Railfanning.org News Wire

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Amtrak

NARP: Don’t Cut Rail Service

April 17, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Citing increased demand for passenger rail service and rising gas prices, the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) urged Congress to invest $1.68 billion in Amtrak next year and to steer clear of route-cutting discussions. This amount is what Amtrak requested, and includes $100 million for matching grants for a state corridor development program. In a statement submitted to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, NARP Executive Director Ross Capon noted that expanding Amtrak’s network would drive economies of scale. “The most effective strategy to improve the economic efficiency of all

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Short Line/Regional

St. Lawrence & Atlantic Becomes First New England Short-Line Rail Carrier Certified by Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT)

April 13, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

GREENWICH, Conn. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) announced today that its St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad (SLR) and its Canadian sister Chemin de fer St. Laurent & Atlantique (SLQ) have been certified by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as partners in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. The role of a C-TPAT partner is to continue to ensure that appropriate security measures, based upon risk analysis and consistent with C-TPAT security criteria, are maintained in a documented and verifiable format throughout international supply chains. “We see certification as a necessity in being a cross-border carrier, and the C-TPAT

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Amtrak

Amtrak Expands At-Seat Cart Service on Acela Express Trains

April 9, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Responding to requests for additional food cart service onboard Amtrak’s high-speed premium Acela Express service, Amtrak has announced expanded food cart service on its premier Northeast Corridor trains. The cart service is featured on four additional Acela Express trains traveling daily between New York and Washington, D.C., bringing the total of Acela Express trains offering at seat cart service to 10. This highly popular service provides passengers the opportunity to enjoy snacks and beverages without ever leaving the comfort of their seats. Regular café service will continue to be offered with similar menu choices. “We are extremely pleased

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Amtrak

Susquehanna River Bridge Project to Improve Reliability and On-Time Performance

April 4, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Amtrak’s biggest engineering project of the spring is underway on the Susquehanna River Bridge between Baltimore, Md., and Wilmington, Del. A key rail link on the busy Northeast Corridor, the 4,154-foot-long bridge spans the Susquehanna between Havre De Grace Md., and Perryville, Md. As a result of the track improvement work, schedule adjustments have been made to Acela, Regional and long-distance arrival and departure times. Beginning April 14 and continuing through June 4, trains will operate on a single track over the bridge and its approaches, and the schedules of all southbound Acela Express, Regional and long-distance trains

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Miscellaneous

Portec Rail Products Sells U.K. Facility

April 3, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Portec Rail Products, Inc. today announced the sale of its Wrexham, Wales, United Kingdom facility to Eifion Lloyd Davies, an individual, doing business as GHA Coaches, based in the United Kingdom. The net proceeds from the sale, which closed on March 29, 2007, were approximately $2 million, and were used to reduce outstanding debt with a United Kingdom financial institution. The Wrexham location was a former manufacturing facility with rail and material handling operations and was closed in December 2006 as part of a business reorganization that the Company had initiated during 2006. “The sale of this

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BNSF

Norfolk Southern and BNSF Railway to Test New Train Brake Technology

March 29, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

FORT WORTH, Texas — Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) and BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) will begin testing a new braking system that may reduce the amount of time it takes to stop a train. The project, authorized by the Federal Railroad Administration, calls for NS and BNSF to equip and test certain locomotives and freight cars with electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes. ECP brakes have the potential to reduce train stopping distances by as much as 50 to 70 percent over conventional air brake systems. ECP brakes utilize electronic signals to simultaneously apply and release throughout the length of a freight

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CSX

CSXT Pledges Prompt, Aggressive Safety Response

March 28, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Michael Ward, chairman and chief executive officer of CSX Corporation, has assured Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Boardman that CSX Transportation will move promptly and aggressively to address safety concerns, through heightened inspection standards and other special initiatives in response to a FRA inspection report. “Safety is our top priority, and we welcome the FRA’s inspections and insights,” Ward said. “We are committed to working closely with FRA on all safety issues.” Company officials reported that CSXT promptly took corrective action on the defects identified in the FRA focused inspection in January, many of them before the inspection

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Transit

MARTA Sees Ridership Increase

March 23, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

ATLANTA – From July to December 2006, MARTA’s passenger counts grew by 7.2 percent and passenger revenue increased by 3.8 percent over the same period last year.   Nationwide, public transit ridership grew by 2.9 percent from 2005 to 2006. “MARTA is working hard to improve service and attract more riders to the system and we are pleased to see the positive results of our efforts,” said General Manager Richard McCrillis. “We hope to sustain this trend through the multiple renewal and improvement efforts we have underway – including our rail car rehabilitation project, increased service levels, and heightened focus on