Canadian National

WASHINGTON — To encourage educators, parents and caregivers to teach children that trains and railroad tracks may be dangerous places, Safe Kids USA and Canadian National are launching Safe Crossing Week, which begins today and runs through Nov. 18. Each year in the United States, an average of 916 people are killed and 8,300 are seriously injured in collisions with trains in the United States. In 2005, a total of 39 children aged 15 and under were killed in an incident involving a train. According to the two safety partners, education is key to preventing these injuries. CN created the

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board today determined that the probable cause of a fatal train collision was the failure by the crew to comply with wayside signals requiring them to stop at North Anding. The crew’s attention to the signals was most likely reduced by fatigue, the Board said, although other factors cannot be ruled out. ” This was an accident that could have been prevented,” said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “We will continue to promote and reiterate the importance of having positive train control on our railroad system.” On July 10, 2005, two CN freight trains

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has released letters from Class I railroads outlining their “peak season” service plans. In June, Chairman W. Douglas Buttrey sent letters to the chief executive officers of the seven largest railroads and to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), asking the railroads to inform the STB of their plans to ascertain the demand for, and to prepare for, the provision of peak-season service; their performance goals for the remainder of 2006 and their plans for achieving those goals; and their plans to communicate their service goals and plans with customers. In