Railfanning.org News Wire

CSX Transportation to Re-Open Gulf Coast Rail Line

January 19, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – CSX Transportation is resuming local freight rail service on its Gulf Coast line, a vital transportation artery to New Orleans, railroad officials announced Jan. 18. Service through the entire area is expected to be restored beginning in early February. “We are incredibly proud of our employees and contractors for their tireless efforts to help bring the railroad and its economic benefits back to the region,” CSXT Chief Operating Officer Tony Ingram said. “Many of them contributed to the rebuild straight through the holidays while dealing with their own storm-related issues at home.” Over the past five months,

Flames Reported After Ala. Wreck

January 18, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

LINCOLN, Ala. – Two Norfolk Southern trains, including one that was carrying sodium cyanide, collided Jan. 18 near a Honda plant, causing a "massive" fire, WXIA-TV reported on its Web site. Flames as tall as 60 feet were reported after one train was rear-ended by another, according to reports. Three injuries were reported as a result of the wreck, according to the WXIA-TV report. About 500 people living within two miles of the crash were evacuated, the television station reported. Service on Norfolk Southern’s line between Birmingham, Ala., and Meridian, Miss., was restored a day earlier following a Jan. 16

An engine from the Nicholasville, Ky., -based short line R.J. Corman sits idle outside the engine house in downtown Guthrie.

R. J. Corman Railroad Leases Memphis Area Industrial Switching From BNSF

January 16, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

The R. J. Corman Railroad Co./Tennessee Terminal will add 36.6 miles of industrial track in the Memphis, Tenn., and Olive Branch, Miss., area, the company announced Jan. 16.

Amtrak and Cianbro Corp. Announce $76 Million Bridge Span Replacement at New London, Conn.

January 13, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The nearly 100-year-old Thames River Bridge between New London, Conn., and Groton, Conn., will undergo a $76 million replacement of its aging bascule lift span under a construction contract between Amtrak and Pittsfield, Maine-based Cianbro Corp., the parties announced. The construction project will take two years to complete and is the largest single capital improvement Amtrak will make to the Northeast Corridor during this time. Work on the project begins this month on the installation of seven new underwater communications and signal submarine cables. In the most dramatic phase of the construction project to occur over 12 days

NYC Subway Strike Over

December 22, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK – The Transit Worker’s Union on Dec. 22 ended its strike. MTA employees were asked to return to work for their next shift. The MTA said Dec. 22 it would need between 10 and 18 hours after workers show up to get the system up to full capacity; it was expected that buses would be running later in the evening on Dec. 22 For three days, more than 7 million riders had no choice but to find another means of transportation as 33,000 New York City transit workers were on strike. Even though the strike has ended, the

Spitzer: Hold Union Leaders in Contempt

December 21, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK – State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer on Dec. 21 asked a judge to hold the leadership of a transit union in contempt of court. “Hopefully, these cumulative sanctions will result in a termination of the strike,” Spitzer said in a statement. “If not, my office will be back in court seeking additional penalties until this strike is ended.” More than 7 million riders have no choice but to find another means of transportation as 33,000 New York City transit workers are on strike. The transit agency and its 33,000 workers are fighting over wages and pension contributions; the

Dozens Injured in Italian Train Wreck

December 20, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

ROME, Italy – As many as 50 people were injured Dec. 20 when two passenger trains collided near the Italian town of Roccasecca, located about 80 miles of Rome. A train traveling from Rome to Campobasso crashed into a parked train in the station at Roccasecca. The stationary train was traveling from Rome to Cassino. Crews spent some time freeing people who were trapped in the wreckage. Everyone was freed within hours of the 3:20 p.m. collision. No one was killed in the wreck, according to published news reports. In January, 17 people were killed when a passenger train and

NYC MTA Workers on Strike

December 20, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK – Transit workers on Dec. 20 went on strike, forcing millions of city residents to find another way to commute to work. "The morning rush hour was unlike anything this City has experienced in 25 years," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. "For a lot of New Yorkers, it was not an easy commute and getting home tonight won’t be easy either. The good news is New Yorkers are following the strike contingency plan we developed and put into effect early this morning." The strike is the first since an 11-day strike in 1980. The transit strike is illegal under

NYC Subways Still Running for Rush Hour

December 16, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW YORK – Commuters went to work Dec. 16 under the threat of a strike by the city’s transit workers, but New York’s subway system remained open for morning rush hour. “A strike would be more than just illegal and inconvenient; it will threaten public safety and severely disrupt our City and its economy,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said previously. “Our contingency plan is designed to move as many people as possible using alternative means of transportation and to make sure that our streets remain passable for emergency vehicles.” City officials previously outlined a plan to address a transit disruption by reducing

Trucker Killed in Crash With Amtrak Train

December 15, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

SALT LAKE CITY – A truck driver was killed Dec. 14 after an Amtrak train struck the truck he was driving, according to various published reports. The truck, according to an Associated Press report, tried to cross the tracks in front of the approaching California Zephyr. It took one-half mile for the train to stop. The crossing does not have gates. Five of the train’s 119 passengers were injured in the crash. None of the injuries, according to published reports, appeared to be life threatening. The lead engine’s front wheel derailed in the wreck. The Federal Railroad Administration will investigate