Railfanning.org News Wire

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 President, Host Railroads. “With this agreement in place, Amtrak service

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 and environmental. The tour kicks off in Hattiesburg, Miss., and

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 emergence of 14 private train operators in India. “We are

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, the company estimated the entire system could save at least

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 help restore coal stockpiles to normal.” In addition to Union

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 401(k) matching contributions, and improvements to vacation arrangements that are

BNSF Implements SAP Business Suite to Integrate Operations and Manage Rapid Business Growth

September 10, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Co. will transform its internal management system by implementing the SAP Business Suite family of business applications and Duet software from SAP and Microsoft. The SAP rollout will establish a single platform that interconnects BNSF’s financial, human resource and compliance operations. This integrated enterprise landscape will improve transaction visibility, real-time processing of invoices and enhanced management control. As a subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, BNSF Railway operates more than 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. The rapidly growing popularity of freight rail has made BNSF among the world’s top transporters of intermodal traffic, and the railway moves more

Amtrak Partners with GrandLuxe to Offer Luxury Rail Service

September 6, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Beginning this fall, passengers traveling on select Amtrak routes will have the option of lingering over five-course dinners, sleeping in luxurious suites and enjoying personal butler service. The premium service is being made possible by a new partnership between GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, the country’s premier, private rail tour operator, and Amtrak, the national passenger rail service. This is the first time in history that luxury accommodations have been offered on multiple Amtrak routes throughout the country. Called GrandLuxe Limited, the new service uses a separate, private, seven-car luxury train attached to several regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. The GrandLuxe train, which features Dining, Lounge and Sleeping cars appointed with

Canadian Pacific Announces Agreement to Acquire DM&E Railroad

September 4, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CALGARY– Canadian Pacific Railway Limited said it has reached an agreement to acquire the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation and its subsidiaries (DM&E) for $1.48 billion. With this value-enhancing transaction, Canadian Pacific expands its current network by approximately 2,500 miles and increases its access to U.S. Midwest markets including agri-products, coal and ethanol. The deal consists of a $1.48 billion cash payment at closing and future contingent payments of up to approximately $1 billion. Future contingent payments of $350 million will become due if construction starts on the Powder River Basin expansion project prior to December 31, 2025. Further future contingent payments of up to approximately US$700 million will

Amtrak Cascades Schedules Adjusted Based on Experience with Substitute Railcars

August 30, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

OAKLAND — Additional Amtrak railcars — coming from as far away as the East Coast — have arrived in the Pacific Northwest as a substitute for Talgo railcars that are sidelined because of a maintenance issue, Amtrak said. Motorcoaches are also available, with buses covering some of the scheduled train frequencies. New schedules will start Wednesday, Sept. 5. “One of the advantages of Amtrak as an operator of state-supported service is a nationwide equipment pool with experts in operations and scheduling,” said Kurt Laird, the Seattle-based Amtrak District Superintendent. “We are working closely with the states of Washington and Oregon in order to restore frequencies using the substitute Amtrak railcars. “We will experience some very busy