USA: Host railroads earn ‘C’ average for Amtrak on-time performance
The six US freight carriers that host most Amtrak trains remain the chief culprits in the passenger service’s struggle to meet on-time performance goals with the majority of trains plagued by delays of 15 minutes or more. [progressiverailroading.com]
USA: Trump budget doesn’t include Gateway tunnel funding, US DOT says
President Donald Trump continued to spurn the Hudson River’s failing New York-New Jersey commuter rail tunnels, as elected officials stared down a “doomsday scenario” for the region. [amny.com]
USA: Philly-to-Pittsburgh hyperloop gets funding for $2 million feasibility study
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has awarded a $2 million contract for a feasibility study on a cross-state hyperloop tunnel between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, with additional stops in Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. [phillyvoice.com]
Europe: Chinese group to finance Helsinki-Talinn train tunnel
The company hoping to build an undersea train tunnel between the Finnish capital Helsinki and the Estonian capital Tallinn has in principle secured the bulk of the €20bn EUR ($20.5bn USD) it believes it will cost from a Chinese group. [globalconstructionreview.com]
Australia: High-speed rail has been an Australian dream for decades, but will it ever be a reality?
Current proposals — seen as more realistic that those of the past — keep Australia’s high-speed passenger rail advocates optomistic about a future fast link between Sydney and Melbourne. [abc.net.au]
