Todd: State could miss out on trade if rail relocation doesn’t push forward

From Austin Business Journal, January 28, 2009...

New concerns raised Wednesday by Bruce Todd, the former Austin mayor and current executive director of the Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association, suggest Texas could lose a chance to expand its role in foreign trade if funding for the state’s rail relocation initiative doesn’t come quicker.

A $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal, set for completion in 2014, could bring more cargo ships to Texas ports, Todd said in a statement. But, he said, that extra cargo could be paralyzed if the freight rail lines serving ports aren’t upgraded.

Read more...

Worst Texas counties for rail safety

From News 8 Austin, January 8, 2009...

A report released Thursday finds Harris County is the most dangerous in Texas for railway accidents.

The Texas Rail Relocation and Improvement Association said Harris County had nearly 1,400 reported incidents from 1998 through 2007.

Those incidents include derailments, collisions, pedestrian trespassing and hazardous material releases. The group says the accidents killed nearly 100 people and left more than 1,100 injured.

Read more...