Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 249

Union Pacific Railroad, CSXT Launch RailChem Connect Between Texas and Southeast to Benefit Chemicals Customers

November 6, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Union Pacific Railroad and CSX Transportation have launched RailChem Connect, a coordinated rail service for expedited transport of chemicals between the Texas Gulf Coast region and the Southeast. The new RailChem Connect service is the result of increased coordination and re-designed interline service by the two railroads for their chemicals market customers. The service allows shipments to bypass smaller rail yards for expedited transit between major hubs. These changes, along with increased operations coordination between the railroads, increase reliability of east- and west-bound service between Union Pacific-served chemical markets such as Houston, southern Texas and Louisiana, and CSXT-served

Amtrak Appoints New Inspector General

November 6, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has appointed a new Inspector General, following a three month comprehensive national search. Theodore “Ted” Alves recently retired from 35 years of federal service, including serving as the Deputy Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from 2006 to 2009 where he was responsible for supervising audits and investigations of federal transportation agencies. His start date is still being determined. “Ted Alves is highly respected in the inspector general community and will provide the leadership, integrity, independence and objectivity required for the position,” Amtrak Chairman Thomas Carper said. From 2001 to 2006, Alves held three

MARTA Moves to Color-Coded Lines

November 6, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA — MARTA last month introduced color-coded rail lines — similar to systems in other major cities — saying it will help cut down on rider confusion. “The changes we’re making in our rail-line identification system will help both frequent and occasional users of our system,” MARTA General Manager Beverly Scott said in a news release. “Our goal is to ensure that customers continue to move safely through the system without feeling overwhelmed.” With the change, the former North-South Line is now the Red Line, the Northeast-South Line is the Yellow Line, the East-West line is the Blue Line and

CN Growing ‘Green’ Wood Pellet Traffic at Double-Digit Rates

November 5, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

MONTREAL — North America’s largest mover of forest products is on track to haul more than 800,000 tons of wood pellets this year and sees more opportunities in the future for this “green” source of heating energy, CN officials said. “Since 2005, we have experienced a 16 percent compounded annual growth in our wood pellet traffic, and we see growing potential for this business in domestic and international markets,” said James Foote, executive vice-president, Sales and Marketing. “Wood pellets are a renewable resource, right in our backyard,” Foote added. “Our network has direct access to wood pellet production areas and

Railroad depots: The ‘center’ of town

November 4, 2009 Todd DeFeo

A few years ago, when the city of Pendergrass’ train depot needed to be refurbished, the city wasted no time getting to work.

Berkshire Hathaway to Buy BNSF

November 3, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas — The boards of directors of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. announced a definitive agreement for Berkshire Hathaway to acquire for $100 per share in cash and stock the remaining 77.4 percent of outstanding BNI shares not currently owned to increase its holdings to 100 percent. Based on the number of outstanding BNI shares — including shares currently owned by Berkshire — on Nov. 2, the transaction is valued at approximately $44 billion, including $10 billion of outstanding BNSF debt, making it the largest acquisition in Berkshire Hathaway history.

Genesee & Wyoming Reports Q3 2009 Results

November 3, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

GREENWICH, Conn. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. reported net income in the third quarter of 2009 of $21.7 million, compared with net income of $21.2 million in the third quarter of 2008. GWI’s diluted earnings per share (EPS) in the third quarter of 2009 were $0.53 with 41.2 million weighted average shares outstanding, compared with diluted EPS of $0.58 with 36.6 million weighted average shares outstanding in the third quarter of 2008. GWI’s income from continuing operations in the third quarter of 2009 was $19.6 million, or $0.48 per diluted share, compared with income from continuing operations of $20.1 million,

Norfolk Southern Announces $11 Million Investment in Philadelphia Navy Yard Intermodal Facility

November 2, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

PHILADELPHIA — Norfolk Southern and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are investing $11 million in the railroad’s Philadelphia Navy Yard intermodal facility to expand track and parking capacity. The expansion is part of Norfolk Southern’s multi-state Crescent Corridor initiative to establish a high-speed intermodal freight rail route between the Gulf Coast and the Northeast. The proposed investment — $6 million from Norfolk Southern and $5 million from Pennsylvania — will create the capacity to handle more than 72,000 containers and trailers annually. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-2010. “Because of its strategic location to Southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, and Delaware,

Study: Nearly all of Amtrak’s Nationwide Routes Lost Money

October 28, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA — Nearly all of Amtrak’s 44 nationwide routes lost money last fiscal year, a new study suggests. A study from Pew Charitable Trusts’s Subsidyscope project shows that 41 of the 44 nationwide routes were not profitable, averaging a roughly $32 loss per passenger. During the fiscal year, Amtrak received $1.3 billion from taxpayers, according to Pew. The New Orleans-to-Los Angeles Sunset Limited carried 72,000 passengers during the year and cost $462 per passenger to operate. “The nation’s railways are an important mode of transport for many Americans, whether it’s for commuting to work or seeing the country,” Marcus Peacock,

CSXT Employee Wins Rail Industry’s Professional Environmental Award

October 27, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Association of American Railroads (AAR) presented its top award for environmental professionals, the 2009 North American Environmental Employee Excellence Award, to Paul J. Kurzanski, manager of environmental remediation at CSX Transportation. Kurzanski was one of six railroad industry individuals nominated. This is the fifth time in the last seven years that a CSXT employee has been honored with the AAR’s Environmental Employee Excellence Award. Kurzanski received the award during an annual railroad environmental conference. A 30-year railroad veteran, Kurzanski’s accomplishments include the successful management of approximately 125 environmental remediation projects in six states (Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky,