Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 312

Amtrak Re-launches Regional Service as Northeast Regional

July 14, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Amtrak has announced the re-launch of its Northeast Corridor Regional service, renaming it Northeast Regional. Traveling between Boston, New York, Washington, Richmond and Newport News, Va., the service, Amtrak’s busiest, transported more than 6.8 million passengers last fiscal year. Anticipating a busy summer travel season and the impact of an integrated marketing campaign, Amtrak expects the re-branding of the Northeast Regional and its associated service improvements to attract an additional 136,000 passengers to the service, valued at $8.9 million in ticket revenue annually. So far this fiscal year (October 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008), Amtrak’s Regional service

FRA Issues Final Rule for Rail Relocation and Improvement Grant Program

July 11, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has issued a Final Rule detailing the eligibility requirements and selection criteria for capital grants under the Rail Line Relocation and Improvement program created in the SAFETEA-LU legislation. In order to be eligible for grant funding, a project must mitigate the adverse effects of rail traffic on safety, motor vehicle traffic flow, community quality of life or involve a lateral or vertical relocation of any portion of the rail line. Under the law, half of all grant funds are reserved for projects costing no more than $20 million each. A state or other

Mudslide Causes Deraiment in Iowa

July 9, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

GUTTENBERG, Iowa – A mudslide caused four locomotives to derail and crash into the Mississippi following, authorities said. The locomotives were pulling and Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad freight train at the time of the derailment. “Early reports indicate that a large boulder and embankment slide occurred in the area of the derailment,” the railroad said in a statement, according to The Associated Press. “It is suspected that heavy rain saturations weakened the bluff embankment causing the slide.”

Missouri Provides $5 Million For Improved Amtrak Service

July 8, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Reliability of Kansas City to St. Louis trains operated by Amtrak for the Missouri Department of Transportation can improve, thanks to $5 million provided by the Missouri state legislature and approved by Gov. Matt Blunt to increase track capacity on the route. The Missouri Mules (Trains 311, 313, 314 & 316) provide twice-daily round trips across the state and have been plagued by lengthy delays due to heavy freight traffic on the Union Pacific Railroad line. “This is great news for Missouri,” said MoDOT Director Pete Rahn. “This funding will lead to improved service, helping make

Sen. Joe Bruno Announces Plans for $40 Million Rail Logistics Center in Saratoga Co., N.Y.

July 8, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

MECHANICVILLE, N.Y. — State Senator Joe Bruno, R-Brunswick, has announced that a new intermodal and automotive rail logistics center will be constructed at the former rail yard located within the towns of Halfmoon, Mechanicville, and Stillwater. This new rail terminal will anchor the western end of Pan Am Southern’s Patriot Corridor, which will be a high-speed freight rail route between the Capitol Region and the Boston area once track and signal improvements are complete. Construction of the $40 million facility is expected to begin in the first quarter 2009 and be complete by April 2010. “As soaring energy costs have

Residents Urged to Stay Off Railroad Tracks, Reminded to Always Expect a Train

July 3, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — With summer activities in full swing, CSX Transportation (CSXT) asks you to stay safe and stay off railroad tracks. That means to enjoy activities such as picnics and fireworks somewhere other than railroad tracks and property, where hundreds of people are killed or injured nationwide each year. “Trains do not take holidays,” said Cliff Stayton, CSXT director of Public Safety Awareness. “In fact, CSXT trains will be running on July 4. For safety’s sake, residents should stay away from all railroad property. Always expect a train.” Consider the following facts about the dangers of trespassing on railroad

STB Denies Nev.’s Request to Halt DOE Project

June 30, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has denied a request by the State of Nevada to reject the application of the United States Department of Energy for authority to construct and operate an approximately 300-mile railroad line in Nevada, in the Board proceeding entitled United States Department of Energy — Rail Construction and Operation — Caliente Rail Line in Lincoln, Nye, and Esmeralda counties. The Board found that DOE’s application was sufficiently complete for this stage of the proceeding. The proposed rail line, to be known as the Caliente Line, would connect an existing line near Caliente, Nev., to a

New DOT Rule Makes Cheating on Drug Testing Harder

June 30, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today a new rule that will make it more difficult for transportation workers to cheat on their required drug tests by requiring drug testing labs to analyze every test for tampering. “We want to make sure there are no doubts about the ability of anyone working in transportation do their job as safely as possible,” said Secretary Peters said. “There is no margin for error when it comes to the safety of the traveling public.” The Secretary said the new rule would cover the nation’s approximately 12.1 million transportation employers, safety-sensitive transportation

2007: A Strong Year For Railroad Safety

June 27, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Last year was another strong year for safety on the nation’s railroads, with records being set in two key safety measurements while a third fell just shy of setting a record. “Over the years, the railroad industry has developed a strong safety culture,” said Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR) at the annual E.H. Harriman Awards luncheon which honors railroads with the best employee safety records for the previous year. “Last year the train accident rate was the lowest in history,” he said. “So was the grade crossing accident rate. The

Southwest Chief, Empire Builder and California Zephyr Midwest Flooding Disruption Update

June 26, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire

Amtrak has been notified by BNSF Railway it has restored service through the affected areas on the Los Angeles-Chicago route of the Amtrak Southwest Chief, effective June 24. However, BNSF and Canadian Pacific (CP) railways are still working to restore passenger train service on two other routes disrupted due to flooding on the Mississippi River and its tributaries in Iowa and Wisconsin. BNSF and CP host these trains on tracks they own, maintain and dispatch. Amtrak is planning to operate limited alternate transportation through the affected areas for these trains until further notice, while hoping to restore rail service soon.