Railfanning.org News Wire

Canadian Pacific Railway names Kamloops’ interchange in honor of Chinese rail worker

May 27, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

KAMLOOPS, British Columbia – In a ceremony highlighted by a Lion Dance that symbolizes good luck and good blessings, Canadian Pacific Railway named a railway interchange in Kamloops in honor of Cheng Ging Butt, a railway laborer who represented the dedication of those who came forward to work on the CPR transcontinental line in the British Columbia interior, the company announced. Thousands of Chinese railway workers helped build the Canadian Pacific Railway from the West Coast to Eagle Pass in the Monashee Mountains of Western Canada and many perished. "Cheng Ging Butt is representative of the extraordinary people who withstood

MARTA Opens 33-Acre Rail Facility

May 24, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) celebrated the opening of its largest rail maintenance and storage facility during a dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony on May 23, 2005.

BNSF to Expand Use of Environmentally Friendly ‘Green Goat’ Switch Engines in Los Angeles Area and Texas

May 23, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway Company and RailPower Technologies Corp. have announced that BNSF will keep its Green Goat, an environmentally friendly hybrid switch engine, in service for five years in the Los Angeles area and that it is acquiring four cabless Green Goat units for use in Texas. In Los Angeles, the Green Goat(R) joins BNSF’s four Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) locomotives in service elsewhere in the area; the four are the only LNG locomotives in the country. The Green Goat uses a relatively small, clean, efficient, diesel genset in conjunction with over 300 batteries to improve fuel

Railroads Set Safety Record in 2004

May 19, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Employees at the nation’s railroads reported their lowest employee casualty rate in history during 2004, Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, said May 19 at a luncheon ceremony honoring railroads with the best employee safety records last year. Twelve railroads received gold, silver or bronze E.H. Harriman Memorial Safety Awards in four separate categories at the awards luncheon. Hamberger told the audience that last year’s employee casualty rate was nine percent lower than it was in 2003, when the previous record was set. "And for the first two months of this year,

N.J. Transit Approves Lower Fare Increases

April 21, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEWARK, N.J. – The N.J. Transit Board of Directors on April 21 approved an FY 2006 fare plan that delivers lower than expected fare increases for many commuters, as a result of $12.6 million in additional internal management efficiencies and revenue enhancements. Under the plan, which will take effect July 1, commuter rail and interstate bus fares will increase an average of 9.9 percent – down 25 percent from the original proposal. This level of increase is consistent with inflation, which already totals 9 percent since April 2002 – the last last fare increase – and is widely expected to

The New England Council Calls on Administration to Reconsider Proposed Amtrak Funding

February 10, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

Following the release of President Bush’s proposed budget which would slash funding for Amtrak rail service, New England Council President James T. Brett joined other regional leaders in calling for the Administration to reconsider this proposal.

NTSB Approves Safety Recommendations

February 3, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

The National Transportation Safety Board on Feb. 3 approved the following: The National Transportation Safety Board therefore makes the following safety recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration: Require in 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 213, Track Safety Standards, that rail cracks originating from bond wire attachments be identified as rail defects and that information be collected on the methods and locations of those attachments. (R-05-01) Require in 49 Code of Federal Regulations Part 225, Guide for Preparing Accident/Incident Reports, that derailments caused by rail cracks originating from bond wire attachments be reported with a specific cause code and that

Motiva Enterprises and Norfolk Southern Build Largest Rail-Served Ethanol Terminal in New York Harbor

February 2, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Motiva Enterprises LLC and Norfolk Southern Corporation on Feb. 2 announced the opening of a new high-capacity ethanol terminal located at Motiva’s petroleum distribution terminal in Sewaren, N.J. It is the largest rail-served ethanol terminal in the New York Harbor area. The terminal is strategically located to serve the New York and Connecticut markets for ethanol. The facility, which replaces Motiva’s 23-car-per-day terminal, is capable of unloading 40 railcars per day. The expansion more than doubled the terminal’s capacity from 1 million gallons per day to more than 2 million. Ethanol is increasingly being used as a

2004 in Review: Railroad-by-Railroad

February 1, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

U.S. freight railroads completed a record-breaking year by originating 1,588,950 carloads of freight in December 2004 and an additional 1,029,547 intermodal trailers and containers, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported.

Davidson: ‘High fuel prices and increased operating costs continued to impact earnings’

February 1, 2005 Railfanning.org News Wire

Union Pacific Corporation on Jan. 24 reported 2004 fourth quarter income from continuing operations of $79 million, or $0.30 per diluted share compared to $333 million, or $1.28 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2003. Included in the 2004 results is the impact of the $154 million after-tax, or $0.58 per diluted share, non-cash charge for unasserted asbestos claims that the company announced in December.