Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 281

Union Pacific Invests More Than $8 Million for Track Improvements to Its Mill Grove-To-Polo, Mo., Line

July 28, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Motorists will spend less time at crossings waiting for trains to pass with trains operating more efficiently as a result of more than $8 million in track improvements made by Union Pacific Railroad to its Mill Grove-to-Polo, Mo., line, the railroad said. When the project is complete, crews will have removed and installed more than 62,500 ties, spread nearly 20,000 tons of rock ballast to ensure a stable roadbed and renewed the road surfaces at 71 crossings. Work will begin on the project today and is scheduled to be completed by the first of September. Union Pacific

Hersman Takes Helm at NTSB

July 28, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Deborah A.P. Hersman, who has been a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board for 5 years, was sworn in as the agency’s 12th Chairman. Hersman was nominated for the two-year term as Chairman by President Barack Obama on June 18 and confirmed by the United States Senate on July 24. She was also nominated and confirmed for a second five-year term as Board Member, which runs through December 31, 2013. “The NTSB is an outstanding organization that commands respect across the globe for its comprehensive investigations of transportation accidents,” Hersman said. “I am grateful to have this

BNSF: ‘We Are Well Positioned to Benefit When the Economy Recovers’

July 28, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas — Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. reported quarterly earnings of $1.18 per diluted share, compared to second-quarter 2008 earnings of $1.00 per diluted share, which included a $0.31 per share charge related to environmental matters in Montana. “BNSF had another strong quarter of cost control in an extremely difficult economic environment,” said Matthew K. Rose, BNSF Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are beginning to see BNSF’s volumes stabilize in our more economic sensitive businesses, and because of our continued focus on productivity combined with our long-term market opportunities, we are well positioned to benefit when

UP: ‘Volume Levels May Have Hit the Bottom as the Economy Seems to Have Stabilized’

July 28, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Corporation reported 2009 second quarter net income of $468 million, or $0.92 per diluted share, compared to $531 million, or $1.02 per diluted share for the second quarter 2008. Included in the second quarter 2009 net income is $72 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, related to a June land sale to Colorado’s Regional Transportation District. “Union Pacific produced solid second quarter results despite a business environment that continues to be extremely challenging,” said Jim Young, Union Pacific chairman and chief executive officer. “This performance demonstrates our unrelenting focus on safety, productivity and customer service,

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Reports Second Quarter 2009 Results

July 28, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Taxas — Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. reported quarterly earnings of $1.18 per diluted share, compared to second-quarter 2008 earnings of $1.00 per diluted share, which included a $0.31 per share charge related to environmental matters in Montana.“BNSF had another strong quarter of cost control in an extremely difficult economic environment,” said Matthew K. Rose, BNSF Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are beginning to see BNSF’s volumes stabilize in our more economic sensitive businesses, and because of our continued focus on productivity combined with our long-term market opportunities, we are well positioned to benefit when the

STB Orders Rate Relief for Oklahoma Utility Plant

July 27, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board issued a decision today granting an estimated $100 million in reparations and rate reductions over the next decade from Union Pacific Railroad to Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (OG&E). The utility serves more than 750,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas. UP has hauled roughly 6 million tons of coal per year from Wyoming’s southern Powder River Basin to OG&E’s Muskogee Station power plant in Fort Gibson, Okla. under contracts between the parties. But after the latest contract expired on Dec. 31, 2008, UP and OG&E could not agree on a new contractual rate.

Norfolk Southern’s ‘Train Your Brain’ Public Safety Campaign Fills Summer Calendar in Indiana

July 24, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — A giant pink eyes-wide-open walking brain has been spotted among summer crowds in Indiana, drawing attention to Norfolk Southern’s “Train Your Brain” safety campaign. Without saying a word, Brainy wows audiences with a hapless, almost human nature that reminds people to be safe around highway-rail grade crossings and to avoid trespassing on railroad property. In the third year of Norfolk Southern’s unconventional safety campaign, Brainy seems to have reached new heights of popularity in northern Indiana. Brainy has appeared at the Potato Creek Festival in North Liberty, the St. Joseph County 4-H Fair in South Bend, the

Norfolk Southern CEO: Tax Incentives for Rail Capacity Will Generate Economic Benefits, Create Jobs

July 23, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Tax incentives to expand freight rail capacity would “make sense for America,” generating $1 billion in economic benefits and 20,000 green jobs, Norfolk Southern Corp. CEO Wick Moorman said on Capitol Hill. “America needs more transportation capacity and needs it now,” Moorman said on behalf of the Association of American Railroads during testimony to a U.S. House subcommittee. Noting that today’s transportation network is not designed to handle the doubling in freight demand projected by 2035, Moorman said, “Railroads are the most affordable and environmentally responsible way to meet this demand, and that is why tax incentives

NTSB: WMATA Track Tircuit’s Train Occupancy Signal Fluctuating Since 2007

July 23, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board continues to make progress in its investigation of the June 22, 2009, collision of two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) trains on the Red Line in Washington, D.C. The Board has developed the following factual information: Two signal companies, Ansaldo STS USA (US&S) and Alstom Signaling Inc. (GRS), that designed and manufactured the automatic train control components for the WMATA system, are providing technical assistance to the NTSB investigation. As previously reported, an impedance bond (No. 15) for the track circuit where the accident occurred was replaced on June 17, five days

NTSB: Driver Blacked Out in San Fran Wreck; Cell Phone Not an Issue

July 22, 2009 Railfanning.org News Wire

SAN FRANCISCO — In its continuing investigation of the collision between two San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) light rail trains on Saturday, injuring more than 40 people, NTSB Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has announced the following factual information: At about 2:50 p.m. PDT on Saturday, July 18, 2009, an L Line train struck the rear of a K Line train at the West Portal Station in San Francisco. Data captured by recorders in the train control center indicated that the L Line train was switched from automatic to manual mode while stopped in the tunnel at the same