Newswire
MARYLAND TO CUT SOME MARC SERVICE: The Maryland Transit Administration has approved service reductions on some of its MARC commuter runs. A fare increase will keep trains running in West Virginia. Commuter train riders from West Virginia's three stations will pay $2 more per one-way ticket, but they will not see any loss of service as had been proposed. Starting Jan.12, MARC will reduce service on holidays, cut some daily trains and end a 10-ride ticket. The changes are expected to save $10 million annually. [United Transportation Union, 12-30-08, from Associated Press report]
BNSF DERAILMENT IN MONTANA DISRUPTS AMTRAK SERVICE: Holiday travel for Amtrak rail passengers was disrupted when 16 rail cars carrying new automobiles derailed over the weekend in northwestern Montana. Crews were still working Monday night [Dc.29] to rerail the cars and reopen the Burlington Northern Santa Fe main line. The derailment caused Amtrak to cancel its eastbound Empire Builder passenger train between Seattle and Minneapolis on Sunday and the westbound train between those cities Monday, said Vernae Graham, an Amtrak spokeswoman in Oakland, Calif. She said other Empire Builder trains along the route were delayed, including one that was 22 hours late and another that was delayed 16 hours. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-29-08, from Associated Press report]
COLORADO RAILCAR CEASES OPERATIONS: Colorado Railcar Manufacturing, LLC will release all its employees Dec. 31, after having "ceased its business operations" on Dec. 23, according to a statement posted on the company's website. The Colorado-based company had been seen by some as a potential leader in rejuvenating U.S. passenger railcar manufacturing, as it sought to extend its initial manufacturing capabilities in producing luxury rail passenger equipment for specialty markets. Several U.S. transit properties tested the company's diesel multiple-unit (DMU) equipment options, but actual purchases were limited. [RailwayAge.com, 12-29-08]
CANADIAN NATIONAL GETS APPROVAL TO ACQUIRE EJ&E LINE: Canadian National Railway Co. has won U.S. approval for a $300-million acquisition of a Chicago-area line from U.S. Steel Corp. to bypass congestion in the city. The purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co. can be completed subject to certain conditions, including payment for school- and pedestrian-safety measures, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board said. The company said it expects to close the acquisition shortly after Jan. 23, when the board's decision takes effect. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-24-08, from Bloomberg News report]
LUXURY TRAIN TO ROLL FROM CHICAGO TO INAUGURATION: You can witness history in the lap of luxury - all for the bargain price of $2,599. American Rail Excursions, a charter service specializing in travel by vintage railroad cars, is selling tickets to see Barack Obama's presidential inauguration Jan.20. Drinks, meals and lodging are included. The train departs Jan.17 from Chicago's Union Station. While in Washington D.C., the cars will be parked at that city's Union Station. The trip home is Jan.22. In cars with names such as the Henry Hudson and the Silver Quail, riders will be treated to a personal chef, tuxedoed wait staff and private bedrooms with enclosed bathrooms. Of the 44 available spots on the train, about half of those were gone on Dec.22. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-23-08, from Southtown Star website report]
TUCSON STREETCAR PLAN MOVES AHEAD: Tucson, Arizona, is proceeding with plans for a $100-million, four-mile streetcar line, set to begin operation in 2011. Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup said Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters phoned him this week with a federal endorsement of the proposed streetcar line, giving the city the opportunity to seek federal matching funds. Walkup said the city would begin engineering and final design shortly. [RailwayAge.com, 12-23-08]
DISABLED SWISS TRAIN BLOCKS LONGEST TUNNEL: Officials say a train with a technical failure has stopped in the world's longest overland tunnel and has been evacuated. A spokesman for Switzerland's Loetschberg Base Tunnel says the train halted inside the 21-mile rail link under the Alps. The cause of the failure is not clear, but it is connected to the train and not the tunnel. All passengers have been ferried out on a substitute train. Traffic through the tunnel remain blocked as of midday Dec.22. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-22-08, from Associated Press report]
AMTRAK TRAIN MAROONED BY BLIZZARD IN MICHIGAN: Weather conditions have stranded dozens of passengers aboard an Amtrak train heading to Grand Rapids, Mich., according to the WZZM Web site. The train left Chicago around 4:45 p.m. Central Time Dec.21 and got stuck late last night near U.S. 31 at Lakewood in Holland. It was to arrive in Grand Rapids around 10:30 p.m. Fifteen hours after the train departed, passengers were still stranded and told they could not exit the train. Ottawa County Central Dispatch says two physicians happened to be aboard the train and no one is injured. They say CSX is waiting for weather conditions to improve so they can clear the tracks. [United Transportation Union, 12-22-08, from WZZM-13 website report]
DOT, KCS REACH BORDER ACCORD: Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters has announced the Department of Transportation has reached agreement with Kansas City Southern Railway to advance the East Loop Bypass project, which includes a new rail bridge east of Laredo, Tex., designed to expedite cross-border freight rail traffic between the U.S. and Mexico. The new railroad bridge and East Loop Bypass project also would enhance safety by eliminating numerous highway-rail grade crossings. Peters said that as part of the congestion relief program, the project would receive priority access to many of DOT's assistance programs, including loans and other innovative financing mechanisms. [RailwayAge.com, 12-22-08]
JAMES BRUNKENHOEFER DIES, U.T.U. NATIONAL DIRECTOR: UTU National Legislative Director James Brunkenhoefer died Dec.19, at age 61 after suffering a stroke two days earlier. Affectionately known as 'Brokenrail,' he was serving his fifth term as the UTU's chief lobbyist and was one of the mostly widely recognized individuals on Capitol Hill. [United Transportation Union, 12-19-08]
CANADIAN NATIONAL ORDERS 40 EMD LOCOMOTIVES: CN has announced it has ordered 40 additional high-horsepower locomotives from Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc. (EMD) and secured an option for 50 more. CN will acquire 40 EMD SD70M-2 locomotives in early 2010, with an option for 50 more of the 4,300 horsepower locomotives by 2011. CN currently has 75 SD70M-2s in service, and 25 additional units, previously ordered in 2007, will join CN's locomotive roster during the first quarter of 2009. [Canadian National, 12-19-08]
ITALY INAUGURATES NEW HIGH-SPEED TRAIN: Italy has inaugurated faster high-speed rail service with the launch of Trenitalia's Red Arrow on the route between Milan and Rome. Reaching speeds of 186 mph, the new trains reduce travel times on the 300-mile route by an hour, to three-and-a-half hours. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 12-19-08]
AMTRAK'S CRESCENT TO TURN AT ATLANTA CERTAIN DATES: Amtrak's Crescent will turn at Atlanta due to Norfolk Southern track work on the following dates: January 26-29, and February 2-5, 9-12, and 16-19. No alternate transportation will be provided between Atlanta and New Orleans. This affects westbound trains departing New York the day before. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 12-19-08]
PENNSYLVANIA TO BUY 10 MILES OF TRACK FROM NORFOLK SOUTHERN: The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority will purchase 10.6 miles of mainline railroad track owned by Norfolk Southern, including a section between East Stroudsburg and the Delaware Water Gap, for $4.5-million. This portion of the former Erie-Lackawanna mainline is now leased by the authority as a part of its Pocono Mainline between Scranton and Slateford. This track purchase will also ensure the continuation of the Steamtown passenger trains which use this track for excursions from Scranton to the Delaware Water Gap and Dansbury Depot in East Stroudsburg. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-19-08, from Pocono Record website report]
CALTRAIN COMPLETES PALO ALTO STATION IMPROVEMENTS: On Dec.22, Caltrain will open the northern end of the new boarding platforms and a new pedestrian underpass at Palo Alto Station, officially marking the completion of a $15-million station upgrade project. The pedestrian underpass replaces a grade crossing and the new, longer platforms replace older, uneven ones. The renovations are part of a larger program aimed at improving both of Caltrain's Palo Alto stations. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 12-19-08]
RAY LAHOOD SELECTED AS TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: President-elect Obama has selected seven-term Congressman Ray LaHood, a centrist Republican from Illinois, to become Secretary of Transportation. LaHood, whose district includes Peoria and Springfield, has a voting record that will please many in the transportation industry. He voted this year for the Passenger Rail Investment Act as well as the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act. The 63-year-old representative, who decided not to run for reelection this year, has become known for his bi-partisan views. [RailwayAge.com, 12-18-08]
PAUL WEYRICH DIES, PASSENGER RAIL ADVOCATE: Paul M. Weyrich, one of the early founders of the Heritage Foundation in 1973, a voice of American conservativism, and an ardent pro-passenger rail advocate, died Thursday morning [Dec.17], according to the Heritage Foundation. He was 66. Weyrich served on the Amtrak Board of Directors for six years, and was a member of the Amtrak Reform Council, which explored funding options for the national rail passenger carrier. Though critical of some Amtrak policies, Weyrich repeatedly voiced support for the corporation, including in a column published Nov.25 entitled "The Possibility of a Better Future for Amtrak." [RailwayAge.com, 12-18-08]
SOUTHWEST GULF R.R. TO BUILD 7-MILE LINE IN TEXAS: The Surface Transportation Board has announced that it has issued a decision granting final approval for Southwest Gulf Railroad Company (SGR) to construct and operate a rail line in Medina County, Texas, subject to environmental mitigation conditions. The Board identified three environmentally acceptable routing alternatives, any one of which SGR may now build. The new rail line will extend from Vulcan Construction Material's planned limestone quarry in the north central part of Medina County to a connection with the Del Rio Subdivision of the Union Pacific Railroad Company near Dunlay, Texas. Limestone aggregate from the quarry will be transported to the eastern part of Texas. SGR expects to ship roughly 5 million tons of limestone per year. [U.S. Surface Transportation Board, 12-18-08]
BNSF AGREES TO SELL 18-MILES OF TRACK TO PORT OF VANCOUVER: BNSF Railway has agreed to sell about 18 miles of track to the Port of Vancouver, Washington, for $3.1-million. Under the deal, the port would get 17 acres currently owned by BNSF, along with the rail, switches, ties and ballast. The deal would clear the way for the port to go forward with $137-million in freight access improvements. [United Transportation Union, 12-18-08, from Vancouver Columbian report]
FREIGHT TRAINS COLLIDE IN MINNESOTA: Two freight trains collided early Dec.17, derailing 26 cars and plunging a locomotive into the Mississippi River, authorities said. No one was seriously hurt. The trains crashed about 5:30 a.m. near Dresbach in southeastern Minnesota. The derailment disrupted Amtrak service to hundreds of passengers, said Bob Kamrowski, station manager in La Crosse, Wisconsin. [United Transportation Union, 12-17-08, from Associated Press report]
TWO SHOT IN MOCK SANTA TRAIN ROBBERY: Authorities say two people were injured with shotgun pellets during a mock train robbery involving Santa Claus in Random Lake, Wisconsin. A gun mistakenly loaded with bird shot, rather than blanks, injured two people, said the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department, adding the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. The shooting occurred when actors pretended to rob a restored 1913 steam train carrying Santa. An estimated 800 people witnessed the mock shoot-out, though many were unaware anything had gone wrong. [United Transportation Union, 12-17-08, from United Press International report]
AMTRAK'S EMPIRE CORRIDOR BACK ON TRACK FOLLOWING STORM: Amtrak customers on the busy Empire Corridor will see service return to normal Dec.17 after repairs to an ice-damaged signal system were completed. The passenger railroad had had to cancel a half-dozen or more trains each way daily because of the damage, which was concentrated between Rhinecliff and Rensselaer. Amtrak said CSX, which owns the tracks, indicated late Tuesday that only slight delays were expected today. [United Transportation Union, 12-17-08, from Albany Times-Union report]
CSX SHAREHOLDER SUIT SETTLED: Two hedge funds have agreed to pay CSX a total of $11-million in settlement of a shareholder lawsuit alleging violations of securities laws. TCI, which manages The Children's Master Investment Fund, will pay $10-million and 3G Capital Partners will pay $1-million. If the settlement receives the approval of a federal court in New York, where the civil action was initiated, a countersuit alleging that CSX violated its corporate insider trading policy will be dismissed. The hedge funds waged a proxy fight this year that gave them four seats on the CSX board. [RailwayAge.com 12-17-08]
GATX BUYS 3,560-CAR FLEET: Alco Finance Ltd. has sold a diversified fleet of 3,650 freight cars with an average age of two years to GATX Corp. The $217-million purchase price consists of approximately $30-million in cash and the assumption of $187-million in non-recourse debt. The new cars will be added to a GATX fleet that totaled 110,000 cars on Sept. 1. [RailwayAge.com 12-17-08]
FORT WORTH MAPS STREETCAR SYSTEM: Officials in Fort Worth, Texas, have unveiled a plan for a 12-mile streetcar system, including options to generate $250 million to fund at least part of the system. The plan recommends starting with a loop in downtown Fort Worth, a route along along West Seventh Street to the Will Rogers Center and the University of North Texas campus, another route down South Main Street with a spur to Evans Avenue and Rosedale Street, and a connection to the medical district along Magnolia and Eighth avenues. [RailwayAge.com 12-17-08]
FEDS SEEK TO BUILD NEW N.E. CORRIDOR HIGH-SPEED LINE: Federal transportation leaders announced Dec.15 that the government is seeking contractors to build a $30-billion to $40-billion high-speed rail line between Washington and New York. The new line would carry passengers between Washington and New York in no more than two hours. Amtrak officials described the Transportation Department's request for proposals as a significant step in getting the high-speed rail lines built exclusively for passenger service. However, engineers face significant obstacles, such as figuring out where to put the rail line when urban development and natural barriers lie in its path. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-16-08, from Washington Times website report]
IOWA INTERSTATE TO PURCHASE 12 LOCOMOTIVES: The Iowa Interstate will purchase 12 new locomotives with a $31-million RRIF loan it has received from the Federal Railroad Administration. FRA said the new power will allow the regional railroad to increase train lengths, tonnage, and operating speeds, and provide for increased rail service to newly built ethanol plans. [RailwayAge.com, 12-15-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN PLANS LAYOFFS: Norfolk Southern Corp. plans to lay off an undisclosed number of employees as part of an effort to cut costs, company spokesman Robin Chapman has confirmed. The railroad also will reduce the number of trains in operation and park some rail cars, he said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-13-08, from Virginian-Pilot website report]
RAILS FEEL PAIN FROM AUTO INDUSTRY DECLINE: According to Credit Suisse, motor vehicles shipments via rails sank 39 percent in the first week of December on a year-over-year basis, creating a big headwind for the rail sector, which saw carloads decline 8 percent in the period. It marked the fifth consecutive week, CS said, in which carloads dropped by as much as 8 percent. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-12-08, from Barrons website report]
BERKSHIRE INCREASES STAKE IN BNSF: Warren Buffett's company bought another 3.26 million shares of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. stock, increasing its stake to 67.9 million shares. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. now controls nearly 20 percent of the nation's second-largest railroad. Documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission Dec.10 show Berkshire completed its latest purchases on Dec.8 and 9. Buffett has said railroads have good long-term prospects and are healthier today than in past years. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-10-08, from Associated Press report]
BOARDMAN SUPPORTS AMTRAK NETWORK: Amtrak's new president and CEO Joseph Boardman wrote a message to Amtrak employees this week. In it, he calls himself a 'straight shooter,' and explained that he supports the national system. He does not favor splitting off the Northeast corridor. MORE..
PENNSYLVANIA GRANTS $10-M FOR N.S. YARD RELOCATION: Pennsylvania will provide $10-million for the $46-million second phase of the Northwest Gateway Project, which calls for relocating a portion of NS' yard in Dillerville to Manheim Township, said Governor Rendell in a statement. The monies will come from the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. The portion of the yard situated on the northern edge of Franklin & Marshall College's campus will be relocated and the remainder will be remodeled. The project will free up land, enabling the college and Lancaster General Hospital to expand. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 12-9-08]
AMTRAK TRAIN HITS TRACTOR-TRAILER IN ILLINOIS, DERAILS, NINE INJURED: Nine people were injured after an Amtrak train slammed into a tractor-trailer Dec.8 north of Brighton, Illinois. The engineer was one of the persons injured. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said the injuries were not serious. Four of the cars derailed after although none of them toppled over. The crash happened about 11:15 a.m. on an Amtrak passenger train heading to St. Louis from Chicago. The rest of the passengers were put aboard a chartered bus to finish the trip to Alton and St. Louis. [United Transportation Union, 12-8-08, from St.Louis Post-Dispatch report]
AMTRAK SHAREHOLDER SUIT HEADS TO ARBITRATOR: A federal lawsuit filed by American Financial Group against Amtrak has been put on hold, pending a ruling by an arbitration panel, reports the Cincinnati Business Courier. U.S. Senior District Judge Arthur Spiegel ruled Dec. 3 that an arbitrator has to decide whether the dispute is subject to a mandatory arbitration provision of a 1971 contract. MORE.. [United Transportation Union, 12-8-08, from Cincinnati Business Courier report]
U.S. COAL EXPORT BOOM MAY BE OVER FOR NOW: The boom in U.S. coal exports appears over for now, tamed by the world economic slowdown, a stronger dollar and renewed competition from cheaper supply elsewhere, Reuters reports. Tom Hiemstra, president of the Coal Trading Association, said that the U.S. is no longer competitive compared the rest of the world in terms of exporting steam coal to Europe and other destinations abroad. Coal prices have slid for weeks after tripling between mid 2007 and mid 2008 to an unheard of $150 per short ton for premium steam coal. CSX-delivered eastern coal has fallen below $70 for December 2008 delivery. [United Transportation Union, 12-8-08, from Reuters report]
AMTRAK DROPS OBJECTION TO EJ&E SALE: The Canadian National Railway overcame a big objection Wednesday to its proposed purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway. Amtrak had opposed the sale over concerns it would increase its maintenance costs on an old rail segment in downtown Chicago. One of the biggest benefits to CN and Chicago in the proposed sale is that it allows CN to move traffic off the St. Charles Air Line. However, Amtrak agreed to drop its opposition to the purchase as part of an agreement that freezes maintenance costs to current levels, adjusted yearly for inflation, and guarantees that it would have continued access to the line. Use of the line was important for Amtrak's access to central and southern Illinois. [United Transportation Union, 12-4-08, from Chicago Sun-Times report]
F.T.A. APPROVES RAIL LINK TO DULLES AIRPORT: Reversing its opposition of nearly a year ago, the Federal Transit Administration has given approval to extending Washington's Metrorail system to Tysons Corner and Dulles International Airport. Approval from the Secretary of Transportation and the Office of Management and Budget is still required, but is expected. The 23-mile Silver Line would stretch from the current Metrorail Orange Line station at Falls Church past Dulles Airport and into Loudoun County, Va. [RailwyAge.com, 12-4-08]
SEATTLE CONSIDERS MORE STREETCARS: Buoyed by the success of the modest 1.3-mile South Lake Union Streetcar which began revenue operations almost one year ago, the Seattle City Council Transportation Committee is recommending streetcar operations be expanded to other parts of the city. The committee has voted to support a proposed $685-million streetcar expansion, with lines running up First Hill (Hospital Hill), down 1st Avenue, and up to the University District, among other locations. Full funding has not been identified for the proposal, which will be considered by the full City Council next week. [RailwayAge.com, 12-4-08]
PORT OF COOS BAY TO BUY CLOSED RAIL LINE: The Oregon International Port of Coos Bay has agreed to buy a rail line that has been closed for safety reasons since September 2007. The federal Surface Transportation Board set a $16.6-million price tag for the 111-mile line that runs between Eugene and Coquille. The government gave the port 10 days to respond and 90 days to close the deal with RailAmerica Inc., the Florida company that abruptly shut the line. Once the deal with RailAmerica is signed, the port will also have to spend $3-million to $4-million to repair the tunnels that prompted the shutdown. [United Transportation Union, 12-4-08, from Associated Press report]
CLIFF EBY NAMED ACTING F.R.A. ADMINISTRATOR: With former FRA Administrator Joseph Boardman now handling the reins at Amtrak - at least for one year - the Federal Railroad Administration needs its own new leader. A new administrator likely won't be appointed until after President-Elect Barack Obama takes office in late January. In the meantime, Cliff Eby has been installed as acting administrator. Most recently the FRA's deputy administrator, Eby will be responsible for day-to-day administrative operations and the agency's rail financial assistance programs. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 12-4-08]
CSX'S WINTER HAVEN TERMINAL GETS STATE OK: With no appeals made by the Florida Department of Community Affairs, the CSX Integrated Logistics Center for Winter Haven is good to go. DCA Secretary Thomas Pelham has signed off on the development order and agreement for the truck-rail freight center. The development order for the 318-acre project includes conditions related to noise monitoring and mitigation, buffering, lighting and the use of electric cranes. The development agreement includes conditions related to design standards, signs, landscaping and site plan review requirements. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-4-08, from NewsChief.com report]
BOARDMAN CHARTS NEW COURSE AT AMTRAK: Joseph Boardman's second day on the job was Thanksgiving, and he visited the crew base for Amtrak workers at Union Station in Washington, introducing themselves to employees and thanking them for working on the holiday. Boardman pointed out the Amtrak reauthorization legislation approved in October also includes a change in the stated mission for the railroad. The previous mission statement said Amtrak was to provide "safe and reliable intercity rail passenger service in an economically sound manner that exceeds customer expectation." The new statement says the railroad is to provide "efficient and effective intercity passenger rail mobility consisting of high-quality service that is trip-time competitive with other intercity travel options." Boardman zeroed in on the term mobility. "The mobility piece is going to become much more important," he said. [United Transportation Union, 12-2-08, from Albany Times Union report]
NEW FEDERAL LAW SHOULD CUT AMTRAK DELAYS: A new law is expected to improve the on-time record of Amtrak passenger trains nationwide. President Bush has signed into law a bill giving federal authorities the power to investigate freight railroads when Amtrak's on-time record falls below 80 percent. Fines could be levied if freight lines fail to give preference to Amtrak. Freight traffic is supposed to give preference to Amtrak trains on tracks owned by the railroads. But a recent federal report found that some railroads' dispatching practices violate those rights. [United Transportation Union, 12-1-08, from Associated Press report]
GALESBURG PLANS AMTRAK STATION EXPANSION: Galesburg, Illinois, officials are hoping to net $120,000 in federal and state funds for a planned expansion of its Amtrak Depot. The City Council has approved the plan, in which the city will apply for the funds to cover architect and engineering fees to design an expansion, which would provide additional space for an intercity bus passenger ticket counter and waiting area. Half of the money will be used to pay for improvements to the parking lot, with the city hoping to add space for an intercity bus loading and unloading area. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-1-08, from Register-Mail website report]
VIA RAIL TO SLOW TRANSCONTINENTAL SCHEDULE BY 13 HOURS: It takes three days and three nights to travel from Toronto to Vancouver by train, but starting Dec.2 that is going to change. What Via Rail calls on its website "the ultimate Canada train trip," its Canadian is going to last 13 hours longer. The transcontinental train trip, which used to take 74 hours, is now going to take 87. The change should also mean better connections with trains between Toronto and the East Coast. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 12-1-08, from CBC News report]
RAIL ACCIDENTS DOWN, FATALITIES UP IN NINE MONTHS: With 716 large and small U.S. railroads reporting, total accidents and incidents in this year's first nine months were down 10.3 percent to 9,232 compared with the corresponding period last year, according to the Federal Railroad Administration's Office of Safety Analysis. Fatalities were up fractionally in the period, to 637 from 633. These included 370 trespasser fatalities, an increase of 6.9 percent. [RailwayAge.com, 12-1-08]
U.P. TO OPEN NEW SAN ANTONIO TERMINAL: When the $120-million Union Pacific rail yard opens Dec.15, it will divert truck traffic that has for years trekked through old inner-city neighborhoods to pick up containers from the East Side and South Side terminals of the railroad. The rail yard is strategic in that the north end of the property intersects the Long Beach, Calif., to New Orleans line. The south end of the property intersects the Laredo to Chicago line. Yet, there is sufficient land for future development and natural buffers from urban encroachment. Similar in scope to a small airport, the project entailed removal of a small lake and the pouring of 420,000 square yards of concrete. [United Transportation Union, 11-29-08, from Express-News report]
THREE KILLED IN COLLISION WITH AMTRAK TRAIN IN FLORIDA: Two men and one woman died Nov.28 after the car they were riding in bypassed crossing gates and flashing lights and was hit by a passenger train in south Orange County, Florida. The sedan was crossing the tracks eastbound on Lancaster road when a northbound Amtrak train carrying roughly 170 passengers crashed into it. The car went airborne, landing hundreds of feet away near a warehouse parking lot. It smashed into a parked tractor-trailer before overturning. All the victims were from Orlando. The train, No.92 heading from Miami to New York, was going 58 mph. [United Transportation Union, 11-29-08, from Orlando Sentinel report]
CANADIAN PACIFIC, CSX TOP ANALYST'S LIST OF R.R. BUYS: The years of railroads posting stellar earnings growth are over, according to UBS analyst Rick Paterson, who issued a warning Nov.27 to those with a vested interest in the rails. The current economic downturn and the volatility in commodity pricing is wreaking havoc on North American rail volumes. Despite the negative outlook, he has a "buy" rating on Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., CSX Corp., Union Pacific Corp., Norfolk Southern Corp., Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. and Canadian National Railway Co. CP and CSX offer the largest potential upside based on his price targets. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 11-28-08, from Financial Post website report]
C.N. & C.P. LOSE GRAIN CASE APPEAL: Canadian National and Canadian Pacific say an adverse court ruling on grain rates and on the cost of maintaining a fleet of government owned grain cars will cost each of them $18.7-million in revenue from the 2007-08 crop year. And CN says the ruling could affect its future investments in infrastructure and equipment related to hauling grain. The Federal Court of Appeal refused to accept the railroads' claim that government regulators erred in retroactively cutting the amount of revenue the carriers could earn in the 2007-2008 crop year. Also rejected was CP's claim that the regulators improperly used CN's data in determining the cost to both railroads of maintaining their share of the grain car fleet. [RailwayAge.com, 11-26-08]
JOSEPH BOARDMAN CHOSEN TO HEAD AMTRAK: The National Railroad Passenger Corporation Board of Directors has announced that it has chosen Joseph Boardman to become president and chief executive officer of the company effective November 26. Boardman offers nearly 34 years of experience in the surface transportation industry at city, county, state, and federal government levels, most recently as the administrator at the Federal Railroad Administration. Prior to his tenure at FRA, he served as commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation beginning in July 1997. He fills the position following the departure of Alex Kummant earlier this month. Chief Operating Officer William Crosbie served as acting CEO in the interim. [Amtrak, 11-25-08]
F.R.A. ISSUES FINAL RULES FOR RAIL HAZMAT ROUTING: The Federal Railroad Administration, with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), has issued final rules superseding the April 2008 Interim Final Rule requiring railroads to perform comprehensive safety and security risk analyses to determine the routes posing the least overall safety and security risks for the movement of the most toxic and dangerous hazardous materials. The rules stipulate Sep. 1, 2009, as the date by which a railroad must implement its route selection using a minimum of 27 risk factors and based on analysis of six-month data from July to December 2008. [RailwayAge.com, 11-25-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN INSTALLS 2ND WIND TURBINE: Norfolk Southern has installed a 50kW wind turbine at its yard in North Kansas City, Mo., to power a wastewater treatment plant. With three 24-foot rotor blades mounted on a 100-foot tower, the wind turbine can generate more than 10,000 kilowatt hours annually. Integrity Wind Systems of Boulder, Colo., which supplied both systems to Norfolk Southern, says each wind turbine can produce at least enough power to offset the electricity consumed by the pumps and controls of the wastewater treatment plants. [RailwayAge.com, 11-24-08]
AMTRAK POLICE SIGN JOINT-ENFOREMENT AGREEMENT WITH WILMINGTON, DELAWARE: Amtrak Police have entered into an agreement with Wilmington, Delaware, Police for joint law enforcement and patrols in the Wilmington station area. The joint policing agreement applies to a three-block radius around the station and will be in effect for one year. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 11-21-08]
MOROCCO, FRANCE IN JOINT HIGH-SPEED VENTURE: The governments of Morocco and France announced a joint venture last week for the French to partially finance the construction of a $2-billion TGV high-speed line between Casablanca and Tangier, about 310 miles. France is contributing a $792-million loan for rolling stock and infrastructure. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 11-21-08]
AUTO TRAIN TO RESUME SERVICE ON SATURDAY: Travelers on Amtrak's Auto Train will resume service on Nov.22, officials told the Associated Press. The Auto Train, which carries passengers and their cars between Sanford and Lorton, Va., was canceled Nov.18 after inspectors found cracks in one of the carriers. [United Transportation Union, 11-21-08, from Associated Press report]
METROLINK TRAIN COLLIDES WITH FREIGHT TRAIN IN CALIFORNIA: For the second time in less than three months, a Metrolink train and a freight train heading in opposite directions collided Nov.20. The Rialto, California, crash was far less serious than the head-on collision in September between a Metrolink train and a freight train in Chatsworth that killed 25. Thursday's accident occurred about 11:30 a.m. when an eastbound Metrolink train hit the end of a westbound BNSF train that was pulling onto a siding from the main track just west of the Rialto station. Five passengers aboard the Metrolink train were sent to area hospitals. Thursday's crash, like the one in September, happened on a stretch of track owned, maintained and dispatched by Metrolink. [United Transportation Union, 11-21-08, from Los Angeles Times report]
V.R.E. COMPLETES MAINTENANCE FACILITY: Virginia Railway Express recently completed a service and inspection building at Crossroads Yard, which serves the commuter-rail agency's Fredericksburg line. Since launching service in 1992, VRE has relied on Amtrak to provide fleet maintenance services. However, the agency's maintenance needs have grown to include more rigorous and labor-intensive work, VRE said. The new facility will enable the agency to handle maintenance duties on-site without disrupting service. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 11-21-08]
VIA RAIL LAUNCHES CONTEST FOR NEW UNIFORMS: One lucky Canadian designer could be on the fast-track to style stardom with the launch of a contest to create a new look for Via Rail Canada employees. The national passenger rail service is teaming up with the Fashion Design Council of Canada to present the Via Rail redesign challenge. The winning design will be announced and revealed during Fashion Week in Toronto next March. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 11-20-08, from Canadian Press report]
AMTRAK BEGINS USING GATEWAY CENTER IN ST.LOUIS: Amtrak trains have begun using the new Gateway Transportation Center in downtown St. Louis, marking the end to the "temporary" buildings passengers used for 30 years. The new glass-and-steel center on South 15th Street, near the Scottrade Center, also serves as a depot for Greyhound buses. It has four train platforms and 10 bus bays. Bus passengers began using the building in June. Passengers can reach the tracks by walking through an enclosed walkway and two sets of stairs, escalators and elevators to the train platforms below. Greyhound and Amtrak passengers will share the lobby and a deli, and fast-food restaurants will be opening in the future. [United Transportation Union, 11-20-08, from St.Louis Post-Dispatch report]
CONSTRUCTION ON CSX YARD IN OHIO TO BEGIN IN JANUARY: Construction of the CSX rail yard in North Baltimore, Ohio, is scheduled to begin in January, television station WFIN reported. The Wood County Commissioners have approved a joint Economic Development District contract between the village and Henry Township. The move allows the district to take 1-percent of the labor tax for construction. Funds collected may also go to infrastructure improvements at the site. If construction remains on schedule, the facility should be up and running by the end of 2010, creating 50 to 75 jobs. [United Transportation Union, 11-20-08, from WFIN-TV website report]
UNION PACIFIC DECLARES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND: The Board of Directors of Union Pacific Corporation has declared a quarterly dividend of 27 cents per share on its common stock, payable January 2, 2009, to stockholders of record December 1, 2008. [Union Pacific, 11-20-08]
RAIL SHIPMENTS DECREASE ACROSS COUNTRY: U.S. rail shipments are dropping, according to the Associated Press. The Association of American Railroads said Nov.20 that freight carried on the tracks for the week ending Nov. 15 totaled 309,099 carloads - 9.1 percent lower than a year ago. Volume fell 6.5 percent in the West, where cargo is primarily carried by Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Volumes sank 12.8 percent in the East, where freight is mostly hauled by CSX and Norfolk Southern. [United Transportation Union, 11-20-08, from Associated Press report]
BALTIMORE POLICE ARREST MARC PASSENGER CARRYING A RIFLE: Baltimore police arrested a man carrying a semiautomatic rifle aboard a train yesterday morning [Nov.19] after a cabdriver flagged down officers and said the man was headed to Washington. Police said the man mentioned the White House but made no specific threats, though police notified the Secret Service as a precaution. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 11-20-08, from Baltimore Sun website report]
FUND ESTABLISHED TO MOVE GRASSELLI TOWER: The Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum, North Judson, Indiana, has a fundraising goal of $50,000 to move Grasselli Tower from East Chicago. The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad decommissioned the tower during the later part of 2007 and promptly offered the tower to the museum, on the condition that it be moved off site. Grasselli is one of the last remaining railroad towers in Northern Indiana. Once the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum gets Grasselli Tower moved to North Judson, the museum intends to make it into a working tower. For further information go to www.grassellitower.com.
AMTRAK EYES RESTART OF SUNSET LIMITED TO FLORIDA: An Amtrak route that goes through Jacksonville on the way to New Orleans might return next year. The Sunset Limited Route from Orlando to New Orleans was abandoned after Hurricane Katrina damaged CSX train tracks in 2005. Those damaged tracks have been repaired, and CSX says it has no objections to starting the route again. Amtrak has been reluctant to restart the route, though, because of low ridership before Katrina hit. But with Amtrak given money to look into the issue, the hope is to find a way to bring the service back, said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. [United Transportation Union, 11-17-08, from Times-Union report]
ALEX KUMMANT RESIGNS AS HEAD OF AMTRAK: The National Railroad Passenger Corporation today [Nov.14] announced the resignation of its President and CEO, Alex Kummant. After record ridership and revenue in FY08, a downturn in the economy and new legislative requirements present challenges as well as opportunities. In the coming years, Amtrak will need leadership to maximize its potential and utility to the traveling public, while increasing the efficiency of the whole operation. The Board is confident that this transition will be seamless, with William Crosbie, Amtrak's Chief Operating Officer, as Acting President and CEO for an interim period. [Amtrak, 11-14-08]
RAILWAY AGE NAMES MICHAEL WARD 'RAILROADER OF THE YEAR': Michael Ward is Railway Age's 46th Railroader of the Year. Modern Railroads magazine founded the award, one of the most prestigious in the railroad industry, in 1964 as the "Man of the Year." Railway Age acquired Modern Railroads in 1991 and has presented the award annually since then. Ward will be honored on March 17, 2009, at Chicago's Union League Club. He is the first CSX recipient since 1984, when Hays T. Watkins was honored. [RailwayAge.com, 11-14-08]
BART LIGHT-RAIL LINK TO OAKLAND AIRPORT STALLED: BART's $386-million plan to link its rail network to Oakland International Airport with a 3.2-mile light rail link has stalled, due in part to the inability to attract private partners to help fund the project. The light rail line would have connected with BART at its Coliseum station. Three consortia initially expressed interest in the project, but two dropped out during the year, and BART officials say the remaining joint venture team, which included Bombardier Transportation and Merrill Lynch & Co., also have ended discussions. At present AirBART shuttle buses provide such service, with travel times ranging from 12 to 60 minutes. [RailwayAge.com, 11-13-08]
COURT DECLINES DEADLINE ON C.N. PURCHASE OF EJ&E: A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has declined to put a timeline on the government's approval of Canadian National Railway's purchase of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway. Canadian National had brought suit against the Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency that regulates railroad acquisitions, asking the court to impose a Dec. 1 deadline on its decision. Canadian National faces a Dec. 31 expiration date for its $300-million purchase agreement of the EJ&E from U.S. Steel. The court ruled that a quick decision is only necessary in "extraordinary situations" and that CN's situation does not qualify. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 11-12-08, from Associated Press report]
LACKAWANNA R.R. STATION 100 YEARS OLD: It has been 100 years since the Lackawanna Railroad Station was dedicated in Scranton, and the station, now the Lackawanna Radisson Station Hotel, is celebrating its centennial anniversary. In 1908, the station was the new hub of a bustling city - then, the nation's 20th largest city. A birthday bash Nov.11 marked what many call Scranton's return to glory. People gathered under the Tiffany glass of the station's marble-lined atrium, some boarded a train behind the station, and others took horse drawn carriages into town. The Lackawanna Railroad station closed in the early 1970s. It reopened as a hotel in 1983. [United Transportation Union, 11-12-08, from Associated Press report]
AMTRAK N.E. CORRIDOR RIDERSHIP FALLS AS BUSINESS TRAVEL DECLINES: Ridership on Amtrak's trains between Boston and Washington, including its high-speed Acela line, fell five percent in October from a year ago as business travel declined. The drop came as the U.S. economy slumped and gasoline prices approached a two-year low. The number of trips taken last month on the Acela declined 6.3 percent to 304,577 from October 2007, while trips taken on Northeast Regional trains dropped 4.5 percent to 621,694, according to figures provided by the national passenger railroad. However, overall Amtrak ridership rose 4.4 percent in October from a year earlier, and there were more travelers on almost all of the railroad's routes outside of the Northeast. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 11-12-08, from Bloomberg News report]
DEDICATED INTERMODAL SERVICE ANNOUNCED FOR STATEN ISLAND R.R.: New York City Economic Development Corporation, along with the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and CSX have announced introduction of dedicated intermodal train service on the Staten Island Railroad to and from the New York Container Terminal. The Staten Island Railroad was reactivated in 2007 after the completion of a $75-million dollar rehabilitation project jointly funded by NYCEDC and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. SIRR provides service to New York Container Terminal and the Department of Sanitation's Staten Island Transfer Facility. [N.Y. City Economic Development Corp. report, 11-11-08]
STEAM LOCOMOTIVE IN KANSAS RUNS FOR FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS: For the first time in more than 50 years, Abilene's famed steam engine made history once again. At about 2 p.m. Nov.8, volunteers at the Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad Association got the 1919 Baldwin locomotive running on its own for a short trip. Once the steam generated train rolled down the track for the first time, about 120 feet and rolled back on its own, a loud ovation erupted with more than 15 sets of hands clapping loudly as they had an appreciation for what had been accomplished. The Abilene and Smoky Valley Roadroad Association has plans to operate the steam engine as part of its excursion train operation. [United Transportation Union, 11-11-08, from Reflector-Chronicle report]
FRENCH POLICE ARREST EIGHT IN SABOTAGE ATTEMPTS: French anti-terrorist police have arrested eight people linked to far-left political groups for allegedly sabotaging power cables on high-speed TGV train lines, the interior ministry said on Nov.11. It said the "anarcho-autonomous" movement that the suspects belonged to had been under surveillance for several months by domestic intelligence services and anti-terrorist police. Severe delays were caused in the weekend when power was cut by metal bars hooked onto several overhead electric cables on TGV lines in the area around Paris. The government and management of France's national rail operator SNCF said on Sunday that the stunts, which did not threaten the safety of passengers, appear to have been coordinated acts of sabotage and could only have been done by someone familiar with working with high-tension power cables. [Railway-Technology.com, 11-11-08, from Reuters report]
SINKHOLE REVEALS POSSIBLE FRAGMENTS FROM ORIGINAL TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD: Railroad historians believe a sinkhole at a construction site in Old Sacramento has led them to fragments of a trestle bridge from the first railroad line to span North America. "We're about 80 to 90 percent sure that this is a piece of the transcontinental railroad of the Central Pacific," said Kyle Wyatt, curator of history and technology at the California State Railroad Museum. The find's location matches old maps. The wooden beams clearly form part of a very old bridge, its once straight-hewn sides decayed away to expose smaller branches jutting out. Wyatt believes the close spacing of supports and heavy construction of the bridge make it likely it was built for rail cars in the 1860s. By 1879, the railroad had been rerouted so trains could cross the river on a large ferry. This discovery will be probed for another couple of weeks. [United Transportation Union, 11-10-08, from Sacramento Bee report]
MASSACHUSETTS TO SPEND $50M TO INCREASE CSX RAIL CLEARANCES: In exchange for increased commuter rail service to Worcester, the state of Massachusetts is spending $50-million to raise a series of bridges so double-decker freight cars can travel underneath them. Raising the bridges to 21 feet will double the carrying capacity for CSX Corp.'s freight trains. This task could be just the first installment in the state's efforts to expand passenger rail service to Worcester. Transportation officials are still negotiating a long-term deal with CSX, in which the state could purchase and gain control of the track from Framingham to Worcester for another $50-million. [United Transportation Union, 11-10-08, from Telegram and Gazette report]
'NAME THE TRAIN' CONTEST FOR AMTRAK'S ST.LOUIS-KANSAS CITY SERVICE: To celebration of 30 years of state-supported passenger rail across Missouri, the state Department of Transportation and Amtrak ahave announced a contest to give the trains a brand-new name. The contest will rely on train fans everywhere to first suggest and then select the best "brand-name" for the service between St. Louis and Kansas City. Between, Dec. 16, 2008, and Jan. 16, 2009, voting will be conducted online at www.morail.org, or by a post card indicating your favorite finalist name. The new name will be announced by January 30, 2009. The contest is open to anyone, but you must be a Missouri resident to win a prize. [Missouri Department of Transportation, 11-10-08]
TRANSIT WORKER GETS THREE YEARS FOR STEALING FARE MONEY: A former Calgary Transit employee who stole more than $375,000 in coins over seven years is going to prison. The culprit used the cash to support mistresses, go on vacations, buy vehicles, homes and appliances. A provincial court judge sentenced David John Hamilton, 56, to three years in jail. Hamilton, who worked for Calgary Transit for about 20 years, pleaded guilty earlier this year to a count of theft. The prosecutor told the court that Hamilton was responsible for sorting and counting fares. She said he began helping himself to the cash in 1999. [United Transportation Union, 11-10-08, from Calgary Herald report]
AMTRAK TRAIN DERAILS IN CHICAGO, NO INJURIES: Amtrak train City of New Orleans experienced a "very minor" derailment on the Near South Side this morning [Nov.9], officials said. There were no injuries. Two cars of Amtrak train No. 58 from New Orleans to Chicago derailed around 8:30 a.m., according to Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero. She said the train was carrying 90 passengers and was about a mile south of its final stop at Union Station. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 11-9-08, from Chicago Tribune website report]
BNSF OPENS CAJON PASS THIRD TRACK: BNSF Railway announced Nov.6 that it has completed construction of a third main track through Cajon Pass in Southern California. BNSF ran its first train Nov.3 over the third and final segment of the $90-million triple-tracking project, which adds almost 16 miles of third main to the railroad's route into the Los Angeles basin. Between 75 and 100 trains operate over this route daily. During the last four years, work crews moved more than one million tons of earth, installed more than 42,000 concrete ties, and laid more than 33 miles of rail. This is the first additional main track through Cajon Pass since the second track was built in 1913. [RailwayAge.com, 11-6-08]
STRIKE DISRUPTS FRENCH RAIL TRAFFIC: French rail traffic was disrupted on Nov.6 due to a strike by two train drivers' unions. The SNCF rail operator said 39 percent of train drivers were on strike, causing disruption to high-speed train lines and Paris regional train services. International traffic was running as normal. [Railway-Technology.com, 11-6-08, from Reuters report]
CALIFORNIA VOTERS APPROVE $10-BILLION BOND FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL: California voters have narrowly approved a $10-billion bond to start building a bullet train system throughout the state. The rail line would carry passengers at 200 mph to Anaheim, Los Angeles, Fresno and San Francisco. Planners eventually want an 800-mile system that would also include Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland. The measure won even as California voters rejected most other initiatives with large price tags. It had been on the ballot twice before but was removed both times by the Legislature. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 11-5-08, from Associated Press report]
CANADIAN NATIONAL TO REPURCHASE THREE RAIL LINES: Canadian National Railway Co. will pay C$50-million for three Eastern Canadian rail lines it sold in the 1990s, echoing repurchases it has made in Western Canada, the company said. CN will also spend an unspecified amount of money to upgrade locomotives and 540 miles of track on the lines in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick being bought from Quebec Railway Corp. The deal also includes Quebec Railway's rail ferry across the St. Lawrence River. The three lines are the Ottawa Central Railway, New Brunswick East Coast Railway and Chemin de fer de la Matapedia et du Golfe. CN will also take over management duties at the Chemin de fer de la Gaspesie. The lines are also used by Via Rail for passenger service. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 11-3-08, from Reuters report]
CANADIAN PACIFIC ASSUMES OPERATIONAL CONTROL OF DM&E: Canadian Pacific Railway Limited today celebrated the first day of operational control of recently acquired Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation and its subsidiaries: Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad and Cedar American Rail Holdings. The DM&E is the largest regional railroad in the U.S. and the only Class II railroad that connects and interchanges traffic with all seven Class I railroads, connecting with Canadian Pacific at Minneapolis, Winona, MN and Chicago. It is headquartered in Sioux Falls, SD, and has approximately 1,100 employees and 2,500 miles of track. The DM&E serves eight states with access to Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Kansas City and key ports. [Canadian Pacific, 10-30-08]
WINTER HAVEN APPROVES CSX DEVELOPMENT: Despite objections from the city of Lakeland, the Winter Haven, Florida, City Commission unanimously approved the development of the CSX Transportation Intermodal Logistics Center. The next step is to send the approved development order and development agreement for the freight terminal project to the state Department of Community Affairs for approval. The proposed ILC will be located on 318 acres of the city's former sewer spray field southwest of the CSX railroad right of way. It will include a truck, rail and warehousing hub for the transfer and storage of containerized freight. [United Transportation Union, 10-30-08, from NewsChief website report]
BERKSHIRE BUYS MORE BNSF SHARES: Warren Buffett's company has added 825,000 shares to its already sizable stake in Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., the nation's second-largest railroad. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. now owns 18.9 percent, or 64.6 million shares, of the railroad. The latest filing says Berkshire paid $79.65 each for the BNSF shares. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 10-30-08, from Business Week website report]
K.C.S. REPORTS 3-Q RESULTS: Railroad operator Kansas City Southern has reported a 17 percent increase in third-quarter profit, but earnings and revenue both missed Wall Street expectations due to the impact of Gulf Coast hurricanes Gustav and Ike. For the three months ended Sept. 30, net income after paying preferred dividends rose to $48.9-million or 52 cents a share, from $41.8-million or 48 cents a share a year earlier. Operating expenses jumped 10 percent to $380.5-million. [United Transportation Union, 10-28-08, from Forbes website report]
CSX PICKS RAILCOMM FOR YARD AUTOMATION SYSTEM: CSX's Erwin Terminal in Erwin, Tenn., is deploying RailComm's wireless remote control yard system. Three RailComm Local Control Panels will provide remote control to 31 switches. RailComm's Domain Operations Controller system will be configured to control all switches individually as well as provide entrance-exit routing functionality. Primary control can be passed from the system to any of the Local Control Panels. On handoff, a dialog box will appear that requires the dispatcher to enter the name of the crew member who is granted Local Control Panel authority. RailComm's 2.4 GHz Radiant data radios will provide a wireless communications network to link the office and control panels with the field locations. [RailwayAge.com, 10-27-08]
S.T.B. DENIES A.A.R. RULEMAKING PETITION ON REVENUE ADEQUACY: The Surface Transportation Board has denied a proposed rulemaking petition from the Association of American Railroads to shift to a replacement cost methodology for purposes of calculating the rail regulatory returns on capital. The decision in essence declares that "the railroads are now revenue-adequate, or becoming so, whereas had the Petition been granted, the four Class I railroads would have needed another $17 billion/year before being considered revenue-adequate," one source commented to Railway Age on the decision. Shippers that challenged AAR's position include The Edison Electric Institute and the Western Coal Traffic League. STB's report noted WCTL stated "that AAR's proposal would adopt a target rate of return that the railroads have never achieved, and, in many cases, can never be expected to earn." [RailwayAge.com, 10-27-08]
CSX CHIEF SAYS COAL IS UNDER ATTACK: The head of CSX Corp. said the country is headed toward an energy policy that would exclude coal. "I think where our country is headed with energy policy is abysmal," Michael Ward said Oct.23 during a keynote speech at a fundraiser for Concord University. Coal accounted for 26 percent of CSX Transportation's revenue and volume last year. "There's a move afoot among the environmentalists to block the usage of coal," Ward said. "We're already somewhat challenged competing in the world," Ward said. "There are advocates of wind and solar. If we put in a big effort there, we might generate five to 10 percent of what we need at a much higher price but we'll never meet our needs. We need to build coal-fired plants and some nuclear plants as well." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 10-26-08, from Charleston Daily Mail website report]
BNSF REPORTS 3-Q EARNINGS: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation has reported quarterly earnings of $2.00 per diluted share, compared with third-quarter 2007 earnings of $1.48 per diluted share. Freight revenues increased $818-million or 21 percent to $4.77-billion compared with the third quarter of 2007, and included higher fuel surcharges of approximately $570-million. Operating income of $1.21-billion increased $206-million or 21 percent compared with the same 2007 period. [Burlington Northern Santa Fe, 10-23-08]
U.P. REPORTS 38 PERCENT EARNINGS GROWTH: Union Pacific Corporation has reported 2008 third-quarter net income of $703-million or $1.38 per diluted share, compared to $532-million or $1.00 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2007. Diluted earnings per share increased 38 percent. Operating revenue totaled $4.8-billion, up 16 percent. Operating income grew 21 percent to $1.2 billion. Net income increased 32 percent to $703-million. [Union Pacific, 10-23-08]
AMTRAK'S PERE MARQUETTE TO RUN ONE HOUR EARLIER: Beginning next Monday, Amtrak's westbound Pere Marquette train will temporarily leave one hour earlier from Grand Rapids and arrive in Chicago an hour ahead of schedule. The change will last until Dec. 4. [United Transportation Union, 10-23-08, from Grand Rapids Press report]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN REPORTS 3-Q RESULTS: Norfolk Southern Corporation reported third-quarter 2008 net income of $520-million or $1.37 per diluted share, compared with $386-million or $0.97 per diluted share, for the same period of 2007. Third-quarter income from railway operations increased 31 percent to a record $894-million. [Norfolk Southern, 10-21-08]
CANADIAN NATIONAL REPORTS 3-Q RESULTS: CN has reported its financial and operating results for the third quarter and nine months ended Sept. 30, 2008. Diluted earnings per share increased 21 per cent to C$1.16. Net income increased 14 per cent to C$552-million. Revenues increased 12 per cent to C$2,257-million. Operating income increased 10 per cent to C$844-million, with the Company's operating ratio rising by six-tenths of one point to 62.6 per cent. CN said third-quarter 2008 net income was C$1.16 per diluted share, compared with net income of C$485-million or C$0.96 per diluted share, for the comparable period of 2007. [Canadian National, 10-21-08]
AMTRAK CASCADES TRAINS TO STOP IN STANWOOD, WASHINGTON: Construction of Stanwood's new $5-million state-funded Amtrak platform and siding is expected to begin in January and be completed by June. The siding extension also is scheduled to be done by June. "The siding extension is necessary to enable the establishment of the Amtrak stop," BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said. Extending the siding will allow Amtrak trains to stop at the station without disrupting freight service, he said. [United Transportation Union, 10-20-08, from Enterprise Newspapers website report]
AMTRAK SERVICE RESTARTS IN MEMPHIS: Friday morning, October 17, 2008, Amtrak resumed service to Memphis. Local leaders and Amtrak officials welcomed the Amtrak City of New Orleans train at Memphis Central Station. A huge sinkhole on city property just south of the station resulted in detours by the train and the closure of the station's parking lot from April 23, 2008, until this week. [United Transportation Union, 10-17-08, from ABC24 website report]
F.R.A. TO FUND MAGLEV PLANNING: Beginning October 20, the Federal Railroad Administration will accept applications from states or state designated authorities for $45-million in grant funding for proposed magnetic levitation (maglev) projects located east of the Mississippi River. The SAFETEA-LU Technical Corrections Act of 2008 limits the eligible projects to those in or between: Pittsburgh, Baltimore-Washington, and Atlanta-Chattanooga. FRA may award one or more grants which can be used for preconstruction planning activities and the capital costs of the fixed guideway infrastructure. [Federal Railroad Administration, 10-17-08]
PRESIDENT SIGNS RAILROAD SAFETY BILL: President Bush signed a sweeping railroad safety bill Oct.16 mandating measures that could have prevented the Sep.12 collision that killed 25 people in Los Angeles. Bush had opposed portions of the bill giving additional funding to Amtrak, and he signed the legislation without fanfare. His spokeswoman announced the action in a press release. The law will require more rest for workers and technology that can stop a train in its tracks if it's headed for collision. This so-called "positive train control" technology would have prevented the Los Angeles crash, federal officials have said. The law requires the installation of positive train control technology on all passenger lines by 2015. The bill also calls for Amtrak to receive $13-billion over five years in subsidies. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 10-16-08, from Associated Press report]
BUFFALO & PITTSBURGH R.R. SEEKS TO ABANDON 28-MILE LINE: The Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad plans to abandon an unused, 28-mile stretch of track that runs from Orchard Park to West Valley, N.Y. The railroad could begin pulling up the track for salvage as early as next month, if the abandonment is approved by federal regulators. The railroad is a unit of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. The move is a boon for advocates of turning the route into a public trail. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has filed a rail-to-trail request, to keep the corridor from being split up and returned to private ownership. [United Transportation Union, 10-16-08, from Buffalo News report]
PENNSYLVANIA RAIL AUTHORITY APPLIES TO BUY N.S. LINE: The Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (PNRRA) has filed a docket with the Surface Transportation Board seeking to purchase a 10.6-mile line from Norfolk Southern Railway. The line, which is located in Monroe and Northampton counties, will continue to be operated by the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Co. Inc. The line purchase is subject to NS retaining overhead trackage rights. PNRRA and the Class I expect to consummate the deal in three separate phases after Nov. 3. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 10-16-08]
ANALYST REITERATES 'BUY' RECOMMENDATION ON CSX: Wall Street transportation analyst Jason Seidl, financial columnist for Railway Age, has reiterated his 'buy' rating on CSX Corp. specifically and the rail industry in general. "Despite the near-term risks associated with forced selling due to fund redemptions, we believe CSX and the rest of the railroad industry remain well-positioned to continue to grow earnings during a time in which many industries are struggling," said Seidl. Another Railway Age contributing editor, economist Frank Wilner, points out: "Tomorrow's new millionaires may well be those who have the foresight to invest in those railroad shares today," Wilner says. [RailwayAge.com, 10-16-08]
CSX REPORTS 3-Q EARNINGS: CSX Corporation has reported third-quarter 2008 earnings from continuing operations of $382-million or 94 cents per share. This represents a 40 percent increase from the same period last year. In 2007, CSX reported third quarter earnings of $297-million from continuing operations or 67 cents per share. [CSX, 10-14-08]
NEW PLATFORM SLATED FOR AMTRAK STOP AT NEW BUFFALO, MICHIGAN: The papers have been signed, sealed and delivered, and in about seven months, New Buffalo will be hearing the whistles of an Amtrak train. Officials say construction will begin at the end of October for a train platform at Whittaker Street and Oselka Drive. A performance bond with the city calls for the platform to be completed before May 15. As soon as the platform is done, there will be four stops daily, with two trains arriving from Chicago and two trains heading towards the windy city. [United Transportation Union, 10-14-08, from WNDU website report]
FOUR MAJOR RAILROADS AGREE ON POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL STANDARDS: With the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 just a presidential signature away from becoming law, four Class I railroads already are taking action to comply with the legislation's positive train control (PTC) mandates. The four -BNSF Railway Co., CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Corp. and Union Pacific Railroad - reached an agreement on PTC interoperability standards while two of them announced plans to begin implementing the technology in the Los Angeles area. One of the major obstacles facing Class I's as they work to meet the mandate is the interoperability of various PTC systems among various large roads and passenger railroads that share tracks. [United Transportation Union, 10-13-08, from Progressive Railroading report]
UNION PACIFIC UPGRADING TRACK IN NEBRASKA, ILLINOIS: Union Pacific Railroad recently began two track improvement projects in Nebraska and Illinois. The $21.6-million Nebraska project calls for upgrading the Central Nebraska Line between Columbus and Central City. By month's end, crews will remove wood ties and install 76,700 concrete ties, replace 29 miles of rail, spread 91,350 tons of ballast, install four new switches and replace surfaces at six grade crossings. The $8-million Illinois project calls for upgrading the Northeast Illinois Line between Dolton and Woodland. To be completed by mid-December, the project includes the removal and installation of 53,900 ties, replacement of more than one mile of rail on curves and installation of 29,700 tons of ballast. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 10-13-08]
PANEL NAMED TO STUDY METROLINK SAFETY: In the wake of the devastating Chatsworth train crash last month, Metrolink's board has appointed an 11-member panel of industry experts to take a comprehensive look at the commuter rail's safety and operating procedures, the Los Angeles Times reports. The group, composed of people from industry and academia and a passenger advocate, is supposed to issue a draft report in 60 days. Improvements that can be made more quickly are expected to be forwarded to Metrolink in seven to 10 days. The board also approved a review of Metrolink's emergency preparedness and crisis communications plans. [United Transportation Union, 10-11-08, from Los Angeles Times report]
AMTRAK REPORTS RECORD RIDERSHIP: Amtrak set a ridership record for the year ended September 30 with 28.7 million passengers, and that revenue on its flagship line rose more than 14 percent. Trips on the rail service's high-speed line, the Acela Express between Boston, New York and Washington, were up 6.5 percent. Overall revenue growth was strongest in the Northeast, Amtrak's busiest region, rising 14.6 percent over last year to $863.4-million. Total revenue at Amtrak was $1.7-billion, up 14 percent over 2007. Ridership was also up at the railroad's Chicago hub and on its West Coast routes. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 10-10-08, from Reuters report]
C.N. TO UPGRADE IRON ORE CAR FLEET: CN is acquiring 232 rapid-discharge ore cars from National Steel Car and is refurbishing 500 existing ore cars as part of a long-term plan to upgrade the company's car fleet for transporting pelletized iron ore produced in the Upper Midwest. Delivery of the new ore cars will start in January 2009, permitting the retirement of the same number of older cars. The refurbishment of 500 existing ore cars is under way and includes the installation of new trucks and couplers, modernizing the braking system and repairing outlet gates. CN's existing iron-ore fleet consists of almost 2,200 cars. CN foresees acquiring more new iron ore cars over the next three to five years and refurbishing another 500 cars next year. [RailwayAge.com, 10-10-08]
U.P. TO SWITCH DOMESTIC CONTAINER BUSINESS FROM SEATTLE TO TACOMA: A new $3-million deal between the Port of Tacoma and the Union Pacific Railroad will bring additional business to the port's underused South Intermodal Rail Yard. The shift of Union Pacific's domestic container traffic to Tacoma will allow Union Pacific in Seattle to accept more international container traffic for rail transport to the Midwest and the East Coast. At its new Tacoma location, the railroad will have additional capacity to handle domestic containers beyond what it had handled in Seattle. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 10-8-08, from News Tribune website report]
KEVIN SCHIEFFER OUT AS PRESIDENT OF DM&E: Richard Hamlin, Trustee for CP's acquisition of the DM&E, advised CP of changes to DM&E's senior management team. Effective immediately, Kevin Schieffer, President and CEO, has left the company. Ed Terbell, Chief Operating Officer, and Kurt Feaster, Chief Financial Officer, will manage the day to day operations of the railway while the DM&E remains in trust. On September 30, CP received regulatory approval from the US Surface Transportation Board to acquire control of the DM&E Railroad and its subsidiaries. The STB denied all requests for conditions other than those agreed to voluntarily by CP. Following a 30-day review period, CP expects to assume control of the DM&E October 30. [Canadian Pacific, 10-7-08]
THREE WITNESSES SAY METROLINK SIGNAL WAS GREEN PRIOR TO CRASH: Three observers who say they were at the Chatsworth Metrolink station before last month's deadly train crash have asserted in interviews that a final, crucial railroad signal was green as the commuter line's engineer headed toward the collision point. The accounts, including one from a station security guard and another from a retiree who says he was interviewed by a federal investigator, contradict a key preliminary finding by the NTSB. The three witnesses were insistent. If the track signal was green, it would raise the possibility that a combination of factors were at work in the deadliest train crash in modern California history. An NTSB spokesman said that he could not comment on the witnesses' accounts. It was not clear whether federal investigators were pursuing or had ruled out the possibility that the light was green as Sanchez approached the fateful section of single, shared track. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 10-4-08, from Los Angeles Times website report]
GENESEE & WYOMING ACQUIRES GEORGIA SOUTWESTERN R.R.: Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said it has acquired the Georgia Southwestern Railroad, Inc., for cash consideration of approximately $16.5-million and the assumption of $5.4-million in debt, subject to adjustment for final working capital. Headquartered in Dawson, Ga., the Georgia Southwestern operates over 220 miles of track between White Oak, Ala., and Smithville, Ga.; Cuthbert, Ga., and Bainbridge, Ga. and in and around Columbus, Ga. The Georgia Southwestern connects to GWI's Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad in Saffold, Ga., via trackage rights. The Georgia Southwestern has 20 employees and 10 locomotives and carries approximately 10,000 carloads per year. [Genesee & Wyoming, 10-2-08]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN ISSUES SUSTAINABILITY REPORT: Railroad operator Norfolk Southern has issued its first corporate sustainability report. Norfolk Southern says the report issued Oct.1 describes its commitment to responsible economic, environmental and social performance. Chief Executive Wick Moorman's letter introducing the report says the company wants to become a leader in fuel conservation, emissions reduction and efficient energy use, among other things. [United Transportion Union, 10-2-08, from Associated Press report]
METROLINK ENGINEER SENT TEXT MESSAGE 22 SECONDS BEFORE THE CRASH, NTSB SAYS: The National Transportation Safety Board said Oct.1 that the Metrolink engineer involved in the Sept.12 train accident in Los Angeles had sent a cell phone text message 22 seconds before his commuter train crashed head-on into a freight train. The crash killed 25, including the engineer. Cell phone records of the engineer show he sent a text message after receiving one about a minute and 20 seconds before the crash, the NTSB said. He sent his last text message at 4:22:01 p.m, said the NTSB. According to the freight train's onboard recorder, the accident occurred at 4:22:23 p.m. [United Transportation Union, 10-1-08]
GENESEE & WYOMING COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF OHIO CENTRAL: Genesee & Wyoming Inc. announced Oct.1 that it has completed its acquisition of 10 short line railroads known as the Ohio Central Railroad System (OCR) for $234.3-million in cash, subject to adjustment for final working capital. The cash purchase price includes $7.5-million of contingent consideration that GWI has placed into escrow, which will be paid to the seller upon satisfaction of certain conditions. OCR has more than 170 employees, operates over 445 miles of track and owns 64 locomotives. The railroads handle approximately 140,000 annual carloads, primarily in the coal, steel and solid waste industries. [United Transportation Union, 10-1-08, from PR Newswire report]
D.O.T. SECRETARY ANNOUNCES FUNDING TO IMPROVE INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL: As Americans continue a historic cut back on driving and turn to other forms of transportation like rail and transit, a new approach to funding intercity passenger rail projects will lead to improved service and better on-time performance across the country, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today [Sep.30]. As part of the new plan to improve intercity passenger rail service nationwide, the Secretary announced the Department is providing $30-million to match local investments in 15 rail capacity projects across the country. These federal-state partnerships will support projects designed to cut delays and expand capacity on existing intercity passenger rail routes and help provide new services where none exist today. MORE... [U.S. Department of Transportation, 9-30-08]
DM&E SALE WON'T MEAN LAYOFFS, EXEC SAYS: Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad President Kevin Schieffer says the Surface Transportation Board approval of the DM&E's sale to the Canadian Pacific Railway clears the way for the CP to become involved in day-to-day operations. Schieffer says he doesn't expect the merger will result in any layoffs of the 1,000-plus employees of DM&E and its subsidiary, the Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad Corporation. There's a 30-day appeal period, but Schieffer says he doesn't think that will change anything.. MORE... [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-30-08, from Associated Press report]
STB APPROVES CP RAIL ACQUISITION OF DM&E: The Surface Transportation Board has announced that it has approved the proposed acquisition of control by the Canadian Pacific Railway Corporation and its indirect subsidiary Soo Line Holding Company of the Dakota Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation and its wholly owned railroad subsidiary the Iowa Chicago & Eastern Railroad Corporation.. MORE... [U.S. Surface Transportation Board, 9-30-08]
LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER FACES JAIL FOR TRAIN DERAILMENT: The engineer of a train that went out of control on a downhill grade, derailed and polluted a northwest Pennsylvania trout stream is facing jail time. Michael Seifert pleaded guilty in McKean County Court to charges of causing a catastrophe and improperly disposing of hazardous waste in the June 2006 derailment. Thousands of fish were killed when sodium hydroxide spilled into the stream near Gardeau, 135 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Norfolk Southern last year pleaded no contest to pollution charges, and agreed to pay $7.5-million to settle civil cases. Seifert is sentenced to 1-2 years in jail. He also must perform 600 hours of community service relating to environmental protection. [United Transportation Union, 9-30-08, from Associated Press report]
AMTRAK PLANS TO DEMOLISH UNUSED INTERLOCKING TOWERS: Amtrak is proposing to demolish the towers in Groton, Hartford, Westerly, Pawtucket, R.I., Central Falls, R.I. and Attleboro, Massachusetts, built between 1909 and 1930. MORE.. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-29-08, from The Day website report by Katie Warchut]
F.R.A., NORFOLK SOUTHERN PARTNER TO MONITOR ECP BRAKES: The Federal Railroad Administration is awarding a $200,000 grant to Norfolk Southern Railway to monitor the performance of electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake systems. Norfolk Southern is contributing $250,000 to this project. The system will permit collection and comparison of maintenance-related data in order to determine the business benefits of ECP technology. ECP brakes simultaneously apply the brakes on all rail cars leading to improved train handling, shorter stopping distances, fuel savings and a lower risk of derailments as compared to conventional air brake systems. [United Transportation Union, 9-29-08]
RAIL BILL MAY ALLOW ONE-PERSON CREWS: U.S. railroads may be able to boost profits by trimming locomotive crews to one person from two under rail-safety legislation moving through Congress, a Morgan Stanley analyst said. The measure, which Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today called a top priority, would require technology that may allow railroads to get approval for one-person crews, said William Greene, the New York-based analyst, in a report yesterday. The technology, called positive train control, would automatically apply brakes when engineers miss signals. Other provisions in the legislation, including limits on the number of hours train operators are allowed to work, may reduce profit, Greene said, adding that rail productivity gains might offset any losses. The bill's proposed limit of 276 work hours a month for train operators led the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to stay neutral on the bill, union Vice President John Tolman said. The union lobbied for some of its safety provisions. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-29-08, from Bloomberg News report]
METROLINK ADDING AN ASSISTANT ENGINEER TO SOME TRAINS: Under new pressure to swiftly increase safety measures, Metrolink will begin adding a second engineer to some of its commuter trains in the first visible reform since a deadly crash in Chatsworth, California. Chief Executive David R. Solow said the backup engineers will come from a pool of employees normally used to replace primary engineers who are on vacation, sick or out on training. Previously, when those employees were not running trains, they performed administrative work or collected fares. There are 10 to 15 relief engineers available each day, Solow said, but the number riding shotgun would change, depending on how many already were filling in for colleagues. "It's just an interim measure until we can find something permanent," he said in an interview. "We're going to use them as much as we can as another set of eyes." [United Transportation Union, 9-27-08, from Lost Angeles Times report]
KING STREET STATION RESTORATION BEGINS: The City of Seattle has begun restoration of King Street Station. The city purchased the station from BNSF earlier this year, which allowed construction to finally proceed. Roof replacement currently underway will conclude by March 2009. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 9-26-08]
DOME CAR TO OPERATE ON ADIRONDACK THIS FALL: Amtrak will operate its last remaining dome car on the Adirondack route between New York and Montreal this fall. The former Great Northern car will run from October 2 to November 11. Because there is only one dome car and the Adirondack requires two trainsets, it will run every other day in each direction. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 9-26-08]
U.P. REJECTS STATE GRANT TO IMPROVE DONNER PASS LINE: Union Pacific recently rejected a $43-million grant from California to improve its Sacramento-Reno line over Donner Pass, currently used by Amtrak's California Zehpyr. UP objected to state requirements that its contribution to half the project cost be tied to access for additional passenger trains. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 9-26-08]
CSX FINALIZES BOARD OF DIRECTORS ELECTION: After waging a long, bitter fight against dissident investors led by two activist hedge funds, CSX has concluded its June 25 shareholders election that put four minority directors on its 12-person board. CSX had waited to conclude the annual board meeting and election until after an appeals court ruled on its challenge to some shares used to elect two of those dissidents. But CSX lost the appeal, invited the two remaining minority directors to take office and officially concluded the election on Sept.24. Christopher Hohn, managing partner of The Children's Investment Fund Management, and former Conrail CEO Timothy O'Toole joined the board. They joined two other directors who had already taken their seats out of the five-person slate the dissidents had nominated. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-25-08, from Traffic World website report]
G.E. UNVEILS NEW FREIGHT LOCOMOTIVE FOR EUROPEAN MARKETS: GE Transportation's latest adaptation - a new locomotive engine for European markets - is on view this week in Berlin for more than 75,000 people attending InnoTrans, the world's largest rail exhibition. The Erie-based division of the General Electric Co. has unveiled its new 16-cylinder, 3,700-hp engine that's being built in Grove City to power the new PowerHaul locomotive, designed specifically for European applications. The first of these new engines to hit the market will be installed in 30 new locomotives ordered in November by U.K.-based Freightliner Group Ltd. [United Transportation Union, 9-25-08, from Times-News report]
C.N. FOUND IN BREACH OF SERVICE TO FOUR GRAIN SHIPPERS: Canadian National Railway, Canada's largest railway, breached its service obligations to four small grain shippers last year, the Canadian Transportation Agency said. The transportation regulator said the railway failed to provide enough rail cars in a timely fashion to Paterson Grain, Parrish and Heimbecker Ltd, North East Terminal Ltd and North West Terminal Ltd during the year ended July 31, 2008. In the future, the CTA said CN Rail would have to meet prescribed performance standards for the four shippers. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-25-08, from Reuters report]
HOUSE PASSES RAIL SAFETY BILL: The U.S. House voted to require rail-safety technology that may have prevented a Sept. 12 crash in Los Angeles that was the deadliest for a passenger train in 15 years. The voice vote would require more use of so-called positive train control equipment, which automatically applies brakes when engineers miss signals. The gear would be installed on passenger and commuter routes and on some freight lines, based on risk, by 2016. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-24-08, from Bloomberg News report]
U.P. OUTLINES 2009 CAPITAL NEEDS: James R. Young, Union Pacific chairman, president and chief executive, told the federal Surface Transportation Board in a peak season update letter that it expects to spend about $3-billion on rail system infrastructure and to expand capacity next year. That would be in the same range as the $3.1-billion capital plan for 2008 that UP first announced last February. In it, the company aimed to spend $1.6-billion this year to maintain and upgrade the track network, and another $840-million to expand capacity of the rail system and its terminals. UP also targeted $490-million for improving its train power and railcar fleet, and $170-million on other projects including an information technology upgrade and testing a positive train control product. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trinmen, 9-22-09 from Shipping Digest website report]
AMTRAK REVIVES DOUBLE-POINTS PROMOTION: For the third year in a row, Amtrak is offering double points for Amtrak Guest Rewards on qualifying train travel booked and completed by Dec.12. Applicants must be a member of the Amtrak Guest Rewards program to qualify, but the program is open to all. Amtrak points can be redeemed toward train travel, hotel stays, car rentals, gift cards at a variety of retailers and other items. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-22-08, from Associated Press report]
AMTRAK EXPANDING LONG-DISTANCE DINING-CAR MENUS: Amtrak will debut expanded long-distance dining car menus on October 1. The menus will include rotating specials for all three meal periods, route-specific dinner specials, and more variety in each item category. Meanwhile, effective today [Sep.19], Amtrak has replaced the dining car on the Capitol Limited with the Cross-Country Cafe (Diner-Lounge) due to a shortage of traditional Superliner diners. However, the Capitol will retain both the full Diner menu and a staffed Sightseer Lounge car. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 9-19-08]
BLADENSBURG, MD, CSX OVERPASS OPENS: After 12 years of campaigning, planning and building, the CSX railroad overpass in Bladensburg, Maryland, opened Sep.14, relieving drivers accustomed to sitting in traffic on Route 450 as trains cross the road. SHA spokesman Chuck Gischlar said the new overpass will not only eliminate traffic delays for drivers, but also for emergency personnel. Although the overpass is one part of the $74-million project, it is the cornerstone and will have the biggest impact on motorists, Gischlar said. The 1.2-mile project, slated for completion by fall 2009, includes two new bridges to carry trains over Upshur Street in Bladensburg and an Anacostia River tributary. [United Transportation Union, 9-18-08, from The Gazette report]
DEFUNCT LUXURY TRAIN OPERATOR SELLING RAIL CARS: Luxury train operator GrandLuxe Rail Journeys is selling 31 rail cars after announcing three weeks ago it was shutting down. GrandLuxe, based in Evergreen, Colorado, said that 20 of the cars are fully operational and 11 are not in service. GrandLuxe formerly was known as American Orient Express. [United Transportation Union, 9-18-08, from Rocky Mountain News report]
METROLINK ENGINEER SAID TO TEXT WHILE ON DUTY: Federal investigators said Sep.17 that records from Metrolink engineer Robert M. Sanchez's cell phone show that he sent and received text messages while on duty last Friday, the day he was involved in a catastrophic collision in Chatsworth, the Times reports. However, investigators have not yet analyzed the records to determine whether Sanchez was using his phone at the time he slammed into an oncoming Union Pacific freight train in an accident that left 25 people dead and 135 others injured. "The Safety Board will correlate those records with other investigative information to determine as precisely as possible the exact times of those messages in relation to the engineer's operation of his train," the National Transportation Safety Board said in a written statement. [United Transportation Union, 9-17-08, from Los Angeles Times report]
METROLINK ENGINEER DID NOT APPLY BRAKES BEFORE CRASH, N.T.S.B. SAYS: The engineer of a commuter train that slammed into a freight train on Friday, killing 25 people, never applied the brakes even after he bypassed a red signal and closed in on certain disaster, a federal investigator said Sep.16. The engineer on the freight train did slam on his brakes, said Kitty Higgins, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. But just four seconds passed from the time that engineer saw the approaching three-car Metrolink commuter train until the collision. There was, she said, "almost no time to react." The cause of the crash has not been determined, but investigators have said the Metrolink engineer bypassed a red signal as his train traveled at 42 miles per hour and barreled into the freight train, which was going 41 m.p.h. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-16-08, from New York Times website report]
APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS RULING ON CSX SHARE VOTES: A federal appeals court has backed a lower court's decision not to bar two hedge funds locked in a legal battle with CSX Corp. from voting their shares in the railroad at the company's annual meeting in June, Reuters reports. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said in a brief summary order it had affirmed the lower court decision not to block the voting of those shares. It said it was deciding this issue alone at this time, not the other parts of the litigation. A U.S. District Court judge in Manhattan ruled in June that while he found that the funds, the Children's Investment Fund and 3G Capital Partners, had violated securities law by evading disclosure obligations related to their stakes in CSX, they were allowed to vote their shares at the June meeting where they put forward their own slate of director candidates. [United Transportation Union, 9-15-08, from Reuters report]
SIGNALS WERE WORKING OK, OFFICIALS SAY: Three signals that should have warned a Metrolink engineer to stop before hitting a freight train appear to have been working and visible prior to last week's catastrophic collision, federal safety investigators said. "There were no obstructions to viewing any of the signals," National Transportation Safety Board member Kitty Higgins told reporters as she summed up the early stages of what promises to be a lengthy investigation into the crash that killed 26 people in Chatsworth Sept. 12. Higgins said the Metrolink train ran through a red signal instead of stopping to allow the southbound Union Pacific freight train to pull onto a siding to allow the commuter train to pass. It then crossed a switch on the main track at 42 mph, so fast that it bent the switch, which had been closed to guide the freight train onto the siding. Higgins also said the safety board had subpoenaed cellphone records from Verizon Wireless to determine whether the engineer of the commuter train had been text messaging in the moments leading up to the head-on collision. In the first regulatory response to the accident, the head of California's rail safety agency proposed an emergency ban on the use of personal cellular devices by those operating trains in the state. [United Transportation Union, 9-15-08, from Los Angeles Times report]
METROLINK SPOKESWOMAN RESIGNS OVER ACCIDENT STATEMENT: Three days after a commuter train crash killed 25 people, the spokeswoman for rail agency Metrolink resigned after being criticized for public statements she made over the weekend indicating that the agency was responsible for the accident. The move comes hours after Metrolink's board held an emergency meeting, after which it tried to distance itself from spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell's statements. In a statement after the meeting, the board characterized Ms. Tyrrell's early statements concerning the crash as "premature" and agreed to defer to the National Transportation Safety Board, going forward. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-15-08, from Wall Street Journal website report]
U.S. TO SUBPOENA METROLINK ENGINEER'S CELL PHONE RECORDS: Investigators will subpoena cell-phone records of the commuter train engineer in Friday's fatal collision with a freight train near Los Angeles, officials told the United Press International. A member of the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday (Sept. 14) investigators have been told the engineer had been exchanging text messages with friends just before the head-on crash that killed 25 people and injured another 135, The New York Times reported. The NTSB will subpoena the engineer's records and question those who told KCBS-TV they exchanged text messages with Sanchez prior to the crash. A Metrolink official has blamed the engineer for the afternoon rush-hour crash with a Union Pacific freight train in Chatsworth, but NTSB officials cautioned against reaching conclusions before their investigation is completed. [United Transportation Union, 9-15-08, from UPI report]
OFFICIALS INVESTIGATING METROLINK CRASH: Federal officials investigating Friday's fatal Metrolink train crash focused Sunday on whether a signal that should have alerted the engineer to stop the train was working properly, and whether it went unheeded. National Transportation Safety Board member Kitty Higgins said a computer reading indicated the last signal before the collision site was displaying a red light. But she said investigators wanted to make sure it wasn't a false reading. Higgins criticized Metrolink for saying Saturday that an engineer had been at fault for failing to heed the red signal, causing the crash with a Union Pacific freight train that so far has claimed 25 lives and left 135 injured, 40 critically. "I don't know on what basis Metrolink made that statement. We really work very hard not to jump to conclusions," Higgins said at a Sunday news conference in Woodland Hills. KCBS reported Saturday that several teenage train aficionados said they had received a text message from the engineer shortly before the crash. The NTSB said it was treating the report with caution. A woman who identified herself as the mother of one of the teenagers, but asked that her name not be used to protect her 14-year-old son's privacy, said that he and some of his friends often rode the Metrolink train on Friday afternoons and had become friendly with the engineer. Investigators had spoken to some of them, she said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-15-08, from Los Angeles Times website report]
METROLINK CRASH KILLS 25: As the death toll in the Sep.12 commuter-train crash near Los Angeles climbed to at least 25, the Los Angeles Times is reporting that a Metrolink spokesperson is blaming the commuter-train engineer for the crash. More than 220 passengers were aboard the commuter train, and scores are injured, many critically. The Metrolink spokesperson says the Metrolink engineer, allegedly ignored a red light, causing the head-on crash with a Union Pacific freight train. It is rare for railroads to speculate on crash-causes ahead of thorough investigation by federal agencies. The National Transportation Safety Board will determine the official cause of the accident, and that typically takes months following thorough investigation to determine if signals were operating properly, what other train orders were in effect, what the actions of crew may have been. Typically, event recorders are first examined. [United Transportation Union, 9-13-08, from Los Angeles Times report]
CSX TO PAY D.C. $650,000 FOR 2007 COAL TRAIN DERAILMENT: CSX has agreed to pay the D.C. government more than $650,000 in response to a train derailment in November that sent six freight cars loaded with 100 tons of coal each into the Anacostia River. A consent decree signed Sep.4 calls for CSX to pay the District $50,000 in civil penalties, $60,561.79 to reimburse the city for its emergency response, $50,000 to restore the natural resources damaged by the derailment and $500,000 toward an environmental project "to benefit the Anacostia River ecosystem." The Nov.9 incident occurred after a CSX employee failed to properly secure the brakes on an 89-car freight train being moved within the Benning Road rail yard. The train coasted more than a quarter mile to the Anacostia bridge, which had been closed a year for structural problems. The bridge collapsed under the weight of the train. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-12-08, from D.C. Examiner website report]
RUINS OF 130-YEAR-OLD TRAIN DEPOT FOUND IN L.A.: Archeologists uncovered the ruins of the 130-year-old Southern Pacific's Railroad River Station in downtown Los Angeles. A lot has happened historically along a 32-acre parcel between downtown and the river. It is a place where Indians camped; the Spanish dug an irrigation canal called the Zanja Madre and planted crops; and then in the 1880s something really big happened. Remnants of the River Station, as it was called, include the redwood foundation for its historic round house. The brick foundations for shops and grease pits were also found below the ground. As L.A. boomed, it quickly outgrew the River Station. So, the buildings were carted across the river. The old one was covered and then turned into a rail yard. Archeologists can't uncover everything that lies beneath the park. However, they say what they've found will be left intact. When state officials unveil final plans for the park's development, the items will be open for all to see. [United Transportation Union, 9-10-08, from KABC website report]
TWO RAIL OFFICIALS ACCUSED OF STEALING SCRAP: Two Metro-North Railroad officials were accused of stealing scrap metal from the Harmon train yards and selling it for $1,700. James Wiley, 50, a superintendent of stations; and John Berlingeri, 41, a supervisor of structures, were arrested Sep.9 at the railroad's Manhattan offices and charged with third-degree grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, felonies. They were arraigned in Croton Village Court, released on $1,000 bond and ordered to return to court Oct. 1. The two allegedly sold the station materials as scrap earlier this month, said Marjorie Anderson, spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the parent agency to Metro-North. [United Transportation Union, 9-10-08, from Poughkeepsie Journal report]
ANALYST SEES SHORT-TERM LEAP FOR TWO RAIL STOCKS: A UBS analyst said Sep.10 that a strong rally in shares of the two largest railroads is likely over the next three months, suggesting that low fuel prices and better-than-expected third-quarter results will drive the stocks. Analyst Rick Paterson put "Short-term Buy" ratings on the stocks of Union Pacific Corp. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. He also upgraded his 12-month rating on Burlington Northern to "Buy" from "Neutral." He suggested shares of both companies could be poised for a bounce of greater than 10 percent in the near future, as lower fuel prices are expected to push third-quarter earnings up past current expectations. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-10-08, from Associated Press report]
HISTORIC TRAIN DEPOT BEING DEMOLISHED IN WEST VIRGINIA: Rainelle, W.Va., officials say the city had no choice but to tear down a historic train depot. City recorder Pete Adams says that while the city owned the building, it didn't own the property it sat on. The property owner recently sent a letter to the city asking that the building be removed, and Adams says the city couldn't afford to move it. As of Sep.5, one section of the old depot had already been demolished. Adams says the structure was made completely of pine, and will be burned after it's torn down. The depot was at least 80 years old and was one of the last remnants linking Rainelle to the peak of the Meadow River Lumber Co. operations. The city bought the building from CSX about two years ago. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-8-08, from Associated Press report]
NINE-MILE RAIL LINE TO BE BUILT IN MINNESOTA: The Surface Transportation Board has announced a decision permitting the Itasca County, Minnesota, Regional Rail Authority to build a nine-mile rail line from a Class I rail connection at Taconite to the site of a new steel mill to be constructed by Minnesota Steel Industries at Nashwauk. An existing short line will operate the new line under contract. The Class I connection is a line between Grand Rapids and Forbes, Minn., that is owned in part by BNSF Railway and in part by Canadian National. The application for the new Iron Range line was filed with the STB in March 2007. [RailwayAge.com, 9-8-08]
ABANDONED KATY DRAWBRIDGE COULD BE USED FOR TRAIL, COALITION SAYS: The U.S. Coast Guard has scheduled a public meeting for later this month to review plans to remove a drawbridge that spans the Missouri River. The meeting, scheduled for Sept. 30 in Boonville, Missouri, is expected to draw people still hoping to preserve the structure. The Coast Guard directed bridge owner Union Pacific to remove the bridge. The bridge has not been used for rail traffic since 1986, and the Coast Guard considers any unused bridge an obstruction, said Roger Wiebusch, a bridge administrator for the Coast Guard. Over the years, the Coast Guard has not pressed hard for removal because of the possibility the bridge could be used for bike and pedestrian traffic. Last fall, a Missouri appeals court upheld a lower court decision allowing Union Pacific to tear down the bridge. [United Transportation Union, 9-8-08, from Associated Press report]
FUNDS ALLOCATED FOR TORONTO SUBWAY EXTENSION: The Canadian government will provide up to $622-million for the Toronto Transit Commission's Toronto-York Spadina subway extension under the Building Canada infrastructure fund. The government already has committed $75-million for the project under the Public Transit Capital Trust. The 5.3-mile extension will expand subway service to York University and the Vaughan Corporate Center. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 9-8-08]
DENMARK TO ADD 10 CONTESSA TRAINSETS: Bombardier has announced that it has received an order from Danish State Railways for 10 three-car, inter-regional Contessa commuter trains valued $118-million, with an option for 30 additional trains. The 110-mph trains are capable of operating over a line that bridges the Oresund Strait between Denmark and Sweden, despite differences in the signaling and power systems of the two countries. Dual systems are integrated into the cars. Seventy-nine Contessa trains are already operating over the line, which opened in July 2000. [RailwayAge.com, 9-5-08]
TRAIN TRAVEL SURGES OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND: Amtrak recorded a 10 percent increase in passengers as usage of other modes declined over the Labor Day weekend as compared to 2007. The Air Transport Association estimated a decline in air travel of 6.5 percent, while AAA estimated road travel of distances greater than 50 miles to have declined one percent for the weekend. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 9-5-08]
CPR FILES TO ABANDON 61-MILE LINE IN NORTH DAKOTA: Soo Line Railroad Company - d/b/a Canadian Pacific Railway Company - has filed to abandon an approximately 61-mile line of railroad between Kramer and Bisbee, in Bottineau, Rolette, and Towner counties, N.D. The line traverses Postal Service Zip Codes 58748, 58384, 58366, 58353, and 58317. CPR has certified that no local traffic has moved over the line for at least two years, and all overhead traffic can and has been rerouted over other lines. [Surface Transportation Board, 9-5-08]
GRANDLUXE RAIL TOUR OPERATOR DECLARES BANKRUPTCY: GrandLuxe Rail Journeys Inc., originally American Orient Express, has ceased operations and will shut down. GrandLuxe service was provided on certain Amtrak long-distance trains. [RailwayAge.com, 9-4-08]
U.S. RAIL TRAFFIC DOWN SLIGHTLY IN AUGUST: Both carload and intermodal freight were down slightly during August on U.S. railroads, in comparison with the same month last year. U.S. railroads originated 1,340,387 carloads of freight during the month, down 6,125 carloads (0.5 percent) from August 2007. U.S. railroads also originated 941,500 intermodal trailers and containers in August 2008, 16,040 units (1.7 percent) fewer than August 2007. [Assn. of American Railroads, 9-4-08]
ANGRY COMMUTERS BURN TRAIN IN ARGENTINA: Furious commuters in Buenos Aires set fire to a train Sep.4 over delays during the morning rush hour, incidents the government later blamed on leftist activists. Television images showed black smoke and flames engulfing the train at the station of Merlo, in the western suburbs of the capital. At nearby Castelar, passengers hurled stones at the ticket office and blocked the rails. Many passengers said the delays, caused by a broken-down train, had cost them a day's work. Justice Minister Anibal Fernandez said the faulty train's brakes had been sabotaged and leftist political activists took rocks and flares from their backpacks to incite violence and set the train aflame. Argentina's dilapidated rail services are plagued by delays and travellers' anger has erupted into violence before. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 9-4-08, from Reuters report]
CSX ASSESSES IMPACT OF HURRICANE GUSTAV: CSX said Sep.3 it had completed an initial inspection of track and terminals in the Gulf Coast region impacted by Hurricane Gustav. No significant damage occurred to any of CSX's bridges or terminals, but the company did find at least 21 miles of damaged track, beginning about 10 miles east of New Orleans, which will take at least two weeks to repair. During that period, a daily average of 7-to-10 trains will continue to be rerouted through alternative gateways at Memphis, Tenn., Birmingham, Ala., and East St. Louis, Ill., CSX said. [RailwayAge.com, 9-3-08]
REHAB OF CHICAGO LOOP TRACKS BEGINS: Replacement of decades-old track, rail ties and signals on the CTA's elevated structure in the Loop begins Sept.3 and will run until Thanksgiving. The $24.3-million project will lead to faster, more reliable service around the two miles of track in the Loop that dates to the 1880s, CTA President Ron Huberman said. The majority of the work to reduce Loop slow zones will take place on the Lake Street and Wabash Avenue tracks on weekends, starting Friday night. [United Transportation Union, 9-3-08, from Chicago Tribune report]
SPRINGFIELD TERMINAL ACCUSED OF FRAUD: A federal district court has been asked by Greenbrier, a supplier of rail cars, to put Springfield Terminal Railway and Boston & Maine Corp., alternatively known as Guilford Transportation and Pan Am Railways, under control of a court-appointed receiver in order that the rail carrier, privately held and controlled by Timothy Mellon, pay its bills. Greenbrier told the federal district court that the conduct by Springfield Terminal of "knowingly and fraudulently entering into contracts with creditors in a dilatory effort to resist payment of a valid debt is the very same type of conduct that the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act was enacted to stop." [United Transportation Union, 9-3-08]
U.P. PLANS INTERMODAL FACILITY IN NEW MEXICO: When all is said and done, about $300-million will be spent on Union Pacific Railroad infrastructure facilities to be built near Santa Teresa, N.M. It will include a fueling and freight-shipping center and eventually an intermodal facility where freight can be shifted between trucks and trains. Construction on the intermodal facility is set for 2014, but there is the chance that it could begin sooner. [United Transportation Union, 9-3-08, from Las Cruces Sun-News report]
AMTRAK BRINGING 1,024 NEW ORLEANS EVACUEES TO MEMPHIS: On Saturday morning [Aug.30], an Amtrak train carrying 1,024 people headed north from New Orleans for Memphis. Others sat on dozens of buses bound for Baton Rouge and Alexandria, La. No one knew where their bus or train would go until the moment they stepped aboard. In all, more than 30,000 people are expected to receive evacuation assistance that will take them to cities north of what could be a devastating storm surge and winds well over 125 mph on the Louisiana coast. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-30-08, from Memphis Commercial Appeal website report]
STORM DISRUPTS NEW ORLEANS AMTRAK SERVICE: Amtrak said Aug.29 it was temporarily suspending rail service to and from New Orleans because of approaching severe weather and an emergency declaration. Gustav regained hurricane strength Friday afternoon as it moved from Jamaica to the Caymans and the National Weather Service in Miami said the storm could reach the U.S. Gulf Coast Saturday night or Sunday. Amtrak said it would make train equipment already in New Orleans available to federal and state authorities for use in evacuation of New Orleans. The action is in keeping with Amtrak's role as a national transportation asset under terms of its contract with the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which is preparing for the evacuation of New Orleans. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-29-08, from UPI report]
TWO CREW MEMBERS KILLED AFTER U.P. TRAIN HITS PROPANE TRUCK IN OKLAHOMA: Two people were killed and another critically injured Friday morning [Aug.29] when a freight train hit a propane tanker truck south of Medford, Oklahoma, triggering a massive explosion. The two who died were crew members on the Union Pacific train. The injured truck driver was airlifted to a hospital in Kansas in critical condition. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-29-08, from Enid News & Eagle website report]
ACTION NEEDED TO PREVENT RAIL GRIDLOCK, RESEARCH GROUP SAYS: A nonprofit-research group says more government action is needed to prevent future gridlock on U.S. railways, as freight volumes are expected to double in the next 30 years. Rand suggests a solution to this "crisis," resulting from factors such as soaring U.S. exports, should balance the private interests of shippers and railroads with the cost to the public. The total costs are expected to be massive - at least $148-billion over the next three decades - to expand rail lines. According to the Association of American Railroads, the seven major U.S. railroad companies say they could fund about two-thirds of the cost, leaving the rest for tax incentives, public-private partnerships or other sources. As more shipments shift from truck to rail because of high fuel prices and road congestion, analysts say solutions are becoming more critical. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-28-08, from Seattle Times website report]
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, VA., FIGHTS N.S. INTERMODAL SITE: Virginia's Montgomery County board of supervisors says it will fight the state's plan to help Norfolk Southern Railway build a new Roanoke Region Intermodal Facility there. Reports say the state plans to spend about $40 million from its Rail Enhancement Fund on the rail-truck transfer facility, mainly to build a highway link to nearby Interstate 81 and its heavy north-south truck traffic. The terminal would be a key link in the railroad's Heartland Corridor. The county is still drawing up its suit to challenge such taxpayer spending under the state constitution for a private facility, and NS officials declined to comment pending its filing. [United Transportation Union, 8-28-08, from Traffic World Magazine report]
GROUND ZERO TRANSIT HUB DESIGN MAY BE SIMPLIFIED: With the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey seeking significant savings in the budget and the timetable of the trade center reconstruction, a key element of the - a vast underground mezzanine free of columns - may be in jeopardy. Estimates vary on how much the projected cost of the transportation hub currently exceeds its $2.5-billion budget, but it could be at least several hundred million dollars. Two alternatives under consideration call for standard column-and-beam construction instead of the long spans and cantilevers proposed by Mr. Calatrava. No version would eliminate the ribbed and winged roof over the hub's arrival hall, east of Greenwich Street, which Mr. Calatrava has likened to a bird in flight. It is the underground mezzanine, west of Greenwich Street, that will be the functional heart of the hub, occupying the level between the arrival hall and the PATH platforms. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-28-08, from New York Times website report]
MEXICO PLANS HUGE BAJA PORT FOR U.S. TRADE: Mexico's government is setting sail with the largest infrastructure project in the nation's history, a $4-billion seaport that it hopes will one day rival those of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Plans call for the construction of a massive port in the tiny coastal village of Punta Colonet, about 150 miles south of Tijuana, along with new rail lines to whisk Asian-made goods north to the United States. Mexico's aim is to snatch some Pacific cargo traffic from Southern California's ports, whose growth is constrained by urban development and environmental concerns. Punta Colonet is expected to have a capacity of two million shipping containers annually when it opens in 2014, Mexico's transportation secretariat said. But officials envision it ultimately handling five times that amount. Last year, the ports of L.A. and Long Beach handled 15.7 million containers combined. [United Transportation Union, 8-28-08, from Los Angeles Times report]
MISCOMMUNICATION BLAMED IN CALGARY TRAIN CRASH: A communication mixup is blamed for the collision of a light-rail train and an overhead construction crane in Calgary Aug.27 that sent six people to the hospital. Authorities say the accident occurred when the boom arm of the construction crane crashed through the front window of the operator's seat of the train. The impact of the crash caused the train to derail, injuring the passengers. [United Transportation Union, 8-28-08, from Canadian Press report]
ACELA TRAINS MAY EXPAND TO MEET DEMAND: Amtrak may add cars to its Acela and raise fares as riders fill coaches on the Washington-to-Boston route, chief executive officer Alexander Kummant said. Demand for the high-speed service also may spur Amtrak to levy a surcharge to help buy additional equipment, Kummant said in an interview at the Washington headquarters of the national passenger railroad. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-27-08, from Bloomberg News report]
METRA GETTING RID OF SALOON CARS: Saloon cars, a long-time fixture on the commuter trains operating between downtown Chicago and its suburbs, are being phased out by the Metra commuter rail system. Aug.29 will be the last call for the passengers who regularly ride the 10 trains with bar cars. Metra officials say the cars aren't worth the revenue they produce. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-27-08, from Associated Press report]
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR SIGNS BULLET-TRAIN MEASURE: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Aug.26 signed a measure for a statewide bullet train system. The high-speed rail legislation will replace a $10-billion bond measure on the November ballot with a revised version of the proposal that makes the bullet train system more appealing to voters statewide. The measure would change the language of the high-speed rail bond measure to keep the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles segment as the first priority for bond revenue but add Anaheim to that segment. It would also allow money to be spent on other segments as long as that did not delay construction of the main line. [United Transportation Union, 8-27-08, from San Francisco Chronicle report]
TORONTO RESUMES STREETCAR PROCUREMENT EFFORT: Toronto Transit Commission staff will seek approval from TTC commissioners to launch a multi-phase bid process with three railcar builders for an order of 204 low-floor streetcars. TTC has previously signaled its eagerness to solicit bids. In preliminary discussions, each vendor has stated it could meet the technical requirements established in the original Request For Proposals. [RailwayAge.com, 8-26-08]
SEPTA EXPANDING LOCAL SERVICES: Beginning the end of August, the SEPTA rail line that extends from Philadelphia to the Paoli/Malvern area will offer increased late-night trips. Similar additions are planned on the R6 Norristown and R7 Trenton lines. A SEPTA spokesman did not rule out the eventual addition of service on Lansdale's section of the R5 line. [United Transportation Union, 8-25-08, from Times Herald website report]
TEXAS COUNTY OK'S FUNDS FOR LIGHT-RAIL LINE: The Denton County, Tex., Regional Transportation Council has approved $191-million to fully fund the county Transportation Authority's 21-mile diesel light rail transit route. The funding would allow final design and construction to commence early next year. The line would include five stations and link Denton with Carrollton, Tex., with transfer connectings to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail system. Revenue service is targeted to begin in December 2010. [RailwayAge.com, 8-25-08]
GRAND ISLAND VIEWING PLATFORM WORK BEGINS: A groundbreaking for a Union Pacific-BNSF railroad viewing platform in Grand Island, Nebraska, took place Aug.21. A house-moving trailer brought a caboose from Hastings and unloaded it at a site near the intersection of the two busy railroads. As members of the Great Plains chapter of the National Railway Historical Society foresee it, a viewing platform will be constructed there around the caboose. The chapter is busy planning the facility in addition to the caboose, and there is to be a station-style covered platform adjacent to the caboose, parking and many other amenities. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-23-08, from Grand Island Independent website report]
MARC TO ACQUIRE 13 CARS FROM VRE: Maryland's MARC Commuter Rail has agreed to purchase 13 cars from Virginia Railway Express. The cars are identical to MARC's "MARC III" Kawasaki bi-levels already in service. VRE has deemed the cars surplus as they have acquired a fleet of new gallery-style cars for their service; the sale permits VRE to standardize their fleet. MARC should have the cars in service by November. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 8-22-08]
PORTLAND APPROVES LOCAL FUNDS FOR STREETCAR LOOP: Portland, Oregon's, City Council has approved $6.3-million for design and engineering of a 3.3-mile, $147-million project to extend streetcar service, dubbed the Eastsde Streetcar Loop, across the Broadway Bridge to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. [RailwayAge.com, 8-22-08]
SANFORD AUTO TRAIN DEPOT TO GET RENOVATED: New renovations will soon be underway at the Amtrak Auto Train station in Sanford, Florida, the train's southern terminus, which was torn apart by the 2004 hurricanes. The refurbishment is expected to improve the flow of cars and improve accessibility. [United Transportation Union, 8-20-08, from WFTV website report]
EARLY R.R. TUNNEL UNEARTHED IN SCHENECTADY: A wall of one of the nation's first railroad tunnels has been excavated in Schenectady. Workers using a backhoe uncovered part of the tunnel's western wall on Wednesday under the direction of City Historian Don Rittner. The 1,500-foot-long tunnel was built in 1832. Horses pulled trains through the tunnel because they were considered too much of a fire hazard to travel through city streets. The tunnel was filled in six years after opening. The tunnel wall was found seven feet below ground. Rittner believes the original tracks are still in the tunnel, but he says more digging will be put off until required permits and equipment are in place. He says he hopes to eventually uncover a section of the tunnel and leave it on display. [United Transportation Union, 8-14-08, from Associated Press report]
SEPTA, N.J.T. ENTER JOINT TICKETING AGREEMENT: NJ Transit and SEPTA will sell tickets to all of each other's stations, as part of a joint ticketing operation. Tickets to SEPTA and NJ Transit destinations are now available at NJ Transit vending machines, at rail ticket windows at the Trenton station, and at SEPTA ticket windows at Suburban and Market East stations. Fares will not be affected. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-14-08, from Philadelphia Enquirer website report]
AMTRAK RIDERSHIP SETS ALL-TIME MONTHLY RECORD: For the month of July, Amtrak ridership increased to 2,750,278, nearly a 14 percent increase, marking the most passengers carried in any single month in Amtrak's 37 year history. Ticket revenue increased by 18.6 percent to $168-million. Total ridership for the Fiscal Year to date - October 1, 2007, to July 31, 2008 - reached 23.7 million, topping the 21.3 million from the same period last year. Total ticket revenue for the fiscal year to date reached $1.4-billion, a 14.1 percent increase over the same period in FY07. Among the trains on the Amtrak national network, the Coast Starlight - which operates between Seattle and Los Angeles - was the most popular overnight train in the month of July with more than 47,000 passengers, a 27.7 percent increase. [Amtrak 8-14-08]
N.J.T. TO PURCHASE 50 ADDITIONAL MULTILEVEL CARS: New Jersey Transit has approved the purchase of 50 additional multilevel railcars to help meet current and anticipated ridership demand. The option increases NJT's overall multilevel order to 329; 170 multilevels already have delivered by Bombardier Transportation. Gov. Jon Corzine, in a statement, praised the multilevels as a "near-term solution" to capacity issues faced by the state, particularly concerning access on the Northeast Corridor to New York. [RailwayAge.com, 8-13-08]
PLANNING COUNCIL APPROVES CSX TERMINAL PROPOSAL IN WINTER HAVEN: The Central Florida Regional Planning Council has approved a proposed 218-acre rail terminal site in southern Winter Haven. The approval, with 61 conditions on traffic, the environment and other factors, has been forwarded to the city of Winter Haven. The vote to approve the development by a CSX subsidiary, Evansville Western Railway, was 10-1. The Winter Haven Planning Commission will hear the development proposal on Sept.24 and the City Commission is scheduled to take action Oct.29. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-13-08, from Lakeland Ledger website report]
NYS&W FILES TO DISCONTINUE 41 MILES OF TRACK IN BINGHAMTON AREA: New York Susquehanna and Western Railway has filed legal notices announcing its intention to formally discontinue 41 miles of track between Chenango Forks in Broome County and Sherburne in Chenango County, N.Y. The legal notice said the Cooperstown-based railroad will seek an exemption from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board relieving the railroad of its obligation to provide service along the line. The line has not been in use since 2006. It is not an abandonment filing, but a notice required legally for a line that is not in service, said officials. [United Transportation Union, 8-11-08, from Bingham Press report]
DOMESTIC INTERMODAL GROWS AT HIGHEST RATE IN FOUR YEARS: Intermodal Association of North America reports that during the second quarter of 2008, domestic intermodal volume grew at its highest rate since the second quarter of 2004. During the 2008 quarter, volume was 5.4percent higher than in the comparable 2007 quarter, said IANA in its Intermodal Market Trends & Statistics report. IANA said it was the 11th straight quarter that domestic container volume posted year-over-year increases. Container volume grew 8.1percent during the quarter, while trailer volume increased 1percent. Observers say one reason for the domestic intermodal increase the shift of loads from trucks to trains for the long haul to take advantage of rail's greater fuel efficiency. [RailwayAge.com, 8-8-08]
CALIFORNIA COUNTY TO BUY 32-MILE U.P. LINE: Santa Cruz County transportation leaders have agreed to pay $14.2-million for the 32-mile Union Pacific rail line that runs along the coast from Davenport to Watsonville. The goal is to turn the scenic rail line into a hiking and biking trail with passenger train service, though construction of such a project is several years away. Union Pacific will continue running trains on the tracks through Santa Cruz County - about three times a week - until the purchase is finalized. [United Transportation Union, 8-8-08, from Santa Cruz Sentinel report]
U.S. RAIL CARLOADINGS UP IN JULY: U.S. railroads originated 1,606,877 carloads of freight in July 2008, up 1.1 percent from July 2007. U.S. railroads also originated 1,125,795 intermodal trailers and containers in July 2008, a decrease of 2.2 from July 2007. Commodities showing carload gains in July 2008 included coal (up 4.3 percent); grain (up 7.2 percent); and chemicals (up 4.1 percent). Seven of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in July 2008 compared to July 2007. For the first seven months of 2008, total U.S. rail carloads were up 36,575 carloads (0.4 percent) to 10,058,613 carloads. [Assn. of American Railroads, 8-7-08]
N.S. DONATES MORE THAN 12,000 ACRES OF LAND IN SOUTH CAROLINA: Norfolk Southern Corp. has given up its development rights on 12,488 acres of ecologically important forest and wilderness in South Carolina, a donation described as the largest of its kind in that state's history. The property, located about 35 miles northwest of Charleston and called Brosnan Forest, includes more than 6,000 acres of increasingly rare longleaf pine trees and is prime habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker, an endangered species. Gov. Mark Sanford described the gift, known as a conservation easement, as "incredibly significant." In granting the easement, Norfolk Southern retains ownership of the property but agrees to keep it pristine forever. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 8-5-08, from Virginian-Pilot website report]
GENESEE & WYOMING AGREES TO ACQUIRE OHIO CENTRAL: Genesee & Wyoming Inc. announced Aug.4 that it has signed an agreement to acquire nine short line railroads known as the Ohio Central Railroad System (OCR), for $219.0-million in cash. In addition, GWI has agreed to pay contingent consideration of approximately $25-million upon satisfaction of certain conditions. The final purchase price will be adjusted for working capital at the time of closing. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is also contingent upon approval from the state of Ohio for the transfer of an operating agreement for one of the railroads. GWI expects to close the acquisition and commence operations in the fourth quarter of 2008. [United Transportation Union, 8-4-08, from PR Newswire report]
K.C.S. REPORTS 2-Q EARNINGS: Kansas City Southern reported record second quarter revenues of $486.2 million, a 13.8 percent increase over second quarter 2007. The revenue growth was attributable to a continued strong pricing environment, significant growth in certain business units and an increase in fuel surcharges. [Kansas City Southern, 7-31-08]
U.P. HIKES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND: Union Pacific Corp., the nation's largest freight railroad operator, has raised its quarterly dividend by 5 cents, to 27 cents per share. The company said the increased dividend would be payable Oct. 1 to stockholders of record on Aug. 29. Last week, Union Pacific reported its second-quarter profit rose 19 percent, to $531 million, as heavy shipments of coal, grain and fertilizer, helped offset higher fuel costs and fewer shipments of autos. The company last raised the dividend in the fourth quarter of 2007 and has boosted it three times in the past 18 months. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-31-08, from Associated Press report]
BORING MACHINE COMPLETES G.C.T. RAIL TUBE: A huge, granite-eating machine that spent the past eight months chewing a mile-long tunnel beneath a busy Manhattan office district has completed its journey to the city's Grand Central Terminal. The 200-ton tunnel-boring rig is one of two that have been carving a pair of new rail tubes that will eventually allow commuter trains from suburban Long Island to connect with Grand Central for the first time. The massive device, imported from Italy, began chewing through Manhattan bedrock in November 2007. Work on the rail project is expected to continue until 2015. In total, the job is expected to cost $7.2-billion. [United Transportation Union, 7-31-08, from Associated Press report]
CHINA SET TO OPEN HIGH-SPEED RAIL LINE: Presaging the opening of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games by one week, China is set to open the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway Aug. 1. The new service, linking two Olympic Games city venues, will more than halve travel time on the 75-mile route from 70 minutes to about 30 minutes. The $3.1-billion line will be served by six CRH-3 (China Railway High-speed) trains. The CRH-3 features swivel seating and rooftop solar panels, among other items. Five cities will be served: Tianjin, Wuqing, Yongle, Yizhuang, and a new facility in the nation's capital, Beijing South Railway Station. [RailwayAge.com, 7-31-08]
ENOLA BRANCH PROPERTY TRANSFERRED TO SIX PENNSYLVANIA TOWNSHIPS: One of the state's longest-running rail-trail disputes might be nearing an end. Norfolk Southern transferred ownership of 23 miles of abandoned rail line known as the Enola Branch to six townships in southern Lancaster County July 28 along with money to demolish rail bridges. A volunteer group, Friends of the Atglen-Susquehanna Trail, was poised in 1998 to convert the line into a rail trail, but the townships objected. James Cowley, executive director of the Lancaster County Planning Commission, said he hasn't given up hope for a rail trail, but acknowledged that opposition still exists. MORE.. [United Transportation Union, 7-29-08, from Patriot News report]
BNSF EXPANDING MEMPHIS FREIGHT CENTER: BNSF Railway is spending more than $100-million to upgrade its freight center. BNSF will load and unload trains 7,500 feet long at the 185-acre center, using five nine-story cranes prominently. The facility provides the opportunity to move freight from the West coast into the Southeast, within a 250-mile radius of Memphis. [United Transportation Union, 7-27-08, from Associated Press report]
CSX SEATS TWO DISSIDENTS TO BOARD: CSX Corp. announced July 25 that it will immediately seat two nominees of a dissident shareholder group to its board of directors. But two other candidates will have to wait. An independent auditor reported last week that four nominees of The Children's Investment Fund Management LLP and 3G Capital Partners Ltd. won election to CSX's 12-member board, according to preliminary results. But at a shareholders meeting at CSX's Jacksonville headquarters, Chairman and CEO Michael Ward said the election of two of those nominees is still too close to confirm. Besides seeking confirmation of the vote by independent inspector IVS Associates Inc., CSX is also challenging the legality of some of the TCI and 3G votes in a court case that is pending at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. CSX has invited 3G managing director Alex Behring and former railroad executive Gil Lamphere, another TCI/3G nominee, to join the board immediately. They have enough votes regardless of the IVS review or the court's decision. CSX adjourned the very brief meeting and continued it until Sept. 24. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-26-08, from The Florida Times-Union website report]
S.T.B. ISSUES REPORT IN EJ&E DEAL: A federal report has raised the specter of frustrated motorists facing lengthy delays at 15 rail crossings in a dozen communities, but concluded that passenger service would not be impaired if a railroad that winds through Chicago's suburbs is sold. The report prepared by Surface Transportation Board staff also identifies 10 communities where a tripling or quadrupling of freight traffic would severely hamper police, fire and emergency medical response. The EJ&E railroad rings the suburbs in a 198-mile arc. The purchase is touted by CN and some experts as a potential boon to the transportation industry and economy. Chicago officials strongly support the deal because of the economic impact and prospect of reduced freight traffic. But fearing more freight trains in their backyards and outlying suburban downtowns, vocal opponents have rallied in recent months to fight the plan. While viewed as an important step in the process, the 3,500-page document is subject to another round of public comments starting in August. The final version will be considered by the three-member board that will approve or deny the sale, a decision expected in early 2009. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-26-08, from Chicago Tribune website report]
UNION PACIFIC REPORTS 2-Q EARNINGS: Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) reported record 2008 second quarter net income of $531 million, or $1.02 per diluted share, compared to $446 million, or $.82 per diluted share in the second quarter of 2007. [Union Pacific, 7-24-08]
CP RAIL REPORTS LOWERED 2-Q RESULTS: Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (TSX/NYSE: CP) announced its second-quarter results today. Net income in the second quarter was $155 million, a decrease of 40 percent from $257 million in 2007, and diluted earnings per share was $1.00, a decrease from $1.64 in the second quarter of 2007. [Canadian Pacific Railway, 7-22-08]
AMTRAK'S DOWNEASTER RIDERSHIP GAINS 28 PERCENT: Rail officials say high gas prices played a role in a 28 percent gain in ridership for Amtrak's Downeaster during the latest fiscal year. Executive Director Patricia Quinn of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority says the gain was the biggest of any Amtrak train in the period ending June 30. On average an additional 947 passengers rode the Downeaster every day, and ticket revenue was up by 33 percent for the year. Quinn credits increased frequency and a better schedule, in addition to rising fuel costs, for the growth of the Portland-to-Boston rail service. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-21-08, from Associated Press report]
CN REPORTS 2-Q RESULTS: CN has reported its financial and operating results for the second quarter and first half ended June 30, 2008. Diluted earnings per share declined six per cent to C$0.95. Net income declined 11 per cent to C$459 million. Revenues increased four per cent to C$2,098 million. Operating income declined 13 per cent to C$707 million, with the Company's operating ratio rising by 6.3 points to 66.3 per cent. [Canadian National, 7-21-08]
COGENERATION LOCOMOTIVE BEING TESTED AT HAGERSTOWN ON CSX: Following a three-month test in Roanoke, Va., with Norfolk Southern, Brookville Equipment Corp.'s BMEX 259 CoGeneration triple-engine genset switcher locomotive has begun its second Class I demonstration at CSX Transportation's Hagerstown, Md.., Yard. BMEX 259 has been scheduled for short demonstrations on other railroads and transit properties in the next few months, and will begin making its way west after completing its test with CSXT. [RailwayAge.com, 7-17-08]
HEDGE FUND CANDIDATES WIN FOUR SEATS ON CSX BOARD: CSX Corp. says preliminary results of the railroad's contentious board vote show that four out of five directors nominated by activist hedge fund shareholders TCI and 3G Capital have been elected to its board. The company said shareholders elected TCI Founder Chris Hohn, 3G Managing Director Alexandre Behring, Gilbert H. Lamphere and Timothy T. O'Toole. The only candidate nominated by the activist shareholders not elected was Gary Wilson, a former chairman at Northwest Airlines Corp. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-16-08, from Associated Press report]
N.S. OPERATION LIFESAVER TRAIN INVOLVED IN FATAL ACCIDENT: A Norfolk Southern train struck and killed a man Tuesday night [July 15] in Roanoke. Ironically, the train is the same one Norfolk Southern uses to promote rail safety. The man was hit by the Operation Lifesaver train as it pulled into Roanoke for an educational trip to Lynchburg. The death is exactly what Norfolk Southern is trying to prevent. Five people were killed along Virginia tracks last year. Operation Lifesavers says railroad deaths have dropped dramatically since the program started in 1972. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-16-08, from WDBJ7 website report]
TRAIN COLLISION IN EGYPT KILLS 40: A train plowed into three vehicles in a northern Egyptian town July 16, killing at least 40 people and injuring 50, a police official said. The collision occurred after a large truck slammed into the three vehicles, pushing them onto the tracks, he said. The train en route from Matruh to Alexandria crushed the cars as it reached the intersection. Thirty-five people were declared dead at the scene, while five died in a hospital. [United Transportation Union, 7-16-08, from Associated Press report]
COMPOSITE BRIDGE TESTED AT R.R. TEST TRACK: HC Bridge Co. LLC, a firm specializing in the development of hybrid-composite structural alternatives to satisfy accelerated bridge construction requirements, reports that a locomotive pulling 26 heavy axle load coal cars traversed the first composite railroad bridge in the world. The live load test was conducted on the 2.7-mile loop at the Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, Colorado. According to John Hillman, senior associate with Teng & Associates in Chicago, the bridge supporting the locomotive is a 30-foot span comprised of eight hybrid-composite beams. In its simplest embodiment, the bridge is composed of three main sub-components: shell, compression reinforcement and tension reinforcement. The compression reinforcement consists of self-consolidated concrete that is pumped into a profiled conduit within the beam shell. The tension reinforcement consists of Hardwire steel reinforcing fabrics that run along the bottom flanges of the beams. A consortium of Class 1 railroads shouldered the substantial cost of the live test. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-14-08, from Rocky Mountain Construction website report]
PETER CANNITO, METRO-NORTH PRESIDENT, RETIRING: Peyter Cannito, Metro-North's longest-serving president, retires July 15. His retirement caps a 40-year career in the rail industry. Meeting an exploding demand for rail service will be the chief challenge facing the incoming president, Howard Permut, commuter advocates say. [United Transportation Union, 7-14-08, from Stamford Advocate report]
AUSTRALIA OPENS WORLD'S HEAVIEST-HAUL RAILWAY: A remarkable iron ore railway has been built across the Pilbara region of Australia. The railway is built for 40 ton axleloads, making it the heaviest haul railway in the world. For comparison, the other Pilbara railways operate with axleloads of 35 ton and 37.5 ton, while the trans-Australian main line was recently upgraded to operate at just 21 ton. In full operation, the line will run 2.5-km long trains of up to 240 cars hauled by two GE Dash 9-4400CW diesel locomotives. Setting a new benchmark in heavy haul railways, the cars have a tare weight of 23 ton and can carry up to 137 ton of ore. Each trainload will consist of about 30,000 ton. [United Transportation Union, 7-14-08, from Railway Gazette report]
MEMPHIS DEPOT SINKHOLE TO BE REPAIRED: The City of Memphis and Canadian National Railway have announced a $1-million agreement to split the costs of repairing the sinkhole that has plagued Memphis Central Station and forced Amtrak to detour and provide substitute motorcoach service since April. Amtrak says that, if repairs progress significantly this month, City of New Orleans service could be restored in Memphis by next month. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 7-11-08]
SAN BERNARDINO TRAIN STATION OPENS WITH VOLUNTEERS: The San Bernardino Historical and Railroad Museum opens July 12 in the baggage portion of the Amtrak/Metrolink (former Santa Fe) San Bernardino station. Volunteers from the San Bernardino Railroad Historical Society will staff the museum and act as station hosts in the main waiting room when the Southwest Chief pulls through. Amtrak left the station unstaffed since it was closed for a $15.6 million restoration and reopened in 2004. SBRHS eventually hopes to permanently house operating steam locomotive Santa Fe 3751 near the station. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 7-11-08]
F.R.A. RULES ON RAIL RELOCATION & IMPROVEMENT GRANT PROGRAM: The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a Final Rule detailing the eligibility requirements and selection criteria for capital grants under the Rail Line Relocation and Improvement program created in the SAFETEA-LU legislation. In order to be eligible for grant funding, a project must mitigate the adverse effects of rail traffic on safety, motor vehicle traffic flow, community quality of life or involve a lateral or vertical relocation of any portion of the rail line. Under the law, half of all grant funds are reserved for projects costing no more than $20 million each. A state or other eligible entity will be required to pay at least 10 percent of the shared costs of the project. [Federal Railroad Administration, 7-11-08]
BOARD APPROVES CALIFORNIA BULLET TRAIN ROUTE: The California High Speed Rail Authority's board has approved a siting plan for the main route of a bullet train they envision for the state should voters in November back a $9.95-billion bond to launch the $40-billion system. San Francisco would mark the northern terminus, and Anaheim would be its last Southern California stop, said Rod Diridon, a member of the authority's board and executive director of the Mineta Transportation Institute. The route would link San Francisco to nearby San Jose and then cross into the Central Valley, including a tunnel, to connect with Merced, Fresno and Bakersfield. Additional tunnels would be needed in mountains near the Los Angeles area. The route would stop in Los Angeles at its downtown Union Station before proceeding to Anaheim. If voters approve the general obligation bond measure in November to initially fund the high-speed rail system, its authority will still require additional funding. The system is expected to take about a decade to build. [United Transportation Union, 7-10-08, from Reuters report]
RAILROAD LOGISTICS CENTER TO BE BUILT IN N.Y. STATE: A $40-million logistics center and terminal will be built through the towns of Halfmoon, Mechanicville and Stillwater, N.Y., anchoring the western end of Pan Am Railways and linking the Capital Region with Boston. State and local officials gathered at the now defunct Norfolk Southern railyard July 8 to announce the project, slated to be launched early next year and completed by April 2010. The high-speed freight rail will transport consumer products - primarily automobiles - across the region, alleviating highway travel by trucking companies. The joint project, called Pan Am Southern, will serve as the primary distribution center for the company's Patriot Corridor, including a 155-mile main line and 280 secondary and branch lines in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-8-08, frtom Gazette website report]
SEVEN INJURED WHEN TRUCK HITS AMTRAK TRAIN: Seven people were injured Sunday evening [July 6] after a truck ran into an Amtrak train 10 miles east of Suisun, California. The furniture delivery truck slammed into the dining car of Amtrak Capitol Corridor Train No. 736 where Fry Road crosses the train tracks shortly before 5 p.m., Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero said. The train, carrying 220 passengers, was traveling from San Jose to Sacramento. The collision caused significant damage to the train car, she said. The truck driver told CHP officials that he attempted to brake when the lowering arm descended, but skidded and crashed through the barrier and into the train. Two Amtrak employees and five passengers were transported to VacaValley Hospital with non-life threatening injuries, Romero said. [United Transportation Union, 7-7-08, from Contra Costa Times report]
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