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BNSF

AAR Reports Rail Traffic Continues to Register Gains

WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported that rail traffic continues to register incremental gains on a week-to-week basis, but remains down year over year. Rail carloadings were at their highest level since the week ended Dec. 13, 2008. For the week ended Aug. 29, 2009, U.S. railroads reported originating 285,580 cars, down 16.2 percent compared with the same week in 2008. Regionally, carloadings were down 16 percent in the West and 16.6 percent in the East. Intermodal traffic of 202,553 trailers or containers on U.S. railroads was down 15.6 percent from the same week last year. Container

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Provides $100,000 Grant to Penn State Altoona for Railroad Engineering Degree Program

ALTOONA, Pa. — The Norfolk Southern Foundation has given $100,000 to Penn State Altoona to assist in the development of a four-year Rail and Transit Engineering (RTE) degree program. This innovative Bachelor of Science program will include existing Penn State civil engineering courses, coupled with new customized courses in rail business, mechanical systems, track, operations, communications, and regulation. The program is designed to produce graduates who will quickly acclimate to the rail industry and its suppliers. “On behalf of the entire Penn State Altoona community, I express heartfelt appreciation to Norfolk Southern for the vital role it is playing in

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Selects Greencastle Site for New Franklin County Regional Intermodal Facility, Supporting Crescent Corridor Initiative

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern said it will construct a new intermodal terminal in Greencastle, Pa., to serve the Mid-Atlantic region, as part of the railroad’s multi-state Crescent Corridor initiative to establish a high-speed intermodal freight rail route between the Gulf Coast and the Northeast. The $95 million facility, at which freight moving in containers and trailers will be transferred between train and truck, will occupy a 200-acre site adjacent to the planned Antrim Commons Business Park and is expected to open in late 2011. “Because of its strategic location to key markets in the Mid-Atlantic region, the new Franklin

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Norfolk Southern

Hart Sworn in as NTSB Member

WASHINGTON — Christopher A. Hart was sworn in as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board. Member Hart joins the Board after a long career in transportation safety, including a previous term as a Member of the NTSB. Most recently, Member Hart was Deputy Director for Air Traffic Safety Oversight at the Federal Aviation Administration. He was previously the FAA Assistant Administrator for the Office of System Safety. He served as a Member of the NTSB from 1990 to 1993. After leaving the Board, he served as Deputy Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He had been

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern’s ‘Train Your Brain’ Public Safety Campaign Fills Summer Calendar in Indiana

NORFOLK, Va. — A giant pink eyes-wide-open walking brain has been spotted among summer crowds in Indiana, drawing attention to Norfolk Southern’s “Train Your Brain” safety campaign. Without saying a word, Brainy wows audiences with a hapless, almost human nature that reminds people to be safe around highway-rail grade crossings and to avoid trespassing on railroad property. In the third year of Norfolk Southern’s unconventional safety campaign, Brainy seems to have reached new heights of popularity in northern Indiana. Brainy has appeared at the Potato Creek Festival in North Liberty, the St. Joseph County 4-H Fair in South Bend, the

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Legislation

Norfolk Southern CEO: Tax Incentives for Rail Capacity Will Generate Economic Benefits, Create Jobs

NORFOLK, Va. — Tax incentives to expand freight rail capacity would “make sense for America,” generating $1 billion in economic benefits and 20,000 green jobs, Norfolk Southern Corp. CEO Wick Moorman said on Capitol Hill. “America needs more transportation capacity and needs it now,” Moorman said on behalf of the Association of American Railroads during testimony to a U.S. House subcommittee. Noting that today’s transportation network is not designed to handle the doubling in freight demand projected by 2035, Moorman said, “Railroads are the most affordable and environmentally responsible way to meet this demand, and that is why tax incentives

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Selects Fayette County Site for New Memphis Regional Intermodal Terminal, Supporting Crescent Corridor Initiative

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern announced that it will construct a new intermodal terminal in Rossville, Tenn., in Fayette County, to serve the Memphis region, as part of the railroad’s Crescent Corridor initiative to establish a high-speed intermodal rail route between the Mid-South and Gulf Coast and the Northeast. The $129 million facility, in which freight is transferred between truck and rail, will occupy a 570-acre site and is expected to open in January 2012. Norfolk Southern’s Crescent Corridor initiative is a multistate network of infrastructure improvements and other facilities intended to enhance Norfolk Southern’s 2,500-mile rail network that supports

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific Offer Refrigerated Trailer Shippers the Rail Industry’s Fastest Intermodal Delivery From Los Angeles to Atlanta With New Expedited Service

ATLANTA — Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad announced they have launched a new expedited intermodal service specifically designed for refrigerated trailer shippers between Los Angeles and Atlanta. This new service gives customers the option to have their refrigeration units serviced during the stop in El Paso, Texas, significantly reducing the risk of protective service failure during transit. New rail customers will find this premier service a seamless shift from over-the-road transportation by providing truck-like speed (more than 500 miles per day) and reliability. This is the industry’s fastest intermodal service between Los Angeles and Atlanta, the railroads said.

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BNSF

AAR: Rail Freight Traffic Down in June

WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads reported that U.S. railroads originated 1,039,889 carloads of freight in June 2009, down 19.7 percent with 255,668 fewer carloads, compared with June 2008. U.S. intermodal rail traffic – comprising trailers and containers on flat cars that are not included in carload figures – totaled 755,000 units in June 2009, down 18.2 percent compared with the same period last year with 168,031 fewer trailers and containers, the association said. For the first six months of 2009, total U.S. rail carloadings were down 19.5 percent (1,594,411 carloads) to 6,579,294 carloads, while intermodal traffic was down

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Names Julian to Lead Safety Efforts

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. named David F. Julian vice president safety and environmental. The appointment is effective July 1. Julian will have his office in Roanoke, Va., and he reports to Mark D. Manion, executive vice president operations. NS’ safety and environmental department is responsible for employee safety training and awareness, grade crossing safety and trespassing abatement programs, and environmental protection, including hazardous materials safety and industrial hygiene. Julian succeeds Charles J. Wehrmeister, who retired from NS’ lead safety position after a 40-year career with Norfolk Southern. Julian joined NS in 1971 in the mechanical department and later