Railfanning.org News Wire

FRA Launches Two New Automated Inspection Vehicles to Detect Track Flaws; 100,000 Miles of Track to be Federally Inspected Each Year

May 16, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Two new custom-built inspection vehicles equipped with state of the art technology to help identify track flaws that could lead to train derailments are now in service and will allow the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to triple the amount of track it inspects each year by automated means to nearly 100,000 miles, announced FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “Finding track problems and getting them fixed before a train accident occurs is key to safeguarding communities,” Boardman said. Boardman explained that the new automated track inspection vehicles increase the FRA’s fleet to five and are primarily used on high-volume rail lines that carry hazardous materials and passenger trains. They

Amtrak-Illinois DOT Feasibility Study Determines Most Direct Route Best for Service to Rockford, Northwestern Illinois and Dubuque, Iowa

May 16, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO – After a period of extensive public involvement, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has chosen the most direct route as the best choice of four options for restoring rail service to a section of the state which lost passenger rail service more than 25 years ago. Following three community meetings and a web-based public comment period, IDOT has asked Amtrak to work with the CN railroad, which owns the tracks, to restore state-supported service when funding becomes available. “It is clear from the series of public meetings we’ve held over the last few months and the extensive amount of input we have received from the community that there

Ridership Surges as Amtrak Celebrates National Transportation Week

May 15, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – In recognition of National Transportation Week, Amtrak today announced that ridership across the country reached 14.3 million during the first seven months of the fiscal year, an increase of 5 percent over last year. The biggest growth was in Amtrak’s short-distance corridors outside the Northeast — routes of 500 miles or less — with more than 12.3 million passengers traveling. The Amtrak-owned Northeast Corridor (Washington, DC – New York – Boston) continues to be the railroad’s busiest route, with 5.7 million passengers traveling during the first seven months of the fiscal year (October 1, 2006 – March 31, 2007). This was an increase from 5.4 million passengers during

FRA Issues Grant to Nevada DOT to Complete Evaluation of Proposed Maglev Train

May 11, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is issuing a $962,240 grant to the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) to complete preliminary environmental and engineering studies for a 35-mile segment of a proposed magnetic levitation (maglev) passenger train corridor between Las Vegas and Primm, Nev. Among the factors to be examined include: regional and local planning goals; current and future demographics and land use, growth and development patterns; as well as existing and planned transportation facilities and services. — Special to Railfanning.org News Wire

CTA to Relocate Historic Stationhouse

May 10, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — The Chicago Transit Authority will relocate the existing historic stationhouse at Fullerton from 9:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 10 until 5 a.m. on Friday, May 11. Rail service will not be affected; however, Fullerton Avenue will be closed to through traffic between Sheffield and Halsted. CTA’s #74 Fullerton bus will be temporarily rerouted eastbound via Sheffield, Webster, Lincoln, Sheffield and Fullerton then resume the regular route. The stationhouse will be temporarily stored nearby until the work to install it at its permanent location is completed. The historic stationhouse will be refurbished and opened as an auxiliary entrance/exit for customers in 2009. A new accessible stationhouse will be constructed

N.J. Seeking to Commit Another Billion Dollars to Build Trans-Hudson Passenger Tunnel

May 8, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. — New Jersey is seeking to increase its funding commitment for a new trans-Hudson passenger rail tunnel by a billion dollars over the next decade — raising the state’s total investment in the Access to the Regions Core (ARC) project to $1.5 billion. In a unanimous vote yesterday, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority’s (NJTPA) Project Prioritization Committee approved a recommendation to their full Board supporting Governor Corzine’s plan to exchange traditional highway dollars to fund the transit project that will double commuter rail capacity. The NJTPA’s full Board of Trustees is set to consider the measure at its meeting next week. “Looking at all of the funding

Train Carrying NASA Solid Booster Rockets Derails in Ala.

May 3, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

MYRTLEWOOD, Ala. — Six people were injured when a freight train carrying segments of solid rocket boosters for NASA derailed on Genesee & Wyoming Inc.’s Meridian & Bigbee Railroad (M&B). Five of the injured were accompanying the booster segments in a passenger car that derailed. Two of the five were airlifted to nearby hospitals with injuries that have been reported as not life-threatening. The sixth person injured was the locomotive engineer, who is an M&B employee. He sustained cuts and bruises and was treated and released yesterday. The derailment occurred as the eastbound train with two locomotives and 14 cars reached the east end of a 650-foot-long, 10-foot-high trestle over

Rehberg Honored With Golden Spike Award

May 2, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Association of Railroad Passengers is honoring U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., with the George Falcon Golden Spike Award. The award honors individuals for their contributions to the advancement of passenger rail. Rehberg was honored for his sustained leadership in funding intercity passenger rail. He chairs the Congressional Rail Caucus and was instrumental in securing funding for Amtrak in the last appropriations bill, fighting off amendments that would have crippled the railroad, or eliminated long distance trains. “Even in his earliest days as a freshman member of Congress, Representative Rehberg spoke out clearly and forcefully against efforts to bankrupt and shut down Amtrak, steadfastly supporting both Montana’s

Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to Offer Fastest Service Between Southern California and Southeast

April 30, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railway will significantly improve eastbound domestic transcontinental service from Los Angeles to the Southeast on May 21. The service improvement in this important high-volume lane will result from shifting traffic from the Memphis gateway to the new Shreveport, La., gateway. This new route, combining Union Pacific’s Sunset Route between Los Angeles and Texas with Norfolk Southern’s and Kansas City Southern’s joint venture line between Shreveport and Meridian, Miss., is nearly 150 miles shorter than the current route, making it the shortest, fastest and most reliable intermodal route between Los Angeles and the Southeast. This change will result: Sandard service to Atlanta

Customers On SEPTA’s Paoli Line and Amtrak’s Keystone Corridor To Enjoy a Smoother Rider After Trackwork

April 25, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

PHILADELPHIA – Customers on SEPTA’s Regional Rail R5 Paoli-Thorndale Line and Amtrak’s Keystone Service will soon enjoy a smoother ride as Amtrak embarks on a major trackwork project between Paoli and Philadelphia. Scheduled to begin May 7 and continue through mid-November, the trackwork will cause adjustments to the schedules of trains that travel through the area, but in the end will result in more reliable service. During the project, SEPTA passengers will get a sneak peak at what the trackwork means to their daily commute as trains will operate over tracks that have already been upgraded. The trackwork, which is being funded by SEPTA, calls for the installation of concrete