August 2001
CSX Cuts Quarterly Dividend
CSX Corporation has reduced its quarterly dividend from 30 cents per share to 10 cents per share effective with its next dividend payment due September 14. "This is a positive, not defensive, step we are taking," said chairman and CEO John Snow in a July 11 letter to employees. He added that the company feels it can increase returns to shareholders by using the reduced dividend to strengthen its balance sheet and foster growth. Meanwhile, the company reported net income for the second quarter from continuing operations of $108-million or 51 cents per share, up from $48-million or 23 cents per share for the same quarter a year earlier. "These results indicate clearly that the railroad had turned the corner and is starting to regain sustainable earnings momentum," the company said in a statement.
BNSF Launches "Mexi-Modal" Service
Burlington Northern Santa Fe announced on June 28 the launching of its "Mexi-Modal" intermodal service to create a "seamless and easy to use transportation network" connecting major markets in Mexico, the United States and Canada. With Mexi-Modal, BNSF coordinates the entire transborder shipping process, door-to-door, through cooperation with Canadian National Railway Company (CN), Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) and several Mexican trucking companies, according to a BNSF news release. "Mexi-Modal is the solution to decades of difficulties for companies that have used over-the-road carriers to transport goods to or from Mexico, as well as those that have avoided transborder commerce entirely because of the cumbersome process," said Richard Miller, assistant vice president, BNSF Mexico Business. "We now provide seamless service into and out of Mexico, and handle all the procedures and hassles most shippers don't want to deal with."
BNSF to Construct 7-Mile Rail Line in Texas
Burlington Northern Santa Fe announced on June 27 that the U.S. Surface Transportation Board has approved BNSF's plan to construct a seven-mile rail line between Kamey and Seadrift, Texas, pending STB environmental review. The review is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter, prior to the statutory deadline of February 1, 2002. Construction is planned to begin in the first quarter of 2002 and is expected to be completed in 2003. The new line will serve Dow Chemical's plant in Seadrift.
Union Pacific Reports 2nd-Quarter Earnings
Union Pacific Corporation has reported second-quarter net earnings of $243-million or 95 cents a share, compared with $244-million or 96 cents a share for the same quarter a year earlier. The company also lowered earnings expectations for the rest of the year.
Funds Committed to Baltimore Light-Rail Double-Track Project
The federal government has committed $120-million to complete double-tracking of Baltimore's light-rail system. The project is expected to be completed in 2006.
Virginia Installing "Tell Tails" for Clearance Alert to Truckers
The Virginia Department of Transportation has begun installing "tell tails" on highway approaches to low-overhead railroad underpasses to warn truckers to turn back. At least six trucks rammed into low-overhead railroad bridges in Northern Virginia last year, each time resulting in the need to examine the structures to ensure being safe for trains, causing delays to commuter service. Virginia DOT provided about $6,000 for the project, according to a newspaper report.
CSXT Train Fire in Baltimore Tunnel
[From various information sources and news accounts] . . .
WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 2001.. At approximately 3:10 PM today, an eastbound CSXT freight train caught fire within the Howard Street Tunnel in downtown Baltimore. According to news reports, the train (which was traveling from the Carolinas area to the New Jersey area), stopped in the tunnel due to some sort of problem (possibly a derailment). The conductor was unable to inspect the train due to a heavy buildup of smoke, and he was successful in cutting the locomotives from the train, the locomotives were able to exit the tunnel, and the 2-person crew is reported to be safe. According to a CSX official, the train has 60 cars, and includes some with hazardous materials. Reportedly the hazardous material includes hydrochloric, glacial acetic, and fluorosilicic acids; propylene glycol; tripropylene; and ethyl hexyl phthalate (per the Baltimore Sun newspaper). As of 6 PM: It is not known if any of the hazardous material cars are burning, but a major fire has developed somewhere in the train, with heavy black smoke coming from both ends of the tunnel.. Fire units responded to the blaze, and air raid sirens in the city were sounded.. Oriole Park at Camden Yards is within the immediate vicinity of the west (geographically south) portal of the tunnel. An afternoon baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards between the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles was in the process of completion at the time of the fire, and a second game scheduled for the evening had to be postponed because of the fire. Rush hour traffic was disrupted because of the fire, and MARC Camden Line service was curtailed at Dorsey with bus service substituted. Baltimore's light-rail line, which runs adjacent to the CSXT line at both ends of the affected tunnel and operates on Howard Street directly above the tunnel, has been suspended. Amtrak Northeast Corridor and MARC Penn Line services are not affected, although Baltimore's Penn Station is only about 3 blocks from the east portal of the CSXT tunnel.. As of 8:40 PM: Smoke is still coming from the east portal of the tunnel, although the smoke has now turned white (or gray) instead of black, and the smoke has abated somewhat at the west end.. There is some concern over the residual effects of smoke to persons within the area of the tunnel portals - not knowing exactly what is on fire within the train (which may or may not be toxic) - consequently an evacuation order to pedestrians. Persons living near the affected areas have been told to stay indoors, seal up windows and turn off air-conditioners.. The Coast Guard closed portions of Baltimore's harbor as a precaution in the event water runoff from the tunnel should be found to be toxic.. Immediate need is to contain the fire, which will be extremely difficult due to the location of the fire within the tunnel.. The Howard Street Tunnel - single-track and nearly two miles in length - is CSXT's only route through Baltimore. The west portal is near Camden Station, and the east portal is at the former Mount Royal Station (now owned by the Maryland Institute College of Art). The tunnel runs south to north beneath Howard Street and carries traffic on a geographically southwest to northeast route through the city.. As of 11 PM: The fire is still burning within the tunnel, white smoke is still coming from the east portal, and it is not certain exactly what is burning. However, the state department of the environment has determined that air tested within the affected outside areas near the tunnel portals is not toxic. Testing did reveal the presence of wood ash within the smoke, possibly caused by burning crossties as a byproduct of the fire.. Meanwhile, a 40-inch water main at Howard and Lombard streets ruptured. It is not known if the water main break is related to the fire, but this is the location within the tunnel below with space for a short stub-track and mini-station (never used) that at one time had access to the street above. It is speculated that heat from the fire may have caused the water main to break.. Maryland MTA has announced that the city's light-rail line along Howard Street will be replaced by alternate bus service tomorrow, and MARC Camden Line trains will originate at Dorsey instead of Camden Station. Amtrak and MARC Penn Line trains, once again, are not affected.
THURSDAY, JULY 19, AS OF 9 AM: The fire is still burning within the tunnel and fire fighters are still unable to attack the fire directly, but the heat and smoke has diminished to the point that entry into the tunnel had been made by workers who began moving some of the railroad cars from the tunnel. It was determined that three cars had derailed and one of the burning cars was a load of lumber. It was also determined that a load of acid had leached but the acid was not burning. Air quality samples taken in the affected outside vicinities revealed no adverse toxicity.. The City of Baltimore issued a liberal leave policy for employees, as did the State of Maryland for its employees at State Center.. Howard Street above the tunnel remains closed between Pratt Street and Mount Royal Avenue.. The baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Baltimore Orioles at 1PM was canceled; later it was decided to cancel the 7PM game as well.. Traffic into the Baltimore area in the morning was reported somewhat light, as many people heeded advice to remain home rather than to venture into the downtown area.. The fire continued to burn throughout the day, and Howard Street between Pratt Street and Mount Royal Avenue remains closed. Traffic is not even permitted to cross Howard Street between east and west, effectively slicing the city in half for a distance of about a mile.. It was further reported that a fiber-optic line within the tunnel had been damaged by the fire, and this has disrupted some communications - including internet connections - along the Eastern Seaboard and beyond..
FRIDAY, JULY 20, AS OF 4 PM: Fire is still burning in the tunnel. Howard Street is still closed between Pratt Street and Mount Royal Avenue, with traffic described by news reports within the city as "gridlocked" due to the inability to cross Howard Street along this mile-long north-south corridor.. The July 20 edition of the Baltimore Sun reported that at one time, temperatures within the tunnel had reached 1500 degrees (but there were later estimates of 1000 degrees).. There was a baseball game between the Anaheim Angels and the Baltimore Orioles scheduled for 7 PM at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and a decision was made to postpone the game. This is the fourth game in three days to be postponed due to the effects of the tunnel incident.. Firefighters had decided to approach the fire by way of a manhole connecting the street with the tunnel at Howard and Lombard streets, near the scene of Wednesday's water main rupture occurring near the site of the old mini-station.. Air monitoring samples in the neighborhoods near the tunnel portals continue to show no toxicity levels. Meanwhile, this afternoon, four emergency workers (two of whom were from CSX), were rescued by engine (5003) from the eastern end of the tunnel when at least one of the workers complained of running short of his supply of oxygen.. Baltimore Division general manager Gil Kovar, interviewed on radio, reported that this was the worst train incident he had ever experienced, describing it as "just short" of a worst case scenario. He added that the "buddy system" was in place for workers within the tunnel, usually sticking together as groups of seven or eight or more. AS OF 9 PM: It has been announced that 13 cars had been removed from the tunnel, leaving 47 cars remaining. Earlier in the day it was decided to take a cautious approach in removing the cars - in cuts of about six at a time, of those that had not derailed - in the interest of safety.
SATURDAY, JULY 21, AS OF 6 AM: A total of 49 cars have now been removed from the tunnel, leaving 11 cars remaining. Two are still burning.. AS OF 10 PM: All of the hazardous material cars have reportedly been removed from the tunnel, but four cars remain, including those on fire. An attempt will be made to remove those cars tonight or tomorrow (carefully) as it was felt that the fire department could be in a better position to extinguish the flames if the cars involved are in the open.. Meanwhile, the baseball game between the Anaheim Angels and the Baltimore Orioles was played - the first game to be played since the accident - in spite of the fact that Howard Street is still closed between Mount Royal Avenue and Pratt Street. (The stadium is located beginning in the second block south of Pratt Street.) Interestingly, this evening's game was "Fire Fighters' Appreciation Night," a coincidence since this commemoration had been planned for this particular game long before the derailment occurred. Two games are scheduled for tomorrow [July 22].. Meanwhile, the broken water main at Howard and Lombard streets has yet to be repaired; crews are awaiting the removal of the cars that are still on fire within the tunnel.
SUNDAY, JULY 22, AS OF 12 NOON: There are still four cars remaining in the tunnel. Plans are to remove these cars - one at a time - a process reportedly expected to take four hours per car, or 16 hours altogether. Officials, however, say they may delay this process during baseball games scheduled for 1 PM and 7 PM respectively at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, which is not far from the west (geographically south) end of the tunnel.. Howard Street above the tunnel remains closed between Mount Royal Avenue and Pratt Street.. Work is also expected to proceed to shut off water to the broken water main at Howard and Lombard streets, a process which will suspend water service to a section of downtown along nearby Paca Street - but not affecting the baseball games.. Commuters into the city tomorrow [July 23] are being advised to expect a number of detours, but there are tentative plans to permit access across Howard Street at some locations.. AS OF 6 PM: Only two cars remain in the tunnel. Both are smoldering. Baltimore's mayor along with television crews ventured into the tunnel for a first-hand look.. Repairs to the broken water main, plus a collapsed storm drain, will begin once the remaining cars are removed. This will further delay resumption of light-rail service along Howard Street above the tunnel, as a portion of the light-rail line's track will have to be cut to access the affected water main and storm drain.. AS OF 11 PM: Only one car remains to be removed from the tunnel, and this is expected to be done overnight or early in the morning.
MONDAY, JULY 23, AS OF 9 AM: The final car has been removed from the tunnel. It happened this morning. Work can now begin to assess the structural integrity of the tunnel and to repair both the broken water main and collapsed storm drain.. Howard Street above the tunnel remains closed for about a mile between Mount Royal Avenue and Pratt Street, and east-west traffic is not allowed across Howard Street.. Commuters were encouraged to use the Metro, the city's only subway line, which passes below the affected area in its own separate tunnel.. There is a baseball game today at 12 noon, and this will add to the traffic problems downtown.. AS OF 6 PM, it was reported that MARC train service on the Camden Line will originate from Camden Station beginning tomorrow.
TUESDAY, JULY 24, AS OF 11 AM: Some sense of normalcy has returned to Baltimore. All of the east-west streets across Howard Street - except for Lombard Street - have been reopened to traffic. The light-rail line along Howard Street is still out of service.. CSXT has rebuilt its track through the tunnel. Earlier today it ran its first train - called a "test train" in news reports - at reduced speed, and regular service is expected to resume later today.. Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board is working with the city and the railroad in an attempt to find a cause to the July 18 accident. In this regard, it has long been assumed that the water main break at Howard and Lombard streets was caused by the accident and fire. Now there is consideration that it may have been the other way around - to wit: that the water main may have broken first, causing the derailment. This is a theory, not a conclusion. The accident on the 18th occurred about 3:10 PM, and the water main break was not noticed on the surface until about three hours later. Still, it is possible that the surface break had been caused by an earlier fracture below the ground, causing the track to dip or shift. The NTSB is now studying records of water flow and pressure supplied by the city in an effort to determine exactly when the affected system failed. The NTSB cautions that this is just one theory among others being considered, and that it may be several days or longer before there is a conclusion.. Questions have also arisen over the amount of time between the accident and notification to authorities at the onset of the fire. The accident is said to have occurred at about 3:10 PM, but the fire officials say they did not learn about the fire in the tunnel until about an hour afterward.. AS OF 7 PM: A second train has successfully operated through the tunnel. A television news team was invited to ride in the locomotive of this train, and video was shown to viewers on evening newscasts.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, AS OF 12 NOON: At a meeting this morning at City Hall, CSX agreed to pay the overtime costs for the fire, police and public works forces relating to the fire. The company said a check will be ready just as soon as the city presents its information and it can be reviewed. "This is not an acknowledgement of blame or fault," said a CSX official. The city has initially estimated the amount involved to be about $1.3-million.. Meanwhile, CSX has been canvassing the business establishments within the affected area to solicit claims for loss of business resulting from the emergency.. The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.. CSXT ran a full-page advertisement in today's edition of the Baltimore Sun entitled "Thanks, Baltimore!" The advertisement, addressed to the citizens of Baltimore, thanked the mayor, fire chief, "the courageous professionals of the Baltimore City Fire Department," and the emergency response personnel for their "tireless efforts, leadership and professionalism" following the derailment. It also thanked the community for its patience and support. "Our roots run deep in Baltimore," the text continued. "America's first railroad, the Baltimore & Ohio, is a part of CSXT. I'm a Baltimore native, and much of my family still lives here. We employ more than 1,000 people in the area and many of our employees across the country continue to have ties here." It was signed by Michael J. Ward, president, and CSX Transportation's 35,000 employees.. Repairs are still being made to the broken water main at Howard and Lombard streets, and work is expected to take another several days..
THURSDAY, JULY 26, AS OF 12 NOON: Repairs are still being made to the broken water main with work still expected to take several days.. The NTSB is taking samples of the rail and water main for metallurgical analysis as part of its ongoing investigation over the cause of the accident.. CSXT said in press reports that about 13 trains had operated through the tunnel yesterday [Wednesday] and by Friday the number should be up to about 22. More than 30 trains use the tunnel each day, according to the same reports.. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Sun reported this morning that the city's emergency plan, drafted in 1987 to outline procedures in the event of a chemical accident, makes only casual mention of railroads within the city and nothing at all about the Howard Street Tunnel. Only two pages of the 440-page plan are devoted to chemicals spilling on roads or railroads. "It includes no highway or rail maps, no assessment of accident-prone intersections and no list of chemicals traveling through the city or the routes that they take," said the newspaper. "It's not very sophisticated," a hazardous materials transportation expert was quoted as saying, adding, "Nothing in here relates to the worst-case scenario." Still, officials were satisfied with their response to this particular situation, and having relied upon a number of experts who were summoned for advice, the emergency plan, however it was drafted, was not really needed. Fire officials added that although they had not previously had any drills within the Howard Street Tunnel, they had conducted a drill rather recently in one of the city's Amtrak tunnels using a MARC train, as well as drills in a Metro tunnel. These were intended as training exercises in the event of a passenger train accident - not one involving a freight train - but they did acquaint the personnel with the environment of a railroad tunnel. In any event, the incident in the Howard Street Tunnel has now given the personnel far more experience than could ever be accomplished by having a drill.
THE TRAIN INVOLVED IN THE ACCIDENT ON JULY 18 was L41216. It had originated in Hamlet, North Carolina, and was assigned to operate by way of Rocky Mount, Richmond, Baltimore and Philadelphia, to its destination, Oak Island, New Jersey. According to CSXT, the train experienced an undesired emergency air application within the tunnel. The conductor was unable to inspect the train due to the amount of smoke developing within the tunnel, and the locomotive units were then cut away from the train and they proceeded out the east (geographically north) end of the tunnel at Mount Royal. A two-member crew was involved, and neither was injured. The Howard Street Tunnel (named for the street it passes under, constructed 1891-1895) is CSXT's only route through the city of Baltimore. It normally conveys a number of trains operating along the East Coast; trains between the West and points within Baltimore, the northeastern part of Maryland, the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and terminal transfer moves between Penn Mary and Bay View yards on the east side of town, and Locust Point, Mount Clare, Mount Winans and Curtis Bay yards on the west side of town. The company said that a number of reroutes had been put in place to bypass the affected area, but these are very long and circuitous. Some trains from the South were detoured by way of Cherry Run and Hagerstown, Maryland, and the Norfolk Southern at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; some trains from the West were detoured by way of Buffalo and Syracuse, or other routes.. Trains regularly using the Howard Street Tunnel include intermodal trains Q133, Q134, Q135, Q136, Q137, Q138, Q173, Q174, Q175 and Q176; automotive trains Q216, Q217, Q276, Q296 and Q297; merchandise trains Q346, Q368, Q375, Q405, Q406, Q409, Q410, and L412; Tropicana Juice trains, and others. According to CSXT, more than 100 trains were rerouted over six days, about one-third being handled by Norfolk Southern.
Good-Bye Redondo Tower!
[By Jean Handley] . . .
For over 90 years she has stood as a sentinel at the gate, amongst the factories and chemical plants and the bridges, along side the river, in the unknown-to-many "back forty," known only to the railroaders, the homeless, and railfans, with her brother the roundhouse next to her, long after her sister towers, Mission and Terminal, were closed.
Staffed 24 hours, seven days a week, a progression of operators paraded through, with men and women of all kinds. From college students to signal maintainers' wives, to career railroaders. Some stayed until the end, but most moved on.
I myself worked there on and off for some 21 years. Originally built by the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad in 1906, she was revamped in 1939 when the Grand Union Station was installed that year.
She survived earthquakes and derailments and wars, the recessions of the 60's and 70's, Amtrak and Metrolink, a fire, a tragic passenger train crash in 1956, and still stood proudly her redwood construction which was the last of its kind in California.
Good-bye, old girl. The rumor of 22 years of your demise has finally come true. You will be sorely missed.
Remembering the B&O Magazine
[By Allen Brougham] . . .
I was saddened recently to hear that Virginia Tanner, long-time editor of the B&O Magazine, had died. For more than two decades, Miss Tanner had been the very pulse of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Her talents reached every member of the great B&O with its folksy, family-oriented, monthly publication. It was complete with photos, reports of business initiatives, visits to the B&O Holly Tree, Red Cross blood drives, financial statements that made sense, letters from the company president, promotions, retirements and obituaries, with a touch of history thrown in.
My earliest exposure to the magazine came in the late 1940's, before I reached the age of 10. A family friend worked in the company's personnel department in Baltimore, and visits to her house were incomplete if I did not get to read the latest collection of the then-called "Baltimore and Ohio Magazine." If I behaved, I could even take some of the back issues home with me. What a treat!
Virtually any employee who worked for the company for more than a few years would see his or her name mentioned in the magazine at one time or other, often with a photo. The accomplishment need not have been great - getting a fishing trophy would qualify - all that was needed was for the magazine's staff to learn about it. Children of employees were accorded automatic membership (dues-free) in the BandO Club; photos of them were always welcomed for publication.
And what a thrill it was that my OWN photo appeared in one of the (then-renamed B&O) magazines when I was 15. The occasion was a televised documentary from Camden Station, in which I appeared as a military bugler - but as I was not (yet) a B&O employee, my name was not mentioned.
Miss Tanner, who joined the B&O in 1942, followed the tradition of a truly hallmark railroad publication. Begun in October 1912 as the Baltimore and Ohio Employee's Magazine, and renamed Baltimore and Ohio Magazine in 1920, its pages are as complete a picture of the B&O family as anything around. Correspondents from all over the system dutifully sent items to the editor for publication. Blessed are those who have complete sets of the magazine (there are some).
Hired in December 1942 as an office editor, she was named assistant editor of the magazine a month later. In January 1949 she became its editor, a post she held until the magazine was discontinued in the early 1960's. According to her June 2 obituary in the Baltimore Sun, Miss Tanner was the first woman in the nation to be the chief of a railroad magazine. Later she was the first woman to become president of the American Railway Magazine Editors Association.
I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Tanner a couple of times after I joined the railroad. On each occasion it was while I was serving in the ticket office in Camden Station in the early 1970's. On one occasion, as a manager of public relations, she sought my help in identifying historical artifacts for a company survey. With little need for prompting, I showed her the cast iron ticket window grates that surrounded the office, and the ornate chandeliers that adorned the main waiting room. But a surprise, even to her, was an old hitching ring I knew of at one corner of the building. To each of these items she made copious notes, taking photos of each for departmental records.
Times have changed, and so have budgets. With its consolidation with the C&O, the company's employee publication became a tabloid called Chessie News. Currently, CSXT has a tabloid called CSX Today. But much of the current news comes to employees by company computer as a "Midweek Report." It's functional, but it will never replace the family-oriented focus of the B&O Magazine.
In 1991, CSXT's Baltimore Division introduced a quarterly safety magazine that was similar in style and content to the former Baltimore and Ohio Magazine. It even had baby pictures. But it was expensive to produce, and the publication was short-lived. Once again, times have changed.
Through the years I accumulated a collection of B&O Magazines - mostly from the 1950's and early 1960's. They became reading material at the tower. Whenever I wanted to reflect upon old times, I would leaf through my collection where the names of old timers I have known, or their family connections, invariably popped up. They have also been a source of historical information for articles in the Bull Sheet. On occasions, I would venture to the B&O Museum to look through their collection of magazines dating back to the very beginning in 1912. That could keep somebody occupied for months at a time.
Special thanks to the B&O Museum Library for assistance in preparing this article.
CSX Grows Tropicana Business
[From CSXT Midweek Report, July 19, 2001] . . .
Tropicana has opened a second juice operation, in Fort Pierce, Florida, which is adding cars to the daily juice train out of Bradenton. The sales and marketing department landed the Fort Pierce business, which began last week with five cars per day, five days a week. The volume is expected to increase to 15 cars per day in November and to as many as 35 cars per day by mid-2002. Initially, the additional cars are traveling on the Florida East Coast Railroad to Jacksonville and moved on an automotive train to Baldwin Yard, where they hook up with the Bradenton juice train. In the future, the increased Fort Pierce volume could result in a second unit train out of Florida. The juice is delivered to Tropicana's distribution facility in Jersey City, New Jersey. Tropicana invested $2.5-million to build rail access to its Fort Pierce facility, which previously had been used only for juice extraction, not manufacturing. "Tropicana's investment in rail and expansion of their facility shows the confidence they have in us," said Leonard Baker, national account manager. "The Fort Pierce business is competitive with Norfolk Southern, so it's a tribute to the operations team's ability to provide excellent service that we captured this opportunity.".. Meanwhile, an interunit team of operations, service design and commercial representatives has improved and grown Tropicana's service to its Midwest Distribution Center near Cincinnati. Instead of dispatching two unit trains per week from Bradenton to Cincinnati, the Tropicana business is brought to Jacksonville on the New Jersey bound unit train and shifted to an intermodal train, which delivers to Cincinnati with same-day connections for local delivery service five days per week. With improved service frequency and on-time performance, the Cincinnati business has increased 30 percent this year.
Customer Consolidation Operation Complete
[From CSXT Midweek Report, July 12, 2001] . . .
The consolidation of the Pittsburgh Customer Operations Center to Jacksonville is now complete. Over the past six months, more than 115 former Conrail employees have moved their homes from the Northeast to Florida. Other than the normal stresses associated with the moving process, the transition went well. "Everyone worked hard to ensure that the move was as smooth as possible," said Margaret Downey, general director- customer operations administration. "It took a lot of coordination to ensure that the transition was virtually transparent to customers and field operations. Thanks to everyone who made this move so successful."
After the final phase had been completed, customer operations held a luncheon on all shifts to celebrate. Special congratulations go to Carl Yount, superintendent- Northeast Region, and the Pittsburgh team who closed the Summit Park facility with an impressive safety record of 1756 days injury-free.