Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 301

FRA and Railroads Take Action to Strengthen Bridge Safety Policy

September 25, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Enhanced bridge safety will be the result of the first standard railroad bridge inspection and maintenance agreement between railroads and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman said. “Having a common set of baseline inspection and maintenance practices against which all railroads are measured will help ensure the structural integrity and safety of the nation’s rail bridges for years to come,” Boardman said. He added that the agreement is a major step forward in providing transparency within the industry and for the public about how the safety of railroad bridges is managed. Boardman explained that the new agreement called The Essential Elements of a Railroad

Feds Looking Into ‘Sweetheart Deals’ at LIRR

September 24, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

Federal investigators are looking into sweetheart deals that allowed nearly all workers who retire from the Long Island Railroad, able-bodied or not, to receive federal disability benefits, officials said.

Michael D. Lockhart Elected to Norfolk Southern Board

September 23, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Michael D. Lockhart, chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Armstrong World Industries Inc., has been elected a director of Norfolk Southern Corp., Chairman and CEO Wick Moorman announced. Lockhart joined Armstrong in 2000. Prior to that, he was chairman and chief executive officer of General Signal Corporation from 1995 until it was acquired in 1998. He joined General Signal as president and chief operating officer in 1994. From 1981 until 1994, Lockhart worked for General Electric Company in various executive capacities in GE Capital, GE Transportation Systems, and GE Aircraft Engines. Lockhart holds a master’s degree from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business. —

Sanford Auto Train Station to Undergo Significant Renovations

September 23, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

SANFORD, Fla. – Amtrak has plans to renovate the Auto Train station in Sanford, officials said. The 2004 hurricanes heavily damaged the Sanford station, and Amtrak plans to begin improvements early next year utilizing the current footprint. Amtrak representatives announced that the renovated Auto Train terminal will undergo between $6 and $7 million in improvements. The new facility will provide seating for 600 passengers and is intended to improve the function, process and flow of the station, vehicles, and site. “The Auto Train facility in Sanford has been unacceptable and inadequate for more that two years since being storm damaged,” said U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla. “Efforts to improve the

CSX: Weather to Reduce Q3 Operating Income

September 23, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corp. said that the financial impact of recent storms in the Gulf Coast and Midwest is now expected to reduce third quarter operating income by $40 million to $50 million and earnings per share by six to eight cents. The impact is primarily related to asset write downs, business interruption and reroute expenses, the company said. — PRNewswire-FirstCall

No Phones in the Cab of California Trains

September 19, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

SAN FRANCISCO — Metrolink engineers and train operators across the state of California are no longer allowed to use cell phones while in the cab. The California Public Utilities Commission voted to temporarily prohibit the personal use of “commercial mobile radio services and devices” by on-duty railroad engineers, brakemen, conductors or rail transit vehicle operators. Personal communications “that take place when the train or transit vehicle is stopped and with the approval of the appropriate management personnel” is allowed, however. The CPUC determined that this action was needed due to a June 14, 2008, MUNI accident that may have resulted from the inappropriate personal use of a cell phone while

L.A. Metro Train, Bus Collide

September 19, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

LOS ANGELES — A metro train and a bus collided today near Washington Boulevard and Griffith Avenue. In all, 15 people were injured. At the time of the crash, the bus did not have any passengers. The train was traveling south toward Long Beach. The metro’s blue line connects Los Angeles and Long Beach. There have been 90 fatalities, including 20 suicides, on the Blue Line since it opened in 1990, The Los Angeles Times reported. — Railfanning.org News Wire

NTSB: Engineer Sent, Received Texts Prior to Crash

September 17, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

LOS ANGELES – The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that the engineer of a Metrolink commuter train that crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train sent and received text messages prior to the crash. “NTSB investigators asked for records of the Metrolink engineer’s cell phone calls and text messages from the service provider,” the agency said in a statement. “The Board today received some of those records, which indicate that the engineer had sent and received text messages on the day of the accident, including some while he was on duty.” The Metrolink commuter train and the Union Pacific freight train collided on on Sept. 12 near Chatsworth, Calif.,

Oberstar: Deadly Train Crash was Preventable

September 16, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Friday’s fatal Metrolink train crash was preventable, according to Rep. James L. Oberstar, D-Minn., Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In the wreck, a Metrolink commuter train collided with a Union Pacific freight train in Los Angeles, killing 25 people and injuring 135 others. The Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 2095), a bill the House of Representatives passed last year, would require trains to be equipped with Positive Train Control (PTC), a collision avoidance system. PTC has been at the top of the National Transportation Safety Board’s priority list for nearly two decades. “Our legislation requiring PTC would substantially reduce the number

Law Firm Looking for Metrolink Victims

September 16, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

LOS ANGELES –A Los Angeles law firm that represented victims of a 2005 Metrolink train wreck announced its plan to leverage its experience on behalf of the victims of the Sept. 12 Metrolink wreck in Chatsworth. Attorneys R. Edward Pfiester, Jr. and Victor A. Russo, in a news release, said they offered their prayers and sympathy for the victims of the train collision and for their families and “vowed to use their extensive experience in previous Metrolink cases on behalf of the victims of this tragic train accident.” “Unfortunately, some attorneys are claiming to be experienced in railroad cases when, in fact, they have very little, if any, experience. In