Year: 2013

No Picture
FRA

FRA: Passenger Cars’ Vestibule, Interior Doors Must Have Removable Panels, Windows

December 4, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire

A new rule recently announced by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requires that passenger cars’ vestibule and interior passageway doors be fitted with removable panels and windows and also a manual override to open doors. This, the FRA said, will allow for passage if the car’s doors do not open. The new rule also mandates floor or low-level lighting marking exit paths to assist passengers in reaching and operating emergency exists, particularly under conditions of limited visibility.  The FRAis adding standards to ensure that emergency lighting systems are provided in all passenger cars, and strengthening requirements for the survivability of

No Picture
Amtrak

Amtrak: Looking to Curb Food, Beverage Losses Over Next Five Years

December 4, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire

Throughout the course of its four-plus decade history, Amtrak has drawn the scorn of detractors who saw the federally-subsidized passenger railroad is a drain on taxpayers. Now, millions of dollars in losses on the railroad’s food and beverage service have given more ammunition to opponents. For its part, Amtrak said it plans to eliminate losses on food and beverage service over the next five years. Whether that will silence critics in Congress who next year will have the opportunity to fund — or not fund — Amtrak remains to be seen. “Amtrak has been working to implement a strategic plan

No Picture
Commuter Rail

NTSB Boots Union from Metro-North Investigation, Fox Reports

December 4, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has booted a union from the investigation into a fatal Metro-North crash in the Bronx on Sunday, Fox News reported. According to the report, the NTSB booted the Association of Commuter Rail Employees (ACRE) after a representative indicated engineer William Rockefeller “nodded” off just before the train derailed. The Manhattan-bound Metro-North train was traveling 82 mph as it took a curve just north of the Spuyten Duyvil station that had a speed limit of 30 mph, according to various media reports. Four people were killed and more than 60 injured in the derailment. “He

No Picture
Commuter Rail

Siemens, Cummins Team Up on New Diesel Electric Passenger Locomotive

December 4, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire

Siemens Rail Systems and Cummins are partnering on a new passenger locomotive the companies say will be one of the most energy-efficient and lightweight diesel electric locomotives available today in North America. The new American-made diesel electric locomotives will incorporate Cummins new QSK95 diesel engines. The result, the companies say will be a more reliable and more energy-efficient ride. The new locomotives will also deploy a new engine after-treatment system aimed at delivering a cleaner ride with better air quality and reduced emission rates. The locomotive was developed with passenger and crew safety top-of-mind, the companies said. This “announcement acknowledges

No Picture
Commuter Rail

Conversation Turns to Positive Train Control Following Metro-North Crash

December 3, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire

With the revelation the engineer of the Metro-North train that crashed Sunday in the Bronx and killed four people might have zoned out just before the crash, the conversation has turned toward the implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC). The train, which originated in Poughkeepsie, was due to arrive at Grand Central Terminal at 7:43 a.m., was traveling 82 m.p.h. as it took a curve with a speed limit of 30 m.p.h., according to various media reports. In addition to the four deaths, more than 60 others were injured when the Manhattan-bound Metro-North train derailed at about 7:20 a.m. just north

No Picture
Commuter Rail

Metro-North Train Speeding at Time of Crash, NTSB Says

December 2, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire

The Metro-North train that crashed Sunday in the Bronx and left four people dead was traveling 82 m.p.h. as it took a curve with a speed limit of 30 m.p.h., various media reported today. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether human error or brake failure is to blame, The Associated Press reported. But, the NTSB said on Twitter there “were 9 station stops prior to the derailment. We are not aware of any prior issues with the brakes.” “The zone leading up to that curve is 70 miles per hour and yes, there was an excess of speed,”

No Picture
Railfanning.org News Wire

Freight Railroads Received More than $600 Million During Obama Administration, McClatchy Reports

December 2, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire

While President Obama has made high-speed passenger rail a priority, freight railroads have “been the quiet recipient of more than $600 million in federal investment” during the Obama administration, McClatchy reported. This is despite an advertising campaign telling the American public the railroad is investing in its infrastructure “so taxpayers don’t have to.” This funding, which does not include dollars given by the states, includes funding for the Crescent Corridor and the National Gateway, according to the report.

No Picture
Commuter Rail

Four Killed, 40 Injured Following Metro-North Derailment in the Bronx

December 1, 2013 Railfanning.org News Wire

At least four people were killed and 40 more were injured when a Manhattan-bound Metro-North train derailed just north of the Spuyten Duyvil station, according to various media reports. Five of the train’s seven cars derailed, according to The New York Post. The train may have been traveling too fast when it took a tight curve at about 7:20 a.m., the newspaper’s report suggested. The train, which originated in Poughkeepsie, was due to arrive at Grand Central Terminal at 7:43 a.m. All traffic on the Hudson Line has been suspended, according to USA Today. “I was at my desk at