Railroads

Amtrak had more riders in March than it has had in any March in its 40 years of existence, the company said Thursday.
 
There were 137,000 more Amtrak riders this past month, the company said, which was the 17th straight month of increased ridership. That puts the company on track to break its annual ridership record, which was 28.7 million last year, Amtrak said.
 
From the first six months of the current fiscal year, October 2010 to March 2011, Amtrak ridership was up 5.9 percent over the same period from 2009 to 2010, the company said. 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Virginia transportation officials do not dig plans to build a new Washington MetroRail stop at Dulles Airport underground.

Minnesota commuters will have to deal with $900 million worth of road construction projects this year.

It was supporters' turn to be heard in the debate over what to do with federal high-speed rail money North Carolina already has in mind.

The N.C. Department of Transportation isn't waiting for the argument over railways to be resolved before asking for more money.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday that 24 states turned in applications for some or all of the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail money that was recently turned down by Florida.

There were 90 applications in total, including proposals from Amtrak and Washington, D.C. LaHood said the volume proves that Florida's lack of interest in building new railways was not indicative of the rest of the country's mood about the proposals.

“Today, we are another step closer to delivering an innovative, national transportation network that brings new jobs and economic opportunity to the American people," LaHood said in a statement.

Your morning transportation speed-read:

They're still debating high-speed rail in North Carolina, though they have federal money in hand.

Minnesota's cutting its transportation spending.

Vermont wants some of Florida's high-speed rail money too.

Sen. Rockefeller wants even more child-safety seat requirements.

Amtrak applied for more than half of the money rejected by the state of Florida for a proposed railway there.

On Monday, the national rail service requested $1.3 billion of the $2.4 billion that Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) turned down, according to a senator from one of the state's the proposed railway would run through.

“This funding would mark a critical step forward for the Gateway Project," Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said in a statement Tuesday. "I am pleased with how Amtrak is moving ahead and putting the wheels in motion. Rail transportation is critical to the economic success of New Jersey and all of the Northeast Corridor, and these projects will benefit our commuters, businesses, and families.”

The Gateway Project would expand New York's Penn Station and add more commuter trains to New Jersey, as well as additional Amtrak service.

States that want some or all of the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail money rejected by Florida have until Monday to submit applications to the Department of Transportation.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood reopened the application process for the money after Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) said he would not accept it. State lawmakers sought to force him to take the money by suing, but the Florida Supreme Court ruled Scott had the right to reject the Obama administration's rail money.

Had it been accepted, the money would have paid for 90 percent of the construction cost of a railway between Tampa and Orlando. But Scott said the railway would not generate enough riders to sustain itself, repeatedly calling it a "federal boondoggle."

Several states in the Northeast and California have expressed interest in the money.

LaHood has said Scott's rejection was not indicative of the support for building high-speed rail in the U.S. Scott became the third Republican governor to give back money from the Obama administration, following Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

California would use the $2.4 billion in high-speed rail money that was rejected by Florida to extends its proposed railway, officials announced this week.  

The California High-Speed Rail Authority plans to ask the Department of Transportation (DOT) for at least half of the unused Florida rail money to extend its railway to downtown Bakersfield, Calif., The Bakersfield Californian reported Wednesday.

When the initial DOT rail grants were announced, only California topped Florida's $2.4 billion takeaway. Now that Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has rejected that money, California wants an even bigger piece of the pie. 

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is fighting with his City Council over transportation projects they should ask voters to approve next year.

North Carolina got its high-speed rail from the federal government, but the plan is far from a done deal.

A Texas trucker was found in Mississippi to be carrying a bigger load than initially met the eye.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) asks Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to protect their mutual home state's transportation dollars.

More goods were shipped to Canada and Mexico using trucks, trains and other forms of surface transportation as commerce with the two countries increased 19.5 percent from January 2010 through the first month of this year.
 
The Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said Tuesday that goods worth a total of $67.8 billion were shipped across the U.S.'s southern and northern borders in January, up from $54.6 billion in the same month in 2010.
 
The rise continued a trend that saw trade increase 42.7 percent since 2009, when the continent was in the throes of the worldwide recession.
 
Trade with Mexico and Canada this January is 10.7 percent higher than January 2006, when the U.S. economy was still humming. And it is up 46.2 percent from January 2001, when the nation was on the verge of a small recession.
 
Not surprisingly, given its geographic proximity, Michigan had the highest value of trade with Canada, at $5 billion. Texas led surface trade with Mexico with $9.6 billion. 

The full shipping numbers can be read here.

Detroit's problems are well-documented, but its bridges being 13th worst in the nation can be added to the list.

Arizona officials approved a comprehensive rail plan, but they didn't say how they planned to pay for it.

Commuters in Maryland are going out of their way to avoid tolls.

Washington state officials want studded tires off the road for spring, but spring hasn't started there yet.