Newswire
N.Y. JETS PURCHASE RIGHTS TO BUILD STADIUM OVER LONG ISLAND R.R. YARD: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York on March 31 accepted the $720-million bid of the NFL New York Jets for the right to build a stadium over the Long Island Rail Road's 13-acre West Side Yard in Manhattan. The Jets originally offered $100-million but scurried to raise more money after the MTA received competing bids. A major bidding rival was Cablevision, owner of nearby Madison Square Garden. [railwayage.com, 3-31-05]
U.P. TO SPEND $1.3-B IN TRACK IMPROVEMENTS THIS YEAR: Union Pacific Railroad is spending $1.3-billion this year on track improvements across its 33,000-mile system. During 2005, crews are removing and installing 4.4 million ties, of which 3.7 million are wood, 355,000 concrete, and 215,000 composite; spreading 6.8 million tons of rock ballast to ensure a stable roadbed; replacing 1,055 miles of rail; and surfacing 7,800 miles. "We continue to invest in our physical plant to assist with providing a safe infrastructure while at the same time enhancing velocity of our train operations," said Dennis Duffy, executive vice president-Operations. Union Pacific also will spend an additional $295-million to increase capacity on its Sunset Route in Arizona and in the North Platte, Neb., area. These investments are part of Union Pacific's total capital budget for 2005, which includes over $2-billion in cash capital expenditures that will be used to maintain or enhance its physical plant. In addition, the company plans to acquire 315 new locomotives and over 4,000 railcars through short or long-term leases. [Union Pacific, 3-30-05]
CSX MORE THAN DOUBLES CEO'S PAY: CSX Corp. paid Michael Ward more than $2.1-million in salary and bonuses in 2004, more than two and a half times the 2003 compensation of the company's chairman, president and CEO, according to this report published by The Business Journal of Jacksonville. Most of the increase came in the form of Ward's bonus. His 2004 salary of $850,000 was only 5 percent higher than the previous year. But Ward, who received no bonus in 2003, got an $850,000 bonus in 2004, as well as $443,094 in "other annual compensation," according to the proxy statement the company filed with the SEC Tuesday. The other compensation included, among other things, Ward's use of the company plane. Ward wasn't the only executive at CSX to get a significant boost in pay in 2004. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Oscar Munoz got a 52 percent salary hike and a $385,000 bonus after getting no 2003 bonus, and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Clarence Gooden got a 25 percent salary boost and a $300,000 bonus in 2004 after no bonus in 2003. Andrew Fogarty, president and CEO of CSX World Terminals LLC, had a 10 percent hike in salary to $403,952. And after getting no bonus in 2003, Fogarty got a 2004 bonus of $272,668. [United Transportation Union, 3-30-05, from Business Journal of Jacksonville report]
K.C.S. PURCHASE OF MEXICAN RAILROAD FINALIZED: Kansas City Southern shareholders have approved a transaction of as much as $720-million that will give the U.S. railroad control of Mexico's biggest railroad, an acquisition that has taken almost two years, according to Rip Watson of Bloomberg News. The purchase of a majority interest in the TFM SA railroad from Grupo TMM SA is expected to be completed Friday, the Kansas City, Mo.-based company has said. Its shareholders by a 99 percent vote approved issuing 18 million shares that are part of the transaction. [United Transportation Union, 3-30-05, from Bloomberg News]
CSX TO REDUCE IDLING OF TRAINS IN N.J.: A freight company whose idling locomotives are the bane of some township residents has pledged to curb the trains' rumbling engines and choking diesel fumes, according to the NorthJersey.com website. CSX Corp.'s promise comes one month after a heated public hearing at which residents assailed the company for allowing trains to idle in residential neighborhoods for hours on end. Residents would prefer that the trains no longer stop in town, but CSX representatives said that's not possible. Instead, idling locomotives that must stay in Teaneck for an extended period will be shut down after two hours - at least during the warmer months. "Although we cannot do everything Teaneck requests, we can do some things," CSX community relations official William Goetz wrote in a letter this month to Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck, and Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski, D-Middlesex. The two-hour rule could pose a problem in the winter. Shutting down an idling train engine when the temperature is less than 45 degrees could cause engine damage. CSX will develop a winter protocol later this year, Goetz said. [United Transportation Union, 3-29-05, from NorthJersey.com]
AMTRAK TO INSTITUTE ALL-RESERVED REGIONAL SERVICE IN NORTHEAST: Beginning April 25, 2005, Amtrak will expand all-reserved service to every Regional train on the Northeast Corridor seven-days-a-week between Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Newport News, Va. The new all-reserved service ensures every passenger a seat every time they board a Regional train. While reservations are required, customers will still be able to purchase tickets for same day travel, as long as the train has not sold out beforehand. With all-reserved service, Amtrak is better able to monitor passenger demand and adjust train capacity accordingly. Since November 2004, weekend Regional trains have operated as all-reserved trains. "Moving to reserved service will ensure that each Amtrak ticket holder will have a seat," said Barbara Richardson, Amtrak's Vice President of Marketing and Sales. "The positive customer feedback we've received from our weekend passengers since November made the decision to implement the all-reserved status seven-days-a-week a natural next step," added Richardson. Customers who are currently holding unreserved tickets for weekday Regional train travel after April 24 may exchange those tickets for reserved tickets of the same class and fare (peak/off-peak) at no additional charge. A grace period of 15 days, until May 9, 2005, will allow passengers holding unreserved Regional tickets to travel without a ticket exchange. After May 9, passengers holding unreserved Regional tickets must exchange them for reserved tickets. The change does not affect Keystone and Clocker service trains operating between New York and Philadelphia, Empire Corridor service trains operating between New York and Niagara Falls, NY, or Springfield Shuttle service trains operating between Springfield, Mass. and New Haven, Conn. Smart Passes (multi-ride tickets) will continue to be accepted on most Regional trains. [Amtrak. 3-28-05]
AMTRAK TO INSTITUTE 3-DAY ADVANCE RESERVATION FOR DISCOUNTS: Beginning on April 1, Amtrak will institute a three-day advance reservation requirement for all of its discount programs, including the 10 percent NARP discount. Tickets purchased less than 72 hours prior to train departure will not be eligible for membership discounts. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-28-05]
GE TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE LONGER TRAINS: The Louisville Courier-Journal reported Friday, March 25, that General Electric (GE) technology is allowing freight trains to add more cars, which is predicted to allow a more efficient and safer rail system with lower shipping costs. Locotrol uses remote controlled engines that can double the number of cars in a train, improve handling and even lower fuel costs by about 10 percent. GE says Locotrol will give rail shippers the ability to double the cargo capacity of a train by distributing power within a train, rather than having two engines pulling all the cars. [BNSF Today, 3-28-05]
CN, NS FORGE ROUTING PROTOCOL: Today [March 28], Canadian National Railway Co. and Norfolk Southern Railway announced they agreed to direct rail traffic through "more efficient" interchange locations to improve network capacity and asset utilization, and reduce transit times. The companies plan to implement the operational changes during the next three months. Currently, CN and NS interchange traffic in Detroit; Chicago; New Orleans; Toledo, Ohio; Memphis, Tenn.; Mobile, Ala.; and Rouses Point and Buffalo, N.Y. Under the agreement, traffic moving between the Louisiana Gulf Coast area and U.S. northeast will be interchanged directly in New Orleans or Memphis to create a more direct route and reduce intermediate handlings. In addition, traffic moving between western Canada and the South-Central U.S. will be interchanged in Memphis to avoid congestion and additional handlings in Chicago. The railroads also will expand their Rouses Point gateway agreement announced in November 2004 so they can handle more traffic between eastern Canada and the southeastern U.S. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-28-05]
JUDGE DENIES UNION'S REQUEST FOR INJUNCTION AGAINST DAKOTA, MINNESOTA & EASTERN: A federal judge has denied a railroad union's request for a second injunction barring the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad from using managers to fill crew positions on special passenger cars, according to the Associated Press. In August, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Piersol granted a preliminary injunction requested by the United Transportation Union, which represents train service employees and locomotive engineers. The union had said the use of managers on train crews violates its collective bargaining agreement with the Sioux Falls-based railroad. Piersol said there were insufficient facts to determine whether two instances involving the use of managers as train crew members constituted a major dispute under the federal Railway Labor Act or a violation of his August order granting the union's first motion for an injunction. [United Transportation Union, 3-26-05, from Associated Press]
MINETA DENIES ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO KILL AMTRAK: U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta denied Thursday [March 24] that the Bush Administration has a hidden agenda of wanting to kill the Amtrak passenger rail system, including the three trains that now make daily round trips between Pontiac and Chicago. "Those who claim the president and I are out to kill Amtrak should stop writing press releases," said Mineta, who spoke at the downtown Detroit Amtrak station to drum up support for what he called an Amtrak reform proposal. Mineta said a plan to establish 50-50 federal matching grants for state investments in passenger rail infrastructure, such as stations, trains and track, are "the key to revitalizing passenger rail travel in America." These matching grants would give states a powerful incentive to invest in better tracks and more reliable equipment, making trains more popular and profitable, and allow Amtrak to focus its efforts on running the trains on time, he said. However, listening to Mineta was a skeptical audience, filled with passenger rail supporters, outnumbering the news media present, who said financially troubled Michigan simply can't come up with the matching funds that Mineta was talking about to improve Amtrak. "To me, this reform plan is delusional," said Ed McArdle, conservation chairman for the Southeastern Michigan Sierra Club. "Michigan and most other states are in terrible financial shape and hoping for private investors is just a way of killing Amtrak." Waterford Township resident Greg Powell, state legislative chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents the 25 Amtrak engineers in Michigan, was even more harsh in his criticism. "As far as we are concerned, President Bush just wants to bankrupt Amtrak," Powell said. "What would be better is if the federal government came up with a subsidy large enough for Amtrak to be run effectively. The way Amtrak is subsidized now is like a Band-Aid." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-25-05, from Daily Oakland Press website story by Hank Schaller]
CN, IBEW SETTLE LABOR DISPUTE: Canadian National Railway Co. said it reached a tentative agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, averting a potential strike Friday night [March 25]. The union covers 644 members who maintain and repair CN's signals and communications systems across Canada. The strike had been scheduled for Friday at midnight, after the union served CN a strike notice on Wednesday [March 23]. Details about the four-year contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2004, won't be disclosed until after a ratification vote. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-25-05, from Globe and Mail website story by Tavia Grant]
NEW MILWAUKEE AIRPORT STATION BEATS RIDERSHIP EXPECTATIONS: Milwaukee Airport's new Amtrak station is beating all ridership expectations. Nearly 2,000 passengers used the station in February and overall ridership on the Hiawatha line is up 11%. The heavy passenger loads have resulted in plans to get a ticket machine in the station earlier than planned and to have Hiawatha departures displayed on the airline status boards inside the airport. Both should occur by the end of May. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-25-05]
ONTARIO NORTHLAND INCREASES LOCOMOTIVE FLEET TO 28: The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC) recently purchased three used locomotives from Helm Financial Corp. for about $1-million. The 3,000-horsepower locomotives primarily will be used by the 836-mile Ontario Northland Railway to move freight, but might use the power to pull passenger trains as well. To be delivered by month's end, the locomotives will replace recently retired power and increase ONTC's fleet to 28 units. The 28-year-old locomotives are similar in design and horsepower to some of ONTC's current engines. Ontario Northland last purchased locomotives in 1999, when the company added six units to its fleet. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-23-05]
N.E. CORRIDOR TO BE REBUILT UNDER REFORM PLAN, MINETA SAYS: The federal government will assume control of the network of tracks and equipment that make up Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and rebuild them under the Bush Administration's proposal to reform Amtrak, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta said during a news conference with Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney today at the State House. Mineta was in Boston today [March 23] to meet with Governor Romney to discuss President Bush's commitment to reform of the nation's passenger rail system just weeks after the Administration unveiled a budget that proposed an end to taxpayer subsidies for Amtrak. "Amtrak is dying, and if we continue down the current track, there is no hope of recovery," Mineta said. "We have a different vision where the Northeast Corridor becomes a world-class example of modern passenger rail travel." He said travel throughout the Northeast would benefit because the Amtrak reforms include plans to repair the tracks, tunnels and bridges along the Northeast Corridor. "President Bush understands how vital the Northeast Corridor is, and we are committed to doing what it takes to get these tracks back into shape." The proposal, Mineta said, would "level the playing field" between Amtrak and its competitors by freeing Amtrak of the cost of maintaining tracks and stations. Instead, the company would be able to focus on its core operation, "running the trains on time." The plan would also introduce healthy competition for better rail service by letting states chose from Amtrak, private companies, or public rail operators to run key routes. And the proposal, Mineta added, would establish a 50-50 federal match for state investments in passenger rail infrastructure, like stations, trains and track. Mineta announced that he will submit the Administration's Amtrak reform proposal, the Passenger Rail Investment Reform Act, when Congress reconvenes in April. "Our plan will breathe new life into passenger rail," Mineta said. [U.S. DOT, 3-23-05]
OLD LOCOMOTIVE DONATED TO HAGERSTOWN ROUNDHOUSE MUSEUM: The Hagerstown [Maryland] Roundhouse Museum will be the recipient of a 1948 side-rod locomotive that had been used to haul cement, according to an article by Brian Sappell in the Hagerstown Herald-Mail. St. Lawrence Cement has agreed to donate the locomotive, called "dinky," due to its odd shape and design, said plant manager Gary Batey. Batey said Dinky had outlived its usefulness after more than three decades of use, and the local railroad museum seemed like a fitting place for it. [Posted by Alexander D. Mitchell IV]
CSX TRACK LEASE TO WATCO STARTS MARCH 25: A Kansas-based transportation holding company will begin operating 117 miles of leased CSX Transportation track between Grafton and Cowen, plus five short branch lines, on Friday (March 25), according to the Associated Press. The Appalachian & Ohio Railroad is the newest short line for Watco Companies Inc., based in Pittsburg, Kan. CSX has abandoned, sold or leased more than 13,000 miles of redundant rail routes since 1982 to concentrate on its most profitable routes. CSX has said the change will affect 90 of its workers. The railroad gave its trainmen and engineers in Grafton, Buckhannon, Burnsville and Cowen until Monday to apply for permanent transfers to terminals in a district stretching from Philadelphia, Pa., and Richmond, Va., to Willard, Ohio, and Parkersburg. About 82 percent of the Grafton-Cowen route's traffic is coal, CSX said. [United Transportation Union, 3-22-05, from Associated Press]
NTSB PUBLISHES ITS FIRST TRANSPORTATION SAFETY JOURNAL: The National Transportation Safety Board has published its first issue of the Journal of Accident Investigation. This is a biannual publication to promote transportation safety through science, and is affiliated with the NTSB Academy in Ashburn, Virginia. The Safety Board's objective for the Journal is to provide the public an exchange of ideas and information developed through NTSB's accident investigations in all modes of transportation. It will contain published research and technical articles on accident investigations that may be of interest to professionals in safety, accident investigation, engineering and the behavioral sciences. The Journal will also include short reports of major developments, news, events, research efforts, and announcements of upcoming courses, forums, symposiums and public hearings conducted by NTSB. Copies of the Journal are available on the NTSB web site. [National Transportation Safety Board, 3-22-05]
CSXT ATTRACTS MORE THAN $1.5-BILLION IN INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT IN 2004: CSX Transportation Inc., operator of the largest rail network in the eastern United States, announced today [March 22] that in 2004 the company participated in 145 industrial development projects, attracting approximately $1.5-billion in investment capital and helping to create more than 4,500 new jobs in 17 states. This marks a 20 percent increase in the total number of projects where CSXT has helped its customers locate or expand, highlighting a positive three-year industrial development trend in which customers are increasingly using rail to position products closer to their markets. CSXT reported the greatest number of industrial development projects overall in Florida and Kentucky where the company partnered with 35 industries to create more than 2,100 jobs and invest more than $557-million. CSXT saw the highest number of projects generated by plastics producers and receivers, representing more than $552-million in capital investment for the communities along the rail network. [CSX, 3-22-05]
UNION PACIFIC, HOUSTON AGREE ON REROUTING: Hope emerged on two fronts Friday [March 18] for Houston residents fed up with the noise, inconvenience and danger posed by the freight trains that rumble through their neighborhoods. In Houston, Gov. Rick Perry announced an agreement with Union Pacific Corp. to move an unspecified number of freight rail lines out of densely populated areas of the state's major cities. In Washington, Mayor Bill White said he had "accomplished a lot" in meetings with lawmakers and federal regulators aimed at cracking down on railroads that park long trains across intersections and next to people's yards. Complaints about bumpy tracks as well as ear-splitting whistles, long waits at crossings and the risks of hazardous material spills are familiar to officials in Houston. Perry said such problems emerged as cities grew around rail lines built more than 100 years ago. This week, White met with several Houston-area members of Congress and federal transportation officials. Afterward, White singled out Union Pacific for blocking traffic with its trains. John Bromley, a Union Pacific spokesman, said the company is trying to address the problem. "We have been trying very hard to pick out 'hot zones,' especially near schools where kids might crawl over or under" rail cars, he said. Perry praised Union Pacific for its willingness to work with the state. Perry and Richard Davidson, the chief executive officer of Union Pacific, said the agreement they signed Friday marks the first time any state has partnered with a private rail company for such a project. Local officials in Houston and other affected cities will work with the railroad to identify areas where relocation is feasible and mutually beneficial, Perry said. Perry and Davidson said the project would be lengthy and costly. The agreement calls for the state and Union Pacific to share the costs of each project in proportion to the benefits each would receive. In January, the Texas Department of Transportation said it would seek $100-million from the Legislature this year for rail relocation projects. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-19-05, from Houston Chronicle website story by Mike Snyder and Samantha Levine]
LONG-DISTANCE TRAIN DISCONTINUANCE NOTICE RUMOR UNTRUE, AMTRAK SAYS: In the midst of a very busy week, a scurrilous internet rumor began circulating that Amtrak was about to post the 180-day discontinuance notices for all long distance trains. The National Association of Railroad Passengers has confirmed with Amtrak that this rumor is false. Amtrak has no such plans. Passenger advocates are reminded that baseless, non-factual rumor spreading hurts the credibility of our cause and uselessly diverts time and energy that we all could put to better use. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-18-05]
PAUL COTE APPOINTED PRESIDENT, CEO OF VIA RAIL: Paul Cote has been appointed President and CEO of VIA Rail Canada. His appointment to the position follows a little more than a year as the interim CEO. Cote has been with VIA nearly since its inception, joining the railroad in 1978 in the marketing department. He rose through the organization, being appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2001. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-18-05]
JOSEPH BOARDMAN CHOSEN TO HEAD F.R.A.: Joseph H. Boardman, New York State's commissioner of transportation is President Bush's choice to be the next Federal Railroad Administrator. Boardman, an Air Force enlisted man who served in Vietnam, was raised on a New York dairy farm and has spent his career in various New York State transportation posts. He earned an undergraduate degree in agriculture economics from Cornell and a master's degree in management science from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He is respected as an advocate to preserve Amtrak and expand rail commuter service. Boardman said Thursday [March 17] that two of his top priorities would be "saving Amtrak and strengthening our weak rail safety and security system." Boardman has been New York's top transportation official since 1997. He also chairs the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials' (AASHTO) Standing Committee on Rail Transportation. Boardman would succeed FRA Acting Administrator Robert T. Jamison, who was named to the post on a temporary basis in January after another acting administrator, Betty Monro, retired. [United Transportation Union, 3-18-05]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN PAID TOP EXEC $11.5-MILLION: The proxy statement filed Thursday (March 17) by Norfolk Southern Corp. with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicates its top executive saw his total compensation rise 7.5 percent in 2004 to $11.5-million, according to this report by Christopher Dinsmore published by The Virginian-Pilot. The annual salary of David R. Goode, the chairman and chief executive officer, remained unchanged at $1-million, but his bonus jumped 19.6 percent to $2-million, according to the proxy statement. Other benefits - including payments to his 401(k), life insurance and use of corporate aircraft - totaled $739,026, up from $653,012 in 2003. He received restricted stock awards worth $3.57 million last year, up from $3.14 million in 2003. He also received $2.74-million worth of performance shares in 2004, up from $1.46-million the year before, under the company's long-term incentive plan, which reflects performance over the past three years. Goode also received 160,000 stock options with an estimated value of $1.48-million. As of the end of the year, he owns or controls 3.49 million shares of the railroad's stock worth $130.4-million at Thursday's closing price. The gain in Goode's compensation comes in what was a strong year for Norfolk Southern. The railroad saw its revenue surge 13 percent to $7.3-billion in 2004. Earnings soared 72.5 percent to $923-million, or $2.31 a share. The proxy also disclosed that AXA Financial Inc., the railroad's largest shareholder, cut its stake in Norfolk Southern to 31.0 million shares, or 7.8 percent of the outstanding stock, at the end of the year from 56.9 million shares a year earlier. The proxy also disclosed compensation for Goode's heir apparent, Charles W. Moorman IV, who was appointed president of Norfolk Southern last fall. Goode intends to retire next January. [United Transportation Union, 3-18-05, from Virginian-Pilot story by Christopher Dinsmore]
POWER FAILURES DISRUPT NYC SUBWAYS: A succession of three power failures shut down the Lexington Avenue subway line in Manhattan for much of yesterday (March 16), creating a day of confusion that stranded hundreds of thousands of commuters, according to this report by Sewell Chan published by the New York Times. The biggest disruption, during the morning rush, was caused by an underground accumulation of water, salt and debris that seeped into a tunnel and damaged signal wires running above the express track. That shut down the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 lines in Manhattan, from East 125th Street to Bowling Green, for more than five hours, disrupting the morning commuting of an estimated 350,000 riders. Later in the day, service was cut once again from 2:25 to 3:12 p.m., when electrical fuses blew out as workers tried to replace a cable. Then, at the height of the evening rush, service was suspended yet again, from 5:22 to 6:15 p.m., because of water seepage near Grand Central Terminal. This was the second time in recent months that subway service was disabled by problems with the signal system. A fire destroyed a signal relay room in Lower Manhattan on Jan. 23, crippling service on the A and C lines on the West Side for nearly two weeks. Yesterday was the East Side's turn to suffer. The Lexington Avenue lines have a combined weekday ridership of 1.4 million and provide the only subway service on the Upper East Side. The No. 6 line, with a weekday ridership of 550,000, is the busiest in the system. [United Transportation Union, 3-17-05, from New York Times report by Sewell Chan]
UTU TO DEFEND CREW CONSIST, FELA IN COURT: The United Transportation Union (UTU) on March 15 asked a federal court to prohibit railroads from demanding the union collectively bargain about a carrier notice to abolish all conductor jobs aboard through-freight trains. The UTU also asked the court to prohibit railroads from demanding that the union collectively bargain about a carrier notice to seek jointly from Congress legislation eliminating the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), a federal statute allowing injured railroad workers to sue carriers for damages arising from unsafe working conditions. MORE... [United Transportation Union, 3-16-05]
U.S. BACKS CSX ON D.C. HAZMAT BAN: Washington, D.C., has no authority to ban train shipments of hazardous materials near the city, despite its dissatisfaction with federal efforts to address freight rail security, a U.S. government advisory panel found on Monday [March 14]. The Transportation Department's Surface Transportation Board, which settles railroad industry regulatory disputes, upheld a petition by CSX Corp. that contends a City Council prohibition on hazardous materials within two miles of the Capitol building should be ruled invalid. The rail giant, which also claims the ban unreasonably restrains the flow of commerce, has asked a federal judge to block the 90-day ban approved last month. It is scheduled to take effect April 11. A U.S. District Court hearing is scheduled for March 23 in Washington. The board ruling carries no regulatory authority but could carry weight with the court. The ruling crystallizes federal opposition - expressed by the Justice, Homeland Security and Transportation Departments - to the ban on grounds that federal regulators have preeminent authority over security and aspects of train routing. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-15-05, from Reuters report]
U.P. BIG BOY'S LONG JOURNEY FINALLY ENDS: Big Boy - a legendary World War II-era steam locomotive - arrived Sunday at its new home overlooking Interstate 80. It took two days to move the 1.2 million-pound locomotive from the Durham Western Heritage Museum to the bluff southwest of Lauritzen Gardens. The site will become the new Kenefick Park. Big Boy was moved to the museum when the land for Kenefick Park, near Sixth Street and Abbott Drive, was taken over for riverfront redevelopment. About 200 people gathered at Lauritzen Gardens on Sunday to watch the last leg of the locomotive's move, said Spencer Crews, executive director of the gardens. The final push on the 1.8-mile route included a steep climb. "I think everyone was very interested to see how it was going to go up that hill," Crews said. The move went smoothly, with 18 dollies and a Caterpillar pulling Big Boy uphill, Crews said. "It probably went up that hill easier than most everywhere else," he said. "There weren't any obstacles, and it was nice and smooth." After doing some grading to get the site ready, movers set Big Boy into place about 4 p.m. A second locomotive, Centennial, will be moved next month to the future park, named in honor of retired Union Pacific Railroad President John C. Kenefick and his wife, Hani. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-14-05, from Omaha World-Herald website story by Kristin Zagurski]
ARREST MADE IN MARCH 9 CALIFORNIA TRAIN DERAILMENT: Police on Thursday [March 10] arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of intentionally pulling an unlocked railroad switch lever and causing a train carrying chemicals to derail in Santa Fe Springs. Union Pacific Railroad officials say the boy, whose name was not released because he is a minor, confessed he pulled the railroad switch at about 5:48 p.m. Wednesday [March 9], while the train was moving along tracks near Pioneer Boulevard and Los Nietos Road, the railroad's spokesman John Bromley said. Once pulled, the switch routed part of the train onto a parallel track, which caused it to split into two halves. Three of the center cars derailed, knocking over two utility poles. No one was injured. No chemicals leaked from the cars, Bromley said. "(The lever) was equipped with a lock, but it may not have been locked," said Warren Flatau, spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration. He added that administration investigators were very concerned that a boy was apparently able to derail a train so easily. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-11-05, from Whittier Daily News website article by Ben Baeder]
N.J. TRANSIT SEEKS DEVELOPER FOR TRANSIT VILLAGE PROJECT: Today [March 11], New Jersey Transit is issuing a request for proposals to solicit a developer for a transit village to be built adjacent to the Hamilton rail station on the Northeast Corridor. Expected to increase the agency's ridership and revenue, the proposed 30-acre village would incorporate residential, commercial and retail development on the site of a parking lot. Since opening in 1999, the Hamilton station has become one of NJ Transit's busiest. Last year, the agency announced plans to build a 2,000-space parking structure on a portion of the current surface parking lot and develop the remainder of the lot. Parking deck construction is scheduled to begin in fall. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-11-05]
LOCOMOTIVE REMOTE CONTROL HERE TO SAY, INSIST RAILROADS: Would you give up the power of the remote? Probably not, and many railroaders wouldn't either, writes Railway Age magazine's executive editor, Marybeth Luczak in the March issue. "Once you have remote control television, you don't want to get by without it," says Scott Ambler, director-railroad products and services for Control Chief. "And once people get used to [locomotive remote control], they feel the same way - they become dependent on it." Remote control technology has been used in industrial and crane applications for decades, and, with Canada leading the way, it has slowly penetrated rail yards and terminals. Now, two years after arbitration awarded the United Transportation Union the right to operate locomotives using remote control, there are an estimated 1,500 systems in use by North American carriers, including 23 U.S. railroads. And the numbers continue to grow. Why? Because the technology is helping to improve safety and efficiency. According to the Federal Railroad Administration's interim remote control locomotive (RCL) report issued last June at Congress' request, usage in and around rail yards offers "significant" safety benefits. From May 1, 2003, through Nov. 30, 2003, the RCL train accident rate was 13.5 percent lower than that of conventional switching operations during the same period, and the employee injury rate was 57.1 percent lower. FRA analysis also found that human error was the cause of nearly all accidents/injuries involving RCL operations to date, and RCL technology malfunctions resulted in "virtually no" accidents or incidents. The final report is slated for release this May. "Remote control equipment is very reliable with redundant, failsafe features," maintains Rick Marceau, assistant president of the United Transportation Union and a veteran locomotive engineer. "If a component of the remote control equipment malfunctions, by default, it shuts the locomotive down and applies the brakes." The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, now part of the Teamsters, is still skeptical of remote control. "Our position has always been that the safest type of switching is conventional switching with the engineer in the cab," says BLET spokesman John Bentley. "That vantage point is lost when switching takes place on the ground." BLET continues to monitor remote control operations and awaits results of FRA's final report. Whatever the findings, though, the union is not likely to "put much stock" in them, Bentley says, because it believes FRA's methodology is "flawed" - the railroads using RCL systems are providing FRA data for analysis. [United Transportation Union, 3-11-05, excerpted from March 2005 Railway Age Magazine story by Mary Beth Luczak, its executive editor]
NTSB RECOMMENDS REDESIGN OF TABLES IN METROLINK RAIL CARS: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending that work tables on rail cars on Los Angeles's Metrolink commuter rail line be redesigned. The tables have been identified as contributing factors in the death of two individuals in a 2002 crash in Placentia, CA. While they have proved very popular with commuters desiring to get work done during their commute, the tables do not collapse upon impact because they are bolted to the car body. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-11-05]
TEXAS TO BOOST PORT RAIL CAPACITY: Texas officials have announced that the state will provide $5.2-million to the Port of Corpus Christi to help fund projects designed to expand rail and military cargo capacity. The plans would improve and repair rail infrastructure and double military shipment handling capacity. The U.S. Department of Defense and Maritime Administration recently designated the port as a "Strategic Military Deployment Seaport for the Gulf Coast." [BNSF Today, 3-10-05]
CROSS-BORDER RAIL TRAFFIC UP SHARPLY: The value of rail traffic crossing the borders between the U.S., Canada and Mexico rose sharply last year, according to data released by the Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The value of imports moving by rail jumped 12.1 percent, from $69.7-billion in 2003 to $78.1-billion, while the value of exports rose 16.1 percent, from $26-billion to $30-billion. The largest increases were registered in U.S.-Mexican trade, with the value of rail-shipped exports increasing by 18 percent and the value of imports gaining 17.7 percent. For rail shipments between the U.S. and Canada, exports rose 7.1 percent while imports increased by 1.5 percent. The value of trade between the three countries shipped by all surface modes (rail, truck and pipeline) totaled $364.4-billion, a gain of 12.6 percent, with imports rising 13.1 percent and exports increasing 11.9 percent. [BNSF Today, 3-10-05]
JUDGE SIDES WITH LONG ISLAND R.R. IN UNION DISPUTE: A federal magistrate sided with the Long Island Rail Road yesterday [March 8] in its dispute with engineers who had threatened to strike over the railroad's use of nonunion labor to move trains in a maintenance yard. Magistrate Robert M. Levy recommended that U.S. District Judge Allyne Ross grant an injunction that would prevent a job action, and that she deny a request by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen that the railroad be stopped from using nonunion labor. Objections to Levy's report must be filed within 10 business days, and the union has said it plans to file one. Robert Evers, the union's general chairman, said the issue will likely go to arbitration. The union has contended the railroad violated its contract by agreeing to allow employees of Bombardier, the Canadian M7 train manufacturer, to move trains for the warranty work at the Arch Street shop in Long Island City, which is under lease to Bombardier. The railroad, however, said it was a minor dispute, as it involves interpretation of existing agreements and practice. In his ruling, Levy deemed the dispute "minor," saying that because "LIRR's argument of contractual entitlement is not frivolous or obviously insubstantial, this dispute is a minor one." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-9-05, from Newsday website story by Joie Tyrrell]
BNSF OFFERS TO BUY FORMER MILWAUKEE ROAD LINES FROM STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is working with the state of South Dakota to buy most of the state rail system that it's been leasing since the state took over the track 20 years ago, according to this Associated Press report. Bruce Lindholm, with the state Transportation Department, said BNSF is using its option to buy the core system that runs from Aberdeen through Mitchell and Yankton to Sioux City, Iowa; from Sioux Falls to Canton, and from Canton to Mitchell. Some legal questions and obligations remain to be worked out, and the state will be paid only what it paid for the line, plus improvements, he said. South Dakota bought the line from the bankrupt Milwaukee Road for $15-million in the early 1980s. Lindholm said shippers along the route shouldn't see any change in service after the sale. [United Transportation Union, 3-9-05, from Associated Press]
CSXT TO PAY FOR VIOLATIONS AT ITS CROSSINGS: New York's Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said on Monday [March 7] that CSX Transportation Inc. had agreed to pay $1-million to settle state charges that it violated safety laws by failing to report and promptly fix hundreds of warning-signal malfunctions at grade crossings across the state, according to this report by Walt Bogdanich published by the New York Times. As part of the settlement, one of the largest enforcement actions against a railroad, CSXT also agreed to improve the way it reports, inspects and repairs broken warning signals, some of which it had taken up to five months to fix, Mr. Spitzer said. CSXT will also set aside up to $500,000 to pay for sending local police officers to direct traffic at crossings with broken signals. Mr. Spitzer's investigation found that on 321 occasions from January 2002 to March 2004, CSXT took more than one day to fix signal problems. On 24 of those occasions, state figures show, CSX took a month or more to fix the problems. A spokesman for CSXT declined to answer questions about the findings. But the company said in a statement that the attorney general had been a "valuable partner" in its effort to fix rail safety problems in New York. [United Transportation Union, 3-8-05, from report by Walt Bogdanich published by the New York Times]
LAST PASSENGER TRAINS LEAVE AKRON, YOUNGSTOWN, FOSTORIA: Mark Schwinn will have to find a new way to visit relatives in Ohio now that Amtrak has ended its Three Rivers passenger rail service between Pittsburgh and Chicago. The train made its final stops at Nappanee, Ind., and Akron, Fostoria and Youngstown, Ohio, early Monday [March 7]. The move comes as Amtrak fights to keep federal operating subsidies targeted by President Bush. "It did give a more comfortable travel option," said Schwinn, 35, of Chicago, who rode the train about every six weeks to visit family in his hometown of Ravenna, east of Akron. Amtrak announced Sept. 3 that it would halt the service because the Amtrak system would no longer carry mail, which was the moneymaking rationale for restoring it in 1996. The cut comes as the Bush administration tries to eliminate subsidies by 2006 for the 46-state, 22,000-mile Amtrak system, which loses more than $500-million a year. Amtrak serves more than 500 destinations. Ross B. Capon, executive director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, said that it was hard to second-guess the end of Amtrak's Three Rivers service amid a fight over threatened federal aid cuts that could doom Amtrak. "We're optimistic that Amtrak will be saved, but it's not a slam dunk," he said. The loss of Three Rivers service didn't sit well with the affected communities. "Any amenity, anything you can have in your city to make life better is good," said Mayor Donald Plusquellic of Akron, which had 7,930 riders for the year that ended Sept. 30. In Fostoria, Colleen Markeyrowe, manager at the Business or Pleasure Inc. travel agency, said the limited service and predawn trains were a tough sell. "They are terrible times but we've grown accustomed to that," she said. The end of service at Youngstown, envisioned as a stop on Ohio's long-proposed high-speed rail line, could make such an idea harder to achieve, said Ken Prendergast, Ohio campaign manager of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association. "It's easier to build on a service than to create a new one," he said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-8-05, from Associated Press story by Thomas J. Sheeran]
F.R.A. ANNOUNCES RULE ON POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL STANDARDS: New standards governing Positive Train Control (PTC) systems will accelerate the deployment of train collision prevention technology, the Federal Railroad Administration announced in this release. PTC systems can improve rail safety through the use of technology that automatically controls train movements and speed, including bringing a train to a stop, the FRA said. Where installed, it can prevent collisions between trains, provide warning of other on-track equipment or hazards, and enforce track speed limits. Future capabilities may give motorists in-vehicle advance warning of a train's approach at highway-rail grade crossings. In addition, PTC technology can benefit rail operations by safely increasing the capacity of high-density rail lines. The standards announced March 8 are the first revision of federal signal and train control regulations since 1984. They establish minimum performance requirements to provide a uniform framework to guide railroads as they develop and implement PTC systems. Importantly, PTC systems must meet or exceed the level of safety provided by the conventional wayside signal systems they replace. In addition, the standards ensure that railroads deploy PTC systems that are compatible with one another, require that FRA be notified prior to the installation of PTC components, and that appropriate employee training and record-keeping be undertaken. FRA and several railroads currently are testing different types of PTC systems with varied applications and functionality. [Federal Railroad Administration, 3-7-05]
RAILROAD RETIREMENT INVESTMENTS OUTPACE SOCIAL SECURITY EARNINGS: White House officials and members of Congress looking for a way to invest some Social Security money in the stock market might check out the federal retirement program that covers railroad workers. A portion of the pensions paid by the 70-year-old Railroad Retirement Board comes from a fund that invests in Wall Street. The fund returned 13.3 percent last year and nearly 20 percent in 2003 - far more than the earnings from the Treasury bonds that are the backbone of Social Security, the Houston Chronicle reports. Last year, the RRB paid nearly $9-billion to 649,000 beneficiaries. Congress overhauled the RRB system in 2001 for reasons eerily similar to the current debate over Social Security. The railroad pension program was facing insolvency because of an escalating number of retirees and a shrinking number of workers -- the same demographic trends in the Social Security system. In trying to find a way to increase RRB revenues without raising taxes, Congress changed investment rules so that up to 65 percent of the railroad system's trust funds could be invested in the stock market. The changes involved "collective investment" of the funds rather than individual investment. President Bush has proposed a broad overhaul of Social Security, with individual investment accounts as a centerpiece. He wants to offer younger workers the option of diverting up to four percentage points of annual wages from Social Security payroll taxes to a private, self-directed investment account for each individual. Railroad retirees receive two tiers of payments. The first, financed through the same 12.4 percent payroll tax that all other workers and employers share, provides identical benefits to Social Security. The second tier - the one invested in the markets - is financed by a slightly higher payroll tax, 12.6 percent paid by employers and 4.4 percent by employees. Under the 2001 overhaul, assets held in the Social Security-equivalent fund must be invested in fixed-income Treasury bonds, but the second-tier assets can be invested in a mix of government bonds and private-market index funds and stocks. The RRB changes under the 2001 law brought together an unusual coalition of labor unions and railroad companies, with both sides wanting to avoid huge payroll tax increases. Congress created the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust, an independent body comprising rail industry and labor union representatives, to manage investments that topped $27-billion in 2004. [United Transportation Union, 3-5-05, from article by Timothy Spence in The Houston Chronicle]
RICHMOND, VA., GETS FUNDING TO COMPLETE MAIN STREET STATION PROJECT: The City of Richmond, Virginia, has received $1.5-million from the Federal Transit Administration to proceed with efforts to complete the Main Street Station project. The first stage of the project opened in December 2003, reactivating service at the nearly 100-year-old building in the heart of downtown Richmond. According to the FTA, "the grant will fund improvements of the platforms, expansion of the ticket office, construction of passenger amenities, improvements to the parking area on the west side, and the construction of a bus terminal." Included in these funds is the elimination of the temporary office space in and full restoration of the station's train shed. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 3-4-05]
N.Y. MAYOR NOW OPPOSES FREIGHT RAIL TUNNEL: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg suddenly announced his opposition last night (March 3) to a proposed freight rail tunnel under the New York Harbor, a sharp reversal of his administration's earlier support for the project, according to this report by Sewell Chan and Jim Rutenberg published by the New York Times. The mayor spoke out against the project at a community meeting in Middle Village, Queens. "I think when you get done looking at all the pros and cons," Mr. Bloomberg said, "the answer is we should not build this tunnel." The freight tunnel's terminal would be built in a nearby neighborhood - Maspeth - and residents have mobilized against the project, saying the area would be overwhelmed by noisy trucks and diesel exhaust. Mr. Bloomberg told the meeting in Middle Village, "You really would destroy neighborhoods here in this area, and we just can't do this at this point." The tunnel, with an estimated cost of as much as $7-billion, has become politically charged. The mayor's leading Democratic opponent, Fernando Ferrer, the former Bronx borough president, is a longtime supporter of the tunnel. Three other Democrats who are running for mayor also announced their support recently: C. Virginia Fields, the Manhattan borough president; Gifford Miller, the City Council speaker, and Representative Anthony D. Weiner of Brooklyn and Queens. Planning for the tunnel began under Mr. Bloomberg's predecessor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, and has advanced in the last three years. Last April, the city's Economic Development Corporation, in a study known as a draft environmental impact statement, endorsed the project. It concluded that the tunnel should be built between Jersey City and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Financing for the multibillion project has yet to be determined. [United Transportation Union, 3-4-05, from New York Times article by Sewell Chan and Jim Rutenberg]
ALASKA R.R. GETS GRANT FOR FAIRBANKS PASSENGER TERMINAL: The Federal Transit Administration recently awarded a $1.9-million grant Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC) for a new intermodal facility in Fairbanks. ARRC is building a state-of-the-art train depot, bus parking area and transfer area so passengers can make connections between trains, buses, taxis and automobiles. Expected to open in mid-May and be fully completed in July, the facility will serve passengers arriving from and departing to Denali National Park & Preserve, Talkeetna, Wasilla and Anchorage. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-4-05]
CANADIAN NATIONAL BLAMED BY SAFETY BOARD FOR 2003 ACCIDENT: Canadian National Railway Co., the country's biggest railroad, was blamed by a government safety board for failing to properly inspect and maintain a British Columbia bridge whose 2003 collapse killed two workers. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said today in a report that inspection, planning and maintenance shortcomings "allowed the unsafe conditions to exist." The agency said an inspection in 1999 found that the timber bridge was rotted and repairs hadn't been made. The accident in May 2003, about 300 miles west of Edmonton, Alberta, involved two locomotives and five cars that derailed and fell into a ravine. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 3-3-05, from Bloomberg News article by Rip Watson]
BNSF DISPATCHERS WALK OFF JOB: About 100 train dispatchers for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. walked off their jobs for more than two hours Wednesday (March 2), disrupting rush-hour commuter service in Chicago and other cities, according to this Associated Press report. The dispatchers are represented by the American Train Dispatchers Association. The walkout occurred at the railway's Fort Worth operations center. Union representatives did not return phone calls seeking comment. BNSF spokesman Joe Faust said the dispute was over the personal leave time dispatchers may take. He said the company was working to resume regular operations. BNSF managers filled in during the walkout, which ended around 6:20 p.m. CST, said Gus Melonas, another company spokesman. BNSF said the safety of rail operations wasn't affected. In Chicago, hundreds of evening commuters were stranded at the downtown Union Station as the walkout delayed service for up to an hour on the Metra commuter train route between Chicago and Aurora. Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said Burlington Northern operates 12 tracks at Union Station, and about 30,000 people ride the affected line during the evening rush hour. In the Northwest, about half of rail traffic was affected by the strike, Melonas said. The walkout delayed the evening Sounder commuter train service between Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. Buses were provided for commuters, Sound Transit spokesman Lee Somerstein said. [United Transportation Union, 3-2-05, from Associated Press]
UNION PACIFIC TO HANDLE MORE CONTAINERS AT L.A. AREA PORTS: Union Pacific Railroad plans to modify its near-dock container transfer operation near the Port of Los Angeles to eliminate about 500,000 annual truck trips to and from downtown. UP will use its transfer facility to load and unload nearly all international containers not handled on dock so area ports don't have to truck containers to other intermodal ramps via highways. Containers will be transferred to rail cars, which UP will move through the Alameda Corridor to various U.S. destinations. To accommodate traffic growth, officials from UP and several port authorities are considering whether to expand the railroad's facility to handle 1.6 million containers annually. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 3-2-05]
WASHINGTON METRO SHUFFLES TOP MANAGEMENT: Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) recently reorganized its management structure to streamline departments and improve customer service. WMATA consolidated 12 departments reporting to the general manager and chief executive officer into four: customer service, operations and safety; planning and development; workforce development and administration; and finance. The public affairs, strategic programs and auditor general departments also will report directly to GM/CEO Richard White. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-28-05]
CN, ONTARIO NORTHLAND TO TEAM UP ON TRAFFIC ROUTES: Late last year, several Class I's reached routing protocol agreements aimed at sharing lines to speed traffic in certain corridors. Now, Canadian National Railway Co. has reached a similar agreement with a regional. CN and Ontario Northland Railway recently entered into a two-year routing pact to expedite traffic in northeastern Ontario and northwestern Quebec. CN will pay the 700-mile regional a fee to move freight between North Bay and Noranda, Quebec, and Noranda and Hearst, Ontario. The routes will shave about 850 miles off CN and CN/Ontario Northland moves. Ontario Northland plans to increase train frequency over the routes from five days to seven days. CN will offer its guaranteed car-order program to the regional's customers and assume responsibility for switching Ontario Northland's cars in Noranda. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-28-05]
REQUEST BY NORFOLK SOUTHERN FOR GRANITEVILLE MEDIATOR DENIED: A federal judge refused Friday (Feb. 25) to appoint a mediator to settle claims between a railroad company and Graniteville residents who were affected by a deadly chlorine leak and freight train crash last month, according to this Associated Press report by Jacob Jordon published by The Sun News. More than 20 lawsuits, including personal injury and wrongful death, have been filed since the January 6 train crash. Graniteville residents evacuated the tiny textile town after a Norfolk Southern train slammed into a parked train, puncturing a tanker of chlorine. Nine people died from the toxic cloud, and about 250 were hurt. Norfolk Southern attorneys asked U.S. District Judge Margaret Seymour to appoint a "global mediator" to help settle claims between residents who have filed lawsuits as well as those who have not, but the judge said that was out of the court's jurisdiction. "The railroad is free to settle claims with whomever," Seymour said. But it's not appropriate for the court to "intervene and sanction" a settlement when a person has not filed suit, she said. A mediator could be appointed if a class action lawsuit is certified, and several are pending. [United Transportation Union, 2-27-05, from Associated Press report by Jacob Jordan published by the Sun News]
PENNSYLVANIA SHORT LINES GET FLOOD DAMAGE AID: Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell has announced grants totaling $3.5-million to five short lines to help pay for repairing infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Ivan's floods last fall. Allegheny Valley Railroad gets $687,689; Delaware & Hudson, $392,000; Lackawanna County Rail Authority, $100,000; Pittsburgh & Ohio Central, $2.1 million; and Wheeling & Lake Erie, $267,770. [railwayage.com, 2-25-05]
PENNSYLVANIA ANNOUNCES FUNDS FOR FOUR RAIL FREIGHT PROJECTS: State Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler today [Febr.25] announced that more than $860,000 was awarded for projects that will help preserve rail freight service and stimulate economic development across Pennsylvania. The four projects are expected to create 63 jobs and retain nearly 900 jobs. Biehler listed the rail freight grant recipients as: $250,000 to LaFarge North America, Towson, MD, to rehabilitate and construct track and to construct a scale to serve a new cement and aggregate distribution facility at the Pittsburgh and Ohio Central Railroad's Scully Yard near Chartiers, Allegany County; $203,000 to George S. Coyne Chemical Company Inc., Fairless Hills, to rehabilitate track and construct a loading/unloading facility to serve a new chemical distribution center in Falls Township, Bucks County; $185,440 to Magee Reiter Automotive Systems, Bloomsburg, for track improvements and construction of a loading/unloading facility that will support a distribution center for the automotive carpet manufacturer's three satellite facilities. Columbia County; and $225,960 to Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, Philadelphia, for switch and track improvements that will facilitate increased commercial and military cargo loads at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal, Philadelphia County. [PA. DOT, 2-25-05]
AMTRAK TO CHANGE SCHEDULE OF SUNSET LIMITED: Amtrak has announced the major schedule change to the Sunset Limited hinted at in the November 2004 timetable. Effective with the departure of train 1 from Orlando on March 8 and the departure of train 2 from Los Angles on March 9, the following changes will occur: Train 1 will maintain its current schedule from Orlando, FL to Beaumont, TX. Time will be added at various points between Houston and Tucson, culminating in a four-hours-later Tucson departure and a correspondingly later arrival in Los Angeles. Train 2 will depart Los Angeles eight hours earlier at 2:30 p.m. Additional running time will be added between Los Angeles and Houston, resulting in a 4:00 p.m. New Orleans arrival (4 hours earlier than currently). The train will hold in New Orleans until the current advertised departure time of 10:30 p.m. due to CSX unwillingness to change the schedule before the general Amtrak timetable change in April. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 2-25-05]
METRA STRIKES DEAL FOR NEW STATION: The Main Street tax-increment financing project could take shape over the next few months, starting with the expected groundbreaking of a 143rd Street Metra station, according to this report by Margie Ritchie published by the Chicago Tribune. The Village Board this week approved an ordinance allowing for an intergovernmental agreement with Metra for construction and operation of the commuter station that will include 600 parking spaces. Metra agreed to pay more than $10.5-million toward construction of the station, platform and parking lot. The board also agreed to a $3.5-million purchase of a vacant 5.3-acre parcel located on the west side of 142nd Street and La Grange Road. Part of the parcel will be used to construct 142nd west to the new Metra station. The rest would be redeveloped. The station could be open by the end of the year, officials said. [United Transportation Union, 2-25-05, from Chicago Tribune report by Margie Ritchie]
BALTIMORE MAYOR ASKS FOR INSPECTION OF HOWARD STREET TUNNEL: Mayor Martin O'Malley called on the federal government yesterday [Febr.24] to conduct a new emergency inspection of the Howard Street Tunnel - site of a large derailment and fire in 2001 - after three cars of a CSX Transportation train left the tracks Wednesday night [Febr.23]. The mayor's call came as CSX and the Federal Railroad Administration said preliminary indications are pointing to mechanical failure - and not the condition of the tracks - as the cause of this week's derailment. O'Malley said the city, which is suing CSX over the 2001 derailment, wants the railway administration and National Transportation Safety Board to examine conditions in the tunnel in the presence of city officials. In a letter to the railroad agency and the NTSB, the city requested that it be allowed to send a representative along on any inspection. At a previous inspection late last month, during which the railroad agency pronounced the tunnel's tracks safe, only federal inspectors and CSX employees were present. Misty Skipper, a CSX spokeswoman, said the company would defer to the railroad administration's wishes if it decides to conduct an inspection. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-25-05, from Baltimore Sun report by Michael Dresser]
THREE DESIGNS SUBMITTED FOR MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TRAIN STATION: New York State officials announced yesterday [Febr.24] that they would choose from among three developers to transform the city's central post office into a new Midtown train station serving commuters on New Jersey Transit and possibly the Long Island Rail Road. The selection of one of the three design proposals submitted Friday is expected to take place by June and would mark an important step forward for the plans to create a new train station in memory of Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who championed the effort before his death in 2003. The project, across Eighth Avenue from Pennsylvania Station, has proceeded in fits and starts for the last decade, but officials now hope to begin construction by the end of this year and complete the station by 2010. The design proposals all incorporate what has playfully become known as the potato chip - a shapely glass and steel canopy that will encompass the new station's entry lobby. That canopy, designed by David M. Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, would envelop a series of concourses that slip under the post office building, letting light flow onto the train platforms below ground. The three proposals also include a well-lit atrium and a passageway along 32nd Street linking Eighth and Ninth Avenues. The agency has secured $600-million in public funds to build the 400,000-square-foot train station. In addition, the site will include 250,000 square feet for the Postal Service and 750,000 square feet for retail, office or residential use. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-25-05, from New York Times report by by Sewell Chan]
FAKE N.Y. TRANSIT WORKER PLEADS GUILTY: A man who has been arrested repeatedly for pretending to be a transit worker pleaded guilty Thursday [Febr.24] to trying to steal a locomotive, prosecutors said. In June, Darius McCollum, 39, went into a Long Island Rail Road yard, posed as a safety consultant and asked how to operate a new type of engine that had just been delivered, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said in a news release. McCollum later was found with stolen keys, including one used to operate the new locomotive, Brown said. He pleaded guilty to third-degree attempted grand larceny and faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced March 28. McCollum has been arrested 20 times for illegally posing as a subway motorman, bus driver or transit token taker. When he was arrested in the June incident, he was on parole after serving prison time for his last arrest. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-24-05, from Associated Press]
TRAIN DERAILS IN BALTIMORE'S HOWARD STREET TUNNEL: Three empty cars of a CSX freight train derailed last night [Febr.23] in Baltimore's Howard Street Tunnel, but other cars - some carrying hazardous materials - were not endangered, a railroad spokeswoman said. "There was no fire or leaking of any hazardous materials," spokeswoman Meg Scheu said from Jacksonville, Fla. In July 2001, the tunnel was the scene of a derailment and fire involving hazardous cargo that shut down parts of downtown, and the mishap last night brought city fire crews and a hazardous-materials firm to the scene as an inspection began. Scheu said two engines were pulling 114 cars south from Philadelphia to Florence, S.C., when three empty cars left the tracks about 9:50 p.m. but remained upright. She said many of the cars were hauling soybeans and a few contained hazardous materials, but she could not identify those materials. Moments after the derailment, which occurred between Mount Royal Avenue and Cathedral Street, the train crew notified dispatchers, who in turn alerted fire and police departments, the spokeswoman and a fire official said. Firefighters entered the tunnel to inspect the derailment and reported no fire or risk from hazardous materials. "We had apparatus standing by, but no real emergency took place," the fire official said. CSX officials were attempting early today to ascertain the cause of the derailment. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-24-05, from Baltimore Sun website story by Richard Irwin and Lynn Anderson]
PA. GOVERNOR OFFERS NEW TRANSIT PLAN: In an effort to jump-start talks over a long-term solution to the state's mass-transit funding crisis, Gov. Rendell met yesterday (Feb. 23) with legislative leaders to discuss his own $562-million plan for transit and roads, according to this report by John Sullivan published by the Philadelphia Inquirer. But when Rendell and lawmakers emerged from the 90-minute meeting, they appeared no closer to resolving the question of how to provide a permanent source of money for transit agencies, an issue they have been grappling with on and off since November. "I think there was simply an agreement to continue to work and see if there are some new ideas," said Senate Majority Leader David J. Brightbill (R., Lebanon). "Certainly, this is not something we can do in the next month." Rendell has offered a two-year bailout plan that includes money for the state's highways, roads and bridges. Republicans are pitching a permanent approach that also includes assurances for spending on roadways. As that debate continues, SEPTA and other transit agencies face immediate budget shortfalls that long-term funding does not address. Rendell has diverted $18.8-million from federal highway funds to keep SEPTA and other systems from running out of money before their fiscal years end this summer. Even with that help, SEPTA has said, it is still short $49-million and will run out of money March 6, forcing it to cut service by 20 percent and raise fares by 25 percent. Rendell offered his $562-million plan, which is a hybrid of several previous legislative proposals, in a letter to lawmakers dated Tuesday [Febr.22]. Part of the money would be raised by increasing the real estate transfer tax and some motor-vehicle fees. Money would also come from the oil-franchise tax. [United Transportation Union, 2-24-05, from Philadelphia Inquirer report by John Sullivan]
IMPROVEMENTS PLANNED FOR KEYSTONE CORRIDOR TRACK: Next month, Amtrak and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) plan to begin the next phase of track improvements on the Harrisburg-to- Philadelphia Keystone Corridor. Jointly funded by the national passenger railroad and PennDOT, the project is designed to increase train frequency, shorten trip times up to 15 minutes between Harrisburg and Philadelphia and up to 30 minutes between Harrisburg and New York City, and improve ride quality. Amtrak and PennDOT plan to focus work between Lancaster and Parkesburg, and Paoli and Philadelphia. The project includes installing concrete ties on 80 track miles, as well as 40 switches and a signal system between Lancaster and Harrisburg; and upgrading 16 bridges and culverts, overhead electrical wires and electrical substations. Last year, Amtrak and PennDOT installed 63 track miles of continuous-welded rail between Harrisburg and Lancaster, and replaced more than 46,000 wood ties between Overbrook and Lancaster. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-23-05]
MINNESOTA HOUSE OK'S NORTHSTAR FUNDING: Yesterday [Febr.22], Minnesota's House of Representatives passed a capital investment bill authorizing $10-million in state funding for the Northstar commuter-rail system. Now, House members will need to reconcile their bill with a Senate measure, which includes Gov. Tim Pawlenty's $37.5-million funding recommendation. The House and Senate plan to appoint a conference committee to draft a compromise bill. "We are confident that the final 2005 bonding bill will include the governor's position of $37.5-million so we can get Northstar up and running," said state Rep. Melissa Hortman, who co-authored Northstar legislation, in a prepared statement. The Northstar Corridor's 40-mile first phase would run along highways 10 and 47 between Minneapolis and Big Lake. Under a proposed second phase, the line would extend from Big Lake to St. Cloud. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-23-05]
WHITE HOUSE WANTS STATES TO FUND INTERCITY RAIL: The Bush administration plans to introduce legislation to restructure the nation's passenger rail system, while Amtrak supporters in Congress fight to maintain funding in next fiscal year's budget, according to the CNN website. Referring to the budget proposal as "a wake-up call," Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said last week the administration would propose changes to shift funding responsibilities to the states, establishing "a 50-50 federal match for state investments in passenger rail infrastructure." The budget proposed by President Bush this month would eliminate federal funding for Amtrak, setting aside $360-million to operate some trains only if the service faces a shutdown. Amtrak received $1.2-billion in federal funding for the current fiscal year. The new fiscal year begins October 1. Amtrak's five-year strategic plan, approved by its board in June, called for $1.8-billion next year. [United Transportation Union, 2-22-05, from item posted on CNN website]
BUSH ADMINISTRATION WOULD SAVE AMTRAK WITH REFORM PROPOSAL, MINETA SAYS: The Bush Administration wants to save Amtrak with a reform proposal that will provide more passenger rail funding to states and encourage Amtrak and other rail operators to compete for contracts to service routes, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said today [Febr.22] after a tour of North Carolina's Piedmont train and passenger station in Charlotte. Mineta said the Administration soon will re-introduce its "Passenger Rail Investment Reform Act" to establish a 50-50 federal match for state investments in passenger rail infrastructure, like stations, trains and tracks, create competition for passenger rail service and allow Amtrak to focus on "running the trains on time." But he said the recent criticisms of the proposal make him "wonder whether the people talking have even read it. We cannot save intercity passenger rail service by burying our heads in the sand and simply shoveling more money into a system that cannot help but fail," Mineta said. He said North Carolina is "on the right track" with its support of passenger rail. Since the state launched its Piedmont service between Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham ten years ago, ridership has grown 476 percent, Mineta added. He said the state has invested more than $150-million over the past decade to upgrade stations, buy trains and even purchase an entire railroad, but he said under the current system the federal government can't "really do much of anything and that's wrong. Our proposal would allow the federal government to match your passenger rail infrastructure investments dollar for dollar and it says that you ought to be free to choose who will run the trains," Mineta said, adding the plan could lead to significant federal investment in Charlotte's new train station. Mineta said he and the President are done "doing business as usual" with Amtrak, and are serious about their budget proposal to end federal subsidies for the railroad unless reforms are implemented soon. "For 30 years, the federal government has had a partnership with Amtrak on passenger rail. We gave them money and they made the federal government's passenger rail investment decisions for us," he said. "Well, that partnership has failed." [U.S. DOT, 2-22-05]
OMNITRAX ADDS 15TH SHORT LINE: OmniTRAX Inc. recently began operating the Alabama & Tennessee River Railway L.L.C. (ATN) - the holding company's 15th short line. Earlier this year, OmniTRAX leased 120 track miles from CSX Transportation between Birmingham and Gadsden, Ala. (the Class I's former Alabama Mineral Subdivision). ATN will interchange with CSXT in Birmingham and Norfolk Southern Railway in Alabama City. The short line will serve more than 40 shippers, including Progress Rail Services Corp., Tyson Foods, SMI Steel, Georgia-Pacific Corp., Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., Cargill and Bowater Lumber. ATN also will serve the Port of Guntersville. In January, OmniTRAX purchased and/or leased from BNSF Railway Co. a cluster of branch lines totaling 160 track miles in Washington and British Columbia, Canada, and began operating its 14th short line, the Kettle Falls International Railway L.L.C. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-22-05]
BNSF EMPLOYEES HELP MOVE WW-I BOX CAR: An old box car in Fresno, Calif., is getting a new home thanks to BNSF and the American Legion Voiture 31 organization. The French "Merci Train" box car was given to the United States and sent to California in 1949 in appreciation of the American people for a "freedom ship" of food and clothing sent to France in 1948. The car was filled with many articles of crafts and heirlooms from the French people. During its use, the box car carried men and horses during World War I (it's marked that it could hold 40 men or eight horses). The box car was placed in Fresno's Roeding Park and dedicated in 1957 as a war memorial. However, to increase public access and decrease vandalism, the American Legion Voiture 31 is moving the box car to the organization's property at 3509 N. First St. A grand rededication will take place at the end of this month. [BNSF Today, 2-22-05]
VA. PORT AUTHORITY PLANS TO DOUBLE RAIL CAPACITY AT CARGO TERMINAL: The Virginia Port Authority is developing plans to double its on-dock rail capacity at Norfolk International Terminals to meet growing demand. Direct-to-rail movements of international shipping containers grew twice as fast as the port's overall cargo growth of 9.9 percent last year. And the rail growth is expected to continue to outpace containerized cargo growth again this year. It's a business that ties together two of Hampton Roads' largest transportation entities - the port and Norfolk Southern Railway Co., which is headquartered in Norfolk. Cargo containers are unloaded from ships in the port and carried inland by the railroad, or delivered by the railroad to the port for export. "Norfolk Southern is obviously our bread-and-butter railroad in the port," said Thomas D. Capozzi, the port authority's senior managing director of marketing services. Norfolk Southern handles the vast majority of the port of Virginia's rail cargo, but CSX Transportation Inc., its Jacksonville-based rival in the East, has a small but growing rail ramp in Portsmouth, Capozzi said. The port of Virginia is Norfolk Southern's busiest intermodal port, said Jeff Heller, assistant vice president-international marketing in the railroad's intermodal group. It has been since well before Norfolk Southern's 1999 merger with Conrail Inc., which gave it access to New York. Local port officials feared then that Norfolk Southern might shift its focus to the larger Port of New York & New Jersey, but those fears proved unfounded. The railroad runs six intermodal trains a day into and out of NIT three in and three out. Containers from or going to other terminals are switched at its Portlock intermodal terminal in Chesapeake. One train runs north to the railroad's large yard in Rutherford, Pa., near Harrisburg, stopping at the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal. From Rutherford, containers can be shipped west to Detroit and Chicago. The trains can carry two containers stacked on top of each other, known as double-stack, the most efficient way to move containers. Another train runs the same route in reverse. Another double-stack route heads west to and from Knoxville, Tenn., offering connections to Kansas City, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Chicago. And, finally, Norfolk Southern runs a single-stack train between NIT and Chicago, stopping in the retail distribution hub of Columbus, Ohio. That is its fastest train on the most direct route to the Midwest. Containers loaded aboard it on a Tuesday, for example, are available for pick up first thing Thursday morning in Columbus and Friday morning in Chicago. That route to Chicago is 1,000 miles, 200 miles shorter than the other two. But it is restricted to single-stack containers because it passes through the West Virginia coal fields and numerous low-clearance tunnels designed for coal hopper cars. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-20-05, from article by Christopher Dinsmore posted on the Virginian-Pilot website]
WESTERN MARYLAND SCENIC R.R. SAYS IT PLANS TO END FROSTBURG RUN: According to a news report published by the Cumberland, Maryland, Times-News on February 19, officials of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad have announced that they will discontinue making runs to Frostburg at the end of the 2005 season. "We should emphasize that the train will continue to run, but this will be the final season that it travels all the way to Frostburg," said Barbara Buehl, director of the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce. Buehl and Stafford were among 14 local and state officials who met at the county complex Friday [Febr.18] to discuss issues facing the railroad and Allegheny Highlands Trail project, according to the Times-News. During the meeting it was decided that the cost of continuing train rides to Frostburg would be too prohibitive in light of the fact that 2006 is the last year the state will subsidize maintenance costs for the scenic railroad. Per an agreement with the county, Maryland is funding $225,000 this year, and will provide a final $112,000 in 2006. There are other financial concerns, too, according to County Administrator Vance Ishler. "Approximately $25-million could be needed to keep the train operational over the next five years," he said. "We currently lease facilities - including a turntable - in Ridgeley, W.Va., from CSX. But CSX has had some offers on that property, and they could kick us out at any time, so the train would need a new 'home.'" About $8-million of the estimated $25-million would go toward such a facility, and Buehl noted that City Junction near the intersection of North Mechanic Street and Henderson Avenue in Cumberland has been considered as a possible housing and maintenance location for the train. Other needs could include a turntable for the locomotive, bridge and track upgrades and general railroad maintenance. [From Cumberland Times-News, 2-19-05]
UP, BNSF FACE FEDERAL SCRUTINY: Fort Worth-based Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. (BNSF) isn't the only rail company under Justice Department scrutiny, according to this report by Sean Wood published by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Union Pacific (UP) has also received a civil investigative demand from the antitrust division of the Justice Department. "It is seeking information about pricing activities for coal out of the southern Powder River Basin" in Wyoming, said Kathryn Blackwell, general director of corporate communications for UP. She said the railroad will cooperate fully. In 2004, UP hauled 250 million tons of coal, and 177 million of those came from the Powder River Basin. BNSF notified the public in its annual report that it had received an investigative demand. Chief Executive Matthew Rose told The Associated Press on Wednesday (Feb. 16) that the company is cooperating and that it hasn't done anything wrong. Jason Seidl, an analyst with Avondale Partners in Philadelphia, said pricing questions are nothing new. But those disputes are usually handled by the Surface Transportation Board. "The rails have continuously battled with captive shippers over the years," Seidl said. "It doesn't surprise me that another one of these has popped up." [United Transportation Union, 2-18-05, from Fort Worth Star-Telegram report by Sean Wood]
COAST STARLIGHT TO RETURN TO FULL SERVICE FEBRUARY 28: The Coast Starlight is scheduled to return to full service on February 28. To encourage ridership on the restored service, Amtrak is offering a 25 percent discount for travel on the Coast Starlight. The discount is valid for sale between February 14, 2005 and May 23, 2005, and for travel February 28, 2005 to May 26, 2005. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 2-18-05]
MAN GETS PROBATION FOR MAKING BOMB THREAT AT AMTRAK STATION: A Boston man was placed on one year's probation after he admitted yesterday [Febr.16] to making a bomb threat at the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Amtrak station last year. John Spence, 53, pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court to making a false bomb threat and possession of marijuana. Spence, on Sept. 6, 2004, told another man that he had explosives in his luggage while both were waiting on the station platform for a Boston-bound train. The man alerted authorities and six Pittsfield Police officers and a state police bomb squad responded to the scene. A visibly intoxicated Spence was arrested at the scene, but no explosives were found in his bags, according to police reports. Spence, a computer technician for a Boston-area health service company, was in the Berkshires visiting his son in North Adams, according to Berkshire Eagle files. Authorities also found a marijuana cigarette in the defendant's shirt pocket. As conditions of his probation, Spence is to refrain from drugs and alcohol and undergo counseling, according to a statement from the Berkshire County district attorney's office. Spence was also fined $715 under the sentence issued by Judge Daniel A. Ford. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-17-05, from Berkshire Eagle article posted on its website]
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT INVESTIGATING BNSF PRICING: BNSF Railway disclosed late Tuesday (Feb. 15) that the Justice Department is investigating its pricing practices for coal shipments from the southern Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, according to this report published by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. BNSF received a civil investigative demand from the Justice Department seeking information about the company's pricing, the company said in an annual financial filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2004, coal transportation accounted for about 21 percent of BNSF's freight revenues, the company said in its SEC report. The Powder River Basin accounted for 90 percent of BNSF's coal shipments during the three years that ended in December. The coal is shipped to coal-fired electric-generating stations, primarily in the North Central, South Central, Southeast and Mountain regions of the United States. [United Transportation Union, 2-16-05, from Fort Worth Star-Telegram]
N.Y. STATE AUDIT QUESTIONS AMTRAK PROJECT COSTS: The state Department of Transportation should refuse to pay at least $1.4-million in questionable expenses by Super Steel Schenectady for work on a fleet of high-speed trains now idled in a legal dispute with Amtrak, according to an audit released Tuesday [Febr.15] by the state comptroller's office. In their examination of transactions between the state and Super Steel Schenectady, which was tapped in 1998 to rebuild seven Rohr Turboliner trains built during the 1970s, auditors cited an array of accounting and financial oversight lapses by DOT and recommended changes in the department's accounting and auditing processes. The audit, which follows a series of audits released in June 2003 by state Comptroller Alan Hevesi, is the latest revelation concerning Gov. George Pataki's $185-million plan to put high-speed trains on line between New York City and this region. Last August, state Transportation Commissioner Joseph Boardman filed a federal lawsuit against Amtrak, accusing the railroad of failing to deliver on its part of the rail agreement. Amtrak, which has moved the first three trains completed to a storage facility in Delaware, contends the contract was built on a foundation of false assumptions and should be declared dead. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-16-05, from article by Cathy Woodruff on the Albany Times-Union website]
ORANGE COUNTY HALTS LIGHT-RAIL AND SEEKS OPTIONS: Fifteen years after first flirting with the idea of building a light-rail system in the heart of Orange County, California, local transportation leaders on Monday (Feb. 14) shelved the $1-billion CenterLine project at least temporarily to consider other transit options, according to this report by Dan Weikel published by the Los Angeles Times. The Orange County Transportation Authority will now consider expanding Metrolink rail service or building a rapid-transit bus system along Bristol Street in Santa Ana, which was to have been a main leg of the CenterLine route. Among options are developing the old Pacific Electric streetcar right-of-way in Orange County, shifting CenterLine funds to road projects, widening Bristol Street in Santa Ana and starting rapid transit bus projects in other parts of the county. OCTA officials said a final report is due in June. If board members decide to pursue bus rapid transit or any other alternative, the light-rail project will be canceled, said Arthur T. Leahy, OCTA's chief executive. [United Transportation Union, 2-15-05, from Los Angeles Times report by Dan Weikel]
VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE TO FUND EXPANSION, IMPROVEMENT: Last week, Virginia Railway Express (VRE) announced the state legislature is considering several measures that would provide funds for the commuter-rail agency. The Virginia House included an amendment in its budget that would provide VRE $5-million to fund environmental review, design and engineering work for a Gainesville/Haymarket branch. The project includes completing track and signal work, purchasing new passenger cars, and building a station and parking facilities. Both the state House and Senate included $20-million in their budget versions for new cars. Also, the House allocated $25.7-million and the Senate, $33.2- million, for track improvements. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-15-05]
MINETA EXPLAINS PLAN TO END AMTRAK FUNDING: Amtrak "is dying and everyone knows it," U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said during a news conference at Chicago's Union Station Monday. Mineta came to reaffirm President Bush's commitment to reform of the nation's passenger rail system a week after the Administration unveiled a budget that proposed an end to taxpayer subsidies for the current Amtrak system. Mineta rejected critics' claims that he is just trying to kill the railroad, saying if that were the case he "wouldn't have to lift a finger." "Everyone agrees that Amtrak is on financial life support. But the answer to the problem is not throwing more money into a system that is fundamentally flawed. The answer is top-to-bottom reform," Mineta said. Mineta said he and the President support passenger rail, and they understand that "it is too important, in too many parts of the country, including here in Chicago, to just stand by and watch a major mode of transportation strangle under a funding system that is fundamentally irrational." He said Amtrak has problems partly because it runs money-losing routes and regularly diverts cash away from repairs to cover operating losses. "It's nuts," Mineta said. "We cannot afford to continue to waste money this way when there are critical investments that have to be made in passenger rail." The Administration soon will re-introduce the "Passenger Rail Investment Reform Act" to put "passenger rail back on track by recognizing the reality of rail travel today," Mineta said. The proposal, according to Mineta, would establish a 50-50 federal match for state investments in passenger rail infrastructure, like stations, trains and tracks, and open passenger rail service to competition. More importantly, Mineta said the President's plan "does not call for an end to Amtrak," but would position the federal government to work hand-in-hand with states and local entities to invest in railroad infrastructure, while allowing Amtrak to focus on providing service. For example, in Chicago, Mineta said Amtrak owns Union Station and controls the schedules for its trains and those operated by METRA, even though Amtrak runs just 17 percent of trains using the facility. The Administration's proposal would transfer ownership of Union Station to a regional transportation authority, a plan Mineta said would allow Amtrak to focus on providing better service to its Chicago customers and one he says makes more sense than the current arrangement, which he likened to "the tail wagging the dog." "With such a significant stake in operations at Union Station, we think it makes sense to put control into local hands to ensure the highest level of service to the millions of Chicagoland residents who rely on this vital transportation hub." Mineta said the President's budget for Amtrak "is a call to action and his proposed legislation is the solution," adding that "true reform is the only real solution." [U.S. Department of Transportation, 2-14-05]
CN, UTU REACH NEW AGREEMENT IN CANADA: CN and the United Transportation Union (UTU) announced Febr. 14 that they have signed a tentative labor contract covering approximately 2,600 conductors, assistant conductors, yard service employees and traffic coordinators in Canada. Details of the three-year contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, 2004, are being withheld pending ratification by the UTU membership. In general, the agreement provides for wage, benefit and quality of work-life improvements. [United Transportation Union, 2-14-05]
GE TRANSPORTATION INAUGURATES LOCOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP IN TWIN CITIES: GE Transportation recently assumed control of a repair shop operated by fellow General Electric Co. subsidiary GE Energy and opened the GE Minneapolis Electronics Manufacturing & Repair Shop. GE Transportation plans to use the shop to perform repairs on locomotives - including those manufactured by General Motors Corp.'s Electro-Motive Division - for Class I and short line clients. The company expects to use the shop to offer basic and heavy repair and return service, and a heavy repair unit exchange service to enable customers to obtain a replacement part instead of waiting for a unit to be returned. Shop services also include customized repairs, on-site inventory, technical support and online training. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-14-05]
AMTRAK PRESIDENT SPEAKS OUT OVER ADMINISTRATION BUDGET PROPOSAL: President Bush's budget proposal would remove all federal funding for Amtrak, eliminating inter-city train travel in the United States, said Amtrak President David L. Gunn during a speech at the Beckman Institute on Thursday [Febr.10]. The White House budget proposal criticized Amtrak for high debt and low ridership. Amtrak has received $29-billion from taxpayers since its inception in 1971, according to the proposal. The administration has said it would not fund Amtrak until reforms are made, but Gunn said he has not been given specific requests as to what reforms are wanted. Gunn also criticized the U.S. Department of Transportation for not having a long-range plan for rail travel in the United States. "Tell us what you want us to do and we can do it. ...The fact of the matter is they (the USDOT) do not have an implementable plan," he said. Gunn said it was unrealistic to expect to have a rail system in the United States that is not federally subsidized, and that it is a mistake for the federal government to fund highways and airlines but not railways. The proposed cut comes at a time when Amtrak has made progress, Gunn said. The number of Amtrak passengers has increased since Gunn took over in 2002. More than 25 million trips were taken on Amtrak in 2004, an increase of more than a million and a record high. The administration has proposed splitting Amtrak's service in the Northeast Corridor from Amtrak's long-distance service in the rest of the country. The company would then turn rail service outside the Northeast to individual states, which would bid contracts for other operators. The proposal to split service has a practical obstacle, said Ross Capon, University alumnus and executive director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers. Private companies own most tracks outside of the Northeast, and they are more willing to accept the insurance of a large company like Amtrak than smaller companies, Capon said. "If the states become responsible for acquiring insurance, they will probably not be able to do it. Most states are not used to the type of exposure Amtrak deals with everyday," he said. If Amtrak went bankrupt, the budget proposal would still allocate $360-million to maintain services in the Northeast Corridor. However, Gunn said if bankruptcy occurred, he did not know who would operate rail travel in the Corridor. Many Illinois politicians have also criticized the proposal to cut federal money for Amtrak. This week, Gov. Rod Blagojevich wrote a letter to President Bush asking him to reconsider the plan. The proposed budget now goes before Congress for approval. In the past, Congress has often made major changes to presidential budget proposals. Last year, Bush proposed a $318-million cut in Amtrak funding, but Congress later overturned those proposed cut, allocating $1.2-billion to the rail company. Gunn said he was confident that Amtrak would receive money from Congress. He said Amtrak needs around $1.5 billion to operate this year. Capon was less sure of the funding for this year. "I think it's going to be a very tough fight because of the number of programs (Bush is) seeking cuts in," Capon said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-11-05, from article by Nate Sandstrom posted on the Daily Illini website]
N.J. TRANSIT EYES NEW ATLANTIC CITY RAIL LINKS: NJ Transit is researching whether it can link its Atlantic City rail line with the rest of the state, and also offer an upscale rail line between Atlantic City and New York City that would be a boon for casino customers, according to this report by Thomas Barlas published by the Press of Atlantic City. The proposed service depends on whether NJ Transit can find the necessary equipment and reach agreement with Amtrak for use of Amtrak lines. The agreement also must satisfy concerns by Amtrak that it would take a financial hit should enough passengers start using NJ Transit's proposed expanded service. NJ Transit Executive Director George Warrington said Thursday [Febr.10] a final decision on whether the proposed service is possible could be reached within six months to one year. Should the services become a reality, Warrington said it would result in better rail service for NJ Transit customers by linking markets in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey with markets in the rest of the state. [United Transportation Union, 2-11-05, from report by Thomas Barlas published by the Press of Atlantic City]
AMTRAK'S IMPROVEMENT EFFORTS CONTINUE: New York railroad tunnel work took a major step forward late last month. The first of three ventilation shafts for the New York City railroad tunnels was activated in Weehawken, NJ.. With warmer weather on the horizon, Amtrak's Track Laying Machine and Undercutter will be back at work on the Northeast Corridor and Harrisburg line. A major track reconstruction project will commence between Overbrook and Paoli in the upcoming work season, upgrading a long-suffering piece of infrastructure riddled with "temporary" speed restrictions, some for as many as six years.. Johnstown America Corporation released the first batch of new auto carriers for the Auto Train. They are heading to a subcontractor in Kentucky for final work before delivery to Amtrak.. Five new MP15D switch engines were delivered to Amtrak this week and are currently at the Bear (DE) shops for installation of cab signals and other Amtrak equipment. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 2-11-05]
U.S. TO OVERHAUL INSPECTIONS OF RAILROADS: The U.S. Transportation Department is set to change its railroad inspection program in a bid to improve safety, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday [Febr.10]. The agency's railroad safety arm, the Federal Railroad Administration, will increase its emphasis on using safety, inspection and enforcement data to decide how and where to inspect railroads, the newspaper said. A report by the agency's inspector general last year found that the railroad inspection program has been subjective, with decisions often being left to the discretion of inspectors or following an incident, the Journal said. The railroad regulator also suggested it would be more aggressive in fining railroads if attempts to resolve safety problems through negotiations fail, the newspaper said. The changes will take effect no later than this fall. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-10-05, from report by Reuters]
UNION PACIFIC HIKES SOME OF ITS RATES TO EASE BACKUPS: Union Pacific Corp. has as much as doubled some rates in Arizona for shipping items such as steel and copper, helping to cut demand for rail cars as the company tries to reduce congestion on its network. The new prices take effect March 1 and also cover salt, rock and paper for industrial use, the Omaha-based company said Wednesday [Febr.9]. The increases of as much as $3,000 a shipment might be applied in other areas to thin out congestion, spokesman John Bromley said. Union Pacific has struggled with delays since an unexpected surge in demand starting in late 2003 left it short of train crews and equipment. Delay-related costs contributed to a 62 percent drop in net income last year. "Arizona is at the top of the list that we are looking at," Bromley said. "Some of the shippers are getting way more cars than they have the ability to unload. That has jammed up our facilities." Bromley would not say where else prices might be increased or which customers are affected. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-10-05, from stroy by Bloomberg News]
PLAN TO ADD DOWNEASTER TRAIN SPARKS TRANSIT CLASH: A proposal to add a fifth Downeaster train from Boston to Maine has prompted a debate on the New Hampshire Seacoast about the future of public transportation in a state where less than one percent of the population uses buses or trains to commute. Supporters of the train service and its increasing ridership are urging New Hampshire to earmark $1.2-million in federal transportation funds for upgrades before putting another train on the already busy tracks. The money would pay for improvements that would allow freight and passenger trains using the tracks to pass each other safely. The Downeaster is New Hampshire's only commuter rail service, with stops at Dover, Durham, and Exeter. The main voice opposing the project is Jim Jalbert, owner of C&J Trailways, which provides bus service between the Seacoast and Boston. It's not the added competition he objects to, Jalbert said, but wasting money that would be better spent elsewhere. "If the train is already losing 50 cents on the dollar, a fifth train probably makes it more difficult to survive in the marketplace," Jalbert said. Both sides of the debate have the same goal: getting more commuters off the roads in New Hampshire. But each wants to take different roads to get there. The state transportation committee is scheduled to vote on the $1.2-million for track improvements in mid-March. If approved, the governor and Executive Council also have to sign off on it. The Downeaster's ridership is helping reduce road congestion in the Granite State, supporters say. New Hampshire ridership in 2003 totaled 83,784, accounting for more than one-third of the 250,000 passengers. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-10-05, from article by Lynn Walters posted on the Boston Globe website]
PORT OF L.A. DISCUSSING WITH BNSF NEW INTERMODAL FACILITY: BNSF announced today, Febr.9, that it was selected by the Port of Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners to begin discussions on a new intermodal container transfer facility about five miles north of the Port. The facility, which will be developed on part of the Port's existing classification yard, is located between Sepulveda Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway, in a highly industrialized area with direct access to the Alameda Corridor. This new intermodal facility will allow trucks loaded with cargo containers from ships to travel just a short distance before transferring the containers to rail cars that would then travel through the Alameda Corridor and on to destinations in the Midwest, Southeast and beyond. [BNSF Today, 2-9-05]
RAILWAY AGE NAMES SHORT LINE, REGIONAL RAILROADS OF THE YEAR: Railway Age magazine has named Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co. (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) as 2005 Short Line Railroad of the Year, and Red River Valley & Western Railroad Co. (Wahpeton, N.D.) as 2005 Regional Railroad of the Year. The awards will be presented at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association's annual meeting in Anaheim, Calif., on April 4. "This year's winners were selected from a pool of 34 strong finalists - a Railway Age record," said Robert DeMarco, senior vice president and group publisher of the magazine's parent company, Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp. "Their dedication and tenacity - never accepting 'no' for an answer - helped make them standouts. They maximized growth opportunities wherever possible to increase customer business volumes." Both railroads have been recognized previously in the Railway Age competition. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City (CRANDIC) received an Award of Merit in 1995 for consistent excellence. Red River Valley & Western (RRVW) secured the Regional Railroad of the Year Award in 1997 for solid business growth in the years following its establishment in 1987. [BNSF Today, 2-8-05]
CSX CHALLENGES D.C. BAN ON HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: CSX Corp. is challenging the District's 90-day ban on railroad shipments of hazardous materials that pass through the city, arguing that it is an unconstitutional restriction of interstate commerce, according to the Washington Post. The railroad company has asked the federal Surface Transportation Board to suspend the ban. The action could be the precursor to lengthy and expensive legal wrangling. Robert J. Spagnoletti, attorney general for the District, told the D.C. Council yesterday he was already planning an "aggressive battle" to defend the ban against administrative and legal challenges. It will take more money, he said, because his department has allocated its $4-million litigation budget. Proponents of the ban, including Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) and a majority of the D.C. Council, say it is necessary to protect the nation's capital. [United Transportation Union, 2-9-05, from Washington Post]
BUDGET PLAN SUPPORTS L.A. LIGHT-RAIL LINE: Despite eliminating nearly all funding for Amtrak's long-distance passenger service, President Bush's new transportation plan calls for setting aside $80-million for extending Los Angeles' light-rail line to the city's Eastside, according to the Los Angeles Times. Under the plan, money would be earmarked to help pay for a new 6-mile route that would extend the city's Gold Line to Little Tokyo, Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. Such projects increase mobility and help create an "economic spark" for American cities, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, in a telephone news conference Tuesday [Febr 8]. The president's $59.5-billion transportation plan, subject to approval by Congress, would cut total federal transportation spending by 3.3 percent, down from $61.5-billion in this year's budget, according to the Transportation Department. [United Transportation Union, 2-9-05, from Los Angeles Times]
VRE CHIEF SAYS RAIL SERVICE NEEDS AMTRAK: A spokesman for Virginia Railway Express hopes that President Bush won't get his way on Amtrak funding. The president has proposed eliminating money for Amtrak. Mark Roeber says if Amtrak services were cut, it would leave many VRE passengers without a ride. He says that on any given day, as many as 500 VRE passengers use Amtrak. But Roeber says Congress won't cut all money to Amtrak. Roeber says that even if Amtrak loses some money, it wouldn't affect VRE because Amtrak's Virginia routes do well. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-9-05, from Associated Press]
NORFOLK OFFICIALS HOPEFUL ABOUT LIGHT-RAIL PROJECT: Federal transit officials are not giving the city's proposed starter light rail line the thumbs up, yet they're not giving it a thumbs down either. For the second consecutive year, the Federal Transit Administration will not rate the $194.4-million project in its annual report to Congress, which will be released today [Febr.8]. That report evaluates proposed transit projects and recommends the most promising. The agency wants more information before deciding the fate of the proposed 7&12-mile rail line from Eastern Virginia Medical Center through downtown to Kempsville Road. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-8-05, from article by Debbie Messina posted on the Virginian-Pilot website]
RAILROAD ACCIDENT RATES DECLINE: In every safety category but one - switching yards - the railroad accident rate in the first 11 months of 2004 was lower than in the same period of 2003, according to this Railway Age report. The yard accident rate increased 2.58 percent to 20.4. But the following percentage declines were reported by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in its seven other broad categories: total accidents/incidents, 7.47 percent; train accidents, 0.95 percent; other [than yard] track, 2.49 percent; highway-rail incidents, 1.88 percent; employee on duty, 9.16 percent; trespassers, 8.90 percent; passengers on train, 26.1 percent. Accident rates take into consideration total train-miles and total hours worked as well as the actual number of accidents in order to reflect exposure to risk. The two main causes of railroad fatalities continue to be grade crossing and trespasser deaths. [United Transportation Union, 2-8-05, from report by Railway Age]
TRANSPORT INDEX UP: The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the Transportation Services Index (TSI) rose 0.7 percent in November to 127.6, the second increase in as many months, according to this report published by the Journal of Commerce Online. The November level for the combined freight and passenger index was 6.7 percent higher than the November, 2003 level of 119.6. The index tracks changes in the output of services provided by the for-hire transportation industries, including railroad, air, truck, inland waterways, pipeline, and local transit. The index for freight rose one percent to 128.9 in November from the October level of 127.6 for the second consecutive monthly rise, and up from 120.4 for November, 2003. During the six months ending in November, the index rose 2 percent, including a 1.7 percent increase for freight. [United Transportation Union, 2-8-05, from Journal of Commerce Online]
AMTRAK'S CALIFORNIA LINES POST RECORD RIDERSHIP: During fiscal-year 2005's first quarter, Amtrak increased ridership on all three of its California routes. The Pacific Surfliner service posted record ridership between October and December, carrying 596,835 passengers - a 16.1 percent increase compared with first-quarter FY2004's 510,415 riders. Operated by the California Department of Transportation, the Pacific Surfliner provides service between San Diego and Los Angeles. The Capitol Corridor posted a first-quarter ridership record, too. The line carried 308,397 passengers, a 9.5 percent increase compared with first-quarter 2004's 281,579 riders. Running between Sacramento and the Bay Area, the 170-mile line is operated by the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority. Finally, the San Joaquins service carried 187,336 passengers during the first quarter, a 5.1 percent rise compared with first-quarter FY2004's 178,302 riders. Operated by the California DOT, San Joaquins - which provides service between Bakersfield, and Oakland and Sacramento - posted record monthly ridership in October and November. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-7-05]
CREW OF PARKED NORFOLK SOUTHERN TRAIN FIRED IN WAKE OF S.C. CRASH: The Norfolk Southern Corporation has fired a Columbia railroad crew accused in lawsuits of failing to flip a switch that would have prevented a disastrous train wreck last month in S Graniteville. Company spokesman Robin Chapman declined to name the parked train's three-man crew but said the workers were terminated because they "failed to perform their duties properly." Chapman confirmed that the terminated employees were an engineer, a conductor and a brakeman. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-5-05, from story by Sammy Fretwell and Rick Brundrett on The State website]
CSX FINED FOR N.Y. CROSSING VIOLATION: The Federal Railroad Administration announced Feb. 3 that it had assessed fines totaling $298,000 against CSX Transportation for "multiple violations of highway-rail grade crossing safety regulations related to a Febr. 3, 2004, accident in Henrietta, N.Y., where a train struck a vehicle and killed an elderly couple." The announcement was accompanied by this statement from FRA's recently appointed Acting Administrator, Robert D. Jamison: "With rail traffic reaching record levels, it is more important than ever for railroads to remain focused on rail safety. Grade crossing warning systems are vital tools for protecting motorists which is why we will take every step necessary to make sure railroads keep them in proper working order." [railwayage.com, 2-4-05]
U.S. RAIL TRAFFIC MIXED IN JANUARY: U.S. rail carload traffic fell 0.7 percent (9,576 carloads) while U.S. rail intermodal traffic rose 7.4 percent (57,796 trailers and containers) in January 2005 compared with January 2004, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported Febr.3. On the carload side, commodities with significant gains in January 2005 included crushed stone, sand, and gravel (up 6,125 carloads, or 8.6 percent); metallic ores (up 3,841 carloads, or 8.5 percent); and coal (up 2,720 carloads, or 0.5 percent). Commodities with carload declines in January 2005 included grain (down 5,425 carloads, or 5.6 percent), waste and scrap material (down 3,740 carloads, or 9.2 percent); and grain mill products (down 2,084 carloads, or 5.5 percent). [Assn. of American Railroads, 2-3-05]
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA., GETS FUNDING FOR GATEWAY CENTER STATION: The Port Authority of Allegheny County recently obtained agreements with the Heinz Endowments and Pittsburgh Foundation to help fund design and construction costs for the new Gateway Center Station. Heinz Endowments and the foundation will contribute $1-million and $100,000, respectively, for the station, which will link the light-rail system with subway service and tunnels running beneath the Allegheny River. The facility is one of four stations to be built as part of the port authority's North Shore Connector project, which is designed to extend light-rail service to Pittsburgh's North Shore. The North Side and Allegheny stations will be located on the North Shore, and a new convention center station will link the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and the Steel Plaza Station. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 2-3-05]
FRA INSPECTS BALTIMORE'S HOWARD STREET TUNNEL: The Federal Railroad Administration conducted an emergency inspection during the weekend of the Howard Street Tunnel - site of a 2001 derailment and fire in downtown Baltimore - but found no serious safety problems. The inspection was prompted by a complaint from the [Mayor] O'Malley administration, which asked the federal agency last week to look into what it called conditions "that may lead to another train derailment." The agency dispatched three inspectors to examine the tunnel Saturday [Jan.29] , officials confirmed. Robert Sullivan, a spokesman for tunnel owner CSX Transportation Inc., said the federal inspectors reported finding one minor problem, and it was outside the tunnel. It was fixed immediately, Sullivan said. The railroad administration declined to detail its findings until it has formally notified the city, but spokesman Steve Kulm generally confirmed CSX's account.. MORE.. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 2-3-05, from report by Michael Dresser on the Baltimore Sun website]
KCS REPORTS 4TH-QUARTER, YEAR END RESULTS: Kansas City Southern (KCS) today (Jan. 31) reported record fourth quarter and year-end 2004 revenues and operating income led by its primary domestic subsidiary, the Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR), reflecting ongoing operational efficiency and its importance in an expanding North American economy, according to this release issued by the company. Driven by KCSR's record fourth quarter revenues of $173.7-million, KCS reported substantial quarter-over-quarter gains in revenues and operating income. Consolidated KCS revenues increased to $174.6-million, a $26.1-million increase over the 2003 period. KCS operating income for fourth quarter 2004 was $27.4-million, compared to an operating loss of $6.8-million in 2003 which was impacted by a $21.1-million pre-tax increase in claims reserves. All of KCSR's commodity groups posted quarter-over-quarter revenue gains led by Paper & Forest Products, which increased 33.1 percent. Paper, wood pulp and military shipments were the primary drivers of the substantial gain. Intermodal & Automotive continued to rebound, recording a 19.2 percent quarter-over-quarter gain based on strong intermodal growth. Agriculture & Minerals increased 16.4 percent, led by growth in minerals, stone and export grain. Chemicals & Petroleum increased 11.5 percent, driven by the good performance of its petroleum segment. Finally, unit coal train revenues increased 7.0% with all plants served by KCSR returning to more normalized activity levels. [Kansas City Southern, 1-31-05]
ORREN BEATY DIES, FORMER NARP OFFICIAL: Orren Beaty, who led NARP in a crucial transition from 1975 to 1979, died January 19 at a nursing facility for Alzheimer's patients in Las Cruces, NM. His distinguished career included serving as a political aide to Stewart Udall both on Capitol Hill and later at the Interior Department (when Udall was Secretary). He received the Interior Department's Distinguished Service Award. In 1967, President Johnson appointed Beaty federal co-chair of the Four Corners Regional Commission "within the Commerce Department to work with the governors of the four southwestern states to help promote economic development." He was associate editor for Congressional Quarterly and earlier was managing editor of the Sun-News in Las Cruces and a reporter, political writer and columnist for the Arizona Republic. Beaty also worked for Amtrak Government Affairs. Beaty hired NARP Executive Director Ross Capon as Assistant Director in January, 1975. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-28-05]
UNION PACIFIC PLANS TO CHARGE MORE, TURN AWAY LESS PROFITABLE CARGO: Struggling for more than a year to catch up to a surging economy, Union Pacific Railroad plans to charge more for its services and turn other business away. "It's essential that we make operational improvements and run a quality railroad," Union Pacific chairman and chief executive Dick Davidson said this week. While freight railroads like Norfolk Southern Corp. and BNSF Railways Co. reported strong fourth-quarter earnings, Union Pacific Corp. saw its profits drop 86 percent, because of increased operating costs, high fuel prices and a charge for asbestos claims. Revenue at Union Pacific rose to a record $12.2-billion from $11.5-billion in 2003, but earnings fell to $604 million, or $2.30 a share, from $1.6-billion, or $6.04 a share, a year ago. Business began booming in fall 2003, but Omaha-based Union Pacific was caught by surprise. It hired more train crews and added more locomotives, but service remained slow through 2004 and some customers turned to other carriers. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-28-05, from Associated Press story by Joe Ruff]
WINTER WEATHER CONTINUES TO AFFECT RAIL FREIGHT VOLUME: Rail freight traffic on U.S. railroads declined during the week ended January 22 in comparison with the corresponding week a year ago at least partly due to winter storms, the Association of American Railroads reported January 27. The AAR reported that railroads moved 29.3 billion ton-miles of freight during the week ended January 22, 3.9 percent less than in the comparable week a year ago. Carload freight totaled 316.569 cars, down 4.3 percent from 2004, with loadings down 2.3 percent in the East and 5.8 percent in the West. In spite of the continued closure of some rail lines out of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, rose 5.1 percent from 2004, totaling 206,838 trailers or containers. Fifteen of 19 carload commodities were down from the comparable 2004 week, with farm products other than grain down 43.3 percent, food and food products down 11.3 percent and grain down 8.8 percent. Loadings of metallic ores rose 16.2 percent while coke volume was up 4.1 percent. [Assn. of American Railroads, 1-27-05]
L.A. TRAIN CRASH KILLS 11, MURDER CHARGES PLANNED: At least 11 people were killed and nearly 200 injured on Wednesday [Jan.26] when two Los Angeles commuter trains collided after one struck an automobile left on the tracks in what authorities called an aborted suicide attempt by a deranged man. Police and fire officials said the man slashed his wrists and stabbed himself in the chest shortly before parking his Jeep Cherokee on the tracks. But he jumped clear at the last moment and watched as the two high-speed trains smashed together and derailed in a fiery wreck. The man was identified by police as Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25. Police said the man, who was uninjured in the crash, was arrested and would be charged with at least 10 counts of murder. Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley said decisions about charging the suspect would be made by Friday [Jan.28]. Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams said Alvarez admitted parking on the tracks with the intention of killing himself, but apparently changed his mind and fled as one of the commuter trains bore down on his Jeep. The commuter trains also struck a parked freight train, sparking a brief fire. The collision occurred just after 6 a.m., near a shopping strip at the edge of an industrial area near Glendale, north of downtown Los Angeles. About 125 people hurt in the train wreck were hospitalized, and 60 others were treated for minor injuries and released, fire officials said. Ten people initially reported dead included a sheriff's deputy and a train conductor. An 11th body was retrieved from the wreckage in the evening, said Francisco Oaxaca, spokesman for Metrolink, the Southern California commuter rail service that operates the train tracks. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-27-05, from report by Reuters]
KCS ORDERS 30 LOCOMOTIVES FROM EMD: Kansas City Southern has ordered thirty SD70ACe locomotives from General Motor Corp.'s Electro-Motive Division (EMD). The company expects to take delivery of the 4,300-horsepower units in the fourth quarter. Last year, KCS tested two SD70ACe locomotives for 75 days in revenue service. EMD will return the demonstration units to KCS, which will use the power at no charge until the new locomotives are delivered. "The primary benefit of the SD70ACe is that it can pull 9.6 percent more 110-ton coal cars than any of the locomotives currently in [our] fleet," KCS officials said in a prepared statement. Designed to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's "Tier 2" emission standards, the SD70ACe features a modified EMD 710 diesel engine, advanced self-diagnostics, predictive health capabilities and an ergonomic cab design. Late last year, EMD obtained an order for an undisclosed number of SD70ACe locomotives from Union Pacific Railroad, which plans to take delivery of 315 environmentally friendly locomotives from EMD and GE Transportation during the first half. In addition, Montana Rail Link ordered 16 SD70ACe units. Earlier this month, GM reached an agreement to sell EMD to an investor group led by Greenbriar Equity Group L.L.C. and Berkshire Partners L.L.C. The deal is expected to close during the first quarter. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-27-05]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN REPORTS RECORD YEAR: Norfolk Southern Corp. outstripped even its own high expectations in 2004 as strong demand for rail transportation pushed it to its best year ever. The Norfolk-based railroad reported Wednesday that it made $923-million in 2004, up from $535-million in 2003. Per-share earnings rose to $2.31 last year, up from $1.37 in 2003. The 2004 results include a gain of $53-million, or 13 cents a share, for a reorganization of how it accounts for its 1999 purchase of Conrail Inc., while 2003 included some one-time charges. The railroad's revenue grew 13 percent to $7.3-billion last year as Norfolk Southern increased traffic in metals, coal and intermodal, which is the shipment of truck trailers and international shipping containers. A strong fourth-quarter performance topped off the year, Goode told rail stock analysts at a meeting at the J.P. Morgan Chase Co. building on Park Avenue in New York City. The railroad earned $264-million, or 65 cents a share, in the year's final quarter, up from $52-million, or 13 cents a share, a year earlier. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-27-05, from article by Christopher Dinsmore posted on the Virginian-Pilot website]
STATE BOARD OK'S LIKELY CALIFORNIA HIGH-SPEED RAIL ROUTES: A state board approved likely routes for a high-speed rail system Wednesday [Jan.26], but it left open questions about how the trains would reach the San Francisco area and whether they would stop between Fresno and Bakersfield. The California High-Speed Rail Authority adopted routes and station locations that will be used in environmental reviews for the 700-mile system, which would link San Diego, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno, Bakersfield and San Francisco with trains running at top speeds of more than 200 mph. The authority's board tentatively approved a series of recommendations made by its staff on routes and station locations at meetings in September and November. Wednesday's 8-0 vote approved those earlier recommendations with some changes. The board's so-called preferred route would run down the Central Valley from Sacramento, through Palmdale to Los Angeles and then take an inland path through Riverside to San Diego. There also would be lines running to Irvine in Orange County and from the Central Valley to the Bay Area. But the board agreed that more study was needed to find the best route to use between the Central Valley and the Bay Area. It said there were multiple options in a corridor between Interstate 580 on the north and State Highway 152 to the south, but it ruled out a line through Henry Coe State Park. The authority had dropped consideration of the Interstate 580 route through the Altamont Pass, but it agreed to reconsider the route after environmental groups and Sacramento and East Bay politicians lined up in support of that option. The board also left open the possibility of a route change and location of a station between Fresno and Bakersfield if the Legislature puts money into the next state budget to pay for a study of the switch. Currently, the plan includes no stop between the two San Joaquin Valley cities along a route that would follow the Burlington Northern Santa Fe right of way down the western side of the San Joaquin Valley around Hanford. The Burlington Northern alignment would have fewer construction and noise problems and would be $590-million to $800-million cheaper than following a Union Pacific right of way along the east side of the valley, the authority's staff said. The staff also recommended against locating a station in the Hanford-Visalia area, saying it would have the lowest ridership potential of any station considered for the project. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-27-05, from Associated Press article by Steve Lawrence]
VALLEY METRO OBTAINS FTA GRANT FOR LIGHT-RAIL LINE: The Federal Transit Administration recently awarded a $587.2-million grant to Phoenix's Valley Metro for the $1.4-billion Central Phoenix/East Valley light-rail line. Scheduled to open in December 2008, the 19.6-mile, 27-station line will connect the cities of Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa, Ariz., and serve Sky Harbor Airport, Arizona State University, Papago Park Center, the Civic Plaza Convention Center, Bank One ballpark, America West Arena and Sun Devil Stadium. Operator Valley Metro Rail expects the line to serve about 50,000 weekday passengers by 2020. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-26-05]
U.S. DOT TO OPEN AGENDA TO PUBLIC COMMENT: The Department of Transportation will host public meetings on April 12 and 19, where senior officials, including the Department's General Counsel Jeffrey Rosen, will listen to public opinion on past, present, and future regulations, according to this report published by the Journal of Commerce Online. "Improving, eliminating and prioritizing regulations all are important tasks for the Department," DOT Secretary Norman Mineta said. "Making regulations simpler, more effective, and less burdensome is a challenge that can only be met if the public participates." In addition to the public meetings, the Department will accept comments in writing until April 29. Those who wish to speak at the public meeting must submit their initial comments by February 25 and clearly indicate their desire to speak at the public meeting. Mineta added that the agency strongly encourages all parties, including small businesses, trade associations and other stakeholder groups affected by DOT regulations, to take advantage of this "unique opportunity for public participation and interaction with DOT leadership." The docket number is OST-2005-20112. [Journal of Commerce Online, 1-26-05]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN INCREASES QUARTERLY DIVIDEND: Norfolk Southern Corporation today [Jan.25] announced an increase in the quarterly dividend to 11 cents per share on its common stock, payable on March 10 to stockholders of record on Febr. 4. [Norfolk Southern, 1-25-05]
CSX 4TH-QUARTER EARNINGS FALL ON CHARGES FROM SALE: Railroad and transportation conglomerate CSX Corp. reported Tuesday [Jan.25] that fourth-quarter earnings dropped by about half, mostly because of charges from the planned sale of its foreign port operations. But its earnings excluding the charges beat Wall Street estimates and its shares rose more than 5 percent. Jacksonville-based CSX reported net income of $66-million, or 30 cents per share, in the October-to-December period, compared to $123-million, or 56 cents a share, a year earlier. Earnings were reduced by $93-million, or 41 cents a share, because of last month's agreement to sell CSX's international shipping terminals to Dubai Ports International for $1.15-billion. Excluding those charges, CSX earned 71 cents a share. That beat analysts average estimate of 62 cents a share, according to Thomson First Call. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-25-05, from Associated Press]
AMTRAK D.C. DERAILMENT BLAMED ON WORN SWITCHES: Amtrak said a train derailment north of Union Station in Washington last week was caused by worn-out switches in the track bed, according to this Associated Press report. Spokesman Cliff Black said that two track switches are still being repaired. Black said the repairs are forcing Amtrak and other rail services, including MARC, to use a single track through the area, which is causing delays. He said they hope to have the switches repaired by Wednesday (Jan. 26). Two cars of an Amtrak train headed from Washington to New York left the tracks last Thursday (Jan. 20). No one was hurt but it caused major delays. [United Transportation Union, 1-25-05, from Associated Press]
SENATOR URGES GREATER RAILROAD REGULATION: Asserting that Rochester-area residents are endangered by two separate railroad problems, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday [Jan.24] that he was submitting legislation to beef up federal regulation of railroads. "The Federal Railroad Administration ... right now has the power of a wet noodle," Schumer said at a news conference held amid frigid, snowy conditions at the railroad crossing on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford. The New York Democrat said he would introduce legislation Thursday that would bolster the FRA's power by toughening regulations, increasing its ability to fine railroads and doubling the number of FRA inspectors. Schumer's focus was on two seemingly disparate areas - the shipment of hazardous materials by rail and the safety of railroad crossings. To bolster his case he noted a number of accidents, including the December 2001 derailment of a CSX freight train in Charlotte as well as the deaths of a Henrietta couple nearly a year ago at the CSX crossing on South Winton Road. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-25-05, from story by Steve Orr appeared on the Democrat & Chronicle website]
UNION PACIFIC PLANS SIGNAL, YARD CHANGES; MORE DIVISIONS: The nation's largest railroad moved to help relieve a nagging rail bottleneck in Chicago, promising to centralize signals in Iowa and improve rail yards in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune. But the extensive - and expensive - plan by Omaha-based Union Pacific Railroad to upgrade its system might derail further rail traffic diversions around Chicago only temporarily. Union Pacific executives said Monday [Jan.24] that without congressional approval of a federal transportation program to fund a $1.5-billion upgrade of the Chicago freight system endorsed by Mayor Daley and state officials, more railroads are likely to bypass Chicago altogether. Such diversions could deal crippling blows to Chicago's huge shipping industry, threatening an undetermined number of jobs and companies along the way. About one-third of the 37,000 freight cars passing through the area each day are bound for places other than Chicago. The Union Pacific said about 15 percent of its traffic is bound for the East Coast. [United Transportion Union, 1-25-05, from Chicago Tribune]
PASSENGER TRAINS STILL HALTED ON CALIFORNIA CENTRAL COAST LINE: Railway tracks along the Central Coast opened Monday [Jan.24] after a weeks-long closure caused by fierce winter storms, but passenger trains still won't be running for about a month as crews finish additional repairs, according to the Tribune. Amtrak has been using buses to get passengers to their destinations. "We certainly want to thank our customers and the California commuters for their patience and understanding while our operations were impacted by this disaster," Union Pacific CEO Dick Davidson said in a statement. The storms caused rock slides and flooding along the tracks on the Central Coast, as well as a large sinkhole in the Gaviota area north of Santa Barbara. For now, according to track owner Union Pacific, a limited number of freight trains will run. Passenger trains won't, however, until workers can finish replacing ties and removing mud from the tracks. That should happen by Feb. 8 south of Santa Barbara, and about three weeks after that for the line north of Santa Barbara. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner train, which normally runs from San Luis Obispo to San Diego, is currently only operating south of Los Angeles, said Amtrak spokeswoman Sarah Swain. Amtrak's other train that passes through San Luis Obispo County, the Coast Starlight, is also suspended. That train goes from Los Angeles to Seattle but is now only in operation north of Emeryville. [United Transportation Union, 1-25-05, from item published by the Tribune]
BNSF INTRODUCES NEW CORPORATE & RAIL SUBSIDIARY LOGO & NAME: Today, Jan. 24, BNSF is introducing a new corporate and rail subsidiary logo and a new name for our rail subsidiary that better represent the company's image as a progressive and vital transportation leader. The new logo was unveiled today when Matt Rose, BNSF chairman, president and CEO, and other members of the Executive Team participated in the New York Stock Exchange closing bell ceremony. The new subsidiary name will be BNSF Railway Company; the holding company remains Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation. Over the next several months, the new name and logo will be applied to corporate stationery, Web sites, signage, merchandise, publications, promotional material, corporate documents, locomotives and equipment, vehicles, facilities and more. Some changes can be made quickly, while others will take longer. A team already is working to incorporate the new identity into the above applications. [BNSF Today, 1-24-05]
UNION PACIFIC TRAINS RESUME RUNNING IN WEST: Freight trains resumed running along parts of the California coast and the Nevada desert on Monday [Jan.24], nearly two weeks after record flooding washed out tracks and cut service on a main rail line to the West Coast. Although limited service was restored, repair work continued on segments of a 139-mile stretch of track next to the Pacific Ocean between Guadalupe and Moorpark, Calif., and on an 85-mile span of rails in a remote Nevada valley near the Utah border. The two areas were the last of five to reopen after being severely damaged during winter storms earlier this month. The company estimated the cost of flood damage in Nevada and California at $200-million - including repairs, lost revenue and the costs of detouring freight into and out of the Los Angeles area. Flooding did extensive damage to the railroad, undermining rails in several places, washing out track and toppling more than 20 parked cars into the rushing waters. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-24-05, from Associated Press report]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN SEES FIRST-QUARTER CHARGE FROM WRECK: Norfolk Southern Corp. has said it expects to post first-quarter pretax expenses of $30-million to $40-million related to a deadly train wreck and chemical spill. The company said the amount includes self-insurance, as well as other uninsured costs. Norfolk said it expects insurance coverage will be adequate to cover the potential claims or settlements, but does not include fines or penalties that might be imposed. The company is expected to report earnings of 52 cents per share on $1.87-billion in revenue during the first quarter, according to analysts polled by Thomson First Call. On Jan. 6, a Norfolk Southern train slammed into a parked train, and began to leak a toxic chlorine gas. Nine people were killed and hundreds were sickened. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-24-05, from Associated Press report]
UNION PACIFIC 4-Q EARNINGS SAG: Union Pacific Corp. on Monday [Jan.24] said fourth-quarter earnings fell sharply as the nation's largest railroad struggled with high fuel prices and service disruptions amid last year's record freight volume and said the year was off to a difficult start. U.S. economic expansion and surging global trade boosted freight volume last year, but Union Pacific was not as well prepared for the boom as its peers. The company, considered a gauge of economic activity because of the varied cargo it hauls, struggled with traffic bottlenecks and faced crew and locomotive shortages. The company was hit further by this month's West Coast storms. Executives said first-quarter earnings would be sharply lower from a year ago, but added the railroad was focusing on cutting costs related to congestion and slow trains and getting more price flexibility as contracts come up for renewal. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-24-05, from Reuters report]
FIRE IN RELAY ROOM CAUSES NYC SUBWAY REROUTES: A subway fire severely damaged a signal relay room in Lower Manhattan yesterday afternoon (Jan. 23), and transit officials warned last night that service on the A and the C, two of the city's busiest subway lines, would be suspended or sharply reduced throughout today (Jan. 24), according to this report by Sewell Chan published by the New York Times. The A, C and E lines were rerouted following the 2 p.m. fire at the Chambers Street station, but the extent and significance of the blaze were not apparent for hours, officials said. No one was injured in the fire, which officials said appeared unrelated to the snowstorm. Service on the A train has been "severely reduced," according to a spokesman for New York City Transit, Paul J. Fleuranges. Because service on the A line will be so infrequent, riders will not be able to transfer from the J, L and Z trains at the Broadway Junction station in Brooklyn or from the 4 and 5 lines at the Fulton Street station in Manhattan. Both stations are major commuter hubs. Service on the C train was also suspended indefinitely. The V train, which usually runs from Queens to the Lower East Side of Manhattan, will be extended to the Euclid Avenue station in Brooklyn, which is normally the terminus of the C. [United Transportion Union, 1-24-05, from report by Sewell Chan published by the New York Times]
AMTRAK TRAIN DERAILS IN D.C.: The derailment of an Amtrak train yesterday morning [Jan.20] north of Union Station delayed rail service and inconvenienced passengers, including a few who almost missed the Presidential Inauguration ceremonies, according to the Washington Times. Amtrak officials have yet to determine the cause of the minor, low-speed derailment but suspect a mechanical-switch malfunction. Investigators said one set of wheels on two cars of Amtrak Train 132, bound for New York, jumped the rails as it was leaving Union Station. No injuries were reported, and the 86 passengers were taken by minivans to the New Carrollton station to catch another Amtrak train to New York. The derailment shut down northbound service out of Union Station for nearly three hours before service was partially restored for the remainder of the day and evening. Most southbound Amtrak and MARC trains were arriving and departing out of the station by 3 p.m., though many were late. Amtrak passengers coming to Washington yesterday from the north exited trains at the New Carrollton station, then took the Orange Line subway to Union Station. Amtrak and MARC train commuter tickets were accepted for the rides on Metro. [United Transportation Union, 1-21-05, from item in Washington Times]
NEW MEXICO EYES PASSENGER RAIL OPTIONS: State transportation officials are considering several options for the route of the rail line that would be used to link Santa Fe with points south as part of a regional commuter train system. The various alternatives - all designed to get around the steep climb at La Bajada - were presented at a Regional Planning Authority meeting Thursday [Jan.20] at Sweeney Convention Center. Gov. Bill Richardson is pushing a commuter rail system linking Belen at the south end with Santa Fe to the north. The $75-million Belen-Albuquerque line is planned to be operational by the fall. The governor predicted earlier this month, in announcing state acquisition of the 18-mile rail corridor extending from Santa Fe to Eldorado and Lamy, that commuter trains will be hauling passengers between Albuquerque and Santa Fe by 2008. But just what route the trains would take into Santa Fe remains an open question. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-21-05, from story by Patrick Miller posted on the Albuquerque Journal website]
COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE IN RALEIGH ON HOLD: Commuter rail service in Raleigh, NC, has suffered a setback after the Federal Transit Administration has changed its rating of the Triangle's proposed commuter rail service from "recommended" to "neutral." In making this determination, the FRA said it cannot endorse the $695 million project until it resolves new doubts about its benefits. Primary among these concerns are local planner's assessment of what delays will be like if the commuter rail service is not initiated; the FTA feels that these are over-stated. However, anyone who has attempted to negotiate rush hour and even off-peak traffic in the Triangle Region can attest to the pressing need for mass transit options. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 1-21-05]
CN AND BNSF ANNOUNCE ROUTING PROTOCOL AGREEMENT: CN and BNSF announced today, Jan. 19, a routing protocol agreement to streamline their exchange of rail traffic at major gateways. Under the protocol, CN and BNSF have established a structured plan to direct rail traffic flows through the most efficient interchange locations, a change that will improve transit times and asset utilization for the customers of CN and BNSF. The new routing protocol will be implemented over a three-month period. James Foote, CN's executive vice president, Sales and Marketing, said: "We are pleased to be able to establish a routing protocol with BNSF. This will create a more seamless service for the customers and generate more capacity for the railroads." John Lanigan, BNSF's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said: "As part of our effort to streamline the interchange process with all our service partners, this agreement will provide more consistent, dependable service for customers whose shipments move over both railways." The major interchange points for traffic moving between CN and BNSF are Vancouver, B.C., Noyes, Minn., Superior, Wis., Chicago, Memphis, and New Orleans. [BNSF Today, 1-19-05]
WISCONSIN LAUNCHES MILWAKEE RAIL-AIRPORT LINE: Wisconsin opened a new train-to-plane link Tuesday (Jan. 18) with the dedication of an Amtrak station at Mitchell International Airport, according to this report by Larry Sandler published by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Four trains of Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line, two northbound and two southbound, had already stopped at the airport depot by the time Gov. Jim Doyle, U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett cut the ceremonial ribbon. On Tuesday's third northbound run, the Hiawatha offered a smooth, 10-minute ride from the airport to downtown Milwaukee, just long enough for conductors to sell $6 tickets to anyone who boarded at Mitchell. One-way fare from downtown Chicago to the airport is $20. All Hiawatha trains stop at the new station, for a total of 14 trains each weekday and Saturday and 12 trains each Sunday and holiday. [United Transportation Union, 1-18-05, from report by Larry Sandler published by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]
AMTRAK SERVICE DISRUPTIONS CONTINUE: Amtrak passenger train service from Sacramento to Denver and Los Angeles remained curtailed Monday (Jan. 17) as Union Pacific Railroad crews worked to repair damage from last week's storms, according to this report published by the Sacramento Business Journal. The Coast Starlight, which normally runs from Seattle to Los Angeles through Sacramento, is not operating south of Emeryville. But passengers can still get to Southern California on Amtrak's San Joaquin route through Stockton and Bakersfield. The California Zephyr, which usually runs from Emeryville to Chicago, won't run west of Denver until Thursday at the earliest. Sacramento's busiest train service, the Capitol Corridor route between Auburn and San Jose, continues on its usual schedule. [United Transportation Union, 1-17-05, from report by Sacramento Business Journal]
UNION PACIFIC REPORTS ON STORM DAMAGE TO LINES: Union Pacific announced today [Jan.13] that damage from the massive storm that hit California and Nevada during the past week will reduce the company's rail capacity between the Los Angeles Basin and points farther east by about one third for an extended period. While the company's critical Sunset route between Los Angeles and El Paso, Texas, is now open and operating at capacity, two of the five main routes in and out of the Los Angeles Basin remain closed. Track inspections on Wednesday, January 12, revealed that the line between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City, which goes through Las Vegas, is cut by flooding and mudslides at several points. The company estimates that it may take up to two weeks, or possibly more, to restore service on this line, and operations will be slowed for some time after that. Most of the damage is in the very narrow Caliente Canyon in Nevada, where all access roads were washed out and repair work will be very difficult. This line averages 25 trains per day and is one of the two primary east-west routes between Los Angeles and the Midwest. The coastal route that runs north from Los Angeles to Oakland is cut in several places with debris from mudslides, and ocean tides eroded track support at other points. The company does not yet have an estimate for when this line will reopen. The tragic mudslide at La Conchita that has been so visible in the media is just above that rail line. This track normally handles about eight freight trains per day and a number of Amtrak and Metrolink trains as well. Union Pacific has brought in additional managers and crews from other locations so that work can continue 24 hours a day to restore critical rail service. Additional contractors are also being mobilized. The company emphasized that it is taking every step to ensure that lines will reopen as soon as possible consistent with safe operations. The company is able to reroute a number of trains, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad is allowing a few Union Pacific trains to operate over its line. [Union Pacific, 1-13-05]
COMPUTER GLITCH STALLS CSX TRAINS IN SIX STATES: A computer glitch affecting a major freight railroad stalled trains in six states and the District of Columbia for about 90 minutes Wednesday [Jan. 12] and delayed service on about a dozen commuter lines. At about 3 p.m. EST, a computer server at a dispatching center for CSX Transportation went down, which affected the railroad's ability to signal and align trains. CSX is the largest rail system in the eastern United States. CSX spokeswoman Misty Skipper said train traffic was halted in the Baltimore, Washington and Pittsburgh areas, and parts of North Carolina, Illinois, Ohio and Virginia. Eight Amtrak trains traveling south of Washington and four commuter trains in northern and central Virginia were delayed because they run on tracks owned by CSX. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-12-05, from Associated Press]
CALIFORNIA RAIL TRAFFIC DISRUPTED BY STORMS: Union Pacific Corp. said late Tuesday [Jan. 11] that mudslides and deep water had closed five of its six rail lines out of the Los Angeles Basin, bringing its rail service to a virtual standstill and posing potentially big problems for Southern California shippers and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. John Bromley, a UP spokesman in Omaha, said almost no Union Pacific rail traffic would be moving out of the L.A. area until at least Thursday because it would take that long to repair the damaged tracks. Traffic will be restricted for several days after that while the railroad works through the backlog of shipments, he said. "Because of the washouts and the interruption of the railroad, we can't move the traffic," Bromley said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-12-05, from article by Ronald D. White and Roger Vincent posted on the Los Angeles Times website]
WATCO TO LEASE CSX LINE IN WEST VIRGINIA: The Watco Cos. Inc. has completed its third track-acquisition deal with a Class I within the past three weeks. On Friday, CSX Transportation announced it agreed to lease to Watco a 158-mile segment of the former B&O territory between Grafton and Cowen, W.Va. The lease takes effect March 25. Watco - which owns and operates 10 short lines in 11 states - completed two transactions with Burlington Northern Santa Fe late last month. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 1-10-05]
INVESTIGATORS LOOKING AT SWITCH ALIGNMENT IN NORFOLK SOUTHERN WRECK: Investigators were trying to determine why a 42-car Norfolk Southern train carrying chlorine gas left the main track and hit a Norfolk Southern train parked in a siding, and whether the crew that had parked the train a few hours earlier had left the switch in the wrong position, reports The New York Times. Debbie Hersman, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board and at the scene, said investigators from her agency were interviewing the three-man crew of the parked train, who had gone off duty at 6:59 p.m. Wednesday [Jan. 5], and then taken a taxi back to Aiken, S.C. The collision happened about 2:40 a.m. Thursday [Jan. 6]. The rail line through the area is a single track, with a speed limit of 55 to 59 miles per hour. An NTSB investigator in a head-to-toe hazardous materials suit on Friday pulled the "black box" out of the train that was moving. It is expected to show speed and brake use. Investigators were also talking to a Norfolk Southern dispatcher to learn whether any other trains passed through the area on Wednesday afternoon and early Thursday. [United Transportation Union, 1-8-05, from item in New York Times]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN TRAIN COLLIDES WITH ANOTHER IN SOUTH CAROLINA: Eight people are dead - including the locomotive engineer - following a Norfolk Southern (NS) train accident and chlorine gas leak in Graniteville, South Carolina, early January 6. More than 200 people were treated in hospitals after exposure to toxic fumes, with 50 hospitalized and eight in critical condition, according to news reports. The accident occurred about 15 miles northeast of Augusta, Ga. Within one-mile of the wreckage, more than 5,400 people were evacuated from homes, schools and and businesses. The locomotive engineer died in the crash and the conductor was hospitalized, according to reports. The other seven fatalities - including five inside a nearby textile mill - resulted from inhalation of toxic fumes. Two federal transportation agencies are conducting separate investigations. UTU's Transportation Safety Team is on the scene of the accident to assist a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team led by NTSB member Debbie Hersman. Separately, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has nine safety experts to the scene, including FRA's top haz-mat expert. FRA Acting Administrator Robert D. Jamison said FRA is conducting "a separate investigation" into the "nature of the incident and the tragic loss of life." Jamison said that in addition to FRA's "separate" investigation, FRA safety experts are assisting the NTSB with its investigation. A local law enforcement officer said a moving NS freight train, with two crewmembers and 42 cars, collided with a stationary and unmanned locomotive that was in siding. The train, pulled by two locomotives, was enroute from Macon, Ga., to Columbia, S.C. [United Transportation Union, 1-6-05, from various news sources]
U.S. FREIGHT RAILROADS COMPLETE RECORD-BREAKING YEAR: U.S. freight railroads completed a record-breaking year by originating 1,588,950 carloads of freight in December 2004 and an additional 1,029,547 intermodal trailers and containers, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported. December 2004 carloads were up 2.6 percent (40,321 carloads) over December 2003, while intermodal loadings were up 16.1 percent (143,106 units) for the month. For the fourth quarter of 2004, U.S. rail carloadings were up 2.3 percent (99,491 carloads) and intermodal originations were up 13.1 percent (330,344 units). Full-year 2004 U.S. carloads totaled 17,423,309, up 2.9 percent (483,912 carloads) over 2003. Full-year 2004 intermodal loadings were 10,993,662 units, up a remarkable 10.4 percent (1,038,057 trailers and containers) over 2003. [Association of American Railroads, 1-6-05]
NTSB ISSUES PRELIMINARY REPORT ON 2001 BALTIMORE TUNNEL FIRE: Federal transportation officials said January 5 that the most likely scenario behind the 2001 train derailment and fire in Baltimore's Howard Street Tunnel "involved an obstruction between a car wheel and the rail, in combination with changes in track geometry, " according to this Baltimore Sun report by Lynn Anderson. In letters to Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley and CSX President Michael J. Ward, National Transportation Safety Board officials acknowledged that they could find no "convincing evidence to provide a probable cause for the accident," forcing them to settle on a "most likely scenario" as they seek the cause of the multiday underground fire and flood that resulted in at least $10-million in damage.. MORE.. [United Transportation Union, 1-6-05, from Baltimore Sun report by Lynn Anderson]
LOCOMOTIVES & RAILCARS TO GET SAFETY STRIPES: Reflective stripes will be required on the sides of locomotives and freight railcars to help make them more visible to motorists, under a final rule published this week in the Federal Register. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, crashes in which motor vehicles run into trains at highway rail crossings comprise nearly a fourth of all collisions at crossings. Motorists might have difficulty detecting trains because of their size and dark color, combined with poor lighting or limited visibility, the FRA said. Reflectors are expected to help reduce the number and severity of such accidents. As of March 4, the new rule will require railroads to install yellow or white reflectors on locomotives over five years and on freight railcars over 10 years. Existing locomotives and railcars could have reflectors added during periodic maintenance or repair, the FRA said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-5-05, from story by Stacie Hamel posted on the Omaha World-Herald website]
BOMBARDIER GETS ORDER FOR 100 TRAINS FOR FRANCE: Struggling Bombardier Inc. reported good news from its transportation division Tuesday [January 4] after it was granted an order for 100 high-capacity passenger trains from French National Railways, worth about $576-million Cdn. The regional trains, to be delivered between December 2007 and February 2009, will be produced at its major plant in Crespin, France, Bombardier Transportation said. Bombardier was selected in 2001 to build 500 of the regional trains for French National Railways. Including the 100 trains announced Tuesday, the French national railway system has so far ordered 379 trains, of which the first deliveries began in January 2004. So far 30 are in service. The trains come in various versions, able to seat from 160 to 220, depending on the number of cars. The low-floor trains, which travel at up to 160 km per hour, can run on either diesel fuel, electricity or a combination of the two. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-5-05, from story by Allan Swift circulated by Canadian Press]
NEW ACTING FRA CHIEF NAMED: Robert D. Jamison of Virginia has been named by President Bush to be the Acting Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) administrator. This designation does not require Senate confirmation. The president did not indicate whether he intends to nominate Jamison to be the administrator (as opposed to acting administrator), which would require Senate confirmation. Jamison currently is deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. The FRA administrator's slot became open Dec. 31 upon the retirement of Acting Administrator Betty Monro. [United Transportation Union, 1-4-05]
UNION PACIFIC TO EXPAND TRACK CAPACITY IN TEXAS: Union Pacific, whose safety image was clobbered by a series of serious train accidents this year in San Antonio, plans to spend $54-million to build and repair railroad tracks in the area. But the expenditures are not a reaction to the accidents, which claimed five lives, spewed toxins, and launched a federal investigation, company officials said. "This is our annual spending for the area," spokesman Mark Davis said. Half the money will be used to add tracks to handle increasing freight traffic in San Antonio, which now sees 60 to 70 trains a day. Projects include a bridge and track leading to the planned Toyota factory on the South Side, a new line into the rail yard near Kirby, and new tracks inside the yard near KellyUSA. Work is expected to be completed in 2005. UP also plans to upgrade tracks in an ongoing renovation of its 33,000-mile system. That will include improvements on tracks into City Public Service's power plant and a line from downtown to rock quarries near Loop 1604 - jobs due to be finished in February - and tracks in all three local rail yards. The work is needed to ensure the smooth flow of rail traffic, Union Pacific officials said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 1-4-05, from report by Patrick Driscoll posted on the San Antonio Express-News website]
ARTHUR SHOENER NAMED PRESIDENT, CEO OF KCS, TEX-MEX: Former Union Pacific operating chief Arthur L. Shoener has been hired by Kansas City Southern Railway as its president and chief executive officer. Shoener will hold similar positions on KCS subsidiary Texas-Mexican Railroad. He will report to KCS Chairman Mike Haverty. [United Transportation Union, 1-3-05]
WRECK ON THE LOW GRADE - 48TH ANNIVERSARY: January 1, 2005, marks the 48th anniversary of a terrible accident that occurred on the B&O's Low Grade line between Miller and West Cumbo, West Virginia. It was a head-on collision between two freight trains. It left three crew members dead and six others injured. The blame for the accident was upon two tower operators for their failure to protect the move of a train running against the current of traffic. The January 2005 issue of the Bull Sheet includes a feature article entitled "Wreck on the Low Grade - The Rest of the Story." To view this article CLICK HERE.
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