Railfanning.org News Wire

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Commuter Rail

Obama Calls U.S. High Speed Passenger Trains

April 16, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama, Vice President Biden and Transportation Secretary LaHood, announced a new U.S. push “to transform travel in America, creating high-speed rail lines from city to city, reducing dependence on cars and planes and spurring economic development.” The President released a strategic plan outlining his vision for high speed rail in America. The plan identifies $8 billion provided in the ARRA and $1 billion a year for five years requested in the federal budget as a down payment to jump-start a potential world-class passenger rail system and sets the direction of transportation policy for the future. The
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Canadian National

STB: CN Files First Compliance Reports

April 13, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board said that Canadian National Railway Company has filed its first compliance reports pursuant to the Board’s oversight of CN’s acquisition of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company in Canadian National Railway and Grand Trunk Corp. — Control — EJ&E West Co. The Board approved the acquisition on Dec. 24, 2008, subject to environmental mitigation and other reporting conditions, which require CN to submit monthly operational reports and quarterly environmental reports to the Board during a five year oversight period. CN’s monthly operating report includes data detailing train volumes, accidents and incidents, and street
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Amtrak

NTSB Hands Down Recommendations

April 10, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board has handed down a number of recommendations. The NTSB made the following recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration: — Establish uniform signal aspects that railroads must use to authorize a train to enter an occupied block, and prohibitthe use of these aspects for any other signal indication. — Study the different signal systems for trains, identify ways to communicate more uniformly the meaning of signal aspectsacross all railroad territories, and require the railroadsto implement as many uniform signal meanings as possible. — Require that emergency exits on new and remanufactured locomotive cabs provide
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Miscellaneous

Weather, Slow Economy Produce Rail Freight Traffic Decline

April 10, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — Bad weather in Wyoming and the Upper Midwest combined with the slow economy to produce another down week for U.S. rail freight traffic during the first week of April, the Association of American Railroads reported today. U.S. railroads reported originating 262,624 cars during the week, down 20.5 percent from the comparison week in 2008, with loadings down 19.4 percent in the West and 22.0 percent in the East. Intermodal volume of 184,845 trailers or containers was off 14.7 percent from last year, with container volume falling 9.0 percent and trailer volume dropping 34.0 percent. Total volume was estimated
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STB

STB Releases Report on Capacity and Infrastructure Investment

April 8, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board announced that Christensen Associates, a Madison, Wisc.-based economic consulting firm, has completed a supplemental report to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on Capacity and Infrastructure Investment. The report augments the findings of Christensen Associates’ November 2008 independent study entitled A Study of Competition in the U.S. Freight Railroad Industry and Analysis of Proposals that Might Enhance Competition. The Report looks at different measures of railroad capacity and analyzes how that capacity is affected by anticipated changes in the demand for rail services and the productivity of rail assets.  As with Christensen Associates’ 2008 Study,
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Norfolk Southern

Toyota Recognizes Norfolk Southern With Logistics Awards

April 8, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
NORFOLK, Va. — Toyota Logistics Services has awarded Norfolk Southern Corp. the 2008 President’s Award for overall logistics excellence among rail carriers, its highest award given to a logistics provider. The award is based on overall performance in customer service, on-time performance, and quality. Norfolk Southern has received the President’s Award six times since the program began in 1996. “For more than two decades, Norfolk Southern has been a strong logistics partner with Toyota,” said David Julian, NS president, automotive and supply chain services. “We remain committed to that partnership, and we look forward to continuing to meet Toyota’s high
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Commuter Rail

FRA Awards Intercity Capital Grant for Planning of Midwest Rail Corridors

April 7, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded a $297,000 grant to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative (MWRRI) to continue rail corridor planning, which may lead to the development of several high-speed rail corridors. MWRRI is a 3,000-mile system providing improved intercity passenger rail service that serves nine states with a combined population of 60 million people, using Chicago as a regional hub. The MWRRI member states will match the $297,000 grant. The project includes an alternative routes analysis; system cost updates; equipment, train control and operational plans; and the preparation of public outreach
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Miscellaneous

STB Vice Chair, Rail Marketing Chiefs are 2009 NARS Meeting Attractions

April 7, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
CHICAGO — Surface Transportation Board vice Chairman Charles D. Nottingham and a panel of railroad marketing chiefs will highlight the 2009 North American Rail Shippers meeting. The meeting will be held May 26-28 at the Downtown Marriott Hotel in Chicago. James R. Young, chairman of the Association of American Railroads and chairman, president and CEO of the Union Pacific, will offer his perspectives about the railroad industry. “The annual NARS meeting — ‘On Track for the Future’ — is an excellent opportunity to hear the top marketing officers from all eight major North American railroads,” said NARS Executive Director Leo
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BNSF

BNSF Crew Begins Replacing 90,000 Ties in Minnesota and Wisconsin

April 7, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Co. dispatched a maintenance crew of 43 people to begin replacing railroad ties between East Winona, Wis., and St. Croix Tower, Minn. The crew is expected to replace more than 1,300 ties a day through July. This maintenance project will cost approximately $10.5 million. “Expanding and maintaining our infrastructure along this stretch of trackage and throughout the system not only allows us to provide customers with efficient and reliable rail service but it also benefits the overall efficiency of America’s supply chain,” said Dave Freeman, BNSF vice president, Engineering. BNSF expects to spend about