Month: May 2009

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Canadian National

CN Announces Fleet Acquisition for Agawa Canyon Tour Train

May 15, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ontario — CN and the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp. (SSMEDC) announced today an agreement to acquire locomotives and passenger cars to re-equip the Agawa Canyon Tour Train that runs north of The Sault into spectacular Canadian Shield country. CN, the operator of the tour train, is acquiring three Electro-Motive F-40 locomotives, eight coaches, two cafe/lounge cars, three club cars and a presentation coach from Ansco Investment Company of Denver, Colo. The fleet renewal will include the refurbishment of the Ansco cars, as well as two existing CN passenger dome cars. The re-equipped train will accommodate

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Norfolk Southern

‘It Will Get Better,’ Norfolk Southern CEO Tells Stockholders

May 14, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — The business fundamentals that created a record five-year run for Norfolk Southern Corp. leading into the recession are still in place, and, “Longer term, it will get better,” said Chief Executive Officer Wick Moorman during the company’s 27th annual stockholders meeting, held today in Williamsburg, Va. “Rail’s future and our potential to help solve our nation’s transportation crisis are as promising today as they have ever been,” Moorman said. “The fundamentals of our business are very strong,” he said. “The factors that drove our growth over the past five years — higher fuel efficiency in a world

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Amtrak

New Haven Officer Named Amtrak Police Officer of the Year

May 13, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW HAVEN, conn. – Police Officer Brian Cozzolino of New Haven, Conn. has been selected as the 2008 Amtrak Police Officer of the Year. Officer Cozzolino was chosen to receive this prestigious award in recognition of his numerous displays of exemplary performance in the performance of his duties. “Officer Cozzolino was selected for his numerous and significant contributions to the department,” said John J. O’Connor, Amtrak Chief of Police. “In his short tenure, he has demonstrated incredibly effective law enforcement skills.” Among the significant incidents exhibiting Officer Cozzolino’s abilities and dedication to duty and why he was chosen include: an

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Commuter Rail

NTSB Investigating MBTA Trolley Collision

May 9, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

BOSTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has launched a go-team to investigate the collision of two trolleys on Boston’s MBTA Green Line. At approximately 7:19 pm on Friday, May 8, a trolley struck another trolley from behind near the Government Center station in downtown Boston. Multiple injuries have been reported.

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STB

STB’s Section of Environmental Analysis Issues Final Environmental Assessment

May 8, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board announced that its Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) have issued a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed Northern Columbia Basin Railroad Project (Project), an approximately 11.5-mile long railroad route that would be acquired and constructed in Grant County, Wash. The Project would provide rail service to an area designated for industrial development and attract to this area new businesses that would use rail transportation. The issuance of the Final EA completes the environmental review undertaken by SEA and WSDOT. The Final EA responds to comments

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Amtrak

Operation Lifesaver ‘Shark’ Rail Safety PSAs Will Be Featured in Amtrak Stations On National Train Day

May 5, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak will showcase Operation Lifesaver’s “Shark” rail safety public service advertisements (PSAs) in four major cities as part of its celebration of National Train Day, May 9, 2009. National Train Day commemorates the first transcontinental railroad and promotes rail travel with major events in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles, and other events in communities nationwide. “These PSAs provide a humorous reminder that safety is an essential part of train travel,” said Operation Lifesaver President Helen M. Sramek. “Using common sense is an easy way to practice safety around tracks and trains,” she continued. The PSAs, aimed

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STB

STB Adopts 2009 User Fee Update Schedule

May 5, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has adopted its 2009 User Fee Update Schedule setting forth updated fees for each of the types of proceedings that can be filed with the agency. The changes in the 2009 Update — to become effective June 4 — primarily are designed to offset increased Board expenses, including increased overhead costs. The 2009 Update complies with the Congressional directive that the Board assess fees to cover a portion of its budget. It also complies with the statutory requirement that the agency conduct a proceeding annually to update its user fee schedule to reflect the

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Amtrak

New Track to Add Capacity and Reduce Delays of Amtrak Missouri River Runner Trains

May 4, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

CALIFORNIA, Mo. — Representatives of the State of Missouri, the City of California, Union Pacific Railroad and Amtrak today kicked off the construction of a new $8.1 million, 9,000-foot railroad side track to add capacity and reduce delays on the route used by Amtrak Missouri River Runner trains between Kansas City and St. Louis. The new siding, located just west of California, Mo., will unclog a major “bottleneck” caused by a 25-mile stretch of single track and enable slower freight trains to move off the main line allowing faster Amtrak trains to pass and annually reduce delays by nearly 17