CENTRAL China’s Sichuan province has invested CNY266.8 billion (US$42.3 billion) of investment in shipping and road transport construction in the past four years, hitting a record high, reports Xinhua. The province’s total expressway mileage has increased to 6,537 kilometres in the last four years, up 250 per cent compared to 2007′s rate on construction. The province’s first expressway to the north, the Guangyuan to Shaanxi expressway was completed and put…

THE European road freight price index decreased by 0.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011 compared to the previous quarter, and was down 1.5 per cent year on year, according to the latest Transport Market Monitor report, said the UK’s Transport Intelligence. It said the first half of last year had been especially strong when the price index reached a record high in the second quarter. However, conditions…

JACKSONVILLE trucker Landstar System announced that revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011 grew 22 per cent to US$717.5 million year on year. The company also reported a net income of $32.6 million, up 42 per cent year on year while operating profit was 45 per cent last year after scoring a 36 per cent gain last year on 2009′s results. Trucking revenue hauled by independent business capacity owners (BCOs)…

The US domestic trucking Cass Freight Index increased 3.6 per cent in January year on year, maintaining steady seasonal growth and reaching the highest level for that month in four years. After a seasonal slippage of 0.95 per cent from December to January, the index posted increased expenditures of 22.1 per cent in January year on year, but still slipped 0.1 per cent month to month from December. Based on…

Eastern China’s Shandong province is to spend CNY40.2 billion (US$6.3 billion) on road projects this year. Six new expressways will be completed and open to traffic by year’s end. With the completion of the six projects, provincial roads will extend 236,000 kilometres and expressways will run 4,975 kilometres. This year, there will be a total of 1,316 kilometres’ expressways under construction, 490 kilometres are new expressways. Meanwhile, the province will…

The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act, billed as the “largest transportation reform bill since the creation of the Interstate Highway System in 1956″ by its sponsor Florida Republican Congressman John Mica, has been introduced into the US House of Representatives. If adopted, the bill will authorise US$260 billion to fund federal highway, transit and safety programmes over five years. Mr Mica, chairman of the transportation and infrastructure committee, predicted…

Southern China’s coastal province Fujian recorded a waterway cargo transportation volume of 189 million tonnes in 2011, up 12.3 per cent year on year, Xinhua reports. Waterway cargo turnover volume grew 15.1 per cent to 255.43 billion tonnes per kilometres. Waterway passengers totalled 15.96 million, 10.5 per cent more than in 2010. Turnover volume increased 12.3 per cent to 241 million passengers per kilometre. The province’s road cargo movement totalled…