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Newswire
WASHINGTON METRO FAILED TO DETECT CIRCUITRY MALFUNCTION: Five days before last week's deadly Red Line accident, a Metro crew replaced a key piece of equipment designed to prevent crashes, but the circuitry malfunctioned and no one at Metro detected the problem, investigators and transit officials said. The findings raise new questions about whether Metro officials should have discovered the hazard before one train rammed into another June 22, killing nine and injuring 80. It also puts a spotlight on Metro's maintenance crews and the design of a highly automated subway system that is supposed to be "fail-safe." Transit officials would not say whether they believe the malfunction was a result of faulty equipment or poor installation, citing the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. In the aftermath of the crash on the Red Line between the Takoma and Fort Totten stations, Metro officials analyzed track circuit data and found that one circuit in the crash area intermittently lost its ability to detect a train. The circuit would report the presence of a train one moment, then a few seconds later the train would "disappear," only to return again. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-2-09, from Washington Post website report]
CSX COAL TRAIN DERAILS IN GEORGIA: A freight train derailed in Union City, Ga., Wednesday afternoon, spilling loads of coal along a long swatch of track, authorities said. About 17 CSX coal cars overturned at the rail crossing near Flat Shoals Road and Union Street, Union City police spokesman George Louth said. No injuries were reported. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-1-09, from Atlanta Journal-Constitution website report]
COLORADO AGENCY BUYS 33-MILE LINE FROM U.P.: Union Pacific Railroad sold 33 track miles north of Denver to Colorado's Regional Transportation District for $118-million, in the first and largest of four land transfer deals to develop commuter rail in that area, the Journal of Commerce reported. UP said the land it sold to the eight-county RTD runs from Commerce City just outside Denver to Boulder's Valmont power plant. The railroad will keep a freight easement over the first eight miles of this track segment it calls the Boulder Industrial Lead, and which includes long sections it no longer operates. RTD said it will use the property "to build out the North Metro commuter rail corridor." [United Transportation Union, 7-1-09, from Journal of Commerce report]
CSX DISMISSES ELECTRIFICATION, FOR NOW: In counting up railroads that are spending time on the possibilities of electrified freight train operations, don't include CSX. Michael Ward, chairman, president and CEO of the large eastern-U.S. carrier, told Journal of Commerce, "at this point we have no plans to pursue electrification. Times are a little tough right now, and we think our resources are better attuned to looking at how we handle this current recession than spending time looking at something." At least two other major railroads, however, are looking at ways they might begin to tap electricity for some freight trains. That could also mean they would need to acquire locomotives that could operate on electric power in some areas and then revert to their normal diesel engines when traveling outside electrified-track zones. BNSF Railway has said it is exploring whether leasing some rights of way along its tracks to cross-country electric transmission line builders might open the door to electric freight trains. Northern Southern Railway thinks the drive to build high-speed rail corridors could put electrified passenger trains in parts of its route system and lead to some electric freight operations. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-1-09, from Journal of Commerce website report]
AT LEAST 15 KILLED FROM TRAIN DERAILMENT IN ITALY: At least 15 people, including two children, have been killed and 35 others seriously injured after an Italian goods train carrying liquefied natural gas derailed and exploded. The train was travelling from the northern city of La Spezia to Pisa when a rear car ploughed into a residential neighbourhood beside the train station in a seaside village just before midnight June 29. A train car filled with liquefied natural gas exploded in the crash, collapsing five buildings and setting fire to a vast area. Homes collapsed or burned, killing residents as they slept. [United Transportation Union, 6-30-09, from Daily Mail report]
LANCASTER, PA., TRAIN STATION BEING RENOVATED: On June 29, Amtrak launched construction on a $12-million station renovation project in Lancaster, Pa. To be completed in partnership with the city of Lancaster, Lancaster County and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the 18-month project calls for rehabilitating the station's interior and exterior; installing a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; adding new restrooms; improving landscaping; and increasing parking capacity from 175 spaces to 237. The project also includes a new taxi loading and unloading area, new waiting room and ticketing area for the Trailways Bus Co., retail space and meeting rooms. [Progressive Railroading website report, 6-30-09]
HOUSE PROBES RESIGNATION AT AMTRAK: A House committee is investigating the recent resignation of Amtrak's inspector general, citing concerns about oversight at the publicly funded corporation at a time when it is set to spend more than $1-billion in federal stimulus funds. Reps. Edolphus Towns (D., NY) and Darrell Issa (R., CA), the chairman and ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, launched an investigation June 29 following the resignation this month of Fred Weiderhold, Amtrak's longtime inspector general. Mr. Weiderhold stepped down June 18, around the time a report he commissioned concluded that the "independence and effectiveness" of the inspector general's office was "being substantially impaired" by Amtrak managers. The report was prepared independently by a law firm. The investigation is the latest controversy surrounding the government's inspectors general, who are charged with weeding out waste, fraud and other wrongdoing by federal employees and contractors. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-29-09, from Wall Street Journal website report]
CSX COMMITS TO CUT CO2 EMISSIONS BY 8 PERCENT: CSX has announced a plan to reduce the CO2 emissions associated with its vast and economically vital train operations by 8 percent per revenue ton mile by 2011. The company made its commitment as part of its participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Leaders Program, a voluntary program for businesses to inventory and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. [CSX, 6-29-09]
CSX TO INTRODUCE GENSET SWITCHERS AT N.Y. OAK POINT YARD: On June 29, CSX will hold a ceremony at Oak Point Yard in the Bronx to introduce four ultra-low-emission GenSets. The locomotives are designed to reduce particulate matter emissions by 80 percent and carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent compared with a conventional switcher. [Progressive Railroading website report, 6-26-09]
RAIL FREIGHT TRAFFIC DOWN IN MOST RECENT WEEK: Freight traffic on U.S. railroads remained down for the week ended June 20 compared with the same period last year. U.S railroads reported originating 261,717 cars, down 17.7 percent from the same week in 2008. Intermodal volume of trailers or containers was down 17.8 percent from the same week last year. Container volume fell 12 percent and trailer volume dropped 39.0 percent. Total volume on U.S. railroads for the week ending June 20 was estimated at 27.7 billion ton-miles, off 16.6 percent from the same week last year. Eighteen of 19 carload freight commodity groups were down from last year. [Assn. of American Railroads, 6-25-09]
METRO OPERATOR MADE FAILED BID TO STOP TRAIN: The operator of the Metro train that slammed into a stationary train in front of it apparently had activated the emergency brakes in a failed effort to stop before the accident, federal officials said yesterday as they searched for the cause of Monday's Red Line wreck that killed nine and injured 80. Debbie Hersman of the National Transportation Safety Board said the emergency brake button was depressed, and the steel rails showed evidence that the brakes were engaged. Investigators also said the striking train was in automatic mode, which means onboard computers should have controlled its speed and stopped it before it got too close to the stationary train. In addition, Metro sources said, the first two cars of that train were two months overdue for scheduled maintenance of some braking components. Taken together, experts say these facts point to several possible scenarios: The operator activated the brakes too late; the computers that are supposed to stop a train from getting too close to another train faltered; the train's brakes failed; or some combination of those. Some passengers on the striking train have said that they never felt the train slow down. Investigators are also delving into the automatic train protection system, which is designed to make collisions impossible. Had the system been working correctly, it would have sensed that Train 112 was getting too close to Train 214 and directed the brakes aboard Train 112 to engage. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-24-09, from Washington Post report]
COMPUTER FAILURE MAY HAVE CAUSED D.C. CRASH: Investigators looking into the deadly crash of two Metro transit trains have focused on why a computerized system failed to halt an oncoming train, and why the train failed to stop even though the emergency brake was pressed. At the time of the crash, the train was also operating in automatic mode, meaning it was controlled primarily by computer. In that mode, the operator's main job is to open and close the doors and respond in case of an emergency. The train plowed into a stopped train ahead of it at the height of the Monday evening rush hour, killing nine people and injuring more than 70. It was the deadliest accident in the 30-year history of the Metro. On Tuesday, all Metro trains were running on manual control as a precaution against computer malfunction. [United Transportation Union, 6-24-09, from Associated Press report]
FAULTY ELECTRONIC RELAYS EYED IN METRO CRASH: Experts familiar with Washington Metro's operations focused on a failure of the signal system and operator error as likely causes of yesterday's fatal Red Line crash, reports the Washington Post. Metro was designed with a fail-safe computerized signal system that is supposed to prevent trains from colliding. The agency's trains are run by onboard computers that control speed and braking. Another electronic system detects the position of trains to maintain a safe distance between them. If they get too close, the computers automatically apply the brakes, stopping the trains. These systems were supposed to make yesterday's crash impossible. But four years ago, in an episode eerily similar to yesterday's, the signal system briefly failed in the tunnel between Foggy Bottom and Rosslyn, forcing two quick-thinking operators to stop their trains manually to avoid a crash. In yesterday's crash, it appeared the operator of the train that crashed did not apply the emergency brake. Experts said the train appeared to be traveling fast before impact because the force pushed the first car of the train on top of the train ahead. Witnesses on the train that crashed also reported that the train did not brake before impact. Other possible factors in the crash include a medical emergency that incapacitated the operator or a catastrophic failure of the braking system. [United Transportation Union, 6-23-09, from Washington Post report]
NINE DEAD, SCORES INJURED IN WASHINGTON METRO CRASH: A Washington Metro train struck another train on the same Red Line track at the height of the evening rush hour near the Fort Totten station June 22, killing at nine and injuring 70 others in the deadliest accident in Metrorail's 33-year-history, reports the Washington Post. Both six-car trains were headed toward downtown Washington. The crash occurred just after 5 p.m., and traffic on the train lines and highways was severely affected. The impact of the crash was so powerful that the trailing train was left atop the first train. Firefighters had to use heavy rescue equipment to cut open the cars to reach people trapped inside, and D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said fire officials were still going through the trains last night to make sure they had recovered all the bodies. [United Transportation Union, 6-22-09, from Washington Post report]
N.T.S.B. EYES WATER ON RAILS AT ILLINOIS DERAILMENT SITE: Federal authorities say it appears there was high water along the rail line where a freight train derailed at Rockford, about 80 miles northwest of Chicago, June 19. One person died. The crew of the Canadian National Railway train was reporting high water along the tracks at the moment its cars started to derail. Railway officials say 18 rail cars loaded with ethanol left the tracks, exploding into flames. The train was an eastbound Canadian National freight train with 114 cars, 70 of which were carrying flammable liquids, according to reports. [United Transportation Union, 6-22-09, from Rockford Register Star report]
CHICAGO METRA GETTING $46.6-M IN STIMULUS MONEY FOR UPGRADES: The Chicago-are commuter rail agency Metra is set to receive $46.6 million in federal economic stimulus money for improvements on three of its lines. The money will go toward bridge rehabilitation and reconstruction on the Electric District and the Union Pacific North Line. The funding also will allow replacement of fiber optic cable on the BNSF commuter rail line. New cable will support voice and data needs and provide essential signal and communications information. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-20-09, from Associated Press report]
QUESTIONS RAISED AS TOP AMTRAK INSPECTOR RESIGNS: The inspector general of Amtrak unexpectedly resigned June 18, becoming the third such federal official to leave prematurely since the Obama administration took office and the latest in a string of potentially controversial moves involving government watchdogs. Fred Weiderhold, a 35-year veteran of the agency who was responsible for rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, is the most high-profile change among the group of senior government officials who have responsibility to conduct independent investigations of federal agencies and institutions. Cliff Black, an Amtrak spokesman, confirmed that Weiderhold has been replaced by acting Inspector General Lorraine A. Green, saying only that Weiderhold "retired.'' But several officials who asked not to be identified raised questions about the development, which set off alarm bells among some close Amtrak watchers. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-20-09, from Boston Globe website report]
AMTRAK RIDERSHIP SHOWS DECLINE: Amtrak ridership dropped for the seventh straight month according to statistics released by the company June 17, with long-distance routes showing a decline for the first time in over a year. Overall ridership for May of this year fell 9.8 percent from May 2008. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 6-19-09]
D.O.T. ISSUES GUIDLINES FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL RECOVERY FUNDS: The Department of Transportation moved another step closer to realizing President Obama's vision for high-speed rail in America, publishing guidelines for states and regions to apply for federal funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The guidelines require rigorous financial and environmental planning to make sure projects are worthy of investment and likely to be successful. The program will offer grants for both planning and construction so that states can apply for funds no matter what stage of development their project is in. The guidance states that proposals will be considered on the merits for their ability to make trips quicker and more convenient reduce congestion on highways and at airports and meet other environmental, energy and safety goals. And it allows the USDOT to actively promote standard specifications for rail cars and other equipment. The Federal Railroad Administration will award the first round of grants by mid-September. [U.S. Department of Transportation, 6-17-09]
RAIL WORKFORCE CONTINUES TO SHRINK: The U.S. Class I workforce continued to shrink last month. As of mid-May, the workforce stood at 151,536, representing a 1.8 percent decrease from mid-April's level and 8.3 percent drop from May 2008's count, according to the Surface Transportation Board's (STB) most recent employment data. Transportation (train and engine) ranks declined 4 percent from mid-April's level to 56,370. The workforce segment also shrank a whopping 18 percent from May 2008's count. Maintenance of way and structures ranks as of mid-May totaled 35,442, up 0.2 percent from mid-April's level, but down 0.7 percent from May 2008's count. Executives, officials and staff assistants numbered 10,081, increasing 0.4 percent and 0.1 percent on a month-over-month and year-over-year basis, respectively. [Progressive Railroading website report, 6-17-09]
HURON CENTRAL RAILWAY TO END OPERATIONS: Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said its subsidiary Huron Central Railway Inc. will end operations because a drop in traffic means the railroad is "not economically viable to operate for the long term." The company said 45 jobs will be eliminated when Huron Central closes. The unit has operated the 173-mile railroad from Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, under a lease agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. since 1997. It will end operations between McKerrow and Sault Ste. Marie on August 15, and continue to operate the eastern segment of the railroad from Sudbury to McKerrow and Espanola until Oct. 31. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-16-09, from Dow Jones Newswire report]
MICHIGAN TO REDUCE AMTRAK FUNDING: The daily train trip from Port Huron to Chicago could be threatened as officials work to balance the state's budget, the Times Herald reports. Last week, the Michigan State Senate Appropriations Committee voted to cut the Amtrak rail passenger operating grant by $2-million. The proposed cut could result in the loss of either the rail services along the Port Huron to Chicago route or the Grand Rapids to Chicago route, or both, said Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association in a statement. Marc Magliari, Amtrak spokesman, said it is too early in the legislative process to say how it would affect the train trips. [United Transportation Union, 6-16-09, from Times Herald report]
AMTRAK TO RESTORE STOP AT HOPE, ARKANSAS: Officials say Hope, Arkansas, will soon win back an Amtrak stop. The old brown brick train station, remodeled into the city's Visitor and Information Center, will serve as a stop on the line. The Texas Eagle route already makes stops in Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkadelphia, Malvern, Texarkana and Walnut Ridge. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-15-09, from Associated Press report]
METRO-NORTH M-8 RAIL CAR SHELL FAILS INITIAL SAFETY TEST: The shell of one of the state's new M-8 rail cars recently failed a safety design test, which will not delay a plan to deliver the first of the cars to replace aged M-2 and M-4 cars later this year, Metro-North Railroad officials said. During the test last month, Kawasaki Rail Car Inc., the car's manufacturer, compressed the empty shell of one of the manufactured cars with 800,000 pounds of force, buckling the metal skin of the car slightly, according to Metro-North spokeswoman Marjorie Anders. The car is required to withstand 800,000 pounds of compression to comply with regulations set by the Federal Railroad Administration, Anders said. State Department of Transportation spokesman Judd Everhart said the test was part of a battery of tests required during the manufacture of rail cars to root out safety issues, and not a cause for public concern about the M-8 design. The test has been rescheduled. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-13-09, from Stamford Advocate website report]
UNION PACIFIC UPGRADING WISCONSIN LINE: On June 13 Union Pacific Railroad crews began a trackwork project on the company's Altoona-to-Humbird, Wisconsin, line. The more than $9-million project calls for removing and installing about 25,000 ties, upgrading rail, spreading 15,600 tons of ballast, renewing road surfaces at 50 grade crossings and replacing 12 switches. Work is scheduled to be completed by October's end. [Progressive Railroading website report, 6-13-09]
AMERICAN RAILCAR INDUSTRIES MOVES CORPORATE HOME TO NORTH DAKOTA: A railroad car manufacturer is the first to use a new corporate law that's intended to give stockholders more power over management. Shareholders of American Railcar Industries have approved switching the company's corporate paperwork from Delaware to North Dakota. Supporters of the law say it is the most shareholder-friendly law in the country. The law makes it easier for shareholders to run opposition candidates when a company elects its board of directors. It also requires a company to give its shareholders an advisory vote on executive pay. [United Transportation Union, 6-11-09, from Associated Press report]
DEBORAH HERSMAN TO BE NOMINATED TO CHAIR N.T.S.B.: President Obama has announced his intention to nominate Deborah Hersman as chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and re-nominate Harry Hoglander as a National Mediation Board (NMB) member. An NTSB member since June 2004, Hersman has served as the board's representative at 15 transportation accidents. Prior to joining the NTSB, she was a senior professional staff member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. [Progressive Railroading website report, 6-10-09]
N.J. TRANSIT ORDERS NINE NEW LOCOMOTIVES: NJ Transits board of directors has approved a $72-million contract Bombardier Transit Corp. of Bensalem, Pa., for nine more ALP-46A locomotives, to be added to an earlier order of 27 such electric engines. The contract includes spare parts, engineering and the option to buy more locomotives. The additional order will go toward replacing NJ Transits fleet of 32 ALP-44 engines, the oldest of which were built in 1990 and were the first new electric locomotives ordered by the agency after its formation. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-10-09, from Asbury Park Press website report]
UNION BRIDGE DEPOT DAY JUNE 20: Union Bridge, Md., Depot Day will be on June 20 from 9 A.M. to 4 P.M., sponsored by Union Bridge Business Association. Tours will showcase the Western Maryland Railway Museum, Lehigh Cement Company, vintage restorations, plus a large train layout in the Methodist Church on Main Street, vendors, vintage autos, food, crafts, entertainment, games & more. A Maryland Midland diesel will be on display. (Rain date is June 21). For further information call 443-340-9463.
CSXT, PSEG POWER BRING GENSET LOCOMOTIVES TO N.J.: CSX Transportation and PSEG Power met June 9 with state and local officials to unveil low-emission GenSet locomotives to be operated in New Jersey. A total of three GenSet locomotives will be purchased in partnership by the two companies. The locomotives will be used to switch cars within CSXT yards in New Jersey and can also be utilized for road switching service. [CSX, 6-9-09]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN MULLS ELECTRIFICATION: A Norfolk Southern Railway executive said his company is exploring the potential to eventually electrify some freight rail lines in connection with passenger rail corridors. Earlier this year, BNSF Railway's chairman, president and CEO, Matthew Rose, said he was in talks with transmission line companies that want to install new power lines in the railroad's right of way. And he said BNSF was exploring whether that could help the railroad convert large parts of its sprawling western network to electricity. Industry sources indicated other large carriers were looking at the same options, as Congress and the Obama administration push to upgrade the capacity of the U.S. electricity grid and tie in more alternative power sources including wind energy farms. Some observers also say the Obama administration's push to jumpstart high-speed passenger rail lanes could push freight lines to electrify some of their trains, since true high-speed trains run on electricity and their most likely corridors might be in lanes now owned by freight railroads. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-9-09, from Journal of Commerce website report]
FIRST NORTHSTAR COMMUTER RAIL COACHES ARRIVE: The first two Northstar Commuter Rail coaches passed through Anoka County June 8 on their way to the Northstar Vehicle Maintenance Facility in Big Lake. Sixteen additional coaches will arrive in the coming weeks from the Bombardier facility in New York. Expect to see locomotives and coaches traveling on the tracks for testing now through the start of service in November. [United Transportation Union, 6-8-09, from Erstarnews website report]
MARYLAND TO EXPAND FALLS ROAD LIGHT-RAIL PARKING FACILITY: The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) recently began a $2.3-million project aimed at upgrading the parking facility at the Falls Road light-rail station. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and scheduled for completion in spring 2010, the project calls for increasing parking capacity from 97 spaces to 197 spaces, constructing a lighted pedestrian path, and installing new lighting, signs, fencing and bike racks. [Progressive Railroading website report, 6-8-09]
UNION PACIFIC HAS 1,900 LOCOMOTIVES IN STORAGE: Union Pacific officials say boxcars, locomotives and employees are being idled until this country's economic engine chugs back to life. System-wide, Union Pacific said it has 1,900 locomotives and 66,000 freight cars in mothballs. In addition, the company has 5,200 employees who have been furloughed, said Mark Davis, Union Pacific spokesman. Davis said the railroad is combining trains these days to get the most use it can from those locomotives still operating. [United Transportation Union, 6-8-09, from Grand Junction Sentinel report]
CSX CONTINUES WITH STRATEGIC PLAN: CSX is going full speed ahead on its investment in tracks and terminals this year, despite the recession's drag on freight shipments, CEO and Chairman Michael Ward told Jacksonville business leaders. The Jacksonville-based company will spend about $1.6-billion on its shipping facilities, which is close to the $1.7-billion CSX spent during the past year, Ward said. He cited a forecast that demand for shipping freight by rail will increase by 90 percent over the next 15 years, in part because highways will become more congested. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-6-09, from Florida Times-Union website report]
AMTRAK INTRODUCES GUEST REWARDS 'POWER POINTS' FOR SUMMER: Amtrak has released its Guest Rewards "power points" for the summer traveling season. The deals, coming through partner transactions, give passengers the chance to earn bonus points from June 1 until August 31. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 6-5-09]
DESTROYED BEAVER DAMS BLAMED FOR TRAIN DERAILMENT IN ONTARIO: The destruction of three beaver dams is being blamed for a train derailment that caused more than 3,900 gallons of fuel to spill into the Ottawa River June 3. A spokeswoman for Ottawa Valley Railway said the train went off the tracks when it reached a remote area near Mattawa, 36 miles east of North Bay, Ontario. The train encountered 220 yards of washed-out tracks, and two locomotives and six cars went off the tracks. Officials said the train's two-person crew suffered minor injuries. [United Transportation Union, 6-5-09, from Canadian Press report]
HUMAN ERROR BLAMED FOR RUNAWAY RAIL CARS IN CALIFORNIA: A railroad maintenance worker likely didn't set the brakes on his high-rail truck on June 3, allowing the truck and the six cars it was towing to roll out of control, forcing railroad crews to intentionally derail it north of Dunsmuir, California, railroad officials said. A Union Pacific spokeswoman said a contractor was stacking used railroad ties onto the six gondola cars when the mishap occurred near Mott, between Dunsmuir and Mount Shasta. She said the maintenance worker was not in the cab and may have neglected to set its brake. The train rolled downhill between two and three miles before railroad crews were able to force it off its tracks a half-mile before it crossed the Sacramento River at Cantara Loop. The tracks in the area form a horseshoe-shaped loop with an apex over the river west of Interstate 5. No one was hurt in the incident. [United Transportation Union, 6-5-09, from Redding Record Searchlight report]
FIVE TEENS SENTENCED FOR PLACING BOULDER IN PATH OF TRAIN: Joseph M. Neerbasch, the last of five teenagers charged with disabling a CSX train in Chili, N.Y., by placing a boulder on tracks in front of it, has been sentenced in Monroe County Court. Neerbasch, 18, who pleaded guilty to a felony of second-degree criminal mischief, received five years' probation and four weekends in County Jail and was ordered to perform 200 hours of community service. Michael A. Ciarmaglia, 18; Jordan M. Leipold, 17; Joseph D. Relyea, 17; and Aaron M. Spencer, 17, also pleaded guilty and were sentenced previously. All five received the same sentence and were ordered to repay $20,172 to CSX for damage to the train. They were charged after the CSX freight train hit a 3-foot-wide boulder on tracks near Chili Avenue on March 24, 2008. [United Transportation Union, 6-5-09, from Democrat and Chronicle report]
RAIL FREIGHT TRAFFIC DOWN IN MAY: U.S. rail carload traffic in May 2009 fell 24.7 percent compared to May 2008. Intermodal traffic (which is not included in carloads) fell 19.7 percent. Rail carloadings fell in May 2009 in all 19 major commodity groups tracked by the AAR. [Assn. of American Railroads, 6-4-09]
HUB GROUP SHIFTS BULK OF INTERMODAL TRAFFIC FROM BNSF TO UNION PACIFIC: Hub Group notified customers and BNSF this week that it would start moving over to UP within a week, a process that could take several months. Hub will shift 8,400 of its domestic 53-foot containers over to UP while leaving BNSF handling only 1,400. The move could put more than $100-million annually in UP's coffers. Hub President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Yeager said his firm should achieve significant efficiencies by putting most boxes on UP, similar to the network gains it gets in the East where Norfolk Southern Railway handles all its moves. Yeager said the gains include cutting drayage costs by not having to move containers between rival railroad terminals. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-4-09, from Journal of Commerce report]
AMTRAK TO OPERATE TWO NEW TRAINS IN VIRGINIA: Amtrak recently signed an agreement with the commonwealth of Virginia to provide new passenger-rail service between Richmond and Washington, D.C. Virginia will pay Amtrak $17.2-million during a three-year demonstration period to provide daily rush-hour service from Washington, D.C. to Lynchburg, beginning in October, and from D.C. to Richmond starting in December. The routes are the first phase of planned passenger-rail improvements in Virginia's I-81/Route 29 and I-95/I-64 corridors. The service will operate over freight-rail tracks owned by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway. [Progressive Railroading website report, 6-4-09]
VICE PRESIDENT, TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY MEET WITH GOVERNORS ON HIGH-SPEED RAIL: Vice President Joe Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood challenged governors to think boldly when designing high-speed rail plans during a roundtable discussion at the White House June 3. The session was a unique opportunity for state leaders to share their ideas with the Obama Administration about the future of high-speed trains in America. In April, President Obama released a strategic plan outlining his vision for high-speed rail. In developing the high-speed rail program, administration officials have sought extensive input from states, Congress, labor, industry, rail experts from countries with working high-speed rail networks, and other key stakeholders. In attendance for the roundtable were governors of Illinois, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. State transportation officials from California, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Rhode Island and West Virginia also attended. [U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 6-3-09]
PLAN TO ADD 2ND CASCADES TRAIN TO CANADA STALLED BY BORDER AGENCY FEES: The Canadian border agency says it will charge an American passenger rail service more than half a million dollars in fees to add another train between Seattle and Vancouver - a decision that has derailed the plan. Amtrak Cascades, which is funded by the Washington state government, planned to add a second daily run to and from Vancouver beginning in August of last year, continuing through to the 2010 Winter Olympics and beyond. But Washington's Transportation Department says the proposal stalled when Canada Border Services Agency demanded $1,500 a day. The agency has said it will waive the fee immediately before, during and after the Olympics, but governments in Washington state and British Columbia want the agency to cancel the fee altogether for a service supporters say could add millions of tourism dollars to the local economy. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-2-09, from Canadian Press report]
TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF CONRAIL ACQUISITION: On the 10th anniversary of Norfolk Southern Corporation's acquisition of nearly 60 percent of Conrail, CEO Wick Moorman thanked customers, suppliers, stockholders, communities, and employees for their hard work and support. Since Day One, when Norfolk Southern added 7,200 miles of Conrail routes and 10,000 former Conrail employees to its system, the railroad has moved 3.5 trillion gross ton-miles of freight. A single train of every carload NS hauled in the last decade could stretch to the moon and back twice - and then some. [Norfolk Southern, 6-1-09]
ANGRY MOB BURNS TRAIN, STATION IN INDIA: An angry mob in northern India has torched a train and a station to protest against a new rail schedule that has trains skipping stops at their station. Television footage showed flames and smoke billowing out of the train that was stopped just outside the Khusrupur train station in the northern state of Bihar. About 200 protesters also set the train station on fire and pulled up train tracks. The new schedule is the result of a political reshuffle following last month's national elections. Under the new schedule long distance trains would skip stops at 33 smaller stations. [United Transportation Union, 6-1-09, from Associated Press report]
VERMILLION, OHIO, SEEKS TO BECOME ULTIMATE RAILFAN DESTINATION: Trains began running through Vermilion starting in 1853. For over 140 years the rumbling, roaring, shaking, screaming tornados have rushed through the quiet village. Ships have come and gone in this little city by the sea, but they were never the acoustic monsters like the trains which roll along like wild demons in a race. And as far as we can foresee, it will continue for 140 more years. Such is life in a railroad town. Learn how the Vermilion Main Line Rail committee of Main Street Vermilion is capitalizing on the city's rail history and train traffic at a special presentation on June 8 at Ritter Library beginning at 7 pm. The committee has been working on establishing a train viewing area in downtown Vermilion and several other sites along the tracks. The event is free and open to the public. [Vermilion, Ohio, News website report, 6-1-09]
'SYSTEM WILL CHANGE SLOWLY,' AMTRAK CEO SAYS: Passenger trains could speed travelers from Richmond to Washington at 135 mph, Amtrak's president and CEO says. But, said Joseph Boardman: "Don't expect it next week," the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported. Boardman spoke May 28 to about 200 people at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland as part of a Greater Richmond Chamber meeting focused on transportation issues. Depending on which train a rider takes, Amtrak trips from Main Street Station in Richmond to Washington are scheduled to take about three hours, and from Staples Mill Station in Henrico County, trips run 2-1/4 to 2-1/2 hours. Faster rail service could cut that to two hours or a shade less. [United Transportation Union, 5-29-09, from Richmond Times-Dispatch report]
KANSAS RAIL LINE CHANGES OWNERSHIP: An era in the annals of Kansas short-rail service is coming to an end. In the early 1980s, the Mid-States Port Authority rescued the service from the jaws of the Rock Island Railroad's bankruptcy. On June 1 it will transfer ownership of more than 400 miles of short-line track to Kyle Railroad. Kyle is owned by Florida-based RailAmerica. [United Transportation Union, 5-29-09, from Wichita Eagle report]
RUSSIAN RAILWAYS TO BUY HIGH-SPEED TRAINS: State-owned Russian Railways plans to order high-speed trains worth between 500-million and 550-million euros ($699.7 - 769.6 million) from Bombardier, the world's No. 1 passenger train maker. Russian Railways First Vice President Fyodor Andreyev told reporters up to 54 trains would be deployed in and around the southern Russian city of Sochi, which is scheduled to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. [United Transportation Union, 5-29-09, from Reuters report]
MONTANA SEEKS NEW AMTRAK LINE: Reviving a passenger rail route that used to run between Glendive and Missoula drew crowds of supporters to a town hall meeting in Bozeman. A national study is looking at how to use $1.3-billion in federal money to improve Amtrak service, and potentially reopen the North Coast Hiawatha passenger line that once ran from St. Paul, Minn., through Montana and onto Seattle. The state Transportation Department is also studying several possible routes in Montana, including the Hiawatha line, which shut down in 1979. Currently, Amtrak's Empire Builder, running through the north of the state, is the only passenger line operating in Montana. [United Transportation Union, 5-28-09, from Associated Press report]
U.P. TO UPGRADE LINES IN KANSAS, COLORADO: Union Pacific Railroad will spend $9-million to upgrade lines in Kansas and Colorado. The company is budgeting $5-million to improve track on a Herington-to-Canton, Kan., line. The project calls for installing more than 33,000 ties, spreading 20,500 tons of ballast, upgrading nearly a mile of rail in various curves and renewing road surfaces at 29 grade crossings. The railroad also is budgeting about $4 million to improve track on a Colorado Springs-to-Pueblo, Colo., line. Also to be completed by June's end, the project calls for installing 31,000 ties, spreading 12,000 tons of ballast and renewing road surfaces at 17 crossings. [Progressive Railroading website report, 5-28-09]
TORONTO TO STUDY ELECTRIFICATION OF GO SYSTEM: Toronto's Metrolinx recently announced plans to study the electrification of the entire GO Transit rail system. The agency will establish an external advisory committee comprising community representatives, including riders and independent technical experts, to help the agency address the staging of electrification, performance improvements, power supply and distribution, Union Station capacity, rail corridor ownership, urban planning benefits, vehicle technology options, physical constraints, and impacts on property and GO Transit's capital and operating costs. [Progressive Railroading website report, 5-28-09]
FRA ANNOUNCES GRANTS FOR SHORT-LINE EMERGENCY REPAIRS: The Federal Railroad Administration has announced the award of $15-million to nine states for emergency repairs to damaged railroad infrastructure resulting from natural disasters. The funding, from FRA's Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair program, will go to state departments of transportation to reimburse short line and regional railroads for the cost of repairs. The funds can cover up to 80 percent of the total cost of a selected project. [Railway Age website report, 5-28-09]
SOUTH SHORE R.R. UPGRADES TRAIN SCHEDULES: The South Shore Railroad is revamping its schedule starting today now that it has 14 more train cars added to its fleet. The commuter railroad will add two new weekend trains and modifying the departure times on several others, the first changes to its weekday schedule in years. Starting May 27, there will be one new off-peak morning train leaving from the 11th Street stop in Michigan City at 8:06 a.m. and arriving at Millennium Station in Chicago at 9:42 a.m. A train is also being added to the evening rush hour schedule, leaving Millenium Station in Chicago at 4:10 p.m. and terminating at Gary Metro Center. Several trains will employ what's called a 'skip stop' schedule where the trains will make stops at some, but not all of the South Shore stations along the route. The plan is to implement a skip-stop schedule on trains that run close together in order to help better distribute passengers. [United Transportation Union, 5-27-09, from Gary Post-Tribune report]
BURBANK PROPOSES INTERMODAL TRANSIT CENTER: The Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, owner and operator of Bob Hope Airport, has retained Ricondo and Associates to undertake the initial environmental review of a proposed regional intermodal transit center at the airport that would provide access at a single point for air transport, Amtrak, Metrolink rail, buses, and rental cars to converge. An elevated and covered moving sidewalk would convey arriving and departing passengers between the airport terminal and the transit center, facilitating immediate access to the terminal without using shuttle buses. [Aviation News Today website report, 5-26-09]
PETER ROGOFF CONFIRMED AS FTA ADMINISTRATOR: The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved the nomination of Peter Rogoff as administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. For the past 22 years, Rogoff has served on the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, including 14 years as the Democratic staff director of the Transportation Subcommittee. He helped shape each of the last three surface transportation bills and played an instrumental role in advising policymakers on Amtrak's operating and capital needs. The Senate also confirmed the appointment of John Porcari as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Most recently secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, he previously served as vice president for administrative affairs at the University of Maryland. [Progressive Railroading website report, 5-26-09]
BNSF LAYS OFF 100 IN ALLIANCE, NEBRASKA: More than 100 employees of the BNSF mechanical department in the western Nebraska city of Alliance have been furloughed because of a decrease in rail traffic. BNSF spokesman Steve Forsberg employees will be called back to work once rail traffic picks up. Forsberg says that even with the furloughs, BNSF still employees about 1,600 people in Alliance. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-26-09, from Associated Press report]
UBS RATES CSX STOCK 'TOP PICK': The lingering misconception of mismanagement at CSX Corp. is the only plausible explanation for why the railway is trading at a discount to its peers, according to UBS analyst Rick Paterson. Based on its current valuation, the railroad trades at 22 percent price-earnings ratio discount to other top-tier rails. But with stronger pricing power and more room than its peers for margin improvement, Mr. Paterson has a 'buy' rating on the stock and a $51 price target. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-26-09, from National Post website report]
SUIT FILED TO HALT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF DENVER UNION STATION: The Colorado Rail Passenger Association (ColoRail) is filing suit in a federal court to halt further development of Denver's Union Station. The group alleges that current plans do not conform to what was agreed upon earlier, which stressed connectivity among modes and capacity for future expansion. The stated goal for the station was "multi-modal transit hub of international significance," reports the Denver Examiner. ColoRail cites the relocation of the light rail passenger train terminal a quarter-mile from the station itself, and the subterranean intercity bus bays that will prohibit future capacity increases and will be costly to maintain. The capacity issue is of particular concern since it could adversely affect the proposed revival of the Pioneer Amtrak route from Denver to Seattle, and regional rail along the local I-25 and I-70 corridors. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-22-09]
S.T.B. TO HOLD HEARING ON EFFECTIVENESS OF 'RAIL BANKING': The Surface Transportation Board will hold a public hearing on July 8, 2009, to examine the impact, effectiveness, and future of rail banking under Section 8(d) of the National Trails System Act (Trails Act). Rail banking is the preservation of railroad corridors for possible future rail use. In 1983, Congress amended the Trails Act to create a program to allow rail banking to permit rail corridors that otherwise would be abandoned to be used as recreational trails on an interim basis. Such trails are subject to restoration as rail corridors at any point in time. The Trails Act and the Board's implementing regulations give interested parties the opportunity to negotiate voluntary agreements for trails on rail rights-of-way slated for abandonment. The July 8 public hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in the Board's Hearing Room on the 1st Floor of the agency's headquarters at Patriot's Plaza, 395 E Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. [U.S. Surface Transportation Board, 5-21-09]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN WINS HARRIMAN SAFETY AWARD: For the 20th year in a row, Norfolk Southern Corp. took top honors in an annual competition recognizing safety achievements by the nation's railroads. Among the biggest U.S. railroads, the Norfolk-based company again won the gold medal in the E.H. Harriman Awards with the best safety record in 2008. CSX Transportation took silver, and Union Pacific Railroad the bronze. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood honored the winners May 20 at a ceremony in Washington. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-20-09, from Virginian-Pilot website report]
AMTRAK CUTS N.E.C. FARES 25 PERCENT: Amtrak said that it cut fares on regional trains in the Northeast 25 percent for the summer travel season. Amtrak also extended a February price reduction on its high-speed Acela trains, which run on the Boston-Washington route, the rail operator said in a statement. The new 25 percent discount is available for travel on Amtrak routes between Boston and Washington, and also applies to travel south of Washington to Newport News, Va. The discounted fare also requires a reservation that must be made 14 days before travel. [United Transportation Union, 5-20-09, from Bloomberg News report]
CSX FURLOUGHS 27 AT CORBIN: Twenty-seven employees of the CSX locomotive shop in Corbin, Kentucky, learned May 18 they would be furloughed for an indefinite amount of time. CSX spokesperson Garrick Francis said the furloughs are a result of the economic downturn plaguing businesses across the country. Francis said the railroad transportation company which has tracks throughout the eastern portion of the United States has furloughed 2,400 people company wide and has had to put 30,000 cars in storage since the economy began to sag. [United Transportation Union, 5-20-09, from Times Tribune report]
ARNOLD MCKINNON DIES, FORMER HEAD OF NORTHERN SOUTHERN: Arnold B. McKinnon, a former chairman and CEO of Norfolk Southern from 1987 to 1992, died May 18 in Washington, D.C. He was 81. From 1992 to 2000, McKinnon served on the NS board of directors, a period that included NS' acquisition of Conrail in conjunction with CSX. In 2007, Norfolk Southern named its headquarters building in downtown Norfolk in his honor. [Various news reports, 5-19-09]
FRA HOSTING HIGH-SPEED RAIL WORKSHOPS: Those interested in influencing the Obama administration's strategic plan for high-speed rail development proposals have an opportunity to speak out at a series of Federal Railroad Administration-sponsored stakeholder workshops across the nation. Attendees will have an opportunity to share experiences, raise concerns, provide insights, and make recommendations on several key issues and questions, as well as hear those of colleagues and representatives from a regional perspective, said the FRA. The workshops will take place May 20 in Charlotte, May 21 in Orlando, May 27 in Seattle, May 28 in Sacramento, May 29 in Houston, June 1 in Chicago and June 2 in Philadelphia. [United Transportation Union, 5-19-09]
GE TRANSPORTATION UNVEILS NEW EVOLUTION SERIES LOCOMOTIVE: GE Transportation announced May 18 the introduction of its newest line of fuel-efficient, low-emissions locomotives, the Model ES44C4. The company will produce the new line at its manufacturing planes in Erie and Grove City, Pennsylvania. [Railway Age Magazine website report, 5-18-09]
C.N. TO UPGRADE AGAWA CANYON TOUR TRAIN: CN and the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp. (SSMEDC) recently reached an agreement to acquire locomotives and passenger cars for the Agawa Canyon Tour Train that runs north of Sault Ste. Marie into Canadian Shield country. CN, which operates the tour train, is acquiring three Electro-Motive Diesel F-40 locomotives, eight coaches, two cafe/lounge cars, three club cars and a presentation coach from Ansco Investment Co. The company plans to refurbish the Ansco cars, as well as two existing passenger dome cars. The upgrades will enable the train to accommodate more than 900 people. [Progressive Railroading website report, 5-18-09]
DOUBLE-DECK, SELF-PROPELLED RAILCAR UNVEILED IN ALASKA: The Alaska Railroad has rolled out a new train, a double-deck self-propelled railcar. "This is the first one of its kind for the Alaska Railroad," said railroad spokesperson Tim Thompson. The train is on a test run to make sure all the parts work properly. The railcar is capable of quickly starting and stopping to let passengers get on and off faster than ever. It will be used for the Chugach Whistle Stop Service, which began in 2007. The whistle stop service starts May 16 and will be a first for many passengers. The cost for a round trip from Anchorage is $103 and from Portage it's $64. [United Transportation Union, 5-15-09, from KTUU-TV website report]
N.J. TRANSIT UNVEILS PLAN FOR NORTH JERSEY RAIL LINE: NJ Transit has announced it will begin work this spring on a rail line running across North Jersey that will include nine stations. The agency reached an agreement with the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway to operate an 8.3-mile rail service from Hackensack to Hawthorne, the report said. Officials told the Record the line would spur economic development and would be helpful for people who head east every morning to work in Hackensack. According to the report, the project will cost between $150-million and $200-million, and construction is expected to be completed within three years. [United Transportation Union, 5-14-09, from Star-Ledger report]
C.N. SELLS THREE RAIL LINES IN MISSISSIPPI: Canadian National Railway, parent of Illinois Central Railroad, said it has sold 252 miles of rail line in Mississippi, including routes from Natchez to Brookhaven and from Canton to Memphis, Tenn. The company said it has sold those two segments plus another line to Grenada Railway LLC and Natchez Railway LLC - both non-carrier affiliates of V&S Railway LLC and A&K Railroad Materials Inc. - which are headquartered in Salt Lake City. CN said the deal transfers ownership of 252 miles of track and preserves rail service on the two longest of these rail lines for at least the next two years. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-13-09, from Associated Press report]
FARMRAIL SYSTEM ADDS THREE LOCMOTIVES TO ITS FLEET: Farmrail System Inc. recently added a fourth GP-38AC and two standard GP-38's to its motive-power roster, enlarging the fleet to 22 units. Farmrail plans to either place some older GP-9/10 units in reserve status, lease or sell the units, or use the locomotives as a source for spare parts. The company is also installing electronic event recorders and cameras on locomotives in the primary fleet. Farmrail operates two short lines in Oklahoma that serve an 82-mile line between Weatherford and Erick, and an 89-mile line between Westholm and Elmer. In addition, wholly owned subsidiary Grainbelt Corp. controls a 176-mile line between Enid and Frederick. [Progressive Railroading website report, 5-13-09]
NEW JERSEY ANNOUNCES PATCO EXPANSION: New commuter rail service to link Gloucester County and much of South Jersey to Philadelphia is the centerpiece of a $2-billion mass transportation plan for the region outlined by Governor Corzine and transit officials. Breathing new life into a long-discussed plan to restore rail service from Camden to Glassboro, Corzine promised "whatever it takes, we're going to get this done." The mass transit plan also calls for improved rail service on NJTransit's under-used Atlantic City line, with a passenger stop at PATCO's Woodcrest station in Cherry Hill. [United Transportation Union, 5-12-09, from Philadelphia Inquirer report]
AMTRAK HEAD ENDORSES FREQUENT, RELIABLE SERVICE IN MIDWEST: Introducing ultra-fast passenger trains to the Midwest is less important than the need for more frequent service between cities, reliable schedules that beat the time spent driving and rail connections that permit travel across the United States, Amtrak's chief official said May 11, according to the Chicago Tribune. True high-speed rail clipping along at 200 m.p.h. or faster would be prohibitively expensive to build on the scale needed to serve the U.S., and such systems work best only when the number of stops are limited, Joseph Boardman, president and chief executive officer of Amtrak, told Illinois lawmakers. "It's really not about the speed. It's about reduced travel times and more frequency," he told the Illinois House Railroad Industry Committee. Boardman said plans in the Midwest for trains traveling up to 110 m.p.h. on corridors stretching over nine states make more sense. He said the immediate focus must be on modernizing infrastructure to increase train speeds in the Chicago area. [United Transportation Union, 5-11-09, from Chicago Tribune report]
VERMONT SWITCHES AMTRAK STOP TO CASTLETON: Amtrak will now stop in Castleton, Vt., for the first time in more than 50 years. The Agency of Transportation is switching the Ethan Allen train's daily stop between Rutland and Albany from Fair Haven to Castleton, according to the Rutland Herald. Officials say the state hopes the change will increase ridership from Castleton State College and Lake Bomoseen areas. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-10-09, from Associated Press report]
RAIL FREIGHT TRAFFIC DOWN IN APRIL: Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was down sharply during April 2009 in comparison with April 2008. Carload traffic fell 23.0 percent compared to April 2008. U.S. rail intermodal traffic (which is not included in carloads) fell 17.9 percent. U.S. rail carloadings fell in April 2009 in all 19 major commodity groups tracked by the AAR. [Assn. of American Railroads, 5-7-09]
CSX TO END MAJOR SWITCHING OPERATIONS AT BUFFALO'S FRONTIER YARD: CSX says 132 workers at its Buffalo rail yard will be laid off. The rail company said May 5 that it would end its major switching operations at Frontier Yards by the end of May. CSX says more than 330 workers will continue to be based at the facility. The announcement comes a week after CSX officials told union leaders that about 20 percent of the yard's employees would lose their jobs as the company downsizes because of a decline in shipping volume. About half of the work being done at the Frontier Yards is to be moved to other CSX facilities in western New York. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-6-09, from Associated Press report]
MARC TESTING NEW LOCOMOTIVES: The Maryland Transit Administration will introduce the first of its 26 new diesel locomotives for its MARC commuter train service. The new $100-million fleet is expected to improve the capacity and reliability of service on the MARC lines. Three of the new locomotives are in Maryland and undergoing the final stages of testing, said MTA spokeswoman Jawauna Greene. The first is expected to begin making scheduled runs on the Penn Line about May 18. Unless problems crop up, the other two should be in operation by June 1, she said. [United Transportation Union, 5-6-09, from Baltimore Sun report]
LOCOMOTIVE REPAIR COMPANY IN WASHINGTON STATE TO CLOSE: After repairing and refurbishing locomotives, rail cars and boat engines for more than six decades, Coast Engine and Equipment of Tacoma will shut down in early July. The closure will put 111 mechanics, welders, electricians and other employees out of work, company President David Swanson said. Coast Engine was founded in 1947 to repair marine diesel engines. As that business declined, the company shifted to rail. At its height, Swanson said, it repaired 400 to 600 rail cars and rebuilt 30 to 50 locomotive engines a year. [United Transportation Union, 5-6-09, from Seattle Times report]
VIA RAIL AWARDS CONTRACT TO REHAB PASSENGER CARS: VIA Rail Canada Inc. recently awarded two contracts to Industrial Rail Services Inc. (IRSI) to rehabilitate and improve accessibility on more than 100 passenger cars. Under a $98.9-million contract, IRSI will overhaul 98 VIA Rail passenger cars to extend their life by 20 years and reduce energy consumption by up to 20 percent. Under a separate $5.8-million contract, the supplier will upgrade 21 of VIA Rail's Renaissance cars to improve accessibility. The cars run on the Quebec-to-Toronto segment of VIA Rail's main corridor, and on its overnight route from Montreal to Halifax. The car upgrades are being funded through the Canadian government's Economic Action Plan. [Progressive Railroading website report, 5-5-09]
L.A. UNION STATION CELEBRATES 70 YEARS: Los Angeles' Union Station opened 70 years ago, but speakers at a morning press conference honoring the occasion said that the station is today more vibrant than ever. The station officially opened with a three-day event held May 3-5, 1939. The festivities attracted 1.5 million people, and included a parade that featured steam locomotives running up Main street. When it opened, the $11-million station served 60 trains and roughly 7,000 passengers daily. That number pales in comparison to passenger counts today, with the station serving as a hub for Metro rail service, Metrolink commuter trains, Amtrak and numerous bus lines. The station looks to get even more crowded next month, when Metro's new Eastside Gold Line enters service. Farther in the future, the station is planned as the L.A. terminal for proposed high-speed rail service to the Bay Area. Those who love the rails may wish to make their way to the station this Saturday, May 9, for National Train Day. Festivities feature performances by Chana and Matt Costa, and displays of historic rail equipment. [United Transportation Union, 5-4-09, from blogdowntown website report by Eric Richardson]
AMTRAK PROPOSES ELIMINATING CINCINNATI UNION TERMINAL FROM FUTURE TRAIN PLANS: Amtrak recommends restoring passenger rail service among Ohio's major cities by bypassing the grandest train station left in the state. Getting new passenger trains into Cincinnati's Union Terminal would require extensive capital improvements and add to freight congestion already in the area, according to Amtrak's preliminary study, which recommends building a new train station on the city's riverfront instead. Amtrak's route recommendation is part of a study on what it would take to run 79-mph trains along existing freight tracks connecting Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati. A new train station near the Montgomery Inn restaurant along the Ohio River is the only cost-effective way to serve Cincinnati, Amtrak said. The Indiana & Ohio Railway has a lightly used track at the riverfront, although the site has parking limitations that would need to be resolved. Matt Dietrich, executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, a state agency that hired Amtrak to conduct the study, said he agrees with the findings. It's possible that Union Terminal could be included in long-term plans, he said. But even with major upgrades and a new concourse, the terminal has significant [freight] traffic problems. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-4-09, from Associated Press report]
N.S. LAYS OFF 70 IN COLUMBUS: A continuing drop in rail traffic is leading to further cuts at Buckeye Yard. Norfolk Southern Railroad is temporarily ceasing its operations there May 4, leading to the idling of about 70 workers, said spokesman Rudy Husband. The company will transfer some of the work to Watkins Yard on the South Side. "Basically, we don't have the volume to keep two yards active," Husband said. The idled workers will continue to be paid for 60 days, he said. The new move is in addition to Norfolk Southern's February layoff of 150 Ohio workers, 20 of whom were in Columbus. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-3-09, from Columbus Dispatch website report]
SUNRAIL COMMUTER PROJECT IN FLORIDA REJECTED: A last-gasp attempt to approve the SunRail commuter train failed May 1 in the waning moments of the legislative session, possibly marking the end of the $1.2-billion project that has been five years on the drawing boards. The 16-23 vote on the Senate floor killed the project for this year. The state would have paid CSX more than $600-million for 61.5 miles of track - running between DeLand and Poinciana - as well as improvements to other parts of the company's system. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-2-09, from Orlando Sentinel website report]
MIAMI-DADE TRANSIT LAUNCHES CONSTRUCTION ON AIRPORT EXTENSION: Miami-Dade Transit breaks ground May 1 on a 2.4-mile Metrorail extension from the Earlington Heights station to the Miami Intermodal Center, which is being built next to Miami International Airport. Scheduled to open in 2012, the Metrorail MIC Connector is "the county's most significant construction project since the opening of the original Metrorail system," according to Miami-Dade Transit. The majority of the $526-million line will be funded through a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 2002. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) also will contribute $100 million toward the project. [Progressive Railroading website report, 5-1-09]
K.C.S. REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: Kansas City Southern reported first quarter 2009 revenues of $346.0-million, a decline of 23 percent compared with the first quarter of 2008. Revenues were impacted by a 15 percent decline in volumes. Operating Expenses were $297.5-million, a decline of 19 percent, and the operating ratio was 86 percent compared with 81.5 percent a year ago. [Kansas City Southern, 4-30-09]
N.E.C. SERVICE DISRUPTED BY WATER MAIN BREAK SOUTH OF BALTIMORE: Amtrak and MARC Penn Line service was suspended between D.C. and Baltimore the morning of April 29 because of a water main break in the town of Halethorpe, Md., Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said. Dozens of trains were delayed up and down the East Coast as crews attempt to remove trees, debris and mud that were deposited on the tracks by water, Black said. [United Transportation Union, 4-29-09, from Washington Post website report]
CSX TO CUT 250 WORKERS IN BUFFALO: CSX Transportation has announced plans to sharply curtail operations at its Frontier Yard switching operations and lay off some 250 workers, according to the Buffalo News. A company spokesman would not confirm the number of workers to be laid off. CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan released a brief statement that said, "CSX expects significant reductions at Frontier, but that there are no plans to close the yard at this time. While a small number of reductions will begin immediately, the larger number is not yet determined." [United Transportation Union, 4-28-09, from Buffalo News report]
AMTRAK PRESSING SWINE FLU VIGILANCE: Amtrak says it's working with crew and other employees on identifying and reacting to passengers with possible symptoms of swine flu. The carrier has routes that run close to the U.S.-Mexico border. One of them is the Sunset Limited with service between Los Angeles and New Orleans. Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black says the rail service is taking the issue seriously. He says there's no reason to panic and that Amtrak has procedures in place to manage the situation. [United Transportation Union, 4-28-09, from Associated Press report]
BNSF, CSX LAUNCH EXPEDITED TRAILER SERVICE: BNSF Railway Co. and CSX Intermodal on April 26 launched a transcontinental expedited trailer service between Los Angeles and Atlanta and Orlando. The service will offer customers improved transit times between California and the Southeastern markets, according to the companies. The trailer moves are supported by multiple line and facility expansions completed by BNSF and CSXI last year. [Progressive Railroading website report, 4-27-09]
'YN3' CSX LOCOMOTIVE SCHEME NOW EXCEEDS 'YN2': It took more than seven years, but the number of CSX locomotives sporting the current 'YN3' paint scheme now exceeds those in the earlier 'YN2' scheme. This information on April 27 is according to Robert Michaels of Howell, Michigan, a renowned expert on locomotive paint designs who has diligently kept Bull Sheet readers updated with this type of data for nearly two decades. The YN3 scheme - consisting of a deep blue body with gold nose, tail and trim - was introduced in February 2002. It replaced the so-called 'Bright Future' YN2 paint scheme that had been introduced to CSX locomotives in March 1990 sporting blue and gray colors and a yellow nose. The first locomotive to be painted into the new YN3 scheme was unit 8503. The older YN2 scheme has continued to appear on units having that scheme until such time as they are repainted. Now, with their numbers dwindling, YN2 has been replaced as the predominate YN3 scheme on CSX locomotives.
A YEAR AFTER PROXY FIGHT, TCI DUMPS ITS CSX SHARES: The Children's Investment Fund Management LLP, which waged a high-profile proxy fight with CSX Corp. last year, has sold off all of its shares in the Jacksonville-based railroad company, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The filings show that TCI, a London-based hedge fund, sold 17.8 million shares of CSX stock this week at prices ranging from $28.38 to $30.09 per share. TCI's 17.8 million shares represented a 4.5 percent stake in CSX. TCI and another hedge fund, 3G Capital Partners Ltd., nominated five new members last year to CSX's board of directors, with four of them winning seats on the board after a long battle with CSX management. But TCI has been focused on its own problems this year, with several top executives leaving the company. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-24-09, from Florida Times-Union website report]
UNION PACIFIC REPORTS 1ST QUARTER EARNINGS: Union Pacific Corporation has reported 2009 first quarter net income of $362-million or $0.72 per diluted share, compared to $443-million or $0.85 per diluted share for the first quarter 2008. Diluted earnings per share declined 15 percent to $0.72. Average quarterly diesel fuel prices decreased 47 percent. Operating income totaled $672 million, down 15 percent. Operating ratio was 80.3 percent. [Union Pacific, 4-23-09]
CANADIAN PACIFIC REPORTS 1ST QUARTER EARNINGS: Canadian Pacific Railway Limited announced first-quarter earnings results of $0.39 per share. This is a decrease of 34 per cent from first-quarter 2008 earnings per share of $0.59. Excluding foreign exchange gains and losses on long-term debt and other specified items, earnings per share were $0.34 for first-quarter 2009 compared with $0.75 in 2008, a decrease of 55 per cent. [Canadian Pacific, 4-23-09]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN FURLOUGHS 58 WORKERS AT JUNIATA SHOPS: Norfolk Southern has laid-off 58 workers from the Juniata Locomotive Shops. The move came just a day after company CEO Wick Moorman said he expects train shipping demand to drop to its "worst level" by the end of the current business quarter. Moorman says there is a chance things could improve during the second half of the year, and the workers could be called back once the economy improves. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-23-09, from WRTA website report]
BNSF REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation has reported quarterly earnings of $0.86 per diluted share, which included a $0.19 per share charge related to an unfavorable coal rate case decision and an $0.08 per share loss on unwinding interest rate hedges on debt no longer expected to be issued. This compares to first-quarter 2008 earnings of $1.30 per diluted share. First-quarter 2009 freight revenues decreased $831 million, or 20 percent, to $3.31 billion compared with $4.14 billion in the prior year. [BNSF, 4-23-09]
COLORADO'S SKI TRAIN ENDS AFTER 69 YEARS: The Ski Train that has run between Denver's Union Station and Winter Park for 69 years has come to an end, a spokesman for the Anschutz Co., the owner, has confirmed. The Denver Business Journal reported the equipment has been sold to the Algoma Central Railway Inc., a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway Co., and will no longer operate in Colorado, Anschutz Co. spokesman Jim Monaghan said. He said the train has operated "at a consistent loss" over the past 21 years. "Profitability had never been the controlling issue with the Ski Train," Monaghan added, noting that the train has been operated more as a public amenity than as a money maker. "However, more recently it has faced additional, serious challenges, including escalating costs, particularly liability coverage," he said. He also said there have been operational conflicts with freight train traffic, "substantial uncertainties" posed by planned redevelopment of Union Station, and "long-term impacts resulting from this nation's economic crisis. Regrettably, the Ski Train could no longer be operated under these conditions." The Ski Train was launched by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad in 1940 to serve the newly opened Winter Park ski area. Anschutz's company acquired it in 1988. The train's last run was March 29. [United Transportation Union, 4-22-09, from Denver Business Journal report]
CSX LOCOMOTIVES OVERTURN IN BENNING YARD: The Washington D.C. fire department is working to contain a fuel and chemical spill from two overturned locomotives, the Associated Press reported. Fire department spokesman Billy Hayes says two CSX Corp. locomotives overturned about 11 a.m. April 21 in a rail yard at Benning Road in northeast Washington. Officials say the spill is not affecting area waterways and no injuries have been reported. [United Transportation Union, 4-21-09, from WUSA9 website report]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: For the first quarter of 2009, Norfolk Southern Corporation reported net income of $177 million or $0.47 per diluted share, compared with $291 million, or $0.76 per diluted share for the first quarter of 2008. For first-quarter 2009, railway operating revenues were $1.9-billion, down 22 percent compared with the first-quarter of 2008. Income from railway operations was $383-million. Net income was $177-million. Diluted earnings per share were $0.47. The railway operating ratio was 80.3 percent. [Norfolk Southern, 4-21-09]
CLAUDE MONGEAU NAMED TO SUCCEED HUNTER HARRISON AS HEAD OF C.N.: The father of scheduled and "precision" railroading, and CN's leader for more than six years is stepping down from the company's top post at year's end. Today, CN announced President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison will be succeeded by Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Claude Mongeau on Jan. 1, 2010. Mongeau, 47, has held various senior positions since joining the Class I in 1994, including SVP and CFO, VP-strategic and financial planning, and assistant VP of corporate development. He previously was a partner with Montreal-based management consulting firm Groupe Secor and worked in the business development unit of holding company Imasco Inc. [Progressive Railroading website report, 4-21-09]
C.N. REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: CN has reported its financial and operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2009. Net income was C$424-million, or C$0.90 per diluted share, including three items that generated net positive earnings of C$122-million (C$0.26 per diluted share). Revenues declined four per cent from year-earlier levels to C$1,859-million. Operating expenses declined two per cent to C$1,378-million, driven by lower fuel prices and management's quick response to lower workload. Operating income declined eight per cent to C$481-million, while the operating ratio increased 1.2 points to 74.1 per cent. [Canadian National, 4-20-09]
TRAINS COLLIDE IN GERMANY, 24 INJURED: Twenty-four people were injured, five seriously, when a regional express train crashed into a freight train outside Berlin, a spokesman for the German rail authority said Friday. CNN reported thst the accident happened Thursday evening in the Karow area outside the German capital, the spokesman for Deutsche Bahn said. [United Transportation Union, 4-17-09, from CNN website report]
LONG BEACH, VANCOUVER PORTS ADVANCE MAJOR RAIL PROJECTS: Earlier this week, the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners approved a $750-million terminal renovation project at the Port of Long Beach, Calif., that includes major rail upgrades and air pollution-reducing measures. The port plans to create a single 345-acre terminal by merging two existing facilities and filling in slips to add 51 acres. Meanwhile, the Port of Vancouver USA received word late last month that it would receive $2.5-million in federal stimulus funds for the West Vancouver Freight Access rail project. The $137-million project calls for improving unit train access into the port to reduce congestion in BNSF's Vancouver Yard and along the Class I's north-south mainline by as much as 40 percent. [Progressive Railroading website report, 4-17-09]
CSX EXPECTS FURTHER VOLUME DROP, MORE FURLOUGHS: Railroad operator CSX Corp. said April 15 it predicts double-digit declines in shipping volume to continue through the second quarter, and expects to furlough more employees as a result. The company said in a conference call with analysts that sales will continue to be hurt as demand to ship goods by rail plummets. Railroads face stiff competition from trucking companies that have slashed rates to remain competitive, as well as overall economic weakness. CSX has already furloughed about 2,300 employees in the last year, but executives said that more 'rightsizing' will be needed as business slows further. At the end of March, CSX had about 30,000 employees. [United Transportation Union, 4-15-09, from Associated Press report]
CSX REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: CSX Corp., the No. 3 U.S. railroad, reported first-quarter net income of $246-million or 62 cents per share, down nearly 30 percent from the same quarter in 2008. Revenue in the quarter fell 17 percent to $2.25-billion on a 17 percent decline in freight volumes. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, CSX said that automotive-related freight volumes were down 53 percent, metal products fell 48 percent, lumber declined 25 percent, while phosphates and fertilizers dropped 34 percent. Coal carloads were down 6 percent. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-14-09, from Reuters report]
BNSF EXPLORES ELECTRIFIED TRACK SYSTEM: Converting the freight rail system to electric trains from today's all-diesel operations might seem like a far-off notion, but BNSF Railway Matthew K. Rose is starting to explore this new frontier. If his ideas pan out, BNSF's still-early planning efforts could help produce historic change for North American freight railroads. Rose, BNSF's chairman, president and CEO, told The Journal of Commerce his company is in talks with electrical power line builders about stringing or burying transmission lines in some of BNSF's inter-city rail corridors. With those line-easement leases emerging as a possible new revenue source, BNSF officials are also weighing how to electrify the carrier's mainline track system and asking equipment makers about locomotives that could run both under electric or diesel power. That puts the nation's second-largest railroad in the midst of a power-line building boom to upgrade the electrical grid, and angling to be ready for the time when proposed federal caps on carbon emissions might turn diesel use into a big financial disadvantage. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-13-09, from Journal of Commerce website report]
SOUTH DAKOTA TO IMPROVE THREE RAIL LINES: Gov. Mike Rounds has authorized the South Dakota Transportation Department to enter into agreements to fund $10.7-million in improvements on three state-owned railroad lines. They are the one from Canton to Elk Point, the Huron-to-Yale line, and the Britton line from Aberdeen to Geneseo Junction. The cost of the improvements would be repaid by a $20 per car surcharge on freight hauled on the lines. Although essentially loans, repayment is based on the number of rail cars moving on the lines. No interest will be charged. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-13-09, from Sioux City Journal website report]
AMTRAK JOINS N.Y. METS AT CITI FIELD 'ACELA CLUB': The New York Mets and Amtrak have announced a multi-year marketing and promotional partnership at Citi Field, the Mets' new, world-class home. As part of the partnership, Amtrak gains branding rights to the name-entitled 'Acela Club,' Citi Field's 350-seat restaurant overlooking left field. This multi-tiered, climate-controlled Acela brand centerpiece will provide uninterrupted views of play and showcase a fine-dining experience from Drew Nieporent's Myriad Restaurant Group. Prominent signage will feature Acela branding on the restaurant facade facing into the ballpark. [New York Mets, 4-13-09]
PETER ROGOFF NOMINATED TO HEAD FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION: President Obama has nominated Peter M. Rogoff to succeed James S. Simpson as head of the Federal Transit Administration. Senate confirmation is required. Rogoff served for 22 years on the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee, including 14 years as the Democratic staff director of its transportation subcommittee. Additionally, he was instrumental in the establishment of new user fee regimes to finance expanded security measures following 9/11, and advising policymakers on the operating and capital needs of Amtrak, including the initiation and financing of high-speed Acela service, as well as the financing of dozens of new light rail and bus rapid transit systems across the U.S. [United Transportation Union, 4-9-09, from Metro Magazine report]
ABANDONED RAILROAD TRESTLE IN CHARLESTON, W.VA., BURNS: A portion of an abandoned CSX Transportation trestle on Charleston's West Side burned in an early morning fire. Firefighters raced to the wooden trestle, which has not been used for decades, just after 1 a.m. April 8 only to find the support beams and crossties fully engulfed. The fire was contained to a section of the 4,250-foot long trestle between Main and Grant streets. Firefighters worked for more than an hour trying to douse the flames. Charleston, W.Va., officials had been working with the Friends of the Kanawha Trestle Trail Project on a rail trail for bicycles and pedestrians that would link Charleston to South Charleston via the trestle that spans the Kanawha River. [United Transportation Union, 4-8-09, from Charleston Daily Mail report]
NEW GREYHOUND BUSES HAVE SEATBELTS: For the first time, Greyhound is providing seatbelts on its newest fleet of buses, which began operating several weeks ago. Greyhound officially unveiled the buses, which also feature free wireless internet, power outlets at each seat, and three additional inches of legroom between rows. But it was the seatbelts that may draw the most attention. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been conducting tests on whether it can justify requiring intercity buses to be equipped with seatbelts. A decision likely will be made by mid-year, NHTSA spokesman Rae Tyson said. "Greyhound should be commended for taking that step," he said. The challenge now will be to get passengers to wear the new belts. Eric Wesley, a Greyhound spokesman, said the company would monitor the new buses and their safety features. The goal is to replace over time the entire fleet of buses with the new vehicles, he said. [United Transportation Union, 4-8-09, from Albany Times Union report]
STIMULUS DOLLARS TO FUND AMTRAK STATION UPGRADES IN PENNSYLVANIA, KANSAS: Amtrak stations throughout the country are getting a facelift thanks to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Two states recently announced station improvement plans. Pennsylvania will allocate $9.3-million in stimulus funds to refurbish the 97-year-old Elizabethtown station. Today, more than 80,000 passengers use the station. Meanwhile, the Kansas announced Amtrak has earmarked more than $1-million to improve six stations along the Southwest Chief route. Improvements include adding signage, platform kiosks and wheelchair lifts, and rehabilitating platforms. [Progressive Railroading website report, 4-8-09]
EMD GETS ORDER FOR 25 SD70ACS LOCOMOTIVES FOR SAUDI RAILWAY: Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. has signed a contract with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund Ministry of Finance to manufacture 25 SD70ACS heavy haul diesel electric locomotives for Saudi Railway Company. The units will serve the kingdom's north-south line carrying minerals on about 920 miles of newly-constructed track. Delivery is schedule to begin during the second quarter of 2010. [Railway Age Magazine website report, 4-8-09]
DETROIT MAY DEMOLISH MICHIGAN CENTRAL DEPOT: The Michigan Central Depot - a 17-story hulking reminder of Detroit's past grandeur - could be approaching its end. The city council has passed a resolution seeking emergency demolition of the mostly hollowed-out building just outside the shadow of downtown, while Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. has made it clear that he wants federal stimulus money to bring it to rubble. Both want to force the long-closed train station's owner, Manuel (Matty) Moroun, to pay the city back. Moroun also owns the Ambassador Bridge, which is operated by his Detroit International Bridge Co. Dan Stamper, company president, told The Associated Press the council's demolition plans are not that simple. "The building is on the historical list," Stamper said. "But for that, we would have torn it down some time ago." The building dominates Detroit's southwest skyline and in its heyday had been considered one of the city's most stately structures. Built in 1913, the station was designed by the same architects responsible for New York's Grand Central Terminal. The building was sold in 1985, with passenger carrier Amtrak pulling out three years later. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-7-09, from Associated Press report]
CSX OFFICIAL 'OVERSTATED' CREDENTIALS, COMPANY SAYS: Clarence Gooden, chief commercial officer at CSX Corp., doesn't have the bachelor of arts degree from the University of Georgia claimed in his corporate biography, the company said April 6. A 2006-2007 corporate profile that the railroad operator filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission said that Mr. Gooden has a "B.A." from the school. And numerous executive profiles available on the Internet say he has an "A.B." degree. Mr. Gooden attended the school from the fall of 1970 to the fall of 1973, but there is no record of the university granting him a degree, said Rosemary Segreti of the University of Georgia's registrar's office. CSX Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Ward issued a statement to employees after Dow Jones Newswires alerted CSX officials to the discrepancy. Mr. Ward wrote, "Mr. Gooden's corporate biography states that he has received a college degree from the University of Georgia when, in fact, he has not." For Mr. Gooden's failure to do so, the company has imposed a "substantial financial penalty on him." Mr. Gooden released a statement apologizing to employees. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-6-09, from Wall Street Journal report]
METRO-NORTH PLANS TO OPEN STATION AT YANKEE STADIUM IN MAY: Construction on MTA Metro-North Railroad's new Yankees Station is on schedule and the facility is set to open on May 23, a little more than a month after the Bronx Bombers' season begins. The station will open exactly 24 months after the design-build contract was awarded. The station will become a regular local stop on the Hudson Line. Metro-North will provide additional service to the station on game days, when 10,000 people are expected to use the facility. [Progressive Railroading website report, 4-3-09]
OHIO APPROVES FUNDS FOR 3-C CORRIDOR STUDY: The Ohio State Legislature has approved money to study a statewide passenger rail line between Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Cleveland (the '3-C Corridor') as part of their $9.2-billion transportation budget that was passed April 1. Governor Ted Strickland is expected to sign the bill into law. Ohio has already commissioned Amtrak to study the feasibility of the 260-mile route between Cincinnati and Cleveland, which would run at up to 79-mph on existing rail lines, and serve an estimated six million people. They are awaiting Amtrak's corridor study, which will include projected ridership, revenue, and fare levels. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-3-09]
AMTRAK TRAIN STRIKES TREE IN MISSISSIPPI, ENGINE DERAILS: Authorities say there are no severe injuries after southbound Amtrak train City of New Orleans partially derailed near Osyka in Pike County, Mississippi, April 2. Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said thunderstorms in the area caused a tree to fall on the tracks. The engineer, who complained of back discomfort, was the only person on board to seek medical attention, he said. Amtrak is in the process of sending motor coaches to get the nearly 80 passengers to their Louisiana destinations. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-2-09, from Clarion Ledger website report]
RAIL FREIGHT TRAFFIC DOWN IN MARCH: Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was down during March. U.S. railroads originated 1,082,514 carloads of freight in March 2009, down 17.3 percent from March 2008. U.S. intermodal rail traffic, which consists of trailers and containers on flat cars and is not included in carload figures, totaled 729,033 units in March 2009, down 14.9 percent. Of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR, 18 saw carload declines. [Assn. of American Railroads, 4-2-09]
LONG ISLAND R.R. LAUNCHES CONTEST TO NAME TWO LOCOMOTIVES: LIRR is launching a contest to ask customers to name the two small engines, part of the railroad's celebration of its 175th anniversary in April. Built by General Electric more than 50 years ago, the switching locomotives, known in the railroad industry as 'dinkies,' were retired in 2006. The 150-horsepower, blue-and-yellow engines are being loaned to the Oyster Bay Transit Museum where they will be displayed on a turntable in its yard. The LIRR plans to have a formal naming ceremony when the locomotives are moved to the museum later this year. [United Transportation Union, 4-2-09, from Newsday report]
SPEEDS COULD INCREASE UNDER POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL, BNSF CHIEF TELLS CONGRESS: BNSF Chairman, President & CEO Matthew Rose testified April 1 before the House Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. "Speaking as a freight railroad CEO, it is possible to increase speeds from 79 mph to 90 mph on tracks that both freight and passenger trains use. Upgrades would include the implementation of Positive Train Control," he said. "Track would need to be upgraded from Class IV to Class V track," he added. [Railway Age Magazine website report, 4-2-09]
CPR SELLS MAJORITY STAKE IN DETROIT RIVER TUNNEL: Canadian Pacific Railway said it planned to cut its holding in the key Detroit River Tunnel Partnership, giving a majority ownership to one of the country's biggest pension funds. CPR said it will sell a majority stake in the tunnel which carries CP's rail line from Windsor to Detroit, to Borealis Infrastructure, an investment arm of the big OMERS pension fund. Once the deal, which is subject to regulatory approval, is completed, Borealis would have a majority position in the partnership, while CP retains exclusive operating rights to the tunnel. The deal, which reduces CP's stake to 16.5 percent from 50 percent, will see the railway receive proceeds of C$110 million ($86.9 million) plus additional proceeds of C$22 million based on future freight volume through the tunnel. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-1-09, from Reuters report]
NTSB BLAMES AMTRAK ENGINEER FOR 2007 CHICAGO CRASH: An Amtrak engineer was to blame for a crash in 2007 involving a speeding passenger train and a stopped freight train on Chicago's South Side that injured 71 people, federal safety officials have ruled. The engineer of the Amtrak train failed to correctly heed a signal warning him to slow down and alerting him to the Norfolk Southern freight train stopped ahead, the National Transportation Safety Board found. The NTSB faulted Amtrak for failing to make sure the engineer was trained to understand the different signals used by railroads on the routes over which he operated. Also contributing to the crash was a relief engineer's failure to communicate immediately to the engineer that he had misread the signal, the board concluded at a hearing in Washington. The red-over-yellow signal should have warned the crew to slow to 15 m.p.h. and to be prepared to stop for any trains or obstructions ahead. But the engineer misinterpreted the signal as a "slow-approach," which would have let him operate at a maximum speed of 30 m.p.h. while being prepared to stop at the next signal, the report said.The Amtrak train was headed to Union Station from Grand Rapids, Mich. It was traveling 25 miles an hour faster than the warning signal allowed on Nov. 30, 2007, when it plowed into the rear of the freight train. [United Transportation Union, 4-1-09, from Chicago Tribune report]
AMTRAK TO ADD 2ND CASCADES TRAIN TO B.C. FOR 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS: A second Amtrak Cascades passenger train will travel between Seattle and Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Games, but Canadian border officials are still balking at extending the service in the future. Scott Witt, rail and marine director for the Washington state department of transportation, said details were still being finalized, but the B.C. government has authorized Amtrak to run a second daily train to and from Vancouver during the Olympic period. Witt said the new service is approved to start a few weeks before the Olympics. But the Americans are hoping to convince the B.C. government to allow it to start the service as early as June so it can market the route and boost ridership numbers before the games begin. [United Transportation Union, 4-1-09, from Vancouver Sun report]
STATE FUNDING FOR ADIRONDACK SERVICE APPROVED: Full state operating support was restored for Amtrak's Adirondack service from the Capital Region to Montreal, ensuring the train operates for another year, the president of the Empire State Passengers Association said. The funding was part of the 2009-10 state budget agreed to by New York Governor David Paterson and legislative leaders. Vermont has agreed to continue operating support for the Ethan Allen Express passenger train, scrapping an earlier plan to use a bus to connect Albany and Rutland instead. The two states' actions ensure that Saratoga Springs, which faced the loss of all train service, will continue to have daily connections to New York City, Montreal and Rutland. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-30-09, from Albany Times-Union website report]
LAKE SHORE LIMITED SLEEPER BEING RESTORED TO BOSTON SECTION: The through sleeper on the Boston section of the Lake Shore Limited will be restored effective with train 448's departure from Chicago on April 2 and train 449's departure from Boston on April 4. Through coaches were restored last October. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-27-09]
WASHINGTON METRO OUTLINES PLANS FOR $202-M IN STIMULUS FUNDS: The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) board recently approved a revised list of 29 projects to be funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Now, the agency will sign off on nearly 100 contracts and purchases. The revised list calls for spending less than originally expected on emergency evacuation carts, and eliminates a rail-car inspection and test facility and energy-efficient station lighting. However, WMATA plans to apply for other federal grants for the station lighting. Also included are repairing crumbling platforms, rehabilitating the oldest stretch of track in the rail system, updating train arrival signs on platforms and mezzanines, purchasing heavy-duty track equipment and installing new financial system integration software to improve financial reporting. [Progressive Railroading website report, 3-27-09]
FRED HOUSER DIES, RAILROAD WRITER: Frederick N. Houser Jr., railway technical writer who worked as an associate editor for Railway Age and as editor of Railway Locomotives & Cars from 1955 to 1974, died March 26, 2009, in Stoneboro, Pennsylvania. In addition, he was a contributing editor to the Car Builder's Cyclopedia and author of the Railroad Electrical Section, Student Handbook for Electrical Engineers. He was 84. [Railway Age website report, 3-27-09]
VIRGINIA TO FUND INTERCITY TRAIN SERVICE: Mass transit options should increase by year's end, as Virginia officials finalize an agreement for the first state-funded intercity train service in the state. The Commonwealth Transportation Board has allocated $17.2-million in its six-year transportation plan for a three-year pilot program to run two trains along the corridors of interstates 95 and 81. The trains would travel from Richmond and Lynchburg, respectively, to Washington and on to New York, stopping at some Virginia Railway Express stations and Union Station, said Jennifer Pickett, a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. To begin the service, the state has had to make about $31-million worth of station and rail improvements along the Lynchburg line, which is owned by Norfolk Southern, said Pierce R. Homer, Virginia secretary of transportation. The state is close to completing $131-million in improvements on the Richmond-based line run by CSX Corp. Schedules for the service have not been finalized because they must be coordinated with freight trains, Amtrak and VRE service, Pickett said. Ticket prices will vary based on the route but are likely to follow Amtrak pricing guidelines. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-26-09, from Washington Post website report]
CSX TO TAKE 'ACTIVE ROLE' IN N.Y. HIGH-SPEED RAIL PLAN: CSX has agreed to play an active role in making high-speed rail transportation a reality in New York state, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said March 25. He met with Michael Ward, CSX Corp. chief executive officer, in Washington to discuss the state's new rail master plan and to encourage CSX to be an active partner in the plan. CSX owns the rights of way along the Empire railroad corridor that runs from Buffalo to Schenectady to Albany and Rensselaer and down to New York City. The state's new railroad master plan, unveiled two weeks ago at the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak station, calls for a third rail track along this corridor for a high-speed passenger train that would reach speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Schumer said Ward "indicated a willingness to work with the state so that all parties will benefit from an upgrade to high-speed passenger rail." Ward told Schumer his company was willing to work with the state but noted that the "planning stages are still in their infancy." [United Transportation Union, 3-26-09, from Schenectady Daily Gazette report]
AMTRAK ANNOUNCES STIMULUS PROJECTS: Amtrak has released a list of projects it plans to complete with $1.3-billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Highlights include: replacement of Niantic River movable bridge in Connecticut; return of 21 long-distance cars and 60 Amfleet cars to service from wrecks and storage; ADA upgrades and improvements at nearly 200 stations; construction of an indoor maintenance facility in Seattle; and improvements to Chicago Union Station to better handle winter weather. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-25-09]
V.R.E. BUYING NINE NEW LOCOMOTIVES: Virginia Railway Express is using money from the federal stimulus package to buy new locomotives, according to the Fredericksburg Star. VRE has a $33.1-million order for nine new locomotives from Motive Power Inc. in Boise, Idaho. The locomotives will arrive in fall 2010. [United Transportation Union, 3-25-09, from Fredericksburg Star report]
DICK WEBB DIES, WATCO FOUNDER: Charles R. 'Dick' Webb, Watco Companies Inc. founder, died March 23 in Kansas City, Kansas. He was 70. "At the time of his death, he had led the company to operate 3000 miles of track, 20 short-line railroads, 22 switching locations, 14 mechanical shops, 18 mobile mechanical repair locations and numerous transload and intermodal locations," said Watco Chief Commerical Officer Ed McKechnie. [Railway Age website report, 3-24-09]
JURY DECIDES PAN AM RAILWAYS GUILTY OF COVERUP IN 2006 FUEL SPILL: A jury in Massachusetts has convicted Pan Am Railways company and three of its subsidiaries of failing to report a hazardous waste spill at a rail yard in Ayer. The company was charged with violating the Massachusetts Oil and Hazardous Material Release Prevention Act. Prosecutors said a locomotive spilled hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel at the rail yard in August 2006. Pan Am Railways and its subsidiaries were accused of failing to report the leak to state officials and of attempting to cover it up. A Superior Court jury returned the verdict March 23 after a weeklong trial. Each failure to report a spill is punishable by a $100,000 fine. [United Transportation Union, 3-24-09, from WCBV-TV report]
ACELA RIDERSHIP DROPS 17 PERCENT IN FEBRUARY: Amtrak said ridership on its high-speed Acela train line plummeted 17 percent in February from a year earlier, a fifth straight monthly decline. The number of passengers on the fastest U.S. passenger rail service, running between Boston and Washington, dropped to 226,551. The drop reflects cutbacks in business and consumer spending that contributed to the fastest pace of U.S. economic contraction since 1982 last quarter. [United Transportation Union, 3-23-09, from Bloomberg News report]
NEW E.M.D. POWER FOR SOUTH AFRICA: The GT26CU-3/Class 39-200 is the first new diesel-electric locomotive for South Africa's Transnet Freight Rail in 20 years. The first in an order for 50 units has been rolled out by EMD and Transnet, with the balance scheduled for delivery by the end of the third quarter. [Railway Age website report, 3-23-09]
ROBERT NELSON, 'FATHER OF THE METROLINER,' DIES: Robert A. Nelson, 89, a teacher and transportation authority who pushed for high-speed rail in the Northeast corridor and who was known as "the father of the Metroliner," died March 10 at his home in Springfield. As a member of President Lyndon Johnson's White House Task Force on Transportation Policy, Dr. Nelson maintained that if trains could reduce by an hour the travel time between New York and Washington, a significant number of travelers would choose rail over planes and cars. In 1965, the Johnson White House created the Office of High Speed Ground Transportation, which Dr. Nelson headed for the next four years. He prodded the Pennsylvania Railroad into signing a contract to demonstrate the viability of high-speed trains in the Washington-New York corridor. The first Metroliner demonstration trains began running in 1968. [United Transportation Union, 3-22-09, from Washington Post report]
GREENBRIER RESORT FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY: The posh Greenbrier resort that has housed presidents and royalty in West Virginia has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and signed a deal to sell itself to hotel giant Marriott International. The four-star resort said its owner, CSX Corp., would lend Marriott $50-million to operate the hotel for two years. Marriott would repay the loan and also pay CSX between $60-million and $130-million within seven years. [United Transportation Union, 3-19-09, from Associated Press report]
BNSF, CSX ENHANCE CONTAINER SERVICE TO THE SOUTHEAST: BNSF Railway Company and CSX Intermodal recently expanded their current intermodal container service to include several new locations in the Southeast. BNSF and CSXI will now serve Charleston, S.C.; Savannah, Ga.; and Miami, Orlando and Tampa, Fla., in addition to current eastern hubs at Atlanta, Ga.; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Charlotte, N.C. This expanded service builds upon a 2006 agreement between BNSF and CSXI to provide improved service to customers for shipments between the West Coast, Atlanta and other Southeast destinations. [BNSF, 3-19-09]
COMPUTER CONSULTANT CHARGED WITH STEALING FROM AMTRAK: A federal grand jury has charged a former computer consultant for Amtrak with stealing $72,487 from the national passenger rail agency, the Philadelphia Daily News reports. The charging papers allege that the man, who performed maintenance on Amtrak's computer system in Philadelphia, schemed with a longtime Amtrak employee to manipulate Amtrak's computer-based financial accounting system. The employee, who worked in Amtrak's accounting department, pleaded guilty in September 2008 to stealing more than $74,000 in federal funds from Amtrak. The scheme, which took place between March 2003 and November 2004, permitted the two to add credits to their credit-card accounts which were posted as refunds from Amtrak, the indictment said. [United Transportation Union, 3-18-09, from Philadelphia Daily News report]
JOSEPH SZABO NAMED TO HEAD F.R.A.: President Obama said he wants Joseph C. Szabo, the state legislative director in Illinois for the United Transportation Union, to head the Federal Railroad Administration. The previous FRA administrator, Joseph Boardman, left that post last fall to become president and CEO of Amtrak. Szabo, 51, state lobbyist in Illinois for the United Transportation Union, already serves on the FRA's Rail Safety Advisory Committee that helps the agency develop regulations. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-18-09, from Journal of Commerce website report]
RAILROAD HALL OF FAME AWAITING STUDY: The National Railroad Hall of Fame may not begin attempting to raise serious amounts of private money to develop the project for up to two years, while it pays consultants to complete a "philanthropic feasibility study" and works to raise awareness of the ambitious plan. In the meantime, the NRRHOF will continue to press legislators at the state and federal levels for public funds for the development, which has a tentative price tag of $30-million. If the funding target is reached, the development would be between 32,000 and 40,000 square feet and would create an estimated 420 temporary jobs, according to research conducted by the NRRHOF, and 30 full- and part-time positions. The proposed site for the hall of fame is in Galesburg, Illinois, close to the Amtrak Depot and Colton Park. The group is chaired by Bill Greenwood, the former CEO of the Burlington Northern Railroad, a position from which he retired in 1994. Greenwood, who lives in Dallas, accepted the volunteer position last year. [United Transportation Union, 3-17-09, from Register-Mail report]
RAIL EMPLOYMENT DOWN 2.1 PERCENT IN 12 MONTHS: U.S Class I railroads employed 2.11 percent fewer workers in mid-January 2009 than in mid-January 2008, the Surface Transportation Board reported in new statistics. The biggest decline was in the transportation category, where train and engine employment was down 6.95 percent. [Railway Age website report, 3-17-09]
CSX GOES 'GREEN' IN ILLINOIS: At Chicago's LaSalle Street station March 17, St. Patrick's Day, CSX chief executive Michael Ward - sporting a green tie - unveiled four National Railway Equipment Company-built EPA Tier II-compliant 2100 hp 3GS21B ViroMotive GenSet locomotives. The units, each equipped with three 700-hp Cummins engines and Cattron-Theimig remote control, are assigned to CSX's Barr Yard near Chicago. They join four other GenSets operating in CSX's Rougemere Yard in Michigan. [Railway Age website report, 3-17-09]
AMTRAK GETTING $1.3-B FOR REPAIRS, UPGRADES: Amtrak will receive $1.3-billion from the new economic stimulus law to fix bridges and stations, repair rail cars, upgrade electrical equipment and take care of other long-standing maintenance issues, Vice President Joe Biden said March 13. "We subsidize our highways and airports more than we subsidize Amtrak. So let's get something straight here. Amtrak has not been at the trough. Amtrak has been left out," he said. The list of projects eligible for the funding is being finalized. About 80 projects in the Northeast Corridor are expected to be on that list. Biden released a partial list of projects and their funding levels: $100-million to build a new rail bridge across the Niantic River in Connecticut; $63-million to replace power-supply equipment in Chester, Pa.; and $21-million to restore the Wilmington, Del., train station. Smaller bridge projects in North Jersey could receive more than $1-million each. The stimulus bill isn't the only source of fresh funds for Amtrak. A $410-billion spending bill that Obama signed into law this month contains $550-million to operhate the railroad and nearly $1 billion-for Amtrak's capital projects. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-16-08, from Courier-Post website report]
STIMULUS WILL IMPROVE SEPTA TROLLEYS: SEPTA's problem-plagued trolleys on the subway-surface lines will get more technical upgrades in the next few weeks as the transit agency struggles to fix a flawed automatic control system that has produced chronic delays, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. With $5.2-million in federal stimulus funds, SEPTA will buy new computers to run the "communication-based train control" system, replace speedometers in the trolleys, and rework the electronic system that identifies trolleys as they enter the trolley tunnel in West Philadelphia. [United Transportation Union, 3-16-09, from Philadelphia Inquirer report]
FRANCIS MULVEY NAMED ACTING CHAIR OF S.T.B.: Francis P. Mulvey has been designated Acting Chairman of the agency by President Barack Obama, succeeding former Board Chairman Charles D. Nottingham. Nottingham plans to continue serving as a Member of the Board through the end of a term to expire on December 31, 2010. Mulvey, from Maryland, was nominated as a Member of the Board by President George W. Bush on November 17, 2003, for a four-year term ending December 31, 2007. Prior to joining the Board, Mulvey was Staff Director, Railroad Subcommittee, and Staff Director, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, for the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. [U.S. Surface Transportation Board, 3-16-09]
CLAUDE BRINEGAR DIES, U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY IN 1973: Claude Brinegar, who as U.S. transportation secretary led an overhaul of the railroad industry and pushed for energy conservation in response to the oil crisis of 1973, died March 13. He was 82. President Richard Nixon nominated Brinegar to become the nation's third transportation secretary in late 1972. At the time, Brinegar was a senior vice president at Union Oil Co., where he had worked since 1953. During his tenure as secretary, Brinegar led efforts to overhaul the collapsed Northeastern railroad industry, ultimately resulting in the creation of Conrail Inc. He served as a founding director of Conrail from 1974 to 1975 and joined the board again from 1990 to 1998. He served on the board of CSX Corp., which acquired part of Conrail, until 2002. [United Transportation Union, 3-16-09, from Associated Press report]
NEW GRAND RAPIDS AMTRAK STATION PLANNED: Someday soon, travelers may step off a city bus at the Grand Rapids central station, walk a few steps and board an Amtrak train to Chicago. The budget President Obama signed this week includes nearly $4-million toward the relocation of the Amtrak train station on Market St. The $3.8-million earmarked for the train station would buy land and pay an architect. It will take another $8 million to actually build the station and install new tracks. The state would ask the Federal Railroad Administration for that money. [United Transportation Union, 3-13-09, from WZZM-13 website report]
VIRGINIA BEACH BUYS N.S. RIGHT OF WAY: The city of Virginia Beach, Va., recently signed an agreement with Norfolk Southern to acquire a right of way that's being studied as a possible light-rail route from Norfolk to Virginia Beach. The 10.6-mile rail line, which no longer is in service, runs from the Norfolk city line to Birdneck Road, parallel to Interstate 264. Under the agreement, the city will commit $10-million toward the right-of-way purchase, while Virginia and Hampton Roads Transit will provide $20-million and $5-million, respectively. [Progressive Railroading website report, 3-13-09]
UNION PACIFIC'S FREIGHT SHIPMENTS DOWN 15 PERCENT IN 1ST QUARTER: Freight shipments on Union Pacific Railroad are down 15 percent in the first quarter from last year, a sure sign of the slumping U.S. economy. Rail shipments began declining in the spring of last year, Union Pacific Chairman Jim Young said, with all six of the company's business sectors posting double-digit declines. The railroad began to see traffic drop in the second quarter of 2008, after a record first quarter, then began idling unneeded locomotives and rail cars. Union Pacific has 1,800 locomotives and 48,000 cars in storage awaiting an economic rebound and increased freight shipments. Despite the economic downturn, Union Pacific will spend $2.8 billion on capital expenses this year, much of it for new and refurbished track and other facilities. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-11-09, from Fort Worth Star-Telegram website report]
AMTRAK UNVEILS SPOT TV CAMPAIGN: Amtrak bowed this week a branding campaign on spot TV. Scheduled to air through April, the spot is scheduled to air on network TV-affiliated stations in New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle. From mid-March to April, the spot will air in Orlando and Portland, Ore. The schedule calls for spots in a variety of dayparts including early morning news, prime time, sports programming, late news and late fringe. The TV spot contrasts two groups of children, those mimicking the frustration of traveling by plane and car, and a boy playing with a model train set as it speeds smoothly by on the tracks. The tag line: "The train has arrived indeed. Amtrak. Enjoy the journey." Amtrak is also running in parallel a online and print campaign, created by Images USA, for Acela Express targeting African American and Hispanic consumers. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-11-09, from MediaWeek website report]
N.Y. GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $10.7-B PLAN TO IMPROVE UPSTATE RAIL SERVICE: Gov. David A. Paterson announced a 20-year, $10.7-billion plan to improve the state's freight and passenger rail service. The plan announced March 9 at the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak station includes high-speed passenger train service between Niagara Falls and Albany. Paterson made the announcement surrounded by lawmakers who have been pushing for federal funding for a high-speed rail line. The plan will be partly funded through the state's share of the $9.3-billion set aside in the federal stimulus package for railroad projects across the nation, Paterson said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-10-09, from Associated Press report]
S.T.B. APPROVES JOINT CONTROL OF PAN AM SOUTHERN: The Surface Transportation Board has approved the joint control and ownership of Pan Am Southern LLC (PAS), a new railroad carrier, by the Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NS), Pan Am Railways, Inc. (PARI), and two of PARI's rail subsidiaries, the Boston and Maine Corporation and the Springfield Terminal Railway Company, subject to Board-imposed conditions. In reaching its decision, the Board found that the control transaction, along with its related operational agreements, should produce substantial transportation benefits to the New England region of the United States. PAS will operate approximately 437 miles of track, including an east-west section called the Patriot Corridor between points in New York and Massachusetts, and a north-south section between Vermont and Connecticut. NS has committed to infuse $87.5-million into PAS for infrastructure improvements in order to improve traffic flows and expand capacity. [U.S. Surface Transportation Board, 3-10-09]
CSX NO LONGER WANTS GREENBRIER RESORT, W.VA GOVERNOR SAYS: West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin told The Register-Herald by phone March 5, "CSX doesn't want to be the owners of the Greenbrier resort any longer." He said potential suitors are now lining up for the possible sale of the four-star resort. Resort officials previously said the hotel lost $35-million in 2008 and hundreds of employees were laid off earlier this year due to a decrease in guests. The resort has also been mired in a year-long labor dispute over a new collective bargaining agreement. [United Transportation Union, 3-6-09, from Register-Herald report]
TWO MANAGERS REMOVED BY METROLINK FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS: Two top managers who supervised the train engineer suspected of causing last year's Chatsworth rail crash were ordered off the Metrolink system March 5 after disclosures of repeated and serious safety violations. MORE.. [United Transportation Union, 3-6-09, from Los Angeles Times report]
NTSB FAULTS METROLINK OVERSIGHT: Widespread problems with enforcement of the nation's railroad safety rules and sharp differences over what can be done to prevent accidents have been exposed by the investigation of last year's deadly Metrolink crash in Chatsworth. MORE.. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-4-09, from Los Angeles Times website report]
NORTHSTAR TO BEGIN SERVICE IN NOVEMBER: A ceremonial ground-breaking May 3 was for the Fridley Station, the sixth and final station to be built for phase one of the Northstar Commuter Rail. Five locomotives have already been delivered, with 18 rail cars due next month. Testing and trial runs will start in May, with the regular service this coming November. The 40 mile route starts in Big Lake with other stations located in Elk River, Anoka and Coon Rapids, ending at the Ballpark Station with trains pulling up within feet of the new Twins stadium, offering easy connections to the Hiawatha light rail. [United Transportation Union, 3-4-09, from KARE11-TV website report]
RECESSION SIDETRACKS RAIL CARS BY THE THOUSANDS: The recession has left rail cars parked on sidings, an estimated 200,000 or more nationally, because of a dramatic drop in cargo. Overall freight shipments nationally are down about 15 percent, Tom White of the Association of American Railroads said. There are approximately 1.3 million freight cars on U.S. rails. Union Pacific Railroad, the biggest rail operator in North America, has 48,000 rail cars sitting idle. Burlington Northern Santa Fe, has about 35,000 freight cars in storage and has furloughed about 2,500 workers, spokesman Joe Faust said. Fitch Ratings said in a recent report that the weak U.S. economy would be challenging for freight transportation providers in 2009. But the agency also said that because of a resurgence in the railroad industry during the past five years, the largest railroads were well-positioned to weather a recession. [United Transportation Union, 3-3-09, from Houston Chronicle report]
N.J. TRANSIT UPGRADING RIDGEWOOD STATION: New Jersey Transit recently launched a project aimed at improving Ridgewood Station by making the historic facility fully accessible to passengers with disabilities and more convenient for all riders. The agency will construct a 710-foot-long center island platform and 640-foot-long side platform to replace the three existing low-level platforms. NJ Transit also will add elevators, canopies, stairs, lighting, accessible parking spaces, curb ramps and sidewalks. In addition, the project calls for upgrading restrooms and a ticket window. The project is scheduled to be complete in 2011. Located on NJ Transit's Main Line, Ridgewood Station serves an average of 1,573 passengers each weekday. [Progressive Railroading website report, 3-3-09]
TWO CARS OF AMTRAK TRAIN DERAIL NEAR PALM SPRINGS: Two cars of a nine-car Amtrak train derailed Sunday night [March 1] near Palm Springs, an Amtrak official confirmed. The minor derailment happened at 5:50 p.m. and the cars were re-railed by 10 p.m. according to Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham. One passenger complained of back pain and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, Graham said. No other injuries were reported. The Sunset Limited train, which departed from Los Angeles on Sunday, was bound for New Orleans. The train carried 188 passengers. Ninety-one passengers were bussed to locations in Yuma, Maricopa and Tucson, Arizona, where they will catch connecting trains to their destinations. The remaining passengers were bussed to Los Angeles, as no alternate routes were available, Graham said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-2-09, from Desert Sun website report]
CSX CLOSES FRAMINGHAM SOUTHSIDE RAIL YARD: CSX Corp has shut one of its rail yards in town, ceasing operations at its southernmost train port, which had acted as a hub of car freight for years. In early February, Mazdas and Fords stopped getting delivered to the site, where they previously were loaded onto trucks and hauled to auto dealers throughout New England. Now the CSX unloading operation has moved to a rail yard in East Brookfield, a small town about 12 miles west of Worcester. CSX still has at least two rail yards active in town: North Yard and Nevins Yard. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-2-09, from The MetroWest Daily News website report]
NEW NORFOLK RAIL YARD WILL DOUBLE CONTAINER CAPACITY: A new rail yard at Norfolk International Terminals will double the number of cargo containers the marine terminal can move on and off rail cars each year, the Virginian Pilot reports. Scheduled to open next month, the new Central Rail Yard features six lines of fresh track and a contingent of new equipment. It also is complemented by a new road dedicated to the terminal's shuttle carriers, which carry cargo boxes among ships, storage and train cars. [United Transportation Union, 2-27-09. from Virginian Pilot report]
SHORT-LINE ASSOCIATION STRESSES TAX CREDIT LEGISLATION: Yesterday [Febr.26], American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) members joined more than 300 representatives from other sectors of the rail industry at the Railroad Day on Capitol Hill in Washington. Members of the association stressed the importance of federal funding and assistance for short-line infrastructure improvement projects, such as the Short Line Rehabilitation Tax Credit that's set to expire at year's end. "The stimulus package overlooks the critical role played by private freight railroads in our economy, and the potential economic benefit of investment in freight upgrades," said ASLRRA President Richard Timmons in a prepared statement. [Progressive Railroading website report, 2-27-09]
K.C.S. TO REOPEN HOUSTON RAIL LINE: Kansas City Southern Railway plans to reopen a long-closed 90-mile link southwest of Houston before July. The line between Victoria and Rosenberg will shorten the Texas-Mexico route by 70 miles and enable KCS to avoid using more than 160 miles of heavily-congested Union Pacific track. The dormant line formerly belonged to Southern Pacific, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle. Union Pacific acquired SP a decade ago. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-25-09, from Journal of Commerce website report]
CALTRAIN COMPLETES UPGRADES TO TWO STATIONS: Caltrain has completed a year-long, $35-million project under which the agency increased track capacity, and improved safety and accessibility at both stations in Palo Alto, Calif. At California Avenue Station, Caltrain replaced the center-boarding platform with outside boarding platforms on either side of the tracks, and installed a fence between the train tracks. Pedestrians now can use an underpass to cross platforms. At Palo Alto Station, workers modified the northern-most underpass to meet ADA standards and replaced the existing platforms with new, longer platforms. [Progressive Railroading website report, 2-25-09]
TIM O'TOOLE RESIGNING FROM LONDON UNDERGROUND: Former Conrail CEO Tim O'Toole, who has run the London Underground for six years, announced he is stepping down. As CEO of the London Underground, O'Toole, an attorney, oversaw a multibillion-pound upgrade. It was the largest investment since World War II in the 146-year-old railway, and made in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on city trains in 2005. The railway, which struggled to keep pace with increasing demand, has improved performance since O'Toole took over. [United Transportation Union, 2-25-09, from Bloomberg News report]
TTX RAIL CAR FACILITY IN CALIFORNIA SUSPENDS OPERATIONS: More than 200 employees who converted large railroad freight cars to smaller ones will be looking for work when their factory in Mira Loma, California, suspends operations at the end of the week. The 209 workers are employed by Chicago-based TTX Co., which provides and manages freight rail cars for the major railroads in North America. The 200,000-square-foot Mira Loma shop, called the Calpro Division, has converted 48-foot double-stack cars to standard-sized 40-foot cars, said Sara Lorenzo, TTX's communications director. TTX is owned by the major railroads, which are also the company's largest customers. The loads they carry range from finished products such as automobiles and machinery to materials such as lumber and steel. [United Transportation Union, 2-24-09, from Press Enterprise report]
LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD MARKING 175TH ANNIVERSARY: The Long Island Rail Road is marking its 175th birthday by giving riders Broadway tickets and other prizes. The railroad has announced monthly customer appreciation days with free prize drawings. The LIRR was chartered on April 24, 1834. It has become North America's busiest commuter railroad, carrying more than 87 million riders last year. The LIRR says it is also the oldest railroad still operating under its original name. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-23-09, from Newsday report]
VIRGINIA APPROVES FUNDING FOR NEW LYNCHBURG - WASHINGTON TRAIN: The Commonwealth of Virginia's Transportation Board announced approval of funding for a new train from Lynchburg to Washington, DC. The Lynchburg News and Advance reported that passenger trains were the only part of the state transportation budget that did not get cut. The funding will cover the first three years of operation, during which time the Department of Rail and Public Transportation will evaluate the service's effectiveness and search for a permanent funding source. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 2-20-09]
AAR PRESIDENT SAYS PASSENGER RAIL EXPANSION SHOULD NOT IMPEDE RAIL FREIGHT GROWTH: Freight railroads support efforts to expand passenger-rail service where needed, but such expansion should preserve and provide for freight-rail growth. During the board's Febr.11 hearing on the implementation of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, Ed Hamberger, Association of American Railroads president, urged the STB to take into account the operational realities of the freight-rail system when designing passenger-rail on-time performance metrics. "There are many constraints on the U.S. freight system that need to be factored when deciding what does or does not constitute a delay," said Hamberger. "Many segments of the nation's freight-rail network are today congested due to high volumes of traffic, and such congestion is only going to worsen as future demand for freight transportation skyrockets... When something goes wrong somewhere on the rail network, it often has a cascading effect leading to train delays elsewhere," he said. Hamberger also urged the STB to establish principles used in track or right-of-way mediation proceedings between passenger and freight rail that further the preservation and expansion of freight-rail service. [Progressive Railroading website report, 2-20-09]
LEGISLATORS BLAME CSX FOR MASS BAY COMMUTER TRAIN DELAYS: Citing a surge in late and canceled commuter trains this year, 11 Massachusetts state legislators along the Worcester-to-Boston rail line are calling on freight operator CSX Corp. to help fix the delays. In a letter to CSX, the legislators said while the company that runs the commuter trains is responsible for some delays, CSX also has contributed to the problem by being less responsive to problems on the tracks. CSX owns the tracks and runs freight trains along the same routes. MBCR is admittedly responsible for some delays, lawmakers said in their letter. But both the commuter train operator and the transit authority indicated CSX also has been less cooperative in dealing with track problems. CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said CSX reviews train performance three times a week with MBTA and MBCR and is committed to continued cooperation with the agencies on improvements. CSX was responsible for 23.8 percent of delays in January and 17 percent in December, Sullivan said. [United Transportation Union, 2-19-09, from MetroWest Daily News report]
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY PREDICTS MORE HIGH-SPEED RAIL FUNDS: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has emphasized the administration's long-term commitment to expanding high-speed rail service in "five or six regions" of the country, not just with the $8-billion provided in the economic stimulus package President Obama signed into law last week, but also "in subsequent years a very substantial effort." Meeting with reporters Febr.19, LaHood said that for Obama building high-speed rail networks is, "if not his No. 1 priority, certainly at the top of his list. He added that the administration "is committed to finding the dollars to not only get them started but to finishing them in at least five parts of the country," although he declined to elaborate on where these projects might ultimately be built. [United Transportation Union, 2-19-09, from National Journal website report]
RAIL STOCKS REFLECT GLOBAL ECONOMIC HEALTH: Few sectors are as telling of the health of the broader market and economy as the rail sector is. Economic data such as the gross domestic product or gross national product, available only quarterly, are backward-looking and subject to revisions or tweaks down the road, so they offer little clarity into potential economic growth ahead. The trading action in rail stocks, however, acts as a real-time gauge of import and export demand both domestically and internationally, thus serving as an important economic barometer of the health of the global economy. For example, if per-ton rates and cargo levels per hopper or railcar are high, it's safe to assume that worldwide demand for various commodities are also running high, thus hinting at a robust global growth picture. The rails still have the lowest costs for moving freight of any shipper, and for now, decreased fuel surcharges are bulking up their bottom lines. If the economic recovery plan starts to work, the rails will benefit as volume of freight increases again. [United Transportation Union, 2-19-09, from TheStreet website report]
AMTRAK TRIMS ONE-WAY ACELA FARES: Amtrak is cutting its lowest Acela Express one-way fares up to 25 percent. Passengers who buy their tickets at least 14 days in advance can ride between Boston and New York for as little as $79, down from $93. Or they can ride between New York and Washington, D.C., for as little as $99, down from $133. The sale-priced tickets are nonrefundable, are not eligible for upgrades to first-class accommodations, and must be used for travel between March 3 and June 26. [United Transportation Union, 2-18-09, from Boston Globe report]
CSX DELAYS JACKSONVILLE CONTAINER FACILITY: CSX Corp.'s plan to build a new container transfer facility has been pushed back six months to a year due to the international container trade slump. The terminal, which originally was expected to be open as soon as 2011, would be built near Dames Point to handle containers handled by the newly opened TraPac Container Terminal and Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd. [United Transportation Union, 2-18-09, from Jacksonville Business Journal report]
BNSF ORDERED TO PAY $345-M IN RATE DISPUTE: The Surface Transportation Board has ordered BNSF Railway to pay $345-million in damages and rate relief to two utilities that had challenged rates for hauling coal from mines in Wyoming. The board said it was its single largest award to a captive shipper. Western Fuels Association Inc. and Basin Electric Power Cooperative Inc. had challenged rates charged by BNSF for hauling 8 million tons of coal each year from mines in Wyoming's Powder River Basin to an electric-generating plant in Moba Junction, Wyo. The utility plant is captive to BNSF and provides electricity to grids that serve consumers in Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, the Surface Transportation Board said. The board found the railroad's transportation rates to be unlawfully high and ordered the company to lower the rates by 60 percent. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-18-09, from Dow Jones Newswires report]
RAIL STATION BANS KISSING: Britain's Warrington Bank Quay rail station has banned kissing and passionate embraces at a drop-off point because departing passengers and drivers have been blocking access to the station with vehicles while saying goodbye, the Manchester Evening News reports. "No kissing" signs have been put up as a reminder. Only a quick handshake is now permitted. If lovers insist on puckering-up, the Evening News says, they now have to go to a designated kissing area. Colin Daniels, chief executive of Warrington Chamber of Commerce, first suggested the signs, partly out of fun, but the idea has stuck. "They may seem frivolous, but there is a serious message underneath," he tells the newspaper. "They certainly make our station unique." [United Transportation Union, 2-17-09, from Manchester Evening News website report]
NEW CSX BOARD MEMBER WON'T SEEK REELECTION: After waging a nearly year-long proxy fight to gain a seat on CSX Corp.'s board of directors, the managing partner of the Children's Investment Fund will not seek reelection to the board at this year's annual meeting. Christopher Hohn told the company "this decision resulted from his responsibilities in managing his business interests," the statement said. Hohn was one of four representatives nominated by hedge funds TCI and 3G Capital Partners Ltd. to win election to CSX's 12-member board in 2008. With Hohn not seeking reelection, CSX has decided to reduce the size of its board to 11 members. [United Transportation Union, 2-13-09, from Jacksonville.com report]
TAKING A HARD LINE ON FREIGHT TRAINS THAT DELAY AMTRAK: Freight railroads that cause delays for Amtrak passenger trains using their tracks could be fined under new authority for a U.S. rail oversight board, an official said at a hearing in Washington. The Surface Transportation Board, the regulator of some rail rates, is gaining power to ensure Amtrak trains are punctual under a law passed in October. Chairman Charles Nottingham said the law allows it to levy fines to help meet that goal. Officials want the service, which runs on freight-rail tracks in most parts of the United States, to be on time in 80 percent of trips. Freight-train hindrances and so-called slow orders, where carriers reduce speeds on sections of track, were the main causes of Amtrak delays last year, Amtrak chief operating officer William Crosbie said. "On-time performance of our trains is highly variable," Crosbie told the board at the hearing to discuss the new authority. "We want to make it very clear that the on-time performance of our trains is the linchpin of our success." Amtrak runs 71 percent of its train miles on other railroad lines. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-12-09, from Bloomberg News report]
STATEN ISLAND RAILWAY ACQUIRES FOUR NEW LOCOMOTIVES: Four brand-new diesel locomotives arrived yesterday and were rolled onto the tracks of the 14-mile Staten Island Railway line, the Staten Island Advance reported. At a cost of $1.6-million each, the low-emission locomotives weigh 230,000 pounds and have a lifespan of about 35 years. They will be used to pull work trains for maintenance, including cars that carry the rocks that line the right-of-way. In the fall, they will be used daily to propel work equipment that steam-cleans the rails. [United Transportation Union, 2-10-09, from Staten Island Advance report]
CN, NS ANNOUNCE 'MIDAMERICA CORRIDOR' INITIATIVE: CN and Norfolk Southern Corporation have announced an initiative to create a "MidAmerica Corridor" in which the railroads will share track between Chicago, St. Louis, Kentucky, and Mississippi to establish shorter and faster routes for merchandise and coal traffic moving between the Midwest and Southeast. This initiative, when finalized through definitive agreements, will have three components. First, NS will haul CN freight between Chicago and St. Louis, reducing the distance between these points for CN shipments by 60 miles and providing improved connections to other rail carriers through the St. Louis gateway. Second, NS will use CN's routes between St. Louis and Fulton, Ky., as part of a new, more efficient route from the Midwest to the Southeast, saving more than 50 miles on NS shipments. Third, CN will haul NS freight between Chicago and Fulton, shortening NS's Chicago-to-Birmingham route by almost 100 miles. As part of the MidAmerica Corridor, CN and NS plan to create a new coal gateway at Corinth, Miss., to better link NS-served southeastern utility plants with CN-served Illinois Basin coal producers. A key component of the new initiative is the West Tennessee Railroad between Fulton and Corinth, which will be upgraded to handle heavier shipments and additional rail traffic. [Joint press announcement, 2-10-09]
N.J. TRANSIT TO REPLACE ITS OLDEST TRAIN CARS: N.J. Transit has asked for proposals to replace the old silver-sided Arrow III cars that have been used for decades on the North Jersey Coast, Northeast Corridor and Morris and Essex lines. The agency wants trains on those lines powered by electric motors on each car instead of being hauled by locomotives, as they are now. NJ Transit Executive Director Richard Sarles says the newer style of car is better for high-density rail lines with many stops. The Arrow cars have been in service since the late 1970s on the Northeast Corridor line. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-10-09, from Newsday website report]
CSX TRESTLE IN ALABAMA DESTROYED BY FIRE: Work crews have demolished a train trestle on a CSX main line at Catfish Bayou that burned Febr.7 and materials are being delivered to rebuild it. CSX anticipates a two-week rebuilding period. CSX customers that used the line to ship items like building materials, consumer products and commodities through Mobile are being shifted to other rail lines. The bridge work is expected to affect as many as 18 trains daily in Mobile, according to CSX. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-10-09, from Press-Register website report]
GO TRANSIT ORDERS 20 ADDITIONAL LOCOMOTIVES: Wabtec Corp. says its MotivePower subsidiary has been awarded an $85-million option order to build an additional 20 MPXpress locomotives for GO Transit. The contract follows an original order for 27 locomotives, already delivered. The 20 additional units, to be built at MotivePower's facility in Boise, Idaho, will be delivered beginning late this year. [Railway Age website report, 2-10-09]
SUNSET LIMITED EXCLUDED FROM STIMULUS PLAN: Even if the money allotted for Amtrak is left in the final version of the economic stimulus being debated in Congress, it will not go toward restoring the Sunset Limited route on the Gulf Coast. If approved, the stimulus money must be used for "shovel-ready" projects, said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black. Bringing back the Sunset Limited passenger line would be a long-term undertaking. The line ran from New Orleans to Jacksonville, but the route was ended when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005. "If a decision to restore service to the Gulf Coast is enacted, Amtrak may make an investment, but we do not own the rail line or the stations in that area," Black said. CSX owns the rail line, and the cities own the respective train stops in their locales. The railroad already was discussing whether to discontinue the eastern portion of the Sunset Limited when Hurricane Katrina struck in August 2005. The hurricane allowed Amtrak to suspend, rather than stop, the service. [United Transportation Union, 2-9-09, from News Herald report]
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN SPEAKS AT LAUREL, MD., TRAIN STATION: Vice-President Joe Biden intensified the Obama Administration's call for action on infrastructure investment in a speech given at the Laurel train station on MARC's Camden Line. The Vice President-who was joined by Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood-identified rail as a priority for the administration, and spoke out against Senators who are obstructing the bill over concerns about the size. The Vice-President spoke of thousands of train and commuter stations across the nation which require improvements, and explained that this modernization would create jobs, provide much needed capacity expansion, and be an engine of economic growth for the future. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 2-6-09]
NYC-ATLANTIC CITY TRAIN SERVICE BEGINS: Express train service between New York City and Atlantic starts this morning with the debut of the Atlantic City Express Service. It's a $25-million effort backed by three casinos, as well as the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. The first train leaves Atlantic City at 10 this morning bound for New York's Penn Station. The return trip departs Manhattan at 2:30 p.m., with one stop in Newark before arriving in Atlantic City. The service will operate on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $50 one way for regular seats, and $75 for first class. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-6-09, from Associated Press report]
RAIL TRAFFIC DOWN SHARPLY IN JANUARY: U.S. rail carload traffic fell 17.2 percent (221,426 carloads) to 1,067,548 carloads in the first four weeks of 2009 compared with the first four weeks of 2008, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. U.S. rail intermodal traffic (which is not included in carloads) fell 12.9 percent (116,823 trailers and containers) to 788,115 units in January. Total January volume was estimated at 113.3 billion ton-miles, down 15.9 percent from a year earlier. [Assn. of American Railroads, 2-5-09]
BERKSHIRE BUYS ANOTHER 2.3 MILLION SHARES OF BNSF: Billionaire investor Warren Buffett's company has bought an additional 2.3 million shares of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. stock, increasing its stake to more than 76 million shares. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. controls more than 20 percent of the nation's second-largest railroad. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-2-09, from Associated Press report]
THOMAS CARPER NAMED AMTRAK CHAIRMAN: A former Macomb, Illinois, mayor has been named the chairman of Amtrak's board. Thomas C. Carper has been a director on the national passenger railroad's board since March last year. He was mayor of Macomb from 1991 to 2003. He's also a regional director of an Illinois economic development program. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-31-09, from Associated Press report]
'MISSOURI RIVER RUNNER' NEW NAME FOR TRAINS: Missouri River Runner is the new name for the state-supported Amtrak trains between St. Louis and Kansas City. The name evokes the river that parallels much of the route. It was submitted by Keith Kohler of Glendale, Mo., and it received 2,036 votes, or 37 percent of the votes cast. More than 8,300 name suggestions were entered late last year. [United Transportation Union, 1-29-09, from Kansas City InfoZine report]
FRENCH FRIES NOW FUEL DISNEYLAND'S TRAINS: You can feel a little better about scarfing down those fries at Disneyland. The grease from the frying is going to fuel some of the park's trains. Guests downing chicken nuggets and French fries at Disneyland's Tomorrowland Terrace are no longer just fueling themselves for a day of walking the park. These days, they're also helping fuel the Disney trains. On Jan.28, the five Disneyland Railroad trains that circle a one-mile perimeter of the park began running on cleaner-burning biodiesel made with oil that comes from the resort's restaurants and hotels. Park officials had tried a soybean-based biodiesel starting in 2007, but had to give up on that in November 2008 because of problems storing it underground. [United Transportation Union, 1-29-09, from Orange County Register report]
CSX NEEDS TO IMPROVE INJURY REPORTING, FRA SAYS: After investigating charges that CSX Corp. discourages workers from reporting injuries, the acting administration of the Federal Railroad Administration said in a letter that the railroad "has not made sufficient progress to remediate its culture of harassment and intimidation in connection with injury reporting." Although CSX has responded to the charges, FRA acting administrator Clifford Eby said in a Jan.16 letter to CSX Chairman and CEO Michael Ward that the "response has been inadequate" and the problems have not been corrected. He asked CSX to submit a letter by Jan.30 detailing the steps the company has taken to correct the problem. CSX spokesman Gary Sease told Bloomberg News in an e-mail that the company disagrees with some of the FRA's conclusions and that it will detail the steps it has taken in a response to the FRA. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-28-09, from Florida Times-Union report]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN REPORTS 4-Q EARNINGS: Norfolk Southern Corporation has reported record fourth-quarter 2008 net income of $452-million, an increase of 13 percent compared with $399-million for fourth-quarter the previous year. Diluted earnings per share were $1.21, up 19 percent compared with the $1.02 per diluted share earned in the fourth quarter of 2007. Net income for 2008 was a record $1.7 billion, up 17 percent compared with $1.5 billion for 2007. Diluted earnings per share for 2008 increased 23 percent, or 84 cents, to $4.52. [Norfolk Southern, 1-27-09]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN HIKES DIVIDEND: Norfolk Southern's board of directors hs voted to increase the regular quarterly dividend on the company's common stock by six percent, from 32 to 34 cents per share. The increased dividend is payable on March 10 to stockholders of record on Febr.6. [Norfolk Southern, 1-27-09]
BNSF TO LAY OFF 2,500 IN FIRST QUARTER: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway will reduce its work force by 2,500 employees during the first quarter, company officials have. "The actual number of employees impacted at any location can vary beyond the company's control because train service employees' seniority allows many of them to move around our system when furloughed and replace less senior employees at another location," BNSF spokesman Joe Faust said. The company attributed the move to the slowed economy, saying the furloughs would reduce the company's 41,000 employees by five percent in the coming months. [United Transportation Union, 1-27-09, from Abilene Reporter-News report]
HISTORIANS EXPLORE FORMER NYC RAILROAD TUNNEL IN SYRACUSE: Dennis Connors and his helpers crawled into a hole in a parking lot along Franklin Street last week and came out with some pieces of Syracuse history. Their quest is a buried railroad tunnel left behind in 1936 when a New York Central Railroad depot was demolished at Franklin and West Fayette streets, at the edge of Armory Square. The tunnel, which was filled during demolition, ran from the railroad station to a so-called "train barn" which borders Washington Street. It connected a passenger waiting room and the shed. They found about 30 feet of the remnant just below the parking lot. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-27-09, from Post-Standard website report]
CANADIAN PACIFIC ANNOUNCES 4-Q RESULTS: Canadian Pacific Railway Limited has announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2008 results. Net income was $201-million, down from $342-million in fourth-quarter 2007, and diluted earnings per share were $1.29, down from $2.21 in fourth-quarter 2007. This decrease is primarily due to a future tax benefit that was recorded in fourth-quarter 2007. [Canadian Pacific, 1-27-09]
AUSTIN METRO TO BEGIN MARCH 30: Austin's Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it plans to begin revenue passenger service Monday, March 30, on its 32-mile trip linking the state capital with Leander, Tex., and initially serving seven stations. Two stations are still under construction. Service will commence with seven trips inbound from Leander each weekday morning starting at 5:40, with the last inbound train departing at 8:40 a.m. Seven trips outbound from Austin begin at 3:45 p.m., with the last outbound train departing at 6:45 p.m. Three reverse rush-hour trains will be scheduled for both morning and evening. No weekend service will be offered. Capital Metro cautioned that it could adjust schedules after evaluating real-time practice runs on the line scheduled to begin Feb. 12. [RailwayAge website report, 1-26-09]
LUBBOCK ALLIANCE BUYS 220 ACRES TO EXPAND RAIL PORT: The Lubbock Economic Development Alliance voted Jan.26 to acquire additional land for future development northeast of Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport at a cost of $600,000. The 220-acre tract, which will become an extension to the Lubbock Rail Port industrial park off Interstate 27 at FM 1294, stretches the entire way to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. "We were concerned if we didn't purchase it that someone else would come in and profit at our expense," said Gary Lawrence, CEO. [United Transportation Union, 1-26-09, from Lubbock On Line website report]
MBTA DELAYS BUYING 28 NEW LOCOMOTIVES: The MBTA has halted its effort to buy new locomotives for its commuter rail service, citing its financial problems and an ongoing battle between the two companies that were competing for the contract. The $150-million plan to buy 28 new locomotives is considered an essential step in addressing persistent delays on commuter rail and preventing further problems with the network of older trains that take 70,000 people in and out of Boston every day. The decision to delay the order is one of the most dramatic examples of how the T's funding problems affect its ability to provide reliable service to passengers. Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, said he expects to rebid the project in the coming months. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-24-09, from Boston Globe website report]
ABOUT THE OBAMA TRAIN RIDE: President Obama's decision to kick off his inauguration with a 137-mile trip aboard an Amtrak train was a huge success, with hundreds of thousands of people viewing the historic even, both at rallies and lining the tracks. The ride, which retraced parts of the route taken by Abraham Lincoln on the way to his inauguration in 1861, began Saturday at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station with a small gathering of 200 people who had ties to the Obama campaign. There were events in Wilmington, Delaware, where Vice-President Joe Biden joined the train, and in Baltimore, before arrival at Washington, DC's Union Station. The train itself had four Amtrak cars (including two cafe cars) and two diesel locomotives, plus the Georgia 300, a classically styled railcar from the golden era of train travel. The car has an impressive presidential history, having already carried Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. What was not impressive was Washington Post news reports calling the car a "caboose." The trip took about seven hours, and went without incidents. However, an Inaugural Ball on Tuesday evening at Union Station's Main Hall exacerbated the problems associated with the station trying to handle far more people than Amtrak's current space was designed for. [National Assn of Railroad Passengers, 1-23-09]
LAHOOD CONFIRMED AS TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY: By unanimous voice vote, former Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.) was confirmed by the Senate Jan. 22 as President Obama's transportation secretary. A day earlier, the Senate Commerce Committee enthusiastically recommended the confirmation. LaHood becomes the 16th transportation secretary since DOT was created by Congress in 1967. A listing of his predecessors is found, below. [United Transportation Union, 1-22-09]
BNSF SURPASSES UNION PACIFIC IN SALES: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp passed Union Pacific Corp. last year to become the biggest U.S. railroad by annual sales. Revenue for the year rose 14 percent to $18.02-billion. Union Pacific reported a 10 percent increase to $17.97-billion. Burlington Northern and Union Pacific both boosted profit and sales last year as they raised rates while hauling less freight. With cargo volumes not expected to recover before mid-2009, the companies plan to focus on controlling expenses. [United Transportation Union, 1-22-09, from Bloomberg News report]
UNION PACIFIC 4-Q PROFIT UP 35 PERCENT: Union Pacific Corp. said its fourth-quarter profit jumped 35 percent because the railroad operator spent less on fuel, improved productivity and increased some shipping prices, according to the Associated Press. The company said it had net income of $661-million, or $1.31 per share, up from $491-million, or 93 cents per share, a year ago. The railroad's revenue grew 2 percent, to $4.29-billion in the quarter. [United Transportation Union, 1-22-09, from Associated Press report]
INAUGURAL TRAVEL PROBLEMS MINOR DESPITE HUGE CROWD: Despite an estimate by federal authorities of a record crowd of up to 2 million for President Obama's inauguration and an unprecedented number of Metro, transportation problems were relatively few Tuesday. The coordinated strategy from local and national law-enforcement agencies to close down many of the highways leading into the District as well as all of the bridges across the Potomac from Virginia appeared to pay off Tuesday morning. Many roads, including the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and New York Avenue from Maryland, were clear. By early evening, the bridges began to reopen, and D.C. and Virginia transportation officials reported very few problems. Many Metro stations were packed, with long delays and frustrated passengers. Metro parking lots quickly filled up. The transit agency said 973,285 people had boarded Metrorail as of 7 p.m., setting a new record for the highest ridership day of all time. Metro officials said some delays during the day were caused by riders who blocked doors and caused breakdowns, and the Federal Triangle station was closed unexpectedly for more than four hours due to concerns about overcrowding at the Mall. A woman's fall onto the Metro tracks at about 9:25 a.m. also snarled the subway briefly, but service resumed at 10:15 a.m. at the Chinatown and Metro Center stops. [United Transportation Union, 1-21-09, from Washington Times report]
CSX 4-Q EARNINGS FALL: Railroad operator CSX Corp. said Tuesday (Jan. 20) its fourth-quarter earnings sank 32 percent from a year earlier, mostly due to a sizable writedown on the value of a resort the company owns, according to Forbes Magazine. The company posted net earnings of $247 million, or 63 cents per share, compared with $365 million, or 86 cents per share a year earlier. The 2008 period includes a charge of 27 cents per share related to the money-losing Greenbrier resort the company owns. Excluding the one-time charge, CSX earned 90 cents per share. [United Transportation Union, 1-21-09, from Forbes website report]
GE TRANSPORTATION LAYS OFF 230 WORKERS IN ERIE: GE Transportation says 230 workers in Erie, Pa., will be out of work through March because of a lack of business. The locomotive manufacturer says most of the affected workers have volunteered to take the time off starting Monday until the end of March. The company will re-evaluate those positions then, but the company now expects the workers return to duty. GE Transportation is Erie County's largest employer, with 5,600 workers. [United Transportation Union, 1-16-09, from Associated Press report]
HUDSON RIVER RAIL TUNNEL GETS OK FROM FEDS: The federal government issued final approval Jan.14 for a second commuter rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River, clearing the way for a project transportation officials and lawmakers say will make commuting easier for hundreds of thousands of people. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit and the state of New Jersey already have secured $5.7-billion for the project. The approval, officially known as a "record of decision" by the Federal Transit Administration, allows the agencies to apply for $3-billion in federal funding. The new tunnel would double peak capacity to 48 trains per hour from the current 23 trains per hour. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-15-09, from Star-Ledger website report]
VIRGINIA BEACH TO BUY 10.6-MILE RAIL LINE: The Virginia Beach City Council has agreed to spend $10-million to buy the 10.6-mile Norfolk Southern Corp. right-of-way, the most likely route for a light rail project. Under the plan, the city money would be combined with $10-million in state money and other incentives yet to be finalized. The deal would accelerate debate about bringing light rail to Virginia Beach. Voters rejected it in a 1999 referendum. All members agreed that the city should own the old railroad right-of-way regardless of whether they pursue light rail. "We need to control it," said Vice Mayor Louis Jones, who declined to talk about the details of the deal. "It's a corridor right in the middle of Virginia Beach." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-15-09, from Virginian-Pilot website report]
COALITION UNITES RAIL PASSENGER, FREIGHT INTERESTS: Anticipating a return to U.S. rail expansion under an Obama Administration, numerous rail industry groups Thursday announced their formation of the OneRail Coalition, which they claim "brings passenger and freight rail stakeholder together for the first time." The coalition "will encourage public policies recognizing rail as a critical element of the national transportation system and an essential part of the future economic growth and environmental well-being of the nation," it said in a statement. The initial membership list provides a blend of freight, passenger, infrastructure, and environmental/energy interests. OneRail Coalition says its focus is highlighted by the findings of the 2008 National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission. [Railway Age website report, 1-15-09]
BNSF OFFERS FASTER SHIPPNG OPTIONS FROM PACIFIC NORTHWEST: BNSF Railway Company has announced it is offering an express international container service from the high-capacity ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash., to BNSF's intermodal facilities in Memphis and Chicago. "This express service can cut down transit time by almost a full day, making it one of the fastest intermodal cargo services from the Pacific Northwest to Chicago and Memphis," said the company. In Chicago and Memphis, BNSF offers two of the most advanced intermodal hub facilities in North America. BNSF is in the process of expanding capacity at its Memphis facility, which will soon load and unload containers using five of the largest wide-span cranes in North America. The hubs will also employ automated checkpoints and scalable capacity to create a faster, more reliable and environmentally friendly process for moving trailers and containers between rail and highway. Each aspect of this new express service is designed to move cargo quickly and efficiently in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. [Burlington Northern Santa Fe, 1-15-09]
MICHIGAN TO ADVANCE DETROIT LIGHT-RAIL LINE: Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation that aims to create non-profit entities to build and operate rail lines in the state, and provide financing mechanisms to operate the lines. The legislation will help advance the Regional Area Initial Link (TRAIL), a 3.5-mile light-rail line along Woodward avenue in downtown Detroit. TRAIL would serve as the first corridor in a proposed 406-mile regional transit system. The line would run between Hart Plaza and the New Center. [Progressive Railroading website report, 1-15-09]
CHARLOTTE TRANSIT CHOOSES ALIGNMENT FOR LIGHT-RAIL EXTENSION: After several months of review, the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) has selected a preferred alignment for the LYNX Blue Line light-rail extension. The chosen alignment would run along North Carolina Railroad Co. (NCRR) right of way, a bridge over Sugar Creek Road and enter North Tryon Street, following the road to the University of North Carolina. The corridor would end just south of Interstate 485 at Tryon Street. CATS also studied an option that called for moving the alignment out of NCRR's right of way. [Progressive Railroading website report, 1-15-09]
VANCOUVER ISLAND SHORT-LINE TO CONTINUE OPERATIONS: Short line Southern Railway of Vancouver Island, Ltd., will continue serving its namesake island in British Columbia under a three-year deal reached with the Island Corridor Foundation. The deal includes exploration of expanded freight operations and passenger rail services. Under the deal, British Columbia will conduct a C$500,000 study to weigh the benefits and pitfalls of upgrading the railroad's existing infrastructure. Previous estimates cite C$104 million in capital needs to return the railroad to a state of good repair. [Railway Age website report, 1-14-09]
CONNECTICUT AT ODDS WITH AMTRAK OVER COMMUTER ROUTE PLAN: Despite acknowledging that a frustrating impasse with Amtrak has stalled plans for a New Haven-to-Springfield commuter rail line, the state's transportation chief said he's not ready to ask Connecticut's congressional delegation to step in - yet. "We're hoping that with a new president at Amtrak, they'll be more responsive to our requests," transportation Commissioner Joseph Marie told the General Assembly's transportation committee. "We'll know soon enough. They haven't been that forthcoming thus far." Advocates consider the Tri-City Connector project through Hartford as the top priority for expanding the state's transit system, but it has been stalled for months as the DOT and Amtrak discuss who would pay for refurbishing the Amtrak rails and bridges on the route. Marie's agency is still considering four different ways to create the new service, but can't put together budgets until it knows what infrastructure upgrades would cost. Plans range from a modest four round-trips a day with no new trains and only minor rail construction to a far grander-scale operation featuring service every 15 minutes at rush hour, a new fleet of trains and installation of a second set of tracks along the route. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-13-09, from Hartford Courant website report]
HEDGE FUNDS AGREE TO PAY CSX $11-M: Railroad operator CSX moved closer to collecting $11-million from two hedge funds that successfully fought to get four directors on the CSX board last year. The company said a federal court in New York gave preliminary approval to a settlement to end a shareholder lawsuit. Before it becomes final and the rail company collects the cash, the court will hold a March 5 hearing. But already The Children's Investment Fund has agreed to pay $10 million and 3G Capital Partners another $1 million, so that a case filed by shareholder Deborah Donoghue never goes to trial. Last June a federal judge had ruled that TCI and 3G became "beneficial owners" of a considerable percentage of CSX stock beyond their direct purchases, either through swap agreements on shares or through their joint membership in a group under securities law. The funds have appealed that ruling, and even in the settlement they said CSX's legal theory that prompted the ruling "is hotly contested." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-12-09, from Traffic World website report]
COLORADO DENIES FORT MORGAN DEPOT GRANT REQUEST: The city of Fort Morgan's request for a $100,000 grant to renovate its old railroad depot into an intermodal facility serving bus lines and Amtrak has been denied. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) developed a list of 116 projects representing $1.16 billion in construction. Only 16 projects were recommended for federal stimulus funding. The city had submitted the grant request jointly with Amtrak, said Pat Merrill, city manager. The Fort Morgan Amtrak stop serves about seven passengers a day. [United Transportation Union, 1-12-09, from Fort Morgan Times report]
U.S. ISSUES FINAL TANK CAR HAZMAT SAFETY RULE: The U.S. Department of Transportation has issuing a final rule improving the safety of rail tank cars that carry poisonous by inhalation materials. The improvements increase rail hazmat tank car crashworthiness over existing design standards. The final rule establishes interim design standards requiring a combination of thicker outer jackets and/or inner shells, new safety features to protect the valves, fittings and nozzles, and a maximum operating speed, among other provisions. The new standards apply to affected tank cars built on or after March 16, 2009, and to certain tank cars currently in service that already conform to the interim standard. [U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 1-12-09]
HACKENSACK TRAIN STATION DESTROYED BY FIRE: One of New Jersey's oldest train stations has been destroyed by fire. The Anderson Street rail station in Hackensack was built in 1869 and placed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places in 1984. Fire officials are investigating why the building became engulfed in flames early Saturday morning [Jan.10]. [United Transportation Union, 1-11-09, from Newsday report]
U.S. RAIL FREIGHT TRAFFIC DOWN IN 2008: Last year, U.S. freight railroads originated 16,572,709 carloads (down 380,885 carloads, or 2.2 percent), while intermodal originations were 11,517,240 trailers and containers (down 509,391 units, or 4.2 percent), the Association of American Railroads has reported. Combined U.S. carloads and intermodal units in 2008 were 28.09 million, the fourth-highest such total in history (behind 2005, 2006, and 2007). In the fourth quarter of 2008, U.S. carloads totaled 3,895,821, down 8.2 percent (349,006 carloads) from 2007, while intermodal loadings (which are not included in carload figures) totaled 2,770,609 trailers and containers, down 231,389 units (7.7 percent). [Assn. of American Railroads, 1-9-09]
CHARLOTTE-ATLANTA HIGH-SPEED RAIL STUDY COMPLETED: on constructing a high speed rail link between Charlotte and Atlanta. Georgia Transportation Commissioner Gena Evans said, "This effort supports our shared belief that we must seriously consider-and plan for-transportation alternatives in these rapidly developing areas." This project would be an extension of the proposed Washington-Charlotte high speed rail corridor. The study concluded that high speed rail is feasible and that more detailed analysis should continue. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-9-09]
CHINA TO INCREASE STAKE IN HIGH-SPEED RAIL: The Chinese Minister of Railways, Liu Zhijun, announced a plan to spend 600-billion yuan ($87.9-billion) in 2009 as part of a larger 4-trillion yuan package announced by the government earlier in the year. This would almost double China's 2008 rail outlay of 330-billion yuan. Mr. Liu announced that it will finance 5,148 km on new rail, five high-speed lines dedicated to passenger service which will begin operation next year, and the initial phase of 70 other assorted projects. Mr. Liu cited the pressing demand for increased passenger rail capacity among the public. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-9-09]
GERMANY TO BUY 800 DOUBLE-DECKER PASSENGER RAIL CARS: Germany's Deutsche Bahn (DB) agreed on a $2.1-billion (US) deal with Bombardier Inc to purchase 800 double-decker railcars, announced the Canadian manufacturing company on January 5th. It will be DB's largest ever framework agreement for rolling stock, and it will allow the 14-year-old company-formed from the national rail sector during the reunification of East and West Germany-to be competitive when it begins bidding on local rail service later this year. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-9-09]
BNSF SETS POWDER RIVER COAL RECORD: Last year, BNSF Railway Co. loaded 274.7 million tons of coal in the Powder River Basin (PRB), setting a new annual record. The railroad beat the previous high-water mark reached in 2007 by 2.2 percent. Daily train loadings in the PRB last year averaged 51.5, more than one train ahead of 2007's 50.2 trains-per-day pace. [Progressive Railroading website report, 1-9-09]
AMTRAK ADDS TRAINS FOR INAUGURATION DAY: Automobile traffic will be diverted with bridges closed. But from Amtrak, there's a bit of good news about Inauguration Day travel. Amtrak says that it has increased the number of trains running to Washington on January 20, and that tickets are still available. Space is limited and travelers are encouraged to purchase tickets soon. All Amtrak trains in the Northeast require reservations and ticket purchases before boarding. Amtrak has some advice for those coming to DC by train: When purchasing a ticket to DC, also buy your return ticket; tickets will be on sale at Washington's Union Station, but the counter will be crowded. Take advantage of restroom facilities on-board the trains; Amtrak will provide additional portable facilities at Union Station, but there may be lines. Remember that there are no storage lockers at Union Station. Pay attention to the weather and dress appropriately. Have patience. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-8-09, from CNN website report]
RAIL ANTITRUST BILLS REINTRODUCED: U.S. Senator Herb Kohl and Representative Tammy Baldwin, both Wisconsin Democrats, unveiled legislation to repeal antitrust exemptions protecting freight railroads from competition. The legislation mirrors similar failed attempts in the 110th Congress. Kohl and Baldwin say only four major Class I railroads carry 90 percent of the nation's freight, resulting often in unreliable service and exorbitant fees. Their measure, titled The Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act, responds directly to concerns that freight railroads are abusing their dominant market power and raising rates for those who rely on them to ship dozens of vital commodities, including coal and agricultural products. The bill has been introduced in the Senate and House and would result in placing the rail industry under the same antitrust laws that apply to other industries, including trucking, aviation, telecommunications and energy. [United Transportation Union, 1-8-09, from Wisconsin Ag Connection report]
U.P. FURLOUGHS HUNDREDS IN NORTH PLATTE: Union Pacific Railroad announced Jan.8 it is temporarily laying off hundreds of employees. In the North Platte area, about 231 workers will be off the job, television station KNOP-TV reported. UP officials said this is a direct result of the fallout from the auto industry. GM is one of UP's biggest customers. There is no word on how long the layoffs will last. [United Transportation Union, 1-8-09, from KNOP-TV website report]
LONG ISLAND R.R. HAS RECORD ON-TIME PERFORMANCE: The Long Island Rail Road operated 245,933 trains in 2008, and 95.14 percent of them were on-time - the best record achieved since LIRR began measuring the punctuality of North America's biggest commuter rail operation 30 years ago. It exceeded the previous record of 94.07 percent set in 2007. [Railway Age website report, 1-8-09]
NEW JERSEY PICKS PREFERRED PATCO ROUTE: New Jersey's Office of Smart Growth says it's recommending an existing rail right-of-way over two other alternatives to provide passenger rail service to Gloucester City and Glassboro, as part of a proposed PATCO extension linking the New Jersey locations to Philadelphia. OSG chose the route because the rail right-of-way better serves existing municipal centers and avoids placing passenger rail within highway medians, easing the need for increased auto use to access such routes. OSG's selection of a specific route, dubbed NJ-3, also leaves unresolved the type of rail service to be deployed. [Railway Age website report, 1-8-09]
AMTRAK PHOTO CONTEST PARTICIPANT ARRESTED BY AMTRAK POLICE: When photographer Duane Kerzic first heard about Amtrak's "Picture our Trains" photo contest, he never imagined that Amtrak police at New York's Penn Station would confuse his picture-taking for suspicious activity and arrest him. Kerzic was charged with trespassing after refusing to delete the photos of the trains from his camera. Kerzic has also composed a detailed account of his arrest and he says he'd like criminal charges to be filed against the arresting officer. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-6-09, from Gadling.com report by Aaron Hotfelder]
CSX RAIL CLEANUP CONTINUES FOLLOWING FLORIDA DERAILMENT: Efforts continued Jan.5 to mop up 23,000 gallons of petroleum that leaked from a damaged tanker car in a CSX train derailment near Milton, Florida, on Jan.3. About 8,000 gallons of petroleum have been recovered, said Gary Sease, a CSX spokesman. The derailment occurred about 6:20 a.m. Saturday near a passing siding. All six of the train's engines and 13 of its 46 cars left the rails, spilling the petroleum and the contents of a car carrying wine. Primary rail traffic was restored Sunday. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-6-09, from Pensacola News Journal website report]
AMTRAK BUYING CREDIT CARD READERS FOR CONDUCTORS: Stressing that on-board ticket purchases comprise a small fraction of its customer revenue, Amtrak has announced it nonetheless plans to acquire 2,000 credit-card readers for conductors to use to sell tickets. The readers will aid conductors handling customers boarding at locations without a ticket agent or ticket machines, Amtrak said. At present, conductors assisting such passengers must process credit card purchases manually and without online authorization. Amtrak still will require most passengers to have a ticket before boarding a train. And onboard purchases will not be accepted for reservation-only trains, such as Acela service. [Railway Age website report, 1-6-09]
CLAIBORNE PELL DIES, PASSENGER RAIL ADVOCATE: Claiborne Pell, a Rhode Island Democrat who served in the U.S. Senate for 36 years and is credited with helping to usher in a whole new generation of modern passenger trains, died at his Newport, R.I., home on Jan.1. Pell is best known to the public at large as the creator of a 1973 program -"the Pell grants"- that has helped 54 million low-and moderate-income students attend college. To rail partisans, he is known for giving a critical push to development of high speed train service in the Northeast Corridor. [Railway Age website report, 1-5-09]
CSX HIRES FIRM TO CONSIDER GREENBRIER OPTIONS: The Greenbrier's owner has hired New York investment banking giant Goldman Sachs & Co. to help determine what to do with the money-losing luxury resort. CSX Corp. says Goldman will consider options for making The Greenbrier a viable business entity in a statement released Friday. Typically, hiring an investment banking firm signals a potential sale, but CSX spokesman Gary Sease would say only that the railroad operator is considering all options for the resort. CSX says The Greenbrier lost $35-million in 2008, and faces more trouble this year because market for luxury accommodations is shrinking with the slowing economy. Separately, CSX says it's promoted general manager Michael Gordon to president and managing director of The Greenbrier. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-2-09, from Associated Press report]
F.R.A. TO REVISE LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER CERTIFICATION RULE: The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) proposes to revise a regulation governing locomotive engineer qualification and certification. The revision would prohibit a railroad from reclassifying a worker's locomotive engineer certificate to a more restrictive class while a certificate is still valid, but permit a railroad to place any appropriate restrictions on an engineer. The FRA also proposes to clarify that the revocation of an engineer's certificate can only occur for the reasons specified in the regulation. In addition, the revision would require each railroad to identify actions to be taken if a person fails a skills performance test, or the railroad finds deficiencies with an engineer's performance during an operational monitoring observation or unannounced compliance test. [Progressive Railroading website report, 1-2-09]
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