Railfanning.org News Wire

Amtrak, Union Pacific Reach Agreement for Passenger Train Performance Plan

June 20, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad have reached an agreement on a performance plan to reduce passenger train delays attributed to track conditions. Under the agreement, Union Pacific will limit speed restrictions that can cause Amtrak trains to fall behind schedule on Union Pacific’s routes. Union Pacific is the nation’s largest railroad and is one of the three biggest hosts of Amtrak service, including short-distance trains and parts of four overnight routes in the West, Pacific Northwest and Midwest. Imposing temporary speed restrictions is a common railroad practice. Frequently called “slow orders,” these restrictions are put into effect when

Wabtec Receives Orders Worth $33 Million For MPXpress Commuter Locomotives

June 19, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WILMERDING, Pa. — Wabtec Corp. said its MotivePower subsidiary has received orders worth $33 million for 12 MPXpress commuter locomotives from transit agencies in California, Minnesota and New Mexico. The locomotives, to be manufactured in Boise, Idaho, are expected to be delivered in 2008-09. “We’ve now delivered or received orders for 100 MPXpress locomotives from eight different transit agencies throughout North America since 2003, making it the proven and preferred choice for commuter rail agencies,” said Albert J. Neupaver, Wabtec’s president and chief executive officer. “We’re pleased to be at the forefront of the growth and improvement of public transit.”

Portion of Staten Island Railroad Reactivated

June 19, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg recently reactivated the Staten Island Railroad, an eight-mile railway that will connect Staten Island to the national rail freight network.

Argus Media Awards Alaska Railroad, Alaska Railbelt Marine With Prestigious Win-Win

June 15, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Alaska Railroad (ARRC) and Alaska Railbelt Marine are the winners of its prestigious Win-Win Award, Argus Media Inc. announced. The annual award is given to railroads, shippers and transportation companies which develop innovative partnerships leading to better service, better rates and other, mutually beneficial, service improvements. Launched in 1998 by Argus Rail Business, the annual award celebrates partnerships between rail carriers and customers which result in significant cost or service benefits. The latest award recognizes how the railroad and barge company preserved and revived freight deliveries to Whittier, Alaska, for several customers. “We are honored to receive

Additional Security Funds Possible

June 14, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Additional security grant funds for transit systems are likely as a result in increases in FY08 Department of Homeland Security appropriation bills that are pending in Congress. The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted June 14 to approve the FY08 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill, which includes $400 million for rail/transit security grants — more than the double the amount contained in last year’s bill. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved its version of the bill, which also contained $400 million for its rail/transit security grant program. “The availability of additional funds will

STB to Hold July 18 Public Hearing on Rail Transportation Energy Resources

June 13, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

KANSAS CITY — The Surface Transportation Board will hold a public forum to examine issues related to the efficiency and reliability of railroad transportation of resources critical to the Nation’s energy supply, including coal, ethanol and biofuels, Chairman Charles D. Nottingham said. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in the Ground Floor Conference Room of the Richard Bolling Federal Building, 601 East 12th Street, Kansas City, Mo. The STB officially announced the July 18 hearing in the proceeding entitled Rail Transportation of Resources Critical to the Nation’s Energy Supply, STB Ex Parte No. 672, in a decision issued to

Pacer’s Distribution Arm Expands Capacity, Opens Los Angeles Transload and Distribution Warehouse

June 12, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CONCORD, Calif. — Pacer Distribution Services, Inc. (PDS), the warehousing and distribution arm of Pacer International, Inc., announced the opening of a new 52-door transload center in Carson, California to support increased demand for transloading services for international freight shipments moving from the West Coast to inland points. The facility, located on 5.4 acres, is adjacent to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and will be primarily dedicated to transloading services, though it will also provide additional capacity to the company’s previously existing warehouse operations that already occupy more than 800,000 square feet. These facilities support transload, cross-dock,

CTA’s Diversey Station to Close for Renovation

June 12, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — Chicago Transit Authority’s Diversey station — on the Brown Line — will temporarily close for renovation. The closure begins June 25and will be closed for 12 months while construction crews work to upgrade and extend platforms, rebuild the stationhouse and make the station accessible to customers with disabilities. The adjacent stations – Wellington and Fullerton – will remain open during the temporary closure of the Diversey station so customers may continue to use them to access Brown Line service. When the Diversey station reopens next year customers will have a new stationhouse and platform with a new elevator

FreightCar America Builds New Design Ballast Cars for BNSF

June 8, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — FreightCar America, Inc. has delivered 162 electrically operated all-steel ballast cars to BNSF Railway from its railcar production facility in Johnstown, Pa. These are the first ballast cars BNSF has acquired in over 20 years. They have higher capacity at 110 tons and feature a new technology operating system for the discharge doors. The cars are designed with a new electric, solar-powered activation system, whereby ballast can be dumped remotely by radio control. Their air-operated doors from W. H. Miner Enterprises function like traditional ballast cars, capable of distributing ballast either on the inside or outside of the

NTSB to Release Factual Reports on Massachusetts Bay Commuter Rail Collision

June 8, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board will release a factual report June 11 into a January Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority passenger train collision that left two workers dead and injured two others. At 1:38 p.m. Jan. 9, southbound MBTA passenger train No. 322, traveling at 60 mph, struck track maintenance equipment near Woburn, Mass. Six track employees were working on or near the equipment at the time. Two employees were fatally injured, two employees were seriously injured and two employees were unhurt. Emergency responders treated and released ten passengers at the accident scene. The information being released is factual