Railroads

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Denver International Airport has an apparent rabbit problem.

Philadelphia International Airport is getting a $734 million makeover.

Land has not been purchased for a controversial high-speed rail proposal in California that is supposed to begin construction this year.

Transportation workers in Greece have gone on strike.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's (R) extending Amtrak service in the southwest part of his state has at least one fan: Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman.

McDonnell has called for extending Amtrak service from Lynchburg, Va., to Roanoke, Va., as part of its plan to overall the state's transportation system.

Boardman said McDonnell's proposal offers "a true vision and tangible support of intercity passenger rail as a relief to the growing problems of highway congestion.

"Passenger rail is a vital alternative in Virginia's overall transportation solution and will be a contributor to Virginia’s future economic success," Boardman said in a statement. 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says a controversial high-speed rail proposal in California has reached a couple of key milestones.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu has been tapped to give a speech at the Washington Auto Show next month.

An ad by Japanese automaker Honda has been named the most memorable television advertisement for an automobile in the last 25 years.

A person was nearly seriously injured filming an airplane stunt.

Amtrak is taking steps to improve the ability of hearing-impaired passengers to buy tickets for its trains and use customer service counters in its stations.

The company said Wednesday that it has installed "hearing loops" on customer-interaction points at its stations in New York and Washington, D.C. The equipment allows passengers to connect hearing aids to them in order to receive enhance audio that eliminates background noise.

Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman said it was important for Amtrak to make it easier for passengers with hearing issues to maneuver around its stations.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) will gavel in his first meeting as House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman this week after President Obama takes his second oath-of-office.

Shuster will hold an organizational meeting for the panel he is taking over from Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) on Wednesday.

Topics scheduled to be covered include committee rules and subcommittee chairmen and ranking members.

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Your morning transportation speed-read:

Dulles International Airport is considering closing one of its runways during President Obama’s inauguration to make room for private jets.

A Polish airline is considering asking Boeing for compensation for problems with its 787 “Dreamliner” airplanes.

Amtrak and the California High-Speed Rail have made their partnership for buying high-speed rail equipment official.

A man was arrested for running across the runway at San Diego International Airport.

The House lawmaker responsible for railway oversight promised to put the brakes on a high-speed railway in his state. 

Amtrak and the panel that is overseeing the development of proposed high-speed rail cars will work together to purchase equipment to run faster trains, the organizations will announce on Thursday.

The announcement will be made by Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman and California High-Speed Rail Authority Chairman Dan Richard at Washington, D.C.'s Union Station. The duo will be joined by California HSRA CEO Jeff Morales and Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari.

The partnership follows an announcement Wednesday that vocal California opponent Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) will be chairman of the House Transportation Committee's Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials subcommittee. Denham has sought previously to deny federal funding for the proposed California high-speed railway.

Amtrak's inspector general said the company failed to exercise "due diligence" to control substance abuse by employees.

Amtrak is promising to make major improvements to its infrastructure and development of high-speed rail programs in the Northeast United States in 2013.

The announcement comes after a year in which Republicans in the House sought repeatedly to deny the national passenger rail service funding from the federal government that it has received since its inception in 1971.

Amtrak CEO Joe Boardman said Thursday that his company was pushing ahead with its upgrade plans, despite the GOP's attacks.

"Amtrak continues to advance and invest in projects that provide both near-term benefits and long-term improvements for the effective delivery and reliability of intercity passenger rail service," Boardman said in a statement.