The Association of American Railroads welcomes the news that Joseph Boardman, currently administrator at the Federal Railroad Administration, has been named interim President and CEO of Amtrak. Boardman’s decades of transportation industry experience ensures that Amtrak will continue to grow and play a vital role in the critically important and emerging role of passenger rail service in the United States.

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The year 2007 was the second busiest year on record for U.S. railroads, as both total volume and intermodal traffic were at near record levels.

The year also saw record industry revenues and capital investments, as well as a record low train accident rate.

These are among the highlights of 2007 that are captured in the 2008 edition of Railroad Facts that has just been published by the Association of American Railroads.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration last month imposed substantial new security requirements upon the freight railroads. The Rail Security Final Rule will go into effect 30 days from the date it was published in the Federal Register, which was November 26.

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President-elect Obama has made an excellent selection in choosing Congressman Ray LaHood to be the next Secretary of Transportation. The nation faces enormous transportation challenges. Capacity is an issue across all modes of transportation as is the need to maintain and improve existing infrastructure. Accomplishing all this while simultaneously reducing transportation's carbon footprint will require a bi-partisan approach.

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Noting the enormous environmental and economic benefits of freight rail, representatives from the railroad industry and various environmental organizations have signed a joint letter to President-elect Barack Obama urging the inclusion of a freight rail component in any stimulus and economic recovery legislation.

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Freight railroad industry applauds the action taken by the Department of Transportation earlier this week to adopt standards based on ones originally developed by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) to strengthen tank cars carrying toxic by inhalation chemicals (TIH), like chlorine and anhydrous ammonia.

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When it comes to the truth, there’s what some people want you to believe, then there’s the REAL truth. Find out the REAL truth about railroads, reregulation and antitrust. Find out what they don’t want you to know.

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The railroad industry would like to commend the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the work they did in crafting a comprehensive and far-reaching rail safety bill.

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Find out how the industry is working toward developing and implementing some of the world's most sophisticated technology to make trains safer than ever.

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Two new ads have launched for the Freight Rail Works campaign. Featuring an environmentalist and a retired sheriff, these testimonial ads feature real people talking about how freight rail really works. The ads will run "Inside the Beltway," in the Washington, D.C. market — You can see them by visiting www.freightrailworks.org and clicking on the ad links.

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AAR President and CEO Ed Hamberger wrote in a letter to the Washington Examiner that today's trains offer cost-effective, highly environmentally friendly solutions to problems like highway congestion and growing concerns over pollution.  

"If we are to keep today's transportation problems from becoming tomorrow's transportation crisis," Mr. Hamberger wrote, "Rail must be part of the solution."

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The AAR's Ed Hamberger writes to the New York Times saying that while the U.S. needs to invest in passenger rail service, expanding freight rail will also provide enormous public benefits. One freight train can also take up to 300 trucks off the road, while reducing pollution by two-thirds.

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In his letter to the editor of the New York Times, Secretary Mineta wrote, "It's imperative that the next president make addressing our nation's infrastructure needs an urgent priority when he arrives in Washington." 

"Our economy cannot prosper if our transportation infrastructure lacks sufficient capacity."

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What's more fuel efficient than the newest hybrid car? A freight train. In 2007, major freight railroads in the United States moved a ton of freight an average of 436 miles on each gallon of fuel. This represents a 3.1 percent improvement over 2006 and an astonishing 85.5 percent improvement since 1980.

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As Good Morning America rolls through its 50-state train tour, Norfolk Southern's Tom Bartley told weatherman Sam Champion how America's freight rail industry can haul a ton of goods 436 miles on a single gallon of fuel.

Click here to watch the segment from ABC morning show.

CNN's Don Lemon explores the nation's freight rail system noting that high fuel efficiency is just one advantage the freight rail industry delivers to America's economy.

Railway Age's William C. Vantouno told Lemon that a tax credit to help with a $148 billion investment in the network's capacity needed by 2035 is, "Something that's absolutely needed."

Click here to see the story "Return of the Iron Horse" on CNN's Web site.

The History Channel fast tracks a new eight-episode series sponsored by CSX called "Extreme Trains." Subjects include episodes on coal trains, freight trains, refrigerated trains and high-speed trains, just to name a few.

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