2006 – Page 6 – Railfanning.org

Iowa Northern Railway Receives $25.5 million RRIF Loan

November 23, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Iowa Northern Railway (IANR), a short line freight carrier located in northeastern Iowa, is receiving a $25.5 million loan from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The funds will be used to: upgrade mainline track from Linn to Waterloo and from Cedar Falls to Manly; construct new sidings at Palo, Shell Rock, and Nora Springs; and rehabilitate rail yards in Waterloo and Manly. These improvements will allow the railroad to accommodate heavier railcars and move freight more quickly, safely, and efficiently, according to the FRA. Agricultural products account for most of the cargo carried by the IANR, but

Kingston, Ga., Officials Want Historic Designation for Railroad Wye

November 22, 2006 Todd DeFeo

Officials in Kingston, Ga., want a former railroad Wye, the site of a daring Civil War escapade, to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

French Postal Service Back on Track

November 22, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

PARIS — The French postal service La Poste has reached agreement with SNCF, the national rail company, to create a joint rail-based high-speed courier service. The planned joint venture was announced on Monday by the two state-owned businesses. La Poste’s return to rail was prompted by stiff competition and rulings of the European Commission. In the late 1990s, mail train services were largely replaced by road and air shipment. Faced with European prohibitions on night flights, and the harmful effects of carbon emissions, La Poste changed its policy. There will be 3 TGV high-speed mail trains in the new fleet,

Two Killed by N.J. Transit Trains

November 22, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

BRADLEY BEACH, N.J. — Two people were killed Tuesday, Nov. 21, by a pair of N.J. Transit commuter trains. A woman was killed just before midnight Monday, delaying rail traffic on the North Jersey Coast Line. About two hours, as a second train was traveling to pick up stranded passengers who were on the first train, a man’s clothing was caught in a passenger coach door. He was dragged and killed, The Associated Press reported. The news agency reported a N.J. Transit crew member may not have been in the proper place to watch the platform as the train pulled

India Train Blast Leave Six Dead

November 22, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

CALCUTTA, India — Six people were killed Monday, Nov. 20, and more than 80 people were injured when a bomb exploded on a passenger train. Authorities suspect terrorists planted a bomb in one of the train’s cars. The bomb denoted about 6:20 p.m. local time near Belacoba, a station located about 345 miles north of Calcutta, The Associated Press reported. The explosion blew the side and the roof off one of the cars, according to published reports. Local authorities believe either Maoist rebels or Assamese militants might be responsible for the attack, The Associated Press reported. — Railfanning.org News Wire

Amtrak Ticket Revenue Tops $1.37 Billion, Sets New Record

November 13, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Amtrak passenger ticket revenue increased in Fiscal Year 2006 to $1.37 billion, the highest annual ticket revenue ever achieved, and, at $132 million over last year, the railroad’s largest year-over-year increase. The railroad also served 24.3 million passengers — nearly 300,000 more than for the same trains in the previous fiscal year. Total ticket revenue for the period October 2005 through September 2006 was an 11 percent increase over the $1.23 billion in FY05. Ridership increased from 24 million to 24.3 million — a one percent increase over the previous 12 months. “These numbers are indicative of the

Union Pacific Opens ‘State-of-the-Art’ Locomotive Shop

November 13, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – A new Union Pacific locomotive maintenance and repair facility is designed to reduce the amount of time that coal trains spend at the Bailey Yard in North Platte, Neb., according to the railroad. Union Pacific and GE today commemorated the opening of yard in North Platte, Neb. — North America’s largest rail yard. The new locomotive shop will support GE locomotives which carry more than 95 percent of the coal handled by Union Pacific. “Our mindset is that coal is king and a significant part of our time is spent ensuring coal deliveries are moving as

Brookings Residents Reject DM&E Agreement at Polls

November 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Fifty-six percent of Brookings voters rejected the city’s Community Partnership Agreement (CPA) with the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) Railroad. The results show that many Brookings residents were dissatisfied with the railroad’s mitigation proposal, some pundits say. DM&E has requested a $2.3 billion federal subsidy to upgrade and expand the private railroad’s tracks to haul large volumes of coal from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin to distribution points in the East. If approved, the project could result in as many as 34 coal trains passing through Brookings each day at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.

Veterans Welcome as Rail Industry Hires 80,000 Employees; Major Railroads Cited as Top Military-Friendly Employers

November 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The nation’s four largest railroads have all made the list of “Top 50 Military-Friendly Employers” as determined by GI Jobs magazine. The railroad industry is creating 80,000 American jobs over the next six years, and is one of the few industries that doesn’t outsource its jobs or facilities overseas. Thousands of those being hired are former military personnel, including both officers and enlisted personnel. The jobs they perform cross the entire spectrum of railroading, from locomotive engineers to conductors to civil engineers to information technology to marketing. “Today, railroads are going through a hiring boom as more and

Union Pacific Expands Recruiting Effort Through U.S. Army Partnership

November 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. – For the second year in a row, G.I. Jobs magazine has named Union Pacific Railroad the nation’s top Military-Friendly Employer. The magazine commended Union Pacific’s resource-laden effort and high-performance results in recruiting transitioning military personnel. According to G.I. Jobs, “Union Pacific’s No. 1 ranking is based on the resources and assets it has dedicated exclusively to recruiting members of the military.” “Military operations are based upon defining a mission, developing a plan, moving troops and equipment, and executing the plan with vigor through superior leadership skills,” said Rick McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. “These are also basic components