Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 337

Norfolk Southern Graduates 113 Students from Emergency Response Training School

July 9, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — First responders from across the United States sharpened their skills at responding to hazardous materials incidents during Norfolk Southern-sponsored tank car safety classes this year at the Transportation Technology Center Inc., near Pueblo, Colo. One hundred thirteen students attended the five-day, 40-hour courses at TTCI’s Emergency Response Training Center, which provides training in classes that simulate train, truck and barge accidents. Located on 52 square miles of isolated high desert, the TTCI campus includes 48 miles of specialized tracks to test locomotives, vehicles, track components and signal devices. Some 80 rail cars, intermodal and highway vehicles, and

Amtrak and GrandLuxe Team Up to Provide Luxury Rail Service Between Washington, D.C. and Miami

June 27, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

EVERGREEN, Colo. — Rail passengers traveling on the Amtrak route between Washington, D.C. and Miami will soon have the option of lingering over five-course dinners, sleeping in luxurious suites and enjoying personal butler service. Called GrandLuxe Limited, the new service uses a separate, private, seven-car luxury train attached to Amtrak’s Silver Meteor to transport passengers between the nation’s capital and sunny Florida. The premium service is being made possible by a new partnership between GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, the country’s premier private rail tour operator, and Amtrak, the national passenger rail service. The GrandLuxe train, which features Dining, Lounge and Sleeping

Officials Announce Second Amtrak Cascades Train to Canada

June 20, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

SEATTLE, Wash. – Washington state, British Columbia, BNSF Railway Co. and Amtrak have reached an agreement to make infrastructure improvements that will permit a second daily Amtrak Cascades train between Seattle and Vancouver, B.C. Governor Chris Gregoire and Premier Gordon Campbell made the announcement June 8 at the King Street Station in downtown Seattle. The Province of British Columbia, Amtrak, and BNSF are funding this $7 million project, which includes construction of a new 11,000-foot siding track near Colebrook Road in Delta, B.C. The new siding track will allow for passenger and freight trains to pass one another at this

Amtrak, Union Pacific Reach Agreement for Passenger Train Performance Plan

June 20, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad have reached an agreement on a performance plan to reduce passenger train delays attributed to track conditions. Under the agreement, Union Pacific will limit speed restrictions that can cause Amtrak trains to fall behind schedule on Union Pacific’s routes. Union Pacific is the nation’s largest railroad and is one of the three biggest hosts of Amtrak service, including short-distance trains and parts of four overnight routes in the West, Pacific Northwest and Midwest. Imposing temporary speed restrictions is a common railroad practice. Frequently called “slow orders,” these restrictions are put into effect when

Wabtec Receives Orders Worth $33 Million For MPXpress Commuter Locomotives

June 19, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WILMERDING, Pa. — Wabtec Corp. said its MotivePower subsidiary has received orders worth $33 million for 12 MPXpress commuter locomotives from transit agencies in California, Minnesota and New Mexico. The locomotives, to be manufactured in Boise, Idaho, are expected to be delivered in 2008-09. “We’ve now delivered or received orders for 100 MPXpress locomotives from eight different transit agencies throughout North America since 2003, making it the proven and preferred choice for commuter rail agencies,” said Albert J. Neupaver, Wabtec’s president and chief executive officer. “We’re pleased to be at the forefront of the growth and improvement of public transit.”

Portion of Staten Island Railroad Reactivated

June 19, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg recently reactivated the Staten Island Railroad, an eight-mile railway that will connect Staten Island to the national rail freight network.

Argus Media Awards Alaska Railroad, Alaska Railbelt Marine With Prestigious Win-Win

June 15, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Alaska Railroad (ARRC) and Alaska Railbelt Marine are the winners of its prestigious Win-Win Award, Argus Media Inc. announced. The annual award is given to railroads, shippers and transportation companies which develop innovative partnerships leading to better service, better rates and other, mutually beneficial, service improvements. Launched in 1998 by Argus Rail Business, the annual award celebrates partnerships between rail carriers and customers which result in significant cost or service benefits. The latest award recognizes how the railroad and barge company preserved and revived freight deliveries to Whittier, Alaska, for several customers. “We are honored to receive

Additional Security Funds Possible

June 14, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Additional security grant funds for transit systems are likely as a result in increases in FY08 Department of Homeland Security appropriation bills that are pending in Congress. The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted June 14 to approve the FY08 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill, which includes $400 million for rail/transit security grants — more than the double the amount contained in last year’s bill. Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee approved its version of the bill, which also contained $400 million for its rail/transit security grant program. “The availability of additional funds will

STB to Hold July 18 Public Hearing on Rail Transportation Energy Resources

June 13, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

KANSAS CITY — The Surface Transportation Board will hold a public forum to examine issues related to the efficiency and reliability of railroad transportation of resources critical to the Nation’s energy supply, including coal, ethanol and biofuels, Chairman Charles D. Nottingham said. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in the Ground Floor Conference Room of the Richard Bolling Federal Building, 601 East 12th Street, Kansas City, Mo. The STB officially announced the July 18 hearing in the proceeding entitled Rail Transportation of Resources Critical to the Nation’s Energy Supply, STB Ex Parte No. 672, in a decision issued to

Pacer’s Distribution Arm Expands Capacity, Opens Los Angeles Transload and Distribution Warehouse

June 12, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

CONCORD, Calif. — Pacer Distribution Services, Inc. (PDS), the warehousing and distribution arm of Pacer International, Inc., announced the opening of a new 52-door transload center in Carson, California to support increased demand for transloading services for international freight shipments moving from the West Coast to inland points. The facility, located on 5.4 acres, is adjacent to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and will be primarily dedicated to transloading services, though it will also provide additional capacity to the company’s previously existing warehouse operations that already occupy more than 800,000 square feet. These facilities support transload, cross-dock,