Railfanning.org News Wire

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Amtrak

Amtrak Service Alert: Pacific Surfliner & Coast Starlight Service Restoration Plan

September 16, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
LOS ANGELES — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains, which ordinarily operate between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, and the Coast Starlight, which ordinarily operates between Los Angeles and Seattle, will resume normal operations north of Los Angeles this afternoon, Sept. 16. Pacific Surfliner Service and Related Thruway Motorcoaches Normal service will resume Sept. 16, starting with northbound Train 775 and southbound Train 784 and their related Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches. Pacific Surfliners and their connecting Thruway Motorcoaches between Los Angeles and San Diego were not affected by this service interruption. Coast Starlight, Trains 11 & 14 The northbound Coast Starlight, Train
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Commuter Rail

Metrolink Spokeswoman Resigns Following Comments

September 16, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
LOS ANGELES — Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell has resigned following comments she made to reporters in the wake of a fatal wreck. A Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train collided on on Sept. 12 near Chatsworth, Calif., killing 25 people and injuring more than 130 more. Tyrrell and Metrolink quickly blamed human error for the crash, but the National Transportation Safety Board says it is still investigating. “Her teary comments and surprising candor elicited a flood of encouragement from Metrolink staff members and commuters from as far as London and Vietnam,” The Los Angeles Times reported. “By
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Amtrak

Amtrak Tracks Remain Closed Due to Collision — Pacific Surfliner & Coast Starlight Affected

September 16, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
LOS ANGELES — Railroad tracks remain closed following a fatal Metrolink crash, Amtrak officials said. A Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train collided on on Sept. 12 near Chatsworth, Calif., killing 25 peopel and injuring more than 130 more. As a result, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner trains with connecting Thruway Motorcoach buses will not operate north of Los Angeles Sept. 15 and Sept. 16. Pacific Surfliner Service and Related Thruway Motorcoaches There will be no service by Pacific Surfliners and their connecting Thruway Motorcoach buses on September 15 and 16, between San Luis Obispo and Goleta, California, and
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CSX

CSX Corp. Names Michele Mastrean Vice President-Compensation and Benefits

September 15, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — CSX Corporation has appointed Michele Mastrean as vice president-compensation and benefits, effective immediately. The position reports to Bob Haulter, CSX Corporation’s senior vice president-human resources and labor relations. Mastrean will direct the delivery of broad-based compensation programs as well as health, retirement and savings benefits for CSX. She will also develop compensation policies to continue to provide employees with competitive pay and maintain compatibility with business goals. Most recently, Mastrean was vice president-HR Total Compensation, for Halliburton Company. “Michele brings diverse human resources experience to CSX, including significant accomplishments in the design and delivery of innovative compensation
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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern is One of the Best Places to Launch a Career

September 15, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern is one of the 50 “Best Places to Launch a Career,” according to the Sept. 15 issue of BusinessWeek magazine. BusinessWeek‘s annual list is based on a survey of U.S. employers, college career services directors, and some 40,000 college undergraduates. Norfolk Southern’s place on the list improved from last year, and the magazine noted, “High oil prices wreaked havoc on everything from air carriers to freight delivery companies. The one beneficiary: rail.” “Railroading today is a growth industry,” said Cindy Earhart, NS vice president human resources. “With our focus on safety and service, our light
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Amtrak

Pacific Surfliner & Coast Starlight Service Restoration Plan

September 15, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
LOS ANGELES — Amtrak Pacific Surfliner Service trains, which ordinarily operate between San Luis Obispo and San Diego, and the Amtrak Coast Starlight, which ordinarily operates between Los Angeles and Seattle, will resume normal operations north of Los Angeles this afternoon (Sept. 15). Pacific Surfliner Service and related Thruway Motorcoaches Normal service will resume in the afternoon, starting with northbound Train 775 and southbound Train 784 and their related Amtrak Thruway Motorcoaches. Morning trains between Los Angeles and Goleta/San Luis Obispo are cancelled. These are northbound Trains 799, 763 & 769 and southbound Trains 768 & 774. Amtrak Pacific Surfliners
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Commuter Rail

Conductor May be Key to Metrolink Investigation

September 15, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Investigators probing a fatal Metrolink crash want to interview the train’s conductor and also hope that recordings of verbal safety checks will help paint a fuller picture of what happened in the moments leading up to the crash. “He’ll be able to tell us whether he recalls the engineer calling out and him confirming those signals,” The Associated Press quoted Kitty Higgins of the National Transportation Safety Board as saying about the conductor. Metrolink has already blamed human error for the Sept. 12 crash that killed 25 people and injured 130 more. However, the National Transportation Safety
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Commuter Rail

Metrolink Engineer May Have Been Texting

September 14, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
CHATSWORTH, Calif. — Investigators probing a fatal Metrolink crash are looking into whether the train’s engineer sent a text message just before his train crashed into a parked Union Pacific freight train, according to various media reports. “That would be to me unbelievable,” KTLA quoted Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell as saying. “I cannot imagine a scenario where a Metrolink engineer would be texting someone while driving a train.” Metrolink has already blamed human error for the crash that killed 25 people and injured 130 more. However, the National Transportation Safety Board says it is still investigating. The wreck is said
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Amtrak

Service Alert: Chicago Hub Service — Heavy Rains Result in Track Closures

September 14, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
The remnants of Hurricane Ike have been dumping heavy rains on the states of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Missouri. The resulting temporary closure of various railroad routes is leading to the cancellation of some Amtrak service, with other Amtrak trains operating subject to significant delays. Amtrak is working with the owners of the routes to restore normal service as soon as possible. Passengers with travel plans in these states are urged to call Amtrak at 800-USA-RAIL to confirm the operation of their trains and the status of alternate transportation. Lincoln Service and Texas Eagle, Chicago-Springfield-St. Louis Trains 303, 304, 305,
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Commuter Rail

L.B. Foster Receives Continuous Welded Rail Orders; Rail to be Used in Two California Transit Projects

September 14, 2008 Railfanning.org News Wire
PITTSBURGH — L.B. Foster Company said it has been awarded business in northern and southern California for continuous welded rail (CWR) for two transit projects. They include the following: — 1,812 tons of 136# New Rail for Caltrain, which will be used for future capital improvements on the 145-year-old railroad. Caltrain is owned and operated by the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board. Caltrain runs from San Francisco to San Jose, with commuter-hour service to Gilroy. Delivery of the CWR is to begin in the late third quarter of 2008. — 1,813 tons of 136# New Rail for the Southern California