“Florida still has chance for fast train, but other states vying for U.S. aid” by Michael Turnbell, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, May 25, 2009

A bullet train, its supporters say, could boost tourism, create jobs and get cars off Florida’s crowded roads. There’s even $8 billion in federal stimulus money available to help build the proposed Tampa-Orlando-Miami line, where trains would move at least 110 mph and zip travelers from South Florida to Disney World in less than two hours. [...]

Link: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sfl-high-speed-rail-b052509sbmay25,0,6488044.story

“Against All Odds, Florida Rail Authority Rolls On”, News Service of Florida, May 26, 2009

The Florida High Speed Rail Authority last month had one of its most high profile members resign and the rest of its members terms have actually expired. But the authority has kept the wheels on its plan to apply for federal money that can be used to build a proposed Tampa-Orlando-Miami bullet train. [...]

Link: http://www.jaxobserver.com/2009/05/26/rail-authority-rolls-on-despite-vacancy-expired-terms/

“High-speed rail proposal is viewed with concern” by Christine Souza, California Farm Bureau Federation, May 27, 2009

As the state’s High-Speed Rail Authority plans an 800-mile high-speed rail system that will help alleviate congestion on roadways and transport passengers from San Francisco to Los Angeles in a little over two and a half hours, California’s agricultural landscape is likely to change dramatically. [...]

Link: http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1316&ck=F3F1B7FC5A8779A9E618E1F23A7B7860#top

“High speed rail for America” by Sean Devlin, Examiner.com, May 25, 2009

The CBS Evening News revisited the high speed rail discussion and looked into as whether it was a viable option. This is especially important as the green movement is looking for more environmentally responsible transportation, part of which means alleviating road and air traffic congestion. [...]

Link: http://www.examiner.com/x-6812-Newark-Alternative-Transportation-Examiner~y2009m5d25-High-speed-rail-for-America

“High-speed rail dreams depend on dedicated tracks” by Aubrey Cohen, Seattlepi.com, May 28, 2009

While rail advocates dream of passenger trains blazing through Washington at 200 mph, freight railroad representatives say anything half that fast won’t work on their tracks. ”True” high-speed rail would exceed 150 mph, but the Amtrak Cascades line between Eugene, Ore., and Vancouver, B.C., is more likely to see incremental progress from the current top speed of 79 mph to between 110 and 125 mph (the top potential speed of the current Talgo trains), Cascadia Project rail fellow Ray Chambers said at a forum in downtown Seattle on Thursday. [...]

Link: http://www.seattlepi.com/transportation/406665_trains28.html

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood inspecting a TGV in Paris

Source: AFP

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The Jury of Globe Forum (www.globeforum.com) has selected 100 companies that offer the most exciting sustainable innovations and that are most likely to succeed, from more than 500 candidates from 16 countries. One of the companies selected is the Swedish developer of Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) systems Beamways AB. Being a part of the Sustainable Innovators 100 will enable Beamways to market its concept to investors and decision makers from all corners of the world, many of whom act outside the specialist networks where the Beamways concept is already well established.

Beamways CEO, Mr. Bengt Gustafsson, welcomes this opportunity. “We are proud to be selected”, he says and continues, “PRT systems are after many years as a technology playground with fanciful demonstration projects finally emerging as a serious tool to help solve the traffic problems of our cities. Our technology addresses the individual needs for flexibility in time and efficient routing while also improving the environment and public safety. We can also show that PRT can be made financially efficient for all parties in competition with other public transport systems and individual automobile traffic.”

Gustav Gorecki of the Globe Forum organization says: “Beamways is exactly the type of company we want to help develop. Early, competent and with a concept that is both perfectly in line with the targets of our organization as well as making sense businesswise.”

About Beamways

Beamways AB is a privately owned company based in Linköping, Sweden. The Beamways concept for Personal Rapid Transport (PRT) system has been developed over two years.

Beamways is in a two year period where it will conduct a number of studies to verify that the basic concepts works. Patents for the main ideas will also be obtained. After this period further capital will be needed to prove the concept with a complete test track.

In parallel with this technical development project Beamways also engages in political lobbying activities to promote PRT, participates in PRT studies and research and conducts marketing activities.

More information is available on our home page www.beamways.com.

About Globe Forum

The annual business conference and networking event Business Innovation for Sustainable Growth, is where entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, investors and government from different countries and regions are invited to create relations and develop sustainable business.

Globe Forum brings together a large number of different interested parties to create the leading marketplace for innovation and business development by turning a vision of the future into market opportunities and by promoting sustainable innovations between our focus markets.

www.globeforum.com

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Since Veolia Environnement is looking for reducing its debt of around €2 billion, since the 2008 net result divided by two from the previous year at €405 million, since the stocks lost 43% of its market value in the last 12 months, the mothers company needs to bring back confidence among its investors. Traffic flows in freight rail dropped up to 40-50% and Veolia Cargo even stopped its cooperation with French marine shipping company CMA-CGM: both companies shut down their joint venture, Veolia Cargo Link, in march 2009… Selling subsidiaries is a way to get cash flow back flowing!

From the outside, we can wonder who will buy out Veolia Cargo: Deutsche Bahn, who already spent €700 million in the United Kingdom to buy out EWS? Another European key-player in freight operation, from Spain or Italy? This will definitely be a way to compete against the French National Railway Company, SNCF… However, from “information or propaganda” to an official “announcement”, the selling of Veolia Cargo seems real enough to have SNCF, the French National Railway company interested in buying out the private company’s freight rail operations! Pierre Blayau, SNCF Fret (SNCF freight division) President confirmed his company’s interest in its direct opponent on the French market.

References

• Article: Veolia Environnement met en vente Veolia Cargo, Les Echos, May 11, 2009: here
• Article: La SNCF candidat à une reprise de Veolia Cargo, e-Lloyd, May 13, 2009: here

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• Aviation Safety: Potential Strategies to Address Air Ambulance Safety Concerns. GAO-09-627T, April 22, 2009 (17 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-627T
• Commercial Aviation: Airline Industry Contraction Due to Volatile Fuel Prices and Falling Demand Affects Airports, Passengers, and Federal Government Revenues. GAO-09-393, April 21, 2009 (52 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-393
• High Speed Passenger Rail: Future Development Will Depend on Addressing Financial and Other Challenges and Establishing a Clear Federal Role. GAO-09-560T, April 1, 2009 (6 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-560T
• Transportation Security: Comprehensive Risk Assessments and Stronger Internal Controls Needed to Help Inform TSA Resource Allocation. GAO-09-492, March 27, 2009 (57 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-492

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The LKW-Maut is the German global toll scheme applied to goods trucks over 12 tons since January 1, 2005. Haulers are charged for the distance they run on German motorways. The tax also depends on the number of axles and the CO2 emission category of the vehicle. Toll Collect is the organisation in charge of monitoring the whole scheme and collecting the toll.

Each driver has an on-board unit (OBU) installed in the truck. These electronic devices are paid by German Government and make possible to know the exact mileage made by every truck on German motorways.

When the system was launched, the average amount of the toll was €0.12/km. After 4 years of operation, Toll Collect deems the scheme a success since distances run by trucks with higher emissions rate had significantly decreased. Apparently, the cumulated mileage of trucks from S0, S1 and S2 pollutants rejection categories compared to total mileage has gone down from 48% in 2005 to 8% in November 2008.

A meaningful action to protest

Since January 1, 2009, toll fares have been increased. Basically, 4 axles and more vehicles will be charged between €0.155/km if they are Euro V and €0.288/km if Euro 0 and Euro I. This increase – supposed to generate about €1 billion in 2009 for the German Ministry for Transport (Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Sdadtentwiclung) -, was all the same hard to accept that it occurred as the freight sector is particularly impacted by the worldwide economic slowdown.

The BGL (Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung), an important workers organisation which is clearly against it, promotes initiatives allowing haulers to display their dissatisfaction about it. Here are pictures available on their website ! They can be found at the rear doors of some trucks in Germany and are also distributed as flyers.

Approximate translations are: “Billions for banks, euthanasia for transport companies” and “Wicked, Angela, since your toll increase, my daddy has lots of spare time for me during the day“.

Is this a glimpse of what we will see in France in a couple of years…?

As a reminder, France will implement a very similar scheme to the LKW Maut’s by 2012, and even earlier as a test in the Alsace region. Shall French politicians already prepare for this kind of actions in the future, then?

References

• website: Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung (BGL) here
• website: German Ministry for Transport (Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Sdadtentwiclung) here
• website: LKW-Maut fare structure here
• press release: Toll Collect, Quatre ans de péage poids lourds en Allemagne, 12/19/2008 here
• article: Financer aujourd’hui les infrastructures de demain, Transport Expertise, 04/07/2008 here

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• Coast Guard: Observations on Changes to Management and Oversight of the Deepwater Program. GAO-09-462T, March 24, 2009 (8 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-462T
• Commuter Rail: Many Factors Influence Liability and Indemnity Provisions, and Options Exist to Facilitate Negotiations. GAO-09-282, February 24, 2009 (66 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-282
• High Speed Passenger Rail: Future Development Will Depend on Addressing Financial and Other Challenges and Establishing a Clear Federal Role. GAO-09-317, March 19, 2009 (102 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-317
• Highway Infrastructure: Federal Efforts to Strengthen Security Should Be Better Coordinated and Targeted on the Nation’s Most Critical Highway Infrastructure. GAO-09-57, January 30, 2009 (79 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-57
• Highway Trust Fund: Improved Solvency Mechanisms and Communication Needed to Help Avoid Shortfalls in the Highway Account. GAO-09-316, February 6, 2009 (23 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-316
  
• Next Generation Air Transportation System: Issues Associated with Midterm Implementation of Capabilities and Full System Transformation. GAO-09-481T, March 25, 2009 (20 pages). 
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-481T
• Next Generation Air Transportation System: Status of Transformation and Issues Associated with Midterm Implementation of Capabilities. GAO-09-479T, March 18, 2009 (21 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-479T
• Responses to Questions for the Record: February 11, 2009, Hearing on the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2009. GAO-09-467R, March 10, 2009 (8 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-467R
• Transportation Programs: Challenges Facing the Department of Transportation and Congress. GAO-09-435T, March 10, 2009 (22 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-435T
• Urban Partnership Agreements: Congestion Relief Initiative Holds Promise; Some Improvements Needed in Selection Process. GAO-09-154, March 25, 2009 (93 pages).
  http://www.gao.gov/docdblite/details.php?rptno=GAO-09-154

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PRT is currently being installed and tested at Heathrow with the majority of the infrastructure now complete. There will be a chance to view the infrastructure and vehicles during the course of the conference.

PRT systems are likely soon to have urban and suburban applications. PRT’s great strength will be its ability to compete with the private car in the dispersed suburban travel markets which have largely been created by the car. There are already proposals for urban PRT systems in the UK, while overseas there have been feasibility studies of regional and even national systems.

The object of the conference is to allow delegates to view the ULTra system at LHR, to inform them about progress being made here and elsewhere and to consider the future roles and significance of PRT. On the third morning of the conference, delegates will additionally be able to hear presentations from the European project CityMobil, which has been exploring other ways that 21st Century technology may transform urban transport.

References

• Conference program: PRT @ LHR, A conference to mark the world’s first Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system: here

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