Newswire
NEVADA LOSES BID TO DELAY NUCLEAR-WASTE RAIL LINE: The U.S. Surface Transportation Board has turned down a motion by Nevada to reject as incomplete an application by the of U. S. Department of Energy for authority to build a 300-mile line in the state to transport spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to a repository at Yucca Mountain. DOE says the line, which would connect with Union Pacific at Caliente, is also intended to provide common carrier service to on-line communities. In a decision handed down June 27, STB found DOE's request to be "sufficiently complete" at this stage of the proceeding. The decision permitted the state to amend its filing, refused to extend the procedural schedule to include an oral hearing on Nevada's objections. [RailwayAge.com, 6-30-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN BEGINS VIRGINIA EXPANSION PROJECT: Norfolk Southern has begun its project to expand 15 miles of tracks in Warren County, Va. The company has started grading work and clearing trees along the proposed expansion route in the first phase of the project. It hopes to widen 15 miles of existing tracks by 20 feet to allow two trains to pass at once, and has already acquired the right of way for the project. The company also wants to expand its siding, tracks that allow a train to pull off to let another pass. The project is part of an overall effort by the company to expand a rail corridor from the Northeast into the South. The line under consideration would run from Culpeper County, through Rappahannock County, and link up with existing tracks in Warren County to the Inland Port. [United Transportation Union, 6-27-08, from Northern Virginia Daily report]
VIRGINIA CONSIDERS NEW PASSENGER TRAIN ROUTING NORTH OF RICHMOND: Officials in Virginia are considering how best to improve the Washington-Richmond corridor. Specifically, the Commonwealth is considering rerouting passenger trains from Doswell (just north of Ashland) to Richmond by way of the Chesapeake and Ohio's former passenger mainline, now operated by the Buckingham Branch Railroad. This would end passenger rail service to Ashland, and require construction of a new suburban Richmond passenger station, but segregate passenger and freight operations that are currently now a bottleneck in Richmond. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 6-27-08]
CSX SHAREHOLDER VOTE LEFT IN LIMBO: A battle over the future of one of the nation's largest railroads was joined June 26 in a rail yard on the outskirts of New Orleans. For more than four hours, under a white tent surrounded by walls of freight cars, executives of the CSX Corporation sought to persuade shareholders to rebuff an attempt by two powerful hedge funds to gain several seats on the company's board through a proxy fight. After the shareholders cast their votes, the funds, which together control at least 8.7 percent of CSX, claimed four of five contested seats and said that CSX had held the voting open in the hope of wrangling a few more votes. But CSX said that the vote was too close to call and that the results would take a month to tally and certify. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-26-08, from New York Times website report]
RAILROAD BRIDGE COLLAPSES INTO IOWA RIVER: A railroad bridge collapsed into the flooded Iowa River, dropping a locomotive and two tanker cars into the water, authorities told the Associated Press. Three employees of the Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad were on the train and one of them was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, company spokesman Herb Jones said. The Louisa County sheriff's office said the railroad called late June 24 to report the collapse near Columbus Junction in southeastern Iowa. Columbus Junction, population 2,000, suffered record flooding last week because it sits downstream from the confluence of the Iowa and Cedars rivers, which both caused widespread flooding. [United Transportation Union, 6-26-08, from Associated Press report]
CSX INCREASES DIVIDEND: On June 24, 2008, the Board of Directors of CSX Corporation approved a 22 percent increase in the quarterly dividend on the company's common stock to 22 cents per share. The dividend is payable on September 15, 2008 to shareholders of record at the close of business on September 1, 2008. [CSX, 6-24-08]
RUSSIA PLANS RAILROAD LINK TO JAPAN: Russia is poised to begin one of its biggest-ever investment projects to link Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East with the mainland. The ambitious plans could one day result in a direct link between Russia and Japan, RussiaToday reports. Sakhalin is rich in natural resources and has vast potential for economic growth. The idea of building a fixed link here is about 80 years old, and in the 1940s a failed attempt was made to connect the island via a tunnel under the sea. Now the government and Russian Railways are reviving the ambitious project, considering either a tunnel, a railway bridge or a seawall 6.5 kilometers long. But whatever option they go for, huge finance will be needed. [United Transportation Union, 6-23-08, from RussiaToday website report]
COAL OUTLOOK REMAINS GOOD, N.S. CHIEF SAYS: Norfolk Southern Corp. expects its coal exports to increase more than 50 percent this year over 2007, said Wick Moorman, the Norfolk-based railroad's chairman and chief executive. The bulk of those exports, 20 million tons, is projected to move via its Lamberts Point Coal Terminal in Norfolk. Another five million tons probably will ship through the port of Baltimore, said Moorman, speaking at the Merrill Lynch Global Transportation Conference in New York June 19. Driving the export surge are the weak U.S. dollar, tight coal supplies worldwide and higher costs for shipping coal from Australia, a major coal exporting country, Moorman said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-20-08, from Virginian-Pilot website report]
UNIFORMED MILITARY GET PREFERENCE IN AMTRAK TICKET LINES: Amtrak has instituted a new policy that allows uniformed military personnel to go to the front of the line at all Amtrak ticket windows. The policy is in place permanently and for all staffed stations nationwide. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 6-13-08]
FIVE KILLED WHEN TRUCK HITS TRAIN IN FLORIDA: Authorities say five people were killed when the truck they were in slammed into a stopped freight train in Sanford. The Florida Highway Patrol says the driver of the Chevy Avalanche was likely speeding when the truck crashed late Tuesday night [June 10] between two train cars. The crossing arms were down and the lights had been flashing at the railroad crossing. It took six hours to remove four bodies from the smashed truck. The fifth person died at the hospital early Wednesday morning. [United Transportation Union, 6-11-08, from Associated Press report]
LOUISIANA & NORTH WEST R.R. BOUGHT BY PATRIOT RAIL: Patriot Rail Corp. said it has bought Louisiana & North West Railroad, a short line freight railroad based in Homer, La. This transaction marks the fifth railroad acquisition by the Boca Raton-based short line and regional freight railroad holding company since its inception in November 2006. Patriot now operates a total of 321 miles of rail line in seven states. Incorporated in 1889, the LNW operates 68 miles of track from Gibsland, La., to McNeil, Ark. [United Transportation Union, 6-11-08, from South Florida Business Journal report]
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT: Kansas City Southern has announced that David L. Starling is the company's new president and chief operating officer. Starling, who begins his new role July 1, has been president and director of the Panama Canal Railway Co., a joint venture of Kansas City Southern and Mi-Jack Products. Starling takes the place of Art Shoener, who has resigned. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-10-08, from Kansas City Star website report]
NTSB ISSUES REPORT ON 2005 METRA CRASH: The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its final report on the Metra accident in Elmwood Park in November 2005 that injured 16 people. The train was travelling at up to 70 miles an hour when it smashed into several cars, destroying six and damaging a dozen more. The NTSB cited a number of factors that caused the crash. They say this is an unusually wide-grade crossing with an acute angle where vehicles pass. And even alert drivers can easily get caught between lowered crossing gates. It was Thanksgiving eve, and traffic was heavy at the Grand Avenue crossing. The board watched a presentation that included a picture of a school bus trapped between lowered crossing gates. A study identified the Elmwood Park crossing as the most dangerous in the state. But NTSB staffers defended the state, saying it would cost $100-million to separate the crossing from traffic. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-10-08, from abc7chicago website report]
METRO TRAIN DERAILS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA: A Metro train derailed June 9 in Northern Virginia, and about 400 people had to be rescued from a tunnel, officials said. No injuries were reported. The third car of a six-car train derailed about 2:45 p.m. between the Rosslyn and Court House stations, Metro spokeswoman Emily Heppen said. The cause was under investigation. There were no injuries, but Metro General Manager John Catoe said a pregnant woman who described "a strange feeling in her stomach" was taken to a hospital as a precaution. The derailment occurred when one wheel of the third car came off the track, Catoe said. Most of the 400 people on board chose to continue traveling to their destinations on a rescue train that linked up to the derailed train. [United Transportation Union, 6-9-08, from Baltimore Sun report]
NORTH CAROLINA TO EXPAND AMTRAK SERVICE: The N.C. Department of Transportation will add a third train between Raleigh and Charlotte to the Amtrak services to meet growing demand and ridership increases. The new train will run midday and stop in Greensboro, Burlington and High Point, as do the other two trains. Officials estimate it will take six months to a year to make the third run operational. Rail cars and locomotives will need to be refurbished for the service. The estimated cost to operate the additional route is $3-million a year. The federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program will provide the money for the first three years. [United Transportation Union, 6-6-08, from News Record report]
AMTRAK TRAIN INVOLVED IN TWO CROSSING ACCIDENTS, TWO KILLED: Southbound train City of New Orleans struck a car Wednesday afternoon (June 4) in McComb, Miss., injuring the driver, and later hit another car 40 miles away in Independence, La., killing two people, the Clarion Ledger reports. The driver of the car in the McComb accident did not appear to be seriously injured but was taken to a Jackson hospital, police said. McComb police said McEwen attempted to go over the tracks at the Nehi Circle crossing despite its flashing lights. Killed in the Louisiana crash were Beverly Barnett, 48, and Draymond Vinning, 53, both of Independence, said the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Department. [United Transportation Union, 6-5-08, from Clarion Ledger report]
UNION PACIFIC BLOCKS CALIFORNIA BULLET-TRAIN PLAN: Five months before voters decide whether to approve bonds for a 200-mph bullet train from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the $30-billion project has hit an obstacle. The Union Pacific railroad is declining to share its right-of-way. Officials at the railroad recently told the California High Speed Rail Authority that they have safety and operational concerns about running a bullet train close to lumbering freight trains. High-speed rail promoters say the freight hauler's hard-line stand may simply be a bargaining ploy, and could be overcome in any case by buying adjacent land. [United Transportation Union, 6-5-08, from Los Angeles Times report]
SECURITIES & EXCHANGE COMMISSION REJECTS CSX'S ARGUMENTS IN TCI LAWSUIT: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has weighed in on a legal dispute between CSX Corp. and two money managers trying to wage a proxy fight at the company, saying it disagrees with the railroad's interpretation of disclosure rules. In a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in New York, who is expected to issue a decision soon on the litigation, the SEC deputy director for corporation finance said his office disagreed with CSX's interpretation of disclosure rules around equity swap transactions. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-5-08, from Reuters report]
U.S. RAIL CARLOADS UP, INTERMODAL DOWN IN MAY: Carload freight was up but intermodal volume was down on U.S. railroads during May in comparison with May 2007, the Association of American Railroads has reported. Carloads of freight originated on U.S. railroads rose to 1,315,354 in May 2008, a 0.5 percent (7,061 carloads) increase compared to last year. U.S. railroads also originated 901,380 intermodal units in May 2008, a decline of 0.9 percent (8,577 trailers and containers) from May 2007. Nine of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in May 2008 compared to May 2007. [Assn. of American Railroads, 6-5-08]
NEW LIFE FOR A GP9 LOCOMOTIVE: Fifty-four years after it first saw Canadian Pacific rails, one of the railroad's GP9s has been given new life by Electro-Motive Diesel and has returned to service on CPR as a 710ECO Repower. GP22ECO No. 7102, rebuilt and repowered with a U.S. EPA Tier 2-compliant, 8-710G3A-T2, 2,150-hp, single-turbocharged eight-cylinder diesel, "allows railroads to leverage their fleet investment by updating older yard and road switchers with the latest microprocessor-controlled locomotive engine technology, for lower emissions, increased fuel economy, greater reliability, easier serviceability, and predictable maintenance costs," according to EMD Product Manager Kevin Bahnline. [RailwayAge.com, 6-5-08]
AMENITIES ENCHANCED ON COAST STARLIGHT: Amtrak unveils a new look on the Coast Starlight just in time for the busy summer travel season. This legendary train (operating daily between Los Angeles and Seattle) features refurbished Parlour Cars, new Arcade rooms and enhanced amenities. The new features and amenities include at seat meal options for Coach passengers and new arcade rooms equipped with arcade-style video games and board games. Sleeping Car passengers will experience a refurbished Parlour Car with enhanced services such as alternative dining, daily wine tasting with regional wines, a specialty coffee bar and a newly redesigned theater with 50-inch plasma HD monitors. [Amtrak, 6-3-08]
GENESEE & WYOMING BUYS CAGY INDUSTRIES: Genesee & Wyoming Inc. has completed its acquisition of CAGY Industries, Inc. for approximately $78.4-million in cash, to be adjusted for final working capital. In addition, GWI has agreed to pay contingent consideration of up to $18.6-million upon satisfaction of certain conditions over the next two years, it said. CAGY is the parent company of three short line railroads: Columbus & Greenville Railway in Mississippi; Chattooga & Chickamauga Railway in Georgia and Tennessee; and Luxapalila Valley Railroad in Mississippi and Alabama. [Genesee & Wyoming, 6-2-08]
RENOVATION SLATED FOR AMTRAK'S WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, STATION: Amtrak will undertake a $30-million renovation of its Wilmington, Delaware, station on the Northeast Corridor. Built in 1907, the station has already been stripped of many historical features and will feature more modern fixtures by the time Amtrak completes the makeover in 2011. Amtrak is categorizing the work in Wilmington as being for State of Good Repair and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-30-08]
AMTRAK TO RELAUNCH ITS 'REGIONAL' SERVICE ON N.E.C.: Amtrak is in the process of 'relaunching' its Regional Service in the Northeast Corridor, a process that is expected to be publicized in June. Already, changes have included standardization of the food service car to recently refurbished all-table dinettes, positioned in the middle of the consist. A new cafe menu has been rolled out. Amtrak plans to overhaul more Amfleet coaches, make further modifications to food service cars, increase the available fleet, and make variable consist sizes a standard practice to meet demand. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-30-08]
COMMUTER TRAIN COLLIDES INTO ANOTHER IN MASSACHUSETTS, KILLING ONE: Federal investigators arrived May 29 at the tracks outside Bostonwhere two commuter trains collided and derailed during rush hour a day earlier, trapping and killing a train operator and injuring more than a dozen passengers. Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board were trying to determine what caused Wednesday's above-ground crash, which killed 24-year-old Terrese Edmonds near a station in suburban Newton, said Joe Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The two-car train Edmonds was operating struck the back of another two-car train approaching Woodland Station during the evening rush hour, Pesaturo said. The trains had about 200 passengers combined. [United Transportation Union, 5-29-08, from Associated Press report]
CHICAGO ELEVATED TRAIN DERAILS, 24 INJURED: Multiple injuries have been reported in a train derailment on the Chicago Transit Authority's Green Line May 28. The crash happened in the South Side Washington Park neighborhood. A total of 24 people were reported to be injured, Fire Media Affairs Asst. Director Eve Rodriguez said. Four were reported in fair to serious condition and 20 people were reported in good to fair condition, Rodriguez said. [United Transportation Union, 5-28-08, from WMAQ-TV website report]
AT LEAST SEVEN HURT AS AMTRAK TRAIN STRIKES TRUCK IN MISSISSIPPI: An Amtrak passenger train, the southbound City of New Orleans, collided with a garbage truck on a rural stretch of central Mississippi track May 27, injuring at least seven people, authorities said. The train's final car, which was empty, left the track in Copiah County, south of Jackson. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said there were 96 passengers aboard the train and 11 Amtrak employees. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-28-08, from Associated Press report]
USA RAIL PASS IS NOW AVAILABLE DOMESTICALLY: Amtrak has removed the purchasing restrictions on its USA Rail Passes. U.S. citizens may now purchase the passes, which were formerly available only to international visitors. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-23-08]
WILLISTON, N.D., TO IMPROVE ITS AMTRAK DEPOT: Williston, North Dakota, has approved a plan to improve its Amtrak station, served daily by the Empire Builder. The first phase will cost $108,000, while the second phase will cost $109,000. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-23-08]
RAILROADS FOUR TIMES MORE FUEL EFFICIENT THAN TRUCKS, AAR SAYS: For every 27 gallons of diesel consumed by trucks to haul one ton of freight, railroads burn seven gallons to reach a similar distance, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). As part of its "Freight Railroads Go the Distance" campaign, the association notes that U.S. railroads last year moved a ton of freight an average of 436 miles per each gallon of fuel, a 3.1 percent improvement vs. 2006 and "astonishing" 85.5 percent improvement vs. 1980, the AAR said. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-22-08]
AMTRAK TO UPGRADE N.E.C. TRAFFIC CONTROL: Amtrak has awarded a contract to ARINC to develop a centralized electrification and traffic control (CETC) system for the Northeast travel corridor that runs from Washington through Baltimore; Wilmington, Del.; Philadelphia; Trenton and Newark, N.J.; New York; New Haven, Conn.; Providence, R.I.; and Boston. The system will be based on ARINC's Advanced Information Management (AIM) platform, which the company has deployed for several transit agencies in the Northeast travel corridor, including the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority; New Jersey Transit; and the Metro North, Long Island and Mass Bay Commuter railroads. The project is expected to run for approximately three years. [United Transportation Union, 5-21-08, from gcn.com report by Dan Campbell]
BNSF OPENS QUADRUPLE TRACK IN POWDER RIVER BASIN: Last week, BNSF Railway Co. marked history in Wyoming. The railroad placed into service 21 miles of fourth mainline in the Powder River Basin (PRB) - the world's longest stretch of quadruple mainline devoted exclusively to freight service, BNSF believes. On May 14, the company placed the track into service under the "super highway" concept, which calls for completing mainline track first and adding universal crossovers later to make the new trackage available sooner. This section of the PRB line - a portion of which BNSF shares with Union Pacific Railroad - averages from 132 trains to 150 trains daily during peak periods. The addition of the fourth track will boost capacity to about 200 trains per day, BNSF said. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-21-08]
CSX PLANS NEW FREIGHT TERMINAL IN PITTSBURGH: CSX plans to build a freight terminal in the Pittsburgh area and make its corridor through the region able to accommodate double-stacked trains as part of a $700-million project to connect Mid-Atlantic ports with the Midwest. CSX's so-called National Gateway project will make improvements along three of its corridors, including the Interstate 76/Interstate 70 corridor between Washington, D.C., and the Pittsburgh area and continuing to northwest Ohio. To provide ample clearance for double-stacked trains along the corridors, Sullivan said, there are about 80 areas where tracks will have to be lowered, overpasses raised or tunnels redone. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-20-08, from Beaver County Times website report]
HISTORIC CABOOSE FINDS NEW HOME AT WESTERN PACIFIC R.R. MUSEUM: The Feather River Rail Society welcomed the latest addition to its collection of historic railroad equipment at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola on May 17 with the arrival of Central California Traction Company (CCT) caboose #24. CCT 24 was built in 1927 for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, where its original road number was ATSF 1547. It was acquired by CCT in 1967 and was the last caboose used by their railroad, finally retiring from regular service in 1998. It was acquired by the Feather River Rail Society through an equipment trade with CCT in 2007. Its last journey over what once were the rails of the Western Pacific saw it arriving at its new home in Portola on May 16, 2008. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-20-08, from Reno Gazette-Journal website report]
NEW BUFFALO, MICHIGAN, GETTING NEW AMTRAK STATION: New Buffalo, Michigan, will soon break ground on its new Amtrak station following an official announcement from Amtrak and Mayor Bob Westergren. The station will be a significant improvement from the current platform. The central location will allow Blue Water and Wolverine trains to serve the city. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-16-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN WINS 19TH STRAIGHT HARRIMAN GOLD SAFETY AWARD: Norfolk Southern Corp. has been awarded the rail industry's top honor for employee safety for the 19th consecutive year. The railroad received the gold E.H. Harriman Memorial Safety Award for its performance last year against other big U.S. railroads. The award was given by the E.H. Harriman Memorial Awards Institute, whose directors include representatives from the Association of American Railroads and the National Transportation Safety Board. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-15-08, from Virginian-Pilot report]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN, GUILFORD IN JOINT CORRIDOR RAIL DEAL: Norfolk Southern and Guilford Transportation (also known as Pan Am Railways) will share costs in creating a joint subsidiary, Pan Am Southern Railway, that will include an upgraded rail route between Albany, N.Y., and the greater Boston, Mass., area, to be called the Patriot Corridor. Guilford's Springfield Terminal Railway will operate the joint venture, which will require approval by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. A joint press release by the two railroads promises improved track quality and customer service, faster train speeds and reliability, and increased capacity over the new corridor. No timetable for completion was announced. Guilford will transfer to the joint venture its 155-mile main line track that runs between Albany, N.Y., and Ayer, Mass., along with 281 miles of secondary and branch lines, including trackage rights, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. NS will transfer cash and other property valued at $140-million to the joint venture, $87.5-million of which is expected to be invested within a three-year period in capital improvements on the Patriot Corridor. [Joint press release, 5-15-08]
MUNI TO TAP SOLAR POWER FOR OPERATIONS: San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission has authorized a 5-megawatt solar power project that, among other items, will provide power to the city's MUNI light rail system. The facility will be placed on the roofs of the newly retrofitted Sunset Reservoir, and on Pier 96, which houses a recycling center. The PUC expects the project to generate enough electricity for both buildings, and for other buildings including San Francisco General Hospital, as well as for MUNI. [RailwayAge.com, 5-15-08]
SIEMENS WINS $2-B BELGIAN TRAIN ORDER: Siemens has announced that its Mobility Division has received an order from Belgian National Railways (SNCB) for 305 multiple-unit trains valued at more than $2-billion. It's the largest rolling stock order Siemens has ever received. Scheduled for use in Belgium's regional service,the trains will be built to the Desiro ML design. Each will accommodate 280 passengers and will have a top speed of 100 mph. [RailwayAge.com, 5-15-08]
FEDS BLAME NORFOLK SOUTHERN FOR FIERY 2006 CRASH IN PENNSYLVANIA: Federal investigators have pinned the blame for the 2006 derailment of a Norfolk Southern Corp. ethanol train in New Brighton, Pa., on an "inadequate" rail inspection and maintenance program. That substandard rail program at the Norfolk-based railroad caused a section of rail to fracture, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The Federal Railroad Administration's lack of oversight of the rail inspection process and its insufficient requirements for rail inspection also contributed to the accident, the board concluded. About 20 of the 23 derailed tank cars released ethanol, causing a huge fire that burned for two days and forced roughly 100 residents to be evacuated. Several of the rail cars fell into the Beaver River, as the derailment occurred on a bridge near Pittsburgh. There were no injuries or fatalities in the Oct. 20, 2006, incident. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-14-08, from Virginian-Pilot website report]
PORT OF SEATTLE BUYS SNOHOMISH LINE FROM BNSF: BNSF and the Port of Seattle have signed an agreement allowing the port to acquire a 42-mile rail route between Renton and Snohomish, Washington, for $107-million. King County is contributing $2-million toward the purchase, and has been granted the right for a future trail along the southern 32 miles of the right-of-way. Rail freight service is envisioned for much of the route, as is potential commuter rail service. [RailwayAge.com, 5-13-08]
COMPANY SEEKS TO REOPEN RAIL LINE IN PENNSYLVANIA: The R.J. Corman Railroad plans to file a request with the Surface Transportation Board to reactivate 20 miles of rail line that could serve a landfill and industrial park another company wants to build in Rush Township, Pennsylvania. The proposed rail line would cover about 20 miles from Wallaceton in Clearfield County through Rush Township to the Gorton area in Snow Shoe Township. Resource Recovery, a company that wants to build a municipal waste landfill and industrial park in the northern corner of Rush Township, is the prospective shipper that could use the line. The railroad was active from the mid-1880s until about 15 to 20 years ago. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-13-08, from Centre Daily Times website report]
CANADIAN NATIONAL INTRODUCES NEW INTERMODAL SERVICE: CN has announced that it is introducing intermodal service connecting the Eastern Quebec region with Toronto and western Canada. CN said the new service will appeal to forest products producers and other shippers of heavy products "who can load 66,000 pounds in a 40-foot container, which has the equivalent of a 53-foot truck trailer." CN will offer Quebec City shippers daily service to Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver. "We believe there is a strong interest in this intermodal option in the Quebec City area and beyond, including Johnquiere, Chicoutini, Montmagny, La Pocatiere, and Riveire-du-Loup," said Stan Jablonski, the railroads senior vice president sales. [RailwayAge.com, 5-12-08]
CSX TO BUILD $80-MILLION HUB IN OHIO: In just a few years southern Wood County, Ohio, will be home to a major transportation hub, a rail line and trucking hub for the Village of North Baltimore. CSX Corporation met with Wood County leaders in Bowling Green May 7 to brief them on the national gateway project. CSX says it will be a significant part of a complex transportation network bringing double-stacked rail cars into Wood County, and then back out to destinations all over the country. [United Transportation Union, 5-8-08, from MyFoxToledo website report]
U.S. RAIL TRAFFIC MIXED IN APRIL: U.S. railroads reported mixed results in April, with carload freight up and intermodal traffic down, the Association of American Railroads has reported. A total of 1,668,255 carloads of freight were originated during the month, up 14,883 carloads (0.9 percent) from April 2007. U.S. railroads also originated 1,117,511 intermodal units in April 2008, a decline of 24,323 trailers and containers (2.1 percent) from April 2007. Seven of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in April 2008 compared to April 2007. [Assn. of American Railroads, 5-8-08]
CASA GRANDE TO GET DEPOT FROM UNION PACIFIC: Casa Grande, Arizona, has approved its part of a $35-million, four-government agreement that provides help from Union Pacific Railroad with new crossings needed for double-tracking between Yuma and Tucson. In return for not opposing the railroad's double-tracking during hearings by the Arizona Corporation Commission, Casa Grande will receive money toward improvements, including encasing its water pipes near Anderson Road, and will be given the old railroad depot building on Main Street. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-8-08, from Casa Grande Valley Newspaper website report]
AMTRAK'S MINOT DEPOT GETTING FACELIFT: The Amtrak depot in Minot, N.D., will get a new roof and new brick exterior this year. There will be a ribbon cutting May 10, National Train Day, with refreshments and an exhibit showing how the new depot will look. The restoration of Minot's depot also has historical overtones. The reconstruction will restore the building to its original condition. The exterior will be the same old-style brick from North Dakota's Hebron Brick Co. as existed on the original building. The committee heading up the restoration hasn't determined what type of interior work will be done because the remodeling will depend on available money. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-7-08, from Minot Daily News website report]
UNION PACIFIC'S OREGON RAIL REPAIRS DONE: After 105 days and 19 million cubic feet of mud, Union Pacific has completed the herculean task of restoring all rail service through the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. The mudslide occurred on Jan. 19, 2008, eight miles southeast of Oakridge, Ore., and wiped out 3,000 feet of track in three different areas. Union Pacific employees and contractors worked around the clock to remove logs and unsuitable material from the site, and bring in rock to rebuild the mountain. Crews will be working on clean-up efforts for the next month. A slide fence, which activates a warning if there is a subsequent slide, will also be constructed on the mountain. Until the fence is complete in early June, the area will be continuously monitored to ensure the tracks are safe for rail traffic. [Union Pacific, 5-6-08]
CALIFORNIA NORTHERN R.R. ENDS SERVICE: California Northern Railroad is no longer running trains into Vallejo, a company spokesman said. After nearly 140 years of freight and passenger rail service in Vallejo, an era has ended. The final rail cars serving Vallejo delivered steel beams and other goods and equipment to four Mare Island companies. Rail service stopped on March 31 on tracks between American Canyon and Vallejo due to the steep $11-million costs of meeting California Public Utilities Commission standards. [United Transportation Union, 5-5-08, from Times Herald report]
FLORIDA SENATE AXES CSX LEGAL PROTECTIONS DEAL: Senate leaders have announced they were stripping a transportation bill of the legal protections CSX Corp. says it needs to pave the way for Central Florida's commuter rail deal. Claiming the huge bill loaded with projects for other regions like South Florida was being weighted down by the controversial rail deal, Senate Transportation Chairman Carey Baker, R-Eustis, said he would gut the CSX legal protections and framwork for the deal to buy the 61-mile line. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-2-08, from Orlando Sentinel website report]
COAST STARLIGHT TO RETURN TO FULL SERVICE: Full service will resume next week on Amtrak's Coast Starlight, which has operated on a truncated route since a mudslide buried a stretch of tracks in Oregon on Jan. 19, Amtrak officials announced May 1. An enormous slide on Coyote Mountain, north of Chemult, Ore., deposited mud and rocks as deep as 200 feet atop the Union Pacific rails used by the Coast Starlight. It's taken crews three and a half months to remove the debris and replace the tracks. The first full-service Coast Starlight will depart Los Angeles next Tuesday [May 6], but the southbound train leaving Seattle on May 7 will pass through the restored area first, said Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham. "We're excited," she said. "It's been a lot longer than any of us anticipated." [United Transportation Union, 5-1-08, from San Francisco Chronicle report]
BIRMINGHAM SEEKS BIDS FOR STREETCAR SYSTEM: The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority in Alabama says it seeks proposals for the design and construction of its planned $33-million, 2.5-mile streetcar system. Birmingham hopes to start construction on the line by November. The proposed route would begin at the intermodal facility on Morris Avenue and wind through the city, passing cultural hotspots, such as the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. City and transit authority officials may travel to Milan, Italy, to view Peter Witt-style heritage streetcars in operation there; Birmingham is mulling use of such cars for its project. [RailwayAge.com, 5-1-08]
UNION PACIFIC APPROVES 2-1 STOCK SPLIT: Union Pacific Corp.'s board has approved a plan to split the railroad company's stock later this month. The railroad's board approved the plan May 1 before the company's annual shareholder meeting in Salt Lake City. All Union Pacific investors who own stock on May 12 will receive one additional share of stock for every share they own. The company's board also approved a plan to repurchase 20 million shares of its stock by April 2011. [United Transportation Union, 5-1-08, from Associated Press report]
GENESEE & WYOMING REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: Shortline railroad operator Genesee & Wyoming has reported its first-quarter profit tumbled 27.3 percent to $10.4-million or 29 cents per share, from $14.3 million or 34 cents per share in the prior year. Income from continuing operations fell to $11.2-million or 31 cents per share, from $16.1 million or 38 cents per share. Weather-related costs reduced earnings by five cents a share, acquisition-related expenses related to the company's recently announced acquisitions of Rotterdam Rail Feeding in the Netherlands and CAGY Industries in the United States and a legal settlement related to a liability claim from the late 1990s slashed earnings by another three cents. The results also included a gain of one cent a share from the sale of assets, the company said. Revenue jumped 12.5 percent to $140.7-million from $125.1-million. [United Transportation Union, 4-30-08, from forbes.com report]
EXCESSIVE SPEED CAUSED TRAIN CRASH IN CHINA, INVESTIGATORS SAY: Investigators on April 29 blamed speeding for China's worst train accident in a decade, a disaster that killed at least 70 people and injured more than 400. The finding was announced by an investigation panel set up by China's Cabinet, the State Council, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. It came just a little more than 24 hours after the two passenger trains collided in Shandong province in eastern China. The investigation found one of the trains was traveling at 81 miles per hour before the accident, far over the section's speed limit of 50 mph, Xinhua said. The government has already sacked two railway officials over the accident. Seventy of the 416 people injured in the crash were in critical condition in hospitals, according to Xinhua. [United Transportation Union, 4-29-08, from Associated Press report]
BNSF'S 1-Q INCOME RISES 30 PERCENT: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.'s first-quarter net income rose 30 percent, as the commodities boom translated into increased volume and better prices on shipments of agricultural products and coal. The gain came even as the company spent more than $1-billion on fuel, up 55 percent from a year earlier. The company, however, was able to collect an additional $280 million in fuel surcharges from its customers. BNSF reported net income of $455-million or $1.30 a share, compared with $349-million or 96 cents a share a year earlier. Revenue rose 17 percent. [United Transportation Union, 4-29-08, from Dow Jones Newswires website report]
CONTRACT AWARDED FOR WORLD'S LONGEST RAILROAD TUNNEL: A $1.64-billion contract to install infrastructure for the world's longest rail tunnel - the Gothard Base Tunnel in Switzerland - has been awarded to the Transtec Gothard Consortium. The consortium is responsible for completing the infrastructure for two single-track tunnels 35.3 miles in length as well as nearly seven miles of surface track north and south to connect the new tunnel with the existing ail network. The tunnel is scheduled to be ready for commercial operation in 2017. [RailwayAge.com, 4-29-08]
TRAINS COLLIDE IN CHINA, AT LEAST 66 DEAD: A predawn collision between two passenger trains in Eastern China has killed at least 66 people and injured 247, according to Xinhua, the state news agency, making it one of the deadliest rail accidents in recent years. The two trains, one heading from Beijing to Qingdao and the other traveling between Yantai and Xuzhou, collided at 4:40 a.m. in the town of Zibo, Shandong Province. Witnesses said one train derailed at a bend and then struck the other, throwing at least ten cars into a ditch. [United Transportation Union, 4-28-08, from New York Times report]
TRUCK DRIVER CHARGED IN CSX DERAILMENT, 4 WORKERS HURT: Four CSX employees were rushed to the hospital after their train derailed in Arlington, Tennessee, around 3:30 p.m. April 25th. A spokesperson with the Shelby County Sheriff's Department says the accident happened when the train slammed into a tractor-trailer that was crossing the tracks along Jetway Avenue near Highway 70. The truck driver, 33 year-old Marlin Liggins, was not injured and faces charges in the incident. Investigators say the train hit the rear of Liggins' trailer, which was carrying corn syrup. The train, carrying a shipment of automobiles, derailed in an industrial section of Arlington where several factories are located. The crossing where the accident happened has warning signals but no gates. Sheriff's deputies charged the driver with disregarding a railroad signal. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-26-08, from My EyeWitnessNews website report]
F.R.A. SAYS CSX HARASSED WORKERS: Federal rail regulators, in a stinging report on safety practices at CSX Transportation, say the officials at the railroad created a "chilling" atmosphere discouraging workers from reporting injuries and that actions by CSX officials likely have violated the law. The Federal Railroad Administration said the alleged violations "cannot be treated as proven." But the report said the agency's Office of Safety is recommending 30 civil penalty violation assessments against the railroad and a single assessment of individual liability against a CSX officer. The FRA said it is issuing warning letters to CSX officials, including warning letters from the FRA's Office of Chief Counsel. CSX, in a letter by Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Tony Ingram sent to the FRA last October and included in the report, said it has undertaken "remedial actions" in response to the incidents that were investigated and "to prevent such conduct from occurring." A spokesman for the railroad said the railroad "does not tolerate harassment and intimidation of employees" and "we have taken appropriate action where we have identified isolated instances of that behavior." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-25-08, from Traffic World website report]
MAINE SENATE PASSES FUNDING TO EXTEND DOWNEASTER: Maine's Senate has passed additional transportation funding that will include capital funds to extend Amtrak's Downeaster from Portland to Brunswick, which could happen within two years. Once Brunswick is reached, the plan is to expand Brunswick-Bath-Wiscasset-Rockland service from seasonal to year-round. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-25-08]
AMTRAK TO MOVE SOME POSITIONS FROM BEECH GROVE: Amtrak will shift 80 maintenance positions away from its Beech Grove shops by the summer as the company implements a new maintenance program called Life Cycle Preventive Maintenance that involves phasing overhaul requirements so they are met when the units would normally be out of service anyway. Twenty-seven positions specializing in wheels will go to the shops in Chicago while 53 locomotive maintenance positions will move to Wilmington, Delaware. Amtrak told the Indianapolis Business Journal that 475 workers will remain at Beech Grove. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-25-08]
UNION PACIFIC REPORTS INCREASED EARNINGS: Union Pacific Co.'s first-quarter net income increased 15 percent to $443-million or $1.70 a share, from $386-million or $1.41 a share, a year ago, due in part to record revenue from all six of the company's business groups. Total operating revenue increased 11 percent to $4.27-billion from $3.85-billion the year before. The company said it expects a "record" year, despite a soft economy and high fuel prices expected in the second quarter and beyond. [United Transportation Union, 4-24-08, from money.cnn.com report]
CINCINNATI OK'S STREETCAR PLAN: By a 6-2 vote, Cincinnati's City Council has approved a proposed streetcar plan linking the city's downtown, Over-the-Rhine, and Uptown. The proposal authorizes the city manager to seek private contributions for the project. Private-sector funds must be guaranteed before any project work begins. But the addition of Uptown to the proposal adds $35-million to the project's original $102-million estimate, or $137-million, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. [RailwayAge.com, 4-23-08]
CSX UNVEILS $40-MILLION JACKSONVILLE TRACK EXPANSION PLAN: CSX Corp. has announced a $40-million plan that it hopes will untangle truck congestion along Jacksonville's Heckscher Drive as the region braces for a shipping boom. The company plans to upgrade tracks and build a link through Nassau County to connect the rails along U.S. 17 to the main line running north toward Waycross, Ga. The idea is to divert cargo containers from the road while also avoiding rail congestion downtown. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-22-08, from Florida Times-Union website report]
IOWA INTERSTATE BUYS 12 EVOLUTION SERIES LOCOMOTIVES: Regional carrier Iowa Interstate Railroad, Ltd. (IAIS) has announced a $26.4-million purchase of 12 new General Electric Evolution Series locomotives; the cost includes tooling and warranties, IAIS Chairman Dennis H. Miller said. The locomotives will be manufactured at GE's Erie, Pennsylvania plant and we expect them to be delivered by October 1 of this year. Miller said the locomotives will help IAIS, a subsidiary of Railroad Development Corp., cope with traffic growth spurred by "five new ethanol plants starting up over the next year." The railroad expects traffic to grow 25%-to-30% as a result. [RailwayAg.com, 4-22-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN POSTS HIGHER 1-Q PROFIT: Railroad operator Norfolk Southern Corp. said April 22 its first-quarter profit rose two percent as higher revenue per shipment offset an overall decline in traffic and soaring fuel prices. Norfolk Southern said it earned $291-million, or 76 cents per share, in the three months ended March 31. The company earned $285-million, or 71 cents per share, in the same period of 2007. Revenue increased 11 percent to $2.5-billion, compared with $2.25-billion in first-quarter 2007. Railroad operating expenses, however, rose 12 percent to $1.9-billion, compared with first-quarter 2007. The company blamed a $156-million, or 63 percent, jump in fuel prices for much of the increase. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-22-08, from Associated Press report]
BART USING RECYCLED PLASTIC FOR R.R. TIES: Bay Area Rapid Transit officials showed how plastic bags and bottles can strengthen the train tracks and help the environment by replacing wooden train-track products with recycled ones. BART needs to replace about 14,000 ties, and instead of using traditionally wooden ones, the agency is using compacted bottles and bags. The new ties are compiled of about 2,800 plastic bags and about 600 bottles, which last up to three times longer, according to BART. [United Transportation Union, 4-21-08, from KPIX-TV website report]
ALASKA R.R.'s MOODY TUNNEL BLASTED INTO HISTORY: The historic Moody Railroad Tunnel is gone, blasted to smithereens April 17 by a carefully controlled explosion that left a pile of rubble on the mountainside above the Nenana River. Almost immediately, heavy equipment operators began excavating the estimated 4,000 cubic yards of rock and debris. The longterm result of this year-long project, according to railroad engineers, will be a safer section of track. But it also marks the end of an era. Moody Tunnel was the last of the 1921 Alaska Railroad Tunnels, and the last of three tunnels along this section of track. One of the tunnels, at Mile 354.7 was abandoned in the 1940s after it caved in, due to continual erosion. The Garner Tunnel, at Mile 356.2, was "daylighted," or opened up, in 2005, after years of maintenance problems. [United Transportation Union, 4-17-08, from News-Miner report]
U.S. ADOPTS ROUTING REGULATIONS FOR HAZMAT TANK CARS: Federal transportation officials have announced regulations Wednesday that require railroads to use the "safest and most secure route" for shipments of deadly chemicals like chlorine and ammonia. "The goal of this rule is not to prohibit the movement of these hazardous materials," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters during a conference call with the media. "Moving commodities such as chlorine and anhydrous ammonia by rail is absolutely vital to our national economy." The new rules call for railroads on June 1 to begin evaluating all routes used to ship "highly hazardous" substances, which include a variety of breathable gases, explosives and radioactive materials. By September 2009, the railroads must adopt safe routes based on a list of 27 criteria, such as population density, quality of tracks and proximity of iconic targets. The rules call for railroads to cooperate with local communities in doing their analysis. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-16-08, from Inside Bay Area website report]
CSX REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: CSX Corporation has reported first-quarter earnings of $351-million or 85 cents per share, versus $240-million or 52 cents per share last year. This represents a 63 percent improvement in earnings per share over last year. [CSX, 4-15-08]
SILVER SPRING MARC TICKET OFFICE TO CLOSE JUNE 6: With the start of construction of the new Silver Spring Transit Center, MARC will be closing the MARC ticket office on Friday, June 6, 2008. There will no longer be a ticket agent available after this date. However, MARC riders will still be able to board their train at this location. One way fares can be purchased onboard with cash without a penalty, after June 6th. [Maryland Transit Administration, 4-11-08]
CSX TO EXPAND TERMINAL AT ERWIN, TENNESSEE: CSX Transportation Inc. has announced facility expansions and enhancements at its Erwin, Tenn., facility. Erwin is the former headquarters of the CSXT predecessor Clinchfield Railroad. Approximately $6-million in track and structure work will be performed at the Erwin terminal during 2008. This work will accommodate a growing volume of coal and some grain trains that will be using distributed power at the rear of those trains. In addition, about $3 million will be spent on communications and technology upgrades in the region to support distributed power, and eight additional employees will join the Erwin locomotive team. Distributed power refers to locomotives placed in the middle or rear of the train and controlled by the engineer from the lead locomotive. The locomotive servicing facility also will receive upgrades. [CSX, 4-10-08]
MARC TO ACQUIRE 26 LOCOMOTIVES: The Maryland Board of Public Works has approved the purchase 26 GPS 40, 3600 horsepower, remanufactured diesel locomotives from the Utah Transportation Authority. The locomotives will be completely overhauled with all new equipment. When overhauled, they will provide additional power enabling them to pull longer trains and come equipped with electronic fuel injection making them more fuel efficient. [Maryland Transit Administration, 4-9-08]
EUROTUNNEL NOTCHES FIRST EVER ANNUAL PROFIT: Fourteen years after establishing rail passenger and freight service between Great Britain and the European continent, Eurotunnel has reported its first annual net profit ever, $1.6-million, for the year 2007. The profit is attributed to Eurotunnel's debt restructuring program, following a revised agreement in 2007 with the company's creditors. The agreement cut Eurotunnel's debt levels from 9.2-billion euros to 4.2-billion euros, as shareholders swapped older shares for shares in a new company called Groupe Eurotunnel. [RailwayAge.com, 4-9-08]
ELLISTON, VA., CHOSEN FOR SITE OF NORFOLK SOUTHERN CARGO TERMINAL: The best location for Norfolk Southern Corp. to build its proposed Roanoke-area cargo terminal is Elliston, a village just west of Roanoke, state officials said Monday in a long-awaited decision. The railroad wants to build an $18-million facility in that area to switch cargo containers between trucks and trains. It would be part of the roughly $260-million Heartland Corridor, a project Norfolk Southern is building to speed container trains between the port of Hampton Roads and the Midwest. In 2006, Norfolk Southern identified Elliston as its preferred location for a terminal. However, strong community opposition resulted, prompting the state to step into the dispute. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-7-08, from Virginian-Pilot website report]
CHILDREN'S INVESTMENT FUND ALLEGES INSIDER TRADING AT CSX: The hedge fund pursuing strategic reform at CSX Corp. has leveled allegations of insider trading against the chairman and board members of the U.S. railroad operator. The Children's Investment Fund made the allegations in a 62-page federal court filing, countering charges made last month by CSX against the London-based hedge fund. CSX immediately responded that TCI's "counterclaims are without merit," though it didn't provide comment on the individual charges made against its officers. TCI is seeking to nominate a slate of five new directors to the 12-member board at a shareholders' meeting on June 25. The fund, which has a history of shareholder activism in Europe, has challenged capital allocation and investment priorities at CSX. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-4-08, from Dow Jones report]
K.C.S. TO BUILD DISTRIBUTION CENTER IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS: Kansas City Southern plans to build a distribution center and railroad facility in Fort Bend County, Texas, that could create up to 2,000 jobs in the region. An official with the railroad said the development plan includes a 636-acre industrial park and an intermodal facility with up to 7.5 million square feet of industrial warehouse space for storing rail and truck containers. Construction is set to begin immediately, and the first phase could be complete as early as May, officials said. The railroad is also spending about $120-million to rebuild a rail line between Rosenberg and Victoria that has been out of operation for decades. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-2-08, from Associated Press report]
CSX TO OPEN WEST VIRGINIA DISPATCHING CENTER IN AUGUST: CSX Transportation is establishing a new dispatching center at Huntington W.Va., with approximately 80 train dispatcher and related positions being relocated there. CSXT is spending about $4.5-million to create the dispatching center at the railroad's Huntington Division headquarters. Construction is scheduled for completion in late May and the center is scheduled to begin operation in August. [CSX, 4-1-08]
F.R.A. PROPOSES NEW HAZMAT SAFETY RULE: The Federal Railroad Administration is proposing a "sweeping and revolutionary" new rule to improve the safety of railroad tank cars hauling the most dangerous hazardous materials. US DOT Secretary Mary E. Peters said a proposed performance-based standard would increase by 500 percent, on average, the amount of energy the tank car must absorb during a train accident before a catastrophic failure may occur. As described by the FRA: "The proposed rule requires tank cars carrying poison Inhalation Hazard commodities such as chlorine and anhydrous ammonia to be equipped with puncture-resistance protection strong enough to prevent penetration at speeds of 25 mph for side impacts and 30 mph for head-on collisions - more than double the speed for existing tank cars. The proposal allows flexibility in reaching that goal, but it is expected the outer tank car shell and both head ends will be strengthened, the inner tank holding the hazmat cargo will be better shielded, and the space between the two will be designed with more energy absorption and protection capabilities." [RailwayAge.com, 4-1-08]
LANCASTER STATION GETS FUNDING FOR RENOVATION: Lancaster, Pa., County Commissioners have approved $400,000 to match federal and state funds for a $12-million renovation of the Lancaster Amtrak station. Work will begin this fall and should wrap up by 2010. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-28-08]
HELL GATE BRIDGE REPAIRS BEGIN: Amtrak began $10-million in repairs to the Hell Gate Bridge in New York March 25. The project had been delayed since 2006 due to contract procurement issues. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-28-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN BOOSTS SPENDING BUDGET BY $64-MILLION: Norfolk Southern Corp boost its 2008 capital expenditures budget by $64-million to speed up the purchase of new coal cars and take advantage of a tax deduction, the company said in a regulatory filing. The purchase of 750 new coal cars is part of on an ongoing program to replace its coal fleet, Norfolk Southern said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-28-08, from Reuters report]
PORT DIGS UP OLD PESTICIDE-FILLED TANK CAR: Port of Galveston officials may never know who buried an entire railroad tank car filled with thousands of gallons of liquid, including a degraded form of the pesticide DDT. Port staffers looked on early March 27 as crews used a crane and chains to resurrect the railcar - about 40 feet long and 10 feet in diameter - that workers nearly two months ago found when they were removing track to install a storm drain for a parking lot. The port will spend about $55,000 to remove the car and dispose of its contents. [United Transportation Union, 3-28-08, from Galveston County Daily News report]
DELHI METRO AWARDS $137-MILLION ORDER TO BOMBARDIER: India's Delhi Metro Railcorp. has exercised an option to purchase an additional 84 MOVIA railcars from Bombardier Transportation at a cost of approximately $137-million. This bring Bombardier's total contract to 424 cars. The cars are to be used on Delhi Metro's Phase II, 37-mile expansion, carrying a projected four million passengers a day in the East-West and North-South corridors of the city. The cars will be built at a new Bombardier facility in India. [RailwayAge.com, 3-28-08]
FIVE RAILROADS ACCUSED IN PRICE-FIXING LAWSUIT: Agricultural firm Archer Daniels Midland has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit accusing the five largest U.S. railroads of a price-fixing conspiracy. ADM named BNSF Railway Co.; Union Pacific Railroad Co.; CSX Transportation; Norfolk Southern Railway Co.; and Kansas City Southern Railway Co. According to ADM's lawsuit, the railroads got together through their membership in the Association of American Railroads and agreed to a scheme that fixed fuel surcharges. The surcharges are supposed to help railroads recover unanticipated costs when fuel prices spike. But ADM alleges that the railroads used them to extract profits from shippers. ADM joins a growing chorus of companies that have filed such claims against the railroads since last year. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-27-08, from Minneapolis Star Tribune website report]
GERMANY SCRAPS MUNICH MAGLEV LINE: German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee says a planned Transrapid maglev line linking Munich and its airport has "collapsed because costs have nearly doubled to an estimated $5.37-billion." German industry, led by Siemens, has developed 300-mph magnetic levitation technology during the last several decades, but so far only one commercial Transrapid line has been built: a mid-city to airport connector in Shanghai. [RailwayAge.com, 3-27-08]
METRO-NORTH ADDING 67 TRAINS TO WEEKLY LINEUP: Metro-North Railroad has announced that as of April 6, it will add 67 more trains each week to its Hudson Valley service. The Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines will all see additional trains. Metro-North ridership has steadily grown in recent years with riders not only using the trains to commute south for work, but to travel between Hudson Valley points for employment, reverse commuting, and even for leisure travel. [United Transportation Union, 3-25-08, from Mid-Hudson News Network report]
DON HAHS REMOVED AS PRESIDENT OF BLET: By order of Teamsters International President James M. Hoffa, Don H. Hahs has been removed as president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, fined $43,963.97, and suspended from membership in the BLET and the teamsters for one year, during which BLET members are "cautioned" against having any contact with him. The BLET announced that Ed Rodzwicz, first vice president, assumed the duties of president on March 20. "Brother Hahs has appealed the decision," said BLET. Hoffa's decision must be reviewed by the union's Independent Review Board and by the federal court. Removal of Hahs was recommended by a hearing panel that BLET said "was unwilling to conclude that Brother Hahs committed embezzlement; however, it determined Hahs violated his fiduciary duties to the BLET and its members with the use and control of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball tickets purchased with union funds, travel expenses for his wife, and other personal expenses, thereby bringing reproach on the IBT [International Brotherhood of Teamsters] in violation of the IBT constitution." [RailwayAge.com, 3-24-08]
CSX COAL TRAIN DERAILS IN CHICAGO, IGNITES FIRE: Flames of up to 15 feet high shot out of tons of coal after a train in the Chicago South Side's Englewood neighborhood derailed Sunday morning [March 23], rupturing an underground gas line. The train derailed at 73rd Street and Bell Avenue about 10:45 a.m., according to Fire Media Affairs Director Larry Langford. Four cars of the train carrying coal derailed, resulting in a ruptured underground gas line, which, in turn, ignited the tons of coal, he said. Flames of up to 15 feet high shot from the underground gas line which ignited the coal from the train. There were no injuries, and no evacuations. [United Transportation Union, 3-23-08, from Chicago Sun Times report]
FIRED PRESIDENT OF GREENBRIER RESORT SUES CSX: Paul Ratchford. the former president of The Greenbrier, has filed a $50-million lawsuit against railroad giant CSX Corp. - the resort's parent company - alleging he was fired by CSX President Michael J. Ward for uncovering and trying to stop the "unethical" and unaccounted for practices of "fringe benefits" by "current and retired CSX executives," which included "free medical examinations at the resort's clinic, free rooms and meals, excessive discounts from the food and beverage outlets and greatly discounted merchandise from (retail) shops." CSX spokesman Gary Sease told The Register-Herald Friday that "the allegations are without merit and the company will defend its position vigorously in court." Ratchford also alleges past and present CSX officials were benefiting from the luxurious lifestyle offered by The Greenbrier, despite the fact the resort was losing "approximately $15 million per year." In all, the 15-page lawsuit charges the defendants with seven separate counts of wrongdoing, including fraud, breach of contract, wrongful discharge, violation of California labor laws, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violation of the West Virginia wage and payment act. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-21-08, from Beckley Register-Herald website report]
CANADIAN NATIONAL TO SPEND $1.5-BILLION ON CAPITAL PROGRAMS THIS YEAR: CN Rail will spend $1.5-billion in its North American capital program, the railway announced March 18. The railway didn't announce specific project details, but in a news release it said $450-million to be spent in Western Canada was to "maintain a safe railway and improve the productivity and fluidity of its network." CN will be spending money on "basic maintenance" including replacement and upgrades to bridges, rails and ties, switching yards and extending sidings - notably in support of the new container terminal at Prince Rupert. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-19-08, from Vancouver Sun website report]
CSX BOOSTS QUARTERLY DIVIDEND: CSX has increased its quarterly dividend to $0.18 per share from $0.15 per share. The company is also targeting a $3-billion share repurchase plan to be completed by the end of 2009, worth approximately 15 percent of the company's current market capitalization. [United Transportation Union, 3-17-08, from news.briefing.com report]
CSX FILES SUIT AGAINST TCI AND 3G HEDGE FUNDS: CSX Corporation has filed a lawsuit against The Children's Investment Fund ("TCI") and 3G Capital Partners ("3G") alleging violations of federal securities laws. CSX filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging violations of federal securities laws, including violations of Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The lawsuit alleges, among other things, that TCI has employed swap agreements in order to evade the filing requirements of Section 13(d), and that TCI's disclosures concerning its 11.5 percent swap position in CSX shares are materially misleading because they fail to disclose that, by virtue of agreements, understandings or relationships with TCI, swap counterparties intend to vote CSX shares in accordance with TCI's wishes. The lawsuit further alleges that TCI and 3G's disclosures concerning their formation of a Section 13(d) group are false and misleading and, therefore, material information that the investing public should have regarding the group and its intentions with respect to the Company is currently unavailable. [CSX, 3-17-08]
JOHN REED DIES, FORMER CHAIRMAN OF SANTA FE: John Shedd Reed, former chairman and chief executive officer of Santa Fe Industries, and Railway Age's 1970 Railroader of the Year, died March 16 at his home in Lake Forest, Ill. He was 90. After Amtrak took over operation of U.S. long-distance passenger trains, Reed revoked Amtrak's use of the name of the Santa Fe's Super Chief, its legendary luxury streamliner, declaring, "It is no longer super." [RailwayAge.com, 3-17-08]
E.P.A. INTRODUCES NEW LOCOMOTIVE EMISSION STANDARDS: Federal air emission standards for locomotive engines will be stricter in less than four years. On Friday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled new Tier 3 and 4 emission regulations governing locomotive and marine engines that begin taking effect in 2012. When fully implemented in 2015, the regulations will require the engines to reduce particulate matter by 90 percent and nitrogen oxides by 80 percent. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-17-08]
RAILAMERICA, FLORIDA EAST COAST SEEK APPROVAL TO MERGE: Fortress Investment Group L.L.C. is seeking Surface Transportation Board approval to merge RailAmerica Inc. and Florida East Coast Railway. Under an "Exemption for a Transaction Within a Corporate Family" filing submitted to the STB on March 3, Fortress proposes to combine its two holdings and make FECR a wholly owned subsidiary of RailAmerica. Fortress acquired RailAmerica - which owns and operates 41 U.S. and Canadian regionals and short lines - in February 2007 and obtained STB approval in September 2007 to control the 351-mile FECR per an acquisition agreement with Florida East Coast Industries Inc. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-13-08]
CHINA PLANS LUXURY TRAIN SERVICE: China will launch 'the most luxurious train in the world' to ply the route from Beijing to Tibet's capital Lhasa, state media reported March 9. A ride on the train, which will begin operations on September 1, will be about 20 times more expensive than the ordinary fare of about $280, Xinhua news agency said. "The interior of the train will be decorated according to the standards of a five-star hotel," said Zhu Mingrui, general manager of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway Corp. There will be three trains, which will head from Beijing to Lhasa every eight days. The journey will take five days. Each train will have 12 passenger cars, two dining cars and a sightseeing car. [United Transportation Union, 3-10-08, from AFP media report]
BILEVEL CARS ORDERED FOR NORTHSTAR SERVICE: The Metropolitan Council of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., has awarded Bombardier Transportation a $44-million contract for 17 BiLevel railcars for the Northstar 40-mile commuter service. The contract includes options for up to 64 additional cars. Delivery is expected to take place between May and August 2009. Northstar, expected to begin service in late 2009, extends northwest from downtown Minneapolis along one of the region's most congested traffic corridors. Over 900 Bombardier BiLevels are in operation or on order with transit authorities in 13 cities across Canada and the U.S. [RailwayAge.com, 3-10-08]
CITY BUYS SEATTLE'S KING STREET STATION: The City of Seattle has purchased the historic King Street Station from BNSF for the sum of $10, Mayor Greg Nickels (D) announced on March 6. Amtrak and Washington DOT have already restored certain elements of the 1906 structure, which was architecturally marred by "modernizations" such as false ceilings and plastic chairs ahead of the 1962 World's Fair. But further restoration (including seismic retrofitting) should be completed within the next three years. $10-million in city funds will match $16.5-million in federal and state monies to fund the improvements. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-7-08]
SAN BERNARDINO DEPOT OPENS: The historic ATSF station in San Bernardino, California, is open to passengers once again after Amtrak reached an agreement with the city to partially fund a Station Host volunteer program. Amtrak removed agents from the station while it was being rehabilitated, and did not return them when the building renovation was completed a few years ago. Under terms of an agreement with the city, Amtrak will pay $500 per month for the next 20 years; $400 will go towards building a museum in the lobby, while $100 will go to San Bernardino Associated Governments to coordinate the Station Hosts. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-7-08]
METRO-NORTH PRESIDENT TO RETIRE: MTA Metro-North President Peter A. Cannito has announced his intention to retire in July. Cannito, Metro-North's third president, has served in this post since June 1999. [RailwayAge.com, 3-7-08]
K.C.S. REALIGNS ITS THREE DIVISIONS: The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR), has realigned the territories of its three transportation divisions, named new managers of those divisions, and made three senior management changes. The Midwest Division now covers East St. Louis, Ill., west to Kansas City and south to Shreveport, La. The Southeast Division covers Dallas, Tex., east to Shreveport, including Shreveport terminal, east to Meridian, Miss., and north to Counce, Tenn., as well as the line from Hattiesburg to Gulfport, Miss. The Texas Division covers Laredo, Texas, north to Shreveport and from Shreveport south to New Orleans, La. [RailwayAge.com, 3-7-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN OPENS INTERMODAL TERMINAL IN OHIO: Norfolk Southern on March 3 opened the Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal near Columbus, Ohio. The $68.5-million facility allows Norfolk Southern to significantly expand its intermodal business in central Ohio by providing customers with improved service and increased capacity. The terminal is part of the Rickenbacker Global Logistics Park, one of the largest integrated logistics complexes in the U.S. The Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal in its initial phase occupies approximately 175 acres and has the capacity to handle more than 250,000 containers and trailers annually. The terminal was designed with significant expansion capability as traffic volumes grow, and also has adjacent property potentially available for ancillary operations such as container yards. [Norfolk Southern, 3-3-08]
F.R.A. ISSUES RAIL PLATFORM SAFETY GUIDELINES: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a guidance document to help minimize accidents due to gaps between the edge of a passenger station platform and the threshold of a passenger train door. FRA Approach to Managing Gap Safety addresses the use of engineering evaluation and analysis to establish gap standards and the application of strategies to prevent and reduce gap accidents. FRA believes the most effective way to address the potential risks is for railroads to develop and adopt a comprehensive program to manage gap hazards, and establish and maintain uniform gap and boarding conditions. [Federal Railroad Administration, 2-29-08]
EJ&E TESTS ULTRA-LOW EMISSIONS LOCOMOTIVE: The Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway has completed a successful one-week operational test of a three-engine 2100 HP (3GS-21B) N-ViroMotive GenSet locomotive at its switch yard in Gary, Inc., according to National Railway Equipment Co. The unit is EPA certified and CARB recognized as an ultra-low emitting GenSet locomotive, NREC says, adding that the locomotives offer an 80-plue percent reduction in nitrous oxide (NOx) and particulate matter emissions, 50 to 65 percent improved tractive effort adhesion efficiency, and fuel savings of more than 50 percent in switching and road switching service, among other benefits. [RailwayAge.com, 2-28-08]
AMTRAK TO REPLACE CONCRETE TIES ON N.E. CORRIDOR: Amtrak says it must spend tens of millions of dollars to replace defective railroad ties on the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor. The concrete ties were purchased beginning in the 1990s and have already begun to crack, said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black. Concrete ties normally last about 50 years. The ties are manufactured by Rocla Concrete Tie Inc. in Bear, Delaware. Amtrak said that under the terms of the contract, the supplier must replace the defective ties for free, but won't reimburse the railroad for the labor. "Amtrak and Rocla are working together to ensure that the replacement ties that they are providing us are top quality," Black said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-27-08, from Associated Press report]
M-8 MOCKUP UNVEILED IN CONNECTICUT: MTA Metro-North Railroad and the Connecticut Department of Transportation have spent the past several months working with Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. to finalize design of the new M-8 rail cars ordered in 2006. Last week, the parties unveiled a mock-up of the cars, which will run on the New Haven Line. The design incorporates input from Metro-North customers. In November, the agency conducted a survey on all New Haven Line afternoon and evening trains departing from Grand Central Terminal. In addition, Metro-North created customer focus groups. Kawasaki soon will begin testing various electrical and mechanical system components. The car builder is scheduled to deliver the first prototype M-8 in late 2009. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-27-08]
N.J. TRANSIT EXPANDING ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE FLEET: New Jersey Transit's fleet of 29 ALP-46 electric locomotives will grow to as many as 89 units following a contract award to Bombardier Transportation for 27 more, plus options for an additional 33. The initial order of 27 units, designated ALP-46A, is worth $229-million. The ALP-46A procurement is one of several NJ Transit locomotive programs. The agency, the nation's third largest, is also in the midst of a joint procurement with Montreal's AMT for dual-power (a.c.-catenary/diesel-electric) locomotives and will also be performing an overhaul on 20 of its older ALP-44 electrics. [RailwayAge.com, 2-22-08]
ICELAND PONDERS PASSENGER RAIL PROJECTS: Twelve members of Iceland's Parliament have co-sponsored a resolution urging the transportation minister to explore two rail projects to serve the nation's capital, Reykjavik. One rail service would link Keflavík International Airport and Reykjavik, while a light rail transit line would operate within the capital region, according to the Iceland Review. The parliamentary resolution was submitted following a competition for the best idea on urban development in the Vatnsmyrin neighborhood in Reykjavik. [RailwayAge.com, 2-20-08]
CANADIAN PACIFIC HAS PROBLEMS WITH 40 NEW LOCOMOTIVES: Troublesome new locomotives are among the problems that have made life difficult for Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. in the first quarter. It has had problems with 40 locomotives it recently bought from General Electric in a bid to improve the reliability of its engine fleet, chief operating officer Kathryn McQuade said. The locomotive problems have caused "choppiness in the network in the first quarter," but the railway and GE were working on the issue, she said. [United Transportation Union, 2-22-08, from Reuters report]
CARL ICAHN BOOSTS STAKE IN CSX: Investor Carl Icahn got U.S. approval to boost his stake in CSX Corp., the nation's third-largest railroad, to as much as 8.5 percent and said he's buying shares because of a challenge to the company's management. The Federal Trade Commission granted Icahn early termination of an antitrust review, which CSX said would let him and his companies purchase as much as $1.6-billion of its stock. He declined to comment on further purchases. Icahn said he boosted his CSX stake because of the actions of fellow activist investors TCI Fund Management LLP and 3G Capital Partners Ltd., which are seeking five seats on the railroad's board. TCI and 3G together hold 8.3 percent of CSX stock, according to data complied by Bloomberg. "We believe the dissidents will enhance value,'' Icahn said. "There's absolutely no downside'' in electing their slate to the board of Jacksonville, Florida-based CSX. [United Transportation Union, 2-21-08, from Bloomberg News Service report]
NEW FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAM OFFERS FUNDS FOR IMPROVED INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL: For the first time ever, states will now be directly eligible for federal funding to support intercity passenger rail service under a new grant program, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters has announced. Peters explained that the $30-million capital grant program is designed to support state efforts to improve intercity passenger rail service and requires a 50-50 funding match like most other transportation investments. [Federal Railroad Administration, 2-19-08]
G.E. TO BUILD EVOLUTION SERIES LOCOMOTIVES IN KAZAKHSTAN: General Electric Co. and the Kazakh state railway, Tenir Zholy, expect to complete a new plant by mid-2008 for the manufacture of GE Evolution Series locomotives. The plant is reported to cost $125-million plus $600-million for production equipment. The venture will provide modern motive power to replace a Soviet-era locomotive fleet as Kazakhstan builds a modern rail corridor to speed commerce between Asia and Europe and to support its oil economy. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-19-08]
AMTRAK TO IMPLEMENT NEW SECURITY MEASURES: Amtrak will start randomly screening passengers' carry-on bags this week in a new security push that includes officers with automatic weapons and bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling platforms and trains. Amtrak officials insist their new procedures won't hold up the flow of passengers and will not require passengers to arrive at stations far in advance. Passengers who are selected randomly for the screening will be delayed no more than a couple of minutes, Amtrak chief executive Alex Kummant said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-18-08, from Associated Press report]
K.C.S. ANNOUNCES CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM: Kansas City Southern plans to pump about $565-million into railroad-system improvements this year. Cash capital expenditures of $500-million will go toward railroad maintenance and meeting anticipated future demand, the Kansas City-based company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. KC Southern also plans to spend about $65-million to buy 30 new locomotives for U.S. operations through a leveraged lease arrangement. [United Transportation Union, 2-18-08, from Kansas City Business Journal report]
PANAMA CANAL RAILWAY BOOSTS CAPACITY FOR INTERMODAL & PASSENGER BUSINESS: The Panama Canal Railway has told the Latin American news media that it has invested US $25-million to increase capacity to handle more intermodal and passenger business. For intermodal traffic, PCRC has added seven locomotives and support equipment. It has also extended the Atlantic and Pacific intermodal terminals from seven double stack car lengths to 10 double stack car lengths and added 16 additional double stack cars. To increase passenger capacity, seating inside the cars has been re-configured. [Kansas City Southern News, 2-15-08]
NORTH PLATTE DESIGNATED 'RAIL TOWN USA': The Nebraska Secretary of State has registered "Rail Town USA" as North Platte's service mark. North Platte is home of Union Pacific Bailey Yard, the world's largest switching yard and the world's busiest railroad tracks in the world. [United Transportation Union, 2-13-08, from North Platte Telegraph report]
F.R.A. ADOPTS NEW RULE ADDRESSING 'HUMAN FACTOR' ACCIDENTS: The Federal Railroad Administration has adopted a new rule that it hopes will reduce "common mistakes that result in nearly half of all humn factor-caused train accidents." The agency said the need for the regulation was indicated by an increase in such accidents in recent years. The new rule tackles "several commonplace errors that can lead to serious train accidents," said U.S. DOT Secretary Mary E. Peters. FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman said the rule defines three levels of responsibility and accountability: railroad managers for implementing programs to test employee proficiency; supervisors for properly administering such tests; and employees for complying with the rules. [RailwayAge.com, 2-14-08]
UTU, AMTRAK REACH ACCORD: United Transportation Union negotiators have reached a tentative settlement with Amtrak. The agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2000, and extends through Dec. 31, 2009. The tentative agreement, which provides for retroactive and future general wage increases through July 31, 2009, affects some 2,300 UTU conductors and assistant conductors, and is being mailed for ratification vote to those affected. The UTU agreement provides for no work-rule givebacks in addition to protection of the assistant conductor position. [United Transportation Union, 2-13-08]
VIA RAIL TO UPGRADE 98 LRC CARS: Via Rail is forging ahead with Phase 2 of its $692-million federally funded modernization program by seeking tenders for the upgrade of its 98 LRC-type passenger cars used mainly in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. The LRC cars are 25 years old and make up almost 25 per cent of Via's total fleet of 430 cars. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-12-08, from Montreal Gazette website report]
APACHE RAILWAY BEING SOLD: The Apache Railway Co. is changing hands again. Catalyst Paper Corp. recently reached an agreement to acquire AbitibiBowater's Snowflake, Ariz., recycled newsprint mill, the 38-mile short line and other assets for $161-million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter. Apache Railway operates a line between the Snowflake mill and a BNSF Railway Co. interchange in Holbrook. AbitibiBowater (then Abitibi Consolidated) acquired the short line from Stone Container Corp. in 1999. Incorporated in 1917, Apache Railway provided passenger-rail service until the 1950s. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-12-08]
S.T.B. STUDIES ALASKA RAIL EXTENSION: The Surface Transportation Board will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Alaska Railroad's proposed construction and operation of an extension of 30 to 45 miles to Port MacKenzie from its mainline between Wasilla and a point north of Willow. STB said "significant environmental impacts" could result from the proposal. The railroad plans to operate two trains a day, one in each direction. To determine the scope of the issues to be addressed, the STB has scheduled a series of six public meetings extending from March 3 to March 11 at points along the route as well as in Anchorage. [RailwayAge.com, 2-12-08]
INDONESIA TO SPRAY TRAIN-ROOF RIDERS: Indonesian commuters riding on the roofs of trains will be sprayed with colored liquid so that security officers can identify and arrest them, Reuters reports. Electric trains linking the Indonesian capital and its neighboring towns are packed with passengers during rush hours, with many sitting on the roofs due to a lack of space inside or to avoid paying. Although illegal, roof riding is rampant due to a lack of efficient and affordable means of transport for commuters in the greater Jakarta area. At least 53 roof riders have been killed in the past two years, the Jakarta Post said. [United Transportation Union, 2-11-08, from Reuters report]
WASHINGTON UNION STATION COLLISION INJURES 12: Twelve MARC Maryland commuter passengers suffered minor injuries Febr.7 in a collision between a MARC locomotive and Penn Line train 419, which had just arrived into Washington Union Station. Seven passengers were hospitalized. The HHP-8 engine was supposed to couple to the AEM-7 locomotive of the trainset to ferry it to the Ivy City yards for midday maintenance, but approached at too fast a speed. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 2-8-08]
MASS BAY ORDERS 75 BILEVEL COMMUTER CARS: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has awarded a $190.2-million contract to Rotem USA Corp. of Philadelphia for 75 new bi-level commuter rail coaches to replace single level railcars that are nearing their useful life. Deliveries will begin at the end of 2010 and are to be completed by 2012. The new cars will bring MBTA's bi-level fleet to 215 units. [RailwayAge.com, 2-8-08]
FRANCE UNVEILS SUPER-FAST TRAIN: French engineering company Alstom unveiled a new super-fast train Febr.5 which it claims will be quicker, cleaner and bigger than its Japanese and German rivals. President Nicolas Sarkozy helped cut the ribbon on the AGV, which stands for Automotrice Grande Vitesse, or High-Speed Railcar - a bullet-train with a cruise speed of up to 210 mph. The firm will be bidding later this year for the AGV to replace 300 to 400 of the oldest French TGVs, a mammoth SNCF contract that would see the trains go into service on home soil in 2014. [United Transportation Union, 2-6-08, from afp.google.com report]
U.S. OK'S $75-MILLION FOR BOSTON COMMUTER RAIL: The federal government has announced $75-million in funding for improvements to the commuter rail line between Fitchburg and Boston that are expected to speed up service and add trains when the project is finished in 2012. The federal money would cover approximately half of the project's cost, with a matching $75-million to come from a state transportation bond. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-6-08, from Telegram & Gazette website report]
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN REPORTS 4-Q EARNINGS: Kansas City Southern reported record fourth-quarter 2007 revenues of $460.3-million, a four percent increase over the corresponding 2006 period. Revenue growth was primarily the result of a continued strong pricing environment as well as volume growth in some key commodity segments. Operating income for the fourth-quarter was a record $108.7-million compared with $88.2-million last year, [Kansas City Southern, 2-5-08]
AMTRAK TRAINS FREED FROM CALIFORNIA MOUNTAINS: A passenger train stuck overnight in the Northern California mountains resumed its journey Febr.2 after a snow plow that was blocking the tracks was removed, officials said. Two Amtrak trains with about 400 passengers were initially stranded after the accident Febr.1. One train was pulled to Reno, Nevada, and its 165 passengers were put up in a hotel, Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero said. The other train, which was headed from Emeryville to Chicago, remained in the mountains until the tracks were cleared Saturday morning. About 60 passengers from the second train were taken by bus back to the San Francisco Bay area overnight, while 155 stayed on board to wait for the line to reopen, Romero said. [United Transportation Union, 2-2-08, from Associated Press report]
CSX TO SHARE SECURITY DATA WITH STATE OF MARYLAND: Spurred by a Nov.24 derailment near Baltimore's Camden Yards, Maryland and CSX Transportation completed have an agreement under which security officials will be given real-time access to information about hazardous cargoes moving through the state on freight trains. The agreement "will allow Maryland security and law enforcement officials to independently track the location and contents of rail cars being handled by trains across the state," said a railroad spokesman, Bob Sullivan. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-1-08, from Baltimore Sun website report]
F.R.A. ISSUES NEW PASSENGER RAIL GUIDELINES: Commuter and intercity passenger rail equipment will be safer under a new federal rule that ensures improved emergency window exit availability, specifies additional emergency rescue features, and requires two-way communication systems, announced Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. MORE.. [Federal Railroad Administration, 1-31-08]
AMTRAK STUDIES EXPANDING VIRGINIA SERVICES: In a study requested by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit, Amtrak has identified Washington-Lynchburg and Washington-Newport News as the two most promising routes for expanded passenger train service in Virginia. Amtrak said one round-trip service a day along the U. S. 29 corridor from Washington through Charlottesville to Lynchburg could be added for a $1.3-million annual state subsidy, plus undetermined capital costs. A $1.7-million annual subsidy would probably pay for an extra round trip between Newport News and Washington via Richmond. [RailwayAge.com, 1-30-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN DROPS PLAN FOR WIND TURBINE AT ENOLA YARD: Norfolk Southern Corp. has crossed the Enola freight yards in East Pennsboro Twp. off its list of potential sites for a wind turbine. The reason has a lot to do with nearby Wade Island in the Susquehanna River, a legally protected bird sanctuary for great egrets. In December, the railroad said it was considering building a wind turbine to provide electricity for a new wastewater treatment plant in the Enola freight yards, just as it was already doing in a freight yard in Bellevue, Ohio. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-29-08, from Patriot-News website report]
FORT MADISON AMTRAK STOP MAY MOVE DOWNTOWN: Plans to move Fort Madison's Amtrak stop from its current location to the historical downtown anta Fe Railway Depot may be back on track. With a possible end to confusion about the regulations dictating the size of the platform the city has to build, Mayor Steve Ireland said he hopes to see final engineering of the project begin in the summer, construction in the fall and for Amtrak to be in the depot by spring of 2009. [United Transportation Union, 1-29-08, from The Hawk Eye report by Nicholas Bergin]
AMTRAK'S CHICAGO-MILWAUKEE ROUTE SETS RIDERSHIP RECORD: Amtrak says nearly 618,000 passengers rode the Hiawatha route last year, about five percent more than the year before, the first time ridership has surpassed the 600,000 mark. More than 59,000 passengers used the route in December. That's up 16 percent over the previous year and the most passengers Amtrak has ever carried on the route in December. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-29-08, from Fox28 website report]
BNSF REPORTS 4-Q EARNINGS: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation has reported quarterly earnings of $1.46 per diluted share, compared with fourth-quarter 2006 earnings of $1.42 per share. Freight revenues increased $352-million, or 9 percent, to $4.12 billion compared with $3.77-billion in the fourth quarter of 2006, principally due to strong yields and an increase in fuel surcharges of approximately $120 million. Operating income was $950-million, compared to $943-million in the fourth quarter of 2006. [BNSF, 1-29-08]
BNSF ANNOUNCES 2008 CAPITAL PROGRAM: BNSF Railway Company, on Jan. 29, announced its planned $2.45-billion capital commitment program for 2008. BNSF anticipates leasing 200 locomotives with a cost of about $400-million and investing over $200-million in track and facilities to expand capacity to continue to meet demand for consistent freight rail service. The 2008 capacity expansion program is expected to be approximately $350-million lower than 2007. [United Transportation Union, 1-29-08, from money.cnn.com report]
TRAIN IN CHINA KILLS 18 RAILROAD WORKERS: China's Ministry of Railway said 18 railroad workers were killed and nine injured by a high-speed train that barreled into their work site. The ministry's Office of Publicity said the train ran into the Anqiu City work site the evening of Jan.23 while workers were relocating the tracks, Xinhua, China's official government-run news agency, reported. The incident occurred 20 minutes before the time trains had been asked to slow their speed while passing through the work area, the office said. The track adjustment had been scheduled to begin at 10 p.m., but the workers began early. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-25-08, from United Press International report]
AMTRAK MOVES INTO ALBUQUERQUE'S ALVARADO CENTER: Amtrak has relocated its Albuquerque NM station to the Alvarado Transportation Center next door to the existing station. The old station will become a crew base. Alvarado originally opened in 2002, and now consolidates into one facility Amtrak, Greyhound and subsidiaries, ABQ Ride Transit, and New Mexico Rail Runner commuter rail. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-25-08]
BNSF RUNS TRAIN WITH 'ECP' BRAKES: The Federal Railroad Administration announced that BNSF has launched its first revenue service train fully equipped with state-of-the-art electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes. BNSF becomes the second Class I railroad to employ ECP, following Norfolk Southern, which began operating an ECP-equipped coal train in Pennsylvania last October. ECP technology applies the brakes uniformly and instantaneously on every railcar in a train, contributing to better train control, shorter stopping distances, fuel savings, and a lower risk of derailments. It also provides continual electronic self-diagnostic tests that inform train crews when brake maintenance is required. [RailwayAge.com, 1-25-08]
UNION PACIFIC REPORTS 4TH QUARTER EARNINGS: Union Pacific Corporation today reported 2007 fourth quarter net income of $491-million or $1.86 per diluted share, compared to $485-million or $1.78 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2006. [Union Pacific, 1-24-08]
UTU, CARRIERS REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT: After a long and bitter standoff, the United Transportation Union (UTU) and the National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents U.S. Class I carriers and several smaller railroads, have reached a tentative agreement on wages, work rules, and working conditions. The agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2005, and will continue in force through Dec. 31, 2009. It must now be ratified by about 46,000 UTU members. [RailwayAge.com, 1-24-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN TO INVEST $1.43-BILLION IN CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: Norfolk Southern Corp. said Jan.23 it plans to invest $1.43-billion this year on such capital expenses as maintaining its track and buying more rail cars. That represents an increase of $84-million, or six percent, over 2007 expenditures, said Debbie H. Butler, the Norfolk-based railroad's executive vice president of planning. About 71 percent of the 2008 capital expenditures will be spent on maintenance, such as repairing and replacing track and bridges, she said. The remainder will be used to grow the railroad and increase its productivity. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-23-08, from Virginian-Pilot report]
AMTRAK, UNIONS REACH TENTATIVE SETTLEMENT: On January 18, a coalition of eight Amtrak non-operating unions signed a tentative contract agreement with Amtrak, which basically adopts the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board 242. The White House made public the recommendations of PEB 242 on January 3. The tentative agreement adopts PEB's recommended wage settlement, which amounts to increases of 35.2% over the period January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2009. The tentative agreement also includes the Board's recommendation that employees receive back pay, in the form of retroactive wage payments, to compensate for the eight years they had been without a wage increase. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-22-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN REPORTS 4-Q EARNINGS: Norfolk Southern Corporation has reported record fourth-quarter 2007 net income of $399-million, an increase of four percent, compared with $385-million for fourth-quarter 2006. Diluted earnings per share were $1.02, up seven percent, compared with the $0.95 per diluted share earned in the fourth quarter of 2006. Net income for 2007 was $1.5-billion, down one percent, compared with record net income for 2006. Diluted earnings per share increased three percent, or 11 cents, to $3.68. [Norfolk Southern, 1-22-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN HIKES DIVIDEND: Norfolk Southern Corporation announced that its Board of Directors today voted to increase the regular quarterly dividend on the company's common stock by 12 percent or 3 cents per share, to 29 cents per share. The increased dividend is payable on March 10 to stockholders of record on Feb.1. The increase is in addition to an 18 percent increase announced in July 2007. In total, Norfolk Southern has increased its dividend 32 percent over the last 12 months. [Norfolk Southern, 1-22-08]
CSX REPORTS 4-Q RESULTS: CSX Corporation has reported fourth quarter 2007 net earnings of $365-million or 86 cents per share, including a penny per share from insurance gains. In the fourth quarter of last year, the company reported earnings of $347-million or 75 cents per share, including 18 cents per share from insurance gains, a gain on Conrail property and the resolution of certain tax matters. On a reported basis, earnings per share increased 15 percent on a year-over-year basis. [CSX, 1-22-08]
R.J. CORMAN R.R. BUYS CHINESE-BUILT STEAM ENGINE: The R.J. Corman Railroad Co. has taken delivery on a Chinese-built steam locomotive, which it plans to park on a siding in Lexington, Kentucky, both as a piece of historic preservation and for actual use on as-yet-unspecified "special occasions." Company owner Rick Corman says he expects to fire up the engine and try it out on the track within a few weeks, as soon as it's inspected and spruced up from its long trip from China. Corman actually bought the engine from Railroad Development Corp., a Pittsburgh firm that had acquired three of the Chinese locomotives. Corman's engine traveled to the U.S. by ship, arrived in New Orleans last month, and then was shipped to Lexington by rail. Though built in China in 1986, the engine is based on a U.S. design from the 1920s. [United Transportation Union, 1-17-08, from Herald Leader report]
ARGENTINA AWARDS CONTRACT FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL SYSTEM: The government of Argentina has awarded a contract worth more than $1.48-billion to a consortium led by Alstom Transport to build a high speed rail system. The 435-mile line will be the first dedicated high speed system in the Western Hemisphere. It will link the cities of Buenos Aires, Rosario, and Cordoba and use TGV technology. The system, which will operate at speeds from 160 to 186 mph, will be built in two phases and involve upgrading and electrifying existing rights-of-way. [RailwayAge.com. 1-16-08]
VIRGINIA STREETCAR PROJECT GETS FUNDING: The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority has approved almost $40-million in funding for a proposed Columbia Pike Streetcar project linking Pentagon City and Skyline. The 4.7 mile project, estimated to cost $120-million, is being advanced by the authority in conjunction with Arlington and Fairfax counties, located just south of Washington, D.C. Current bus service along the route handles approximately 15,000 riders per day. Arlington County transportation officials estimate that a streetcar system could increase ridership by 25 to 50 percent. [RailwayAge.com, 1-14-08]
BNSF TO EXPAND FORT WORTH HUB: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. is expanding its intermodal hub at Fort Worth's AllianceTexas development while it considers whether to build a similar facility in southern Dallas County. Last year, the Fort Worth-based railroad said it added nearly nine miles of track and four new trucking lanes to meet current and future demand for business and to speed up the flow of traffic through Alliance. The goal is for a train to travel between that hub and a destination, such as Chicago or Los Angeles, without switching tracks. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-13-08, from Dallas Morning News website report]
CHINA ALLOCATES $41-BILLION FOR RAIL UPGRADES: The Chinese government is planning to spend $41-billion to build 4,415 kilometers of new railways in 2008 as it seeks to upgrade its overburdened transport infrastructure. The railways sector will maintain rapid growth because of the sustained large-scale increases in both cargo and passenger flows, said a Chinese official. China has an ambitious program to extend its railroads from about 80,000km as of 2007 to more than 120,000km by 2020, including high-speed lines connecting major cities. [United Transportation Union, 1-13-08, from Reuters report]
N.S. HEARTLAND CORRIDOR CONSTRUCTION BEGINS: Work has begun to raise tunnels in Virginia and in southern West Virginia between Antler and Gordon, according to Norfolk Southern Corp., which has been working with local, state and federal government officials on the project. Meanwhile, the state of West Virginia has received the results of a survey about the economic impact of the corridor on the state. But officials are still about six months away from a decision about whether changes are needed in Prichard to make way for the intermodal facility planned there. The Heartland Corridor project involves improvements in railways between the Virginia coast and Columbus, Ohio, so that trains can carry more goods. Tunnels will be raised so that trains can carry double-stacked containers. [United Transportation Union, 1-11-08, from Herald Dispatch report]
COURT UPHOLDS FIRING OF VIA RAIL CHAIRMAN: The Federal Court of Appeals in Ottawa has upheld the former Liberal government's second attempt to fire Via Rail chairman Jean Pelletier. The decision overturned a lower-court ruling last March which sided with Pelletier after he was fired in December 2005. The case could now be appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. The December dismissal was the Paul Martin government's second try at firing Pelletier over remarks he made about former Via employee and onetime Olympian Myriam Bedard. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-9-08, from Canadian Press report]
BNSF DEVELOPING HYDROGEN FUEL CELL LOCOMOTIVE: BNSF Railway Company and Vehicle Projects LLC have announced they are developing an experimental hydrogen fuel cell switch locomotive. The locomotive has the potential to reduce air pollution, is not dependent on oil for fuel, and could serve as a mobile backup power source for military and civilian disaster relief efforts. The switch locomotive is currently under development and field testing is scheduled to begin later this year. [BNSF, 1-9-08]
MUSEUM & WAITING ROOM TO OPEN IN ARKADELPHIA TRAIN DEPOT: The Clark County Historical Association of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, is establishing a museum in the town's train station that is served by the Texas Eagle. The group has agreed to have the city of Arkadelphia open and operate a passenger waiting room in the building. Currently, Arkadelphia passengers do not have a secure, indoor place to wait for the train. [National Assn. of R.R. Passengers, 1-4-08]
PATRIOT RAIL ACQUIRES UTAH CENTRAL RWY: Patriot Rail Corp.'s portfolio now includes three short lines. The holding company has announced it purchased the Utah Central Railway (UCRY), which operates 34 miles of owned and leased lines in and around Ogden, Utah. Established in 1995 after leasing track from Union Pacific Railroad, UCRY interchanges with UP and BNSF Railway Co. Patriot Rail owns and operates the Tennessee Southern Railroad and Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-3-08]
TRI-RAIL HAS RECORD YEAR: Tri-Rail carried more riders last year than in any year in its 18-year history. The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority said 3.5 million passengers rode the train in 2007, up 10.2 percent from 2006's previous high of 3.17 million passengers. Officials say ridership has increased more than 30 percent since construction of a second track in 2006. Last year, Tri-Rail boosted the number of weekday trains from 40 to 50 and added trains on weekends and holidays. [United Transportation Union, 1-3-08, from South Florida Sun-Sentinel report]
U.S. 2007 RAIL FREIGHT TRAFFIC 2ND HIGHEST IN HISTORY: Although down from 2006's record-setting levels, freight traffic on U.S. railroads was the second highest on record. Full-year 2007 U.S. carloads totaled 16,952,288, down 2.5 percent (426,598 carloads) from 2006. Full-year 2007 U.S. intermodal loadings were 12,026,660 trailers and containers, down 2.1 percent (255,561 units) from 2006. Total volume for the year was estimated at 1.76 trillion ton-miles, although down 1.0 percent from last year. [Assn. of American Railroads, 1-3-08]
GENESEE & WYOMING ACQUIRES MARYLAND MIDLAND: Genesee & Wyoming, parent company to the Meridian and Bigbee Railroad, announced Tuesday that it has acquired most of the Maryland Midland Railway. Maryland Midland operates 63 miles of track and has 30 employees. It is an interline carrier with CSX. Genesee & Wyoming paid $29.1-million for an 87.4 percent stake in the carrier. The remainder is owned by Lehigh Cement, which is the line's largest customer. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-2-08, from Montgomery Advertiser website report]
AMTRAK MAKES CHANGES TO GUEST REWARDS PROGRAM: Amtrak Guest Rewards announced as of the first of this year that members who do not own an Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard issued by Chase Bank or who are not currently Select or Select Plus elite members will no longer have the option to redeem Amtrak Guest Rewards points for airline miles or hotel points. Furthermore, the annual point transfer caps are still in place - 50,000 points for Select or Select Plus members and 25,000 points for Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard cardholders. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-2-08, from WebFlyer.com report]
EARLIER NEWS STORIES, CLICK HERE
.