Railfanning.org News Wire

DOJ Sues NS Over Graniteville Derailment

April 24, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The United States Department of Justice filed an environmental lawsuit suit against Norfolk Southern Railway, three years after a fatal derailment in Graniteville, S.C. The Department of Justice is seeking civil penalties and injunctive relief under the Clean Water Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. On Jan. 6, 2005, a northbound Norfolk Southern Railway freight train encountered an “improperly lined” switch, and the train diverted from the main line onto an industry track. There, it struck an unoccupied, parked train. Among the derailed cars were three tank cars containing chlorine, one of which was

Norfolk Southern Reports First-Quarter 2008 Results

April 22, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — For the first quarter of 2008, Norfolk Southern Corporation reported net income of $291 million, or $0.76 per diluted share, compared with $285 million, or $0.71 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2007. First-quarter 2008 results were impacted by the settlement of a lawsuit relating to the 2005 accident at Graniteville, S.C., which, when combined with other favorable claims-related adjustments, reduced earnings by $0.02 per diluted share. “Norfolk Southern delivered strong financial performance during the quarter, reporting the highest railway operating revenues in its history, in spite of a less than robust economy,” said Norfolk

Canadian Pacific Announces First-Quarter 2008 Results

April 22, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific Railway Limited announced its first-quarter results, and net income in the first quarter was $91 million, a decrease of 29 per cent from $129 million in 2007, and diluted earnings per share was $0.59, a decrease of $0.23 from $0.82 in the first quarter of 2007. Diluted earnings per share, excluding the effects of foreign exchange gains and losses on long-term debt and other specified items, decreased $0.03 as there was a favourable change in provincial tax rates which partially offset the impacts of severe winter operating conditions and the increase in fuel costs. However, foreign

Norfolk Southern’s ‘Green Machine’ Does the Math To Make Supply Chains More Environmentally Friendly

April 16, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern’s new online carbon footprint analyzer puts the environmental benefits of rail transportation into an easy-to-visualize perspective. The “Green Machine” quickly estimates the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that occur when rail transportation becomes a larger component in shipper supply chains. The Green Machine can be accessed through Norfolk Southern’s environmental Web site at www.nscorp.com/future and through its accessNS e-commerce portal at www.nscorp.com. The calculator prompts the user to enter shipment volumes, along with network or lane information. Using graphic slides, the user then can gauge the emission reductions that occur as rail becomes a larger

CSX: Facility Improvements Planned for Erwin, Tenn.

April 11, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Transportation has announced facility expansions and enhancements at its Erwin, Tenn., facility as the railroad moves forward with an initiative to further improve the delivery of coal and other freight. Erwin, the former headquarters of the CSXT predecessor Clinchfield Railroad, is an important gateway for coal trains operating from Appalachia to receivers such as electrical power utilities. As part of an expanded project focused on improving bulk freight service including coal and grain, approximately $6 million in track and structure work will be performed at the Erwin terminal during 2008. This work will accommodate a growing

Pacer Stacktrain Initiates Expanded Intermodal Services with BNSF Railway

April 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

CONCORD, Calif. — Pacer International Inc. announced expanded intermodal services between its Pacer Stacktrain unit and BNSF Railway which allows Pacer Stacktrain to begin full service on their network effective April 1, 2008. Pacer Stacktrain will — for the first time — have access to the entire BNSF intermodal network within the United States. Interline service is available to and from Pacer-served CSX and Canadian National locations. “We are very pleased to have expanded our service with BNSF. The new Pacer Stacktrain BNSF Double Stack Service is a major milestone for our customers, providing fast and reliable ramp-to-ramp and door-to-door

Second Railroad Joins FRA “Close Call” Risk Reduction Pilot Program

April 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — A second railroad is now participating in a major federal rail safety pilot program designed to allow employees the ability to voluntarily and anonymously report “close call” incidents that could have resulted in an accident but did not, announced Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “This risk-reduction program provides an indispensable opportunity to analyze ‘close-call’ events to help identify and correct potential safety problems across the industry,” said Boardman, adding that the pilot program is a key element of his agency’s National Rail Safety Action Plan. Under a waiver granted by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Canadian

FRA Train Accident Investigation Reports Now Publicly Available Online

April 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — To increase public awareness about the causes of specific train accidents and to reduce the need for individuals to submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is for the first time making its investigation reports of major train accidents and other incidents available online, FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman announced. “There’s no reason that anyone who’s interested shouldn’t be able to find out the probable cause of a train accident,” said Boardman, explaining that formal FRA accident investigation reports generally focus on high-consequence train-to-train collisions, derailments, certain highway-rail grade crossing collisions, and all

FRA Announces Guide for Managing Gap Safety at Passenger Rail Platforms

April 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a guidance document to help minimize accidents due to gaps between the edge of a passenger station platform and the threshold of a passenger train door. FRA Approach to Managing Gap Safety addresses the use of engineering evaluation and analysis to establish gap standards and the application of strategies to prevent and reduce gap accidents. While most gap incidents involving rail passengers result in relatively minor injuries, FRA believes the most effective way to address the potential risks is for railroads to develop and adopt a comprehensive program to manage gap

FRA Releases Demographic Report on Rail Trespasser Fatalities

April 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Trespassers account for the largest number of fatalities in the railroad industry — approximately 500 per year. In order to better understand who is trespassing, their locations, and the reasons they are on railroad property, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a report using three years of reported trespasser fatalities. Medical examiners and coroners across the country were surveyed, and based on the best information available from those who elected to participate in the study, the average trespasser is most often a 38-year-old white male under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, with a median household income of