Commuter Rail
Articles by Railfanning.org News Wire
Miscellaneous
AAR: Rail Freight Traffic Continues to Reflect Slow Economy
WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads continued to reflect the nation’s economic slowdown during the week ended March 21, the Association of American Railroads reported today. U.S. railroads reported originating 276,030 cars during the week, down 14.7 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 13.0 percent in the West and 17.0 percent in the East. Intermodal volume of 183,795 trailers or containers was off 12.9 percent from last year, with container volume falling 7.7 percent and trailer volume dropping 30.9 percent. Total volume was estimated at 29.3 billion ton-miles, off 13.6 percent from 2008. Eighteen of
Amtrak
Amtrak Details ‘Stimulus’ Projects
WASHINGTON — Amtrak has released a list of capital projects to be funded by $1.3 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration, the highlights of the list include railcar and locomotive restoration to augment the current fleet, projects to bring stations into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), facility improvements, track, bridge and signal replacements and upgrades. “These Amtrak projects fulfill all of the objectives of the ARRA, and more. They are ‘shovel-ready;’ they will improve the efficiency and accessibility of Amtrak trains and facilities; and we estimate they will
Amtrak
NTSB to Discuss 2007 Amtrak Wreck
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public Board meeting March 31 on its investigation of a collision of Amtrak(National Railroad Passenger Corporation) and Norfolk Southern Railway Company (Norfolk Southern) trains near Chicago. At 11:23 a.m. on Nov. 30, 2007, Amtrak’s Pere Marquette, consisting of one locomotive and three passenger cars, struck the rear of standing Norfolk Southern freight train 23M. The forward portion of the Amtrak locomotive came to rest on top of a container on the rear car of the freight train. Sixty-six passengers and five crewmembers were transported to hospitals; 2 passengers and one
Commuter Rail
MTA Board Approves Service Reductions and Fare/Toll Increases
NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board approved a series of resolutions that will allow the MTA to move forward with fare increases of 25 to 30 percent and service reductions that will affect customers throughout its service area. These actions were required to implement the balanced budget passed by the Board in December, which closed an approximately $1.2 billion deficit, the board said. The fare and toll increases will be effective on the following dates: New York City Transit, MTA Bus and Long Island Bus (subway, buses and Staten Island Railway): May 31 Long Island Rail Road and
Commuter Rail
MTA: Staten Island Railway Ridership Figures Show ‘Impressive Gains’ for 2008
NEW YORK — Last year, MTA Staten Island Railway (SIR) saw an impressive gain in ridership attributable to a series of factors, including the increase of p.m. rush hour express service and the unprecedented jump in gasoline prices which persuaded many commuters to leave their cars at home. From 2007, annual ridership climbed 6.1 percent to 4.38 million in 2008 while the average number of customers using SIR on an average weekday rose 5.1 percent to 15,713. “We greet these ridership figures with great enthusiasm,” said SIR General Manager John Gaul, who noted that there was no single reason for
Commuter Rail
G Line Customers Grade Their Service a ‘D-Plus’ in 2nd Annual Rider Report Card Survey
NEW YORK — MTA New York City Transit released the results from the 2nd Annual Rider Report Card Survey on the G line which was done in mid-December 2008. The G line again received an overall grade of “D-plus,” unchanged from 2007. The customer satisfaction index of 75 percent was, however, slightly lower than 2007’s 76 percent. Customers sent in 1,746 Rider Report Cards by mail and 150 via the internet, totaling 1,896 responses, to gauge customer satisfaction on the line. Twenty-one separate service attributes were graded on the G line, which runs from Smith-9th Streets in Brooklyn to Long
World
GE Transportation Delivers 3,000th Locomotive to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy
ERIE, Pa. — GE Transportation announced that Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) has taken delivery of the 3,000th Evolution Series locomotive produced at GE Transportation’s Erie, Pa., manufacturing site. One Evolution Series locomotive can pull the equivalent of 170 Boeing 747 “Jumbo Jet” airliners. In 2006, KTZ ordered 310 GE Evolution Series locomotives and the first ten units, including the 3,000th, have arrived in Kazakhstan. Three hundred additional locomotives will be assembled in Kazakhstan starting at the end of 2009 from kits and parts produced in Erie. This is the 3,000th Evolution Series locomotive since its introduction to the market in
Commuter Rail
Miscellaneous
New Locomotives for Staten Island Railway
NEW YORK — MTA New York City Transit’s Staten Island Railway has taken delivery of four new diesel locomotives manufactured by the Brookville Equipment Corporation of Brookville, Penn. The locomotives traveled by rail to Port Newark and then by barge to the Stapleton Home Port. The cars were lifted by crane and trucked to the Clifton shop, where they were again lifted by crane and placed onto the tracks. They will undergo testing for about a month before entering service. These new locomotives will replace four old second-hand locomotives: two that date from 1968 and two that date from 1940s.