Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 306

GE Transportation Unveils PowerHaul Engine and Locomotive at InnoTrans

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

BERLIN, Germany — GE Transportation introduced its new PowerHaul engine and locomotive at InnoTrans 2008 in Berlin, Germany. InnoTrans is the world’s largest rail exhibition attracting more than 75,000 attendees and 1,600 exhibitors from 90 countries. The newly developed 16-cylinder PowerHaul engine serves as GE Transportation’s most technologically advanced locomotive engine to-date, the company said. The PowerHaul engine is designed to power GE’s new global diesel-electric PowerHaul Locomotive Series. The new engine combined with other technologies from GE is projected to reduce PowerHaul Locomotive fuel use by up to 9 percent compared to current operating fleet averages. The 3,700 GHP

Amtrak Financial Specialist Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — A Financial Specialist for Amtrak since 1975 has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $74,000, federal officials said. Douglas L. Thompson, 60, pleaded guilty earlier to a one-count Information charging theft from a program receiving federal funds in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola. The case is set for a further status hearing on Oct. 3 before Judge James Robertson. Thompson faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and an obligation to make restitution for the amounts embezzled from Amtrak.

Oink, Oink: Calif. ‘Bullet Train to Bankruptcy’

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Citizens Against Government Waste and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation have listed a proposed high-speed rail line in California in their sixth annual California Piglet Book. The book is touted as “the definitive guide for reducing waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the state government.” California voters in November will have the chance to vote on Proposition 1A, a “bullet train to bankruptcy,” CAGW said. If voters approve the project’s initial $9.95 billion down payment, promoters will likely need to come back to taxpayers for another $70 billion to complete the project, CAGW said. — Railfanning.org News Wire

Senate Approves Rail Safety Bill; Billions go to Passenger Rail

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has approved the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 and the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008. The legislation will increase funding for Amtrak over the next five years, require new safety controls on trains that help reduce crashes, allow states to regulate solid waste processing facilities along rail lines and allocate funding for improvements to Washington, D.C.’s Metro transit system. “This is a real step forward for anyone who’s tired of sitting in traffic, paying high prices at the pump and waiting in long lines at airports,” Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., chairman

More Money For Minnesota High-Speed Passenger Rail Line

October 2, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — More of taxpayers’ dollars will move the Duluth to Minneapolis high-speed passenger rail line closer to completion, officials said. U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., said the project has been awarded $1.1 million from the Federal Railroad Administration. The funding will be used to complete an environmental impact statement for the project. “Work on the Northern Lights Express is moving along at full throttle,” Oberstar said. “This is the kind of project that will save energy and alleviate congestion on our highways. With high fuel prices, we need to do all we can to give consumers alternatives to driving.”

DOT: New Funding to Improve Intercity Passenger Rail

October 1, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

RICHMOND, Va. – The Department of Transportation is taking a new approach to funding intercity passenger rail projects that will lead to improved service and better on-time performance across the country, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said. Peters released new data today indicating that Americans drove 3.6 percent less, or 9.6 billion miles fewer, in July 2008 than July 2007. Since last November, Americans have driven 62.6 billion miles less than they did over the same nine-month period last year. Meanwhile transit ridership is up 11 percent, and in July, Amtrak carried more passengers than in any single month

SEPTA to Display Mock-Up of New Silverliner V

October 1, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

PHILADELPHIA — The public to get a glimpse of SEPTA’s future regional rail cars with a display of a mock-up version of the new Silverliner V car at Suburban Station on Oct. 2 during a special ceremony beginning at noon. The mock-up of the Silverliner V car will remain on display at Suburban Station from from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 2 through Oct. 16 (weekdays only) to provide an extended opportunity for everyone to “steel” a peek into the future of SEPTA. The mock-up was built to help engineers in the design and manufacturing process for the fleet

Genesee & Wyoming Completes Acquisition of Ohio Central Railroad System

October 1, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

GREENWICH, Conn. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. has completed its acquisition of 10 short line railroads known as the Ohio Central Railroad System (OCR) for $234.3 million in cash, subject to adjustment for final working capital. The cash purchase price includes $7.5 million of contingent consideration that GWI has placed into escrow, which will be paid to the seller upon satisfaction of certain conditions. OCR has more than 170 employees, operates over 445 miles of track and owns 64 locomotives. The railroads handle approximately 140,000 annual carloads, primarily in the coal, steel and solid waste industries. GWI financed the cash

Genesee & Wyoming Acquires Georgia Southwestern Railroad

October 1, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

GREENWICH, Conn. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. has acquired the Georgia Southwestern Railroad, Inc. for cash consideration of approximately $16.5 million and the assumption of $5.4 million in debt, subject to adjustment for final working capital. Headquartered in Dawson, Ga., the Georgia Southwestern operates over 220 miles of track between White Oak, Ala., and Smithville, Ga.; Cuthbert, Ga., and Bainbridge, Ga. and in and around Columbus, Ga. The Georgia Southwestern connects to GWI’s Chattahoochee Industrial Railroad in Saffold, Ga., via trackage rights. The Georgia Southwestern has 20 employees and 10 locomotives and carries approximately 10,000 carloads per year, primarily serving

CN Urges STB Approval of EJ&E Acquisition, Cites Overall Benefit to Chicago Region

October 1, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Canadian National is urging the Surface Transportation Board to promptly approve its proposed acquisition of the principal lines of the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co., pointing to planned mitigation efforts and the significant economic and environmental benefits to the overall Chicago region. CN’s said its supporting facts and conclusions are contained in comments filed regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the transaction issued on July 25, 2008, by the Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) of the STB. “Our filing underscores three important facts,” said CN President and Chief Executive Officer E. Hunter Harrison. “First, none of