Norfolk Southern
Month: August 2010
Amtrak
Town Of Normal, Ill., and Amtrak Break Ground for Multimodal Transportation Center
NORMAL, Ill. – Federal and state officials joined representatives of the Town of Normal and Amtrak today to ceremonially break ground for a Multimodal Transportation Center that will serve as a station for Amtrak rail and motorcoach passengers, local transit buses and will include a multi-level parking structure.
FRA
FRA Receives 77 Applications for High-Speed Passenger Rail Funding Totaling $8.5 Billion
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood announced that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has received 77 applications from 25 states for the most recent round of High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) grant funding. Application requests total more than $8.5 billion and will be considered for funding from more than $2.3 billion appropriated in FY 2010. This is in addition to the $8 billion appropriated in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) as a down payment for the HSIPR program. “The response to our call to transform America’s transportation landscape has been tremendous and shows the country is
FRA
Railroad Industry Collaboration Enters New Phase in Working to Prevent Employee Switching Fatalities
WASHINGTON –Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo praised the work of the Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group and issued a call to action for the rail industry to take steps to help prevent railroad employee deaths. This comes in response to events of the past five years during which 55 train and engine service employees have died while engaged in rail yard switching operations. SOFA is a decade-old voluntary, non-regulatory workplace safety partnership. “The risks to employees engaged in switching operations are real and ever-present, and injuries and deaths resulting from such activities are seldom random or simply unfortunate
BNSF
BNSF Logistics Selected to Inbound Logistics Top Ten List
SPRINGDALE, Ark. — BNSF Logistics LLC has been named one of the top logistics providers for the seventh consecutive year by readers of Inbound Logistics magazine in its annual “Top 10 3PL Excellence” awards program. More than 6,000 votes were cast in this year’s survey, for over 800 unique third-party logistics providers. “Recent economic times have forced companies to deal with product scalability, demand volatility, access to capacity, and matching inventory more tightly to demand,” stated Felecia Stratton, Editor of Inbound Logistics. “BNSF Logistics qualifies because it has shown consistent results in helping customers navigate stormy economic times.” “Each year,
Amtrak
N.J. Transit Applies for High Speed Rail Funding
NEWARK, N.J. — N.J. Transit said it is seeking $885 million in new federal funding for the renewal and replacement of key infrastructure on the Northeast Corridor, such as aging bridges, power supply and signal systems between Trenton and New York City. A critical component of these upgrades will be the replacement of Amtrak’s Portal Bridge and concurrent expansion of rail capacity over the Hackensack River, an effort that will eliminate a major bottleneck and source of delays for rail commuters in New Jersey. “These funds enable us to invest in improving the reliability and capacity of the busiest passenger rail line
BNSF
Berkshire Hathaway Operating Earnings Increase
FORT WORTH, Texas — Berkshire Hathaway operating earnings for the second quarter and first six months of 2010 increased 72.7 percent and 52.0 percent from the comparable periods in 2009. BNSF was the major contributor adding $885 million to net earnings since the company’s acquisition on Feb. 12, including $603 million during the second quarter. Its acquisition increased the company’s shares outstanding by 6.1 percent. Another major reason for the improvement occurred at NetJets with a swing from a pre-tax loss of $348.5 million in the first six months of 2009 to a pre-tax profit of $114.5 million in 2010.
FRA
Federal Railroad Administration Announces High-Speed Rail Grants
WASHINGTON — Colorado has received $400,000 and Vermont $500,000 under the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program grant program funded from fiscal year 2009 appropriations. Colorado will use its funds to develop a state rail plan, a prerequisite for receiving additional HSIPR intercity passenger rail funding. Vermont will conduct a study of a proposed rerouting of Amtrak’s Ethan Allen service between Rutland, VT, and Albany, N.Y., which would result in additional cities receiving rail service. FRA has now released more than $183 million for the HSIPR program, the significant portion of which comes from the Obama
Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific Railway Declares Dividend
CALGARY — The Board of Directors of Canadian Pacific Railway declared a quarterly dividend of twenty seven cents Canadian per share on the outstanding Common Shares. The dividend is payable on Oct. 25 to holders of record at the close of business on September 24, 2010, and is an eligible dividend pursuant to subsection 89(14) of the Income Tax Act.
FRA
U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces up to $25 Million for High-Speed Passenger Rail Research
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHoodsaid the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is soliciting research proposals to foster rapid development of high-speed and intercity passenger rail service technologies in the United States. A pool of $25 million is available for basic and applied technology research, development and demonstration projects to advance the state of the art in track and structures, train control systems, operating practices and rolling stock. FRA is seeking projects focused on accelerating development of technologies that ensure safe, efficient and strategic deployment of integrated passenger rail systems. The solicitation is open to all sources. “President Obama’s bold