Newswire
CPR TO REPURCHASE SHARES: Canadian Pacific Railway Limited (CPR) announced May 31 that it has made the necessary filings for a normal course issuer bid to purchase for cancellation up to 2,500,000 of its outstanding common shares, or approximately 1.6 per cent of the 158,976,508 common shares outstanding at May 25, 2005. Share purchases may be made during the period beginning June 6, 2005, and ending June 5, 2006. The price CPR will pay for any common shares will be the market price at the time of purchase. [Canadian Pacific, 5-31-05]
ALASKA R.R. GETS TWO FRA GRANTS TOTALING $38.8-M: The Federal Railroad Administration has announced it will provide Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC) two grants totaling $38.8-million to improve infrastructure and design a line extension. The railroad will receive a $24.8-million grant to replace 30 miles of jointed rail with continuous-welded rail, install 16,000 ties, stabilize track subgrades, prevent rock slides on tracks near Healy Canyon, build track at the Fairbanks Intermodal Facility, and replace or rehabilitate nine bridges. ARRC also will obtain a $14-million grant to help fund preliminary engineering and environmental studies for an 80-mile line extension. The railroad plans to extend a line to connect Eielson Air Force Base near the North Pole to Fort Greely near Delta Junction. ARRC will use the grant to study a realignment and track improvement project along 20 miles between Fort Wainwright and Moose Creek. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-31-05]
N.Y. STATE ENDS TURBO TRAIN PROJECT: The state of New York has abandoned any chance of finishing a fleet of seven Turboliner trains that were supposed to become the workhorses of a high-speed rail corridor envisioned by Gov. George Pataki between New York City and the Capital Region. In a settlement reached last month, the state Department of Transportation agreed to pay Super Steel Schenectady $5,525,000 to end the project, cover any remaining costs and move four unfinished trains into storage at a nearby industrial park. The payment is to supplement nearly $64.8-million already spent on Super Steel's work on rebuilding the 1970s-era Turboliners, including three completed trains, which Amtrak has mothballed in Delaware and claims are not suitable for service. The full settlement payment also is contingent on an extensive independent audit of the full project by DOT, which DOT officials said started about two weeks ago. State Comptroller Alan Hevesi's office, which has issued two audits critical of the project, approved the settlement. "We saw that it would have cost tens of millions of dollars more to complete the Turboliner project, and we were not sure that the state would get what was originally expected," said Hevesi spokesman Dan Weiler. Weiler also cited the potential for protracted litigation with Super Steel over the failed project and Amtrak's decision to pull out of its deal with DOT. Any remaining hopes that the $185-million high-speed rail program announced by Pataki in 1998 would come to fruition crumbled last year as Amtrak sidelined the only two reconditioned trains to be put into service - citing problems with air conditioning and other issues - and later moved all three completed trains in its possession to Delaware for storage. Under the settlement agreement, three trains in various stages of rehabilitation and a fourth train on which no work has been done are to be moved to Galesi Group property at Scotia Industrial Park, which is near Super Steel Schenectady's plant in Glenville. On Friday [May 27], Amtrak officials did not respond to a request for comment on the state's move to take possession of the other four trains, which last were used as a part of Amtrak's fleet. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-28-05, from Albany Times-Union website article by Cathy Woodruff]
REBUILDING RAIL HISTORY AT B&O MUSEUM: There's no piece of machinery more powerfully attractive than a railroad locomotive and no better place to savor the romance of these technological marvels from an earlier era than at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum. The museum, on a 40-acre yard in Southwest Baltimore where American railroading was established in 1827, has long been a must-see destination for rail fans. In 2003, the extraordinary B&O collection of locomotives and cars, the heart of which was assembled for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, was endangered when heavy snow collapsed the roof of the cathedrallike Baldwin Roundhouse. The 1884 roundhouse has since been rebuilt and reopened. A $6-million high-tech train shed built for the repair of locomotives and cars damaged by the collapse, opened May 27, complete with an elevated platform to allow visitors to observe the work. Next month, the first damaged equipment will be moved in. Among the most seriously damaged is the J.C. Davis, built in 1875 for hauling mail and passengers over steep grades. Workers have already begun the painstaking work of rebuilding that locomotive, including recasting key iron parts. Total restoration of nine storm-damaged locomotives and cars is expected to take another five or six years to complete. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-28-05, from Baltimore Sun website article by Larry Williams]
MINETA CALLS ON AMTRAK TO CUT COSTS: Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta is urging Amtrak to immediately put in place cost-cutting measures, saying the railroad could be as much as $40-million in debt before September 30. In a letter sent late Wednesday [May 25] to Amtrak President David Gunn, Mineta said Amtrak should cut costs by "reducing expenses and conserving cash in a manner that does not jeopardize safety." Mineta did not state how much money Amtrak should be trying to cut. Mineta asked his designee to Amtrak's board of directors to raise his concerns at Thursday's board meeting. Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said the routinely scheduled meeting was being held to discuss the railroad's budget and other issues. Black declined to comment on Mineta's letter. Minetta also wrote that Amtrak cannot continue to spend at current levels because the brake problems with the Acela Express trains is costing the railroad about $1.25-million per week in revenues. Acela's entire 20-train fleet was taken out of service in April after cracks were found in some of the trains disc brake rotors. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-26-05, from Associated Press article]
SEPTA BOARD RESCINDS FARE HIKES, SERVICE CUTS: At its regular monthly meeting May 26, the SEPTA Board unanimously passed a resolution that rescinded the implementation of fare hikes and service cuts that were proposed for its Fiscal Year 2005 Operating Budget, according to a SEPTA press release. SEPTA had projected a $62-million budget deficit and the fare hikes and service cuts were proposed as a closure strategy to balance it. In December 2004 the SEPTA Board adopted the closure strategy and proposed an implementation date of March 6 for the changes to become effective. However, the Board subsequently extended the effective date following an announcement by Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell to provide additional funding for public transit statewide that would allow SEPTA to balance the 2005 Operating Budget without the need to raise fares or cut service. On May 26 the Board voided the fare increases and service reductions that would have become effective on June 26. The Board in open session and by its resolution, however, warned that the financial position of SEPTA remains tenuous because the funding to cover the projected deficit for the Fiscal Year 2006 Operating Budget is not yet in place and that in the long-term, SEPTA still does not have a predictable source of funding. [United Transportation Union, 5-26-05, from SEPTA press release]
GENESEE & WYOMING TO ACQUIRE RAIL MANAGEMENT''S 14 SHORTLINES: GENESEE & WYOMING (GWI) announced May 26 it reached an agreement with Rail Management Corp. (RMC) to acquire the company's 14 short lines for $243-million cash and the assumption of $1.7-million of non-interest bearing debt. GWI will operate the short lines through its Rail Link subsidiary. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and Surface Transportation Board requirements. GWI expects to close the transaction on June 1. GWI owns and operates regionals and short lines in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Bolivia. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-26-05]
AMTRAK TO OFFER OAKLAND COLISEUM SERVICE: On June 6, the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority will begin operating Amtrak service to the Oakland Coliseum. The authority - which operates Amtrak service between Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose and northern California cities, and the Central Valley - will open a new platform adjacent to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Oakland Coliseum/Airport station. A ramp connecting the platform to a pedestrian overpass will enable passengers to access the coliseum or BART service. Passengers also can use the platform to connect to Oakland International Airport via AirBART shuttles. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-25-05]
OUTLOOK IMPROVING, UNION PACIFIC SAYS: The chief executive of Union Pacific Corp. on May 24 said surging imports from Asia and tighter transportation capacity have boosted prospects for the nation's largest railroad operator after a period marked by service disruptions and higher costs. In a presentation for Wall Street analysts in Omaha, Nebraska, Chief Executive Richard Davidson pointed to factors that should speed the emergence of the railroad, a closely watched gauge of U.S. economic activity, from a difficult period that saw earnings to drop more than 60 percent last year. The factors, he said, include population growth in the Southwest, where the company has a large service area, greater international trade, and a program to improve operational efficiency from the Los Angeles Basin to El Paso, Texas. Even higher gasoline prices, he said, would give the rail an advantage over trucking companies. [United Transportation Union, 5-24-05, from Reuters report]
FRA CHOOSES ENSCO FOR TRACK INSPECTION VEHICLES: ENSCO, a technology firm, has been awarded a $9-million contract by the Federal Railroad Administration to design, engineer and test two vehicles for the agency's Automated Track Inspection Program (ATIP). This specific contract follows the 2001 award by the FRA Office of Safety to build the FRA T2000, a self-propelled and fully automated track inspection vehicle. In 2003, FRA contracted ENSCO to refurbish an Amtrak coach vehicle which became the R&D high speed vehicle, FRA T-16, which brought advanced monitoring technologies to rail safety. Since their installation, these vehicles have traveled thousands of miles and collected an enormous amount of data for the FRA. The contract awarded is to build two highly customized vehicles, which would employ ENSCO's latest rail safety innovations. ENSCO said its next two cars will incorporate not only the previous innovations seen in the T2000, T-16 and T-18, but new technologies as well. [ENSCO Inc., 5-24-05]
BNSF TO REPLACE CONTAMINATED SOILS IN HELENA, MONTANA: Some residential properties near Burlington Northern Santa Fe's Helena rail yard have tested unusually high for lead in the soil, what a state official says is a public health problem. Recent tests, mainly in residential yards, were done by the railroad on 39 parcels. Lead occurs naturally in soil in the Helena area at about 80 parts per million. However, 10 properties around the depot have more than 1,000 parts per million of lead in their soil, with one property showing 32,000 ppm, and two others coming in at 4,400 and 6,400 ppm. "Clearly, this is a public health hazard," said Aimee Reynolds of the Department of Environmental Quality's Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Bureau. BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas disputed that opinion. "Based on extensive analytical data collected through our environmental investigation and human health assessment, no unacceptable public health risks have been identified," Melonas said. But the rail company voluntarily plans on replacing soils this summer in the yards with high lead levels. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-24-05, from Billings Gazette website report]
ALASKA R.R. UNVEILS NEW INTERMODAL FACILITY, PASSENGER CARS: On May 26, the Alaska Railroad Corp. will host a dedication ceremony and open house at the new Fairbanks Intermodal Facility and Depot. Officials will conduct tours of the new $23.7-million facility, which features a baggage-handling area, drop-off areas and additional parking. The facility is designed to support three times the number of trains that currently use the station and meet projected growth during the next 30 years. ARRC also will exhibit its new bi-level custom-designed passenger cars, which were built by Colorado Railcar Inc. and delivered earlier this month. Featuring a private outdoor viewing platform, the glass-domed cars will be used for first-class service between Fairbanks and Anchorage on the Denali Star train. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-24-05]
VRE AWARDS CONTRACT FOR BI-LEVEL PASSENGER CARS: Sumitomo Corporation of America in conjunction with its car builder partner Nippon Sharyo, Ltd. were awarded on May 20 the contract to supply 11 bi-level passenger rail cars to Virginia Railway Express including an optional procurement of 50 additional cars. The cars for the contract will be similar to the 300 Gallery-type bi-level passenger cars that are currently being delivered to Metra in Chicago. Due to the expanding VRE system and increased ridership, these bi-level cars will have a much larger capacity for seating accommodating up to 144 passengers per car. These cars will replace the older and less spacious single-level passenger cars that are currently in the VRE fleet. The contract price will be $109-million including options. Delivery is scheduled from the end of 2006 through the beginning of 2007. Car body shells will be manufactured in Nippon Sharyo's Toyokawa plant in Japan and the final assembly will be done at Super Steel's plant in Milwaukee using various components procured in the US. Both federal and state funding will be used for this procurement. [Sumitomo Corporation of America, 5-23-05]
HIGH-SPEED TRAIN TO LINK FRANCE, GERMANY: A new high-speed train line will link France and Germany from 2007, cutting travel time between Paris and Frankfurt to under four hours, officials said May 23. There will be five trains a day between Paris and Frankfurt and four between Paris and Stuttgart on the new TGV line, which France's state-owned rail company SNCF said is expected to be used by an estimated 1.5 million passengers a year. Currently, the fastest train connection between Paris and Frankfurt via Saarbruecken and Mannheim takes six hours, while passengers to Stuttgart have to go via the eastern French city of Strasbourg. The TGV line will require a new bridge across the Rhine river near Strasbourg that will be built at a cost of 30 million euros to 50 million euros ($38-million to $62-million), said Strasbourg deputy mayor Pascal Mangin. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-23-05, from Associated Press report]
BNSF TO EXPAND USE OF HYBRID SWITCH ENGINES: BNSF and RailPower Technologies Corp. announced May 23 that BNSF will keep its "Green Goat," an environmentally friendly hybrid switch engine, in service for five years in the Los Angeles area and that it is acquiring four cabless Green Goat units for use in Texas. In Los Angeles, the Green Goat joins BNSF's four Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) locomotives in service elsewhere in the area; the four are the only LNG locomotives in the country. The locmotive uses a relatively small, clean, efficient, diesel genset in conjunction with over 300 batteries to improve fuel economy and reduce pollution. The four GG20B cabless hybrid locomotives for Texas service will be delivered later this year. BNSF was awarded clean-air grants in July 2004 by the Texas Emissions Reduction Program for implementation of the hybrid technology. [BNSF Today, 5-23-05]
SUBURBAN STATION PROJECT SEES LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL: SEPTA's Suburban Station in Philadelphia is a daily rite of passage for 100,000 commuters - one to get through as quickly as possible. Dark and dirty, freezing in winter and tropical in summer, the Center City hub of SEPTA's rail system is a shadow of the showpiece opened in 1929 by the powerful Pennsylvania Railroad. These days, conditions seem even worse as commuters thread their way among plywood construction barriers amid a din of hammering and power tools, part of the $63-million makeover that began in 1997. By summer of 2006, SEPTA says, the station and concourse will have had their first major renovation in 76 years. Retail space will double to 30 stores, leased to high-quality tenants. The terminal's west end will be ready to open in 2007 into the grand atrium of the 57-story Comcast tower at 17th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-22-05, from Philadelphia Inquirer website report by Joseph A. Slobodzian]
AMTRAK TRAIN IN MISSOURI HITS TRACTOR-TRAILER: A tractor-trailer crossed into the path of an Amtrak train just starting its daily St. Louis-to-Kansas City run Wednesday [May 18], the collision critically injuring the truck's driver but sparing the handful of people aboard the passenger train. The truck driver, whose name was not released, sustained burns to about 25 percent of his body and internal injuries. He was in critical condition at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in suburban Creve Coeur, St. Louis police Captain Greg Wurm said. Six Amtrak passengers complained of minor injuries, mostly to the back and neck, and were taken to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for evaluation, Fire Department spokeswoman Kim Bacon said. None were likely to be hospitalized overnight. The accident happened just before 8 a.m. a couple of blocks from the St. Louis Science Center near an industrial park on the city's west side. The train, carrying 23 passengers and crew, had left moments earlier from downtown St. Louis. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-19-05, from Associated Press article by Jim Salter]
AMTRAK TO ELIMINATE CAFE CAR ON NEW YORK-ALBANY RUNS: Starting July 1, Amtrak will no longer sell snacks on many of its trains between New York City and Rensselaer, leaving peckish passengers to fend for themselves before they climb aboard. Amtrak estimates that closing the cafe car snack bar on several trains making the 2-hour trip and shutting down a Rensselaer commissary that stocked the cafes will save the struggling rail carrier $1-million a year. Not all trains will lose food service. Cafe cars still will be staffed on longer-distance routes that start or end beyond Albany in cities including Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, Rutland or Niagara Falls. Those include the Adirondack, Maple Leaf, Lake Shore Limited and Ethan Allen runs. But regulars on several morning runs to New York will have to bring breakfast from home or pick it up at the Rensselaer Rail Station's Coffee Beanery. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-19-05, from Albany Times-Union website article by Cathy Woodruff]
REPAIRING N.J. BRIDGE MAY TAKE A YEAR, AMTRAK SAYS: Amtrak officials estimate that repairing the railroad bridge in Kearny, N.J., that caught fire last week will take as long as a year and cost $4.6-million, an Amtrak spokesman said May 18. But Amtrak expects to finish fixing the tracks on the bridge within 10 days, allowing trains to resume crossing it at full speed, said the spokesman, William Schulz. Until then, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains leaving New York City will fall a few minutes behind schedule as they slow to 30 miles per hour on the bridge, he said. Fire broke out at the base of the bridge last Thursday [May 12] after an overhead electrical wire snapped and showered sparks on wooden fenders below. The fire, which started around 7:30 p.m. and burned for two hours, disrupted all train traffic between New York and Newark until the next morning. The bridge, known as the Portal Bridge, has long been a bottleneck in the region's transit system. Carrying only two tracks across the Hackensack River, it limits the number of trains that can pass between Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan and all points west. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-19-05, from New York Times website article by Patrick McGeehan]
S&P UPGRADES CSX'S OUTLOOK FROM 'NEGATIVE' TO 'STABLE': Standard & Poor's on Wednesday [May 18] revised CSX Corp.'s outlook to stable from negative and upgraded the railroad operator's short-term debt ratings, citing the company's plans to buy back up to $1-billion of debt. An outlook revision to stable signals that S&P is less likely to cut CSX's debt ratings over the next two years. The company has about $8-billion of debt, including leases. S&P upgraded CSX's short-term debt rating to "A-2" from "A-3" and affirmed the company's long-term corporate credit rating of "BBB," which is two steps above junk. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-18-05, from Reuters article]
AMTRAK'S PRESIDENT A FLIP-FLOPPER, UNION LEADER SAYS: After becoming Amtrak president in 2002, David Gunn said of privatization efforts, "It all sounds nice, but when it's done, there won't be any service. It's a myth that the private sector is dying to take over our services. Remember why we were formed." Gunn also defended Amtrak conductors and assistant conductors. "Our wage rates are about 90 percent of the freight industry and are even lower when compared with transit. Wages are not the problem." Gunn has changed his tune. Last month, in a direct attack on loyal Amtrak employees, Gunn said he's a fellow traveler with President Bush to privatize Amtrak. He said he supports congressional intervention in Amtrak labor relations, elimination of assistant conductors, scrapping of FELA, and removing Amtrak employees from Railroad Retirement. While Gunn was stabbing loyal employees in the back, Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas had the guts to say privatization would destroy our national intercity rail passenger network: "My motto for passenger rails is 'national or nothing.'" If Amtrak would let the employees who know their jobs do them, Amtrak would be safer and more efficient. The National Transportation Safety Board through investigations has confirmed the conductor and assistant conductor have repeatedly gone beyond the call of duty in each derailment and accident to save lives. Amtrak employees deserve better than Gunn's flip-flop. [United Transportation Union, 5-18-05, from essay by J.R. Cumby, vice president, Yardmasters]
CN, TEAMSTERS REACH TENTATIVE DEAL, AVERT STRIKE: CN and Teamsters Canada Rail Conference reached a tentative deal just before a strike deadline Tuesday night [May 17], averting a strike that would have crippled commuters in Toronto and Montreal. The five-year agreement is retroactive to January 1, 2004. Details were being withheld pending ratification by union members. The union represents 1,750 CN locomotive engineers who could have gone on strike at midnight. A strike would also have interrupted freight service in many parts of Canada although CN said it had contingency plans in place to deal with disruptions. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-18-05, from Canadian Press report]
FRA TO TARGET RAIL-CREW FATIGUE: The Federal Railroad Administration will redirect inspectors to safety hot spots, invest in new high-tech equipment to inspect track integrity, and accelerate research into the role fatigue plays in railroad accidents and how "better crew schedules" might help improve rail safety. These new initiatives, to be known as the National Rail Safety Action Plan, were announced May 16 by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. He said the plan will help prevent train accidents caused by human error, improve the safety of hazmat shipments, minimize the dangers of crew fatigue, deploy state-of-the-art technologies to detect track defects, and focus inspectors on safety trouble spots. The plan, Mineta said, will target "the fundamental factors that cause rail accidents." One of the primary safety issues addressed in the plan is human error, the largest single factor accounting for 38 percent of all accidents over the last five years, Mineta said. Mineta also announced the implementation of a new National Inspection Plan for deploying inspectors and resources to safety hot spots before accidents occur. And as part of that reinvigorated inspection effort, the FRA will invest in what Mineta called "special high-tech rail cars that automatically inspect track integrity as they roll along the rails." The safe transport of hazardous materials by rail is also a major focus of the action plan. Mineta said the freight railroads will begin providing local emergency responders a ranked listing of the top 25 hazardous materials transported through their community. [United Transportation Union, 5-16-05]
BNSF TO INSTALL CAMERAS ON 350 LOCOMOTIVES BY YEAR END: During the past few months, BNSF Railway Co. has begun taking delivery of locomotives equipped with forward-facing video cameras from GE Transportation-Rail. By year end, the railroad plans to take delivery of 100 new locomotives - as well as retrofit 250 existing units - with the cameras, which are designed to help investigations of grade crossing and train/pedestrian accidents, and improve safety. Mounted inside the cab's windshield and pointed down at the track ahead, the cameras record events from the locomotive engineer's viewpoint. The cameras are synchronized with the locomotive event recorder and record about 70 hours. An external microphone records sounds, such as the locomotive whistle and bell. BNSF managers can download audio and video recordings to analyze crossing warning devices' operation and motorists' behavior. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-16-05]
HOUSE MEMBERS FORM CAUCUS TO SUPPORT AMTRAK: In a sign of more trouble for the Bush administration's proposal to give the states more responsibility for subsidizing Amtrak, some Democratic and Republican House members have formed a congressional group to lobby for continued federal support of the passenger rail system, the Baltimore Sun reports. Organizers of the Rail Passenger Caucus say the federal government needs to provide funds to keep Amtrak trains running and to invest in its neglected infrastructure and equipment. "We hope to be the catalyst that will perhaps allow solutions instead of just a lot of proposals," said Rep. Michael N. Castle (R-DE), an organizer of the caucus. The goal of the new caucus in the House is to create a coalition from both parties to ensure the long-term survivability of the national passenger rail network. The caucus does not have the power to shape legislation the way a congressional committee does, but it can provide ideas and build consensus among lawmakers, Castle said. This is the first time that a House group has been created to consider ways to keep Amtrak running. Any lawmaker can form a caucus, and the House has nearly 150 of them. They typically focus on issues of specific interest to representatives. [United Transportation Union, 5-15-05, from Baltimore Sun article]
METROLINK RIDERS ANGERED AS UNION PACIFIC TRAINS CAUSE DELAYS: Congestion on a key railroad corridor between the Inland Empire and Los Angeles is causing unprecedented delays for thousands of people who use Metrolink commuter trains, according to the Los Angeles Times. For two years, the reliability of Metrolink service between downtown Riverside and Union Station has plummeted because of a surge in conflicts with Union Pacific Corp. freight trains going to and from the Los Angeles area and its busy harbor. In April, the commuter line's performance reached a new low with delays of up to two hours. The logjam has angered commuters and Metrolink officials, who contend that Union Pacific, the nation's largest railroad, has repeatedly violated a track-sharing agreement to yield to passenger trains during rush hours, forcing them to wait. On weekdays, Metrolink runs 12 trains daily between Riverside and Union Station, one of seven routes the agency operates in five counties. Trains originate in downtown Riverside and stop in Pedley, East Ontario, Pomona, Industry and Montebello before arriving downtown. The 59-mile run is supposed to take slightly more than an hour. But commuters say delays of 15 minutes or more are common. As a result, some say they have used sick time or vacation time to compensate employers for being late. Others have missed appointments or incurred increased child-care expenses. Still others are so fed up they are considering moving, taking demotions to work closer to home or switching to other Metrolink routes that are inconvenient for them. Commuters and Metrolink officials blame Union Pacific, which owns the right-of-way for the Riverside line. The busy freight and passenger corridor has a single main track with sidings along the way to park trains and rail cars. In December 1991, Metrolink entered an agreement to pay the railroad $71-million for the right to share the track, to make capital improvements and to buy land for stations. The contract requires Union Pacific freight trains to give priority to Metrolink during rush hours and to dispatch its trains in ways that minimize disruptions for passenger service. John Bromley, a spokesman for Union Pacific, said the railroad has come up with an "action plan" to better coordinate the movement of freight trains on the Riverside line. He said that the number of Union Pacific trains using the Riverside line has declined slightly from 1999 to 2004. The volume of freight also has fluctuated. Nevertheless, he said, the Los Angeles area has a complicated and busy rail network that can make it difficult for dispatchers to manage train movements. More than 35,000 freight and passenger trains a year move through the region. "We are trying to do our best to recognize our obligations to commuters and to our freight customers," Bromley said. [United Transportation Union, 5-15-05, from Los Angeles Times article]
NORTHEAST CORRIDOR CUT BY BRIDGE FIRE: A railroad bridge in Kearny, N.J., caught fire last night [May 12], shutting down all train service between New York City and Newark and threatening to disrupt today's commute and weekend getaways, reports the Associated Press. The fire, which started about 7:30 p.m. on a bulkhead of the bridge in the Hackensack River, sent clouds of black smoke billowing up to the tracks above. Wooden ties on the bridge caught fire before the blaze was contained two hours later. No injuries were reported. The bridge crosses the Hackensack River just west of the Secaucus Junction station along the New Jersey Turnpike. The bridge is a critical link for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains traveling between Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan and points west and south. After the fire broke out, Amtrak and New Jersey Transit suspended all service between New York and Pennsylvania Station in Newark . Marcie Golgoski, a spokeswoman for Amtrak, which owns and maintains the tracks, said Amtrak hoped to restore at least limited service this morning. [United Transportation Union, 5-13-05, from Associated Press article]
SECOND SOUNDER TRAIN COMING JUNE 6 TO EVERETT-SEATTLE LINE: In a surprise announcement, Sound Transit said May 12 it will add a second train to its Everett-to-Seattle Sounder line beginning June 6 - three months earlier than had been planned. The agency is making no immediate predictions of ridership, but has said that adding trains to the line is crucial to boosting what has been anemic ridership. The line now averages slightly more than 300 riders each weekday. In addition, it carries riders to special events such as Seahawks and Mariners games. Beginning June 6, the first Sounder train will leave Everett at 6:10 a.m., stop in Edmonds at 6:35 a.m. and arrive in Seattle at 7:08 a.m. The second train leaves Everett at 6:40 a.m., hits Edmonds at 7:05 a.m. and arrives in Seattle at 7:38 a.m. The first afternoon northbound train will leave Seattle at 4:33 p.m., arrive in Edmonds at 5:01 and Everett at 5:31 p.m. The second train times are 5:13 p.m., 5:41 p.m. and 6:11 p.m. Sounder passengers also may continue using Sounder passes for two southbound Amtrak trains (leaving Everett at 11:36 a.m. and 8:41 p.m.) and for an evening northbound Amtrak that leaves Seattle at 5:30 p.m. Under its agreement with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Sound Transit can have no more than four round-trip trains a day. Adding trains is contingent on Sound Transit getting environmental permits for track improvements. The railroad is adding a second set of tracks. The last two trains are scheduled to be added by 2007. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-13-05, from Seattle Post-Intelligencer website report by Jane Hadley]
CHARLOTTE GETS F.T.A. GRANT FOR LIGHT-RAIL: The Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) recently obtained a $193-million Full Funding Grant Agreement from the Federal Transit Administration to help fund the South Corridor light-rail line. When complete in spring 2007, the 9.6-mile line will run from downtown Charlotte to Interstate 485, and include 15 stations. In addition to the federal grant, the $426.8-million project will be funded through a state of North Carolina grant and half-cent sales tax, which was approved by Mecklenburg County voters in 1998 to support CATS' 2025 Transit Land Use Plan. In conjunction with the project, local developers are building new homes, and retail and office buildings near the alignment. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-13-05]
AMTRAK PRESIDENT WARNS SENATE OF BANKRUPTCY: Amtrak's president said Thursday [May 12] that the passenger carrier's financial condition, worsened by disruption of high-speed Acela service, is being further eroded by uncertainty over federal subsidies needed to survive, according to this Reuters report. David Gunn told a Senate hearing bankruptcy is possible within months unless the Bush administration and Congress resolve differences soon over national rail service and deliver enough money to continue operations. "We're facing a cash crunch at the end of September. To me that's imminent," Gunn said in an interview about the potential for bankruptcy at the nation's only multi-city passenger rail network. Gunn said operating problems and uncertainty about subsidies are having financial consequences. Insurance is more expensive, Amtrak's credit rating was downgraded, and several suppliers may require it to put cash in escrow to ensure payment. Gunn would not identify the suppliers, but said they were large businesses. The railroad has requested $1.8-billion in subsidies for the 2006 fiscal year, mainly to accelerate its capital improvement program, but the appropriations subcommittee effectively ruled that out. The administration has proposed no subsidy for Amtrak next year unless the railroad begins restructuring to reduce the need for federal help, and would not tell Congress Thursday [May 12] what it would support if those changes move forward. The Transportation Department has proposed $360-million to keep Amtrak-related commuter services running if it goes bankrupt. [United Transportation Union, 5-12-05, from Reuters report]
BNSF BEGINS CONSTRUCTION OF LOGISTICS CENTER IN CALIFORNIA: BNSF Railway Company began construction May 12 of the BNSF Logistics Center-Fontana at the Kaiser Commerce Center about 13 miles west of San Bernardino. The facility will be operational by the end of this year. BNSF logistics centers are located in rapidly growing markets and combine warehousing, storage, carload rail service and transloading (the transfer of product from carload rail to truck or truck to carload rail) in one location. They are typically located near existing intermodal facilities. BNSF Logistics Center-Fontana will have a 38-acre transload operation that will provide shippers with transload services for all types of commodities; such as dimensional commodities such as lumber and steel, commodities that will require warehousing such as consumer goods, and bulk commodities. [BNSF, 5-12-05]
N.J. TRANSIT REVISING TRAIN PLAN FOR BERGEN: Ever since it opened five years ago, NJ Transit's $2-billion light-rail system went by a name that was somewhat misleading. You didn't have to be a cartographer to know the modern day trolleys on the so-called Hudson-Bergen Light Rail line never went into Bergen County. That was NJ Transit's long-range goal, a $1-billion extension of the line into the state's most populous county. But now, the agency has changed its mind and the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail may never make its way very far into Bergen County. Instead, the light-rail system's next step would be a $750-million link that would end at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, according to a proposal outlined May 11. Meanwhile, Bergen County commuters would get a $500-million rail project that would send diesel trains up from North Bergen through Englewood to Tenafly, basically the same route that had been considered for the light-rail system it is replacing. The light rail link from Hudson County to the Meadowlands would augment a $150-million plan to provide a regular passenger rail connection to the sports complex and the proposed Xanadu retail and entertainment development that would be accessible from every rail line in the state. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-12-05, from Newark Star-Ledger website article by Joe Malinconico]
UNION PACIFIC DERAILMENT DAMAGES BRIDGE, CLOSES ROUTE: Twenty-one cars on a Union Pacific freight train derailed in East Texas early Wednesday [May 11], damaging a bridge over a small creek and forcing rail traffic to be rerouted. John Bromley, a spokesman for the railroad, said there were no injuries and no hazardous material involved. Bromley said the 98-car train derailed just before the bridge with substantial damage to the bridge. The train was traveling from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to San Antonio when it derailed just east of Big Sandy. The cars that derailed carried bricks, scrap paper, lime, plastics, corn, malt and steel. Bromley said trains were being detoured on alternate routes, and the cause of the crash was under investigation. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-12-05, from Associated Press article]
BNSF, UTU HEADED TO ARBITRATION: The United Transportation Union and BNSF Railway are headed to arbitration over BNSF's unilateral change to a UTU agreement that sparked a short strike against portions of the carrier's system April 27. U.S. District Court Judge James M. Rosenbaum ruled May 10 that the matter is a "minor dispute" under the Railway Labor Act because he could not find BNSF's position was "frivolous," although he did not necessarily agree with the railroad's position. Minor disputes are subject to the mandatory arbitration provisions of the Railway Labor Act. UTU general chairpersons, whose members are affected, will decide the most appropriate way to arbitrate the issue. Although Judge Rosenbaum refused to enjoin BNSF Railway from continuing the practices that led to the work stoppage, he also declined to grant the railroad a strike injunction, saying he expected the parties to remain in place. The UTU voluntarily halted its April 27 strike, involving about 8,000 UTU members, after Judge Rosenbaum said he would give the matter expeditious handling, which he did. The work stoppage lasted just under two hours. At no time did the work stoppage affect any rail-passenger or commuter operations. [United Transportation Union, 5-11-05]
DM&E PROJECT SPEEDING TOWARD WINONA, MINNESOTA: Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad could begin constructing its $2-billion expansion project next year, and Winona area officials are waiting on word of how many more trains that will bring, according to the Winona Daily News. DM&E cleared a hurdle in April when the federal Surface Transportation Board issued a draft study saying the government would not need to impose further restrictions on DM&E to lessen noise, pollution or other potential impacts. DM&E, based in Brookings, S.D., wants to build 280 miles of new line west to the Powder River Basin coal mines in northeastern Wyoming and upgrade its 600 miles of existing track in South Dakota and Minnesota to accommodate coal trains. DM&E owns 273 miles of rail across southern Minnesota, running east to just outside Winona. Once here, DM&E moves its trains on Canadian Pacific line, which runs through Winona and north and south along the Mississippi River. [United Transportation Union, 5-11-05, from Winona Daily News report]
METAL FATIGUE CRACKED ACELA TRAIN BRAKES, EXPERTS SAY: Experts investigating Amtrak's high-speed Acela trains have concluded metal fatigue caused cracks in the brake spokes. However, experts had not decided whether poor design or failure to meet specifications led to the cracks that halted Acela service last month, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday [May 10]. Munich-based Knorr-Bremse AG found the brakes were not sturdy enough to withstand the curves the trains took in the Northeastern United States. The German company supplied the brakes to the consortium of Bombardier Inc. of Montreal and Alstom SA of France, which Amtrak President David Gunn criticized for failing to keep an adequate supply of parts. Bombardier said it could not anticipate the brakes would last for just half of their expected life. A U.S. House subcommittee on railroads has scheduled a hearing on the brake problems that have idled all 20 Acela trains. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-10-05, from United Press International report]
CN TO OFFER INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDING: CN announced May 10 the formation of CN WorldWide, a wholly owned subsidiary that will offer international freight forwarding services between Europe and North America. Anita Ernesaks, a former CN vice-president of eBusiness and graduate of CN's Railroad MBA program, has been appointed managing director of the new enterprise. CN WorldWide, based in Rotterdam, Netherlands - the largest container port in the world outside of Asia - will commence operations this month. It will schedule and manage the door-to-door movement of international shipments, including rail, trucking, maritime transportation and port handling, along with warehousing, customs and billing. CN WorldWide will focus initially on shipments between Europe and Eastern Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, via the Port of Halifax, and later the United States. [Canadian National, 5-10-05]
LEAKY BNSF REFUELING DEPOT REOPENING: An Idaho judge on May 9 allowed a BNSF Railway Co. locomotive fueling depot to reopen, even though the facility has leaked fuel into the main drinking water supply for Spokane and surrounding communities, according to this Associated Press report by Nicholas K. Geranios. The depot had been closed for more than two months after diesel fuel leaked into the aquifer that supplies water for about 500,000 people. The depot is located near the Washington-Idaho border in the town of Hauser, Idaho. In nearby Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, 1st District Judge Charles Hosack lifted the temporary restraining order that shut down the depot Febr. 23. He acted after Idaho officials and the railroad struck a deal that increased leak monitoring and detection capabilities. The railroad began refueling trains yesterday [May 9], but did not plan to reach full operations at Hauser for several weeks, spokesman Gus Melonas said. The depot is the fastest pit stop on the company's northern mainline and is capable of shaving as much as seven hours off a refueling stop. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality officials estimated 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of diesel and motor oil have reached the aquifer. They say that's a relatively tiny amount considering the trillions of gallons of groundwater that flow below the depot. [United Transportation Union, 5-10-05, from Associated Press report by Nicholas K. Geranios]
OTTAWA TO EXPAND LIGHT-RAIL SYSTEM: Canadian federal, provincial and local governments recently signed a memorandum of understanding that obliges each signee to provide funds for Ottawa Light Rail Transit's north-south corridor project. The corridor will run from Rideau Centre, through downtown Ottawa, to South Nepean, Ontario. The project includes the Strandherd-Armstrong train/car bridge, which will connect communities on the east and west sides of the Rideau River. Before beginning construction, Ottawa officials must complete environmental assessments and a ridership study. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2006 and be complete in fall 2009. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-10-05]
GE HAS HYBRID LOCOMOTIVE ON DRAWING BOARD: General Electric Co. on May 9 unveiled ecomagination, an initiative under which the company plans to develop and market technologies that address today's environmental challenges. As part of the initiative, GE Transportation Rail is developing a hybrid 4,400-horsepower diesel-electric locomotive designed to store energy in a battery bank to reduce emissions and fuel usage about 50 percent and 15 percent, respectively, compared with a conventional diesel locomotive. The road unit will feature lead-free rechargeable batteries that provide the locomotive an additional 2,000 horsepower when needed, such as to move up a steep incline or operate in a high altitude. As part of ecomagination, GE also plans to double annual research and development spending to $1.5-billion, introduce more environmentally friendly products, reduce its own greenhouse gas emissions and improve its energy efficiency. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-10-05]
ALASKA R.R. ACQUIRES TWO DOME CARS FOR 'GOLD STAR' SERVICE: Alaska Railroad Corp. recently took delivery of two bi-level dome passenger cars from Colorado Railcar Inc. Later this month, the railroad will place the $3.4-million cars in service, enabling passengers to upgrade to first-class "GoldStar Service" on the Denali Star, which operates between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The glass-domed cars feature a private outdoor viewing platform. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-10-05]
FRENCH RAILWAY ORDERS 48 ADDITIONAL TRAINS FROM BOMBARDIER: The French National Railways (SNCF) recently ordered an additional 48 high-capacity trains from Bombardier Transportation. The $237-million order is part of a contract awarded to Bombardier in 2001 for 500 trains. To date, SNCF has ordered 427 trains and 60 units are in service. The 48 trains will be delivered between February 2007 and March 2009. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-10-05]
SMALL ROADS DOUBLE THE TRAFFIC OF CLASS I'S, REPORT SAYS: During the first quarter, North American Class Is' traffic increased 4.6 pct compared with first-quarter 2004. However, the continent's small railroads more than doubled the large roads' percentage gain, boosting carloads 11.5 pct compared with the same 2004 period, according to RMI's RailConnect Index Quarterly Analysis of Traffic Statistics. Excluding bulk commodity and intermodal traffic, regionals' and short lines' carloads rose 11.9 pct while Class Is' carloads increased 2.3 pct. Small roads' quarterly stone, clay and aggregate carloads rose 32.5 pct - the largest increase on a quarter-over-quarter basis. Four other commodities posted double-digit increases compared with first-quarter 2004: petroleum and coke; waste and scrap materials; metals and metal products; and intermodal, which rose a second-best 31.1 pct. Only grain carloads and 'all other' traffic registered declines. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-10-05]
JAPAN MAY DEMAND USE OF AUTOMATIC BRAKES: The Japanese government may force train operators to install an automatic braking system that last month could have prevented the country's deadliest railroad disaster in four decades, Transport Minister Kazuo Kitagawa told the Bloomberg News Service. A West Japan Railway Co. commuter train that slammed into an apartment building on April 25 killing more than 100 people was speeding to make up for a delay at a station, passengers said on the day. A 23-year-old man with 11 months' experience was driving the train when its carriages careened off the tracks during the morning rush hour in a suburb of Osaka. The government may demand operators use so-called automatic train stop technology, which detects when a train is speeding and applies the brakes, to prevent further such disasters, Kitagawa said today on NHK Television. The company's train was running at almost double the speed limit before the driver hit the emergency brake and the carriages derailed, the Yomiuri newspaper said, citing unnamed crash investigators with the Ministry of Transportation. West Japan Railway declined to comment on the newspaper report. [United Transportation Union, 5-9-05, from Bloomberg News Service report]
SOUTHERN NEVADA HIGH-SPEED TRAIN PLAN MAY MOVE FORWARD: A partnership of government and industry in southern Nevada plans to spend $1.3-billion to build the nation's first super-fast train. Critics say the proposal is a train to nowhere. Supporters see a low-cost right of way through the desert that will lead to a revolution in ground transportation. The vision belongs to a Nevada state commission that has tenaciously clung to the idea of building a 270-mile high-tech system from Las Vegas to Anaheim. After almost 25 years of study and frustration, the project is now competing with Maryland and Pennsylvania for $950-million in federal funds earmarked for maglev development. The technology uses magnetic force to propel trains on a cushion of air down a guideway at speeds of more than 300 mph. Power comes from an electrical charge in the guideway that attracts magnets in the train, pulling it forward. Only one, in China, is in commercial operation. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-9-05, from Los Angeles Times website article by Dan Weikel]
EAST PENN RAILWAYS TO TAKE CONTROL OF THREE LINES: East Penn Railways Inc. recently filed exemption notices with the Surface Transportation Board to acquire three track segments in three states totaling 55.3 track miles. The short line plans to acquire a 10.8-mile line between the Pennsylvania/Delaware state border and Elsmere Junction, Del., from the Wilmington & Northern Railroad Co. The line currently is operated by ISG Railways Inc. In addition, East Penn would acquire a 17-mile line between the Delaware/Pennsylvania state line and Modena, Pa., from ISG Railways; and a 27.5-mile line between Chadds Fort Junction, Pa., and Sylmar, Md., from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-9-05]
AMTRAK OVERHAULS STATION IN BANGOR, MICHIGAN: Amtrak recently reopened a renovated and expanded station in Bangor, Mich., along the Pere Marquette line, which provides service to and from Chicago. Amtrak rebuilt the station's waiting room and platform. The $500,000 project was funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation, and private and city monies. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-9-05]
MAKER OF ACELA AIMS FOR QUICKER BRAKE FIX: Bombardier Inc, the maker of Amtrak's Acela Express trains, is considering a new type of brake disc to replace the ones that cracked last month, forcing all 20 trains out of service. The company is examining whether a new disc design could be produced, tested, and approved by regulators more quickly than waiting for replacements for the old ones, said Helene Gagnon, a spokeswoman for the company. Her comments revealed new details about the process Amtrak and Acela's manufacturers are undertaking as they scramble to figure out what went wrong with the flagship train's brakes, how to fix them, and the quickest way to restore the only high-speed rail service in the United States. Among the possibilities is waiting for replacement discs identical to the cracked ones, or even ordering new ones of a different design Gagnon said. Amtrak and Bombardier have said they want to have Acela running again by summer, when Bombardier is expected to get a shipment of replacement brakes for the trains. About 300 of the 1,440 brake discs on Acela trains were found to have cracks in their spokes after inspections last month. A shipment is expected in June, Gagnon said, though she did not know whether it will include enough discs to replace all the cracked ones. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-6-05, from Boston Globe website report by Keith Reed]
GEORGIA GETS FUNDING FOR ATLANTA-LOVEJOY COMMUTER LINE: The State of Georgia has secured $106-million for the long-discussed Atlanta-Lovejoy commuter rail line. The service, due to begin in fall 2006 with an extension to Griffin in 2008, would provide the first commuter rail line in Georgia and is the first stage of a proposed five-line system radiating from downtown Atlanta. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 5-6-05]
UNION PACIFIC SLATES ROUTE UPGRADES: Union Pacific plans to spend $295-million to increase capacity on its Sunset Route in Arizona, and in North Platte, Nebraska, according to this report published by the Journal of Commerce Online. The new investment also includes laying eight new sets of tracks - two each in Texas and Utah and one each in Oklahoma, California, Iowa and Arizona. UP has promised a further $220-million this year for commercial facilities including access tracks for the new Toyota plant in San Antonio and intermodal yards in Wilmer, Texas and Salt Lake City, Utah. The 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. [United Transportation Union, 5-5-05, from Journal of Commerce Online report]
U.S. RAIL TRAFFIC UP IN APRIL: U.S. railroads originated 1,396,037 carloads of freight in April 2005, up 34,682 carloads (2.5 percent) from April 2004. U.S. railroads also originated 885,285 intermodal units in April 2005, an increase of 53,205 trailers and containers (6.4 percent) over April 2004, the Association of American Railroads has reported. Fourteen of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR saw U.S. carload increases in April 2005 compared to April 2004. [Assn. of American Railroads, 5-5-05]
DERAILMENT DISRUPTS METRA'S ROCK ISLAND LINE: Metra spokeswoman Audrey Renteria said train service on the Rock Island District Line, serving 16,000 commuters, was out of commission this morning (May 5) after a freight train derailed around 5 a.m. on the track serving the Rock Island's main line at 16th Street near LaSalle Street, according to this Chicago Tribune report. Rock Island commuters should find alternative transportation on Metra's SouthWest or Electric lines, Renteria said. Alternative bus service is not available because it would be too difficult to transport 16,000 Rock Island commuters by bus, she said. [United Transportation Union, 5-5-05, from Chicago Tribune report]
REROUTING OPTION EYED FOR MOVING HAZMATS FROM D.C.: They lost in court, but the D.C. government may still be able to do something about the hazardous trains that run through the city. The National Capital Planning Commission and the District's Department of Transportation will study ways to possibly relocate a seven-mile stretch of track. It runs from Alexandria, north into D.C., then continues up to Hyattsville Md. Using a $1-million federal grant, the study will look at everything from security risks to the infrastructure of the line, which is owned by freight railroad CSX. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-4-05, from Associated Press article]
SETTLEMENT REACHED FOR PROPERTY CLAIMS IN NORFOLK SOUTHERN ACCIDENT: Residents and business owners affected by a train wreck that spilled toxic chlorine in Graniteville, S.C., this past January could get money from the railroad as soon as this summer. Norfolk Southern and lawyers representing a number of plaintiffs not severely injured or killed in the incident announced Tuesday [May 3] in federal court they have reached a tentative settlement in a class-action suit. Details, including dollar amounts, were not disclosed. It will not cover lawsuits for anyone killed in the wreck or injured badly enough to go to the hospital within 72 hours of the crash. Those suits will be handled separately. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-4-05, from Associated Press report by Jeffrey Collins]
BILL BACKING RAIL INDUSTRY REREGULATION ENTERS THE SENATE: A bill aiming to reregulate the railroad industry is back in the Senate after a two-year hiatus. The Railroad Competition Act of 2005 (S. 919) picks up where the Railroad Competition Act of 2003 left off. S. 919 proposes to "clarify" national rail policy under the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Termination Act and require the Surface Transportation Board to "ensure effective competition" among railroads at origins and destinations; enforce reasonable rail rates "in the absence of effective competition," and maintain consistent and efficient rail service for shippers, including timely distribution of rail cars. The legislation also would require the STB to provide "final offer" arbitration of certain rail-rate cases; remove paper barriers in future line sales or leases to regionals and short lines; eliminate an "anti-competitive conduct" test instituted in the mid-1980s for terminal area and switching agreements; place a cap on filing fees in rate cases involving "coal rate guidelines" to federal district court levels; mandate that railroads quote rates to customers between any two points where freight moves originate, terminate or transfer, when requested by a shipper; and declare that all or part of a state is an inadequate area of rail competition if petitioned by a state. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) strongly opposes S. 919. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-4-05]
IDAHO URGES MORE TESTS ON BNSF FUEL DEPOT: Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Co. says a Coeur d'Alene judge's decision that has kept its Idaho refueling depot closed for the past two months has cost nearly $19-million in lost shipments and repair costs. BNSF returned to a Kootenai County courtroom Monday [May 2] to argue the depot is ready to be reopened and that further delays would violate its federal right to conduct business across state lines. But the state of Idaho said protecting the region's drinking water from more fuel spills trumps any concerns over restrictions of interstate commerce. Two more weeks of testing and analysis are needed before the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality could agree to the depot resuming operations, according to testimony from Gary Stevens, an agency hydrogeologist. The hearing ended short of an agreement or a judge's orders. Both sides asked for an additional week to negotiate an agreement outside of court. The state also wants more proof that the aquifer is not threatened by several small holes that remain in the liners below the refueling platform, the fuel storage tank area and the site where fuel is unloaded from rail cars. [United Transportation Union, 5-3-05, from Idaho Spokesman-Review report by James Hagengruber]
APPEALS COURT BLOCKS D.C. BAN ON RAIL HAZMAT SHIPMENTS: A federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling on Tuesday [May 3] that would permit the city of Washington to temporarily prohibit rail shipments of hazardous materials on security grounds. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit sided with freight rail giant CSX Corp., which had sought a preliminary injunction against the ordinance to reroute tankers hauling flammable gases and explosives around the capital. CSX said the restriction, which covered an area within two miles of the U.S. Capitol building, was preempted by federal law. The company also said the ban would disrupt its sprawling rail network and the economy. CSX has two freight lines running through the Washington area. The Bush administration supported the company's position, and the three-judge appeals panel found that CSX met the minimum standard for obtaining an injunction. The panel ordered U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan to grant the company's request. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-3-05, from Reuters report]
KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN REPORTS 1-Q RESULTS: Kansas City Southern reported first quarter 2005 financial results which show substantial quarter-over-quarter gains in revenues and operating profit. Driven by record revenues from The Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR), its principal U.S. subsidiary, and by the inclusion of the recently acquired Mexrail, Inc., KCS recorded consolidated revenues of $198.2-million. Total KCS operating expenses for the first quarter of 2005 were $173.4-million. Consolidated operating income was $24.8-million compared with $17.4-million in 2004. Net income available to common shareholders was $5.9-million, or $0.09 per diluted share for the first quarter of 2005 compared with $1.2-million, or $0.02 per diluted share for the first quarter of 2004. [Kansas City Southern, 5-3-05]
RIDERSHIP UP 14 PCT ON AMTRAK CHICAGO-PORT HURON LINE: Ridership has risen 14 percent on Amtrak's Chicago-to-Port Huron line in the first year of a revised route that eliminated service to Toronto. The latest figures are for the 12 months ending March 31st. The national passenger rail company says ridership on the new Blue Water Line totaled 96,000 for the year. The former International Line, running from Chicago to Toronto, had 84,000 riders in its final 12 months. Officials say delays at the border often caused the International to run an irregular schedule, leading to a decline in ridership. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 5-2-05, from Associated Press]
CPR SEEKS TO SELL TRACKAGE IN INDIANA: Canadian Pacific Railway announced May 2 it is pursuing expressions of interest from third parties for its 92.3-mile track from Fayette to Bedford, Indiana, known as the Latta Subdivision. A range of outcomes is possible, including new operating arrangements with other railroads or the sale of the rail line to another operator. Abandonment of the line is not being considered, as sufficient business exists on the rail line to support ongoing operations. A decision on the course of action is expected by the end of the year. [Canadian Pacific, 5-2-05]
MEXICO EYES HIGH-SPEED RAIL: In a move to jump-start high speed rail in Mexico, the country's Ministry of Communications and Transport (SCT) has appointed SYSTRA to help draw up tender agreement terms for a turnkey project connecting Mexico City and Guadalajara. Slated to run at speeds of 186 mph, the rail operation will cut travel time to two hours and serve some 28 million passengers. It also will link up with the cities of Queretaro and Irapuato. According to SYSTRA, the tender is scheduled for launch by mid-year. In the project's second phase, SYSTRA will help SCT draw up the contacts and deed of concession, which will be awarded to a firm responsible for the design, construction, and operation of a doubletrack line. Two Mexican companies are supporting SYSTRA in its work - one for legal aspects and the other for technical assistance. The Mexican federal government has been in the developmental stages of high speed rail since 2002. [railwayage.com, 5-2-05]
INTERMODAL TERMINAL TO BE BUILT IN PRINCE RUPERT, B.C.: With $60-million in federal and provincial funding in hand, Canadian National Railway Co., Maher Terminals of Canada Corp. and the Prince Rupert Port Authority are preparing to start construction on an intermodal terminal at the northern British Columbia port. CN's board recently approved a plan to increase funding for the terminal from $15-million to $30-million. The railroad will spend $15-million on an intermodal yard at the port, $10-million on trackwork and $5 million on infrastructure improvements to its northern B.C. line to accommodate double-stack container moves. Maher Terminals plans to spend $60-million to install three container cranes and container handling equipment at the terminal. The port will spend $25-million to help develop the container facility. Expected to be complete in first-quarter 2007, the terminal's first phase calls for building a facility with an annual capacity of 500,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The terminal eventually will be expanded to handle 2 million TEUs annually. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 5-2-05]
S.D. GOVERNOR AND BNSF ANNOUNCE SETTLEMENT ON CORE RAILROAD LINE: Governor Mike Rounds of South Dakota and BNSF announced a settlement agreement April 29. The agreement paves the way for the sale of the state-owned Core railroad line to BNSF, while providing enhanced transportation access to markets for South Dakota shippers and producers of agricultural products. The acquisition price is $41.64-million reduced by the value of the properties retained by the state. The sales agreement is subject to approval by the Surface Transportation Board. The 368-mile Core line runs from Aberdeen to Mitchell, Mitchell to Canton, Canton to Sioux Falls and Mitchell to Sioux City. [BNSF Today, 5-2-05]
BOARDMAN CONFIRMED AS FRA ADMINISTRATOR: Joseph Boardman has been confirmed by the Senate to be the new Federal Railroad Administrator. Although Boardman is a Republican, his nomination was supported by New York's two Democratic senators, Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton. Following his nomination, Boardman said 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. [United Transportation Union, 5-1-05]
AMTRAK PRESIDENT SAYS MANUFACTURER UNDERESTIMATED ACELA BRAKE LIFE: Amtrak President David Gunn has told an Associated Press reporter that indications are that the consortium of Bombardier and Alstom underestimated the brake life of the Acela Express equipment. "I believe they misjudged the life of the rotorsTheir life expectancy was less than they had planned and they were caught without a supply," Gunn said. Bombardier has countered with the fact that the brakes'disc face (front of the disc) showed normal wear. The official investigation as to what caused the brake spokes to crack is still being conducted. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-29-05]
NEW CANADIAN CONTAINER TERMINAL TO OPEN IN 2007: A Port of Prince Rupert container terminal is set to launch in first-quarter 2007. CN, Maher Terminals of Canada Corp., and the Prince Rupert Port Authority have joined forces to create a new North American gateway for goods moving between Asia and markets in Canada and the United States. Initial throughput capacity is expected to reach 500,000 TEUs (20-foot-equivalent containers) a year. [RailwayAge.com, 4-29-05]
SOUND TRANSIT UNVEILS LONG-RANGE PLANS: Sound Transit recently released a regional long-range transit plan, which outlines proposed projects designed to improve and increase transit service during the next several decades. Sound Transit officials expect to finalize the plan in June, then work with local communities to identify the highest-priority projects, which will be included in a "Sound Transit 2" subset of the long-range plan. It includes adding rail or bus rapid transit service along Interstate 90, operating light-rail service between Everett and Tacoma, extending the Tacoma Link light-rail line west, and adding light-rail service along I-405 and across Lake Washington on State Route 520. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-29-05]
CSX REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: CSX Corporation reported April 28 its financial results for the first quarter of 2005. Net earnings were $579-million $2.56 per share, including a net after-tax gain of $425-million resulting from the sale of the Company's International Terminals business. Earnings per share from continuing operations were 68 cents in 2005 versus 13 cents in the prior year's quarter, which was reduced by a 14-cent management restructuring charge at the Company's Surface Transportation units in 2004. Surface Transportation operating income was a record $351-million versus $151-million a year ago, which was reduced by a $53-million management restructuring charge in 2004. CSX's core Surface Transportation businesses produced record operating income, driven by a 10 percent increase in revenue and better cost discipline. On a comparable basis, adjusting for the 2004 management restructuring charge, Surface Transportation operating income for 2005 increased $147-million, or 72 percent, year over year. CSX's operating ratio for the quarter was 83.3 percent, an improvement of more than 6 points versus the first quarter of 2004. [CSX, 4-28-05]
BNSF REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation reported record first-quarter earnings of $0.83 per diluted share, a 60 percent increase over first-quarter 2004 earnings of $0.52 per diluted share. First-quarter 2005 freight revenues increased $451-million, or 18 percent, to an all-time first-quarter record of $2.90-billion compared with 2004 first-quarter freight revenues of $2.45-billion. For the month of March 2005, BNSF's monthly revenues exceeded $1-billion for the first time in Company history. Operating expenses for the first three months of 2005 of $2.35 billion were $268 million, or 13 percent, higher than the same period in 2004, primarily driven by a 9-percent increase in gross ton-miles and 31-percent higher fuel prices after hedge benefit. First-quarter operating income increased $224-million, or 55 percent, to $634 million compared with the first quarter of 2004. [BNSF 4-28-05]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN QUARTERLY PROFIT RISES: Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC) on Wednesday (April 27) reported higher quarterly earnings, driven by robust volumes, strong pricing and improved productivity, according to this Reuters report. The railroad said its first-quarter earnings rose to $194-million, or 47 cents a share, after expenses related to a derailment earlier in the year in South Carolina, compared with $158-million, or 40 cents a share, a year earlier. Operating revenue climbed 16 percent to $1.96-billion from $1.7-billion. [United Transportation Union, 4-27-05, from Reuters report]
DERAILMENT SNAGS N.C. FREIGHT, PASSENGER SERVICE: A freight train derailment early Tuesday morning (April 26) in Rowan County, N.C., disrupted freight and passenger rail service in North Carolina, according to the Observer. A Norfolk Southern train was traveling east from Asheville to Spencer when 21 of its 112 cars derailed about 12:10 a.m., said Norfolk Southern spokeswoman Susan Terpay. No one was injured, said Frank Thomason, emergency services director for Rowan County. The Federal Railroad Administration is investigating. All of the 21 derailed cars were empty except one, which was carrying scrap metal, Terpay said. Most of the cars remained upright but had slipped off the track, she added. The derailment forced cancellations and changes to Amtrak passenger service Tuesday. Amtrak's Piedmont, which runs from Raleigh to Charlotte, was canceled Tuesday, and no alternative transportation was available. Passengers traveling on the northbound Carolinian were being bused to Richmond before resuming train service, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation's Rail Division. Those on the southbound Carolinian were to be bused from Richmond to their ticketed destinations in Virginia or North Carolina, the release said. All trains are expected to resume regular schedules today. [United Transportation Union, 4-27-05, from Charlotte Observer report]
RELCO COMPLETES NEW LOCOMOTIVE FACILITY IN IOWA: RELCO Locomotives Inc. recently completed a new locomotive rebuild and service facility in Albia, Iowa, that will complement the company's smaller Minooka, Ill. plant. RELCO will continue to house its corporate offices in Minooka. The new facility includes a 90,000-square-foot main locomotive shop, self-contained blast and paint shop, office space and more than 10,000 feet of track. The locomotive shop houses five tracks, six overhead cranes with a 50-ton capacity, two raised rail pits, a drop table, state-of-the-art fabrication and component rebuild areas, and 30 miles of track or locomotive run-in and testing. Formed in 1961, RELCO sells road and switcher locomotives; provides locomotive remanufacturing, upgrade, maintenance, wreck repair and painting services; offers locomotive components and parts; and leases locomotives. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-27-05]
ALASKA, YUKON TO JOIN IN RAILROAD STUDY: The governments of Alaska and Yukon said April 25 they will jointly study the economic and social benefits of a proposed railroad to run through Alaska and Canada, according to this report published by the Juneau Empire. Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski and Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie signed a memorandum of understanding establishing their intent to start the roughly yearlong study, which is expected to begin in May. The rail link would run through Alaska, Yukon, northern British Columbia and down to the contiguous United States. The memorandum establishes the Alaska-Canada Rail Advisory Committee, made up of members of the Yukon and Alaska governments. The two governments have agreed to split the estimated $5-million cost of the study, Murkowski said. He envisions a corridor that would incorporate the railroad, fiber-optic communication cables and a potential natural gas pipeline. [United Transportation Union, 4-26-05, from Juneau Empire report]
BNSF TO PAY NEARLY $4-M IN NORTH DAKOTA LAWSUIT: A final settlement of $3,990,000 will be paid by BNSF Railway in the civil case of those claiming property damage and personal injury resulting from Mandan diesel fuel contamination, according to the Bismarck Tribune. A plaintiff attorney noted that a jury had awarded $2,090,000 to property owners last October. The additional award will go toward trial expenses and interest incurred by the plaintiffs and their attorneys. A separate judgment was determined for each of the 52 claims under the ruling. A 53rd plaintiff refused to sign the agreement and the case is being handled separately on its own merits. In the jury decision, BNSF was found 90 percent to 95 percent liable in the property damage cases, but only 51 percent liable in the personal injury cases. [United Transportation Union, 4-26-05, from Tribune article]
WABTEC REPORTS 1-Q EARNINGS: Today [April 26], Wabtec Corp. announced its first-quarter earnings per diluted share of 20 cents and net income of $9.2-million rose 82 percent and 100 percent, respectively, compared with first-quarter 2004. Quarterly net sales of $244.9-million increased 30 percent primarily because of strong aftermarket and original equipment demand for locomotive and rail-car components, and the acquisition of Rutgers Rail S.p.A.'s assets. During the quarter, Wabtec also began producing locomotive modules for Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. under a contract projected to generate $50-million in revenue this year. The company will supply locomotive cabs, electronics, air-brake controls and radiators. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-26-05]
NORTH CAROLINA R.R. TO LAUNCH $18-M CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM: The North Carolina Railroad Co. will embark on an $18-million capital improvement program this fall. Between Raleigh and Goldsboro, N.C., three sidings, totaling six miles, will be constructed, and a new CTC (Centralized Traffic Control) system installed. The 317-mile NCRR is "committed to making rail improvements that will increase capacity, safety, speed, and reliability for both freight and passenger trains," said Scott Saylor, president of NCRR, which carries more than 60 Norfork Southern-operated freight trains and eight Amtrak trains each day. [railwayage.com, 4-26-05]
TRAIN ACCIDENT IN JAPAN WORST IN MORE THAN 40 YEARS: A crowded Japanese commuter train derailed and slammed into an apartment building on Monday (April 25), killing at least 50 people and injuring hundreds in Japan's worst train accident in more than 40 years, Reuters reports. As darkness fell nearly nine hours after the accident, rescue workers toiling behind blue plastic sheeting were trying to retrieve several people believed to be alive in the wreckage embedded in the building's first-floor car park. About 300 people were taken to hospital, a police spokesman said. It was not known if the injured included anyone from the apartment building, which was located just six metres (20 feet) from the train tracks, he said. Five cars derailed in the accident, which took place shortly after the morning rush hour in a residential area near the city of Osaka, about 400 km (255 miles) west of Tokyo. The train was carrying about 580 passengers. Railway officials said the cause was not immediately apparent, but that calculations had shown that a train could derail if it were travelling at nearly twice the speed limit at the site where the accident occurred. Rescuers in hard hats clustered near the twisted remains of the front two cars, one of which had been smashed to less than half its normal width, using cutters and ropes to get inside. Soldiers from Japan's Self-Defence Forces were dispatched to the scene to help with rescue efforts. West Japan Railway said the cause of the derailment was under investigation but it confirmed that the train had over-shot the station at its previous stop. Passengers said the train had been late leaving the previous station and that it seemed to be traveling faster than usual. Officials said the speed limit at the site of the accident was 70 km (44 miles) per hour. Calculations showed that derailments were possible at a speed of 133 km per hour, they said, although they did not know how fast the train had been going. Japanese trains generally have a good safety record. [United Transportation Union, 4-25-05, from Reuters report]
METROLINERS RUNNING ACELA ROUTES: Amtrak is pressing more Metroliner equipment into service while crews work to repair brakes on Acela Express trains. Beginning today [April 25], most weekday Acela routes will be handled by Metroliners. Amtrak officials say it could take weeks to finish repairs on the Acela coaches. The Metroliner service will run almost hourly from 6 a-m to 6 p-m between New York and Washington. All seats on the trains will be reserved. Amtrak is also operating about 20 other regional trains for roundtrip service on Northeast Corridor routes.Amtrak says the Metroliner service will cost passengers a little less. The older trains are not as fast as Acela. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-25-05, from Associated Press]
VIA RAIL TO UPGRADE SERVICE TO MARITIMES: Beginning June 1, VIA Rail Canada Inc. will begin offering overnight service on the "Ocean" Montreal-to-Moncton, New Brunswick train, which travels through the Maritime provinces. Operating through October 31, the service will be offered as upgrade to the Ocean train's existing "Comfort Sleeper" class, which will continue to be available year-round. The service will include a learning coordinator, a newly created position. During the trip, the coordinator will provide insight and commentary on scenery, and hold brief lectures about Maritime Canada. The service also will feature VIA Rail's panoramic Park Car, which includes an elevated domed viewing area. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-25-05]
NORTHERN LINES RAILWAY LEASES 22 MILES OF BNSF LINES IN MINNESOTA: Northern Lines Railway, LLC (NLR), an affiliate of Anacostia & Pacific Company, Chicago has entered into a lease agreement with BNSF for more than 22 route miles of track in the St. Cloud, Minnesota, area. The leased lines will be operated by NLR and are between the 33rd Street crossing approximately one-half mile west of the St. Cloud Yard and the end of track in St. Joseph (approximately five miles) and the rail line between Rice Junction in St. Cloud and the end of track west of Cold Spring, (approximately 17 miles). NLR began operations on the leased lines April 23. Dan Rickel, who has 25 years of rail experience, has been appointed president of NLR and is based at the railway's headquarters in St. Cloud. NLR is the ninth new railroad developed by Anacostia since the organization was formed in 1985. [BNSF Today, 4-25-05]
DOWNEASTER NOW HAS A FASTER SCHEDULE: Amtrak's Downeaster began operating on a new schedule Monday [April 25] that shaves 10 to 15 minutes off the travel time between Portland and Boston, a change that rail advocates say was necessary to make the train competitive with buses. The Downeaster is benefiting from track improvements in Kennebunk, faster station stops and schedule adjustments made by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Patricia Douglas of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority said Monday. Last year's lifting of the train's top speed to 79 mph shaved three minutes off the Portland-to-Boston transit time, and Monday's changes will shave off another 10 to 12 minutes. Riding the train from Portland to Boston now takes 2 hours and 30 minutes, compared to 2 hours and 45 minutes before the changes, Douglas said. The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, which operates the Downeaster, hopes additional track upgrades will allow a fifth round trip by this fall. Currently the Downeaster makes four daily trips between Boston and Portland. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-25-05, from Associated Press report]
FRA ISSUES FINAL RULE ON TRAIN HORNS: Thousands of communities nationwide will have the choice to consider silencing train horns at highway-rail grade crossings based on meeting safety needs, under a final rule made public Friday (April 22) by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). In addition, the rule provides a process for localities with existing whistle bans to retain their bans. MORE... [U.S. Dept. of Transportation, 4-22-05]
CONSTRUCTION TO START ON NORTHSTAR PROJECT: Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty (R) has signed a bonding bill to start construction on the Northstar commuter rail system. Included in the 2005 Capital Investment Bill is $37.5-million earmarked for the Northstar Commuter Rail project. "The Northstar Commuter Rail line is a good project," Pawlenty told ABC Newspapers. "It is going to provide relief to commuters who are tired of sitting in their cars." [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-22-05]
N.J. TRANSIT APPROVES FARE INCREASE: New Jersey Transit railroad and bus fares will increase an average of 11.5 percent under a plan approved on Thursday (April 21) by the transit agency's board, according to this report by Ronald Smothers published by the New York Times. The increase, to go into effect in July, is the second in 14 years for the system's 380,000 daily riders. The agency staff's original recommendation, made in January, had been for an increase of 15 percent to close a projected $60-million gap in New Jersey's Transit's $1.4-billion budget for 2006. At the time, Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey expressed concern about such an increase and pressed the board and staff to find ways to make it less drastic. The executive director of New Jersey Transit, George D. Warrington, said the increase would cover $48-million of the projected budget gap, while other measures, like freezing the salaries of senior managers, leaving staff vacancies unfilled and increasing sources of ad and leasing revenues, would produce the remaining $12-million. [United Transportation Union, 4-22-05, from New York Times article by Ronald Smothers]
KAW RIVER R.R. LEASING BNSF LINE IN MISSOURI: Kaw River Railroad (KAW), an affiliate of Watco Companies, Inc., and BNSF announced April 21 that KAW has entered into a lease agreement for more than 15 route miles of track from BNSF on the Kearney to Birmingham, Missouri, line. KAW took over operations on the leased line April 21. The KAW trackage serves existing and potential customers at Kearney, Liberty and Birmingham along the leased track, and the transaction includes related yard, industry and main-line trackage rights. Commodities on the line are primarily paper and plastics. Watco Companies, Inc., a Pittsburg, Kansas, based company, operates 11 other short line railroads and operates in 19 states. [BNSF Today, 4-22-05]
AMTRAK ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC REFORM INITIATIVES: Amtrak Chairman David Laney and President and CEO David L. Gunn today [April 21] announced a series of bold and comprehensive strategic reform initiatives the railroad is undertaking as corporate actions and pursuing in legislation to revitalize U.S. passenger rail service, according to this release issued by the passenger carrier. Additionally, the railroad will seek $1.82-billion in federal funding to support critical FY '06 capital investment programs and to support national operations. MORE... [Amtrak, 4-21-05]
UNION PACIFIC REPORTS 1-Q RESULTS: Union Pacific Corporation today [April 21] reported earnings of $.48 per diluted share, or net income of $128-million in the first quarter of 2005 compared to earnings of $.63 per diluted share, or net income of $165-million for the first quarter of 2004. "Operationally, our performance has improved since the beginning of the year, but our earnings were impacted by the network challenges we continue to face as well as the West Coast storm. We estimate that the storm adversely affected net income by approximately $34-million," said Dick Davidson, chairman and chief executive officer. The company reported record operating revenue of $3.2-billion in the first quarter of 2005 compared to last year's $2.9-billion. Operating income in the first quarter of 2005 was $313-million compared to $314-million for the same period in 2004. [Union Pacific, 4-21-05]
THE RETURN OF THE METROLINERS: A venerable name in passenger railroading - Metroliner - is making a strong, albeit temporary, return to the Northeast Corridor as a substitute for Amtrak's grounded Acela Express service. Amtrak's 20 Acela Express trainsets, taken out of service earlier last week after cracks were found in 300 passenger coach disc brake rotor hubs, may begin re-turning to service this summer, following repairs. In their stead, Metroliner trains - Amfleet coaches hauled by AEM7 or HHP8 electric locomotives-will be used to fill New York-Washington and New York-Boston runs. Amtrak plans to provide on-the-hour Metroliner service between Washington and New York each weekday departing both end-points nearly every hour be-tween 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., effective April 25. Metroliner service increases to every-hour-on-the-hour weekdays from Washington and New York starting May 2. Metroliners will be supplemented with 20 Regional service roundtrips between Washington and New York, with most departing at five minutes past the hour from their origination point. [railwayage.com, 4-21-05]
MAN SENTENCED IN RAILROAD RETIREMENT FRAUD: A Glendive, Montana, man convicted of defrauding the Railroad Retirement Board will spend four years on federal probation and have to pay restitution of $10,000, according to the Billings Gazette. U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull on Wednesday (April 20) sentenced the man to the probationary term after a jury convicted him in January of one count of railroad retirement fraud and one count of theft of government property. The man, who was a conductor and worked for the BNSF for 30 years before being terminated, said he respected the jury and court but disagreed with the verdict. "I feel I'm not guilty," he said. The indictment alleged that from February through May of 2003, the man failed to advise the Railroad Retirement Board that he received income that would affect his continued eligibility to receive federal benefits. The government said that, while receiving $10,000 in disability annuity benefits, the man received compensation as a railroad worker that would have reduced his eligibility for benefits without informing the board. [United Transportation Union, 4-21-05, from Billings Gazette article]
FLORIDA EAST COAST REPORTS STRONG FIRST QUARTER: Florida East Coast Industries, Inc. (FECI) announced results for the first quarter of 2005, reporting consolidated revenues of $82.9-million, compared to $71.4-million for the first quarter 2004, according to this release issued by the company. Revenues for the first quarter 2005 included realty sales of $4.9-million, compared to $5.0-million in the first quarter 2004. Income from continuing operations was $8.1-million, or $0.25 per diluted share, for the first quarter 2005 (which includes $2.7-million of after-tax profit from land sales and $5.5-million of after-tax expenses related to the CEO transition), compared to income of $5.9-million, or $0.16 per diluted share, for the first quarter 2004. FECI reported consolidated first quarter 2005 net income of $8.1 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, compared to $8.3-million, or $0.22 per diluted share, for the prior-year quarter. [Florida East Coast Industries, 4-21-05]
ACELA TRAINS WILL NOT RUN UNTIL SUMMER, AMTRAK SAYS: Amtrak said Wednesday [April 20] that brake problems on its Acela Express trains would keep them out of service until sometime in the summer and that in the meantime, it was bringing back the old Metroliners. They will be used to fill nearly all of the Acelas' departure slots from Washington to New York, and Amtrak is also adding some trains from New York to Boston. Amtrak abruptly took all 20 of its high-speed Acelas out of service last Thursday [April 14] after cracks were discovered in brake parts. For a few hours on Monday, Amtrak thought it had one working Acela Express, after it fitted the train with undamaged parts from other Acelas. But a metallurgist Amtrak hired said he was not confident that the simple visual inspection the company had done revealed all important cracks. The brakes are unique in the rail industry, and there is no active production. About 70 spares are on hand, but about 300 brakes of the 1,440 in the Acela fleet are cracked. Production will start again, and initially, at least, the new parts will be of the same design as the ones that cracked. Amtrak has reshuffled trains from as far away as the West Coast to assemble a Metroliner fleet for the Northeast Corridor. "We are going to do all that we can to run a safe, reliable schedule that our passengers can count on," said William L. Crosbie, senior vice president for operations. The reason for the cracks is still unknown. David Slack, a spokesman for Bombardier, said the brake part in question would last a million miles "under normal wear and tear. Cracks in the spokes are not a function of normal wear and tear," he said. In the 1960's, Amtrak had a similar problem with the brakes on its new Amfleet cars, said David L. Gunn, the company president. He said Amtrak solved it by replacing the brakes with every second wheel replacement. Wheels on those cars last about 200,000 miles, he said. Amtrak now plans to demand that Bombardier provide a schedule for regular replacement of the brake parts, and then justify the schedule, Mr. Crosbie said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-21-05, from New York Times website article by Matthew L. Wald]
FRA ISSUES SAFETY ADVISORY ON GE RESERVOIR TANKS: The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen's National Legislative Office in Washington, D.C., is warning its members of potential "catastrophic failures" in main air reservoir tanks of certain General Electric locomotives. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has also issued Safety Advisory 2005-02 to make the rail industry aware of the situation. Reservoir tanks hold compressed air used to charge the brakepipe for the train. Air is pumped to them until they reach a pressure of approximately 140 psi from the locomotive's air compressor. The defective reservoir tanks were installed in approximately 2,700 General Electric Transportation System (GETS) locomotives. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-21-05]
SIERRA RAILROAD READY FOR SKUNK TRAIN'S RETURN: After a two-year absence, the 120-year-old 'Skunk Train' will be running again between Fort Bragg and Willits, California. Between Memorial Day weekend and late October, the Sierra Railroad Co. will begin operating four-hour excursion trains on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. During the 40-mile trip, Skunk trains will cross 30 bridges and trestles, move through two deep mountain tunnels and pass redwood forests. "The Skunk Train follows the same coastal redwoods route as when it began as a logging railroad in 1885," said Skunk Train President Christopher Hart in a prepared statement. Last year, Sierra Railroad acquired the California Western Railroad Co. or Skunk Train from a bankruptcy trustee. The Skunk's name refers to a pungent odor emitted by the railroad's early gasoline-powered cars. Sierra Railroad - which operates a 49-mile short line and 26 track miles formerly owned by Yolo Shortline Railroad Co. - also offers the Sierra Railroad Dinner Train in Oakdale, California, and Sacramento River Train in Woodland and West Sacramento. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-21-05]
CN RAIL'S PROFIT JUMPS: A strong economy and acquisitions such as the purchase of BC Rail boosted freight revenue at Canadian National Railway (CN), which posted a 42 percent increase in first quarter earnings on Wednesday (April 20), according to this Reuters report. The company, which operates in both Canada and the United States, remained bullish on revenue and income growth for the remainder of 2005, although chief executive Hunter Harrison admitted he has some worries about the long-term impact on the economy of high fuel prices. The Montreal-based company said it had a net profit of C$299-million, or C$1.04 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2005, compared with a profit of C$210-million, or 73 Canadian cents a share, in the same quarter of 2004. CN Rail's results in the first quarter of 2004 were weighed down by a labor dispute, but officials estimated the year-to-year income increase would still have been 33 percent had last year's strike not happened. Harrison said it was the first time Canadian National had been able to push its operating ratio below 70 percent in the first quarter when operations are often hampered by severe winter weather. [United Transportation Union, 4-20-05, from Reuters article]
COURT ORDERS DELAY IN D.C. HAZMAT RAIL BAN: A federal appeals court yesterday (April 19) temporarily barred the District from enforcing a new law that bans rail transport companies from shipping hazardous materials through the city, according to the Washington Post. Saying it needs more time to review legal issues, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued its order just hours before the law was to take effect. The judges said in the brief written order that their action was not "in any way a ruling on the merits" of the case. They acted at the request of CSX Transportation Inc., which is appealing a lower court ruling, issued Monday [April 18], that upheld the ban. The appellate court ordered the parties supporting the law - the D.C. government and the Sierra Club - to file responses to CSX's appeal by Friday afternoon. [United Transportation Union, 4-20-05, from Washington Post]
UTAH AGENCY TO BUILD FIVE LIGHT-RAIL LINES: The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) recently awarded a contract to Parsons Brinckerhoff to provide program management consulting services for a capital development program designed to expand transit services throughout the Wasatch Front. The $3.2-billion program includes building five light-rail and three bus rapid-transit lines. UTA plans to extend light rail to an intermodal hub in Salt Lake City, as well as along the Mid-Jordan, West Valley, Draper and Salt Lake City Airport corridors. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-20-05]
AMTRAK PRESIDENT BRIEFS EMPLOYEES ON ACELA SITUATION: We are just at the beginning of this situation, and there's not going to be any significant return of Acela service any time soon. However, we are taking a number of steps to deal with this situation, and I want to tell you about them. First, we are re-working the NEC schedule to slot in as many Metroliner trainsets as we can press into service. Some of this Metroliner Amfleet equipment is on the Adirondack, some of it is on the Downeaster service. These cars will be returned to the corridor. The Metroliner sets will be deployed in a manner that services the maximum number of our passengers. We're also moving as much Regional Amfleet equipment into the corridor as possible. New Jersey Transit is helping us by running a Clocker roundtrip with their equipment, freeing up our trainset. The West Coast Horizon charter equipment is coming east to free-up Amfleet equipment on the Empire Service. We are also suspending charter moves. The Mechanical department is doing an excellent job keeping the conventional equipment shop counts low. For the foreseeable future, Amfleets are all we will have in any quantity for service on the Northeast Corridor, although a few Acela sets may be available from time to time. Finally, let me acknowledge that this sudden and disappointing development comes as Amtrak's board of directors and legislative policymakers consider our federal support in FY '06 and the long-term future of the railroad. If anything is certain, however, the suspension of Acela service and the subsequent public reaction has pointed out just how important a reliable passenger rail system really is to the traveling public. [Amtrak memo to employees, 4-19-05]
CSXT ASSIGNS FIVE TO OPERATING DEPARTMENT POSITIONS: CSX Transportation announced it recently made five operations department appointments. The railroad named Mike Pendergrass vice president-transportation south; Bill Braman, Albany Division manager; Rod Workman, Atlanta Division manager; Bob Frulla, Jacksonville Division manager; and David Hamby; Atlanta Division assistant manager. A CSXT employee since 1989, Pendergrass most recently served as assistant VP of labor relations. Most recently AVP of service design, Braman has worked for CSXT and its predecessor railroads more than 30 years. Meanwhile, Workman - formerly director of merchandise design - is returning to the Atlanta Division. He previously served as the division's superintendent of operations before becoming the railroad's GM of yards and terminals. A 15-year CSXT veteran, Frulla previously was appointed director-curfew planning and GM of network operations. Finally, Hamby - who joined CSXT predecessor Seaboard Coast Line in 1978 - previously served as the Atlanta Division's terminal superintendent and line of road superintendent. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-18-05]
CSXT TO FILE APPEAL OF U.S. DISTRICT COURT DECISION ON D.C. LAW: CSX Transportation (CSXT) disagrees with the District Court's decision to uphold the District of Columbia's Act, and will file an appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit as quickly as possible. Today's ruling rejects the legal opinions of the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Justice and Homeland Security, and an order from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) declaring this law invalid. CSXT is required by federal law to transport materials - including hazardous materials - properly tendered to it by customers. Rail transportation is widely recognized to be the safest way to transport hazardous materials. Today's decision sets up a clear conflict for CSXT between the Court's decision, which would require CSXT to abide by the District's law, and the contrary legal positions of the U.S. Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and Transportation, and an order from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board declaring the District's law invalid. Moreover, CSXT believes that left unchallenged, the District's law could establish a precedent that could lead to a patchwork of similar laws that could virtually shut down rail transportation of critical commodities in the United States. The City of Baltimore is already moving forward on similar legislation, and other cities are considering similar bans as well. [CSX, 4-18-05]
HOUSTON METRO POSTS RECORD LIGHT-RAIL RIDERSHIP IN MARCH: Just 14 months after opening its 7.5-mile light-rail system, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas's (METRO) ridership exceeded the one million mark. Last month, the agency carried an average of 32,803 weekday passengers - a 76 percent increase compared with March 2004 and the highest ridership of any individual METRO-operated route, according to a prepared statement. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-18-05]
ENGINE OF AMTRAK'S TEXAS EAGLE DERAILS: An Amtrak train headed from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed Saturday evening [April 16] near Grand Saline, Texas, stranding 74 passengers and 11 crew members, Amtrak officials said. No injuries were reported. All four wheels of the Texas Eagle train's engine lost contact with the track at about 6:20 p.m. CDT, but the train remained upright about 65 miles east of Dallas, said Amtrak spokeswoman Tracy Connell. She said passengers remained in the train, which still had power, and were offered a free dinner. She said Amtrak planned to replace the engine and pull the train back to Dallas, where passengers would be offered accommodations while waiting for another Amtrak train to pick them up Sunday afternoon [April 17]. Amtrak was still investigating the cause of the derailment, Connell said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-17-05, from Associated Press report]
AMTRAK TO BEGIN SUSQUEHANNA BRIDGE PROJECT MAY 2: The crossties on the Susquehanna River Bridge on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor will be replaced in a six-week project beginning May 2. This will require two-track operation from the Bush River Bridge to just west of the Susquehanna River Bridge then single-track operation on the bridge itself over to Perryville. Several MARC commuter trains will turn back short of Perryville and Amtrak trains will experience delays of 20-30 minutes. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-15-05]
BRAKE PROBLEM HALTS AMTRAK'S ACELA SERVICE: Amtrak, on Friday morning, April 15, canceled its Acela Express service on the Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C., New York and Boston because of problems with the high-speed trains' braking systems. Cracks were found in brake components on most coaches of the trains during routine inspections, Amtrak said in a statement, adding that no brake failures or other safety problems had occurred. Most other Amtrak service was scheduled to operate normally. The express trains will remain out of service until the brake problems are fixed. No estimate was provided on how long the problem may take to solve. [United Transportation Union, 4-15-05, from Associated Press & Washington Post]
CHANGES TO AMTRAK'S APRIL 25 TIMETABLE ANNOUNCED: Southbound Silver Meteor will depart New York one hour later, restoring five days a week connection from upper New York State. Westbound Lake Shore Limited will depart New York one hour later, restoring connection from northbound Silver Meteor. Pennsylvanian name will return: westbound train will depart New York City at 9:55 a.m., arrive Pittsburg at 7:05 p.m. seven days a week. Eastbound will depart Pittsburgh 7:20 a.m. Monday-Saturday and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Westbound Capitol Limited will depart Washington 85 minutes earlier, making better connections with Pennsylvanian at Pittsburgh. Operations at Hammond-Whiting are being downsized; the station will become unstaffed and only Wolverine Corridor trains will stop at the facility. Vermonter has new times, restored bus connection to Montreal. Westbound California Zephyr will depart Chicago one hour earlier at 1:50 p.m. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-15-05]
J.P. MORGAN CUTS RATING ON THREE RAIL COMPANIES: Shares of Burlington Northern, Norfolk Southern and Canadian National Railway declined Thursday [April 14] after JP Morgan cut its rating on the three railroad companies, citing concerns about excess capacity and valuation. After JP Morgan analyst Gregory Burns cut his ratings to "neutral" from "overweight," saying capacity expansion in the rail sector could outpace demand. Railroad stocks Thursday are the worst performing of the 100 industry groups tracked by Dow Jones. "The Class I railroads are expanding capacity after years of shrinking capacity," Burns wrote in a Thursday research note that predicted a surplus from 2006 on. Burns' ratings cut on the three rail stocks puts them in line with JP Morgan's ratings on Union Pacific Corp. and CSX Corp. The analyst also said he expects rail prices to be undermined by excess capacity in trucking in 2006 and 2007. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-14-05, from Associated Press article by Alex Davidson]
BNSF TO LOWER GRAIN RATES: Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railway, the shipper of nearly all Montana-grown grain, has agreed to an immediate reduction in transportation rates for the state's wheat farmers, Gov. Brian Schweitzer announced Wednesday (April 13), according to the Great Falls Tribune. Farmers can expect to pay 3 to 4 cents less per bushel on wheat sent to West Coast markets. That should result in a statewide savings of $5-million to $6-million a year, Schweitzer said. BNSF confirmed it will adjust its rates in a news release sent late Wednesday afternoon. The deal is part of a larger BNSF plan to temporarily change the way it calculates the fuel surcharge on grain shipments. BNSF has agreed to a new method for calculating the fuel charge based on mileage instead of a percentage of shipping rates. The new rate will affect producers in four states: Montana, Minnesota and the Dakotas. The other states will wait until January 1 to see the savings. [United Transportation Union, 4-14-05, from Great Falls Tribune]
TCU IN MERGER TALKS: The Transportation Communications International Union, which represents railroad clerical and car department employees, is looking for a another union with which it can merge. In the March/April issue of TCU's magazine 'Interchange,' International President Robert Scardelletti explained that delegates to the union's 2004 convention had unanimously approved a resolution calling upon him to "actively pursue merger discussions." In the column entitled 'Telling it Like it is,' he wrote: "While our union remains strong today, the continuing loss of members makes it inevitable that a merger with another union will be needed." He added, "The time to act is now, while I can still do so from a position of strength. I will keep you informed as we work through the process and hope to have good news in the near future."
SIEMENS TO SUPPLY HIGH-SPEED TRAINS FOR RUSSIA: The Russian Railways (RZD) recently reached an initial agreement with Siemens Transportation Systems to supply 60 high-speed trains. The railway expects to sign a $1.5-billion delivery contract in the summer. Designed to travel up to 180 mph, the trains will operate mainly on RZD's Moscow-to-St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg-to-Helsinki routes. Siemens will manufacture the trains in Russia and use Russian suppliers. The company plans to deliver the first train in late 2007. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-14-05]
BALTIMORE, CSX IMPLEMENT SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS: Officials for Baltimore and CSX Corp. report that they have put in place the safety recommendations sought by federal transportation officials after their investigation of the 2001 train derailment and fire in a Baltimore tunnel, according to the WBAL website. Responding to changes urged in January by the National Transportation Safety Board, the city reported Tuesday [April 12] that it is communicating better with CSX and is more prepared for an emergency situation in a tunnel. [United Transportation Union, 4-13-05, from WBAL website report] MORE
TRAINS EXPECTED TO BE IN RENO TRENCH BY THANKSGIVING: Snow, rain and freezing temperatures slowed Reno's downtown railroad trench project for about two months this winter, but construction officials are optimistic trains will be in the trench by Thanksgiving, despite potential delays. An expedited work schedule that includes Saturdays and some overtime will make up for the weather-related slowdown, officials say. A late November entry into the trench would keep the project in line with the original schedule, they say. Street work also must be done. The project is still on schedule for completion by spring 2006. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-13-05, from Reno Gazette-Journal website report by Ben Kieckhefer]
SUIT SEEKS DAMAGES FROM UNION PACIFIC DIRECTORS: A Union Pacific Corp. shareholder has sued the company's directors, including Chief Executive Richard Davidson, contending that their handling of rail accidents and other incidents cost the company millions of dollars. Investor David Jaroslawicz sued 12 directors on behalf of Union Pacific, the biggest U.S. railroad, saying they breached their duty to act in the best interest of the company, according to papers filed in a Utah court last week. Omaha-based Union Pacific would collect any damages in the suit, which cites costs of $103-million from a single derailment in 2000. A series of New York Times articles last year said that Union Pacific and other railroads destroyed or tampered with evidence in crossing accidents and that the U.S. Transportation Department failed to investigate the wrecks. "Union Pacific has received the complaint and is reviewing it with counsel," Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley said Tuesday [April 12]. "The company has no further comment at this time." [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-13-05, from Bloomberg News article]
SACRAMENTO TRANSIT DISTRICT TO ADD STATION AMENITIES: Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) plans to implement a program that would offer passengers some creature comforts at stations. The agency is seeking vendors to sell retail goods, such as beverages, food, flowers, newspapers, magazines, maps, postcards and sundries, and provide services, including shoe shining. SacRT might implement the program by June. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-13-05]
UNION LEADER CALLS N.J. TRANSIT TRAINING INADEQUATE: A union leader yesterday [April 11] criticized NJ Transit's response to the recent flurry of stop signal violations, saying the agency was not doing enough to retrain its engineers. After six of its trains went through stop signals within five months, NJ Transit began what it called an "aggressive plan" to retrain all 419 engineers over the next 30 days by sending supervisors to ride at the controls with them. "This is absolutely not aggressive training," said Robert Vallochi, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, making his first public comments on NJ Transit's handling of the stop signal violations. "What they're doing is just a stop-gap measure. It's not going to stop another stop signal violation from happening." NJ Transit defended its training plan, saying 143 engineers already had gone through supervised rides and that workers had received study guides emphasizing rail safety. "We've reached out to the unions and we welcome their suggestions and feedback," NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett said. Vallochi said NJ Transit has been relying on engineers with too little experience - three or four years in some cases - to provide training to their coworkers. He ridiculed the safety guides. "That's the training - they tell us, 'Be careful,'" Vallochi said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-12-05, from Star-Ledger website report by Joe Malinconico]
CSXT LEASES SOUTHEASTERN LINE TO FIRST COAST R.R.: On April 8, CSX Transportation announced it leased a 32-mile segment between Yulee and Fernandina, Fla., and Seals, Ga., to First Coast Railroad (FCRD). A subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc.'s Rail Link Inc., FCRD will handle the line's traffic - which totals about 15,000 carloads of pulp and paper, chemicals and agricultural products annually - and interchange cars with CSXT. "This portion of our network consists mainly of paper products customers and the majority of the traffic comes from three customers," said CSXT Vice President of Strategic Planning Les Passa in a prepared statement. "Often, segments of railroad with such specific needs are more efficiently operated by short lines." Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Rail Link operates 10 short lines serving shippers at 28 locations in 11 states. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-11-05]
CREWS 'DISSED' AS CEO'S ROLL IN DOUGH, U.T.U. SAYS: Union Pacific Railroad, which, along with other carriers wants give-backs from its train and engine service employees, has a different opinion regarding its board of directors and its chairman. Union Pacific thinks its directors should be paid more just to be honest... Honest! And despite Union Pacific's well-publicized service failures, its chairman, Dick Davidson, was awarded a huge stock option. For sure, you will use up most of your fingers counting the figures in a CEO's annual pay. BNSF Chairman Matt Rose received total compensation of about $13 million last year - although he might complain it wasn't all cash. He's correct. Some of it was the value of country club memberships and the use of BNSF's corporate jet. MORE.. [United Transportation Union, 4-11-05]
RAIL STOCKS CHUG AHEAD, IN DEMAND: Railroad stocks have steam left for further gains despite a recent run-up and growing concerns that rising fuel prices will slow economic growth, analysts said. A surge in global freight traffic and U.S. economic expansion last year fueled record volumes and allowed railroads to raise prices for the first time in decades - even those who faced service disruptions because they were caught unprepared by the demand. That has fueled investor optimism on Wall Street that railroads will post strong first-quarter results later this month. Union Pacific Corp., the largest U.S. railroad and one that struggled last year with service issues, raised its quarterly outlook last month because West Coast storms had a smaller-than-expected impact. Tony Hatch, an independent rail analyst, said that he expects most U.S. railroads to meet, if not beat, first-quarter profit estimates. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-10-05, from Reuters report]
GUILFORD CITED FOR CREW SHORTAGES: Shippers on the Guilford Rail System are expressing frustration with the shortline's service and have organized to press for changes, including urging Maine legislators to increase scrutiny of rail operations in that state, reports Argus Rail Business newsletter. Having banded together under the banner of the Northeast Rail Consumers Association, the regional shippers discussed at a March 30 meeting options for improving rail service on Guilford and other carriers in the region. Among their complaints, customers of Guilford, which exerts a dominant presence in the New England rail market, say the carrier suffers from frequent delays due to crew and locomotive shortages. Shippers say the problems are pervasive enough that they are backing a bill in the Maine legislature that would authorize the state consumer advocate to look into the quality of rail service, as it does with telephone service or electricity delivery. Guilford controls about 27 percent of the rail track in New England, and handles an estimated 18 percent of the region's carloads. Its traffic volume is estimated to be second only to CSX's in New England. Guilford officials expressed surprise that a large number of shippers would feel the need to organize over service issues. "We talk individually with [customers]. We do not understand where that drive is coming from," Guilford corporate counsel Rob Culliford told Argus. "Feedback from shippers is good." In addition, Culliford questioned the need for a new group because the Northeast Association of Rail Shippers has existed for many years to represent regional shippers. The railroad also has acquired additional boxcars to meet rising demand from paper shippers. The shortline now owns or controls 2,200 boxcars, he said. The formation of a consumers association under Maine law protects the individual members' confidentiality as they air grievances. [United Transportation Union, 4-10-05, from Argus Rail Business Newsletter]
EXPERTS, CREWS DEBATE FATE OF K-4 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE: A western Pennsylvania railroad museum's centerpiece, the last working K-4 steam engine in the world, may be falling further behind schedule. Efforts to restore the vintage K-4 locomotive, designed and built in Altoona 87 years ago, have already taken five years longer than expected. The locomotive, which broke down during tourist trips in the late 1980s, was moved from the Altoona Railroaders Memorial Museum to the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton in 1997 for three years of expected repairs. Officials with the museum say the locomotive could be repaired and return to railroad tracks by fall, but some steam engine enthusiasts and experts are skeptical. Among the skeptics are Ross Rowland, who has been called "America's Greatest Railfan," and Bill Benson, who has restored as many as six locomotives, including a steam engine that pulled American Freedom Train for the U.S. bicentennial. Rowland claims the restoration of the K-4 shouldn't have taken longer than two years. He claims the museum didn't hire one of a handful of people in the country experienced enough to restore a steam engine. Benson claims crews working on the K-4 had no reason to tear it apart. It was repaired in 1986 and, when it broke down after a year, it was because of main-bearing and drive-axle failure, he said. That meant crews only needed to fix those parts and improve the locomotive's lubrication, he added. But museum Executive Director Scott Cessna said Rowland may be critical because he wasn't hired by the museum to evaluate the engine and said the two have "a contentious relationship." Meanwhile, Cessna and other people who have worked on steam engines said the K-4 should be repaired from the wheels up. "Yeah, it takes longer and costs more. But what would it cost to take it apart four or five (more) times?" said Steve Lee, manager of the Union Pacific Railroads steam program in Cheyenne, Wyo. Little work appears to have been done on the locomotive since August. The big barrel of the boiler still sits on jacks over a work pit and pieces are spread around the shop. But museum officials say work should move quickly after the museum gets approval from the Federal Railroad Administration to repair the steam dome, a reservoir for steam on top of the locomotive. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-10-05, from Associated Press report]
JUDGE'S D.C. HAZMAT PLAN REBUFFED BY CSX, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: CSX Transportation Inc. and the federal government yesterday (April 7) refused a judge's offer to help settle a dispute with the District over the city's plan to ban railroad shipments of hazardous cargo, setting up a legal showdown on the issue, according to this report by Carol D. Leonnig published by the Washington Post. U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, who this week proposed a 30-day cooling-off period for negotiations, probably will rule next week on whether the ban can take effect. The decision is certain to be appealed, according to all parties involved in the case. The railroad company said it wants a court ruling on the legality of the ban, which prohibits the shipment of hazardous materials along the 37 miles of rail lines in the city. Reading aloud in court from a written statement, CSX attorney Mary Gay Sprague said that her company doubts it can strike a deal because it is unwilling to halt hazmat shipments through the city and D.C. officials are determined to reroute all those shipments outside the city. The federal government, which is siding with CSX in the dispute, also declined to participate in the judge's settlement proposal. [United Transportation Union, 4-8-05, from Washington Post report by Carol D. Leonnig]
U.S. AVERAGE TRAIN SPEED STILL A DRAG, SMITH BARNEY/CITIGROUP SAYS: As of April Fools Day, the U.S. Class I's hardly were in a jovial mood about their average system velocity. Through 2005's first 13 weeks ending April 1, the roads' train speeds still lagged behind last year's averages while the Canadian Class Is continued to boost velocity, according to Smith Barney/Citigroup's ground transportation research report. Average train speeds stood at 24.6 mph for Kansas City Southern, down 10.2 percent; 19.5 mph for CSX Transportation, down 6.5 percent; 24.1 mph for BNSF Railway Co., down 6.2 percent; 21.2 mph for Union Pacific Railroad, down 3.9 percent; 24.2 mph for Canadian National Railway Co., up 3.3 percent and 24.4 mph for Canadian Pacific Railway, up 2.1 percent compared with 2004's first 13 weeks. Data wasn't available for Norfolk Southern. "The Canadian rails continue to be the only North American Class I's to see year-over-year improvement in their service metrics," said Smith Barney/Citigroup Managing Director and Progressive Railroading columnist Scott Flower in the report. Excluding UP, all the Class I's continue to operate more cars on line compared with last year. Through 13 weeks, KCS' cars on line increased 7.9 percent to 27,385 units; BNSF's, 3.4 percent to 200,978 units; CPR's, 2.0 percent to 69,347 units; and CSX's, 1.5 percent to 234,189 units. UP's cars on line dropped 0.1 percent to 321,492 units. "Cars on line at Union Pacific have declined for four consecutive weeks to their lowest level since early 2004, thus possibly indicating improving network fluidity," said Flower. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-8-05]
SOCIAL SECURITY DEBATE AFFECTS RAILROAD RETIREMENT, UNION LEADER SAYS: The debate over the Bush Administration's desire to privatize Social Security is important to rail workers because Railroad Retirement has an important connection to Social Security. Tier I benefits are funded by Social Security through a transfer arrangement with Railroad Retirement. It is instructive that the Bush Administration, while claiming Social Security is headed for bankruptcy, is ignoring two relatively easy adjustments that would not tinker with this time-tested income security blanket for the aged. One relatively minor fix would be to eliminate the cap on earnings subject to the Social Security tax. That cap currently is $90,000. There can be no question that high-income executives earning hundreds of thousands - even millions - of dollars annually can well afford to pay a Social Security tax on the entirety of their earnings and not have them capped for Social Security purposes as they now are. Another relatively minor fix would be to trim benefits for those retiring with millions of dollars in stock options and hefty private-pension plans. Although the Bush Administration says it wants to give citizens greater personal control over their retirement savings, almost four out of five Americans polled by independent researchers say the federal government should continue to be responsible to assure a decent standard of living for the elderly. Democratic leaders say that Bush's plan for private accounts would require huge borrowing, put Americans at much greater financial risk and be devastating to the stability of the 70-year-old government pension plan. [United Transportation Union, 4-8-05, from essay by Jim Cumby, vice president, yardmasters]
RAIL FREIGHT TRAFFIC UP IN MARCH: U.S. railroads originated 1,729,924 carloads of freight in March 2005, up 2.5 percent (42,764 carloads) from March 2004, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported. U.S. intermodal rail traffic, which consists of trailers and containers on flat cars and is not included in carload figures, totaled 1,056,685 units in March 2005, up 3.0 percent (31,045 trailers and containers) compared with March 2004. For the first three months of 2005, total U.S. rail carloadings were up 2.5 percent (107,154 carloads) to 4,402,656 carloads, while intermodal traffic was up 7.6 percent (196,209 units) to 2,781,254 trailers and containers. Total volume was estimated at 408.7 billion ton-miles, up 3.3 percent from last year. "The traffic gains in March reflect an economy that is expanding at a healthy pace," noted AAR Vice President Craig F. Rockey. "But freight railroads are not just passive beneficiaries of that growth. Rather, their efficiency and cost effectiveness actively contribute to that growth and help our economy expand faster than it otherwise would. Operating largely behind the scenes, U.S. freight railroads are moving more freight today than ever before." [Assn. of American Railroads, 4-7-05]
CN, NORFOLK SOUTHERN PLACE NEW LOCOMOTIVE ORDERS: Citing continuing business growth, CN and Norfolk Southern have announced orders for up to 200 new locomotives. Through mid-2006, CN will take delivery of 50 4,400-hp ES44DC locomotives from GE Transportation Rail and 25 4,300-hp SD70M-2 locomotives from EMD (Electro-Motive Diesel, formerly the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors). Both models are d.c. traction and are compliant with EPA Tier 2 emissions regulations. Deliveries will commence in the fourth quarter of this year and be completed by mid-2006. The units will allow CN to replace 100 older 3,000-3,600 horsepower road locomotives. The orders include options through 2008 for an additional 25 ES44DCs and 50 SD70M-2s. [railwayage.com, 4-7-05]
BNSF BRUSH CLEARING ANGERS RESIDENTS: Residents of Peshastin, Washington, were bemoaning the loss of wildlife habitat and a popular trail along the Wenatchee River after a bulldozer cleared a wide swath of land along the railroad tracks. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway ordered the roughly 15-mile-long area between Winton and Wenatchee cleared of brush for fire prevention. The wooded area is a home for migratory birds that return each spring to nest and is a popular place for hiking, birdwatching and fishing, said Devera Sharp, a teacher and neighbor trying to limit the amount of land cleared. "There's an amazing number of birds just arriving - to devastated habitat. It looks like a landing strip. It's depressing," Sharp said. State Fish and Wildlife agents visited the site earlier this week to survey the damage, said Sgt. Doug Ward, field officer for the Wenatchee regional office. Ward said he did not know why the railroad would be cutting a wide fire break that close to the river, but his inspection of county maps showed that the work was done on BNSF property and that the department likely would have no jurisdiction. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-7-05, from Associated Press report]
PUBLIC VOICES FRUSTRATION OVER IDAHO REFUELING STATION: A public hearing on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Co.'s contamination of the region's aquifer drew plenty of participants, but neither representatives from the railroad nor elected officials showed up. "If they are good corporate citizens, why aren't they here tonight?" Coeur d'Alene resident Jack Clay. Wednesday [April 6] night's gathering was the first large public hearing since leaks were discovered in December at BNSF's refueling depot near Rathdrum. The meeting offered no prospects for regulatory changes, but student organizers at North Idaho College said they hoped the venue would give the public a chance to vent. Kootenai County commissioners were invited, but all said they had previous engagements. Railroad spokesman Gus Melonas said BNSF officials saw no benefit in attending an emotional meeting that was not based on science. The $42-million refueling station opened September 1, and officials have found at least four fuel leaks since. The station sits atop an underground aquifer that is the sole source of drinking water for 400,000 people in northern Idaho and Spokane, Washington. The facility has been closed for repairs since February. A court hearing on the future of the depot was scheduled for Friday [April 8], but the railroad asked for an extension until April 28 to allow for more definitive tests, Melonas said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-7-05, from Associated Press article]
TWO STREETCARS COLLIDE IN PHILADELPHIA: Several hospital rooms became a detour for about a dozen SEPTA passengers yesterday afternoon [April 6] after they rode in a pair of trolleys that collided on the Market Street subway-surface tracks, according to the Daily News. Medics rushed 10 men and women with small scrapes, bruises and pains to Hahnemann, Graduate and Methodist hospitals after the 4:09 p.m. accident. Trolley 36 slammed into trolley 10 as both were feet away from the Market Street station. The accident was a catalyst for major delays affecting all subway-surface lines crossing through Market and 15th streets. Gary Fairfax, a SEPTA spokesman, said the 10,11,13,34,36 were "halted" for 70 minutes as transit officials investigated what went wrong with the two trolleys. By 5:17 p.m. all the lines were running but with delays. [United Transportation Union, 4-7-05, from Daily News report]
N.J. TRANSIT SUSPENDS SIX ENGINEERS FOR RED SIGNAL VIOLATIONS: A recent rash of trains running through stop signals has prompted New Jersey Transit to suspend six engineers and require all others to go through special safety training, according to the Associated Press. The actions follow six trains failing to stop between Nov. 3 and March 22. In the most recent, a Midtown Direct train went through a red light near New York Penn Station and wound up on the same track as an oncoming train. Both trains were going slowly and were able to stop before hitting each other, officials said. Four of the six incidents involved Midtown Direct trains leaving or approaching New York Penn Station. The others involved Northeast Corridor trains going through stop signals at Secaucus Junction. The six engineers, who were not identified, were suspended for 30 days without pay, said NJ Transit spokeswoman Penny Bassett Hackett. Since March 22, the agency has also put all engineers through training on safety policies, and rail supervisors have been riding with engineers to oversee procedures. [United Transportation Union, 4-7-05, from Associated Press report]
N.Y. MAN SENTENCED IN ATTEMPTED TRAIN THEFT: A man obsessed with trains was sentenced Wednesday [April 6] to up to three years in prison for trying to steal a Long Island Railroad locomotive. Darius McCollum, 39, pleaded guilty in February to attempted grand larceny. The charge stemmed from his 20th arrest for illegally posing as a subway motorman and other transit workers. Wearing an orange reflector vest and hard hat, McCollum entered an LIRR yard last year posing as a safety consultant and asked representatives of a locomotive company how to operate a new type of engine, prosecutors said. McCollum left the train yard when his identity was questioned. He later was found with stolen keys, including one for the new locomotive, prosecutors said. Supporters of McCollum have claimed his obsession stems from Asperger's syndrome, a social disorder similar to autism. He first made headlines at age 15 when he commandeered a subway train. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-7-05, from Associated Press report]
RISON, ARKANSAS, DEPOT ACQUIRED BY HISTORICAL SOCIETY: The former Cotton Belt depot at Rison, Arkansas, has been obtained by the Cleveland County Historical Society from a private owner. The society advises that the building, which replaced an older depot that was destroyed in a train wreck around the turn of the 20th century and closed around in the 1960's, will likely be moved to the Cleveland County Courthouse lot. For many years, the depot was open round the clock. Prior to signal installation about 1944, telegraphers handled train orders. They also handled freight, truck shipments and Railway Express, sold passenger tickets and served as agents for Western Union. [Arkansas Railroader, 4-05, from item by Lynn Gaines Jr.]
SAN DIEGO TROLLEY TO OPEN MISSION VALLEY EXTENSION IN JULY: San Diego's Metropolitan Transit System recently announced San Diego Trolley will open its Mission Valley East extension July 10. The 5.8-mile line will serve San Diego State University, Qualcomm Stadium, Mission Valley, downtown San Diego, south bay and the U.S.-Mexico border. To operate as the new Green Line, the four-station extension will eliminate a gap in the system between the Mission San Diego Station on the Blue Line and the Grossmont Center Station on the Orange Line. The line is projected to average 11,000 passengers daily.[ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-7-05]
RAILROADS NEED TO ACQUIRE 70,000 RAILCARS ANNUALLY TO MEET DEMAND: North American railroads need to acquire more rail cars to meet surging demand because overall rail capacity remains tight, according to a report by transportation forecasting firm FTR Associates. "Although carloads increased 5.2 percent last year - the largest rise since 1994 - railroads have been unable to boost productivity by increasing train speed. Railroads most likely won't boost speed until next year," FTR stated. By 2015, railroads will need to begin retiring an average of 60,000 cars annually, FTR estimates. Currently, the number of rail cars in service is at its highest level since the merger years of 1997 and 1998. Half of the cars are more than 20 years old. [Assn. of American Railroads Newsletter, 4-6-05]
CANADIAN NATIONAL ORDERS 75 LOCOMOTIVES: Canadian National Railway Co. says it has placed orders for 75 high-horsepower locomotives from two builders, with options to buy 75 more. The Montreal-based railway said Wednesday [April 6] it will take delivery of 50 ES44DC locomotives from GE Transportation Rail, a unit of General Electric Company, and 25 SD70M-2s from Electro-Motive Diesel, starting in late 2005. The ES44DCs are rated at 4,400 horsepower and the SD70M-2s at 4,300 horsepower. CN said it has also negotiated options, effective through 2008, to acquire 25 more ES44DCs and 50 more SD70M-2s. At the end of 2004, CN had 1,343 main-line locomotives and 718 yard-switching locomotives. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-6-05, from Canadian Press report]
MISSOURI BUDGET WRITERS VOTE TO RESTORE AMTRAK FUNDING: House budget writers have restored money for Amtrak passenger train service. The House budget plan would fund the passenger trains, which make eight stops between Kansas City and St. Louis, with about $6.2-million, roughly the same amount Amtrak received for the current fiscal year. Gov. Matt Blunt originally proposed funding Amtrak at $6.4-million, but then a House subcommittee on transportation recommended eliminating all Amtrak funding to help balance the budget. Supporters said Amtrak is vital for some travelers and contend ridership would rise if the route's funding wasn't in jeopardy every year. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-6-05, from Associated Press report]
EMD CHANGES OWNERS, MANAGEMENT AND NAME: EMD now is under new ownership and leadership, and operating under a new name: Electro-Motive Diesel Inc. Yesterday [April 5], Greenbriar Equity Group L.L.C. and Berkshire Partners L.LC. announced they completed their acquisition of Electro-Motive Division from General Motors Corp. The deal includes EMD's North American and international locomotives; power, marine and industrial products; spare parts and parts rebuilding business; locomotive maintenance contracts; and LaGrange, Ill., and London, Ontario manufacturing facilities. Greenbriar and Berkshire named John Hamilton president and chief executive officer, and appointed Jerry Greenwald non-executive chairman of EMD. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-6-05]
FREIGHTCAR AMERICAN INITIATES INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING: FreightCar America Inc. is launching an initial public offering of 8.5 million shares of common stock priced at $19 per share on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol "RAIL." The company is selling 5.1 million shares; stockholders are offering the remainder. FreightCar America officials expect the offering to generate $86-million. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-6-05]
UNION PACIFIC TO BASE FIRST 'GREEN GOAT' ENGINE IN CALIFORNIA: Union Pacific Railroad announced April 6 that it is basing its first low-emissions diesel-hybrid locomotive in California to help reduce air emissions. The locomotive will be used in light switching service in the Fresno yard area. The locomotive is powered by large banks of storage batteries. When the locomotive is not running, a small low-emissions diesel engine on board recharges the batteries. It is expected the hybrid will cut air emissions by 80 to 90 percent and reduce diesel fuel use by 50 to 80 percent compared to a conventional diesel-powered switching locomotive. This locomotive is the world's largest and heaviest hybrid land vehicle currently in production. Union Pacific is the first major railroad to regularly operate the hybrid locomotive. The hybrid locomotive has been designated by the California Air Resources Board as an "ultra low-emitting locomotive" because its exhaust emissions are significantly lower than the current Environmental Protection Agency requirements for locomotive emissions. Railroad locomotives have been regulated by the federal government since Jan. 1, 2000. Locomotive emissions regulations are currently in their third level or "tier" since inception in 2000, with each level being increasingly stringent in allowable amounts of nitrous oxides and particulate matter in locomotive exhaust. The original hybrid test locomotive was nicknamed "Green Goat" for its environmentally symbolic green paint scheme by its builder, Railpower Technologies, of Vancouver, British Columbia. Union Pacific tested the experimental Green Goat in its Roseville, California, and Chicago yards during the second half of 2002 and the first half of 2003, respectively. [Union Pacific, 4-6-05]
NORFOLK SOUTHERN ADDING LOCOMOTIVES: Norfolk Southern Corp. plans to acquire 50 more new locomotives than initially planned this year in response to continuing increases in traffic levels, according to the Daily Press. The 50 locomotives will be in addition to the purchase of 52 high-adhesion locomotives announced in the 2005 capital spending budget, increasing the number of locomotives in Norfolk Southern's fleet to nearly 4,000 units. The Norfolk-based company is coming off a year of record volume growth and strong demand for rail transportation of freight, officials said. [United Transportation Union, 4-5-05, from Daily Press report]
CP RAIL SIGNS COAL DEAL: Canadian Pacific Railway said on Tuesday (April 5) it reached a five-year agreement with Fording Canadian Coal Trust to transport metallurgical coal from the Elk Valley coal mines in southeast British Columbia to ports in Vancouver, according to this Reuters report. As a result of the deal, the country's No. 2 railway said its 2005 earnings per share should increase by about 38 percent to 43 percent to a range of C$3.15 ($2.58) to C$3.25. The five year deal is retroactive to April 1, 2004, and extends to March 31, 2009. It includes a commitment to increase the volumes of coal to be shipped in line with planned capacity increases at Elk Valley. As well, CPR and Elk Valley have agreed to discontinue all legal and regulatory proceedings related to a dispute over coal hauling rates. [United Transportation Union, 4-5-05, from Reuters report]
MONTANA BILL WOULD FORCE CHEAPER BNSF GRAIN SHIPPING RATES: The Montana House gave final approval Monday [April 4] to a bill intended to force Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway to reduce shipping rates for Montana grain growers. BNSF hauls nearly all of the state's export grain and charges a higher rate than it does in states with more competitive shipping alternatives, according to a 2004 report on Montana freight competition. The discrepancy costs Montana growers about $60-million a year, the report said. BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas called the bill "inappropriate and a violation of federal laws." During a hearing on the bill in the House Taxation Committee, BNSF representative Alec Vincent said the railroad would have little choice but to file suit if the bill were enacted. Bergren said the bill already is having the desired effect. The railroad's chief executive officer and Gov. Brian Schweitzer have set a tentative meeting time to discuss shipping rates, he said. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-5-05, from Great Falls Tribune website report by Jared Miller]
N.Y. STATE AMTRAK DERAILMENT BEING INVESTIGATED: Investigators were still working Monday afternoon (April 4) to determine why a passenger train derailed Sunday evening in Lyons, Wayne County, N.Y., according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. No one was reported hurt when three of six cars in the Amtrak train slipped from the track about 6:20 p.m. Sunday. The three cars remained upright. Federal investigators were focusing on the possibility of a track problem, but they had no hard evidence of one Monday afternoon, said Warren Flatau, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration. CSX, which owns the track, has not yet drawn any conclusions about the cause, spokeswoman Jane Covington said. The train, headed from New York City to Niagara Falls, was carrying 104 passengers, Amtrak spokeswoman Marcie Golgoski said. [United Transportation Union, 4-5-05, from Democrat & Chronicle report]
ITALIAN RAILWAYS ORDERS 100 LOCOMOTIVES FROM BOMBARDIER: Bombardier Transportation has announced that it received an order from Trenitalia (Italian Railways) for 100 E464 electric locomotives. The $323-million contract follows an initial 50-unit order placed in 1996, and three additional options for 90, 100 and 48 units received in 1999, 2001 and 2003, respectively. Deliveries of the new 100-unit set are scheduled to take place between September 2005 and November 2007. With a maximum power of 3.5 MW and a top speed of just under 100 MPH, the E464 represents state-of-the-art technology for medium-power 3kV DC locomotives, Bombardier says. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-5-05]
STUDY RECOMMENDS AGAINST CHEYENNE RAIL CHANGES: Relocating railroad tracks and a rail yard out of Cheyenne, Wyoming, is not feasible at this time, according to a study. The Western Cheyenne Transportation Study was conducted to check into the idea of relocating the BNSF mainline and the rail yard out of Cheyenne and off the F.E. Warren Air Force Base. The study also looked at rail-served industrial facilities, identified potential funding sources and investigated future passenger rail opportunities in Cheyenne. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-5-05, from Associated Press report]
N.J. TRANSIT TOUTS PROPOSED RAIL TUNNEL: NJ Transit hopes to get its plan for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River on track, touting it as a job creator and time-saver for thousands of commuters. A study says the proposed Trans-Hudson Express tunnel, known as the "THE," would immediately double rail capacity into and out of New York, meet NJ Transit's needs for at least 20 years, and help support development along the west side of Manhattan as well as in New Jersey. The study said the tunnel would generate $10-billion in new economic activity in the region and add $480-million to its tax base over the next 20 years. It also projected 44,000 new jobs created in the region over the next decade because of the new tunnel, nearly 16,000 in New Jersey and 28,000 in New York. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-4-05, from Associated Press report by Wayne Parry]
AMTRAK DERAILMENT INJURES 26: Officials said the engine of an Amtrak train derailed Sunday (April 3) along the Columbia River in Washington State, sending at least 26 passengers to hospitals with mostly minor injuries, according to this Associated Press report. The Portland-bound train was carrying 115 people when the locomotive's wheels left the track, leaving four passenger cars leaning upright against an embankment in the Columbia River Gorge, about 45 miles east of Portland, Amtrak spokeswoman Marcie Golgoski said. Two people remained in hospitals Sunday evening, including a pregnant woman who was admitted for observation. Twenty-four others were treated and released. The National Transportation Safety Board and BNSF were investigating the cause of the accident. Amtrak hoped to resume service on the line by Tuesday, Amtrak spokeswoman Sarah Swain said. Buses were being used to take passengers between Portland and Spokane in the meantime. [United Transportation Union, 4-4-05, from Associated Press report]
ALASKA R.R. REPORTS RECORD PROFITS: The Alaska Railroad had a record year in 2004, reporting $15.4-million in profits on total revenue of $129.5-million, according to this Associated Press report. In 2003, the state-owned railroad reported $14.5-million in profits and $128.7-million in revenue. Revenue from shipping freight, the railroad's core business, was up 1.5 percent from the prior year. At the same time, passenger revenue rose 19 percent. Ridership on the Alaska rails rebounded last year to about 500,000 people, up from 467,000 in 2003, which was a nine-year low. Bill O'Leary, the railroad's chief financial officer, attributed the increase in part to a generally stronger Alaska tourism industry last year as well as increased marketing of its passenger service. Ridership on the Glacier Discovery train was up 13 percent, O'Leary said. The railroad's Coastal Classic, which runs between Anchorage and Seward, saw ridership increase 3 percent, Ridership on the Denali Star train between Anchorage and Fairbanks was up 7 percent, O'Leary said. [United Transportation Union, 4-4-05, from Associated Press report]
BNSF ACCUSED OF GOUGING IN MONTANA: The Montana Wheat & Barley Committee is claiming that the state's primary rail shipper is overcharging farmers with high fuel fees - gouging in the eyes of the group's chairman, according to this Associated Press report by Becky Bohrer. But a spokesman for the BNSF Railway takes issue with the results of the analysis done for the committee, and said the fuel surcharge isn't in place to make a profit. The work done by the committee's transportation consultant, Terry Whiteside, estimated the railroad was charging between 5 cents and 7 cents per bushel more for fuel than its actual costs. Whiteside said he used company data. Don Fast, chairman of the wheat and barley committee, said freight rates for Montana farmers have long been high when compared with shippers in states with a competitive rail structure. [United Transportation Union, 4-4-05, from Associated Press report by Becky Bohrer]
MISSISSIPPI COURT THROWS OUT JUDGEMENT AGAINST I.C.G.: The Mississippi Supreme Court has thrown out a $662,268 judgment against Illinois Central Gulf Railroad in a lawsuit over a car-train accident at a crossing in DeSoto County. William K. Milward sued the railroad over the Aug. 8, 1998, accident, which occurred during a heavy rainstorm. A Quitman County jury returned a verdict finding Milward to be 40 percent at fault for the accident, Illinois Central to be 60 percent at fault and Milward's total damages to be $662,268. The judge denied Illinois Central's motion to overturn the damage award. The Supreme Court ruled this past week that Milward didn't prove the railroad was responsible for the accident. The court pointed to Milward's drinking at a casino before heading home and his testimony that he did not pull over or stop when he approached the railroad crossing. [Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, 4-3-05, from Associated Press report]
NEW MEXICO COMMUTER TRAIN TO BE CALLED 'RAIL RUNNER': The new commuter rail operation between Belen and Bernalillo through Albuquerque, NM will be called the "Rail Runner." The name and paint scheme, arguable one of the most interesting in North America, were unveiled last week by New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. The service is still on target to begin by the end of the year. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-1-05]
PASSENGER RAIL HUB TO BE BUILT IN TEXAS: One of the largest passenger rail line hubs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was announced last Friday by Congressman Kenny Marchant (R-TX) during a news conference in Carrollton, TX. Just under $10-million in federal funding under the proposed TEA-21 renewal (TEA-LU), will go toward the development of what is to be the first suburban transit hub in the region. The center will be a hub for trains to downtown Dallas, Denton to the north, DFW International Airport and Fort Worth to the west and suburbs to the east of the Metroplex. The hub will be an interchange point for light rail, commuter rail and bus services. [National Assn. of Railroad Passengers, 4-1-05]
N.Y.- N.J. PORT AUTHORITY ORDERS 340 PATH CARS: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has awarded a $499-million contract to Kawasaki Rail Car Inc. to design and build 340 new Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) passenger cars. PANYNJ plans to replace its current cars, which averages 33 years old. Scheduled to be delivered between late 2008 and 2011, the cars will feature improved lighting, air conditioning, heating and signage, as well as cantilevered seats with storage room underneath and pre-recorded station announcements. [ProgressiveRailroading.com, 4-1-05]
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