Railfanning.org News Wire

FRA Proposed Rule Promotes Adoption of Advanced Train Braking Technology To Improve Rail Safety and Efficiency

September 20, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Advanced brake technology will enable locomotive engineers to significantly improve train control and allow trains to safely travel longer distances between required brake tests under new proposed federal rules, announced U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. “Trains with better brakes mean safer railroad operations and improved rail freight service,” said Secretary Peters, explaining that Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brakes provide improved train control through simultaneous and graduated application and release of the brakes on all rail cars, a significant safety improvement over conventional air brake systems. In addition, Secretary Peters noted that the proposed rule would permit a

Union Pacific Rail Yard Would Include Features Designed to Reduce Brighton Traffic Disruption

September 20, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Traffic disruption at four rail crossings in downtown Brighton, Colo., would be reduced as part of the development of a new Union Pacific (UP) classification yard and intermodal terminal proposed between Brighton and Fort Lupton, Colo. A classification yard and intermodal terminal currently located in Denver would be relocated to the proposed new site between Brighton and Fort Lupton in order to make way for two FasTracks commuter rail corridors, under a possible agreement between UP and the Regional Transportation District (RTD). Plans under consideration include new sidings – a section of track parallel to the main

Union Pacific Railroad Makes Track Improvements Between Des Moines and Kansas City

September 18, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Railroad is spending $8.2 million this year on track improvements between Des Moines, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo. Upon completion of the projects, crews will have removed and installed 55,400 ties; spread 10,700 tons of rock ballast to ensure a stable roadbed; replaced the surfaces at 31 road crossings, and replaced 2.5 miles of rail in various curves on the line. Work began on these projects in January and is scheduled to be completed by January 2008. Crews are currently replacing 33,000 wooden ties between Williamson, Iowa, and near Chariton, Iowa, and are scheduled to

NTSB: Chicago Derailment Caused by Ineffective Management and Oversight

September 18, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that the probable cause of the derailment of a Chicago commuter transit train in the summer of 2006 resulted from the Chicago Transit Authority’s ineffective management and oversight of its track inspection and maintenance program and its system safety program, which resulted in unsafe track conditions. At 5:06 p.m. (CDT) on July 11, 2006, the last car of northbound Chicago Transit Authority train No. 220 derailed in the subway between Clark/Lake and Grand/Milwaukee stations in downtown Chicago. After the train came to a stop, electrical arcing between the last car and

Amtrak and Michigan Central Railway Reach Agreement to Support Michigan Passenger Rail Service

September 18, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Amtrak and Michigan Central Railway have reached an agreement concerning maintenance and investment levels on the rail lines between Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo, Mich., which are currently used for passenger rail operations. As a result of this agreement, Amtrak will support Michigan Central’s request for regulatory approval of the transaction now pending before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that would grant Michigan Central control over those lines. “When the Michigan Central transaction was announced in July, a number of constituencies expressed concern regarding the impact on passenger rail service in southern Michigan,” said Paul Vilter, Amtrak’s Assistant Vice

Norfolk Southern Whistle-Stop Train Delivers Safety Training to Emergency Responders in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi

September 17, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — A special train will travel to Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi Sept. 17-21 to provide emergency preparedness training to first responders as part of the 2007 Norfolk Southern TRANSCAER Whistle-Stop Tour. TRANSCAER (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a nationwide program that assists communities in preparing for and responding to a possible hazardous material transportation incident. “The Whistle-Stop Tour brings emergency preparedness training to response organizations and educates communities near major rail routes about rail equipment, chemical transportation and the importance of planning for potential hazardous material transportation emergencies,” said Chuck Wehrmeister, Norfolk Southern’s vice president safety

GE Equipment Services Completes its First Rail Wagon Financing in India

September 17, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW DELHI, India — GE Equipment Services, the transport solutions provider of the General Electric Company, announced today that it has provided financing to ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. (ETAPL) for the purchase of more than 200 rail wagons for use on India’s railways. The wagons are designed to carry freight containers. Container cargo is the fastest-growing freight segment, increasing on average at approximately 15 percent annually. The increase in foreign trade and the containerization of domestic cargo are largely fueling this growth. Container flat trains are also part of the government’s new railway wagon policy that has led to the

Metro to Save Millions in Energy Costs with Upgrades

September 14, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Lighting upgrades, new windows, solar water heating and new cooling and heating systems. Those are just some of the improvements to Metro facilities that are planned to be made under this program that will save the transit agency millions of dollars in energy costs over the next ten years, official said. Metro has hired Pepco Energy Services to evaluate at least five facilities to determine where the agency could reduce costs. The transit agency pays $26 million a year on average for electricity at its facilities, which does not include power for the trains. After an initial assessment,

Union Pacific Delivers Record Amounts of Coal to Nation’s Utilities

September 13, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — During the annual meeting and general conference of the National Coal Transportation Association (NCTA) this week in Denver, Union Pacific credited operational improvements for moving a monthly record of 17.2 million tons of coal — 1,118 trainloads — from Wyoming’s Southern Powder River Basin (SPRB) in August. “According to reports from the U.S. Department of Energy Information Administration, coal stockpiles are at the highest level in four years, up 38 percent over last year’s levels,” said Doug Glass, vice president and general manager – energy. “We are pleased with the progress and contributions we have made to

Norfolk Southern and BLET Reach Tentative Agreement

September 11, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Railway Co. and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen last month reached a tentative new agreement, which extends through 2014 and continues to link engineers’ compensation to Norfolk Southern’s performance. The agreement is subject to ratification by employees. The agreement, which covers approximately 5,100 locomotive engineers, continues to provide an annual bonus opportunity based on the same performance criteria used to determine management bonuses. The BLET has participated in Norfolk Southern’s bonus program since 1996. Other highlights of the new agreement include general wage increases, improved incentive pay for weekend and holiday work, increased