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American rail links are quite useful if you plan on boarding these extensive networks to save on fuel while circumventing the urban gridlocks.

There are other smaller rail networks but these are the most widely used, across the United States:

• Metrolink - Premier regional rail system, including commuter and other passenger services, linking the Greater Los Angeles Area communities to employment and activity centers.
• Coaster - North San Diego County transit authority.
• Sounder - Created by the Washington state legislature to build a mass transit system that connects regional employment and population centers in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, in the Seattle and Bellevue areas.
• Virginia Railway Express (VRE) - Connecting major Northern Virgina cities like Fairfax to the bustling Washington DC downtown.
• Metra - Northeast Illinois’ commuter rail system connecting Chicago to most neighboring communities.
• Trinity Railway Express - Commuter rail service between Fort Worth and Dallas.
• Caltrain - Serving the San Francisco and San Jose areas.
• Alaska Railroad - Alaska’s unique railroad system which is also heavily geared towards tourism.
• Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) - Vital commuter link between the growing city of Gary, Indiana and it’s huge neighbor, Chicago.
• West Coast Express - Providing service to the communities of the Northeast sector, this is Vancouver’s efficient commuter rail service.
• Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) - Californian rail transit authority serving many cities, namely Stockton, Fremont, Pleasanton, Livermore, San Jose and Santa Clara.

Millions of commuters use these train services daily but let’s not forget about the commercial transporters who will appreciate the fact that commuters aren’t the only ones appreciating the rail system. In fact, the intermodal offerings (truck loads easily transfered to train cargo and then back to truck loadable units) are constantly expanding to make a more diversified use of the rails.

Heavy loads aren’t really an issue when using the mighty rail so if you’re looking to move freight around the major US metro areas, you should your local train transit provider about the intermodal possibilities.

Tags: train, commuters, rail networks, transit authorities, us metro areas

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This is awesome news for tens of thousands of Utah commuters as the State receives what is arguably the biggest transportation grant ever. Less pollution, less delays and a streamlined train ride, for people moving from city to city, will make the whole corridor a lot more enjoyable.

Salt Lake City area commuters got a big boost as U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta sealed an agreement with the Utah Transit Authority for $489 million in federal funding for the “FrontRunner” Weber County-to-Salt Lake City Commuter Rail line.

The money will be used to build the new 44 mile commuter rail line that is expected to carry almost 12,000 weekday passengers taking nearly 6,000 cars off the roads everyday Mineta said during a visit to the Farmington Station construction site this afternoon.

“Because it runs parallel to I-15, this rail line offers a common-sense solution to highway congestion to and from Salt Lake City,” Mineta said. “And taking more cars off the road during rush hours will help keep people and products moving through Salt Lake City safely and on time, no matter which path they choose.”

The Full Funding Grant Agreement represents the federal government’s commitment to provide funding for the project, Mineta said. The funds will be allocated over a seven year period from 2006 through 2012.

It allows construction to continue on the new commuter rail line, which will provide service from Pleasant View to the existing Salt Lake City Intermodal Terminal in downtown Salt Lake City, with stops in Salt Lake, Weber and Davis counties.

The line’s downtown terminal will provide commuter rail passengers a direct connection for commuter rail, light rail, and passenger rail with UTA buses and Greyhound intercity bus service. Feeder buses will provide transportation from the terminal to local business and residential areas.

The grant, the largest award given to the state for a single project, will allow more workers to get to Salt Lake City’s booming businesses, Mineta said.

UTA plans to begin operating the line in November 2008, with service at 20-minute intervals during peak periods and every 40 minutes during off-peak periods. At startup, it will serve 6,100 people a day, and up to 12,500 people daily by 2025.

Tags: commuter rail, trains, transit, commuters, passengers, uta, utah

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In the transports and logistics world, there are few prospects as exciting as limitless free power. Thanks to Victor I. Klimov, who works as Team Leader at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, solar power generation could soon become a lot more efficient.

Imagine having solar cells as small as molecules and you get an idea of where Dr Klimov and his pals are taking the future of solar panels by taking advantage of today’s hottest nanotechnology advances.

On the one hand, you have an abundant amount of -largely untapped- solar energy which is available almost everywhere on Earth (during day time) and on the other, you have the latest nanotechnology shrinking techniques. For Dr Klimov, the fit made perfect sense.

Based in New Mexico, the research team has achieved something which may help shape the way we power stuff in the not-so-distant future and not just pocket calculators. Technically speaking, for one photon of sunlight, you get two electron’s worth of electricity. That’s a huge leap over today’s solar panel capabilities!

By shrinking the functional element of a solar cell to a few nanometers (that’s a millionth of a millimiter), each captured photon can be made to generate two -or even more- charge carriers, which makes it twice as efficient (or more) than today’s best solar panels.

The good news is that this hot technological prowess could, sooner than later, be available for all sorts of applications since the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, based in Golden, Colorado, has successfully replicated Dr Klimov’s experiment.

It’s natural to assume that for anything remotely located and needing a power source to function, this discovery paves the way for very efficient solar panels which can, for instance, power all sorts of electronic signage (especially LED-based)… or even satellites!

Now, more than ever, a sunny future awaits all T&L companies who can successfully integrate such engaging technologies in their operations or offerings.

Tags: nanotechnology, solar power, solar panels, lanl, klimov, energy

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