U.S. heavy machinery maker Caterpillar will buy Balfour Beatty Plc.’s trackwork manufacturing business that makes rail switches and crossings, Balfour said on Friday. Get the full story »
Inside these posts: Rail
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GATX buys 2,500 freight cars for $150M
Transportation company GATX Corp. said Monday it bought a fleet of approximately 2,500 freight cars for $150 million. Get the full story »
Quinn, Wisconsin governor-elect in spat over jobs
A war of words is heating up between Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn over job creation. The Republican Walker said Thursday he plans to persuade Illinois companies to come to Wisconsin. He says he’ll emphasize that Quinn has proposed massive tax increases.
Walker’s comments come one day after the Democratic Quinn encouraged train maker Talgo Inc. to move south from Milwaukee. Talgo had said it would move from that facility if Wisconsin follows through on its promise to abandon high-speed rail. Get the full story »
Quinn looks to recruit rail jobs from Wisconsin
Gov. Pat Quinn says a Wisconsin trainmaker is welcome to move its jobs to Illinois.
Quinn is inviting Talgo Inc. to come to the state after Wisconsin’s newly elected Republican governor said he wanted to give back federal money for a proposed high-speed rail project or use it for something else.
Illinois, other states happy to take rail money
Wisconsin governor-elect Scott Walker speaks to reporters Nov. 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Scott Bauer)
High-speed rail projects in Wisconsin and Ohio appear close to derailment, with Wisconsin’s outgoing governor saying Monday he’ll leave the future of his state’s project to his Republican successor, who has vowed to kill it, and Ohio’s incoming governor saying again he plans scrap his state’s project.
Jim Doyle, Wisconsin’s outgoing Democratic governor, told The Associated Press that although he thinks a high-speed rail line to connect Milwaukee with Madison is a good idea, he feels obligated to leave the project’s future up to Republican Gov.-elect Scott Walker.
Minutes after Doyle made his comments, Walker said he remains opposed to the $810 million project. Get the full story »
FreightCar posts wider-than-expected Q3 loss
FreightCar America Inc. posted a much wider-than-expected quarterly loss, hurt by challenging market conditions and low demand for coal-carrying railcars, and said it expects tough competition to continue to hurt pricing. Get the full story »
State backs Japanese railcar plant in Rochelle
A Japanese-based rail manufacturer is getting state financial help to start making railcars in northern Illinois. Officials say Nippon Sharyo U.S.A. will receive $12 million in the form of a state business investment package to supplement $35 million in private investment. Get the full story »
Amtrak sets ridership, revenue records in U.S.
Stepped up business travel in the Northeast helped Amtrak boost ridership by nearly 6 percent to a record 28.7 million passengers in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, the railroad said Monday.
Amtrak, the only long-haul passenger rail service in the United States, also said year-over-year ticket revenue rose by 9 percent to a record $1.7 billion for the period that began last Oct. 1. Get the full story »
2 Chicago companies announce acquisitions
Two Chicago-based companies – a railroad freightcar maker and an insurance brokerage – announced acquisitions Wednesday morning. Get the full story »
Kraft, others hope to supersize trucks
When Kraft Foods Inc. packs trucks with weighty items such as jars of Miracle Whip and pouches of Capri Sun juice, 40 percent of the rigs must leave the loading dock partly empty to avoid exceeding federal truck weight limits. Kraft says those rules force it and others to make extra trips and spend more on fuel.
Now, the Illinois food giant is part of a coalition of 150 companies lobbying Congress to allow trucks that are 20 percent heavier on U.S. highways. Supporters of the idea say truckers could pay an extra fee to offset road repairs.
There is an arms race of sorts in the shipping industry — and it is prompting a backlash. Efforts are under way to supersize trucks, trains, and cargo ships as freight haulers look to move more goods in fewer trips. Get the full story »
Caterpillar’s Electro-Motive may build plant in McCook
From Crain’s Chicago Business | Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. is considering McCook as a location for a new locomotive plant, sources told Crain’s.
