UK/Europe: Eurostar gets signal it can run in France if UK leaves EU without an agreement
A new Eurostar subsidiary has obtained a licence to operate in France. The operator’s British licence, which allows it to use rail infrastructure in the EU will be rescinded if Britain leaves the EU without a deal agreed. [euronews.com]
USA: Amtrak’s Milwaukee-Chicago service sees record increase In passenger ridership
Amtrak Hiawatha Milwaukee-Chicago Service set an all-time record of more than 858,000 passengers in calendar year 2018, a 3.6 percent increase over calendar year 2017. [milwaukeeindependent.com]
USA: Phoenix Rail Plan in Danger As Council Swipes Cash
The Phoenix City Council has voted to hijack $135 million of funding for a proposed light rail extension and spend it on road projects, delivering the first blow to plans for a $31.5-billion light rail system. [usa.streetsblog.org]
Europe: Athens-Thessaloniki rail travel time to be slashed
Completion of a key electrification project by month’s end will enable Italian-owned operator Trainose to launch Pendolino ETR-485 electric trains cutting Athens-Thessaloniki travel time to just over four hours. [ekathimerini.com]
USA: Amtrak, CSX agree on Hoosier State schedule improvements
Route owner CSX has accepted Amtrak plans to begin offering the new schedules next month for two trains operating between Indianapolis and Chicago. The schedule reduction will save Indiana more than $72,000 in annual costs. [jconline.com]
USA: New study reveals more downtown Denver commuters are choosing public transportation
The Downtown Denver Partnership study found an increase in commuters using public transit, with nearly 40 percent choosing this option. [thedenverchannel.com]
The Rest of the Industrialized World Has High-Speed Rail, Why Can’t the USA?
In Europe and Asia, there are numerous high-speed rail (HSR) lines. Compared to other industrialized countries, the U.S. is woefully behind [engineering.com]
