Commuter Rail

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Commuter Rail

WMATA Agrees to Pay Environmental Fine

November 30, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has agreed to pay a $200,000 fine to settle a six-year-old violation of the Clean Water Act. The violation was caused by the accidental discharge of acidic water from a rail car hand-wash operation to the sanitary sewer system at its Branch Avenue Rail Yard rail car washing facility, the authority said. The incident took place over several days in October 2003 and was halted when WMATA officials were notified of the discharge, the authority said. After the incident, WMATA officials reconfigured the operations of its rail car washing operation to comply
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Commuter Rail

Two WMATA Trains Collide at West Falls Church Rail Yard

November 29, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — A six-car Metrorail train struck the rear of a parked six-car train at West Falls Church Rail Yard. The collision happened at 4:27 a.m. today, Nov. 29. Three employees sustained minor, non life-threatening injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital where they were treated and released. No customers were on board the trains. Service to customers was not affected when the rail system opened this morning at 7 a.m., officials said. Train No. 902 was the last train of the night pulling into the rail yard when it struck the last car of a six-car train that
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Commuter Rail

GE and China MOR Sign Strategic MOU to Advance High-Speed Rail Opportunities in the U.S.

November 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
ERIE, Pa. — GE and China’s Ministry of Railways announced that they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly advance high-speed rail (HSR) opportunities in the United States. This collaboration will allow GE Transportation to be the first U.S. locomotive manufacturer to more effectively compete for high-speed rail projects against global competitors, the companies said. In addition, the partnership would accelerate GE’s passenger rail technologies and create in the near future up to 150 high technology jobs in the U.S. The announcement was made as part of “GE’s Clean Technology Week in China” activities, GE said. “China is a
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Commuter Rail

N.J. Transit Joins FRA ‘Close Call’ Pilot Program

November 19, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — N.J. Transit has started its participation in the Close Call Project, a safety pilot program designed to give rail employees the ability to voluntarily and anonymously report “close call” incidents that could have resulted in an accident but did not. “We are excited that New Jersey Transit is taking part in this valuable safety program that has already proven to reduce injuries and save lives,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We hope that others will follow suit and strengthen our efforts.” N.J. Transit is the third railroad – and the first passenger railroad – to join the program
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Commuter Rail

NTSB Announces Hearing on Fatal WMATA Wreck

November 12, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board today announced that it will hold a public hearing on February 23-24, 2010, as part of its ongoing investigation into the collision of two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail Red Line trains on June 22 that occurred between the Fort Totten and Takoma Park stations in Washington, D.C. As a result of this accident, there were nine fatalities and numerous injuries. The two-day hearing will convene on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at the NTSB’s Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington. The purpose of the hearing will be
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Amtrak

Amtrak Reaches Understanding With Metrolink to Operate Los Angeles Area Commuter Trains

October 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON – Amtrak and the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) are moving forward today with a Memorandum of Understanding for Amtrak to provide the train and engine crews needed to operate Metrolink commuter trains on all seven of its lines in the Los Angeles area beginning July 1, 2010. “Amtrak and its employees appreciate the confidence and trust Metrolink has placed in us to provide their passengers the highest standards of safety, efficiency and reliability,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joseph H. Boardman, adding the commuter rail system on average operates 149 trains and carries 43,000 riders every weekday.
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Commuter Rail

NTSB Identifies Signal Failure in DC Crash

September 22, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued nine safety recommendations, six of which are urgent, as part of its investigation into the collision between two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) trains on June 22, 2009. The trains crashed on the Red Line near the Fort Totten station in Washington. The NTSB’s recommendations address concerns about the safety of train control systems that use audio frequency track circuits, authorities said. As part of its investigation, the NTSB said it discovered that a failure occurred in which a spurious signal generated by a track circuit module transmitter mimicked