Miscellaneous

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BNSF

AAR: Rail Carload Freight Reaches Highest Level in More Than a Year

March 7, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Carload freight volume on U.S. railroads reached its highest level in more than a year during the week ended Feb. 27, the Association of American Railroads reported. U.S. railroads originated 290,261 carloads during the week ended Feb. 27, up 2.6 percent from the comparable week in 2009 and the highest level reported since the week ended Dec. 6, 2008. However, the total was still down 13.5 percent from comparison week in 2008. In order to offer a complete picture of the progress in rail traffic, AAR now reports 2010 weekly rail traffic with comparison weeks in both 2009

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Miscellaneous

American Railcar Industries Announces Formation of U.S. Railcar Joint Venture

February 19, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

ST. CHARLES, Mo. — American Railcar Industries and Ohio-based U.S. Railcar announced the formation of a joint venture to be named U.S. Railcar Co. The joint venture is being formed to design, manufacture and sell Diesel Multiple Units, which are self-propelled passenger railcars in both single- and bi-level configurations. ARI is majority owned by Icahn Enterprises. “ARI is excited to participate in this opportunity to join USR and bring ARI’s freight rolling stock manufacturing heritage to the passenger equipment sector,” said ARI President and CEO James Cowan. “Our commitment to expand and diversify ARI’s manufacturing program results from ARI’s desire

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Miscellaneous

FreightCar America Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2009 Results

February 18, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — FreightCar America Inc. reported results for its fourth quarter ended December 31, 2009 with sales of $49.4 million and a net loss of $5.5 million, or $0.47 per diluted share. Sales for the quarter were down 10 percent from third quarter 2009 sales of $55.1 million and down significantly over fourth quarter 2008 sales of $271.9 million. Railcar deliveries totaled 697 units in the quarter, compared to 695 units delivered in the third quarter of 2009 and 3,624 units delivered in the fourth quarter of 2008. The gross margin rate for the fourth quarter was 6.8 percent, compared to

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Legislation

National Gateway Receives Federal Stimulus Funds through TIGER Program

February 17, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Gateway has been awarded $98 million in funding from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grant program, part of the so-called American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The federal funds invested in this project will immediately be put to work alongside state and private funds to drive direct and long-lasting benefits in Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina — as well as the rest of the nation, officials said. “This grant is a validation of the benefits of freight rail and the prominent role that railroads play in growing our economy and

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Miscellaneous

L. B. Foster Company to Acquire Portec Rail Products

February 17, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

PITTSBURGH — L. B. Foster Co. and Portec Rail Products Inc. announced the signing of an Agreement and Plan of Merger, under which L. B. Foster will make, through its wholly owned acquisition subsidiary, a cash tender offer to acquire all of Portec’s outstanding shares of common stock for $11.71 per share. “The proposed acquisition will bring together two organizations with a rich history of successfully delivering products and services to the global rail industry,” said Stan Hasselbusch, L . B. Foster’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The addition of Portec will complement our existing array of products and furthers

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Miscellaneous

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Limited Sign Rail Services Agreement

February 16, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

GREENWICH, Conn. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said that GWI and a newly formed GWI subsidiary, Western Labrador Rail Services (WLRS), have entered into a long term agreement with Bloom Lake Railway Company (BLRC), a subsidiary of Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Limited (CLM), for WLRS to provide rail transportation services to BLRC. Operated as part of GWI’s Canada Region, WLRS will haul unit trains of iron ore over BLRC’s newly constructed 31-kilometer railway from CLM’s Bloom Lake mine, located in the province of Quebec on the south end of the Labrador Trough, to Wabush, Labrador. The iron ore will then travel

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Miscellaneous

Study: Railroad rates increasing since 2004

February 1, 2010 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — An independent team of consultants charged with looking at competitiveness in the U.S. rail industry has found that railroad rates have been steadily increasing since 2004, with a particularly steep increase in 2008. But Christensen Associates Inc. found that the rate increases were driven by fluctuating fuel prices and other costs and did not appear to reflect a greater exercise of railroad market power over captive shippers. The updated study, which now includes data from 1987 through 2008, found that a greater share of traffic in 2007 and 2008 moved at rates less than 180 percent of variable costs than in 2005 and 2006. Variable costs include fuel,

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Miscellaneous

Axion Signs Milestone $957,000 Contract for Construction of Railroad Bridges Made from Recycled Plastic

November 18, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J. –Axion International Holdings, a next-generation technology innovator utilizing recycled plastic for high-load industrial products, today announced the completion of a milestone $957,000 contract for the construction of two railroad bridges designed from nearly 100 percent recycled plastics. The U.S. Army has commissioned each of these bridges to be built at Fort Eustis, Va., home of the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. The main structural components of these bridges will be made entirely from recycled consumer and industrial plastics using Axion’s proprietary immiscible blending to create Recycled Structural Composites (RSC). With load rating capacities of 130 tons, these bridges