October 2008 – Page 3 – Railfanning.org

Metro-North and NYSDOT Extend Ferries for Two Years

October 6, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK — MTA Metro-North Railroad and the New York State Department of Transportation have developed a funding plan to continue the operations of the Haverstraw-Ossining and Newburgh-Beacon Ferry Services for the next two years. As part of this funding plan, State Sens. Thomas P. Morahan and William J. Larkin Jr. have secured $658,000 and $600,000 respectively to ensure the continuation of two ferry runs that provide Rockland and Orange county residents with access to Metro-North’s Hudson Line train service. Additional state and federal funds also have been secured, that along with an estimated $300,000 in farebox revenues, will cover

CSX: We Lead Class One Railroads in Carbon Disclosure Project Scoring

October 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corp. said it achieved the best score among Class One freight railroads in the Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) 2008 Report and third best in the overall Transports and Logistics category. CDP is a not-for-profit organization representing the interests of 385 mostly-institutional investors with more than $57 trillion in assets under management. CDP’s role is to, “act as an intermediary between shareholders and corporations on all climate change related issues, providing primary climate change data from the world’s largest corporations, to the global market place.” CSX’s Climate Leadership Index score was compiled by aggregating its weighted answers

Amtrak Hosts Washington Union Station’s Centennial Celebration

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak, joined by the District of Columbia DOT, Union Station Redevelopment Corporation and Ashkenazy Acquisitions, is hosting the Washington Union Station Centennial Celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 4 and from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 5. The event will honor this landmark train station’s role in shaping the city over the last century while celebrating the 20-year anniversary of its historic redevelopment in 1988. The Centennial Celebration includes an open house featuring an expansive display of historic locomotives, private rail cars and current Amtrak equipment, as well as memorabilia exhibits and drawings for

Kummant: Legislation ‘Places Rail Passenger Service on a More Equal Footing With Other Modes’

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Legislation that allocates $12.9 billion over five years for Amtrak creates for the first time a “federal funding partnership which places rail passenger service on a more equal footing with other modes,” Amtrak President and CEO Alex Kummant said. Both the House and the Senate have approved the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act, which includes the money for Amtrak. “The work on this authorization bill spanned nearly three congresses and does change the existing conditions for Amtrak, the rail industry and the states,” Kummant said. “Apart from safety enhancements, the bill creates for the first time a state

L.A. Times on KobreGuide

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org

KobreGuide is featuring yesterday’s L.A. Times article on its Web page. Click here or here to check it out. When you’re done, click on some of the other links. A lot of interesting posts on the site.

GE Transportation Unveils PowerHaul Engine and Locomotive at InnoTrans

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

BERLIN, Germany — GE Transportation introduced its new PowerHaul engine and locomotive at InnoTrans 2008 in Berlin, Germany. InnoTrans is the world’s largest rail exhibition attracting more than 75,000 attendees and 1,600 exhibitors from 90 countries. The newly developed 16-cylinder PowerHaul engine serves as GE Transportation’s most technologically advanced locomotive engine to-date, the company said. The PowerHaul engine is designed to power GE’s new global diesel-electric PowerHaul Locomotive Series. The new engine combined with other technologies from GE is projected to reduce PowerHaul Locomotive fuel use by up to 9 percent compared to current operating fleet averages. The 3,700 GHP

Amtrak Financial Specialist Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — A Financial Specialist for Amtrak since 1975 has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $74,000, federal officials said. Douglas L. Thompson, 60, pleaded guilty earlier to a one-count Information charging theft from a program receiving federal funds in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola. The case is set for a further status hearing on Oct. 3 before Judge James Robertson. Thompson faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and an obligation to make restitution for the amounts embezzled from Amtrak.

Oink, Oink: Calif. ‘Bullet Train to Bankruptcy’

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Citizens Against Government Waste and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation have listed a proposed high-speed rail line in California in their sixth annual California Piglet Book. The book is touted as “the definitive guide for reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the state government.” California voters in November will have the chance to vote on Proposition 1A, a “bullet train to bankruptcy,” CAGW said. If voters approve the project’s initial $9.95 billion down payment, promoters will likely need to come back to taxpayers for another $70 billion to complete the project, CAGW said. — Railfanning.org News Wire

Senate Approves Rail Safety Bill; Billions go to Passenger Rail

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has approved the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The legislation will increase funding for Amtrak over the next five years, require new safety controls on trains that help reduce crashes, allow states to regulate solid waste processing facilities along rail lines and allocate funding for improvements to Washington, D.C.’s Metro transit system. “This is a real step forward for anyone who’s tired of sitting in traffic, paying high prices at the pump and waiting in long lines at airports,” Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., chairman

More Money For Minnesota High-Speed Passenger Rail Line

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — More of taxpayers’ dollars will move the Duluth to Minneapolis high-speed passenger rail line closer to completion, officials said. U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., said the project has been awarded $1.1 million from the Federal Railroad Administration. The funding will be used to complete an environmental impact statement for the project. “Work on the Northern Lights Express is moving along at full throttle,” Oberstar said. “This is the kind of project that will save energy and alleviate congestion on our highways. With high fuel prices, we need to do all we can to give consumers alternatives to driving.”