Commuter Rail
Railfanning.org News Wire
Amtrak
Amtrak and Michigan Central Railway Reach Agreement to Support Michigan Passenger Rail Service
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Amtrak and Michigan Central Railway have reached an agreement concerning maintenance and investment levels on the rail lines between Ypsilanti and Kalamazoo, Mich., which are currently used for passenger rail operations. As a result of this agreement, Amtrak will support Michigan Central’s request for regulatory approval of the transaction now pending before the Surface Transportation Board (STB) that would grant Michigan Central control over those lines. “When the Michigan Central transaction was announced in July, a number of constituencies expressed concern regarding the impact on passenger rail service in southern Michigan,” said Paul Vilter, Amtrak’s Assistant Vice
Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern Whistle-Stop Train Delivers Safety Training to Emergency Responders in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi
NORFOLK, Va. — A special train will travel to Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi Sept. 17-21 to provide emergency preparedness training to first responders as part of the 2007 Norfolk Southern TRANSCAER Whistle-Stop Tour. TRANSCAER (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response) is a nationwide program that assists communities in preparing for and responding to a possible hazardous material transportation incident. “The Whistle-Stop Tour brings emergency preparedness training to response organizations and educates communities near major rail routes about rail equipment, chemical transportation and the importance of planning for potential hazardous material transportation emergencies,” said Chuck Wehrmeister, Norfolk Southern’s vice president safety
World
GE Equipment Services Completes its First Rail Wagon Financing in India
NEW DELHI, India — GE Equipment Services, the transport solutions provider of the General Electric Company, announced today that it has provided financing to ETA Engineering Pvt. Ltd. (ETAPL) for the purchase of more than 200 rail wagons for use on India’s railways. The wagons are designed to carry freight containers. Container cargo is the fastest-growing freight segment, increasing on average at approximately 15 percent annually. The increase in foreign trade and the containerization of domestic cargo are largely fueling this growth. Container flat trains are also part of the government’s new railway wagon policy that has led to the
Commuter Rail
Metro to Save Millions in Energy Costs with Upgrades
WASHINGTON — Lighting upgrades, new windows, solar water heating and new cooling and heating systems. Those are just some of the improvements to Metro facilities that are planned to be made under this program that will save the transit agency millions of dollars in energy costs over the next ten years, official said. Metro has hired Pepco Energy Services to evaluate at least five facilities to determine where the agency could reduce costs. The transit agency pays $26 million a year on average for electricity at its facilities, which does not include power for the trains. After an initial assessment,
Union Pacific
Union Pacific Delivers Record Amounts of Coal to Nation’s Utilities
OMAHA, Neb. — During the annual meeting and general conference of the National Coal Transportation Association (NCTA) this week in Denver, Union Pacific credited operational improvements for moving a monthly record of 17.2 million tons of coal — 1,118 trainloads — from Wyoming’s Southern Powder River Basin (SPRB) in August. “According to reports from the U.S. Department of Energy Information Administration, coal stockpiles are at the highest level in four years, up 38 percent over last year’s levels,” said Doug Glass, vice president and general manager – energy. “We are pleased with the progress and contributions we have made to
Norfolk Southern
Norfolk Southern and BLET Reach Tentative Agreement
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Railway Co. and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen last month reached a tentative new agreement, which extends through 2014 and continues to link engineers’ compensation to Norfolk Southern’s performance. The agreement is subject to ratification by employees. The agreement, which covers approximately 5,100 locomotive engineers, continues to provide an annual bonus opportunity based on the same performance criteria used to determine management bonuses. The BLET has participated in Norfolk Southern’s bonus program since 1996. Other highlights of the new agreement include general wage increases, improved incentive pay for weekend and holiday work, increased
World
BNSF
BNSF Implements SAP Business Suite to Integrate Operations and Manage Rapid Business Growth
FORT WORTH, Texas — BNSF Railway Co. will transform its internal management system by implementing the SAP Business Suite family of business applications and Duet software from SAP and Microsoft. The SAP rollout will establish a single platform that interconnects BNSF’s financial, human resource and compliance operations. This integrated enterprise landscape will improve transaction visibility, real-time processing of invoices and enhanced management control. As a subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, BNSF Railway operates more than 32,000 route miles in 28 states and two Canadian provinces. The rapidly growing popularity of freight rail has made BNSF among the world’s
Amtrak
Amtrak Partners with GrandLuxe to Offer Luxury Rail Service
WASHINGTON — Beginning this fall, passengers traveling on select Amtrak routes will have the option of lingering over five-course dinners, sleeping in luxurious suites and enjoying personal butler service. The premium service is being made possible by a new partnership between GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, the country’s premier, private rail tour operator, and Amtrak, the national passenger rail service. This is the first time in history that luxury accommodations have been offered on multiple Amtrak routes throughout the country. Called GrandLuxe Limited, the new service uses a separate, private, seven-car luxury train attached to several regularly scheduled Amtrak trains. The GrandLuxe