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Miscellaneous

OSHA to Investigate Monorail Crash

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating Sunday’s fatal monorail collision at the Walt Disney World resort, authorities said. A Walt Disney World cast member was killed early Sunday morning (July 5) when two monorails collided at the Ticket and Transportation Center. The cast member, a 21-year-old, was piloting a monorail that crashed into a second train, according to published reports. There is some speculation that one of the monorails may have been backing up at the time of the crash, the driver perhaps thinking he was backing onto a spur track. Disney said

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Miscellaneous

One Killed in WDW Monorail Collision

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — A Walt Disney World cast member was killed early Sunday morning (July 5) when two monorails collided at the Ticket and Transportation Center. The cast member, a 21-year-old, was piloting a monorail that crashed into a second train, according to published reports. “Today, we mourn the loss of our fellow cast member. Our hearts go out to his family and to those who have lost a friend and co-worker,” OrlandoSentinel.com quoted Walt Disney World spokesman Mike Griffin as saying. “The safety of our guests and cast members is always our top priority. The monorail is

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Miscellaneous

Rail Freight Traffic Remains Down from Year Ago

WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads remained sharply down from a year ago during the week ended April 25, the Association of American Railroads reported. U.S. railroads originated 260,652 cars during the week, down 22.4 percent from the comparison week in 2008, although up 2.1 percent from the previous week this year. In comparison with last year, loadings were down 20.7 percent in the West and 24.7 percent in the East. Eighteen of 19 carload commodity groups were down from last year, with only the catch-all category of all other carloads defying the trend and showing a 12.8 percent

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Miscellaneous

AAR: Sharp Decline Reported in Rail Freight Traffic

WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was off sharply during the week ended April 18 in comparison with a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported April 23. U.S. railroads originated 255,269 cars during the week, down 24.3 percent from the comparison week in 2008, although up 2.8 percent from the previous week this year. In comparison with last year, loadings were down 20.6 percent in the West and 28.6 percent in the East. All 19 carload commodity groups were down from last year, with declines ranging from 9.3 percent for grain mill products to 63.6 percent for

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Miscellaneous

Freight Rail’s New Carbon Calculator Touts ‘Green’ Advantage

WASHINGTON — Shipping freight by rail instead over road not only eases traffic congestion, but drastically reduces CO2 emissions, as evidenced by the Association of American Railroads’ new interactive carbon calculator. For all shipments measured, the CO2 footprint was significantly smaller when moved by rail rather than by truck. One calculation reports that 1,088 tons of CO2 would be eliminated by moving 100 cars of fresh and frozen food from Washington, DC to Portland, OR by train instead of by truck. The calculator estimates that it would take 25,323 tree seedlings 10 years to remove the same amount of carbon

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Weather, Slow Economy Produce Rail Freight Traffic Decline

WASHINGTON — Bad weather in Wyoming and the Upper Midwest combined with the slow economy to produce another down week for U.S. rail freight traffic during the first week of April, the Association of American Railroads reported today. U.S. railroads reported originating 262,624 cars during the week, down 20.5 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 19.4 percent in the West and 22.0 percent in the East. Intermodal volume of 184,845 trailers or containers was off 14.7 percent from last year, with container volume falling 9.0 percent and trailer volume dropping 34.0 percent. Total volume was estimated

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STB Vice Chair, Rail Marketing Chiefs are 2009 NARS Meeting Attractions

CHICAGO — Surface Transportation Board vice Chairman Charles D. Nottingham and a panel of railroad marketing chiefs will highlight the 2009 North American Rail Shippers meeting. The meeting will be held May 26-28 at the Downtown Marriott Hotel in Chicago. James R. Young, chairman of the Association of American Railroads and chairman, president and CEO of the Union Pacific, will offer his perspectives about the railroad industry. “The annual NARS meeting — ‘On Track for the Future’ — is an excellent opportunity to hear the top marketing officers from all eight major North American railroads,” said NARS Executive Director Leo

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Wabtec Forms Joint Venture to Manufacture Brake Equipment for Chinese Rail Market

WILMERDING, Pa. — Wabtec Corp. has formed a 50-50 joint venture in China to manufacture brake equipment for the Chinese rail market. The joint venture is owned by Wabtec and Shenyang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Railways Brakes Co. Ltd., the largest manufacturer of locomotive and freight car brake equipment in China. “This investment builds on our existing presence in China, the largest rail market outside of North America,” said Albert J. Neupaver, Wabtec’s president and chief executive officer. “Our capabilities and technology will be valuable assets in this rapidly growing market.” The joint venture company, Shenyang CNR Wabtec Railway Brake