in his budget proposal to Congress. When/if completed, the years-long project will culminate in a cleaner, more efficient, high-speed commuter rail system in the busy San Francisco corridor, as diesel commuter trains will be replaced by electric trains. However, if the funds are not released by June 30, the project may be derailed permanently.  Read the complete article here.
To read more on the project, click here.