Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 317

Lott: Senate Bill to Provide Incentives

July 28, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Senate bill is aimed at addressing "the crisis in freight transportation by providing incentives for railroads and shippers to expand their freight capacity," according to U.S. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss. The measure was introduced July 26. "With highways and airways becoming increasingly congested, pressure is on the railroads to accommodate the rising tide of freight," Lott said. "Freight railroads and railroad shippers could expand their operations — adding second or third tracks, rail spurs and signals — under my legislation, the Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act." The bill would establish a 25 percent tax credit

STB Planning to Hold Grain Public Hearing

July 28, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Some time this fall, the Surface Transportation Board is planning to hold a public hearing to address "certain issues related to the rail transportation of grain," the agency announced in a news release. The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) on June 21 released preliminary observations on rates, competition and capacity issues within the American rail freight industry. GAO reported that the changes that have occurred in the rail industry since the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 are widely viewed as positive. The financial health of the industry has improved substantially as railroads have cut costs and boosted

Norfolk Southern Names Thelen and Heilig to Operations Positions

July 28, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. named two people to key positions in its operations division, effective Aug. 1, 2006. Gerhard A. Thelen has been named vice president operations planning and support, headquartered in Norfolk. He will be responsible for the corporation’s operations planning, policies, budgets, research and tests and quality management functions. He has a masters degree from Pennsylvania State University and graduated from the Fachhochschule Munich (university for applied sciences). Thelen joined Norfolk Southern in 1977 and served in quality, engineering, research, and mechanical positions before being named vice president mechanical in 2004. Tim A. Heilig has been

Turning Back the Clock in Detroit

July 28, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

DETROIT — Starting Aug. 5, Tigers fans will have the opportunity to turn back the clock and travel to the game the nostalgic way. Olympia Development, the Detroit Tigers, Amtrak and the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) are teaming up to bring fans to Detroit aboard an existing metropolitan railway beginning in August. The Foxtown Tigers Train will board passengers at three suburban locations, beginning in Oakland County, and travel along existing rail lines that link these cities to Detroit. Passengers will then transfer to a special DDOT Tigers Trolley and conclude their trip at Comerica Park to see the

Amtrak Pennsylvania Keystone Service Ridership Continues to Grow

July 28, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Amtrak Keystone Corridor trains, which operate between Harrisburg, Pa.; Philadelphia; and New York, continue to attract more riders, thanks to recent significant capital investments along the corridor underwritten in part by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Amtrak said. During the month of June, the Keystone service carried 72,091 passengers — a 20 percent increase over June 2005. Since the beginning of Amtrak’s fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2005) through June 30, 2006, Keystone ridership has increased nearly 13 percent to 615,124 passengers, according to Amtrak. "The Keystone service trains are continuing to deliver reliable service for our passengers every day,

Tube Train Evacuated After Landslide in West London

July 27, 2006 Wikinews

Six hundred Tube passengers were evacuated today in west London tonight after a landslide close to a station on the London Underground.

Union Pacific Corporation Elects Andrew Card a Director

July 27, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. — Former White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card was today elected to Union Pacific’s board of directors. This will expand the size of the Union Pacific board of directors to 10 members. Card served as Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush from November 2000, to April 2006. Prior to joining the White House, he was Vice President-Government Relations for General Motors Corporation. From 1993 to 1998, Mr. Card was President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Automobile Manufacturers Association. Mr. Card served as the 11th Secretary of Transportation under President George H.W. Bush from

Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle Trains Canceled Due to Union Pacific Derailment

July 27, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

Due to Union Pacific freight derailment at Glamis, Ariz., Amtrak Sunset Limited trains 2(26) and 1(27) are cancelled along the entire route with no alternate transportation. Texas Eagle train 21/421(27) is cancelled west of San Antonio, Texas, with no alternate transportation. Passengers traveling to Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso and St. Louis will be re-accommodated on the Southwest Chief train 4 where they will board buses at Flagstaff, Albuquerque and Kansas City to their final destinations. The railroad is estimated to reopen by Friday, July 28.

STB Releases Fall Peak Service Plans

July 26, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board has released letters from Class I railroads outlining their “peak season” service plans. In June, Chairman W. Douglas Buttrey sent letters to the chief executive officers of the seven largest railroads and to the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA), asking the railroads to inform the STB of their plans to ascertain the demand for, and to prepare for, the provision of peak-season service; their performance goals for the remainder of 2006 and their plans for achieving those goals; and their plans to communicate their service goals and plans with customers. In

FRA Starts ‘National Discussion’ on Improving Safety at Private Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

July 26, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will hold a series of public meetings across the country beginning in August to start a national discussion on the challenging issue of improving safety at the nation’s largely unregulated private highway-rail grade crossings, FRA Administrator Joseph H. Boardman announced. "The lack of a common safety approach at private crossings unnecessarily puts certain motorists at risk," Boardman said. "We need to learn all we can about private crossings in order to consider possible methods of reducing collisions and fatalities in the future." Establishing responsibility for safety at private crossings is one of the