Miscellaneous

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Miscellaneous

AAR: Rail Freight Traffic Continues to Reflect Slow Economy

March 27, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads continued to reflect the nation’s economic slowdown during the week ended March 21, the Association of American Railroads reported today. U.S. railroads reported originating 276,030 cars during the week, down 14.7 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 13.0 percent in the West and 17.0 percent in the East. Intermodal volume of 183,795 trailers or containers was off 12.9 percent from last year, with container volume falling 7.7 percent and trailer volume dropping 30.9 percent. Total volume was estimated at 29.3 billion ton-miles, off 13.6 percent from 2008. Eighteen of
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Miscellaneous

New Locomotives for Staten Island Railway

March 25, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
NEW YORK — MTA New York City Transit’s Staten Island Railway has taken delivery of four new diesel locomotives manufactured by the Brookville Equipment Corporation of Brookville, Penn. The locomotives traveled by rail to Port Newark and then by barge to the Stapleton Home Port. The cars were lifted by crane and trucked to the Clifton shop, where they were again lifted by crane and placed onto the tracks. They will undergo testing for about a month before entering service. These new locomotives will replace four old second-hand locomotives: two that date from 1968 and two that date from 1940s.
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Miscellaneous

AAR: Another Down Week for Rail Freight Traffic

March 20, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads during the week ended March 14 remained down in comparison with a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported. U.S railroads reported originating 279,287 cars, up 1.5 percent from the previous week this year but down 15.0 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 14.2 percent in the West and 16.1 percent in the East. Intermodal volume of 176,840 trailers or containers was off 18.3 percent from last year, with container volume falling 13.4 percent and trailer volume dropping 34.5 percent. Total volume was estimated at 29.6 billion ton-miles,
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Miscellaneous

Rail Freight Traffic Down During First Week of March

March 12, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads during the first week of March remained down in comparison with a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported. U.S. carload freight totaled 275,105 cars, down 15.0 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 11.9 percent in the West and 19.5 percent in the East. Intermodal volume of 180,047 trailers or containers was off 12.7 percent from last year, with container volume falling 6.0 percent and trailer volume dropping 34.0 percent. Total volume was estimated at 29.2 billion ton-miles, off 13.9 percent from 2008. All nineteen carload commodity groups
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Miscellaneous

Rail Freight Traffic Continues to Feel Effects of Economic Slowdown

March 2, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads continued to show the effects of the economic slowdown during the week ended February 21 as  volume remained well below totals reported during the comparison week last year,  the Association of American Railroads reported today. U.S carload freight totaled 278,827 cars, down 14.2 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 12.8 percent in the West and 16.0 percent in the East. Intermodal volume of 168,194 trailers or containers was off 25.3 percent from last year, with container volume falling 23.4 percent and trailer volume dropping 32.3 percent.  This year’s total
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Legislation

Advocates: Rail-Friendly Policies Key to Getting the Nation’s Economy Back on Track

March 2, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Railroad advocates from around the country recently urged members of Congress to keep freight rail working for America by supporting policies that move the nation’s goods, build a green infrastructure and create jobs across the country. Local government officials, business leaders and environmentalists — in Washington as part of Railroad Day 2009 — told lawmakers that Congress must preserve the balanced regulation that has made America’s freight rail system the most cost-effective network in the world. Increased government intrusion in the railroads would cripple efficiency and the railroads’ ability to be the most fuel-efficient form of ground transportation
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CSX

RMI Announces Fourth Annual Fast Track Award Recipients

January 30, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
ATLANTA — RMI, the market leader and largest independent provider of accurate, reliable, comprehensive, and secure rail information services to the transportation industry, has announced its 2009 Fast Track Award winners. Now in its fourth year, the Fast Track Award program honors RMI customers who exemplify RMI’s goal to streamline processes and improve procedures in the rail industry. This year’s award recipients will be recognized in the 2009 Fast Track calendar. The Fast Track award is designed to recognize RMI’s RailConnect and ShipperConnect “power users,” those organizations that maximize the value of RMI’s services by implementing procedures resulting in more
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CSX

Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility Opens at Savannah Port

January 22, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) officially opened at the Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City (Ga.) Terminal. The new facility features three working tracks at 2,145 feet each and a total of 12,406 feet of storage tracks. The Port of Savannah is the only single facility on the U.S. East Coast with two on-terminal ICTFs. “A thriving business climate requires a transportation network that can support commerce and act as a catalyst to propel our economy forward,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said. “The completion of the Chatham ICTF will help achieve this goal.” The Port of Savannah’s
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Amtrak

OneRail Coalition: Encourage Transportation Policies that IncreaseMobility, Reduce Emissions, Promote Economic Growth

January 19, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Environmental, freight and passenger rail groups have come together with reform-minded transportation experts to form a coalition that will advance rail programs. The coalition, called the OneRail Coalition, said it will encourage public policies recognizing rail as a critical element of the national transportation system and an essential part of the future economic growth and environmental well-being of the nation. Members include American Public Transportation Association, Amtrak, American Short Line & Regional Railroad Association, Association of American Railroads, Building America’s Future, National Association of Railroad Passengers, Natural Resources Defense Council, Railway Supply Institute, States for Passenger Rail Coalition,