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Amtrak

Amtrak Feasibility Study of Passenger Rail Service from Quad Cities to Iowa City Released

AMES, Iowa – A study conducted by Amtrak on behalf of the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) concerning the feasibility of passenger rail service from the Quad Cities to Iowa City on a route originating at Chicago was released during a news conference in Iowa City. Annual ridership on the full route is estimated at about 187,000 passengers, based on two daily round-trips and if improvements are made allowing maximum speeds of 79 mph. The states of Iowa and Illinois would share the capital investment costs and the estimated annual Amtrak operating contract expense of about $6 million. The

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Canadian Pacific

CP Trains Across North America Pause for Day of Mourning

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific employees will pause to honor workers who have perished or have been injured in the workplace at 11 a.m. local time on Monday, April 28, the designated International Day of Mourning. “Each year we remember those employees who have lost their lives or suffered injury in occupational incidents in an effort to continuously strengthen our focus on workplace safety,” said Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Kathryn McQuade. “Safety is our number one priority.” Trains across Canadian Pacific’s 13,500-mile North American rail network, locomotives in CP yards and terminals, and crane operators in intermodal terminals will

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Commuter Rail

Two Killed at CTA Train Station

CHICAGO — Two people were killed after a tractor trailer slammed into a bus shelter at the Cermak-Chinatown CTA station, authorities said. Trains on CTA’s Red Line were interrupted because of the accident. “Right now this is just a tragic traffic accident,” The Associated Press quoted Chicago Police Department Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson as saying. Two women who were walking near the shelter were killed, and more than 20 people were taken to the hospital. Red line trains continued to operate, though they bypassed the Cermak-Chinatown station. — Railfanning.org News Wire

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Norfolk Southern

DOJ Sues NS Over Graniteville Derailment

WASHINGTON — The United States Department of Justice filed an environmental lawsuit suit against Norfolk Southern Railway, three years after a fatal derailment in Graniteville, S.C. The Department of Justice is seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief under the Clean Water Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. On Jan. 6, 2005, a northbound Norfolk Southern Railway freight train encountered an “improperly lined” switch, and the train diverted from the main line onto an industry track. There, it struck an unoccupied, parked train. Among the derailed cars were three tank cars containing chlorine, one of which was

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Reports First-Quarter 2008 Results

NORFOLK, Va. — For the first quarter of 2008, Norfolk Southern Corporation reported net income of $291 million, or $0.76 per diluted share, compared with $285 million, or $0.71 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2007. First-quarter 2008 results were impacted by the settlement of a lawsuit relating to the 2005 accident at Graniteville, S.C., which, when combined with other favorable claims-related adjustments, reduced earnings by $0.02 per diluted share. “Norfolk Southern delivered strong financial performance during the quarter, reporting the highest railway operating revenues in its history, in spite of a less than robust economy,” said Norfolk

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Canadian Pacific

Canadian Pacific Announces First-Quarter 2008 Results

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific Railway Limited announced its first-quarter results, and net income in the first quarter was $91 million, a decrease of 29 per cent from $129 million in 2007, and diluted earnings per share was $0.59, a decrease of $0.23 from $0.82 in the first quarter of 2007. Diluted earnings per share, excluding the effects of foreign exchange gains and losses on long-term debt and other specified items, decreased $0.03 as there was a favourable change in provincial tax rates which partially offset the impacts of severe winter operating conditions and the increase in fuel costs. However, foreign

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern’s ‘Green Machine’ Does the Math To Make Supply Chains More Environmentally Friendly

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern’s new online carbon footprint analyzer puts the environmental benefits of rail transportation into an easy-to-visualize perspective. The “Green Machine” quickly estimates the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that occur when rail transportation becomes a larger component in shipper supply chains. The Green Machine can be accessed through Norfolk Southern’s environmental Web site at www.nscorp.com/future and through its accessNS e-commerce portal at www.nscorp.com. The calculator prompts the user to enter shipment volumes, along with network or lane information. Using graphic slides, the user then can gauge the emission reductions that occur as rail becomes a larger

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CSX

CSX: Facility Improvements Planned for Erwin, Tenn.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has announced facility expansions and enhancements at its Erwin, Tenn., facility as the railroad moves forward with an initiative to further improve the delivery of coal and other freight. Erwin, the former headquarters of the CSXT predecessor Clinchfield Railroad, is an important gateway for coal trains operating from Appalachia to receivers such as electrical power utilities. As part of an expanded project focused on improving bulk freight service including coal and grain, approximately $6 million in track and structure work will be performed at the Erwin terminal during 2008. This work will accommodate a growing

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BNSF

Pacer Stacktrain Initiates Expanded Intermodal Services with BNSF Railway

CONCORD, Calif. — Pacer International Inc. announced expanded intermodal services between its Pacer Stacktrain unit and BNSF Railway which allows Pacer Stacktrain to begin full service on their network effective April 1, 2008. Pacer Stacktrain will — for the first time — have access to the entire BNSF intermodal network within the United States. Interline service is available to and from Pacer-served CSX and Canadian National locations. “We are very pleased to have expanded our service with BNSF. The new Pacer Stacktrain BNSF Double Stack Service is a major milestone for our customers, providing fast and reliable ramp-to-ramp and door-to-door

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Canadian Pacific

Second Railroad Joins FRA “Close Call” Risk Reduction Pilot Program

WASHINGTON — A second railroad is now participating in a major federal rail safety pilot program designed to allow employees the ability to voluntarily and anonymously report “close call” incidents that could have resulted in an accident but did not, announced Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “This risk-reduction program provides an indispensable opportunity to analyze ‘close-call’ events to help identify and correct potential safety problems across the industry,” said Boardman, adding that the pilot program is a key element of his agency’s National Rail Safety Action Plan. Under a waiver granted by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Canadian