Newswire
BNSF LOGISTICS RATES AS ONE OF THE TOP LOGISTICS PROVIDERS: BNSF Logistics LLC. has been rated as one of the top logistics providers in Inbound Logistics' annual "Top Ten 3PL Excellence Award" survey. The overall rankings were based upon excellence in more than 20 different categories, including integrated logistics, process re-engineering, consulting and import, export and customs capabilities, among others. The survey's participants, part of Inbound Logistics' readership of more than 200,000 logistics professionals, included senior managers as well as logistics, transportation, supply chain and purchasing professionals in businesses that currently use third-party logistics services. Inbound Logistics is a leading monthly magazine for business logistics managers. For more than 20 years it has covered information on sourcing, logistics and transportation. [BNSF Today, 7-30-04]
WHITE HOUSE OK'S $2-B TOWARD N.Y. RAIL-LINK PROJECT: "The White House has agreed to let New York use $2-billion in September 11 aid to help build a $6-billion rail link connecting the World Trade Center site to the Long Island Rail Road and Kennedy International Airport," according to the July 30 New York Times. The project, set for 2013 completion, would use existing AirTrain tracks at Kennedy, run to Jamaica on a viaduct in the middle of the Van Wyck Expressway, and be carried to the LIRR tracks towards Brooklyn. The three-mile tunnel under Brooklyn and the East River would begin just before Brooklyn's Atlantic Terminal. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 7-30-04]
HOUSE COMMITTEE STRIPS $40-M FROM N.Y. PENN STATION PROJECT: A House committee has quietly stripped away $40-million intended to pay for moving Pennsylvania Station's train service into the historic James A. Farley post office building, allotting the money instead to the East Side Access project. The federal funding, which has sat unused for several years while officials worked to build up a train station in the historic Farley building across Eighth Avenue, was originally obtained by the late Democratic Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Moynihan worked for years to create a huge rail hub inside a more architecturally impressive building than the basement under Madison Square Garden, where Penn Station is now located. The money instead would go to building a rail link connecting the Long Island Rail Road to Grand Central Terminal, a plan usually referred to as East Side Access. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-29-04, from report by Devlin Barrett circulated by Associated Press]
COVINGTON, KY, WANTS CSX BRIDGE FIXED: CSX Transportation has violated the city's nuisance code and must come up with a plan by November 10 to fix a railroad bridge that has deteriorated for decades, the city's code enforcement board has ruled. The delay gives CSX time to submit its own engineer's report on the structural integrity of the bridge. Fed up with CSX Transportation's failure to respond to years of complaints about the railroad bridge along 15th Street, city officials said they were left with no choice but to cite the railroad last month. A state transportation employee wrote in a July 8 memo to the city that the state's most recent inspection in July 2002 found that some ballast on the bridge rail could fall, all the drain pipes are broken, paint is peeling and there's moderate to heavy rusting. CSX attorney Rod Payne told the board that federal law pre-empts Covington's local ordinance and prevents the city from abating the violation or fining the railroad for failing to fix the problems that resulted in the local citation. He said the courts have overturned three or four cases in which cities tried to enforce local public nuisance laws against the railroad. "They've all been overturned because the courts have fundamentally held that to enforce such a statute against a railroad is in violation of interstate commerce, and it's something that's pre-empted by federal law," Payne said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-29-04, from article by Cindy Schroeder posted on the Cincinnati Enquirer website]
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN REPORTS STRONG 2-Q RESULTS: Kansas City Southern reported consolidated net income of $ 9.2-million, or $0.11 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2004, compared to a net loss of $0.5-million, or ($0.03) per diluted share for the second quarter of 2003. The results were driven by The Kansas City Southern Railway Company's (KCSR) and Grupo Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana, S.A. de C.V.'s (Grupo TFM) improved operating and financial results. Second quarter revenues for KCSR were $152.9-million, an increase of $8.3-million (5.7 percent) over second quarter 2003. Four of KCSR's five commodity groups posted substantial quarter-over-quarter revenue increases. Overall yields also increased, led by Agriculture & Minerals which posted a 6.2 percent yield gain. [Kansas City Southern, 7-29-04]
CSX REPORTS 2-Q EARNINGS: CSX Corporation on July 28 reported its financial results for the second quarter of 2004.
Michael J. Ward, CSX chairman and chief executive officer said, "This is the third quarter in a row that we've delivered record-setting Surface Transportation revenue, reflecting strong economic growth and high transportation demand. "We are taking actions to improve our service and deliver more to the bottom line. Our management restructuring and organizational streamlining is now complete. We're adding operating resources to meet continued, expected demand. Our network redesign is underway to improve efficiency and reduce car miles and terminal handlings. Together, these efforts will improve the productivity of our operations, while generating the service our customers deserve and the financial results each of us expect." [CSX, 7-28-04]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN SETS RECORDS IN SECOND-QUARTER: For the second quarter of 2004, Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) reported net income of $213-million, or $0.54 per diluted share, an increase of 55 percent, compared with $137-million, or $0.35 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2003. Second-quarter operating revenues of $1.8-billion were the highest of any quarter in Norfolk Southern's history and improved 11 percent compared with $1.6-billion in the second quarter of 2003. The operating ratio for the quarter was 5 percentage points better at 76.6 percent compared to the same period last year. "Norfolk Southern's strong second-quarter results were driven by increased business volumes, effective expense controls and operating execution that is allowing us to deliver a higher quality, higher value service," said David R. Goode, chairman, president and chief executive officer. "We continue to add train and engine crews, and they, along with the entire Thoroughbred team, are helping Norfolk Southern handle the strongest business growth we have seen in years." For the first six months, income from continuing operations before accounting changes was $371-million, or $0.94 per diluted share, an increase of 67 percent compared with last year's $222-million, or $0.57 per diluted share. Reported net income for the first half of 2003 was $346-million, or $0.89 per diluted share, which included a $114-million, or $0.29 per diluted share, gain due to a required industry-wide accounting change to account for the cost of removing railroad crossties, and a gain of $10-million, or $0.03 per diluted share, from discontinued motor carrier operations. Railway operating revenues for the first half of 2004 set a six-month record, increasing 10 percent to $3.5-billion compared with $3.2-billion for the same period a year earlier. The railway operating ratio for the first six months also improved 5 percentage points to 78.0 percent compared with 83.4 in the first half of 2003. [Norfolk Southern, 7-28-04]
RAIL FREIGHT CAR ORDERS CONTINUE TO SURGE: Orders for new rail freight cars continued to rise during the second quarter, according to data from the American Railway Car Institute Committee of the Railway Supply Institute. According to ARCI, orders were placed for 19,770 new freight cars during the quarter, up 18.4 percent from the second quarter a year ago and up 10 percent compared with the first quarter. This was the most equipment ordered in any quarter since the second quarter of 1998. Orders were driven by increasing demand for covered hoppers, and flat, tank and box cars. Second quarter deliveries of 10,071 new freight cars were up 37 percent from the second quarter last year. The backlog of cars on order but undelivered totaled 51,446 cars at the end of the second quarter. This was up 54 percent from the second quarter a year ago and was the highest it's been since the first quarter of 1999. [BNSF Today, 7-26-04]
CSX LOOKS AT ROLLING OUT OF SOUTH FLORIDA: CSX Corp., the Jacksonville-based rail operator and transportation giant, is considering a departure from the South Florida market. "We will confirm discussions are going on at the highest level," South Florida Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Joe Giulietti said through a spokeswoman. If CSX pulls out and puts the operating rights to its Orlando-Miami route up for sale, questions arise about who may step in and vie for that short line, how the changes could impact the Regional Transportation Authority, and whether a regional railroad like Florida East Coast Railway or short line operator RailAmerica would be interested in acquiring those rights. It could also figure into a study about putting passenger service on the FEC line, which runs through the downtowns of major coastal cities, and potentially shifting more freight traffic onto the other tracks. FEC spokesman Husein Cumber declined to address whether the company is involved in the CSX discussions or if it is interested in operating the short line. But FEC and CSX Intermodal - the integration of truck and rail service - work closely together, he said. "CSX Intermodal is one of FEC's most important customers and we value that business relationship," he said. The corridor CSX runs on is the same one used by the Tri-Rail commuter line. As far as freight, automobiles are typically hauled south, while rock from Miami-Dade County quarries goes north. The state owns the land under the tracks from a purchase it made in the 1980s. FEC also moves freight and rock on its line to the east, which runs parallel with the CSX line up to West Palm Beach, before the CSX line turns toward Orlando and FEC's snakes up the coast. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-25-04, from story by Alexis Muellner on the South Florida Business Journal website]
BNSF RAISES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND BY TWO CENTS A SHARE: Directors of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation (NYSE:BNI) voted July 22 to increase BNSF's next quarterly dividend by 13 percent, from 15 cents to 17 cents per share on outstanding common stock. This represents an annualized 68 cents per share dividend. The dividend of 17 cents per share on common stock will be paid October 1, 2004, to shareholders of record September 10, 2004. Common shares outstanding on June 30, 2004, totaled approximately 372 million. [BNSF, 7-22-04]
UNION PACIFIC REPORTS LOWER 2-Q EARNINGS: Union Pacific Corporation today [July 22] reported second quarter 2004 income from continuing operations of $158-million, or $.60 per diluted share. This compares to income from continuing operations of $275-million, or $1.05 per diluted share reported in the second quarter of 2003. Operating income during the second quarter of 2004 was $359-million, compared to $583-million in the second quarter of 2003. "Our quarterly operating revenues topped the $3 billion mark for the first time ever in the history of the Railroad," said Dick Davidson, chairman and chief executive officer. "In fact, this is the fourth consecutive quarter of record volumes. Despite these records, revenues could have been even stronger given this unprecedented level of demand. Although our service metrics have stabilized, we have not yet seen the operating improvement necessary to reduce costs or drive stronger revenue growth. In addition, record high fuel prices inflated costs. Because of these factors, we were unable to convert our record revenue to the bottom line." [Union Pacific, 7-22-04]
UNION PACIFIC TO SELL 240-ACRE RAIL YARD IN SACRAMENTO: Union Pacific Railroad Company and Millennia Sacramento, III, LLC today [July 22] announced that they have signed an agreement for the sale and purchase of the 240-acre downtown Sacramento Railyards. Completion of the transaction is expected to occur by the end of 2004 and remains subject to Union Pacific board approval as well as the resolution of various strategic issues and arrangements with other parties, including public participation in the project. [Joint news release, 7-22-04]
AMTRAK GETS $145-M BOOST IN PENNSYLVANIA: Amtrak passengers from Philadelphia to Harrisburg could enjoy a high-speed, smoother ride by the fall of 2006, the result of a $145-million project announced by Amtrak president David L. Gunn and Gov. Rendell, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation each are to pay half the cost to smooth out the track between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, replace signals, upgrade seldom-used power lines, and reverse decades of neglect on the once-grand Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The route connects Amtrak's northeast corridor to some of the fastest-growing areas of Pennsylvania, running parallel to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and Route 30. Last year, the line carried about 700,000 riders. This time, PennDot is pledging $100-million - more than its agreed-upon share of the cost - in an attempt to ensure that the project will be completed even if Congress' funding does fall short. The project likely will need PennDot's extra support, judging by the bleak response last week as Amtrak requested $1.6-billion for fiscal 2005. [United Transportation Union, 7-21-04, from item in Philadelphia Inquirer]
CN 2-Q NET RISES 34 PCT: Canadian National Railway Co., which has the highest profit margins among North American railroads, said earnings in the second quarter rose 34 percent, boosted by higher grain shipments. Net income climbed to C$326-million ($248.7-million), or C$1.13 a share, from C$244-million, or 85 Canadian cents, in the year-earlier period, Canadian National said in a statement. Revenue increased 14 percent to C$1.67-billion as grain revenue rose 45 percent. Profit before taxes and interest rose 32 percent to C$575-million, or 34.5 cents per dollar of sales. Canadian National, the first major North American railway to report quarterly results, was 35 percent more efficient than second-ranked Norfolk Southern Corp. in the first quarter, based on a comparison of pretax profit margins. Canadian National, based in Montreal, kept 27.5 cents of each dollar of sales in the first quarter, compared with Norfolk Southern's 20.4 cents. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-20-04, from story by Bloomberg]
L.A. PORT RAIL TRAFFIC BACKING UP: A groundswell of containerized imports from Asia and a US economy that's grown by 4 percent in the first half of the year are having a severe impact on the ability of the West's largest rail carriers to move cargo from California eastward to inland US transshipment points. According to reports, both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are increasingly concerned that container cargo is accumulating at their terminals because the rail car allocation system implemented by the Union Pacific Railroad and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway - the region's two primary rail carriers - isn't moving cargo through the supply chain quickly enough. Under the system, shippers must request a shipment in advance. The railroads then allocate a certain number of rail cars to each port or rail yard to make the pickup. Rail traffic "doesn't seem to be moving fast enough" to keep up with the requests, said a spokesman for the BNSF. According to the US Surface Transportation Board, the federal agency that regulates rail carriers, the UPRR's inability to handle the increased cargo load is based in the carrier's moves last year to reduce employment and equipment purchases last year to cut costs. As a result, the agency said, the railroad "hasn't been able to catch up with the fast-growing economy." In response, the UPRR said the Omaha-Based railroad expects to hire 5,000 new train-service workers this year and is purchasing locomotives at an accelerated rate. However, the new employees need four to six months of training before starting work. "Business is very strong, and demand is more than we can handle at this point," a spokesman for the company said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-20-04, from CalTradeReport.com]
MINOT, N.D., RESIDENTS SUE OVER 2002 TRAIN DERAILMENT: Dozens of residents of a central North Dakota town, who allege they were injured or affected by a 2002 train derailment, filed multiple personal injury lawsuits in federal court in St. Paul on Monday [July 19] against Canadian Pacific Railway, according to the Pioneer Press. About 220,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia were released into the atmosphere when the Canadian Pacific train transporting tanks of the fertilizer derailed. One resident was killed after inhaling fumes from the crash and more than 300 others were injured. So far, about 31 of the suits have been filed in federal court in St. Paul. Another 60 may soon be closed in Hennepin County District Court and transferred to federal court, officials said. Plaintiffs in each suit are asking for at least $50,000 from the Canadian railway, which has a subsidiary, Soo Line Railroad Co. in Minneapolis. The accident occurred in Minot, N.D., on January 18, 2002. About 30 freight cars derailed and five ruptured allowing the ammonia to escape. A vapor plume formed over the town, affecting more than 11,000 people, officials said. [United Transportation Union, 7-20-04, from report by Pioneer Press]
AMTRAK TRAINS TO BECOME NON-SMOKING: Amtrak has announced that, effective November 1, 2004, all of its trains - except for the Auto Train - will become non-smoking. The Auto Train is retaining smoking for two reasons: its non-stop trip makes smoke stops impractical and the 31000-series lounge cars have proven reliable and able to contain smoke odor. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 7-16-04]
TRESPASSING IS NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF RAIL-RELATED DEATHS: Trespassing on railroad property can be very dangerous, according to facts compiled by the Federal Railroad Administration. In 1997, trespassing became the leading cause of deaths on railroad property, surpassing highway/rail crossing deaths. Last year, there were 502 trespassing deaths and 327 deaths resulting from highway-rail incidents, accounting for 96 percent of all deaths in 2003. Most trespassing deaths and injuries occur in or near major metropolitan areas or areas where significant railroad activity occurs, such as rail yards. From 1999 to April 2004, seven states accounted for about 50 percent of trespassing deaths and injuries. In order, they are California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. However, there is some good news in the fact that trespasser fatalities did decline by 6.11 percent in 2003. BNSF's Resource Protection Solutions team is the primary group charged with removing trespassers from BNSF property. BNSF has a Trespasser Abatement program that raises awareness and helps prevent trespassing through presentations, signage and media coverage which reaches employees, law enforcement and the public. In 2003, BNSF police interviewed and removed more than 13,700 people from BNSF property, and more than 9,500 people were arrested for trespassing and other criminal activity. [BNSF Today, 7-15-04]
HOWARD STREET TUNNEL ACCIDENT SPAWNS CIVIL SUITS: The Connecticut-based insurer for the Baltimore Orioles is attempting to recover more than $1-million in damages after a train derailment and tunnel fire forced city officials to cancel three home games in July 2001, according to the Associated Press. The Hartford Casualty Insurance Co. on Monday [July 12] sued CSX Transportation Inc. and the city of Baltimore for the loss of revenue from ticket and concession sales.. MORE.. [United Transportation Union, 7-14-04, from report by Associated Press]
FRA SEEKS TO STRENGTHEN RAIL EVENT RECORDERS: The Federal Railroad Administration has proposed a rule to improve survivability of event recorders, the train equivalent of an airplane black box, reports the Association for Transportation Law, Logistics & Policy in its Highlights newsletter. The 21-page notice of proposed rulemaking, published in the June 30 Federal Register, addresses several safety recommendations made by the National Transportation Safety Board to improve the quality of data available for post-accident analysis. The regulations proposed are intended to prevent loss of data resulting from train accidents involving fire, water, and significant mechanical damage. The proposed rule would establish standards to make sure event recorders survive accidents in new and existing locomotives. It would also phase out the use of magnetic tape as a data storage medium within current black boxes. The FRA also proposes that improved event recorders collect and store additional data, including emergency braking systems, locomotive horns and text messages sent to the engineer's display regarding directives and authorized speed. The proposed rule would also simplify existing standards for inspecting, testing, and maintaining event recorders by railroads. [United Transportation Union, 7-14-04, from story published by Assn. for Transportation Law, Logistics & Policy]
UNION PACIFIC PROBLEMS MAKE PASSENGER TRAINS LATE: Amtrak passenger trains serving Albany, Oregon, have been late most of the time. In June, the four daily trains in the Cascades service between Portland and Eugene were on time only 25 percent of the time, according to the Rail Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation, which contracts with Amtrak to provide the trains. And the long-distance Coast Starlight had an on-time record in June of 8.3 percent, said Jonathan Hutchison, the passenger rail coordinator at ODOT. Amtrak trains operate on tracks owned by other railroads - in this case the Union Pacific - and the passenger trains have been severely hampered by what Hutchison called "four primary challenges" faced by the UP. He listed them as an increase in freight business, being short-staffed because of an unanticipated number of retirements, a shortage of locomotives, and a track structure in Oregon that's not well equipped to handle the number of trains. Oregon is spending $15-million to make track improvements this year and next. Despite the poor on-time record, the four Cascades trains serving Albany had a 6.7 percent increase in ridership in May, compared to the same month last year, Hutchison reported. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-13-04, from story by Hasso Hering on the Albany Democrat-Herald website]
SNOW DECLINES TO COMMENT ON CSX SAFETY RECORD: Treasury Secretary John Snow declined to comment on his safety record as the head of the railroad giant CSX after a newspaper article said a railroad accident that killed a teenager should have been prevented following a similar accident four years earlier. The New York Times reported Monday [July 12] that CSX Corp failed to report a 1993 accident that killed two teenage boys in Tennessee to the federal authorities and therefore avoided the government-mandated expense of putting up a crossing gate at the same intersection where 17-year-old Hilary Feaster was killed in 1997. Snow was chief executive of CSX from 1991 to 2002. "CSX's failure to report that first fatal crash may be its most serious reporting failure, but it is hardly an isolated omission. Over the last eight years, CSX and other railroads have failed to properly notify federal officials about hundreds of crossing accidents, according to federal records and a computer analysis of crash data by The New York Times," the newspaper wrote. Snow stepped down from his post as chairman and CEO of CSX when President Bush tapped the 20-year veteran of the railroad giant to be his top economic advisor in early 2003. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-12-04, from story by Corbett B. Daly on CBS Marketwatch]
CSX ABANDONS PLAN TO CLOSE STANLEY YARD IN OHIO: CSX Transportation Corp.'s attempt at closing one of its two Lake Township freight-car sorting yards has ended - at least for the time being. Last week, the railroad reactivated the gravity-sorting hump at Stanley Yard, which was closed on April 1 in an economy move. The hump facility's restart continued a gradual increase in activity at the yard that began almost immediately following its initial shutdown, though for weeks the yard officially remained closed. During those weeks, train traffic on CSX slowed to a crawl in the region, with neighboring Walbridge Yard and nearby yards in Detroit, Willard, Lima, and elsewhere evidently overwhelmed by the workloads shifted to them. As the yards overflowed, trains were parked on the main lines outside them, sometimes blocking crossings - and, in at least one case, the Maumee River - for hours. [United Transportation Union, 7-10-04, from report by David Patch published by the Toledo Blade]
BLET COMMENTS ON CSXT PROPOSED LINE SALE OR LEASE: According to recent articles by the Associated Press and the Huntington Dispatch, CSX Transportation has put up for bid or lease two major routes in West Virginia and western Maryland, potentially affecting as many as 250 union jobs. Many railroad employees, including locomotive engineers and trainmen, would be forced to either relocate to other routes on CSX or to go to work for the shortline railroad(s) that may purchase or lease the lines, presumably at lower rates of pay and with less benefits. Don Hahs, National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said the BLET is opposed to such a sale or lease. "We must do everything in our power to retain the union jobs that so many worked so hard to achieve," Hahs said. "With good union jobs either disappearing or going overseas at an alarming rate, we must fight to keep the good railroad jobs we have." As devastating as this sale or lease could be to CSX employees, United Transportation Union spokesman Frank Wilner said that the UTU "would not necessarily oppose" the lease or sale of the line if the UTU was "convinced that the alternative would be abandonment and scrapping of the rails." The UTU spokesman also attempted to downplay the significance of nonunion shortlines by stating that, "the UTU holds more shortline labor contracts than all other unions combined." The BLET President responded by saying that shortline workers are usually paid less and have lesser benefits than Class 1 workers, so a move to replace Class 1 operations with shortline operations would be have a negative impact on workers. He also noted that the BLE/BLET has successfully organized more shortline railroads in the past two years than any other union. "While organizing shortlines is an important goal of the BLET, we cannot sit idly by and watch the erosion of our Class 1 carriers' to the short-lines that offer lower pay and less benefits," President Hahs said. "The BLET is working hard to improve the pay and working conditions of shortline employees, but we don't want to sacrifice Class 1 jobs for shortline operations." President Hahs said that the proposed sale or lease appears to be driven by the forces of Wall Street, and may not be in the best interests of safety. "I believe CSX's attempts to sell or lease these lines says something about the railroad's financial well-being," President Hahs said. "Perhaps if CSX had not paid $68-million to former CEO John Snow, then the railroad would be in better financial shape today. "From our understanding, there is a great deal of coal reserves in those mountains of West Virginia, and prospects for the future look good. Therefore, I cannot understand why CSX would want to sell or lease the lines in question. Many of the locomotive engineers and trainmen in that region are fourth and fifth generation railroaders, and it is their professionalism and skill that makes the trains run safe in the mountainous terrain. If operators of a shortline think they can come in and just hire someone off the street to fill these jobs, then they are just kidding themselves." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-9-04]
RAIL EXPORT GRAIN VOLUME UP SHARPLY: Rail shipments of export grain are continuing to run well ahead of 2003 totals, according to the July 8 issue of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Grain Transportation Report. Rail grain car deliveries through the first six months of this year were up 85.8 percent at Texas Gulf ports and up 45.0 percent at Pacific Northwest ports. Deliveries to those two regions account for almost 95 percent of all rail grain deliveries to U.S. ports. Overall, railroads delivered 174,941 grain cars to ports through the six months ended June 30, up 39.6 percent from the 125,298 delivered during the same period last year. [BNSF Today, 7-9-04]
FBI MAKES ARREST IN AMTRAK BOMB SCARE: News 3 [Madison, Wisconsin] has learned that the FBI has arrested a suspect in this week's Amtrak bomb scare near Portage. Columbia County investigators say the suspect was apprehended in Illinois. Detectives say News 3 cameras recorded images of the man Tuesday after nearly 300 passenger were evacuated from the Empire Builder train after bomb threats were made from a cell phone as the train was making its way through Wisconsin Dells. It is now apparent that the bomb threat was made by the suspect on the train, News 3 reports. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-9-04, from WISC-TV Madison, Wisconsin, website]
UNION PACIFIC WILL FURTHER LIMIT ITS SERVICE: Citing a rail system that has remained stubbornly congested amid record shipping demand, Union Pacific Railroad said Thursday that it will further limit service. The Omaha-based railroad - the nation's largest - has grappled with slowed trains and service delays since last fall. Its latest actions were posted on the company's web site in a letter to customers from Jack Koraleski, executive vice president of marketing. The actions targeted peak season, generally from mid-July to early November when shipments increase for retail merchandise for Christmas, new models in the automotive industry and the fall grain harvest, the letter said. The railroad is taking steps to protect key corridors and terminals, such as the central corridor through Iowa and Illinois and several others at least partly in California. The actions include:
A railroad spokeswoman declined to specify areas of the country affected or the number of trains that would be cut. Although the changes are prompted by peak season, they can't all be characterized as temporary, said UP spokeswoman Kathryn Blackwell. Restoring service would depend on when the system becomes more fluid and train speed increases, she said. "We aren't making the progress we want to make," she said. "This is a critical season. We need to make sure that we do the best we can for our customers under these difficult circumstances." The letter hinted that further service cuts are possible. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 7-9-04, from report by Stacie Hamel appearing on the Omaha World-Herald website]
SENTENCES IMPOSED ON TWO PAST UTU PRESIDENTS: Past UTU presidents Charles L. Little and Byron A. Boyd Jr. were each sentenced today (July 9) in federal court to 24 months imprisonment and a $10,000 fine by Judge Sim Lake. Both will face three years of supervised release following completion of their sentences. Both also were ordered to forfeit $100,000. Little and Boyd previously pled guilty to violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by soliciting and accepting payments from certain former UTU designated legal counsel. Little and Boyd are both retired and neither has any affiliation with the UTU or the UTU Insurance Association (UTUIA). Also, former UTU/UTUIA employee Ralph Dennis was sentenced to three years probation and a $2,000 fine. John Rookard, also a former UTU/UTUIA employee, was sentenced to three years probation, including six months of home confinement. Both Dennis and Rookard had pled guilty to the same or similar charges as Little and Boyd. [United Transportation Union, 7-9-04]
BLUE RIBBON PANEL TO CONSIDER UTU MODERNIZATION: A blue ribbon committee to examine and make recommendations for ways to modernize the United Transportation Union has been created by UTU President Paul Thompson. The announcement was made July 5 at UTU's regional meeting here attended by some 600 UTU members and family. The recommendations of the nine-person committee will be considered at the UTU's next quadrennial convention in 2007. Thompson also stressed that the enemy of rail labor unions is not the carriers, but rather truckers whose increased freight market-share has "taken too many good union railroad jobs." Members of the newly created blue ribbon committee include UTU past presidents Al Chesser and Tom DuBose; retired assistant general secretary and treasurer Dan Collins; retired member Robert McHenry; retired former general chairperson Dale Hogan; retired Canadian vice president Larry Olson; Bus Department General Chairperson James Williams; retired International Vice President Don Carver; and Local 811 officer Steve Dawson, who is also a member of the UTU Executive Board. Thompson said the combination of new technology, inroads by truckers and carrier mergers in the 35 years since the UTU was formed in 1969 "have taken their toll on the UTU as they have on all other unions with large numbers of members employed in the railroad industry. "For example," Thompson said, "UTU predecessor Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen fought a courageous battle to save the fireman, only to lose the fight in Congress by the forced elimination of firemen with less than 10 years' seniority. Since the creation of the UTU, we have fought to protect our membership and not try to fight changes in technology, because that is a fight no union has ever won." In looking for ways to modernize itself in the wake of a vastly changed environment facing all unions, Thompson recalled how 35 years ago, three of the four presidents of predecessor unions "gave up their positions as president in order to bring about the UTU. "Our International union must recognize additional changes that will be necessary for us to properly represent our membership," Thompson said. [United Transportation Union, 7-5-04]
FRA FAULTED ON SAFETY EFFORTS: The Federal Railroad Administration isn't doing the job of increasing safety at rail crossings that its figures indicate, according to the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation. This report appeared in Traffic World magazine July 5. Although the number of reported accidents and deaths at railway crossings declined by almost half in the past decade, thousands of accidents and over 300 deaths go unreported annually. The Inspector General report said that the FRA underreports the total number of crossing deaths and accidents "despite past efforts to correct this flaw." In 1999, the IG had recommended that accident data from rail transit systems be included in overall accident numbers. The IG conducted an investigation at the request of Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman (D-CT) "The good news is that safety programs have led to significant reductions in rail grade casualties," Lieberman said. "The bad news is that too many accidents and deaths continue to occur. The Department of Transportation must direct focused attention to this problem, and take the Inspector General's recommendations seriously, if it is to bring these numbers down." [United Transportatioon Union, 7-5-04, from Traffic World Magazine]
COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF AMTRAK OVER STRIKE ISSUE: Amtrak has won its appeal to prevent 8,000 of Amtrak's 21,000 agreement-covered employees from walking off the job to protest inadequate federal funding, according to the Associated Press. The judge rejected the unions' arguments that the strike was a political action rather contractual issues, saying, ""We think it clear that, insofar as the subject matter of the unions' proposed strike is the level of congressional appropriations for Amtrak, the strike does 'grow out of' the major dispute between Amtrak and the unions over the formation of new collective bargaining agreements concerning, among other things, rates of pay and working conditions." [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 7-2-04]
NJ TRANSIT TESTS HUNDREDS OF CARS AFTER WHEEL FALLS OFF: NJ Transit has put hundreds of its rail cars through special precautionary inspections during the past week after a wheel fell off a Main Line passenger train that had just finished its final trip of the night, according to the Jersey Journal. Train No. 1119 was going less than 10 mph through NJ Transit's rail yard in Suffern, N.Y., when a wheel came off one of the passenger cars at about 7:30 p.m. June 17, transit officials said. The train, which remained upright after losing the wheel, had just dropped off its last passengers at nearby Suffern station and no one was injured, officials said. Train No. 1119, which travels from Hoboken through Passaic and Bergen counties, usually carries 400 to 500 passengers, but officials said they were not sure how many people rode it that night. The incident marked the second time in the past year that an overheated wheel came off an NJ Transit train. The most recent incident involved a different type of rail car and different cause from the one that happened last July, when a Northeast Corridor train en route to Manhattan lost a wheel while carrying 1,200 people. Officials said the last time they could recall a wheel falling off a train had been about 15 years ago. [United Transportation Union, 6-28-04, from item in Jersey Journal]
SANTA CLARA VTA COMPLETES LIGHT-RAIL EXTENSION: California's Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) recently opened its Tasman East/Capitol light-rail extension on time and $14-million under budget. The $434.9-million, 6.3-mile extension includes eight stations, and provides access to the Great Mall of the Bay Area and other shopping centers. By 2015, ridership on the line is expected to average 6,500 weekday passengers. The extension - which began in 2001 - is part of a newly created Santa Teresa-to-Alum Rock line. A second reconfigured line operates between downtown Mountain View and Baypointe. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 6-25-04]
FRA PROPOSES RULE TO LIMIT WORKERS' UNNECESSARY EXPOSURE TO TRAIN NOISE: The Federal Railroad Administration is proposing a rule aimed at reducing train crews' exposure to unnecessary noise and preventing engineers' hearing loss in locomotive cabs. The administration issued a notice of proposed rulemaking entitled "Occupational Noise Exposure for Railroad Operating Employees." The rule would require manufacturers to design and build locomotives with quieter cabs, and railroads to maintain the power units to new standards. The rule also would support some noise reduction features already included in new locomotives, such as better insulation, relocation of air-brake exhaust piping and less-vibrating cab equipment. In addition, the rule would require train crews to use hearing protection devices and mandate that railroads provide hearing-loss prevention training, implement hearing conservation programs and conduct regular noise monitoring.[ProgressiveRailroading.com, 6-24-04]
RAILROADS LAUNCH NEW GRASS ROOTS EFFORT: A new, non-profit, grassroots organization has been launched in Washington, D.C., by railroad and rail supply industry officials to mobilize the industry's half-million employees and retirees "to promote a positive railroad agenda and get the word out about the public benefits of railroading." GoRail is a program of the non-profit Go21 (Growth Options for the 21st Century), which is partially funded by the Association of American Railroads. Go21 is described as "Citizens united in support of a stronger economy, effective solutions to highway congestion, a cleaner environment, and improved quality of life by advocating increased use of freight railroad transportation as an alternative to continued reliance on an overcrowded, inefficient, and costly highway system." [BNSF Today, 6-22-04]
JAMES HERTWIG NAMED PRESIDENT OF CSX INTERMODAL: Clarence W. Gooden, CSX Corporation executive vice president and chief commercial officer, announced on June 21 that James R. Hertwig has been named president of the company's intermodal unit, CSX Intermodal Inc (CSXI). Hertwig joins CSXI from Landstar Logistics Inc, a transportation services company that provides integrated logistics services, where he served as president. Hertwig will be responsible for leading all aspects of CSXI's operations and sales and marketing efforts. [CSX, 6-21-04]
HIGHER FARES, TARDY TRAINS UPSET SOME VRE USERS: For people in the Fredericksburg (Virginia) area, fare increases and heat-related delays on the Virginia Railway Express commuter train have extra bite. That's because the average VRE rider in the area is like Cecilia Kirkman: Her monthly ticket to get to and from work is $200, and her daily round-trip commute is 3-1/2 hours. That means fare increases going into effect a week from tomorrow and more frequent train tardiness this year take a higher toll on outlying commuters than on those closer to Washington. "It seems like it's gotten much worse in the past year, with more delays and much more crowding," said Kirkman, 43, a researcher who rides VRE between Brooke Station in Stafford and L'Enfant Plaza. Officials with VRE, Virginia's 12-year-old commuter train service, have been getting an earful of feedback -- primarily negative -- since they announcing this spring that they would raise fares. Depending on how far a passenger rides, tickets will cost 4 percent to 11 percent more. In addition, the fare change ends a deal that allowed VRE ticket holders to board Amtrak trains free. Starting June 28, riders must pay $1 to board Amtrak -- which is faster and offers more comfortable coaches than VRE does, though it arrives late much more often. VRE passengers are also upset about cuts to other services, such as holiday transport. With ridership ballooning beyond capacity, the VRE experience is now more crowded: At rush hour, hundreds of passengers must stand, VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said. This is also a steamy time -- literally -- to be talking about VRE service. CSX Inc., which owns VRE's Fredericksburg Line tracks, requires trains to travel slower once temperatures top 90 degrees. Roeber said that's the main reason trains between Fredericksburg and Washington were on time last month. Norfolk Southern Corp., which owns the Manassas Line track, does not impose heat restrictions, and last month those trains were prompt 96 percent of the time, he said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-20-04, from article by Michelle Boorstein posted on the Washington Post]
AMTRAK SEEKS AID FOR BOSTON-NEW YORK SPANS: A portion of the Northeast rail corridor that carries thousands of passengers a day between Boston and New York is in danger of being severed, Amtrak says, because of the uncertain state of three New England bridges. If any of the bridges, all within 20 miles of New London, Connecticut, became impassable, rail transit along the corridor would be cut off, prompting the rail carrier to consider busing travelers to a waiting train on the other side of the waterway. Two regional Amtrak engineers said last week the threat is real. The engineers said there is no immediate safety risk for passengers passing over the century-old bridges, but Amtrak officials are saying the ailing infrastructure is the result of inadequate funding from Congress, drawing rebukes from some lawmakers. Representative Michael E. Capuano, who serves on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, criticized Amtrak for poor communication of its problems, saying he's never heard the possibility that these three bridges could cause the breakup of the corridor. Two bridges at risk, spanning the Thames and Niantic rivers, open regularly for water traffic and the third bridge, over the Miamicock River, is a fixed structure spanning 80 feet that has shifted over decades of use. Amtrak estimates the cost for repairing all three to be more than $31-million, and no plan exists to deal with the impact of permanent bridge failure. The highest uncertainty lies with the future of the 1,375-foot-long Thames River Bridge, which Amtrak officials say could take a year or longer to replace in an emergency. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-20-04, from story by Glenn Maffei of States News Service appearing on the Boston Globe website]
UNION PACIFIC TO HIRE MORE WORKERS THAN PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED: Union Pacific plans to hire a total of 5,000 workers, 800 more than earlier announced, to combat delays that are plaguing the railroad, The New York Times reports today [June 18]. A fatal combination of increased business and rapidly retiring workforce has caught UP off guard and resulted in massive train delays to both its freight and Amtrak passenger trains (primarily the Sunset Limited and Coast Starlight). [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 6-18-04]
AMTRAK RIDERSHIP SURGES 20 PCT ON MICHIGAN LINE: The first month of Amtrak's Blue Water line saw more riders than the previous local route. May 2004 saw a 20.2 percent ridership increase from May 2003, when the line was known as the International and included service to Canada, according to statistics provided by the rail company. On April 25, Amtrak halted the International line, which took riders under the St. Clair River to its eventual destination of Toronto. In its place is the Blue Water line, which leaves Port Huron at 5:15 a.m. for Chicago and returns to Port Huron at 10:50 p.m. Previously, a Chicago-bound train from Canada stopped in Port Huron at 12:20 p.m. and another arrived at 4:50 p.m. from Chicago. The line from Chicago to Port Huron began in 1974. Canada was added in 1982. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-17-04, from story by David Jesse appearing on the Times Herald website]
TROUBLES FORCE UNION PACIFIC TO DOWNGRADE FORECAST: The rebound in the nation's economy is continuing to cause at least two problems for Union Pacific Corp., the nation's biggest railroad, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. The first involves its workforce and resulting shipping delays. UP has been struggling with a crew shortage and rail congestion since last fall, when the economy began picking up. The railroad also was surprised by the number of engineers and conductors taking retirement under new federal rules. At a meeting May 17 in San Francisco, Union Pacific customers complained about delays that in some cases almost doubled shipping time. The other problem is the cost of diesel fuel, which is up about 30 percent from a year ago. The twin troubles forced Union Pacific last week to forecast that second-quarter earnings would fall by more than one-third from a year ago. Earnings will be 60 cents to 65 cents per share, compared with $1.05 per share from continuing operations in last year's second quarter, the railroad said in a statement. Analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call had been predicting earnings of 96 cents a share. [United Transportation Union, 6-15-04, from item in Philadelphia Inquirer]
FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION OK'S WORK ON DULLES RAIL PROJECT: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) nudged rail to Dulles a step forward by allowing the project to move into preliminary engineering, according to this release issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Preliminary engineering is the second phase of a three-part process in which the project's design, scope and cost are refined before construction can begin. "This corridor has long needed a public transportation solution that will provide local residents with greater convenience and flexibility while reducing congestion," said FTA Administrator Jennifer L. Dorn. "Our goal is to provide common sense transit solutions to residents throughout the Northern Virginia area." The approval does not guarantee that the project will be approved to enter the final design phase of project development. The FTA will continue to monitor and evaluate the project throughout the development process as information concerning costs, benefits and impacts is refined. The Dulles Corridor Rail Project - Extension to Wiehle Avenue - is a joint venture between the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (VDRPT) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The project would operate from the existing West Falls Church station to Wiehle Avenue in Reston for approximately 11.6 miles, with five stations along the route. Through an agreement with VDRPT, WMATA will serve as the technical manager of the project to ensure that the project design is compatible with Metrorail requirements. VDRPT plans to conduct preliminary engineering for the project through a public- private partnership agreement with Dulles Transit Partners, LLC. [US DOT 6-10-04]
MARC OPENS NEW FACILITY IN MARTINSBURG, W.VA.: MARC trains will no longer need to deadhead from Brunswick, MD to Martinsburg each morning to pick up their passengers for the trip into Washington, DC. This change is thanks to the opening of a new layover yard in Martinsburg, WV. Previously, the equipment on trains 877 and 879 returns each evening from Martinsburg to Brunswick; only to return empty to Martinsburg the next morning as trains 874 and 878. The principal advantage of this change will be the elimination of delays these trains frequently incur in the mornings as they travel empty from Brunswick to Martinsburg. [Urban Transit Club, 6-10-04]
CALTRAIN LAUNCHES BABY BULLET TRAIN: After two years of construction, $110-million and numerous headaches for commuters, Caltrain will launch its much anticipated "Baby Bullet" express trains today [June 7], according to the San Mateo County Times. The Baby Bullet promises something all too rare in an age when traffic congestion seems perpetual and the term "rush hour" is a gross understatement: a quicker commute. The trains will shave a whopping 40 minutes off a Caltrain trip between San Francisco and San Jose, making the run in just under an hour. The launch also brings an overhaul of Caltrain's schedule, which will pump the number of trains running each day to the highest level ever. But it also mean less service for some stations that serve fewer riders. Caltrain will add 10 Baby Bullet trains a day to its normal schedule of 76 trains. [United Transportation Union, 6-7-04, from San Mateo County Times]
UP KICKS OFF CONSTRUCTION OF NEW DALLAS REGION INTERMODAL FACILITY: Union Pacific and Texas officials on June 7 broke ground to celebrate construction of the railroad's new Dallas Intermodal Terminal just west of Interstate 45. The facility is located jointly in the cities of Hutchins and Wilmer, about 15 miles southeast of downtown Dallas on UP's main line between Dallas and Houston. Union Pacific's intermodal traffic has experienced substantial growth in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area over the last several years. Studies indicate there is a need to expand capacity to allow Union Pacific to continue to pursue opportunities in this growing rail-truck market. The facility will be constructed in phases. Construction of rail lines, cranes, buildings and truck parking is scheduled to be completed in June 2005. Additional construction phases will be based on customer requirements. [Union Pacific, 6-7-04]
HISTORIC LOCOMOTIVES FACE UNCERTAIN FUTURE: Twin 1,500-HP orange locomotives, ablaze with the navy blue insignia and striping of their former owner - the Jersey Central Railroad, sit at the bottom of Route 209's Mansion House Hill welcoming visitors to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. Fate, once again has passed its cloud over these locomotives and their owner, the Anthracite Railroads Historic Society (ARHS). They lease these locomotives to Rail Tours Inc., the tourist railroad founded by George Hart, and find themselves in a quandary as the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad moves to take over the Jim Thorpe-based tourist railroad business. The ARHS presently owns seven locomotives and five pieces of rolling stock. This equipment is spread among five locations in NE Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey. The Society was no permanent site to store or operate its equipment. Recently, Jim Thorpe resident and ARHS vice president Dave Palmer joined members Fred Reilly of Jenkintown, Pa., and Ross Chapin of Whitehouse Station, N.J. to prepare their 1948-era diesel-electric locomotives for Rail Tours Inc.'s summer schedule beginning the first weekend in June. The twin locomotives, arranged tail to tail, were drained of coolant over the winter. The ARHS team planned to fix what needed repair, then fill the coolant lines and, finally - test the engine. They first had to repair a coolant leak and replace several gaskets. Things became difficult when a gasket bolt froze and needed to be drilled out. "We spend a lot of time and effort to keep them running," explained Palmer. ''It's very gratifying to see them in operation." One, locomotive 56, they purchased just the body without an engine for $6,000 from the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad in Maine. The second, 57, is on a long tem lease from a New Jersey based railroad historical society. Palmer considers 56 and 57, both built in 1948, to be among the oldest, still operating diesel-electric locomotives in the country. The reason they are called diesel-electric is a diesel engine does not directly drive the wheels. It turns a generator that produces 600-volts of power that, in turn, powers a traction motor on each axle. It is anticipated that units #56 and 57 will be in service on Rail Tours Inc.'s tourist trains this summer and fall. They plan for the units to operate on the first two weekends of each month from June through September on the six-mile ride to Nesquehoning, and in October, on all weekends on the Flaming Foliage Rambles. After that, their future is uncertain. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-5-04, from story by Al Zagofsky on the Lehighton Times website]
CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS OK FUNDS FOR HIGH-SPEED RAIL IMPACT REPORT: Lawmakers trying to write a state budget have approved spending another $720,000 to enable high-speed rail planners to complete an environmental impact report, according to the Associated Press. The two-house budget conference committee voted 4-2 Wednesday [June 2] to accept an assembly budget subcommittee recommendation and authorize the additional funding for the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The legislative analyst's office said the money would be available from a state transportation fund that's projected to receive an additional $16-million in sales tax revenue because of higher gasoline and diesel prices. Supporters of the $30-billion-plus rail project say the $1.1-million budget proposed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) for the authority for the fiscal year starting July 1 wouldn't provide enough funds to complete the EIR. The authority, headed by a nine-member state board, has recommended that California build a 700-mile high-speed rail system linking the state's biggest cities with trains running at top speeds of more than 200 mph. The bond proposal would provide funding to cover about half of the cost of the first leg of the system -- a line linking Los Angeles, Bakersfield, Fresno and the San Francisco area. [United Transportation Union, 6-3-04, from Associated Press report]
DOWNEASTER TO RUN FASTER, MAINE GOVERNOR SAYS: The Downeaster passenger train will get a little faster in August, Governor John Baldacci will announce today [June 2]. The Portland-to-Boston train will increase its top speed from 60 to 79 mph, which eventually could make the trip 15 minutes shorter. Beginning August 1, according to the governor's office, the train will be allowed to zip along at 79 mph for at least part of its journey. Amtrak and Guilford have been wrangling over track standards and higher speeds since the early 1990s. Guilford has maintained that it needs sturdier tracks and firmer rail beds for trains to run safely at the higher speed. Amtrak paid Guilford $50-million to overhaul the tracks in 2000 and 2001. A federal transportation board ruled in 2003 that the train can operate safely at speeds up to 79 mph, and a federal appellate court upheld that ruling in April. The governor's office and Guilford will announce today that they have reached an agreement on the higher speed. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 6-2-04, from item by Joshua L. Weinstein posted on the Portland Press Herald website]
UNION PACIFIC OPENS NEW HEADQUARTERS BUILDING IN OMAHA: With the ringing of train bells and the lifting of rail crossing arms, Union Pacific Chief Executive Officer Dick Davidson today [June 2] officially opened Union Pacific Center - the railroad's new headquarters building in downtown Omaha. Nebraska Governor Mike Johanns and Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey joined Davidson for the opening. The 19-story Union Pacific Center can accommodate 4,100 employees, and allows Union Pacific to consolidate employees working in multiple locations throughout Omaha. The 1.3 million-square-foot building features a 19-story atrium, allowing every floor to receive maximum natural light, and one of the nation's largest video screens, measuring 37 feet wide by 16 feet tall. The building also contains a training center, a 600-seat dining room, a credit union, a fitness/wellness facility, a salon and The Shop at Union Pacific Center offering railroad apparel and merchandise. [Union Pacific, 6-2-04]
AMTRAK OVER-THE-ROAD TRAIN PERFORMANCE - HOW THE HOST CARRIERS COMPARE: CP Rail had the worst over-the-road Amtrak train performance of the seven major host carriers in May 2004 according to the June 1 issue of the Bull Sheet. CPR had 158.7 minutes of delay per 1,000 Amtrak train miles as measured in a stastical survey of 173 randomly selected examples covering 24,220 route miles. This figure was up from 83.1 minutes of delay per 1,000 Amtrak train miles in April. Amtrak, for areas where it serves as its own host carrier, took first place in May with a computed 51.7 minutes of delay, down from 65.4 in April. Overall, the composite figure (overall norm) of 109.6 minutes of delay - as measured in 1,569 examples covering 219,660 route miles - was slightly worse in May than it was in April. Then it was 107.8. The survey does not identify the reasons for any delays that were encountered. Some delays - such as mechanical problems, crossing accidents, passengers needing medical assistance, over-dwell at stations, etc. - are out of the control of the host railroad. There is a presumption, however, that these type of delays can be expected to occur more or less evenly on a system-wide basis, and they would not likely occur (over a period of time) any more to one host carrier than they would to any other. The survey is offered as a guide to how each of the host carriers compare with the others in their performance reliability in the movement of Amtrak trains, and it can also be an indicator as to each railroad's fluidity in its overall operating plan. The figures for the seven host carriers (minutes of delay per 1,000 Amtrak train miles) in May were as follows:
NEW YORK MTA DEVELOPS 'SPLIT IMAGE' ON PROPOSED PHOTO BAN: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has proposed banning photography, filming and videotaping in the subways to thwart potential terrorists from gathering information. But an MTA website encourages riders to snap photos of the system and post them. Located on a link under the banners MTA and New York Transit Museum, the site welcomes submissions on the theme "connections... the MTA facilitates connections - people connecting to places, people connecting to people, and people connecting with their passions." The photos posted include one of a train going through the Bowling Green station in Manhattan. Another shows the M station platform at Metropolitan Ave. in Queens. "Sharing photographs taken on the subways and buses is part of the New York experience and, as the MTA's Web site notes, creates a feeling of community," said Gene Russianoff, staff attorney for the Straphangers Campaign. "The MTA is right on its website and wrong on its proposed rules." MTA spokesman John McCarthy pointed out the photographs are not currently prohibited. The Transit Authority, an MTA subsidiary, made the proposal last week. Officials said it was a request of the police Transit Bureau. But an NYPD spokesman said yesterday that Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly "hopes the Transit Authority crafts a final proposal that is not overly broad but imposes restrictions against photographing sensitive equipment." [United Transportation Union, 5-26-04, from item published in New York Daily News]
NEW YORK MTA UNVEILS DESIGN FOR TRANSIT CENTER: A transit hub that will link more than a dozen subway lines to commuter trains and ferries near the World Trade Center site will have as its centerpiece a domed glass building with crisscrossing steel cables that shines light far underground, the Associated Press reported. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on May 26 introduced its $750-million design for the Fulton Street Transit Center, which is planned to open in 2007 a few blocks from Ground Zero. Along with a planned $2-billion PATH commuter rail station at the trade center site, the MTA is trying to unclog a notoriously congested maze of subway lines for 300,000 daily riders, connecting four stations and 14 lines, the PATH trains and ferry service south of the trade center site. Gregory Hodkinson, of Arup, the company heading a design team that includes British architect Nicholas Grimshaw, compared the walkways connecting the subway lines with "a rabbit warren." He said two ramps serving the A and C subway lines will be rebuilt while others will be rerouted to make more sense. The entrance to the station will be marked by a 50-foot-high square glass building topped by a 110-foot-tall glass dome crossed by steel cables. The dome's oval shape was built to capture as much sunlight as possible and shine it underground, Hodkinson said. The glass-and-steel structure shares the airy transparent look of the World Trade Center hub for PATH commuter trains to New Jersey, being designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The new center also will include a 350-foot-long concourse to link Calatrava's PATH station to the Fulton Street center. The MTA plans to connect the station to the 115-year-old Corbin building and would need to buy out several businesses on the east side of Broadway. [United Transportation Union, from Associated Press story by Amy Westfeldt published by New York Newsday]
CSX INTERMODAL ANNOUNCES 'NETWORK SIMPLIFICATION': CSX Intermodal, a unit of CSX Corporation (NYSE:CSX), has announced a comprehensive program to improve its intermodal service network. The changes are designed to simplify operations and improve on-time train performance. Service changes will take effect Monday, June 28, 2004. "Our goal is to have the new plan in place before the fall traffic peak, ensuring the service quality customers expect during this prime shipping period," said Mike Parrotta, assistant vice president-Parcel/Motor Carrier. As part of the simplification process, some intermodal terminals and trains will be designated for containers only and will emphasize expanded use of doublestack trains. Other terminals and trains will handle trailers only. Those CSXI terminals designated for containers only include Charlotte, N.C.; Mobile, Ala.; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans, La.; Portsmouth, Va.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Philadelphia, Pa.; South Kearny, N.J.; Detroit, Mich.; Evansville, Ind. and the Hulsey terminal in Atlanta, Ga. "These locations will benefit from CSXI's ongoing purchase of new 53-foot containers, including 1,000 new containers being delivered in 2004," said Steven Rand, assistant vice president-Domestic. CSXI's North Bergen, N.J., Intermodal terminal will specialize in handling trailer shipments only. The simplification plan will designate key lanes regularly used by customers and reduce the amount of sorting required at CSXI's key hubs in Jacksonville, Fla., and Syracuse, N.Y. The simplified sorting operations will improve service on CSXI's core service lanes. Service will be discontinued in some lanes, nearly all of which are secondary corridors with light customer usage. In some lanes, schedule cutoffs and availabilities will change. CSX Intermodal account executives are reviewing service changes with customers, and detailed tables describing the changes are being added to www.csxi.com. International and parcel customers will see little change in their CSXI service offerings, but will benefit from service improvement and increased network throughput. "We anticipate strong import and export activity in the second half of 2004, and this program positions CSXI to handle that growth through our East Coast and West Coast ports," said Jeff Provow, assistant vice president-International. [CSX Intermodal, 5-25-04]
CSX INTERMODAL LAUNCHES NEW 'TRANSBORDER' SERVICE: Effective June 1, 2004 CSX Intermodal will launch "Transborder," a new service product from CSXI core locations to and from Mexico with 53-foot STAX equipment. Transborder offers an all-rail service, with shipments traveling in-bond and customs clearance at interior Mexican points. [CSX Intermodal, 5-25-04]
RAILAMERICA SUBSIDIARY TO LEASE LINE FROM CSX: RailAmerica Inc. has announced that its subsidiary, Central Railroad of Indianapolis, notified the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that it intends to lease 276 miles of railroad from CSX Corporation's (NYSE: CSX) subsidiary, CSX Transportation, Inc., subject to negotiation and execution of a definitive agreement. The line, known as the Fort Wayne Corridor, runs west from Crestline, Ohio, to Tolleston, Indiana, which is due east of Chicago. Central Railroad of Indianapolis anticipates moving approximately 42,000 carloads on the Fort Wayne corridor annually. RailAmerica's Indiana & Ohio Railway directly connects and interchanges traffic with the Fort Wayne Corridor. Traffic on the line also interchanges with CSXT, Norfolk Southern and Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company (IHB), as well as all western & Chicago-based carriers through the IHB. Major customers on the line are Central Soya, Steel Dynamics, Procter & Gamble, Cargill and National Lime & Stone. Commodities shipped on the line include agricultural products, chemicals, metals, paper and minerals. [RailAmerica, 5-25-04]
UP WOES SPREAD TO PACIFIC NORTHWEST: Union Pacific's service meltdown has spread to the Pacific Northwest, according to freight shippers who attended a meeting devoted to UP problems. Meanwhile, Union Pacific's stock price dropped to $56.30 May 18, down from a high of more than $69 earlier in the year and is showing no signs of recovery. In spite of the stock slide, UP executives took home in excess of $100-million earlier this year as part of a three-year long-term incentive plan. [United Transportation Union, 5-19-04] MORE
FRA ISSUES REMOTE CONTROL SAFETY REPORT: Remote control locomotive operations (RCL) are as safe or safer than conventional operations, reports the Federal Railroad Administration in response to a congressional directive to investigate their safety. Both accident and injury rates have declined where RCL has been implemented, the FRA said. [United Transportation Union, 5-14-04] MORE
TEXAS EAGLE TO GET EXPANDED DINING CAR HOURS: Amtrak's Texas Eagle will have expanded dining car hours effective June 1 southbound and June 3 northbound. Crews now turning at Fort Worth will instead go as far as Austin before turning back. That will allow for an early dinner period southbound and a lunch period northbound. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-14-04]
UP SERVICE MELTDOWN ROOTED IN CREW SHORTAGES, UTU SAYS: Union Pacific Railroad (UP) is in the midst of its second major service meltdown in seven years, causing shippers, Wall Street analysts and journalists to find many negatives with the carrier, according to this May 13 report by the United Transportation Union. It was seven years ago that Union Pacific suffered its first major service meltdown - following its 1996 acquisition of Southern Pacific. The cost in customer claims for service failures topped a quarter-billion dollars and Wall Street analysts estimated Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) enjoyed another half-billion dollars in new freight revenue at Union Pacific expense. The total economic cost of that first UP meltdown was estimated by some at in excess of $2-billion. Once again, Union Pacific is caught in a severe service meltdown. MORE
TRENTON TRAIN STATION EXPANSION ON TRACK: After languishing on the drawing board for years awaiting funding, plans for the $45-million renovation and expansion of the Trenton Train Station were announced May 11 by Gov. James E. McGreevey and a host of other officials. The board of directors of NJ Transit, which owns and operates the station, is scheduled to award the first construction contract for the project today and work should start this summer, officials said. A second construction contract should be awarded before the end of the year. When completed in 2006, the revamped station will have new stores, larger waiting areas, a mezzanine level providing office and community space, modernized heating and air conditioners, escalators and elevators. The new facility will have about 10,000 square feet of retail space, about three times more than now, and the entire station will be more than double its current 19,100 square feet. The station, Amtrak's seventh busiest, was last renovated in 1992 and has consistently been derided for offering few other amenities than a Roy Rogers fast-food restaurant, and for being bland. The station serves about 4,700 NJ Transit rail passengers daily, 1,650 Amtrak passengers and 800 NJ Transit bus passengers. Three Greyhound buses stop at the station each day. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-12-04, from story by Mark Perkiss on the Trenton Times website]
AMTRAK BUSINESS COUNCIL FORMED: Representatives from business, tourism and trade groups from the Northeast announced the creation of an Amtrak Business Council on May 5, according to this report from the National Association of Railroad Passengers. Among the group's stated goals are: "To preserve and improve the Amtrak passenger rail services that make communities along the Northeast Corridor a better place to live, work, and do business." [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-7-04]
AMTRAK TO RENOVATE ITS FIRST-CLASS PASSENGER LOUNGE IN CHICAGO: Amtrak will begin renovating the first-class lounge in Chicago Union Station around June 15, according to this report from the National Association of Railroad Passengers. During that time, the area will have to be vacated, so a temporary facility is being planned just off the Great Hall. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-7-04]
AMTRAK EXPANDING SALE OF SPACE IN DORM SLEEPERS: Amtrak is expanding the number of trains on which space in Superliner transition-dorm sleepers will be sold to the public, according to this report from the National Association of Railroad Passengers.. Such sales (indicated by room numbers 17-24) are now allowed on the Texas Eagle and City of New Orleans, and this practice will spread during the summer to the California Zephyr and Capitol Limited. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-7-04]
CSX TO LEASE 200-MILE LINE IN VIRGINIA TO BUCKINGHAM BRANCH RAILROAD: Rail giant CSX Corp. will lease 200 miles of Virginia track to a private contractor, a pending deal that drew fire from a major rail union. Sources said CSX is close to turning over to a small Buckingham County railroad the daily operation of a stretch of track that starts in Richmond, runs north through Doswell and follows a rough arc across the state. It runs through Gordonsville, Orange, Charlottesville, Staunton and Clifton Forge. The new operator, Buckingham Branch Railroad, will also be charged with maintaining the track and bridges - some in mountainous regions of western Virginia. The terms and timing of the deal have not been made public. But rail officials confirmed the agreement this week. A short-line operator generally has lower operating costs because it's not bound by union rules and wage scales, and because it serves a smaller customer base. The cost-cutting was criticized by the union representing about 400 track workers in Virginia. "The union's going to lose the better-paying jobs, and taxpayers will take care of the tracks," said Randall Brassell, general chairman of the Allied Eastern Federation of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes. "It's a real good deal for CSX, but not for the taxpayers of Virginia," he said. Up to 20 railroad maintenance workers will be laid off after Buckingham Branch takes over, he said. Brassell noted that the Buckingham railroad has gotten nearly $3-million in state rail-preservation grants since 1993 to make upgrades and repairs in the Dillwyn area. "The whole deal is a scam to get the taxpayers to maintain the track," Brassell said. Karen J. Rae, director of the state department of Rail and Public Transportation, denied the charge. In talks with Buckingham Branch, she said she made it clear "we don't intend to do major maintenance" on the 200-mile CSX corridor. The state has a relatively small pool of resources - about $3-million - that's divided each year for grants to nine short-line operators, she said. Bob Bryant, a retired CSX manager, started the Buckingham Branch Railroad with his wife and son 15 years ago. He would not comment on the specifics of the new deal. Last year, Buckingham Branch had 14 employees and revenue of $1-million, but did not make a profit, Bryant said in an earlier interview. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-5-04, from article by Chip Jones posted on the Richmond Times-Dispatch website]
NJ TRANSIT MAY ASSUME CLOCKER SERVICE: NJ Transit could begin its first extended rail service into Pennsylvania under a plan that calls for it to take over operation of Amtrak's Clocker trains, which travel daily between Philadelphia and New York City during rush hour, according to the Trenton Times. But while rail advocates are excited that the impending switch offers the possibility of low-cost, one-seat rides from Philadelphia through Mercer County to New York, NJ Transit said it hasn't decided whether it's going to continue running Clockers between Trenton and Philadelphia. "I don't know the answer to that," NJ Transit Executive Director George Warrington said. NJ Transit is expected to take over the Clockers in 2006. "Hopefully we'll see something come about that would benefit the region," said Donald Nigro, president of the Delaware Valley Association of Rail Passengers, which hopes NJ Transit continues running the service between the two major cities. According to Amtrak, from October through March, 975,501 people rode the Clockers, an average of about 162,580. Of those riders, about 86 percent used NJ Transit monthly and weekly passes, according to statistics provided by the national railroad. "It is just more logical for NJ Transit to operate the service," said Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel. Warrington said NJ Transit would also save $6-million per year by taking over the Clockers, which run three times in the morning and four times in the evening. "There's always the opportunity to save money," Warrington said, adding taking over the Clockers also gives NJ Transit more control over their reliability and service. Clockers terminate their runs at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Station in New York, making stops, depending on the train, at North Philadelphia, Cornwells Heights, Trenton, Princeton Junction, New Brunswick, Metropark, Newark Liberty International Airport and Newark. Warrington said NJ Transit would have moved years ago to take over the Clockers if it had enough capacity to handle the switch. He said the agency has been addressing that in recent years with locomotive and rail car purchases. NJ Transit's board authorized $164-million to buy 29 new electric locomotives, including five for the Clocker takeover, and $243-million to buy 100 multilevel cars with an option to buy 131 more, including 46 that would be used to replace the Clocker. [United Transportation Union, 5-4-04, from item in Trenton Times]
CSX REPORTS 1-Q RESULTS: CSX Corporation has reported first-quarter net earnings of $30-million or 14 cents per share, versus $99-million or 46 cents per share a year ago, including the favorable cumulative effect of a 2003 accounting change of $57-million after tax or 26 cents per share. First quarter 2004 included an after-tax charge of $37-million or 17 cents per share related to the company's management restructuring initiatives. [CSX, 4-28-04]
CSX EARNINGS DIP 70 PERCENT: CSX Corp.'s first-quarter earnings dropped 70 percent from a year ago, the railroad giant reported Wednesday [April 28], but factoring out one-time charges swelled earnings 55 percent on a per share basis. The company also said it cut about 35 jobs from its Jacksonville headquarters Wednesday as it completed a management restructuring program that has eliminated 900 jobs systemwide since last fall. A big hurdle to overcome remains the railroad's performance. Data released by CSX, the country's third-largest railroad, showed that several key operating statistics -- including average train speed and on-time originations -- worsened from the first quarter last year. A new program is being implemented called the "One Plan," which will employ consultants MultiModal Applied Systems of Princeton, N.J., to redesign how CSX routes and schedules trains. CSX Chairman Michael Ward said the firm has worked with such other railroads as Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern, and they "saw improvement in their service and cost structure," he said. The One Plan will be put into service beginning this summer, with improvements expected to appear by early 2005, said Tony Ingram, CSX's newly hired executive vice president and chief operating officer. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-29-04, from story by Gregory Richards on The Times-Union website]
SOUND TRANSIT TO EXTEND LIGHT-RAIL SERVICE: Sound Transit officials recently chose a preferred route to extend light-rail service north of downtown Seattle. The North Link route will connect downtown Seattle and Northgate, Wash., with stops in First Hill, Capitol Hill and the University District. The route is expected to increase daily ridership of the entire light-rail system to 160,000 passengers. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-28-04]
WASHINGTON METRO ADDS TRAINS TO RED LINE: On April 26, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) began running more trains on its busiest line. The authority increased peak period service on the Red Line 20 percent. Seven additional trains run on the line between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The increased service will reduce headways, provide more frequent service in the downtown portion of the line, and offer passengers a more comfortable, less crowded ride, according to a prepared statement. New passenger cars operating on the line are part of a $387-million contract which recently completed delivery of all 192 cars. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-27-04]
METRA FIRES THREE ENGINEERS FOR SAFETY VIOLATIONS IN FATAL ACCIDENT: Sources said three Metra engineers who were fired April 23 for safety violations in a fatal accident at a River Grove station tried to cover up their mistakes by saying a freight train on an adjacent track had restricted their views, according to this report by Jon Hilkevitch published by the Chicago Tribune. But authorities using data from onboard "black boxes" and dispatcher tapes determined the closest freight train was about 3 miles away from the station where an express train struck a 10-year-old boy crossing the tracks Feb. 23. "Their story had to do with seeing a train that wasn't there," said one official close to the investigation. The engineers were fired after an in-house Metra investigation concluded that operating rules designed to prevent trains from passing one another in the station were violated. The rules are meant to protect riders getting off trains and crossing tracks. Michael DeLarco, a 5th grader from Schaumburg, had just gotten off an eastbound train, steps ahead of his mother and 8-year-old sister, and started across a pedestrian walkway as that train cleared the crossing. The boy was hit by a westbound express moving at 68 m.p.h. Investigators determined the engineers on both trains were at fault. The eastbound train should have waited to discharge or take on passengers at the station until the express train had passed, Metra said. In addition, the westbound train should have reduced speed to avoid entering the station because the eastbound train had not yet traveled a safe distance away. Metra's safety director said shortly after the accident that operating rules also were breached because the engineers did not communicate by radio or on their company-issued cell phones as required. Instead, they signaled by flashing and dimming headlights. A Metra instructor and a student engineer operating the eastbound train were fired, as well as the engineer on the express train. The rules violations, though extremely serious, might have resulted in suspensions and other disciplinary action instead of dismissals, officials said. But the engineers' refusal to accept any responsibility, compounded by the story about the phantom freight train, required stronger measures, they said. Ted Huart, an official with the engineers union, denied the freight train account was fabricated and charged that the employees were punished to hide poor operating rules at Metra. The dismissed employees denied any responsibility for the accident and will appeal the firings, according to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. No federal violations were uncovered in the investigation. The rules in question were adapted by Metra from the railroad industry's General Code of Operating Rules, which are not governed by the Federal Railroad Administration. [United Transportation Union, 4-24-04, from report by Jon Hilkevitch published by Chicago Tribune]
AMTRAK WINS CASE IN BATTLE ON DOWNEASTER SPEED: A federal court has ruled in favor of Amtrak in its long-standing dispute over the top speed of its Downeaster trains, according to the Portland Press Herald. The decision by the U.S. District Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., supports Amtrak's efforts to increase the maximum speed from 59 to 79 mph. Amtrak and Guilford Rail System can now enter final negotiations over train speeds, said Ron Roy, director of Maine's Office of Passenger Transportation. Still at issue is who will pay for the higher rail-maintenance costs caused by faster speeds. Guilford, which owns the track in Maine and New Hampshire, has been battling Amtrak over track standards and higher speeds since the early 1990s. Guilford has insisted that sturdier tracks and firmer rail beds are needed to safely run trains at 79 mph. Amtrak paid Guilford $50-million to overhaul the tracks in 2000 and 2001. A year ago, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board said it was satisfied that tests run on the new 115-pound track proved it was safe for higher speeds. Guilford appealed. On Tuesday [April 20], the District Court ruled that Guilford wasn't harmed by the transportation board's decision. The court didn't consider any of Guilford's safety arguments. Rather, the court said it lacked jurisdiction to review the board's order because Guilford is not an aggrieved party. Officials from Guilford could not be reached for comment. Traveling 79 mph would cut the travel time between Boston and Portland by six to 10 minutes. The current trip, which includes eight station stops during the summer, takes two hours and 45 minutes. [United Transportation Union, 4-23-04, from item in Portland Press Herald]
BNSF TRAIN DERAILS NEAR ESSEX, MONTANA: A double section of Burlington Northern Santa Fe track was reopened Wednesday evening [April 21], about 30 hours after a freight train derailed east of Essex, Montana, BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said. "One track was reopened at 5:30 p.m. and the other at 6:45 p.m.," said Melonas, BNSF spokesman in Seattle. "Twenty-nine of the cars were re-railed and two were pushed off the tracks." Passengers on two Amtrak trains were bused between Shelby and Spokane, Wash., Melonas said. "It will take three to four weeks before all of the corn, material and cars are removed and the area returned to its natural environment," he said. Tuesday's derailment occurred in the same area as three major spills in the 1980s. After those derailments, the railroad did a partial cleanup and ended up burying spilled corn that eventually fermented and attracted grizzly bears to the tracks. That buried corn is believed to have played a part in at least eight bears being killed by passing trains. Melonas said the cleanup will involve mostly a large, rail-mounted vacuum to suck up spilled corn. Tim Manley, a grizzly bear management specialist with the state, said propane guns may be used if officials need to keep bears away from the tracks during the cleanup. The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, Melonas said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-22-04, from report by Associated Press]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN REPORTS RECORD REVENUES & INCOME: For the first quarter of 2004, Norfolk Southern Corporation reported record revenues of $1.7-billion, up eight percent compared with the same period last year, and record first quarter income from railway operations of $346-million, up 50 percent, compared with the same period last year, according to his release issued by the carrier. First-quarter income from continuing operations before accounting changes was $158-million, or 40 cents per share, compared with last year's $85-million, or 22 cents per share. Reported net income for first quarter 2003 was $209-million, or 54 cents per share, which included a $114-million, or 29 cents per share, gain due to a required industry-wide accounting change to account for the cost of removing railroad crossties, and a gain of $10-million, or three cents per share, from discontinued motor carrier operations. Excluding those items, net income in the first quarter increased by $73-million, or 86 percent, over the same period last year. Revenues increased $132-million, or eight percent, over the same quarter in 2003. Carloads rose seven percent for the same period. [Norfolk Southern, 4-21-04]
AMTRAK ENGINEER BLAMED IN NYC TUNNEL CRASH: Investigators said April 20 that the engineer of an empty Amtrak train that rear-ended a crowded Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) commuter train was responsible for the crash, according to this Associated Press report. The accident left 127 people with mostly minor injuries. The Monday morning [April 19] rush hour collision "was caused by human error on the part of the engineer of Train 183, the Amtrak train," Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel said. An investigating committee - comprised of Amtrak, LIRR and federal railroad officials - found the engineer failed to comply with regulations governing restricted speed. The engineer, whose identity was withheld by Amtrak, has been suspended without pay. Stessel said a formal investigation is pending and further action may be taken. Amtrak was awaiting the results of drug and alcohol tests. The LIRR train was waiting in a tunnel to enter Pennsylvania Station when it was hit from behind by a crew-only Amtrak train moving at less than 15 mph. [United Transportation Union, 4-20-04, from report by Associated Press]
FIRST NATIONS OPPOSE BC RAIL DEAL: British Columbia First Nations says the BC Rail lease agreement with CN Rail infringes on aboriginal rights, and should be scrapped, according to this CBC News report. The demand by the Title and Rights Alliance comes after new information on the privatization was leaked to the media. That information indicates the lease agreement between the Campbell government and CN can be extended every 60 years - for a total of 990 years. The Alliance's Justa Monk says the 16 First Nations that have thrown their support behind the deal, did so on the basis of the original information released by the government. But he says that support could change with this new revelation - noting that nine other First Nations with a direct interest are also rejecting the deal. Premier Gordon Campbell says aboriginal title concerns over the BC Rail sale will be addressed by the government. [United Transportation Union, 4-20-04, from CBC News report] MORE
AMTRAK AND LONG ISLAND TRAINS COLLIDE IN TUNNEL: Nearly 140 people were injured April 19 when a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train packed with commuters collided with an empty Amtrak train in a tunnel near New York's Penn Station, according to this report by Christine Armario and Joie Tyrrell published by Newsday. Passengers, some of whom had been standing, reported being flung through the air upon impact. Six people were seriously injured and another 130 suffered minor injuries, authorities said. Most of the passengers suffered injuries to the head, neck and back, said Brian Dolan, an LIRR spokesman. The LIRR said the collision happened shortly before 7 a.m. at the "JO interlocking" in a tunnel outside the east end of Penn Station. Although railroad officials had not yet figured out exactly what happened, people who were on board the LIRR train told reporters that their train was at a stop in the tunnel and was hit from behind by the Amtrak engine. "We were at a full stop waiting for the signal and an equipment train rammed us... that's why all the people went flying," said LIRR assistant conductor Howard Krumsick, of Shoreham, who said he was in the second to last car of the commuter train when the accident happened. For the most part, passengers remained calm, DeBiase said. "People were giving out napkins to help stop bleeding and helping people get back." Krumsick said the impact of the collision knocked open some doors of the LIRR train but no one fell out. "Anyone who was standing was thrown to the floor the rest whiplashed to the seat in front of them," he said. Once the LIRR train pulled into the station, firefighters and EMS workers were waiting on the platform to help the injured. A triage center was set up in the LIRR waiting room and injured passengers were transported on city buses to hospitals around Manhattan. Authorities said the cause of the accident was under investigation. Amtrak, the LIRR and New Jersey Transit all use Penn Station. Amtrak owns the tunnels under Penn Station and leases them to the LIRR. [United Transportation Union, 4-19-04, from report by Christine Armario and Joie Tyrrell was published by Newsday]
COUPLE SENTENCED IN MISSING WINSTON LINK RAILROAD ART CASE: The ex-wife of renowned railroad photographer O. Winston Link has been sentenced to prison for having a stolen cache of her late husband's art. Conchita Link Hayes, 68, and her new husband Edward Hayes, 64, of Gettysburg, Pa., admitted they had photographs belonging to Link's estate. They were arrested in a May 29 sting and both pleaded guilty in Dutchess County Court to a felony count of possession of stolen property. Prosecutors say the Hayes had about $500,000 worth of signed, stamped and stolen prints and were caught trying to sell some on an internet auction site. Their sentencing was adjourned two weeks ago to give both defendants time to reconsider their March guilty pleas. In probation interviews later, Conchita Link Hayes said that if she were really of a criminal mind she would have sold her late husband's art overseas to collectors. Edward Hayes said he believed the art had been left to his wife by Winston Link, who died in 2001. Dutchess County Court Judge Gerald Hayes, who is not related to the couple, sentenced her to one and one-half to three years in state prison. She agreed to return Link's art as part of a plea agreement. More than 300 prints had been seized. Some were found in a box, others in a locker near the couple's home. Edward Hayes, who did not make a statement in court, received a one-year jail sentence. Link captured black-and-white images of steam locomotives chugging through small American towns. He began in the 1950s but the work didn't gain popularity until the early 1980s, when he was nearly 70. That's when he married his second wife. According to 1993 court records, Conchita Link Hayes tried to convince gallery owners that her husband had Alzheimer's disease. A judge granted Link an uncontested divorce and awarded him and his nephew $5-million in civil damages. Conchita Link Hayes served two months on a civil contempt charge for not returning her ex-husband's property. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-20-04, from report by Associated Press]
TECHNOLOGY REDUCES IDLING, KEEPS LOCOMOTIVES WARM IN COLD WEATHER: Even though the weather is warming up now, BNSF is planning ahead for additional fuel savings next winter. BNSF has been testing cold-weather locomotive technology, says Curt Meyers, manager, Mechanical, Locomotives, Fort Worth. In 2002, BNSF was awarded a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and the city of Chicago to install Kim Hotstart Diesel Driven Heating Systems on three GP38 locomotives in Corwith Yard. A SmartStart Auto Engine Start Stop (AESS) system also was installed on one of these engines. Shutting down idling locomotives when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, according to BNSF guidelines, could save 12 million gallons per year. BNSF's goal is to cut fuel consumption this year by 3 percent, or about 38.2 million gallons, in 2004. Kim Hotstart technology automatically heats engines and charges batteries in cold-weather conditions. Based on pilot test results, BNSF plans to install more than two dozen of the fuel-conservation systems this year. [BNSF Today, 4-19-04]
CALIFORNIA ZEPHYR USING TEMPORARY TRACK IN RENO: The California Zephyr began using a temporary, 2.2-mile shoofly track in downtown Reno, Nev., on April 13. The single-track detour is for the construction area of downtown Reno that will become a trench holding the Union Pacific main line, to be finished in September 2005. A temporary Amtrak station is located a block east of the previous location. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-16-04]
CHARGING BULL CAUSES TRAIN DERAILMENT IN INDIA: In a freak accident, a charging bull caused derailment of two coaches of the Sriganganagar-Hardwar Express in the Bathinda-Rajpura section of India April 15. There were no casualties in the incident. The bull charged at the train as it entered Rampura Phul station and got entangled between the fifth and sixth coaches, causing the derailment, a Railways release said here.[Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-15-04, from Press Trust of India news release]
N.Y. ATTORNEY GENERAL LAUNCHES CSX INQUIRY: The New York State Attorney General's Office has launched a fact-finding inquiry into CSX maintenance practices at all of the railroad's grade-level crossings within the state. Marc Violette, spokesman for Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, confirmed Wednesday [April 14] that the agency asked CSX in early March to provide the office with a record of the company's maintenance programs, schedules and procedures related to its at-grade, or road-level, railroad crossings. It is the fourth government agency looking into CSX practices, following a car-train accident in which a Henrietta couple was killed in February. The Democrat and Chronicle reported earlier this week that CSX has experienced chronic malfunctions at some local crossings, including the South Winton Road crossing where the couple was killed. Critics attribute the problems in part to lack of preventative maintenance and a shortage of maintenance employees. CSX spokesman John Casellini did not immediately return two calls Wednesday seeking comment. In the past, however, the company has denied that crossing maintenance problems exist locally. The company did announce Monday that in response to public concern about crossing safety, it was beginning what it called an "aggressive" plan to reconstruct or improve 17 local crossings this year. CSX has been under fire locally since the Febr. 3 train-car accident that killed John O'Connor, 78, and his wife, Jean, 75. On that day, circuits that control the gates and warning lights at several local crossings had been deactivated because of repeated malfunctions, and crews had been ordered to stop their trains before proceeding through the crossings. The crew of one freight train failed to heed that directive, railroad officials have said, and struck a car passing over the unguarded crossing, killing the couple. Three other government agencies are looking into the crash. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-15-04, from report by Meaghan M. McDermott on the Democrat and Chronicle website]
RAIL-RELATED FATALITIES AT RECORD LOW IN 2003: The number of people killed in rail-related accidents was the fewest in history during 2003, according to preliminary safety data released by the Federal Railroad Administration, reports the Association of American Railroads. The total number of fatalities declined by 9.25 percent to 863 last year from 951 in 2002, when the previous record low was established. Once again, more than 90 percent of all fatalities were related to either highway-grade-crossing accidents or trespassers last year. The number of grade-crossing fatalities dropped 8.96 percent, from 357 to 325. And for the first time in several years, the number of trespasser fatalities also declined, falling 6.11 percent from 540 to 507. The number of employee fatalities fell from 20 to 19. [BNSF Today, 4-14-04]
SIERRA RAILROAD SEEKS STB APPROVAL TO ACQUIRE THE SKUNK TRAIN: Sierra Railroad Co. recently filed an exemption notice with the Surface Transportation Board to acquire the assets of the 118-year-old California Western Railroad (CWR) or "Skunk Train" from a bankruptcy trustee. In February, Sierra Railroad - doing business as Mendocino Railway - obtained authorization from the Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California and the trustee to purchase CWR's assets, which includes 40 track miles and tourist-train cars. Sierra Railroad plans to reopen the Skunk Train May 1 and offer three services to increase ridership. The short line will expand steam-locomotive service on CWR's 21-mile flagship line between Fort Bragg and Northspur; maintain a "TrainSinger" service; and introduce a "Skunk AutoFerry" that will operate twice daily between Willits and Fort Bragg using 12 converted flat cars with sidewalls to accommodate cars, buses and recreational vehicles. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-13-04]
FEDS LOOK AT EQUIPMENT, TRACKS IN AMTRAK WRECK: Federal investigators continued to examine train cars from this week's Amtrak derailment, as passenger service resumed Friday [April 9] on the repaired rails. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are focusing on equipment and track as a possible cause of Tuesday's crash, officials said. One person was killed and dozens injured when Amtrak's City of New Orleans derailed at 6:33 p.m., about 25 miles north of Jackson. The train was carrying 61 passengers and 12 crew members. Investigators will be checking to make sure the track and train were in compliance with federal safety standards, said NTSB Vice Chairman Mark Rosenker. They also will examine track maintenance and inspection documents. Rosenker said the engineer reported that he saw "some sort of misalignment in the rail. He applied his brakes. Six seconds later, he reported seeing the right rail roll over in front of him." Just before the train derailed, passengers said, Amtrak employees warned they were about to hit a rough section of track. Canadian-based CN Railway Company owns the rails. CN spokesman Ian Thomson said the track was inspected with a "high-rail," a vehicle equipped to drive on rails, two days before the wreck. No problems were detected. But Paul Hedlund, a mechanical engineer and attorney who has represented plaintiffs in lawsuits involving six Amtrak crashes since 1987, said the inspection would not have been able to detect lose rail spikes. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-10-04, from article by Lora Hines on Clarion-Ledger website]
UNION PACIFIC LIMITS RAIL CUSTOMERS: Union Pacific Corp., the largest U.S. rail freight operator, has asked customers to reduce their use of the railroad as it works out problems with traffic congestion and crew shortages, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday [April 5]. Union Pacific officials are asking a few customers to use truck shipments, limit new railroad business and examine ways to reduce the number of train crews needed for loading and unloading, the Journal cited a company spokesman as saying. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-5-04, from report by Reuters] MORE
HOPES BRIGHTEN FOR MINNESOTA COMMUTER RAIL: The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad has invited the state to begin detailed negotiations on a contract to operate commuter passenger service between Big Lake and Minneapolis on its existing freight railroad tracks. The invitation to discuss a contract for the Northstar rail line came after the railroad and Northstar officials narrowed the gap on their estimates of the cost of track and signal improvements needed to better accommodate passenger service without disrupting freight service. The two sides had been millions of dollars apart. BNSF expected that $103-million in improvements would be necessary, while Northstar officials thought $52-million would be sufficient. Clifford Greene, a Minneapolis attorney for the Northstar group, said Wednesday [April 7] that the railroad now estimates that a core set of improvements must be done at a cost of $51-million to $57-million. But Greene said the railroad agreed that another $38-million in improvements might be reduced or eliminated as discussions continue. The revised estimates would keep the project within the cost-benefit outlines required by the Federal Transit Administration. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-8-04, from Associated Press report]
AMTRAK RESPONDS TO CITY OF NEW ORLEANS DERAILMENT: Members of Amtrak's customer care team have arrived at a location 25 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi, in response to the derailment of the City of New Orleans on Tuesday evening [April 6]. The team is on hand to provide assistance for passengers, including accommodations, clothing, transportation and communication. The northbound City of New Orleans, train #58, derailed Tuesday at approximately 6:35 p.m. CDT near Flora, Miss., on tracks owned, operated and maintained by Canadian National/Illinois Central Railway (CNIC). There were 73 persons aboard the train at the time of the derailment - 61 passengers and 12 crewmembers. Injured passengers were taken to six area medical facilities. Most were treated and released; four persons were admitted. Amtrak has confirmed one passenger fatality. The train consisted of one engine, one baggage car, seven passenger cars and one unoccupied passenger car in transit. Preliminary reports from the scene indicate that all nine cars derailed, with the first seven of them coming to rest on their sides. The locomotive remained on the track.. The southbound City of New Orleans, train #59, which departed Chicago Tuesday evening, will terminate in Memphis with passengers bused to points south. Passengers scheduled to travel north on Wednesday aboard train #58 will be bussed to Memphis where they will board the train to Chicago. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will lead an investigation into the cause of the derailment. Members of the NTSB are expected to arrive at the scene this morning. [Amtrak, 4-7-04]
CALTRAIN PROPOSES CONVERSION TO ELECTRIFIED TRAINS: Later this month, Caltrain plans to hold public hearings on its Environmental Assessment/Draft Environmental Impact Report for an electrification program. The agency has studied the technical and environmental impacts of converting its diesel-powered commuter service to an electrified system along its San Francsico-to-Gilroy, Calif., corridor. Caltrain plans to electrify the line using an overhead catenary system. Electrification would enable the agency to increase service while decreasing noise and pollution, according to a prepared statement. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-7-04]
UP IGNORED UTU REQUEST FOR MORE TRAIN CREWS: The United Transportation Union, which represents trainmen and conductors, says Union Pacific ignored advice from the union to hire more train crews. And it blames the company's top management team, led by Union Pacific chairman and chief executive Dick Davidson, for holding down costs at the expense of service now and in 1997. [United Transportation Union, 4-5-04, from Wall Street Journal report] MORE
SLUGGISH U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DOES NOT REFLECT SITUATION AT UP: While U.S. unemployment numbers remain virtually unchanged, Union Pacific is doing its part to reverse the trend. According to numbers issued April 5 by the U.S. Department of Labor, the nation's unemployment rate was 5.7 percent in March, showing little change over February. In contrast to the sluggish job situation in many sectors of the economy, Union Pacific is actively putting more people to work. [UP, 4-5-04] MORE
SOUTH KOREA OPENS HIGH-SPEED RAIL LINE: Last week, South Korea opened the 256-mile Korea Train eXpress (KTX) - the country's first high-speed rail line. High-speed service will reduce travel times between Seoul and Pusan from four hours, 10 minutes to two hours, 40 minutes. Officials at the Korean National Railroad (KORAL) expect daily ridership between the two cities to increase from 223,000 to 314,000. Incorporating French high-speed technology, the system will use 46 trainsets featuring TGV technology developed by ALSTOM Transport and French National Railway Societe Nationale des Chamins de Fer. ALSTOM manufactured the system's rolling stock, and provided technical training and support to KORAL engineers. French engineers provided technical assistance to Korean companies for plant planning, production facilities, welding, manufacturing, assembly and testing. SNCF and KORAL officials have been working together to develop the high-speed line since 1994. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-5-04]
UNION PACIFIC DECLINING SOME BUSINESS: Union Pacific Corp., the nation's largest railroad, is declining some business as it struggles with a train crew shortage that has its system near capacity. For one month beginning Monday [April 5], United Parcel Service will put packages on trucks that normally would run express rail routes once a week each way from Los Angeles to New York, Dallas and Memphis.[Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-2-04, from Associated Press report by Joe Ruff] MORE
BNSF RAISES FREIGHT RATES FOR WHEAT: The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co. will raise its rates to ship wheat from the northern U.S. Plains by $100 per car starting June 1, the carrier said in a statement on Friday [April 2]. The higher rates will affect wheat shipped from North Dakota, Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota to domestic destinations and export markets in St. Louis, the U.S. Gulf and the Duluth-Superior port on the Great Lakes, the statement said. The railroad, a unit of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., said on Thursday [April 1] that it also plans to raise rates by $100 per car for wheat shipped out of the southwestern United States. "We base our pricing, as we always do, on market conditions," BNSF spokesman Pat Hiatte said. BNSF is the largest U.S. grain hauler. Along with other carriers including the Canadian Pacific Railway and Union Pacific, BNSF has struggled with a backlog in grain shipments stemming from large North American corn and wheat harvests last fall and a booming grain export market. Grain dealers have said that rail car placements at grain elevators in North Dakota, for example, were running up to 50 days behind at times this past winter. Hiatte said BNSF was making progress with car placements. "We are proceeding down that path. We are getting caught up," he said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-2-04, from Reuters report by Julie Ingwersen] MORE
KCS TO TEST TWO EMD LOCOMOTIVES: Kansas City Southern soon will begin testing two Electro-Motive Division (EMD) SD70ACe locomotives during a 60-day pilot. A division of General Motors Corp., EMD has been testing the 4,300-horsepower, environmentally friendly locomotive - designed to surpass U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-mandated emissions regulations or "Tier 2" requirements - at Association of American Railroads' Transportation Technology Center Inc. in Pueblo, Colo. KCS plans to use the locomotives in revenue service, or as helper units or distributed power, between Pittsburg, Kan., and DeQueen, Ark., or Shreveport, La. EMD officials chose KCS to conduct the pilot because of the line's grade elevation and train-weight challenges, KCS officials said in a prepared statement. Introduced in June 2003, the SD70ACe features a modified EMD 710 diesel engine, advanced self-diagnostics, predictive health capabilities and an ergonomic cab design. EMD plans to begin production deliveries of the locomotive in January 2005, when Tier 2 regulations take effect. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-1-04]
U.P. HUB IN ILLINOIS GETS $1.1-MILLION GRANT: A major Illinois intermodal center is slated to get more than $1-million in state funds to boost development. Calling Union Pacific's Global III Intermodal Facility in Rochelle "the potential linchpin of major economic growth throughout northern Illinois," Gov. Rod Blagojevich on March 30 announced the hub would receive a $1.1-million Opportunity Returns grant. The grant would help bring in a new 4,000-square-foot RC2 Corp. distribution center, right next to the Union Pacific hub. [United Transportation Union, 3-31-04, from Journal of Commerce Online report ]
PROPOSALS COULD CURB CSX EXECUTIVE PAY: The proxy statement for CSX's May 5 annual meeting includes two proposals by unidentified shareholders that ask all stockholders to vote on limiting compensation packages for top executives. One calls for management to consider discontinuing stock options, severance payments and other extra pay for CSX's top five managers. The other would require shareholders to approve future large severance agreements for all senior executives. Management said in the proxy that stock options and other incentive compensation "best serves the interests of shareholders because the compensation of company executives and, in particular, senior management, is closely tied to the company's performance." Similarly, management opposes the shareholder proposal that would require stockholders approve large severance packages, saying it would put CSX at a competitive disadvantage. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-31-04, from story by Mark Basch on The Florida Times-Union website]
UP RAIL CRUNCH COULD SNARL ASIA TRADE, REPORT SAYS: Freight congestion has spread across the Union Pacific Railroad system, especially in Southern California and the southwestern United States, raising concern about the effects on America's trade with Asia, according to this report published by the International Herald Tribune. If a solution is not found before the rail freight rush begins in the late summer and autumn, the slowdown could disrupt trade through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, just two years after a West Coast port strike caused chaos. [United Transportation Union, 3-29-04, from report published by International Herald Tribune] MORE
TWO AMTRAK CONDUCTORS CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLEMENT: Two Sacramento-area Amtrak conductors were indicted March 25 on federal embezzlement charges, while a third has agreed to plead guilty, prosecutors said. One was charged with one felony and 20 misdemeanor theft counts alleging theft of government property. He is alleged to have embezzled more than $24,500 he had collected selling cash fare tickets on trains between Sept. 24, 1999 and May 30,2001. Another faces 14 similar charges for allegedly embezzling more than $5,000 between Nov. 1, 1999 and Sept. 24, 2001 while selling tickets as an assistant conductor. The third conductor was charged March 24 and simultaneously entered a plea agreement admitting misdemeanor embezzlement of more than $8,000 he collected between June 22, 1999 and May 14, 2002. He agreed to pay Amtrak $10,273.06 to cover the embezzled funds and additional missing tickets. The felony charge can bring a maximum 10 year prison term, while misdemeanor theft brings up to one year in prison. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-25-04, from Associated Press report]
CSX IS IN MIDST OF THIRD WAVE OF LAYOFFS: CSX Corp.'s third wave of layoffs began Tuesday [March 23] and continues today [March 24], part of a management restructuring plan announced in November to slash 800-1,000 non-union jobs. The intent is to make CSX, which operates the country's third largest railroad, a more nimble and efficient competitor. The company would not reveal how many or what type of jobs will be lost this round. However, only about 140 positions have been eliminated since last fall. The process is expected to end by April, suggesting this stage of cuts will be sizeable as the reorganization hits the wider swath of employees in middle management. CSX spokesman Adam Hollingsworth confirmed that while a small number of positions were eliminated Tuesday, the "majority of conversations" with employees regarding their future employment with CSX will happen today. He would not give additional details. Workers were informed by e-mail Tuesday that the third phase of cuts had begun. Affected employees will have one-on-one meetings with their supervisors. The restructuring began in December when 20 senior vice presidents and vice presidents were let go. Last month, 120 positions - largely assistant vice presidents and directors - were eliminated. The streamlined workforce is expected to save CSX $80-million to $100-million annually. Management layers are being reduced from 11 to eight. Last year, CSX had the worst operating ratio, an industry measure of profitability, of any of the country's four largest freight railroads, according to financial documents. Beginning at the top of the 24-year-old company's management, the transformation requires each management layer to redesign the layer underneath. The process both eliminates and creates positions, the company has said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-24-04, from article by Gregory Richards on Florida Times-Union website]
CSXT NAMES TONY INGRAM CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Tony L. Ingram, 57, has joined CSX Transportation as executive vice president and chief operating officer. His apointment was announced March 15 by Michael Ward, CSX chairman, president and chief executive officer. Ingram, who will report to Ward, joins CSXT from Norfolk Southern Corporation where he was senior vice president-transportation network and mechanical. Ingram will be responsible for all rail operations including transportation, safety, engineering and mechanical, and service design. Ingram, a native of Dothan, Ala., and a 33-year railroad veteran, joined the NS predecessor Southern Railway in Atlanta as a management trainee. During his tenure there, he held positions in engineering and labor relations before moving to train operations. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Ala., and attended Northwestern University's Advanced Transportation Management Program and Duke University's Management Development Program. [CSXT, 3-15-04]
CP RAIL TO ADD 41 LEASED LOCOMOTIVES: Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., Canada's second-largest railroad, will add 41 leased locomotives in the second quarter to help erase a backlog of shipments after avalanches and derailments blocked trains in late January, a company spokesman said. Additional crews will be hired to run the locomotives. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-12-04, from Bloomberg report by Reg Curren]
THREE REFURBISHED MARC GALLERY CARS ARRIVE IN BRUNSWICK, MD.: On March 13, three refurbished MARC gallery cars - numbers 7900, 7901 and 7902 respectively - arrived in Brunswick, Maryland, via special train from Cumberland. They have been repainted with MARC logos, and are slated for service on the Martinsburg and Brunswick lines. The cars can only be used on those lines as they are incompatible with service using high-level platforms. In the meantime, two former Amtrak material handling cars - numbers 1426 and 1460 - arrived in Brunswick from Washington on a special MARC train March 12, and then they moved to Cumberland.
TRAIN-VIEWING PLATFORM RECOMMENDED FOR SITE IN ARLINGTON COUNTY, VA: A train viewing platform is one of the recommendations in the final report regarding the recreational use of land adjacent to the former site of RO Tower along CSXT's RF&P Subdivision in Arlington County, Virginia. On Febr. 21, the Arlington County Board approved the list of recommendations. The 46-acre site, designated as the North Tract, was acquired by Arlington County in a deal with the developer of other sections of Potomac Yard. The land is primarily to be used for soccer and an aquatics facility, as well as many other activities. Among the recommendations: "A platform for viewing trains should be incorporated into the final design of the site. The most logical means to accommodate this popular pastime might well be to incorporate this into the bridge that crosses the tracks to Roaches Run. In the near term, a train watching location could be inserted in one of the berms or safety barriers along the tracks." [Potomac Rail News, 3-04, from report by Mike Schaller]
KCS TO ADD 25 LOCOMOTIVES TO FLEET: During the next four months, Kansas City Southern expects to take delivery of 25 class SD50 locomotives from National Railway Equipment Co. Earlier this year, the company purchased the units - formerly used by Conrail - from the lessor. The 25 locomotives will increase KCS' fleet to 525. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-12-04]
BYRON BOYD, EX-UTU CHIEF, PLEADS GUILTY TO RACKETEERING CONSPIRACY: Byron Boyd Jr.'s three-year tenure as international president of the United Transportation Union officially ended in a Houston federal courtroom on March 11. Boyd pled guilty to racketeering conspiracy - one of four federal charges - then retired as president of UTU and the United Transportation Union Insurance Association (UTUIA). He will be sentenced June 10. Last week, UTU's international executive board found Boyd guilty of violating the union's constitution and suspended him from office, without pay, for the rest of his four-year term, which would have expired in July 2007. Assistant UTU President Paul Thompson, who assumed Boyd's duties, now will serve as international president. In September, the U.S. Attorney's office indicted Boyd, former UTU International President Charles Little, former UTUIA director Ralph Dennis and former Boyd special assistant John Rookard on charges of racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and commercial bribery. The government alleges that during a seven-year period beginning in 1995, the four union officials conspired to violate federal mail fraud and wire fraud statutes, and commercial state bribery statutes by using their positions of authority to solicit and collect cash payments and other objects of value from attorneys doing business with the union. Little, who served as international president between 1995 and February 2001, pled guilty to the federal charges in January. He will be sentenced April 9. Dennis and Rookard also pled guilty to all four charges and await sentencing. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-12-04]
FRA STATISTICS SHOW CSXT MOST DANGEROUS: Government statistics indicate CSX Transportation was the most dangerous of the nation's four biggest freight railroads for most of 2003, according to this report by Gregory Richards published by the Florida Times-Union. The Jacksonville-based company led that pack with the highest rate of employee injuries per 200,000 hours worked for the first 11 months of 2003, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Railroad Administration, which oversees the nation's railroads. And CSXT also had the most train derailments, collisions and other calamities through November. The railroad was third in both those categories in 2002. MORE..
CSX SUBSIDIARY TRANSFLO CREATES NEW OPPORTUNITY IN CHAMBERSBURG, PA.: TRANSFLO Distribution Services recently helped develop a new business opportunity with Franklin Storage in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Franklin Storage recently joined the TRANSFLO Premier Provider Program, a program that identifies high quality warehouses and transloaders that are strategically located to link rail and non-rail served customers. CSX customers are made aware of these facilities through TRANSFLO communications listing members' capabilities and contact information. After attending a Premier Provider conference, Franklin was motivated to add a lumber and metals reload to its services. These new BUILDERNET METALNET Class III facilities are otherwise unavailable in the area. "Franklin Storage is great to work with because they are building, hoping the business will come," said Diane Murray, TRANSFLO senior account manager. "They are really inventive people, so it's exciting they see the vision that we have." Franklin Storage currently has a new 600,000- square-foot warehouse with 15 car spots. It plans to add a 1,000-foot track into eight acres of land adjacent to the facility, initially paving 3.5 acres. This will add another 10 car spots for outdoor unloading. This new facility is strategically located in the new Integrated Logistics Center (ILC) in Chambersburg. An ILC is a strategically placed transportation hub featuring a combination of rail, TRANSFLO facilities and warehousing, with highway access. Franklin Storage will be ready to handle lumber and metals that can be stored outside by the fall of 2004. TRANSFLO Distribution Services is a unit of TRANSFLO Corporation, which is a subsidiary of CSX Corporation. [CSXT, 3-11-04]
RUNAWAY ENGINE PLOWS THROUGH QUEENS, INJURING FOUR: A runaway locomotive plowed through a Queens neighborhood yesterday afternoon [March 10], slamming into five vehicles and injuring four people, two of them critically, the authorities said. The unmanned diesel engine, a Long Island Rail Road locomotive, became uncoupled from two other train cars at a freight yard in Queens around 2:20 p.m., the authorities said, and began rolling west down a sloping stretch of track on the railroad's Bushwick branch. The engine ran through several intersections in an industrial section of Maspeth, smashing into three automobiles. It barreled on toward the Brooklyn border, bearing down on a maintenance crew repairing the track. The workers dashed to safety and the engine rammed two of their maintenance trucks on the track, causing one of them, a welding truck, to explode into flames. The burning truck became wedged between the tracks and the locomotive and helped grind the engine to a fiery halt near Varick Avenue, just shy of the old Bushwick Terminal. As flames engulfed the locomotive and caused steel canisters of acetylene gas on the truck to explode, a city firefighter, Lt. William Pickett, leaped onto the engine, shut it down and activated the emergency brake. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, but the engine left almost a mile of destruction in its wake. The two most seriously injured people were in the first car the engine struck, a Dodge Spirit sedan traveling north on 54th Street. Its driver, Jason Kusinitz, 33, and a passenger, Demetrius Cuffie, 37, were taken to Elmhurst Hospital, where Mr. Kusinitz, who sustained head injuries, underwent surgery last night for removal of his spleen. Mr. Cuffie had several broken bones and other injuries. Both were listed in critical condition. Then, at Metropolitan Avenue, the locomotive hit a second and third car. Two people in the second car - a nun, 59, who sustained two broken wrists and a broken ankle, and an elderly man - were taken to Elmhurst Hospital as well, the authorities said. They were both listed in stable condition last night. One firefighter was hospitalized for a minor back injury, Fire Department officials said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-11-04, from story by Corey Kilgannon posted on the New York Times website]
BC RAIL PROBE WIDENS: The B.C. government cancelled the bidding process for a B.C. Rail spurline Wednesday [March 10], revealing the potential deal is part of a widening ongoing police investigation involving the Crown-owned railway. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon said the probe involves the bidding process for the Roberts Bank subdivision, the line that services a huge coal terminal south of Vancouver. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-11-04, from article by Dirk Meissner in Canadian Press] MORE..
TESTING TO BEGIN FOR TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM ON AMTRAK'S CHICAGO-DETROIT CORRIDOR: Later this month, GE Rail Global Signaling will begin testing an incremental train control system (ITCS) on a 66-mile portion of Amtrak's Chicago-to-Detroit corridor. Designed to decrease travel time between the two cities, the system is expected to increase maximum train speed from 90 mph to 110 mph. A wireless train-control technology that transmits signaling and railroad crossing information to a train's onboard computer, ITCS enables engineers to adjust speed limits according to track conditions, maintenance and speed restrictions, and enables Amtrak to increase speed and safety. During testing, Global Signaling will analyze Amtrak's system operations at various train speeds, review system and software performance, and test and deploy the technology during the next two years. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-11-04]
NTSB CITES INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE IN 2002 MINOT, ND, CRASH: In a public meeting March 9, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that Canadian Pacific Railway's ineffective inspection and maintenance program caused the January 18, 2002, derailment of a Canadian Pacific train about one-half mile west of Minot, N.D., according to this release issued by the board. Five tank cars carrying anhydrous ammonia, a poisonous gas, ruptured and released their entire contents creating a poisonous vapor plume that covered the accident site and surrounding area. The NTSB found that Canadian Pacific's rail inspection procedures were inadequate, which allowed undetected cracks in joint bars to grow to critical size and completely fracture. The Canadian Pacific Railway had discontinued ultrasonic testing of joint bars, before the accident, a procedure that could have identified the cracks before they failed. The board also criticized the Federal Railroad Administration for not requiring adequate inspections and testing of joint bars in continuous welded rail and recommended that on-the-ground inspections and nondestructive testing be required for continuous welded rail. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the failure of five tank cars and the instantaneous release of 146,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia. Over several days, a total of almost 221,000 gallons of the gas were released. One resident was killed from exposure to the gas. Over 300 people were injured and the vapor plume covered an area that affected about 11,600 residents. The five tank cars that ruptured were manufactured before 1989 with non-normalized steel. In low temperatures, steel becomes brittle and fractures more easily. "Normalizing" is a heat treatment process that lowers the temperature at which steel will become brittle, making the cars more resistant to fractures. All tank cars manufactured after 1989 are required to use normalized steel. Outside temperatures at the time of the derailment were about minus-6 degrees Fahrenheit and examination of the five failed tank cars revealed that the brittleness of the non-normalized steel contributed to the cars' complete fracture and separation. [NTSB, 3-9-04]
AMTRAK MISMANAGED HIGH-SPEED PROJECT, GAO SAYS: Congressional auditors said on March 8 that Amtrak did not meet its goal of three-hour train service between Boston and New York because neither the railroad nor the government managed or oversaw the project effectively, according to this Associated Press report. Congress in 1992 ordered the Transportation Department to come up with a plan for reducing the train trip between the two cities from four hours to three hours or less. A total of $3.2-billion was spent by Amtrak, state governments and other railroads for the project through March 2003. The trip now takes three hours, 24 minutes. Congress' General Accounting Office said in a report that Amtrak didn't develop a long-term plan, anticipate problems or coordinate with state governments and commuter railroads that use the same tracks. "Amtrak's management was not comprehensive, and it was focused primarily on the short term," the report said. Amtrak President David Gunn said in a letter that the report identified problems he's wrestled with since he took over in May 2002. He said he'd already adopted many of the management practices recommended in the report. The report said the Federal Railroad Administration didn't provide much oversight of the project, but that it didn't have the legal authority to do so. The agency said the Bush administration's proposed reforms of Amtrak - which would restructure the railroad to make it less dependent on federal money - would create an oversight program similar to that recommended by the GAO. Amtrak had to do three things to cut the travel time between Boston and New York: electrify the railroad north of New Haven, buy high-speed trains and make such infrastructure improvements as straightening curves and replacing movable bridges. The report said Amtrak focused on buying the trains and electrifying the line between Boston and New Haven. It has yet to make all the infrastructure improvements. Gunn said the report ignored Amtrak's problems with contractors. For example, he said, the Justice Department is investigating a contractor for possible civil and criminal fraud violations arising from its work electrifying the Boston-to-New Haven line. Gunn also said it is generally acknowledged that the only way to cut the travel time between New York and Boston is to offer nonstop service. Amtrak is now aiming to offer regular three-hour, 10-minute train service with stops between the two cities. Gunn said it isn't clear that shaving another 10 minutes off the trip would attract enough new riders to justify the cost of making the improvements required. [United Transportation Union, 3-8-04, from report by Associated Press]
TURBOLINER PROJECT SCALED BACK: The plan to run high-speed trains between the Capital District and New York City is still going forward, though the original proposal is being scaled back, Amtrak's president said. Super Steel Schenectady was to rebuild seven 1970s diesel-turbine powered trains for the $185-million rail project, begun about six years ago. Amtrak President David Gunn said Saturday [March 6] that only four are now expected to be completed, with three in regular service. Gunn said an additional car will be added to the five-car trains to accomodate more passengers. The Turboliners were expected to save about 20 minutes travel time between Rensselaer and New York City, but track improvements needed to allow speeds reaching 125 mph have not been done. The railroad has lost some excitement for the trains because they have smaller seating capacity and higher operating costs than standard Amtrak trains. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-7-04, from Associated Press report]
AXE FALLS ON SECOND VIA RAIL BOSS: Via Rail president Marc LeFrancois was fired March 5 after he failed to convince Transport Minister Tony Valeri that he had nothing to do with the sponsorship scandal that has rocked Prime Minister Paul Martin's government. LeFrancois is the second top executive at the crown corporation to be fired this week. Via Rail chairperson Jean Pelletier was abruptly axed March 1. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-6-04, from story by Elizabeth Thompson on The Montreal Gazette website]
CANADIAN LABOR FEDERATION URGES HALT TO BC RAIL SALE: British Columbia and Canadian officials should halt the sale of BC Rail Ltd. to Canadian National Railway Co. because of recent allegations that the finance and transportation ministers office breached the public's trust during the transaction's bidding process, said B.C. Federation of Labor President Jim Sinclair in a prepared statement. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-5-04] MORE..
UTU SUSPENDS BYRON BOYD, ELEVATES PAUL THOMPSON TO PRESIDENT: United Transportation Union Assistant President Paul C. Thompson has assumed the duties of the office of president of the UTU following the March 2 decision of the UTU International Executive Board to suspend from office President Byron A. Boyd Jr. The UTU Constitution provides for Thompson's elevation. The International Executive Board found Boyd guilty of violating the UTU Constitution and ordered he be "suspended" from office "without wages" and "for the duration of [his] current term." The board found Boyd guilty of violating the UTU Constitution with regard to hiring and directing of UTU employee Ralph Dennis, who pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of racketeering, fraud, bribery and embezzlement. Dennis awaits sentencing. The board also ruled Boyd's suspension "will automatically be revoked" and that Boyd would be reinstated with all lost wages if he is found not guilty of federal criminal charges currently pending in Houston, Texas, or if the charges are dismissed. That trial is scheduled to begin March 22. Separately, UTU General Secretary and Treasurer Dan Johnson was found by the International Executive Board "not guilty" of charges of violating the UTU Constitution and was specifically exonerated. General Secretary and Treasurer Dan Johnson said that Thompson, a locomotive engineer, "is among the UTU's strongest advocates for preserving craft autonomy. He has been a key and effective member of the national negotiating team and one always willing to assist other officers in preparing for difficult grievance and arbitration proceedings." [United Transportation Union, 3-3-04]
MARYLAND MIDLAND TO ACQUIRE FOUR GP38-3 LOCOMOTIVES: At its February 2004 board meeting, the directors approved acquiring four additional GP38-3 locomotives. "While a few details remain to be ironed out, we look forward to placing these units in service in a few months," the company said in its third-quarter report to shareholders. "At that time, the leased GP40-2's will be returned to the lessor."
POLICE RAID LINKED TO SALE OF BC RAIL: According to a court document released March 2, police raided Bristish Columbia's legislature in a corruption probe involving the sale of BC Rail to Canadian National Railway Company, according to this Reuters report. Police were investigating if two officials, who are not named in the document, passed along "unauthorized information to persons interested in government business for the purposed of obtaining a benefit." MORE..
NORTH CAROLINA TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM TO RESTORE AMTRAK LOCOMOTIVE: The state of North Carolina recently received a retired Amtrak F-40PH diesel locomotive to display at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer. Transported by CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway, locomotive 307 was taken from Amtrak's Beech Grove, Indiana, maintenance facility to the museum's Back Shop Hall, where it will be restored and displayed. The locomotive was one of 216 F-40 engines that pulled passenger cars between 1976 and 2001. Amtrak began phasing out the 16-cylinder, 3,000 horsepower locomotives in 1997 as more modern engines became available. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-3-04]
ABILENE & SMOKY VALLEY GETS GRANTS TO RESTORE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE: The Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad received a $67,092 Kansas tourism grant and a $216,000 federal grant to refurbish its 1919 Baldwin steam engine. The project will take about two years, said Mary Jane Oard, manager of the railroad. The railroad offers daily excursion train rides from Abilene to Enterprise from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and on the weekends during May, September and October. Private charter, dinner trains and rail bus excursions are also offered. The Santa Fe Railway donated the oil-burning steam engine to the city of Abilene in 1955. It was donated to the Smoky Valley Railroad Association in 1996 and moved from the city park to the group's track off South Buckeye. Oard said the steam engine is expected to increase spectator numbers. In 2003, there were nearly 10,000 riders from 44 states, 67 Kansas counties and six foreign countries. Even with the grants, more money is needed, Oard said. Send donations to the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Box 744, Abilene, KS, 67410, or call (785) 263-1077. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-3-04, from Salina Journal website]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN OPENS BULK TRANSFER FACILITY IN SOUTH CAROLINA: Norfolk Southern Railway Company announced March 1 the opening of a new Thoroughbred Bulk Transfer (TBT) terminal in Greer, S.C.. Transplastics, a division of Quality Carriers Inc., and a major provider of dry and liquid bulk transportation services in North America, will operate the terminal. TBT facilities handle the transfer of bulk products, such as plastic pellets, dry and liquid chemicals, construction materials and food products from one mode of transportation to another. The new Greer TBT terminal has 50 car spots with separate tracks for food products and can handle both dry and liquid bulk products. The facility features paving, security, full fencing, steam boiler for product heating, lighting, and 24-hour access and truck scales. All TBT terminals are open facilities and provide access to any qualified motor carrier. Norfolk Southern's other TBT facilities are located in Atlanta GA; Augusta GA, Baltimore MD, Bethlehem PA, Buffalo NY, Charlotte NC; Chattanooga TN, Chicago IL, Cincinnati OH, Cleveland OH, Columbus OH, Dalton GA, Edgemoor DE, Elizabeth NJ, Fayetteville NC, Jacksonville FL, Louisville KY, Miami FL, Mobile AL, Paterson NJ, Petersburg VA, Pittsburgh PA, Spartanburg SC, Whiting IN, Willis MI, and Winston-Salem NC. [Norfolk Southern, 3-1-04]
VIA RAIL CHAIRMAN SACKED FOR INSENSITIVE COMMENT: The chairman of Canada's state-owned passenger rail network, Jean Pelletier, was fired in the wake of controversial comments he made about a former employee who claimed she was victimized for questioning scandal-linked sponsorship deals. Transport Minister Tony Valeri said Pelletier, a former chief of staff to ex-prime minister Jean Chretien, had been dismissed from his job at Via Rail. Pelletier's comments about Myriam Bedard made front-page news because the former biathlete won three medals for Canada, including two golds, at the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics. Bedard's case is the latest twist of a scandal in which the federal government has been accused of mishandling hundreds of millions of dollars in a sponsorship and advertising program designed to boost the federal image in French-speaking Quebec province. Auditor General Sheila Fraser has accused the government of channelling funds through advertising agencies known to be friendly to the ruling Liberal Party, with questionable contracts and little financial control. Bedard said that she was forced to quit her job as a spokeswoman for Via Rail in January 2002 after she queried transactions involving a Montreal advertising firm, Groupaction, one of the key players in the scandal. In reply to Bedard's claim, Pelletier caused uproar when he said:"I don't want to be mean, but this is a poor, single woman. She's feeling the tension of being a single mother who has financial responsibilities. She's essentially looking for pity." The contracts highlighted by the auditor general are being probed by Parliament and are also the subject of a judicial inquiry. Via Rail President Marc LeFrancois is due to hear later whether he will be retained or fired in connection with the scandal. LeFrancois has been suspended without pay. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-1-04, from report by Agence France Presse]
CSX, CN LAUNCH MEMPHIS-TO-NORTHEAST TRAILER SERVICE: On February 20, CSX Intermodal and Canadian National Railway Co. began offering a new trailer service between CN's Memphis terminal and CSXI's intermodal facilities in Philadelphia; Baltimore; Boston and Springfield, Mass.; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Little Ferry, N.J. The service is provided via the Chicago gateway. On March 22, CSXI plans to cancel its existing trailer service between Memphis and the Northeast via Savannah, Ga. In July 2003, CN and CSXI announced plans to build the "Memphis Super Terminal," a 155-acre, five-track intermodal facility in southwest Memphis designed to handle 200,000 container/trailer lifts annually, and provide 1,800 parking spots for trailers and containers. Expected to be completed in fall, the facility will replace a CN-owned terminal used by CSXI immediately adjacent to CN's Johnston Yard. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-1-04]
PROTEST FILED AGAINST NORFOLK SOUTHERN TRACK ABANDONMENT IN PENNSYLVANIA: Bucks County [Pennsylvania] Transportation Management Association has filed a protest with the Surface Transportation Board against Norfolk Southern's proposed abandonment of 3.7 miles of track between Hellertown and Bethlehem. This is the northernmost portion of the old Reading Bethlehem branch, now out of service, which passenger advocates would like to see used for a revived rail service between Philadelphia and Bethlehem. [Philadelphia NRHS Cinders, 3-04, from article by Frank Tatnall Jr.]
SENATOR WANTS PROBE OF CSX TRACKS: Three train derailments in six years demonstrated a serious danger along Rockland's freight lines, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) said in urging that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) conduct a countywide investigation of the CSX tracks, according to this report by Sulaiman Beg published by the Journal News. A CSX Transportation freight train, including four hopper cars and a locomotive, derailed Febr.19 while heading north in Haverstraw, spilling nearly 200 tons of its pebbly silicon cargo, a nonhazardous substance. The accident near the Tilcon plant caused a partial evacuation of a nearby neighborhood and closed Route 9W and surrounding roads for hours. It was the third derailment in North Rockland on the West Shore Line in six years. That statistic prompted County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef to pen a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board on Febr. 20, which was also sent to Schumer. Flanked by Vanderhoef, Mayor Frances "Bud" Wassmer, Assemblyman Alex Gromack, D-Congers, and Haverstraw Town Supervisor Howard Phillips, Schumer asked FRA and CSX officials to meet with local officials and get "a first-hand look and make recommendations." Schumer said he would push CSX to follow through with the recommendations. "We'll get after them," Schumer said as he viewed the site of the Febr. 19 derailment where a hopper car and train tires rested against an embankment. "We'll get on this for you." FRA spokesman Warren Flatau said the investigation of the 24 miles of rail in the county would be an outgrowth of a current investigation of crossing system malfunctions, most recently in Henrietta, N.Y., where an elderly couple was killed Febr. 3 by an eastbound CSX train. [United Transportation Union, 2-28-04, from report by Sulaiman Beg published by the Journal News]
N.Y. STATE ASSEMBLY VETOES PLANS TO BUY COMMUTER TRAINS: The Democratic-led New York State Assembly on Friday (Febr.27) vetoed plans to buy 120 commuter trains, a victory for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who feared this would have drained money from city bus and subway lines, according to this Reuters report. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs New York City's commuter lines, subways and buses, had asked the state's capital review board to let it buy the rail cars from Canada's Bombardier Inc. 18 months faster than initially planned. A spokeswoman for the Assembly, which has one voting member on the board, declined comment on the details of its opposition. She said only that the mass transit agency -- the nation's largest -- had failed to answer its questions. The MTA, which carries 7 million bus and subway riders every day, also rejected the Assembly's request to extend the deadline, the spokeswoman added. [United Transportation Union, 2-28-04, from report by Reuters]
SOUTH FLORIDA GETS FUNDING FOR EXPANSION PROJECT: On Febr. 24, U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $28.8-million grant to South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) for an expansion project. The authority will use the funds to help complete its Double Track Corridor Improvement program, which includes double-tracking the system, expanding stations, building 11 and replacing five bridges, and upgrading grade crossings and signal systems. Once the project is complete, ridership is expected to triple to 28,000 daily passengers by 2015, according to a prepared statement. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-27-04]
AMTRAK BEGINS TRACK ANNOUNCEMENTS AT FREDERICKSBURG, VA., USING SPEAKERS: Amtrak has begun making track announcements at Fredericksburg, Va., using loudspeakers owned by Virginia Railway Express (which uses the same platforms). Amtrak has not had a station agent at Fredericksburg since at least 1977. The elevated platforms pose difficulties for departing passengers who incorrectly guess which platform to wait on and see their train arrive on the other side. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers]
CSXT REALIGNS OPERATING DIVISIONS INTO TWO REGIONS: CSXT has combined its Detroit and Chicago divisions into the Chicago Division, and its C&O and Appalachian divisions into the Huntington Division. The realignments are the result of the company's organizational effectiveness initiative. The railroad now has ten divisions in two regions. The Northern Region consists of the Albany, Baltimore, Chicago, Great Lakes and Louisville divisions; and the Southern Region consists of the Atlanta, Florence, Huntington, Jacksonville and Nashville divisions.
UNION PACIFIC OVERWORKING CREWS, EMPLOYEES SAY: Union Pacific employees have called News Channel 9, wishing to be unidentified, with stories of exhaustion and long hours of work. Federal law requires train workers to work in shifts no longer than 12 hours with a break no less than 10 hours. But the train crews News Channel 9 spoke with say Union Pacific often breaks this law. One worker reported a time where he worked an 18 hour day with as little as three hours off until his next shift. "Union Pacific is forcing people to go to work tired and exhausted putting both the the employees on those trains in jeapordy and the general public in danger as well," said Bill Hannah, general chairman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Hannah says a reason Union Pacific overworks employees is because it is understaffed, especially in El Paso. Union Pacific has not responded to these claims. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-23-04, from report by Chris Huffman on KTSM Ch.9 El Paso website]
AMTRAK TRAIN AND CSX FREIGHT NARROWLY AVERT HEAD-ON COLLISION: A head-on collision between an Amtrak passenger train and a CSX freight was narrowly averted Febr. 20 near Syracuse after both trains made emergency stops, coming to rest just 400 feet apart, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. The two-person CSX crew jumped from the freight train after going into emergency braking mode, company spokesman Adam Hollingsworth said Saturday. Both suffered minor injuries, he said. Amtrak's train No. 281, bound from New York City to Niagara Falls, was carrying 94 passengers, Amtrak spokeswoman Sarah Swain said. The eastbound freight consisted of two locomotives and 105 cars. The trains' emergency brakes were engaged after each crew spotted the approaching train on a straight, flat stretch of track, Hollingsworth said. It was not clear how fast the trains were going. The incident occurred when the Amtrak train entered the freight train's "operating block," or a section of track to which a particular train is assigned, Hollingsworth said. He said the CSX crew had been operating its train in accordance with all rules. He also said that the track signals, which inform engineers whether they can safely proceed, were working properly. Swain acknowledged that the incident involved "an alleged rules violation," but she would not say what rules might have been violated or by whom. Swain said she had no other details of the incident, which occurred about 5:15 p.m. near the village of Minoa, Onondaga County. The set of two tracks is owned by CSX but shared by Amtrak. Friday's incident occurred about 10 miles east of the scene of a February 2001 accident in which an Amtrak train plowed into the rear of a CSX freight, injuring 62 people. The National Transportation Safety Board later concluded that the Amtrak engineer did not pay proper attention to a track signal that warned him to reduce his speed. [United Transportation Union, 2-22-04, from item in the Democrat & Chronicle]
RAILROAD BRIDGE COLLAPSES IN TEXAS: San Jacinto County officials struggled to keep a shifting freight train from falling into the Trinity River after the bridge it sat on collapsed late Thursday night, News-2-Houston reported. The bridge, located over the Trinity River, which parallels Highway 59, crumbled Thursday night. No injuries were reported, according to officials. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-20-04, from report by KPRC posted on its website]
KCS TO PURCHASE 74 LOCOMOTIVES FROM LESSOR: Kansas City Southern recently exercised an option to purchase 74 locomotives at fair market value from Southern Capital Corp. L.L.C. The railroad expects to complete the transaction and obtain the locomotives - which it now leases - May 1. The fleet comprises 21 SD40-3s, 10 GP38-2s, 28 GP40-3s, five MP1500s and 10 SW1500s. Purchasing the power units will save the company about $1.8-million annually, according to a prepared statement. Rolling-stock leasing company Southern Capital Corp. is jointly owned by KCS and GATX Capital Corp. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-19-04]
BNSF TO INVEST IN NEW STOCKTON INDUSTRIAL AREA: A federal economic development grant to Stockton, California, includes $447,000 to be allotted for rail service extension into Duck Creek Commerce Park, a 106-acre proposed industrial park. BNSF has agreed to pay $350,000 to install a mainline switch and 520 feet of track from the BNSF main line adjacent to Duck Creek Commerce Park to the BNSF right-of-way line. Donald Evans, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, presented the grant yesterday, Febr. 18, to Stockton Mayor Gary Podesto and Sunne Wright-McPeak, Secretary of the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. Representing BNSF were Fritz Draper, vice president, Business Unit Operations and Support; Vann Cunningham, assistant vice president, Economic Development; Richard Nevins, manager, Strategic Initiatives, Economic Development; and Bob Tooke, Intermodal hub manager, Stockton. Duck Creek Commerce Park is the first phase of development of a planned 1,000-acre logistics park in Northern California. Logistics parks offer multi-modal transportation choices, differentiated service levels and efficient use of transportation resources. Duck Creek Commerce Park will anchor one end of the logistics park, and BNSF's Stockton Intermodal Facility, about 1.5 miles away from Duck Creek Commerce Park, will anchor the other. Current BNSF-served logistics parks include Logistics Park-Alliance in Texas and Logistics Park-Chicago in Illinois. Officials said construction of the total of about 1,500 feet of track into Duck Creek Commerce Park will enhance development of manufacturing and industrial companies in San Joaquin County. The federal grant, which totals $5.9-million, also includes funds to enable Stockton to address water-supply issues affecting industrial development. Secretary Evans said this will be the largest grant the U.S. Economic Development Administration makes this year. The construction of water and rail infrastructure is expected to create about 16,550 new jobs by 2013 with a tax base increase of more than $47-million. [BNSF Today, 2-19-04]
MAN KILLED AFTER TOSSING ROPE AT TRAIN AND THEN DRAGGED: A 43-year-old man tossed a rope into the path of a freight train, apparently on a lark, and was killed after becoming entangled in the rope and dragged by the train, authorities in Simi Valley, California, said. Alan Pichel Sr. was hanging out with his 17-year-old son near the train tracks Monday evening [Febr. 16] when he threw a bottle tied to a shopping cart into the train's path, said John Bromley, a spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad. "Apparently, they wanted to watch the shopping cart being dragged along by the train," Bromley said. Authorities say it remains unclear exactly how Pichel became entangled, though police Sgt. Joe May said the man's death was the result of "a strange chain of events." Police stopped the train, which was moving about 15 mph, after about a mile. Coroner's officials said an autopsy showed Pichel died from multiple blunt-force injuries. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-19-04, from Associated Press report]
JERVIS LANGDON DIES, FORMER RAILROAD PRESIDENT: Jervis Langdon Jr., former head of three major railroads and grandnephew of author Mark Twain, died February 16 at his home in Elmira, N.Y. He was 99. During his 50-year railroad career, Langdon served as president of the Penn Central, Baltimore and Ohio, and Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroads. In 1964, he played a key role in the Baltimore and Ohio's merger with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. Langdon also guided Penn Central during its bankruptcy. "Langdon's greatest achievement was recognizing that Penn Central and the other bankrupts could not be cured without a government-led restructuring," says Rush Loving, a Baltimore writer who interviewed Langdon for a book on Penn Central and Conrail. "His real strength was his sense of politics and strategy. He knew how to deal with people, whether it be Judge Fullam, who presided over the bankruptcy, or Frank Barnett, the chairman of the Union Pacific who persuaded everyone in Washington that government action was needed, or Congress itself. In the back room, he briefed Judge Fullam and persuaded him to tell Washington to do something or he would shut down the railroad." Langdon retired in 1976, but continued to serve as a consultant for several railroads. In 1990, he was elected to Baltimore's Railroad Hall of Fame. Langdon is survived by his wife, Irene, three sons and a daughter. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-18-04]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN UNHAPPY WITH VIRGINIA TAX PLAN: Norfolk Southern Corp. is so unhappy with the House tax plan that it is contemplating moving some rail operations out of state, according to The Virginian-Pilot. The area's largest employer, Northrop Grumman Newport News, fears it will stymie expansion in the commercial sector. Since Friday [Febr. 13], these two companies, along with others across Hampton Roads, have been trying to assess the impact of the House package that would eliminate commercial tax exemptions for a number of industries. While executives still are crunching the numbers, they say the cost could be significant. "The proposed legislation would add to Norfolk Southern's cost of doing business in Virginia," company spokeswoman Susan Terpay said. Norfolk Southern, one of the largest publicly traded companies based in the area, plans to do a cost comparison between Virginia and similar facilities in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, which offer the tax break, Terpay said. If any tax changes make it cheaper in those states, that could be where affected operations will go. The bill, which passed the House on Tuesday, would remove sales tax exemptions previously given to shipyards, rail lines, telecommunication companies, airlines and other businesses. [United Transportation Union, 2-18-04, from item in Virginian-Pilot]
CSX WORLD TERMINALS GETS FINANCING FOR CHINA VENTURE: CSX World Terminals has received $58.7-million in financing to acquire a container terminal and operating equipment in Shandong Province, China. CSX World Terminals Yantal Company is a joint venture between Charlotte-based CSX World Terminals and the Yantal Port Authority. Industrial and Commercial Bank of China arranged the financing. [Charlotte Business Journal, 2-17-04]
BNSF LEASES TEXAS LINE TO SHORTLINE TIMBER ROCK: BNSF has leased 30 miles of track between Silsbee and Kirbyville, Texas, to the Timber Rock (TIBR). TIBR operations on the line began yesterday, Febr. 16. This additional TIBR trackage serves customers in the towns of Call, Le Verte, Bessmay, Buna, Quinn, Evadale and Hayes, Texas. The TIBR was created in 1998 and with this expansion will operate 170 miles of track. The TIBR interchanges with BNSF at Tenaha and Kirbyville, and with Kansas City Southern at Deridder, La. The TIBR is owned by Watco Companies, Inc. (Watco), a Pittsburg, Kansas, based company, which owns seven short line railroads and operates in 23 states. [BNSF Today, 2-17-04]
LAST OPERATING INTERLOCKING TOWER IN TEXAS CLOSES: Union Pacific's Tower 17 in Rosenburg, Texas, closed on February 14, 2004, according to a report posted by Trains Magazine. The tower, located 35 miles southwest of Houston, had been given the random number of 17 by the Railroad Commission of Texas following a 1901 law regulating crossings at grade of railroads. All such towers in Texas were then designated by a number.
NJ TRANSIT APPROVES FUNDS FOR VIADUCT REPAIRS: New Jersey Transit recently awarded a $22.9-million contract to E.E. Cruz & Co. to repair and waterproof 80-year-old viaducts at the agency's Brick Church, South Orange and East Orange stations on the Morris & Essex Line. Expected to begin in spring and conclude in 2006, the project includes demolishing and rebuilding exterior stairs, repairing viaducts, waterproofing structures, and improving track-bed and platform drainage. Repairs will begin at Brick Church Station; work on the South Orange and East Orange stations will begin once ADA-accessibility improvements are complete, including mini high-level platforms, elevators for inbound and outbound trains service, and reconstructed platforms and canopy extensions. The Morris & Essex Line is the agency's second busiest, so NJ Transit plans to coordinate construction to minimize passenger impacts, according to a prepared statement. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-16-04]
AMTRAK TRAINS MOVING AGAIN AFTER FURIOUS WIND, SNOW, IN GREAT PLAINS: Amtrak trains began crossing the far Northern Plains again Thursday [Febr. 12], a day after winds gusted to over 70 mph and snow drifted up to 20 feet deep, according to this Associated Press report. The cold lingered, however. The weather service warned residents of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota that winds could combine with subzero temperatures to make the outdoors feel as low as 40 degrees below zero before conditions improved by midday. The storm blowing out of Canada did not bring heavy snow, but the wind picked up the few inches that fell and the snow already on the ground, causing drifting and whiteout conditions. The blizzard conditions stopped Amtrak's eastbound Empire Builder passenger train in Minot, North Dakota, while the westbound train got no farther than Minneapolis. North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven declared a snow emergency, citing drifts of up to 20 feet in the northwestern part of the state. [United Transportation Union, 2-12-04, from Associated Press report]
ALBUQUERQUE TO SEE COMMUTER RAIL BY SUMMER 2005: A $55-million to $70-million commuter rail line running through Albuquerque from Belen to Bernalillo will be operating by July of 2005, Gov. Bill Richardson announced Thursday [Febr. 12]. The Belen to Bernalillo run is the first phase of Richardson's plan to run commuter train service to Santa Fe."The process to create a commuter rail line is well underway. We are the only state in the West to make a commitment to commuter rail. We want to be a beachhead to say that rail works," Richardson said during a talk at the Alvarado Transportation Center in Downtown Albuquerque. Richardson said the state has $30-million in pocket for the project, and is looking to the federal government for the other $25-million. The money would be spent on upgrading tracks and signal systems and on commuter rail cars, Richardson said. The line would run on the tracks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. State officials are currently negotiating with the railroad on issues relating to the commuter service, Richardson said. Lawrence Rael, executive director of the Middle Rio Grande Council of Governments, said the Belen to Bernalillo route would have six to eight stations, including stops in downtown Albuquerque, Belen, Los Lunas and Bernalillo. Service would initially be Monday-through Friday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Rael said. The cost of the project is cheap when compared to highway projects, Rael said. For instance, the reconstruction of the Coors and I-40 interchange on Albuquerque's Westside will cost $75-million to $90-million, Rael said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-12-04, from story by Dennis Domrzalski on the New Mexico Business Weekly website]
CONTRACT LET FOR FUEL CELL-POWERED LOCOMOTIVE PROJECT: Vehicle Projects L.L.C. recently contracted MesoFuel Inc. to design and manufacture a hydrogen generator for a fuel cell-powered locomotive. MesoFuel will help Vehicle Projects during a five-year, $12-million project, which is designed to prove that a fuel-cell power source - which directly converts fuel energy into electric power - can replace diesel engines in locomotives. Vehicle Projects plans to retrofit an Army diesel-electric locomotive with a fuel-cell power plant by 2008. The project could lead to the use of fuel cells in commuter, light, high speed, freight, switching and subway utility locomotives, Vehicle Projects officials believe. Funded and administered by U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, and National Automotive Center, the project is proceeding in four phases: feasibility and conceptual design, power plant fabrication, locomotive integration and non-tactical Army demonstration. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-11-04]
UTU EVICTED IN MICHIGAN: Due to its unaffiliated status, the United Transportation Union (UTU) was evicted from its offices in the Michigan State AFL-CIO building in Lansing, Michigan. The Michigan AFL-CIO evicted the UTU's Michigan Legislative Board effective January 1 after requests from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council 43, IBT Local 614, and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Greg Powell, chairman of the BLET Michigan State Legislative Board, notified the Michigan AFL-CIO of the UTU's unaffiliated status late last year. He and Dave Fernald, first vice chairman of the BLET Michigan State Legislative Board, also held meetings with members of the Michigan AFL-CIO Executive Board. Powell thanked Cecil Powell, president of Teamster Local 614, and Bill Black, legislative representative of Joint Council 43, for their assistance. The two bodies passed a resolution to withhold funds from the Michigan AFL-CIO until the unaffiliated union was evicted from the premises. In early 2002, the Western Nebraska Central Labor Council voted unanimously to evict UTU representatives from its headquarters in Alliance, Nebraska, due to the UTU's status as a non-affiliate. The UTU withdrew from the national AFL-CIO on March 15, 2000, to avoid potential financial sanctions resulting from its constant raiding attempts. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-10-04]
UNION PACIFIC ANNOUNCES PROGRAM TO EXPEDITE CROSS-BORDER SHIPPING: Union Pacific Railroad announced on February 5 a "Passport Plus" program that will expedite trans-border shipping to and from Mexico by providing intense scrutiny and screening of shipments. The service is offered in partnership with Union Pacific Carrier Services and TransMex Logistics, a subsidiary of OrderPro Logistics. TransMex will be responsible for reviewing bills-of-lading and all shipping documents to verify accuracy, monitoring all transportation and customs events and proactively resolving issues to eliminate transit delays. TransMex will work directly for UPCS to offer Union Pacific customers the new Passport Plus service. Initially, Passport Plus will be offered as a local Union Pacific rail-trailer service but will be expanded in the near future to include other rail-controlled equipment, as well as joint service with connecting carriers throughout North America. Passport Plus is an important development in trans-border supply chain services. Approximately 3,000 loads per day flow back and forth across the Mexican border bound for national and international destinations. Union Pacific's new Passport Plus product, along with TransMex's expertise/capabilities, are positioned to help shippers take full advantage of this tremendous flux in trade. [Union Pacific, 2-5-04]
RAIL NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE REWORKED AFTER JAN 23 INCIDENT: Less than a month after a train derailment left military bombs scattered along the tracks, South Carolina homeland security officials say they have improved notification about rail emergencies. State Law Enforcement Division Chief Robert Stewart, who also is state's advisor to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said Tuesday [Febr. 3] that the new procedure will be finalized Friday and go into effect next week. The January 23 derailment concerned officials because they weren't notified until several hours after 13 cars, including two carrying military bombs, derailed in a switching yard. Stewart, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, and Police Chief Jon Zumalt did not learn of the derailment until hours after the 8:20 p.m. accident. It was at least four hours before CSX railway officials notified anyone about the hazardous materials on board. The notification agreement requires CSX to notify local emergency officials 'as soon as they identify any problem,' said Stewart. [From article 2-4-04 from Post & Courier]
UNION PACIFIC PLANS INTERMODAL FACILITY IN TEXAS: Union Pacific announced on January 30 plans to operate a new intermodal facility in Dallas County, Texas. The 342 acre railport, which is contingent upon final approval of the Union Pacific Board of Directors, will be located within the city limits of Wilmer and Hutchins, Texas, and will support growing intermodal traffic in the region. Union Pacific's intermodal traffic has experienced substantial growth in recent years. Since 1999, the railroad's international volume has increased nearly 37 percent -representing an annual growth rate of 8.2 percent. International volume in and out of Dallas grew more than 20 percent in 2003 - a reflection of the many consumer goods, including electronics, toys and clothing, that are shipping from the Far East to Dallas via intermodal container. Studies indicate there is a need to expand capacity to handle this and future rail-truck traffic in the area, and the railport will allow Union Pacific to serve the growing needs of businesses in the region. Union Pacific plans a state-of-the-art facility for Dallas County that will support safe, cost-effective transferring of intermodal containers. The railport will include 23 miles of track, 3,200 trailer stalls, an administrative office, a building for performing repair and maintenance of cranes and ramp tractors, an outdoor repair area for repairing cranes, and an entry gate. Once complete, trucks will gain access to the railport via a computerized security system, and containers will be transferred in minutes. Built with quality in mind, the intermodal facility will be clean, safe and well lit. Nearby highway and interstate access will minimize truck congestion. Construction of the facility could begin in May. [Union Pacific, 1-30-04]
AMTRAK FUNDING BILL SIGNED INTO LAW: President Bush signed into law the combined omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal 2004 on January 23. The omnibus included all transportation funding for this fiscal year, with $1.218-billion for Amtrak. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-30-04]
AMTRAK TO ELIMINATE CHICAGO-TORONTO INTERNATIONAL: Amtrak will eliminate its Chicago-Toronto International effective with the April 26 timetable change, and replace it with a Chicago-Port Huron service. VIA Rail Canada will continue to operate its Sarnia-Toronto services, but there will be no connection between Amtrak and VIA at Port Huron/Sarnia. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-30-04]
DESIGN PLANS UNVEILED FOR WTC TRANSPORTATION HUB: Architect Santiago Calatrava has unveiled design plans for Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's (PANYNJ) $2-billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub. The design features a glass roof enabling natural light to reach platforms 60 feet below ground level. PANYNJ plans to open the roof will each year on the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The hub also would include a permanent Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) terminal, pedestrian connections to subway lines across lower Manhattan, open space in the Wedge of Light Plaza, additional access from Church Street to the Memorial District and state-of-the-art security. The PATH terminal is expected to be complete in 2006; the rest of the transportation hub, by 2009. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-28-04]
CN ANNOUNCES 3-FOR-2 STOCK SPLIT, INCREASES CASH DIVIDEND: CN announced January 28 that its Board of Directors has approved a three-for-two stock split of the company's common shares outstanding. The board has also approved a 17 per cent increase in CN's quarterly cash dividend. The three-for-two stock split will take the form of a stock dividend. Shareholders will receive one-half additional common share of CN for each common share held (i.e., one additional share for each two shares held). The stock dividend will be payable on Feb. 27, 2004, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Feb. 23, 2004. In addition, a quarterly cash dividend of nineteen and one-half cents (Cdn $0.195) per common share post-split will be paid on March 29, 2004, to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 8, 2004. [CN, 1-28-04]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN REPORTS 4-Q AND 2003 RESULTS: Norfolk Southern Corporation reported January 28 fourth-quarter net income of $52-million, or $0.13 per diluted share, impacted by two significant charges - a $66-million or $0.17 per share after-tax charge for a voluntary separation program and a $53-million or $0.13 per share after-tax charge to recognize the impaired value of certain telecommunications assets. Excluding the effects of these items, fourth-quarter net income would have been $171-million, or $0.43 per share, compared with net income of $129-million or $0.33 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2002. Net income for 2003 was $535-million, or $1.37 per share, and included a $114-million, or $0.29 per share, gain largely due to a required change in accounting for the cost of removing railroad crossties, a $10-million, or $0.03 per share, gain from discontinued operations resulting from the 1998 sale of a former motor carrier subsidiary, and the two fourth quarter after-tax charges. Excluding the effect of all four of these items, net income for the year would have been $530-million or $1.35 per share. Railway operating revenues were the highest of any quarter and year in Norfolk Southern's history. Fourth-quarter revenues were $1.68-billion, up six percent compared with the same period a year earlier. For the year, revenues rose to $6.5-billion, three percent higher compared with 2002 results. [Norfolk Southern, 1-28-04]
TRAIN EN ROUTE TO SUPER BOWL KILLS TWO IN CROSSING ACCIDENT: A passenger train on its way to Houston for Super Bowl festivities struck a pickup truck January 27 in Central Texas, killing two high school football players. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train was crossing through rural Cameron,about 50 miles south of Waco, when a pickup carrying Brian Reinders, 17, and Travis Mueck, 16, drove onto the tracks. The collision occurred shortly after 5 p.m., as the sun began to set, Cameron police said. The two Cameron Yoe High School juniors were pronounced dead at the scene. Joe Faust, a regional spokesman for BNSF, said the vintage passenger train was to be part of an exhibition and private party in Houston. Faust said the collision appeared to have been caused by "driver inattention." The crossing, which is marked with signs, is the only one in Cameron without flashing lights warning of an oncoming train. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-28-04, from Houston Chronicle website]
CSX REPORTS FOURTH-QUARTER RESULTS: CSX Corporation reported fourth-quarter net income of $123-million or 57 cents per share, including a net after-tax restructuring charge of $7-million. Excluding this charge, fourth-quarter net income was $130-million or 61 cents per share, versus $137-million or 64 cents per share a year ago. Surface transportation revenues rose four percent compared to last year's fourth quarter to $190-billion. Surface transportation operating income was $239-million including the net restructuring charge. [CSX, 1-27-04]
'CLASS 67' LOCOMOTIVE TO POWER ROYAL TRAIN: Last week, English Welsh & Scottish Railway (EWS) unveiled a new dedicated Class 67 locomotive the railroad plans to use to move the Royal Train. Built in 1999 by General Motors Corp.'s Electro-Motive Division (EMD), the $2.8-million, 3,000-horsepower locomotive - which EWS has named "The Queen's Messenger" - will replace two dedicated Class 47 diesel units that now power the train used by Great Britain's royal family. To date, EMD has provided EWS 30 Class 67 locomotives, which are designed to reach a top speed of 125 mph. The units feature a dual-cab car body and high-speed bogies, as well as EMD's 12-cylinder 710 engine and EM2000 locomotive-control computer, which are built into North American locomotives. EMD also has provided EWS and other European freight railroads more than 400 Class 66 locomotives, which also feature the 710 engine and EM2000 computer system. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-26-04]
BNSF REPORTS 4-Q RESULTS: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation reported record fourth-quarter 2003 earnings of $0.61 per share, or 13-percent higher than fourth-quarter 2002 earnings of $0.54 per share. Freight revenues for the fourth quarter increased $185 million, or 8 percent, to a record $2.46-billion compared with 2002 fourth-quarter revenues of $2.27-billion. [BNSF, 1-27-04]
JUDGE REJECTS LAWSUIT SEEKING REPARATIONS: A federal judge in Chicago on January 26 dealt a blow to the reparations movement by dismissing a lawsuit against 18 banks, insurers, railroads and tobacco companies that African-Americans say profited from slavery. The plaintiffs were "trying to assert the legal rights of their ancestors" without proving they had been injured by any of the companies they sued, said U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle. Norgle said the plaintiffs could file an amended lawsuit after reviewing his opinion but gave them little reason for optimism. Courts lack the constitutional authority to decide the question of reparations for slavery, which should be left to Congress, he said. Norgle also said the statute of limitations had run out on crimes committed during the slave era, ended in 1865. The plaintiffs, dozens of African-Americans who said they are descendants of slaves, demanded compensation from big-name corporations but never put a dollar amount on their claims. They argued companies should put profits from slavery, plus money that should have gone to pay slaves, into a trust to benefit African-Americans. Defendants included railroads CSX, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-26-04, from story by James Cox on the USA Today website]
RAILAMERICA COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF CENTRAL MICHIGAN RAILWAY: RailAmerica, Inc. has announced it has completed its acquisition of the Central Michigan Railway Company (CMGN) for $25.3-million. The Central Michigan Railway operates 100 miles of rail line from Midland, Michigan, south to Durand, Michigan, and generated revenues of approximately $11-million in 2003. CMGN provides rail freight service to the Saginaw, Michigan, area, and interchanges traffic with Canadian National, CSXT, Lake State Railway, Tuscola & Saginaw Bay Railway, in addition to RailAmerica's Huron & Eastern Railway (HESR) and Saginaw Valley Railway (SGVY). [RailAmerica, 1-26-04]
CHARLES LITTLE, FORMER UTU OFFICIAL, PLEADS GUILTY TO RACKETEERING: A former official of the United Transportation Union, based in Cleveland, has pleaded guilty to criminal charges that he took cash payments and other things of value from lawyers doing business with the union, reported the Associated Press Jan. 25. Charles Little, 69, of Leander, Texas, could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison and fined $250,000 when he is sentenced April 9. In addition, the former international union president will forfeit $100,000, which the government says he received though illegal activity. Little and three others were indicted by a grand jury last September on charges of conspiring to violate federal mail and wire fraud statutes and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering through commercial state bribery Little pleaded guilty to labor racketeering conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Michael Shelby said. Little said he used the money to fund his campaigns and for his personal use. [United Transportation Union, 1-26-04, from Associated Press report]
CSX TO TEST HYBRID 'GREEN GOAT' LOCOMOTIVES: CSXT will lease three 'Green Goat' hybrid yard locomotives from RailPower Technologies Corporation for a 90-day trial period. The 2000-horsepower Green Goat features a small diesel generator and long-life batteries. The locomotives to be used in the trial period will be built on GP9 frames, the same as the original units. CSX has the option to extend the lease by an additional 90 days. A similar test of the Green Goat is being conducted by Canadian Pacific, and it has previously been tested by Union Pacific.
GROUP BUYS FORMER STEEL RAIL LINE IN PA.: The short-line railroad at a former Bethlehem Steel plant has been sold to a group of former Steel executives who plan to build and operate a new rail-to-truck distribution center on Bethlehem's South Side. The railroad is the latest Steel asset to be sold by International Steel Group of Cleveland, which purchased the company's holdings in bankruptcy court in May. J. Michael Zaia, a principal of Lehigh Valley Rail Management, said the group plans to move the rail-to-truck center from its site on former Steel land to another tract near Cokeworks Road, just outside Hellertown. Gov. Ed Rendell in October awarded $1.3-million to the Philadelphia, Bethlehem & New England Railroad, the predecessor of Lehigh Valley Rail, to build BethIntermodal to connect commercial railroads and truck docks in the industrial parks planned for former Steel land. Moving the intermodal will allow quicker access to Route 78, which is less than a mile south of Cokeworks Road. Zaia declined to disclose a sale price for the short-line rail network, which serves the businesses in the industrial parks on 1,600 acres of Steel brownfields under redevelopment by Lehigh Valley Industrial Park Inc. and Majestic Realty Inc. of California. Brownfields are lands, usually industrial sites, that have been contaminated and must be cleaned up before they are developed. Since the shutdown of Steel's steelmaking operations, the short line has carried a broad range of commodities, including lumber, plastics and agricultural products. The short line has interchanges with two major commercial lines, the Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific railways.[Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-23-04, from story by Chuck Ayers on The Morning Call website]
UNION PACIFIC REPORTS FIFTH STRAIGHT YEAR OF REVENUE GROWTH: Union Pacific Corporation has reported a fourth quarter record net income of $551-million, or $2.12 per diluted share. This is a 46 percent increase over the 2002 net income of $378-million, or $1.41 per diluted share. The 2003 quarterly results include $0.84 per diluted share, reflecting the recorded gain from the Company's sale of its Overnite subsidiary, as well as earnings from Overnite's October operations. From continuing operations, the Corporation earned $1.28 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2003 compared with $1.38 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2002. For the full year, net income increased by 18 percent to a record $1.6-billion, or $6.04 per diluted share, compared to $1.3-billion or $5.05 per diluted share in 2002. Total earnings per diluted share included the sale of Overnite and the cumulative effect of an accounting change. The company earned $1.1-billion or $4.07 per diluted share from continuing operations in 2003 versus $4.78 per diluted share in 2002. [Union Pacific, 1-21-04]
BC RAIL UNION CALLS FOR AUDIT OF PROVINCE'S CN AGREEMENT: The Council of Trade Unions on BC Rail is urging the provincial government to audit British Columbia's BC Rail Ltd. privatization agreement with Canadian National Railway Co. because of "irregularities" throughout the bidding process. "Both of the two losing bidders say the BC Rail privatization process was unfair to them," said union Chairman Bob Sharpe in a prepared statement. "Many key parts of the deal are secret. This all cries out for a full and public audit." Auditor General Wayne Strelioff believes provincial budget cuts are limiting his office's ability to examine British Columbia's privatization deals. "[The province] has an obligation to the people of British Columbia to ensure that the auditor general's office has the funding necessary to conduct a full audit of the BC Rail privatization deal," said Sharpe. "Surely with a billion-dollar deal, the province can find a tiny fraction of that amount of money to do a full and independent audit - doing anything less than that will lead people to rightly conclude that there are strong reasons why the government does not want the sale of BC Rail examined thoroughly." In November, the province and CN entered into a "BC Rail Investment Partnership" under which the Class I would pay British Columbia $768-million in cash to acquire the 1,400-mile regional's outstanding shares and the right to operate over BC Rail's roadbed under a long-term lease. The regional's rail bed would remain in public hands, with CN assuming responsibility for rail transportation and infrastructure maintenance. Subject to Canada Competition Bureau approval, the transaction is expected to close during the first quarter. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-20-04] MORE
NEW JERSEY TOWNS CHALLENGE PLAN TO REOPEN RAIL LINE: A group of New Jersey municipalities is challenging a federal decision to reopen a dormant rail line that could eventually provide through freight service into New York harbor, according to this report published by the Journal of Commerce Online. A decision in July 2002 by the Surface Transportation Board (STB) granted permission to the Morristown &Erie Railroad to operate as a common carrier along the Rahway Valley and Staten Island rail lines. The decision also grants M&E the right to use the county-owned rail lines as a through service for interstate carriers. The New Jersey railroad said it plans to interline freight with Conrail, Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation at Cranford, Bayway and Bound Brook, N.J. Attorneys for the five municipalities seeking to stop the project have filed a request to reopen the STB's decision. They say the decision failed to examine critical environmental and safety issues arising from the project. The towns filed their petition January 2. M&E has 20 days to file an answer. An earlier lawsuit filed in state Superior Court was thrown out in December due to jurisdictional issues. Union County Superior Judge Edward Beglin Jr. dismissed the suit, ruling that the state had no authority over the federally-regulated railroad. The STB is also considering a November 18 petition from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reactivate the Staten Island rail lines eastward across the Arthur Kill shipping waterway and into the Howland Hook Container Terminal. The STB plans to issue a decision later this month. [United Transportation Union, 1-19-04, from Journal of Commerce Online]
BAY COLONY RAILROAD TO ACQUIRE CSX LINE IN MASSACHUSETTS: Bay Colony Railroad Corp. recently filed an exemption notice with Surface Transportation Board to acquire from CSX Transportation a 5.9-mile line in Bristol County, Massachusetts. CSXT controls New York Central Lines L.L.C., which operates the line. Formed in 1977, the 122-mile Bay Colony Railroad provides freight-rail service in southeastern Massachusetts and passenger-rail service on Cape Cod, and repairs rail cars. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-19-04]
RAILAMERICA SELLS MAJORITY STAKE IN CHILEAN RAILROAD: RailAmerica Inc. is closer to becoming a solely North American short-line holding company. On January 16, the company announced plans to sell its 55 percent interest in Chilean railroad Ferronor to an affiliate of its Chilean partner, Andres Pirazzoli y Cia Ltda., for $18.1-million. The transaction comprises a $10.75-million cash payment to be made on or before February 5, and $7.4-million in securities that will bear interest and be payable during a six-and-a-half-year period. The company continues to seek a buyer for its last international property, Freight Australia. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-19-04]
CSX TO EXPAND DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIAL PARKS: Freight railroad CSX Transportation said a program to promote the development of industrial parks near its tracks will be expanded across the company's system. Jacksonville, Fla.-based CSXT -- one of the two largest freight railroads serving southwestern Pennsylvania -- launched The Parks for Growth program last year in Southampton County, Va., when a 400-acre parcel adjacent to a CSX line was rezoned and the county secured an option on the property. "What this program does is encourage communities when they develop industrial parks to do them next to railroad lines," said Jim Bradshaw, CSXT industrial development director. The program is strictly for the development of new industrial parks. Potential sites must have backing of the local government, including a commitment to extend sewer and water service within three months of landing a tenant. The community must also have a full-time economic development program in place. Municipalities can either own the land that is being developed or have an option to buy it, and can later sell the property. "Basically you have to have control of the land at the time of development," said Bradshaw. As an added incentive, CSXT will offer a free switch off its main line to the first tenants in the new parks, as well as aerial photography and national exposure. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-19-04, from Pittsburgh Business Times website]
NEW JERSEY & NORTHERN RAILWAY, A NEW SHORT LINE: From the owners of the Raritan Central Railway in Edison, NJ, and the New York and Eastern in Poughkeepsie, NY, there is a new short-line venture: The New Jersey & Northern Railway Company. The railroad has been converting the former Veterans Administration Supply Depot into the Somerset Multi-Modal Distribution Facility. The site boasts over a million square feet of warehouses on 165 acres. The site has four miles of track and a connection to Norfolk Southern's Lehigh Line. Currently the site has over 150 car spots and can handle the unloading of a 100-car unit hopper train at spots, which were designed to unload plastic pellets. Plans call for additional trackage to be built in the coming year to create a total of 300 car spots by 2005. [Urban Transit Club, 1-04]
METRO-NORTH ACQUIRING TWO LOCOMOTIVES FROM AMTRAK: NYSDOT and the MTA have authorized the purchase of two additional F-40-PH locomotives from Amtrak. The two new units will be sent to Norfolk Southern's Juniata Shop for rebuild to F-40-PH-2CAT standards to join sisters 4191 and 4192. The new units will be numbered 4193 and 4194, and are very much needed following the opening of NJT's Secaucus Transfer Station. [Urban Transit Club, 1-04]
JAPANESE MAGLEV FACES ISSUE OF HIGH EXPENSE: With much fanfare and worldwide attention, a three-car test train using magnetic levitation technology reached a speed of 360 MPH on an 11-mile test track in December, surpassing its own 342-MPH record set in 1999. But according to this Associated Press story by Kenji Hall circulated on January 19, the high cost of building and operating the line may stall its development as a viable means of travel for some time to come. Skeptics say the maglev might never travel beyond its test track in Tsuru, west of Tokyo. After four decades and $2.4 billion spent on research, the maglev has just one station, no ticket booths - and no clear future. "We want to build the line as soon as possible," said Yutaka Osada, deputy chief of Central Japan Railway Co.'s maglev research division. "But the government has to decide because it will pay to start construction. With the current economy, it probably won't be running for some time." Skeptics say prestige, not pragmatism, drives the project. Experts concede that the trains aren't greener than existing electric-railway technology, notably the Shinkansen "bullet trains" that traverse the mountainous countryside and connect major cities at up to 186 mph. Japan also uses monorails, trains and subways for intra-city transit. "The maglev is less efficient than the Shinkansen. It consumes about three times more energy," said Satoru Sone, an engineering professor at Tokyo's Kogakuin University. But Sone said the maglev could someday replace airplanes for shuttling passengers around Japan because they emit one-fourth of the harmful greenhouse gases of a passenger jet. "Bullet trains are too slow to compete with planes. But the maglev might one day replace domestic air travel along some routes," he said. Few countries have poured as many resources into maglev development. China began daily runs of the world's first commercially operated maglev Januaty 1, but the $1.2-billion German-built system in Shanghai spans only 18 miles. Earlier plans for an 800-mile Shanghai-to-Beijing line were canceled. Germany, meanwhile, has scrapped plans for its own line between Hamburg and Berlin. A company called American Maglev Technology Inc., in Edgewater, Florida, is working with Virginia's Old Dominion University, which hoped to start shuttling students across campus on a maglev last fall. But the project was delayed a year ago when technical glitches surfaced and $14-million in public and private funds ran out before they could be fixed. To float 4 inches above its tracks, the maglev is equipped with superconducting magnets that must be cooled to around minus 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Researchers are working on a cheaper, superheated version. There's almost no danger of derailing because the guideway walls are half as tall as the train. In a power outage, inertia and magnetic forces would carry the train to a gradual stop. Air-flap brakes like those airplanes use and retractable wheels would be deployed in case of magnetic failure. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-19-04, from report by Associated Press]
BNSF DELAYS ABANDONMENTS IN MONTANA: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is postponing planned abandonment of two branch lines in northeastern Montana, Department of Transportation Director Dave Galt announced Friday [January 16]. BNSF previously announced it would seek to abandon lines from Plentywood to Scobey, and Glendive to Circle, early this year because the lines are not profitable. The railway now plans to postpone filing the abandonment petitions until after June 30. "This will give the state six months to study the lines and develop a list of options for retaining rail service in these areas," he said. A study already has begun and meetings are scheduled from January 20 to 23 at Plentywood, Scobey, Wolf Point, Circle and Glendive. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-18-04, from Associated Press report]
PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE RESUMES BETWEEN INDIA AND PAKISTAN: Passenger rail service between India and Pakistan resumed January 15 after a two-year closure. The Lahore-New Delhi Samjhauta Express will run two days a week. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-16-04]
AUSTRALIA'S LONGEST PASSENGER TRAIN TO BEGIN ITS RUN IN FEBRUARY: Billed as the longest passenger train in Australian history, the inaugural run for the extended Ghan passenger service will depart Adelaide on February 1. It will be over one kilometer long (0.62 miles). In the meantime, the first through freight train on the new north-south transcontinental rail line in Australia is scheduled to arrive at the northern port of Darwin on January 17, realizing a 150-year old dream of such service. The train left Adelaide January 15. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-16-04]
CSX LANDS FIRST PROJECT UNDER INDUSTRIAL PARK DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: CSX Corp.'s year-old industrial park development program is about to begin paying dividends, according to this report by ProgressiveRailroading.com. On January 29, public and private partners will begin improving the site of a 400-acre industrial park in Southampton County, Va., adjacent to a CSX Transportation mainline - the first project to be developed under CSX's "Parks for Growth" program. The program is designed to encourage joint public/private development of industrial sites located near CSXT lines. To participate, a city or county must control a properly zoned site, conduct an environmental assessment and build local support for a project. The local government also must employ a full-time economic development staff, and have on file a marketing plan and labor study. "When a community completes the program, it will be prepared to welcome a rail-served business with all required amenities," said CSXT Industrial Development Director Jim Bradshaw in a prepared statement. "The result will be mutually beneficial, where the community increases high-quality job opportunities and their tax base, and CSXT gains additional business." In December, Southampton County rezoned the site and secured an option on the property - the project's final hurdle. The site is located less than a mile from a major four-lane highway that leads to several ports and interstates. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-15-04]
CSXT SEES BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR COAL: When 2003 began, CSXT-served utilities in the East had plentiful supplies of coal, but as 2004 begins, coal utilities in the East and especially in the South are well below what they like to have on hand. "We expect to keep busy restocking their supplies," said Chris Jenkins, Coal Service Group. Natural gas prices remain high, as production supplies are tight. Utilities that can run either natural gas or coal-fired power plants are choosing to run the coal plants.. World market conditions also are helping coal. China's economy is exploding, particularly in the steel industry. The ramifications are being felt in the export market for U.S. coal. "We may have the best year in coal exports since 2000," said Jenkins.. Finally, coal production in the East can't keep up with the demand, particularly due to the difficult permitting process required to open new mines and the high cost of expanding existing operations. This may create some additional opportunities to move more coal from the West to eastern utilities by rail. [CSXT, 1-14-04]
CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY OPENS RENOVATED PULASKI STATION: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) on January 13 opened its newly renovated Pulaski Station - the third of eight stations to reopen during the $482.6-million renovation of the Blue Line's Cermak (Douglas) branch. The station features platform benches, overhead heaters, enhanced lighting, canopies, an elevator, wheel-chair accessible gate, TTY telephones, tactile edging, Braille and audio-visual signs, and a public-address system. In addition to renovating stations, CTA is replacing track and support structure along the 6.6-mile line, which serves as a link between the Chicago Loop and Illinois Medical District. Construction began in summer 2001 and is scheduled to be complete by year end. Travel time between 54th/Cermak and downtown Chicago now is about 45 minutes; after trackwork is complete, travel time will be reduced to less than 25 minutes. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-14-04]
ALSTOM/BOMBARDIER CONSORTIUM OBTAINS ORDER FROM FRENCH RAILWAYS: French national railway Societe Nationale des Chamins de Fer recently placed a $393.2-million order for seven complete dual-voltage trainsets and 15 sets of eight passenger cars with an ALSTOM Transport/Bombardier Transportation consortium. The order is part of a master agreement, under which the ALSTOM-led consortium will provide SNCF 82 TGV Duplex trainsets. ALSTOM's portion of the contract is worth $298-million. The supplier will manufacture the trainsets and cars at its Aytre, Belfort, Le Cruesot, Ornans, Tarbes and Villeurbanne facilities. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-14-04]
CSX FILES SUIT OVER DELAWARE BRIDGES: CSX Transportation has filed a new lawsuit rejecting ownership of four deteriorating bridges that cross over its tracks, continuing the debate about who should pay to fix the structures. The railroad sued Delaware Department of Transportation and the city of Wilmington in papers made public Jan.13 that seek a judge's order declaring the railroad is not obligated to pay for the repairs. Three bridges closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic for safety reasons in 2001. The fourth has a 3-ton limit. U.S. District Judge Kent A. Jordan dismissed in December a previous lawsuit brought by CSX. But he ruled in a way that allowed the railroad to revive the matter with a new argument. Under that new argument outlined Tuesday, CSX contends Delaware and the city own the bridges. It also maintains Delaware has participated in a federal program for the inspection, repair, rebuilding and replacement of railway-highway bridges, according to the lawsuit. CSX believes pre-trial fact finding in the new case will show the state has used federal money, which is still available, for work on these bridges in the past, according to the lawsuit. The railroad contends the state cannot accept federal dollars for this kind of work and obligate it to pay for repairs, too. "We've raised some very serious issues regarding ownership here we believe need to be heard in court," said Robert Sullivan, spokesman for CSX. Delaware alleges CSX owns the bridges. Mark F. Dunkle, an attorney for DelDOT, said last month Delaware has not accepted federal money for work on the bridges. The department prefers to use that money to repair bridges that have no owners responsible for them, he said. City spokesman John Rago said Wilmington still believes CSX owns the bridges in the city and is responsible for their maintenance and repair. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-14-04, from story by Mary Allen on the News Journal website]
L.A .CENTERLINE ROUTE GETS FINAL APPROVAL: Orange County transit leaders on Monday [Jan.12] finalized a 9.3-mile route for the CenterLine light-rail project that includes a spur to Santa Ana College and a short underground passage near South Coast Plaza, according to this report by Dan Weikel published by the Los Angeles Times. The Orange County Transportation Authority directors voted 9 to 2 on the route for the $1-billion streetcar system, which will run almost entirely in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana. The route would involve widening Bristol Street and condemning as many as 500 pieces of property. As now envisioned, CenterLine would begin at John Wayne Airport and go through the South Coast Metro and South Coast Plaza areas of Costa Mesa. The route would run along Anton Street and turn right on Avenue of the Arts, where it would go underground for about 1,100 feet, then surface. It would turn left onto Sunflower Avenue, then right onto Bristol Street. At Santa Ana Boulevard, the line would turn right and loop around the Santa Ana Civic Center. The last stop would be the Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center. A spur of less than a mile would travel up Bristol Street to Santa Ana College, which has about 35,000 students and staff. Except for the underground section and a short street-level stretch, the line would be elevated about 25 feet from John Wayne Airport to Warner Avenue. [United Transportation Union, 1-13-04, from Los Angeles Times report by Dan Weikel]
BC RAIL DEAL SHOULD PROCEED, TRANSPORTATION MINISTER INSISTS: The $1-billion B.C. Rail deal should go ahead, Transportation Minister Judith Reid said yesterday [January 12]. The deal came under fire after police raided the B.C. legislature December 28 and seized documents from two political aides with close connections to the privatization of the railway. But Reid said she has faith in the privatization process. During the raids, the office of Reid's aide, Bob Virk, was visited by police and dozens of boxes of government files seized. Virk was suspended with pay. Police also raided the offices of Dave Basi, ministerial aide to Finance Minster Gary Collins, taking more files. Basi was fired. Reid said she has not been visited by the police. Last week, union labour leaders called for the deal to be put aside until the police investigation is finished. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-13-04, from Vancouver Province website article by Steve Berry] MORE
UNION PACIFIC TO RELOCATE MORE THAN 1,000 JOBS TO OMAHA: Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE: UNP) announced January 13 that it will transfer more than 1,000 workers from St. Louis, Mo., to its new headquarters building in Omaha, Nebraska. This move includes Transentric LLC, a wholly owned technology subsidiary of Union Pacific Corporation. Transentric has been headquartered in Richmond Heights, Mo., since its establishment in 1987. Transentric serves customers throughout North America, including Canada and Mexico. Plans are in place to ensure that this move has no effect on the services delivered by Transentric to its customers. Transentric specializes in solving complex business integration and supply chain management issues. Its software and services provide shipment and inventory visibility by delivering critical real-time information to trading partners. With highly flexible business integration solutions, Transentric makes it simple for organizations to exchange information with one another. [Union Pacific, 1-13-04]
BNSF WILL EXEMPT GRAIN RATE INCREASE FOR SOME: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway will exempt certain contracts from the shipping rate increases it announced recently, the railroad's president said. In a letter Thursday [January 8] to Montana Governor Judy Martz, BNSF's Matthew K. Rose said "covered hopper" shipments ordered with a want date before Dec. 16 but that still have not been handled by the railroad are exempt from the increase as long as shipments occur this year. Gus Melonas, a spokesman for BNSF, said Friday that he did not know how many shipments would be affected. Martz said the move would help those elevator operators who have had to wait for cars because of an extended backlog. BNSF has had shipment delays because of the huge 2003 grain harvest, said Rose, who is also chairman and chief executive officer. He said officials believe that they "will essentially be caught up" by the end of March. Last month [December], the state's primary rail shipper announced a rate reduction that it had in place would expire December 31, in part because of increased grain traffic demand. Melonas said at the time that the rates did not reflect market conditions. State agriculture officials have said the move would raise shipping costs an average 6 cents a bushel in Montana. Martz said officials are continuing to ask the railroad to reconsider the increase. Ralph Peck, director of the state Department of Agriculture, on Friday [January 9] also said producers continue to pay a 2.5 percent fuel surcharge for grain shipments. "The change BNSF announced this week will help those elevator operators who quoted prices based on expected shipping costs," he said. "All of these added costs eventually filter down and are paid by producers, however." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-12-04, from Associated Press report] MORE
BNSF PRESIDENT SAYS RAILROAD WILL IMPROVE GRAIN SERVICE: The president of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe railroad says the late delivery of railroad cars to North Dakota is not a crisis but says the company will make changes to improve service. The railroad plans to add 6,000 grain cars over the next four years and will add an ombudsman in North Dakota to handle complaints from shippers, BNSF president Matt Rose said Friday [January 9] in Fargo. "I see our rail system running very well," Rose told a group of grain shippers and state officials. "People ask me if I understand the lateness, and the answer is yes. But this state, quite frankly, is just about reflective of the overall network." Rose told the group that he feels like he's "constantly being demonized in this state" despite making "humongous investments" in improvements specifically for North Dakota. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-12-04, from Associated Press story by Dave Kolpack] MORE
CSX STUDYING SALE OR LEASE OF LINE THROUGH CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.: The 200-mile-long stretch of CSX track through Doswell, Gordonsville, Charlottesville and Staunton, Virginia - linking Richmond and Clifton Forge - is the subject of a proposal that the line could be sold or leased to a shortline carrier, according to news reports and persons familiar with its operation. A December 21 article in the Richmond Times Dispatch quoted a CSX spokesman saying that the company was in "very preliminary stages" of considering such a sale or lease. Meanwhile, for an eight-day period in November and then for a three-week period shortly thereafter, CSX conducted a "test" of the feasibility of not running through trains that would normally use the route by running them on an alternate route through Gladstone, Virginia, instead. CSX has two lines between Richmond and Clifton Forge. The one through Gladstone, known as the James River Line, is the preferred route for eastbound tonnage trains - notably coal - because of its absence of steep grades. The one through Charlottesville has challenging mountain grades, but has been used for the movement of westbound empty hopper trains to avoid congestion on the James River Line. Typically, two to eight through trains would use the Charlottesville line on any given day. The Charlottesville line - comprising the Piedmont, Washington and North Mountain subdivisions - is also served by local freights on a tri-weekly basis. Amtrak's Cardinal also uses a portion of the line - also tri-weekly. This is not the first time that CSX has considered disposition of this route. In 1989, the line was posted for abandonment. CSX withdrew its application when it reconsidered the line's role within the company's core system.
WINSTON LINK MUSEUM OPENS IN ROANOKE: More than 1,000 people braved frigid temperatures Saturday [January 10] for the opening of a museum devoted to the works of legendary steam train photographer O. Winston Link. The crowd jammed the lobby of the newly renovated Norfolk & Western Railway station at midmorning to hear speakers hail the Link museum as a milestone for the Roanoke Valley. "Isn't this a great day for the Roanoke Valley?" asked U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke, before Norfolk Southern Corp. Chairman David Goode officially opened the museum door. The railroad has been the biggest contributor to the museum, with individual and corporate donations of more than $700,000. The opening brought together Link enthusiasts, rail buffs, government officials, Miss Virginia Nancy Redd and the just-curious in an early crush that threatened to overwhelm the modestly sized museum. Museum officials, who hope to pay operating costs through earned revenue, were ecstatic about the first day's take - more than $1,600 in admissions by 3 p.m., with another $3,000 in gift shop sales. Visitors marveled at the largest exhibition of Link photographs in the world: 270 prints, as well as interactive exhibits, railroad artifacts and Link's personal effects. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-11-04, from Associated Press]
UNIONS SAY BC RAIL DEAL SHOULD HALT AFTER REPORTS LINKING TO LEGISLATURE RAID: Unions heaped more speculation Friday [January 9] onto a police raid last month at the B.C. legislature which resulted in the firing of one ministerial aide and the suspension of another. The head of the B.C. Federation of Labour told reporters he wants the provincial government to cancel the sale of BC Rail after newspaper reports that connected the raid to the privatization plan. Federation president Jim Sinclair said Friday signing a $1-billion deal with CN Rail while there's a police investigation would be irresponsible. "We think in light of that, the evidence is now to the point where we believe cancelling this deal makes sense for British Colombians," said Sinclair. He said it was obvious to unions that "from what we have read in the paper, that this deal should not proceed, that these revelations place another dark cloud on a deal that... was entirely negotiated behind closed doors." But Sinclair admitted he had no other proof that the BC Rail deal was connected to the raid, other than what he's seen in the media. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-9-04, from Canadian Press article by Terri Theodore] MORE
LOS ANGELES MTA REVISES BRAND NAME, LOGO: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is changing its identity: The authority plans to establish "Metro" as its official brand name for the agency's bus, rapid transit, rail, freeway service patrol and commuter services. LA MTA will keep its corporate name, but use Metro to identify products, programs and services. The authority expects to revise its logo to emphasize the word "Metro," using the logo for all LA MTA programs and services. The new logo is expected to highlight the integration of operations and uniformity on the system, and heighten public awareness of MTA's services and responsibilities, according to a prepared statement. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-9-04]
LAST ROYAL MAIL TRAIN ENDS HISTORIC RUN: Almost 170 years of railway and postal history will draw to a close early on Saturday morning [January 10] as the last mail train pulls into London's Penzance station, the Royal Mail says. The last Travelling Post Office, on which mail workers would sort up to 3,000 letters an hour as the train raced across the country, would arrive around 6:30 a.m., a spokeswoman said. "For the people on the trains it really was a way of life," she told Reuters. "Some of them had been on the trains for 30 years. It's the end of an era." All staff on the trains had been offered a transfer to other jobs by the Royal Mail, but 80 percent had opted for voluntary redundancy, she said. Modern machines could sort mail 10 times faster than they could, she said. The first travelling post office, a converted horse box, ran on 20 January 1838. The service was immortalised by W.H. Auden's poem "Night Mail", used in the film of the same name in 1936. "This is the night mail, crossing the border/Bringing the cheque and the postal order/Letters for the rich, letters for the poor,/The shop at the corner and the girl next door," it ran. In 1963, mail trains entered legend again as the Glasgow to London mail train was held up and 2.6 million pounds stolen in what became known as the Great Train Robbery. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers said that ending mail trains went against the government's declared policy of shifting freight from road to rail. "Today we see a government-owned company shifting mail from environmentally friendly railways in favour of thousands of extra lorries that will clog already congested roads and pump tons more pollutants into the atmosphere," union general secretary Bob Crow said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-9-04, from report by Reuters]
CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR'S BUDGET HITS TRANSPORTATION: Officials familiar with the details said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) will unveil a budget plan today (Jan. 9) that would take $1.3-billion from local governments, significantly cut back money for transportation and reduce the health benefits for low-income Californians, according to this Los Angeles Times report by Evan Halper, Jeffrey L. Rabin and Nancy Vogel. Although some of the cuts had been anticipated, local officials reacted with disbelief, saying they were blindsided by news that the administration planned to shift more of their property tax money to other programs.The governor will propose taking roughly $1-billion in gasoline tax money that is supposed to be earmarked for transportation under voter-approved Proposition 42. That money will instead go to balancing the budget. Transportation officials say that will lead them to put off significant road building and repair projects, as well as alternative transportation initiatives.[United Transportation Union, 1-9-04, from reort by Los Angeles Times]
CANADIAN PROBE TIED TO DRUGS, BC RAIL DEAL: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) are investigating whether ministerial aide Dave Basi was involved in a cross-border drug-trafficking scheme and breached the public trust in his handling of the province's privatization of BC Rail, according to this report by Jeff Lee published by the Vancouver Sun. On Dec. 28, RCMP and Victoria police officers raided the offices of Basi, the ministerial assistant to Finance Minister Gary Collins, and Bob Virk, assistant to Transportation Minister Judith Reid. The investigation included telephone wiretaps, which captured conversations involving Basi and caused police to suspect he might have been involved in financial aspects of a scheme to trade B.C. marijuana for U.S. cocaine. Information from the wiretaps led police to investigate whether Basi might have breached the section of the Criminal Code dealing with breach of public trust in connection with the privatization of BC Rail. Information also led them to raid the Victoria and Vancouver offices of Pilothouse Communications, which represented Denver-based OmniTRAX, one of four potential bidders for the rail line. Pilothouse's main representative for OmniTRAX was Erik Bornman. The raids prompted the government to fire Basi and suspend Virk with pay. The government revealed that Basi, who earned about $67,000 a year, will receive severance payments totaling $54,000. Basi, through his lawyer, has insisted he did nothing wrong and wants his name cleared. [United Transportation Union, 1-9-04, from report by Jeff Lee in Vancouver Sun] MORE
BNSF TO ADD GRAIN CARS TO FLEET: North Dakota Governor John Hoeven said on Friday [January 9] that the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) will add 6,000 grain cars to its fleet and establish an ombudsman to address service problems in the northern U.S. Plains, according to this Reuters report. The moves are intended to help address a rail car shortage that has caused widespread grain shipping delays in the nation's breadbasket. Rail car placements in North Dakota were running about 30 days behind, Hoeven said. "They indicated they will buy 6,000 rail cars over the next four years to help with the car shortage," Hoeven said. [United Transportation Union, 1-9-04, from report by Reuters] MORE
CANADIAN GROUP HOPES TO FIND SUPPORT FOR SHORTLINE: A group of farmers in southwestern Saskatchewan wants to buy the short-line railway that provides the only rail link to their isolated corner of the Prairies. The group is trying to collect 300 pledges of $2,000 each from farmers and others along the 550 kilometres of track operated by Great Western Railway. That would provide $600,000, enough to cover a down payment, business plan, formal share offering and other start-up expenses. The asking price for the line is $5.5-million. As of the end of December, the group was about halfway to its goal, and time was becoming a factor, according to spokesperson Con Johnson. "By mid-January we have to be at least close to that number," he said in an interview from his farm at Bracken, Sask. "To this point, in some areas the response has been disappointing, to say the least." If the local group can't come up with the money to buy the line, its future will be thrown into doubt. Great Western, now in its fourth year of operation, operates on track formerly owned by Canadian Pacific Railway. The line snakes its way through the rolling country southwest of Swift Current, running west almost to Alberta and south nearly to the U.S. border. Despite the closure of just about all of the major company grain elevators on the line, the railway has shipped as many 2,590 rail cars in a year and is on target to reach 3,000 in 2003-04. But the British Columbia company that owns GWR has been losing money on GWR's operations and wants to get out of the short-line business. "We're hoping to get an agreement (with the local group) in the next couple of months," said Ross Fraser, general manager of Westcan Rail Ltd. of Abbotsford, B.C. "If not, we'll have to look at other options." That could involve applying for discontinuance or transfer under the Canadian Transportation Act, under which the line would first be advertised for sale, then offered to governments for net salvage value, then, if no buyer is found, taken out of service. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-8-04, from report by Adrian Ewins on Western Producer website]
SOFT DRINKS NO LONGER AN AMTRAK SLEEPING CAR AMENITY: Amtrak quietly removed soft drinks from the "complementary" amenities offered to sleeping-car passengers, starting Jan. 1. Bottled water and ice will continue to be provided, as well as morning juice and coffee. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers]
BNSF MOVES FIRST TRAIN FROM HONDA PLANT IN LINCOLN, ALABAMA: On Tuesday, January 6, the first BNSF train pulled out of Honda's automotive plant in Lincoln, Ala. - about 45 miles east of Birmingham. The train represented the culmination of more than a year's worth of hard work for BNSF, American Honda Motors and Norfolk Southern. Early last year, BNSF began working with American Honda Motors and NS to enable BNSF to access Honda's automotive manufacturing plants in Lincoln. Honda has an existing plant in Lincoln that produces the Honda Odyssey, and is currently putting the finishing touches on a new plant that will produce Honda Pilots. This new plant should begin operations in the first half of this year. [BNSF Today, 1-8-04]
COURT UPHOLDS KCS ROLE IN MEXICAN RAILROAD: Kansas City Southern appeared to regain partial control Tuesday [January 6] of the Mexican railroad it jointly owns with Grupo TMM of Mexico City. Since the fall, majority owner Grupo TMM has operated the railroad using powers of attorney that ostensibly allowed the railroad to execute multimillion-dollar transactions without KC Southern's approval. The Delaware Court of Chancery ordered TMM to revoke those powers of attorney and restore KC Southern's role in approving transactions greater than $2.5-million. The court is overseeing a dispute between the companies that arose from TMM's August decision not to sell the railroad to KC Southern after signing a sales agreement in April. Warren Erdman, KC Southern vice president of corporate affairs, said the company hasn't determined whether TMM executed any big transactions without KC Southern's approval. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-7-04, from article on Business Journal of Kansas City website]
KCS CEO OFFERS HELP FOR COMMUTER-RAIL TALKS: Downtown Kansas City booster and railroad executive Mike Haverty has offered to help Johnson County and a rival railroad negotiate an agreement to create a commuter-rail service stretching from Union Station to Olathe. "Is there anything we can do to get this moving again?" Kansas City Southern CEO Haverty said in a January 2 letter to Annabeth Surbaugh, chairwoman of the Johnson County Commission, and Matt Rose, CEO of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. After months of informal and infrequent talks between the county and BNSF, Surbaugh said that the costs of creating commuter rail in BNSF's corridor alongside Interstate 35 through Johnson County may be unaffordable for the county and that the idea is "most likely" dead. A 2002 study by TranSystems Inc. pegged costs at $70-million for passenger cars, stations, commuter parking lots and rail improvements in the corridor. However, Chuck Ferguson, the county transit department's assistant director said BNSF has told the county it needs $30-million more to increase the traffic capacity on the rails to accommodate commuter trains. On Monday [January 5], BNSF spokesman Steve Forsberg said it may cost $40-million to $50-million to adequately increase the corridor's capacity. "You have to be able to accommodate commuter and freight simultaneously without cannibalizing each other's schedules," Forsberg said. Since January 1, the railroad has added six freight trains to the 40 traveling the track daily through Kansas City, he said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-6-04, from article by Mark Kind on Business Journal of Kansas City website]
FUEL SPILLS INTO RIVER AS CARS DERAIL IN PENNSYLVANIA: Two Norfolk Southern Railroad employees managed to escape when their train derailed near Apollo and plunged into the Kiski River before dawn January 5. The company has not determined the cause of the derailment, but one Westmoreland County 911 official suspects that the rain-saturated ground gave way. The railroad will investigate why the three engines and first 13 freight cars on the 107-car train left the tracks at about 5:20 a.m., NS spokesman Rudy Husband said. The train was headed for Altoona, loaded mostly with corn, Husband said. It derailed about a mile upstream from the Apollo Bridge, sending two of its three engines into the Kiski River. The three engines were carrying about 3,000 gallons each of diesel fuel, some of which spilled into the river and created a slick that reached half way across the river at the Apollo Bridge. The track, which is part of Norfolk Southern's Conemaugh line, carries about 20 trains per day, mostly hauling coal. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-6-04, from story by Wynne Everett on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review website]
LOOSE RAIL PIERCES NEW YORK SUBWAY CAR FLOOR: A spare section of steel subway rail that was supposed to be spiked to the track bed came loose during the morning rush January 5 and tore through the bottom of the lead car of an uptown No. 2 train carrying hundreds of commuters, the New York Times reported. No one was hurt, but transit officials investigating the accident, which occurred just north of the 96th Street station, are focusing on whether workers had properly secured the spare section of rail, a spokesman for New York City Transit said. Transit officials said there were about 400 passengers on the train. The accident delayed the morning commute for thousands of subway riders as No. 2 and 3 service in both directions between Times Square and 148th Street was shut down. The No. 2 line was temporarily rerouted under Lexington Avenue before normal service was restored at 2 p.m. [United Transportation Union, 1-6-04, from article by Micheal Luo in New York Times]
RAIL RECONSTRUCTION OPPORTUNITIES OPEN IN IRAQ: Iraq's attempts to rebuild infrastructure damaged in the U.S.-led war is opening business opportunities for American firms, including those in the railroad industry. To address the reconstruction of Iraq's railways - for which the U.S. government has allocated $210-million through the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act - the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) is hosting a free business briefing February 2 at the USTDA Business Center in Arlington, Va. Entitled "Iraqi Railways Sector: Opportunities in Track, Vehicles & Technology," the briefing will enable executives from U.S. companies to discuss their rail-related products and services during one-on-one meetings with six senior Iraqi National Railways officials, as well as representatives of the Coalition Provisional Authority, which is responsible for the country's reconstruction projects and resource allocations. Iraqi National Railways is seeking U.S. firms that can help the railroad reconstruct and upgrade track; procure and refurbish rolling stock; obtain track-maintenance, intermodal, container-handling, train control and signaling equipment; and implement communications and information technology. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-5-04]
D.O.T. RESTRUCTURING TO IMPROVE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT: In a move to improve further the research and development capabilities of the Department of Transportation, Secretary Norman Y. Mineta has announced an internal restructuring plan that would create the department's first agency dedicated solely to promotion and development of innovative transportation and safety-related research and technologies. "After careful assessment of the department's core capabilities, I've determined a clear need to promote and develop advanced research that will help make the entire transportation system safer and more efficient for the traveling public," said Secretary Mineta. "Our proposal will for the first time create a central laboratory that will help keep us at the forefront of new technologies, while also strengthening our important regulatory and operational responsibilities." The department's plan would transform its Research and Special Programs Administration (RSPA) into a new agency called the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), shifting several regulatory and operational responsibilities to other areas of the department. The agency would be responsible for the research and development functions currently performed by RSPA and for the systematic and consistent coordination among all of the department's research facilities, providing the department for the first time with comprehensive reviews and analyses of its research and development progress and product development. [United Transportation Union, 1-5-04]
U.S., CANADIAN RAIL TRAFFIC INCREASES IN 2003: The final 2003 traffic tallies are in for U.S. and Canadian railroads, and the figures are encouraging all around. Not only did both set annual intermodal-traffic records, but U.S. and Canadian roads increased carloads 0.1 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, according to Association of American Railroads data released December 30. In 2003, U.S. roads moved 9,943,362 trailers and containers, up 6.8 percent, and Canadian roads moved 2,164,216 trailers and containers, up 5.3 percent compared with 2002. Combined U.S.-Canadian intermodal volume of 12,107,578 trailers and containers rose 6.5 percent compared with a previous record 11,367,331 units in 2002. During the year, U.S. and Canadian roads moved 16,933,957 and 3,273,523 carloads, respectively. Combined carload volume from 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian roads totaled 20,207,480 cars, up 0.3 percent compared with 2002. U.S. railroads also set an annual total-volume record of 1.51 trillion ton-miles, which increased 1.9 percent compared with 2002's 1.48 trillion ton-miles. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-2-04]
GEORGE FALCON DIES, PASSENGER RAIL ADVOCATE: George Falcon, who, for many years, sponsored the George Falcon Golden Spike Award, died on December 29. Falcon was a long-time publisher of the Key entertainment and dining magazine in Los Angeles, and started the award as a way to recognize those with a strong interest in railroading and more particularly (later on), those with a strong interest in the cause of passenger railroads. Falcon was a member of the National Assocication of Railroad Passengers for many years - and a board member up to 1986 - and by the mid-1980's turned over recipient selection to NARP, while still providing the award itself. A memorial service will be January 4 in Camarillo, Cal. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-2-04]
BOMBARDIER GETS ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE CONTRACT FROM ITALIAN RAILWAYS: Bombardier Transportation recently was awarded a $129.5-million contract to supply 48 P160 DCP electric locomotives to Trenitalia Divisione Trasporto Regionale. Trenitalia plans to use the locomotives to partially replace and expand to its current locomotive fleet. Since 1999, the railway has been operating Bombardier's TRAXX locomotives, which are designed to reach maximum speeds of 99 mph. Bombardier plans to produce the locomotives at its Vado Ligure, Italy, plant; propulsion and electric equipment will be supplied by Bombardier's Trapaga, Spain, facility. Delivery is scheduled between September 2005 and September 2006. Once complete, Bombardier will have delivered 288 of the locomotives to the Italian Railways. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-2-04]
LEHIGH VALLEY RAIL TO ACQUIRE LINES IN PENNSLVANIA FROM ISG RAILWAYS: Lehigh Valley Rail Management L.L.C. (LVRM) has filed an exemption notice with Surface Transportation Board to acquire 170 track miles from ISG Railways Inc. Under an agreement with ISG, LVRM would own and operate a 132-mile line in Northampton County, Pa., formerly operated by Keystone Railroad L.L.C.; a 32-mile line in Cambria County, Pa., formerly operated by Conemaugh & Black Lick Railroad L.L.C.; and a 4.5-mile line and 1.6-mile connecting segment in Cambria County formerly operated by Cambria and Indiana Railroad Inc. In May 2003, International Steel Group formed ISG Railways after obtaining the assets of Keystone Railroad L.L.C. - owner of eight short lines - from Bethlehem Steel Corp. ISG Railways owns and operates the 60-mile Lake Michigan & Indiana Railroad Co.; 29-mile Conemaugh & Black Lick Railroad; 10-mile Patapsco & Back Rivers Railroad Co.; eight-mile Philadelphia, Bethlehem and New England Railroad Co.; six-mile Upper Merion & Plymouth Railroad Co.; five-mile Steelton & Highspire Railroad Co.; three-mile Brandywine Valley Railroad Co.; and one-and-a-half-mile Cambria and Indiana Railroad. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-2-04]
EARLIER NEWS REPORTS,
CLICK HERE
.