Transit
Articles by Railfanning.org News Wire
BNSF
BNSF to Expand Use of Environmentally Friendly ‘Green Goat’ Switch Engines in Los Angeles Area and Texas
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
Safety
Railroads Set Safety Record in 2004
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,
Commuter Rail
N.J. Transit Approves Lower Fare Increases
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
Amtrak
NTSB
NTSB Approves Safety Recommendations
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
Norfolk Southern
Motiva Enterprises and Norfolk Southern Build Largest Rail-Served Ethanol Terminal in New York Harbor
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
Miscellaneous
Union Pacific
Davidson: ‘High fuel prices and increased operating costs continued to impact earnings’
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.
CSX