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Miscellaneous

Company to Build $350 Million Freight Rail Car Facility in Alabama

HAMILTON, Ontario — National Alabama Corp. will build a new manufacturing facility in The Shoals Region of northwest Alabama. National Alabama Corp. is a newly formed subsidiary of National Steel Car Limited (NSC). National Steel Car Limited and National Alabama Corporation are wholly owned subsidiaries of National Industries Inc. Construction of the manufacturing unit is scheduled to begin over the next few months with startup expected in early 2009. “Together with National Steel Car’s Hamilton facility, our new Alabama manufacturing facility will further reinforce our position as one of the largest and most modern manufacturers in the North American railcar

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Miscellaneous

Wabtec Receives Orders Worth $33 Million For MPXpress Commuter Locomotives

WILMERDING, Pa. — Wabtec Corp. said its MotivePower subsidiary has received orders worth $33 million for 12 MPXpress commuter locomotives from transit agencies in California, Minnesota and New Mexico. The locomotives, to be manufactured in Boise, Idaho, are expected to be delivered in 2008-09. “We’ve now delivered or received orders for 100 MPXpress locomotives from eight different transit agencies throughout North America since 2003, making it the proven and preferred choice for commuter rail agencies,” said Albert J. Neupaver, Wabtec’s president and chief executive officer. “We’re pleased to be at the forefront of the growth and improvement of public transit.”

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Miscellaneous

Argus Media Awards Alaska Railroad, Alaska Railbelt Marine With Prestigious Win-Win

WASHINGTON — The Alaska Railroad (ARRC) and Alaska Railbelt Marine are the winners of its prestigious Win-Win Award, Argus Media Inc. announced. The annual award is given to railroads, shippers and transportation companies which develop innovative partnerships leading to better service, better rates and other, mutually beneficial, service improvements. Launched in 1998 by Argus Rail Business, the annual award celebrates partnerships between rail carriers and customers which result in significant cost or service benefits. The latest award recognizes how the railroad and barge company preserved and revived freight deliveries to Whittier, Alaska, for several customers. “We are honored to receive

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Miscellaneous

Pacer’s Distribution Arm Expands Capacity, Opens Los Angeles Transload and Distribution Warehouse

CONCORD, Calif. — Pacer Distribution Services, Inc. (PDS), the warehousing and distribution arm of Pacer International, Inc., announced the opening of a new 52-door transload center in Carson, California to support increased demand for transloading services for international freight shipments moving from the West Coast to inland points. The facility, located on 5.4 acres, is adjacent to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and will be primarily dedicated to transloading services, though it will also provide additional capacity to the company’s previously existing warehouse operations that already occupy more than 800,000 square feet. These facilities support transload, cross-dock,

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BNSF

FreightCar America Builds New Design Ballast Cars for BNSF

CHICAGO — FreightCar America, Inc. has delivered 162 electrically operated all-steel ballast cars to BNSF Railway from its railcar production facility in Johnstown, Pa. These are the first ballast cars BNSF has acquired in over 20 years. They have higher capacity at 110 tons and feature a new technology operating system for the discharge doors. The cars are designed with a new electric, solar-powered activation system, whereby ballast can be dumped remotely by radio control. Their air-operated doors from W. H. Miner Enterprises function like traditional ballast cars, capable of distributing ballast either on the inside or outside of the

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Miscellaneous

The Carlyle Group Acquires Majority Ownership of Atlanta-based RMI

ATLANTA — RMI has announced that global private equity firm The Carlyle Group has acquired a majority stake in the company. Financial terms were not disclosed. Founded in 1979, RMI provides critical web-based transportation and logistics solutions for a variety of participants in the transportation industry, including short-line, regional, Class I and terminal switching railroads, railcar leasing companies, rail shippers and barge operators. RMI’s mission-critical, integrated services assist customers with many aspects of managing their operations, including transportation, equipment, freight and revenue management services. “Now is the right time to re-capitalize the company by bringing in a new equity investor,

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Miscellaneous

Rehberg Honored With Golden Spike Award

WASHINGTON — The National Association of Railroad Passengers is honoring U.S. Representative Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., with the George Falcon Golden Spike Award. The award honors individuals for their contributions to the advancement of passenger rail. Rehberg was honored for his sustained leadership in funding intercity passenger rail. He chairs the Congressional Rail Caucus and was instrumental in securing funding for Amtrak in the last appropriations bill, fighting off amendments that would have crippled the railroad, or eliminated long distance trains. “Even in his earliest days as a freshman member of Congress, Representative Rehberg spoke out clearly and forcefully against efforts

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Miscellaneous

Portec Rail Products Sells U.K. Facility

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Portec Rail Products, Inc. today announced the sale of its Wrexham, Wales, United Kingdom facility to Eifion Lloyd Davies, an individual, doing business as GHA Coaches, based in the United Kingdom. The net proceeds from the sale, which closed on March 29, 2007, were approximately $2 million, and were used to reduce outstanding debt with a United Kingdom financial institution. The Wrexham location was a former manufacturing facility with rail and material handling operations and was closed in December 2006 as part of a business reorganization that the Company had initiated during 2006. “The sale of this

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Miscellaneous

Public Transportation Ridership up in 2006

Public transportation ridership has increased by nearly 3 percent in the first nine months of 2006, as Americans took 7.8 billion trips on public transit, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). “Even as gas prices declined, more and more people decided to ride public transportation as ridership grew by nearly 3 percent in the first nine months of 2006,” said APTA President William W. Millar. “This continued increase in transit ridership demonstrates that when people have transportation choices, they use them.” Light rail (streetcars, trolleys, heritage trolleys, and modern light rail) had the highest percentage of growth among