November 2009 – Page 2 – Railfanning.org

CN Receives Strike Notice

November 26, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

MONTREAL — CN on Nov. 25 received a 72-hour strike notice from the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) of its plan to strike the company at 1 a.m. on Nov. 28. CN said the TCRC’s decision is unfortunate because a strike is in no one’s interest – not the locomotive engineers, CN’s other employees, its customers or the Canadian economy. CN is urging the TCRC to resume negotiations immediately to reach a settlement. If that is not possible, CN believes the union should agree to submit issues in dispute to binding arbitration before the Nov. 28 strike deadline. Such an approach is fully consistent with the TCRC’s agreement to binding

Goodwill and Holiday Spirit Runs Kansas City Southern’s Ninth Annual Holiday Express

November 26, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

KANSAS CITY — In its ninth annual run, Kansas City Southern’s Holiday Express train will bring Santa Claus and his elves on 23 dates to 22 communities in eight states throughout the company’s service territory, including Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas and Illinois. Access to the Holiday Express train is free and open to the public. “Like many companies in North America, the economy has had a significant effect on our business, so we had to think carefully about whether to run the Holiday Express train this year,” said KCS chairman and chief executive officer Michael R. Haverty. “We decided the goodwill, contributions to those in need and

GE Transportation to Provide 300 Locomotive Assemblies to CSR Qishuyan in China

November 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

BEIJING — GE Transportation announced it has reached an agreement with CSR Qishuyan Locomotive Co., Ltd. to provide 300 locomotive assemblies for China HXN5 Mainline locomotives produced by CSR Qishuyan with Evolution Series diesel engines. The agreement helps to sustain close to 1,200 high-tech jobs in the U.S. The announcement was made as part of “GE’s Clean Technology Week in China” activities, the company said. The agreement follows an order of 300 Evolution Series China Mainline Locomotives originally placed in 2005. According to the agreement, GE Transportation will supply 300 locomotive assemblies that will be manufactured in Erie and Grove City, Pennsylvania, USA and shipped to China. The assemblies contain

GE and China MOR Sign Strategic MOU to Advance High-Speed Rail Opportunities in the U.S.

November 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

ERIE, Pa. — GE and China’s Ministry of Railways announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly advance high-speed rail (HSR) opportunities in the United States. This collaboration will allow GE Transportation to be the first U.S. locomotive manufacturer to more effectively compete for high-speed rail projects against global competitors, the companies said. In addition, the partnership would accelerate GE’s passenger rail technologies and create in the near future up to 150 high technology jobs in the U.S. The announcement was made as part of “GE’s Clean Technology Week in China” activities, GE said. “China is a vital partner to GE Transportation’s future growth, and we find

Amtrak Illinois Ridership Up 20 Percent Since 2007

November 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO – Amtrak trains operated under a contract with the Illinois Department of Transportation drew more than 1.8 million passengers to state-supported routes in Fiscal Year 2009. Overall ridership is up slightly from 2008 and rose by 20 percent from 2007. Ridership on the Chicago-Bloomington/Normal-Springfield-St. Louis Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle increased six percent from FY 2009 and 21 percent from FY 2007. “In a difficult year for the economy – particularly in the travel industry – Amtrak Illinois ridership has remained strong,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joseph H. Boardman. The Illinois DOT plans to take the 284-mile Chicago-St. Louis corridor to even higher ridership totals and frequencies by

Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road to Move Headquarters to Blissfield

November 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

BLISSFIELD, Mich. — Adrian & Blissfield Rail Road, a Michigan based company which operates a number of freight and dinner train companies in Southeastern Michigan including the Old Road Blissfield Dinner Train, the oldest operating dinner train in the U.S., plus the Old Road Dinner Train Charlotte, will move its headquarters from Westland, Mich., to Blissfield in 2010. Mark Dobronsky, A&B RR president, announced the new headquarters which is being relocated from Westland, where the A&B RR leased space. The A&BRR will move to 124 Railroad Street, Blissfield, about 30 minutes south of Ann Arbor and 20 minutes north of Toledo and west of U.S. 23. The 12,000-square-foot facility will

CN to Implement Wage increase and Aligned Mileage Caps for Locomotive Engineers in Canada

November 23, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

MONTREAL — CN gave the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) notice of its plan to increase wage rates and apply a change to the mileage caps for the company’s locomotive engineers the union represents in Canada on CN. CN is taking the step after collective bargaining with the TCRC ended Nov. 20 without a settlement, the railroad said. The contract changes are to take effect 0001 hours Nov. 28. The TCRC’s current labor agreement with CN expired Dec. 31, 2008. CN had informed the union over the weekend of its intention to increase the engineers’ wages by 1.5 percent and implement only one work rule change. Today, TCRC-represented conductors have

Union Pacific Railroad Opens Donner Pass Tunnel to Double-Stack Intermodal Container Freight Traffic

November 23, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Railroad opened its Donner Pass route to domestic double-stack intermodal container freight traffic Nov. 19, marking the completion of a 12-month project designed to move customer products over a shorter, faster and more efficient route. “The Donner Tunnel project is a great example of how Union Pacific capital investments continue to support our customers’ ability to grow, drive increased operating efficiencies for our railroad and improve America’s transportation infrastructure,” said Jim Young, Union Pacific chairman and chief executive officer. “Union Pacific has invested nearly $17 billion in our rail network since 2004 and remains committed to running the railroad as efficiently as possible while providing

Harbor Association of Industry & Commerce Honors Union Pacific Railroad for Air Pollution Reduction and Environmental Stewardship Efforts

November 20, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — The Harbor Association of Industry & Commerce (HAIC) of Southern California has honored Union Pacific Railroad with its “Salute to Industry” award. Union Pacific was recognized for its air pollution reduction and environmental stewardship efforts, along with the railroad’s significant contribution to the improvement of the business environment with the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach. “We are grateful to the HAIC for recognizing us with this award,” said Scott Moore, Union Pacific vice president, public affairs. “In addition, we are proud to be a partner with the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach in developing and implementing a course

Canadian Pacific, Police Association Reach Tentative Contract Agreement

November 20, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

CALGARY — The Canadian Pacific Police Association and Canadian Pacific have reached a tentative three-year contract settlement. The Memorandum of Settlement will be sent to the membership for ratification. Details of the tentative agreement will be released following ratification.