March 2007 – Page 2 – Railfanning.org

Federal Railroad Administrator Boardman Visits Albany to Launch Track Inspection Project for New York State, Announces Additional Measures to Improve Rail Safety

March 19, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ALBANY, N.Y. — In the wake of several recent accidents, the federal government today is launching a rail inspection project to check nearly 1,300 miles of track across New York State for flaws that might lead to a train derailment among other new measures designed to improve rail safety in the wake of several recent accidents, Joseph H. Boardman, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced during a visit to Albany. “A safe railroad begins with safe track, but it doesn’t end there,” Administrator Boardman said. “Railroads needs to embrace a ‘culture of safety’ and find new ways

FRA Announces Start of Environmental Impact Statement for California High-Speed Passenger Rail Project

March 16, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

LOS ANGELES — The Federal Railroad Administration announced it will jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the California High-Speed Rail Authority for two sections of the state’s proposed high-speed passenger rail project. The two EIS documents, covering the Palmdale to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Orange County corridors, will involve preliminary engineering designs and assess the environmental impact associated with construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed project. These two corridors are part of the Authority’s plan to build a 700-mile high-speed rail system from Sacramento / San Francisco to San Diego capable of speeds in excess

NTSB Investigating N.Y. Derailment

March 12, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ONEIDA, N.Y. — The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team to the scene of a train derailment and fire that occurred this morning in Oneida, New York. Around 7:12 a.m., a CSX freight train derailed an unknown number of cars resulting in a significant fire. About 40 Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cars were in the consist and several were involved in fire. An evacuation of one-mile around the accident site has been implemented. No injuries have been reported at this time. NTSB investigator Ted Turpin has been designated Investigator-in-Charge of a 7-member team. Information on the progress of

Amtrak Launches New Whistle Stop Community Website

March 12, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Seeking an outlet to share the numerous, heart-warming stories it regularly receives from passengers, Amtrak has launched a new website for travelers to share their train travel experiences. Christened Whistle Stop, the site, found at whistlestop.amtrak.com, includes feature stories on Amtrak routes with photos taken from the train along those routes. The first three feature stories on Whistle Stop focus on three of Amtrak’s most popular long-distance routes: the Adirondack (Montreal – New York), the Empire Builder (Chicago – Portland/Seattle) and the Southwest Chief (Chicago – Los Angeles). These features are first-person travelogues by professional writers that provide

Norfolk Southern’s Harrisburg Division Sets Standard for Rail Worker Safety

March 8, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With the statistics tabulated and verified, Norfolk Southern announced that its Harrisburg Division was the safest operating division on the railroad’s 22-state network for 2006, with an injury ratio of .56. The Harrisburg Division’s Transportation Department recorded the lowest operating department injury ratio in the history of Norfolk Southern, with a ratio of .31. The corporate goal for 2006 was a .89 injury ratio, which also was bettered by the Harrisburg Division’s Maintenance of Way and Structures Department, and Communications and Signals Department. Rail industry injury ratios are based on Federal Railroad Administration reportable incidents per 200,000

State of Minnesota, Northstar and BNSF Sign Key Agreement

March 7, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ANOKA, Minn. — Officials from the state of Minnesota, the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) and BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) signed a key agreement today that defines Northstar’s rights to operate along the 40-mile stretch of BNSF train tracks between Big Lake and downtown Minneapolis. “This agreement is another significant milestone toward delivering Minnesota’s first commuter rail system, one that is in high demand among Northstar Corridor residents,” said NCDA Chair Dan Erhart. “BNSF has a long history of working with commuter rail agencies to provide access to our right of way for passenger service while also preserving our capacity

Train Accidents Decline for Second Year in a Row Preliminary 2006 Safety Data Show

March 7, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The number of train accidents declined for the second year in a row and there were fewer highway-rail grade crossing collisions according to preliminary 2006 rail safety data announced today by U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. “The aggressive actions we are taking to improve rail safety are paying dividends,” Secretary Peters said. “As a result, many communities where trains operate are safer,” she added, noting that 36 states experienced fewer train accidents in 2006 as compared to 2005. The preliminary statistics released today by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) reveal that in 2006 railroads had

Amtrak San Joaquins Service Back to Normal

March 7, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

OAKLAND – BNSF Railway’s annual San Joaquin Valley track maintenance and rehabilitation has concluded and all Amtrak San Joaquin trains are back to their normal schedule. The track work between Bakersfield and Fresno began in January and was recently completed. Amtrak operates the San Joaquin Service, with six daily round-trips to Bakersfield from Oakland or Sacramento, under a contract with Caltrans, the California Department of Transportation.

Amtrak Provides Study to Restore State-Supported Rail Service to Rockford and Northwestern Illinois

March 5, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — Amtrak has completed a report requested by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) that evaluates possible Northwestern Illinois routes between Chicago and Dubuque, Iowa, via Rockford, Illinois. This “Feasibility Report on Proposed Amtrak Service” is also in response to a July 2006 town meeting held in Rockford and hosted by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) who was joined by Congressman Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.), Amtrak and IDOT representatives, labor officials and community leaders from Boone, Winnebago, Stephenson, Jo Daviess, DeKalb and Ogle Counties. In the report, the approximate cost of upgrading the railroad infrastructure to accommodate passenger train speeds

CSXT Joins Call for Cleaner Air

March 2, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — At the invitation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CSX Transportation (CSXT) today joined EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson and other stakeholders at Port Newark, N.J., to support the agency’s overall goal of reducing diesel locomotive emissions. On hand for the announcement was CSXT Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Tony Ingram, who brought two of the new low-emission locomotives that have helped CSXT reduce CO2 emissions by 330,000 tons over the past five years. “CSXT understands that what’s good for the environment is good for our customers, our employees and our bottom line, and that’s why