Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 255

Railmark Sells Michigan Railroad

November 18, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WALLED LAKE, Mich. — Railmark Holdings announced that it sold its Michigan Air-Line Railway Co. to Nebraska-based Browner Turnout Co. The Oakland County Michigan railroad serves the communities of West Bloomfield, Commerce Township, Walled Lake and Wixom and is the home of the iconic Star Clipper Dinner Train, the first dinner train in North America, now in its 25th season. Browner Turnout Co. becomes the fifth owner of the rail line in 123 years. The price and terms of the sale are not being disclosed by the Company, however, Railmark is using the transaction to eliminate its long-term debt, redeem

Inspector Gives NTSB Clean Bill

November 18, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — For the seventh consecutive year the National Transportation Safety Board’s financial statements received an unqualified, or “clean,” opinion from the Department of Transportation Inspector General. The results are from an audit conducted on the Safety Board’s financial statements for Fiscal Year 2009. The opinion comes at a time when the Board has realized improvement in several management measurements. “As proud as I am of the continuing professionalism of the NTSB’s accident investigations,” NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said, “I am gratified that the agency has demonstrated achievement in its stewardship of taxpayer resources.” Recently, the Government Accountability Office issued

Amtrak Cascades Adding New Stop

November 17, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

SEATTLE – For the first time in 38 years, passenger rail service is returning to the community of Stanwood/Camano Island with daily Amtrak Cascades train service making two morning and two evening stops at a new rail station beginning the morning of Nov. 21. “Amtrak is delighted to stop in Stanwood and provide residents with direct access to train travel and connections to our national network,” said Kurt Laird, Amtrak District Superintendent. “The opening of this new station could not come at a better time with the 2010 Olympics right around the corner,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary. “Not

BNSF Honors Three Shortline Railroads for Partnership Excellence

November 17, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Co. recognized three shortline railroads for their tremendous success and partnership over the past year with a BNSF Shortline Achievement Award at this year’s 14th Annual Shortline Conference on Oct. 19, 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Plainsman Switching Company (PSC), Yellowstone Valley Railroad (YSVR), and Burlington Junction Railway (BJRY) were chosen because of their ability to increase the volume and development of new customers and for being good stewards in their communities. “BNSF is proud to recognize these three shortline railroads,” said Pete Rickershauser, BNSF vice president, Network Development. “Each shortline has greatly

CN Reaches 20th Voluntary Mitigation Agreement

November 17, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

CHICAGO — CN announced a voluntary mitigation agreement (VMA) related to its acquisition of the principal lines of the former Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E) with the Village of Lake Zurich, Ill., located 37 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. With this agreement, CN has VMAs with 20 municipalities that are home to two-thirds of the population living along the EJ&E in Illinois and Indiana. CN’s latest VMA will provide funding for a range of environmental measures, including rail noise mitigation, maintenance of an existing quiet zone, emergency response training, safety initiatives, and improved communication. CN completed its EJ&E

Amtrak Gears Up for Thanksgiving Travel

November 17, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Anticipating its busiest travel week of the year, Amtrak is planning ahead for the Thanksgiving holiday and encouraging passengers to do the same. During the week, Amtrak will operate every available car and is scheduling extra trains to accommodate the extra passengers. On what is anticipated to be the heaviest single travel day of the year for Amtrak — the Wednesday before Thanksgiving — the railroad expects ridership to reach as many as 125,000 passengers system-wide – a 70 percent increase over the 74,000 passengers Amtrak carried on an average Wednesday last year. In preparation for the holiday

Improved Philadelphia Freight Rail Route Expands Transportation Options, Reduces CO2 Emissions and Alleviates Traffic

November 16, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and CSX Chairman, President and CEO Michael J. Ward joined together to celebrate the construction of an improved rail route that generates hundreds of jobs. The completed project will create an improved double-stack rail corridor to expand Philadelphia’s freight transportation options and position the region for future growth. The event was held at an active rail construction site in Philadelphia where workers are increasing clearances at 16 overhead bridges. By improving clearances, this project will allow a faster, more efficient rail connection with the Midwest, and will create over

BNSF Receives Working for Clean Air Award

November 12, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Co. was recognized last week as a Clean Air Champion by the North Texas Clean Air Coalition. The Working for Clean Air awards publicly recognize civic-minded businesses that have developed internal corporate programs to improve the quality of air, quality of life, and the health of the north Texas community. “BNSF is committed to operating in a way that protects the environment, our employees, our communities and the economy overall,” said Mark Schulze, vice president, Training and Operations Support. “I am proud that BNSF has been recognized for its green efforts at our corporate

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

Norfolk Southern Named a Top ‘Green’ Company

November 10, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp.’s sustainability initiatives have earned the company recognition as one of 25 green supply chain partners named by Inbound Logistics magazine. The magazine said its inaugural G25 list was created “to celebrate companies that are on the cutting edge of green; and we want to provide shippers with examples of how service providers are making the sustainability leap, and justification for why they are a cut above.” Norfolk Southern was singled out for its “Green Machine,” a carbon footprint analyzer that allows businesses to estimate the emissions savings of choosing rail transportation. The magazine also