Railfanning.org News Wire

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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 with the success and resulting expansion of our at-seat cart

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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 operating between Wilmington and Washington, DC will be affected. Approximately

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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 facility completes the reorganization of our United Kingdom operations which

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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 train. This differs from conventional brake systems in which each

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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 concluded. In addition to several initiatives under way in New

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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 cleanliness, customer service, and security.” MARTA’s increase is attributed to

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Short Line/Regional

FRA Issues RRIF Loans to DM&E and R.J. Corman Railroad Group

March 23, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration approved a Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) loan to a pair of short line railroads. The FRA gave one grant to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E) of $48.3 million to improve safety and service between Wall, South Dakota and Colony, Wyo. Rail line improvements will be made to accommodate heavier freight cars that haul grains, ethanol, and minerals. Specifically, 134 miles of track will be upgraded, including the replacement of 60 miles of rail between Wall and Owanka, and from Whitewood to the SD-WY state line. Major bridge repairs will occur between Wasta and Owanka and near Belle Fourche, as well

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Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern Facilitates $2 Billion of Industrial Investment Along Rail Lines in 2006

March 22, 2007 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. participated in the location of 70 new industrial facilities and provided support for the expansion of 45 additional industrial facilities along its rail lines in 2006, the company announced. New plants and expansions represent an investment of $2 billion by Norfolk Southern customers and are expected to create an estimated 3,578 customer jobs in the railroad’s territory and eventually generate more than 95,000 carloads of new rail traffic annually. Norfolk Southern assisted state and local government and economic development officials throughout 19 states in helping customers identify ideal locations for new and expanded facilities. Following are some of the projects that are expected to