Railfanning.org News Wire – Page 355

India Train Blast Leave Six Dead

November 22, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

CALCUTTA, India — Six people were killed Monday, Nov. 20, and more than 80 people were injured when a bomb exploded on a passenger train. Authorities suspect terrorists planted a bomb in one of the train’s cars. The bomb denoted about 6:20 p.m. local time near Belacoba, a station located about 345 miles north of Calcutta, The Associated Press reported. The explosion blew the side and the roof off one of the cars, according to published reports. Local authorities believe either Maoist rebels or Assamese militants might be responsible for the attack, The Associated Press reported. — Railfanning.org News Wire

Amtrak Ticket Revenue Tops $1.37 Billion, Sets New Record

November 13, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON — Amtrak passenger ticket revenue increased in Fiscal Year 2006 to $1.37 billion, the highest annual ticket revenue ever achieved, and, at $132 million over last year, the railroad’s largest year-over-year increase. The railroad also served 24.3 million passengers — nearly 300,000 more than for the same trains in the previous fiscal year. Total ticket revenue for the period October 2005 through September 2006 was an 11 percent increase over the $1.23 billion in FY05. Ridership increased from 24 million to 24.3 million — a one percent increase over the previous 12 months. “These numbers are indicative of the

Union Pacific Opens ‘State-of-the-Art’ Locomotive Shop

November 13, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. – A new Union Pacific locomotive maintenance and repair facility is designed to reduce the amount of time that coal trains spend at the Bailey Yard in North Platte, Neb., according to the railroad. Union Pacific and GE today commemorated the opening of yard in North Platte, Neb. — North America’s largest rail yard. The new locomotive shop will support GE locomotives which carry more than 95 percent of the coal handled by Union Pacific. “Our mindset is that coal is king and a significant part of our time is spent ensuring coal deliveries are moving as

Brookings Residents Reject DM&E Agreement at Polls

November 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Fifty-six percent of Brookings voters rejected the city’s Community Partnership Agreement (CPA) with the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) Railroad. The results show that many Brookings residents were dissatisfied with the railroad’s mitigation proposal, some pundits say. DM&E has requested a $2.3 billion federal subsidy to upgrade and expand the private railroad’s tracks to haul large volumes of coal from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin to distribution points in the East. If approved, the project could result in as many as 34 coal trains passing through Brookings each day at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.

Veterans Welcome as Rail Industry Hires 80,000 Employees; Major Railroads Cited as Top Military-Friendly Employers

November 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The nation’s four largest railroads have all made the list of “Top 50 Military-Friendly Employers” as determined by GI Jobs magazine. The railroad industry is creating 80,000 American jobs over the next six years, and is one of the few industries that doesn’t outsource its jobs or facilities overseas. Thousands of those being hired are former military personnel, including both officers and enlisted personnel. The jobs they perform cross the entire spectrum of railroading, from locomotive engineers to conductors to civil engineers to information technology to marketing. “Today, railroads are going through a hiring boom as more and

Union Pacific Expands Recruiting Effort Through U.S. Army Partnership

November 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

OMAHA, Neb. – For the second year in a row, G.I. Jobs magazine has named Union Pacific Railroad the nation’s top Military-Friendly Employer. The magazine commended Union Pacific’s resource-laden effort and high-performance results in recruiting transitioning military personnel. According to G.I. Jobs, “Union Pacific’s No. 1 ranking is based on the resources and assets it has dedicated exclusively to recruiting members of the military.” “Military operations are based upon defining a mission, developing a plan, moving troops and equipment, and executing the plan with vigor through superior leadership skills,” said Rick McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. “These are also basic components

FRA: Working Conditions for Train Crews to Improve with New Federal Regulations to Help Prevent Hearing Loss

November 12, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – Train crews will be less likely to suffer problems with hearing loss as the result of revised federal standards aimed to enhance the safety and well being of railroad employees by limiting locomotive cab noise, announced Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph H. Boardman. “Locomotive engineers, conductors, and other rail employees shouldn’t have to run the risk of hearing loss just for doing their jobs,” said Boardman, noting that the final rule on Occupational Noise Exposure for Railroad Operating Employees was published in the Federal Register. “Reducing noise will safeguard train crews and can help improve overall rail safety.” Boardman

NTSB: Inadequate Response to Rough Track Conditions Led to Washington Derailment

October 30, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of an April 2005 Amtrak derailment was the BNSF Railway Company’s inadequate response to multiple reports of rough track conditions that were subsequently attributed to excessive concrete crosstie abrasion. Contributing to the accident was the Federal Railroad Administration’s failure to provide adequate track safety standards for concrete crossties. The abrasion allowed the outer rail to rotate outward and create a wide gage track condition. “This is a case where the railroad failed to respond appropriately to warnings of a track problem and where Federal requirements could have provided

NTSB: Train Crew’s Failure to Remain Attentive Led to 2005 Wreck

October 30, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board has determined that the probable cause of the Oct. 15, 2005, collision of two Union Pacific trains in Texarkana, Ark., was the failure of a train crew to remain attentive and alert and thereby able to stop before striking an observable standing train in front of them. Contributing to the severity of the wreck was the puncture of a tank car during the collision, which resulted in the release of propylene, a compressed flammable gas. Also, the yardmaster did not immediately provide emergency responders with a consist which would have immediately identified the

NTSB Probes Pa. Derailment

October 21, 2006 Railfanning.org News Wire

NEW BRIGHTON, Pa. – National Transportation Safety Board investigators are at the scene of a Norfolk Southern freight train derailment near New Brighton, a city about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The derailment occurred about 10:40 p.m. yesterday. In the wreck, about two dozen of the train’s 83 tank cars carrying ethanol derailed and fell off a bridge. No one was injured in the crash, but about nine of the cars caught fire, according to published reports. About 50 people were displaced because of the derailment. “I actually felt the explosion at my house. It was like lightning struck in