BNSF – Page 13 – Railfanning.org

AAR: Rail Freight Traffic Down During Holiday Week

December 31, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was down during the holiday week ended December 27 in comparison with the corresponding holiday week last year the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today. Total volume was estimated at 21.4 billion ton-miles, down 20.1 percent from the same week last year. Intermodal volume totaled 124,061 trailers or containers, down 21.8 percent from last year, with container volume down 21.5 percent and trailer volume down 23.2 percent. Carload freight, which doesn’t include the intermodal data, totaled 200,365 cars for the week, down 21.7 percent from last year. Loadings were down 26.5 percent

BNSF Postpones Fuel Surcharge Changes

December 31, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas — Due to current volatility in the fuel markets, BNSF is postponing the fuel surcharge changes that had been scheduled to take effect in January and February 2009. These changes would have extended the mileage-based fuel surcharge program and increased the strike price on carload shipments from $1.25 to $2.50 per gallon of Highway Diesel Fuel (HDF). The railroad said it would continue to monitor the state of the fuel markets as the year progresses and provide an update by July 1.

Amtrak and KDOT Agree on Scope of Study

December 9, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and Amtrak have agreed on the scope of the Amtrak Expansion Feasibility Study. KDOT has budgeted $200,000 for the study. The study will identify capital requirements and operating costs needed to provide state-sponsored passenger rail service between Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Fort Worth. The study will consider factors such as potential schedules, railcar and locomotive availability and capital needs for rail improvements to accommodate passenger service. As part of the study, BNSF Railway will analyze the capacity of the route because a passenger rail service would have to share the tracks

BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads for Partnership Excellence

December 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas — The Columbia Basin Railroad (CBRW), Louisiana & Delta Railroad (L&D) and the Texas Northwestern Railway (TXNW) each received a BNSF Shortline Achievement Award at this year’s 13th Annual Shortline Conference. “BNSF is pleased to honor these shortline railroads for their ability to provide intense customer focus, resourcefulness, operational flexibility, and a local presence in their communities,” said Pete Rickershauser, BNSF vice president, Network Development. “These shortlines have gone beyond our expectations to build new business for our railroads and new service products for our shared customers. We see their roles expanding in the future as they

BNSF Adds Third Rail Line through Cajon Pass

November 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas –BNSF Railway has completed construction of a third main rail line through Cajon Pass in Southern California that will increase capacity on BNSF’s Chicago to Los Angeles Transcontinental (Transcon) route from 100 to 150 trains a day. The $90 million project adds almost 16 miles of third main track to BNSF’s route into the Los Angeles Basin. Cajon Pass is located between the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges, just north of the City of San Bernardino. Approximately 75 to 100 freight and passenger trains currently traverse this route on a daily basis. Each intermodal train

House Approves Rail Safety Bill; Billions to go to Passenger Rail

September 27, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives has approved legislation that proponents say will improve the Nation’s intercity passenger rail system and the safety of the nation’s railroads. The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 will increase funding for Amtrak over the next five years, require new safety controls on trains that help reduce crashes, allow states to regulate solid waste processing facilities along rail lines and allocate funding for improvements to Washington’s Metro transit system. The legislation sets “an aggressive deadline” of 2015 for implementation of positive train control (PTC)

Hurricane Ike Causes Rail Freight Downturn

September 27, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was off sharply during the week ended September 20 in comparison with the same week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported. Much of the decline can be attributed to disruptions caused by Hurricane Ike which struck the Gulf Coast Sept. 13. Total volume was estimated at 32.8 billion ton-miles, down 6.8 percent from the comparable week last year. Carload freight in the week totaled 312,662 cars, off 7.8 percent from last year. Volume was down 10.4 percent in the West and 4.3 percent in the East. Intermodal volume, which is

U.S. DOT Report Identifies Freight Railroads’ Role in Amtrak Train Delays

September 25, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Improper dispatching practices and poor operating discipline by freight railroads are among the key reasons why Amtrak trains suffer poor on-time performance on tracks operated by those host freight railroads. That’s the upshot of “Root Causes of Amtrak Train Delays,” a new report from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General. The DOT IG issued the report in response to a request from the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee. More than 70 percent of the miles traveled by Amtrak trains are operated over tracks owned by other railroads. Federal law requires that, except in emergencies or as

No Phones in the Cab of California Trains

September 19, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

SAN FRANCISCO — Metrolink engineers and train operators across the state of California are no longer allowed to use cell phones while in the cab. The California Public Utilities Commission voted to temporarily prohibit the personal use of “commercial mobile radio services and devices” by on-duty railroad engineers, brakemen, conductors or rail transit vehicle operators. Personal communications “that take place when the train or transit vehicle is stopped and with the approval of the appropriate management personnel” is allowed, however. The CPUC determined that this action was needed due to a June 14, 2008, MUNI accident that may have resulted

Union Pacific Surpasses Own Records for Moving Loaded Coal Trains Out of Wyoming

September 8, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific said it has surpassed its own monthly record for delivering coal out of Wyoming’s Southern Powder River Basin (SPRB) not only once, but twice. In August, the railroad moved 1,190 loaded coal trains out of the SPRB, making it the best month on record and surpassing the previous record of 1,174 loaded trains set in July 2008. “Our investments in the Joint Line and throughout our coal network are paying dividends in terms of our coal train velocity and throughput,” said Doug Glass, vice president and general manager – energy. UP also announced the following