BNSF
Short Line/Regional
BNSF
AAR: Rail Carload Freight Reaches Highest Level in More Than a Year
WASHINGTON — Carload freight volume on U.S. railroads reached its highest level in more than a year during the week ended Feb. 27, the Association of American Railroads reported. U.S. railroads originated 290,261 carloads during the week ended Feb. 27, up 2.6 percent from the comparable week in 2009 and the highest level reported since the week ended Dec. 6, 2008. However, the total was still down 13.5 percent from comparison week in 2008. In order to offer a complete picture of the progress in rail traffic, AAR now reports 2010 weekly rail traffic with comparison weeks in both 2009
Miscellaneous
Three on Trestle Killed When Struck by Train
MELBOURNE, Fla. — Three teenage girls were killed after they were struck by a freight train. Authorities said they were crossing a railroad trestle when they were struck by a Florida East Coast Train.
Miscellaneous
L. B. Foster Company to Acquire Portec Rail Products
PITTSBURGH — L. B. Foster Co. and Portec Rail Products Inc. announced the signing of an Agreement and Plan of Merger, under which L. B. Foster will make, through its wholly owned acquisition subsidiary, a cash tender offer to acquire all of Portec’s outstanding shares of common stock for $11.71 per share. “The proposed acquisition will bring together two organizations with a rich history of successfully delivering products and services to the global rail industry,” said Stan Hasselbusch, L . B. Foster’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The addition of Portec will complement our existing array of products and furthers
Miscellaneous
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Limited Sign Rail Services Agreement
GREENWICH, Conn. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said that GWI and a newly formed GWI subsidiary, Western Labrador Rail Services (WLRS), have entered into a long term agreement with Bloom Lake Railway Company (BLRC), a subsidiary of Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines Limited (CLM), for WLRS to provide rail transportation services to BLRC. Operated as part of GWI’s Canada Region, WLRS will haul unit trains of iron ore over BLRC’s newly constructed 31-kilometer railway from CLM’s Bloom Lake mine, located in the province of Quebec on the south end of the Labrador Trough, to Wabush, Labrador. The iron ore will then travel
Safety
Illinois Railroads Ordered to Compensate Employee Fired for Reporting Work-Related injury
KANSAS CITY — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has ordered the Illinois Central Railroad Co. and the Chicago, Central & Pacific Railroad, both headquartered in Homewood, Ill., to pay a former railroad employee more than $80,000 in back wages, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees. OSHA investigated the employee’s allegation that the railroads terminated his employment in retaliation for reporting a work-related injury he sustained while performing his job. OSHA’s investigation found that officials from both railroads ordered an investigation into the cause of the employee’s injury, which ultimately resulted in their decision to terminate
Short Line/Regional
Genesee & Wyoming Reports Results for the Fourth Quarter of 2009
GREENWICH, Conn. — Genesee & Wyoming Inc. reported net income in the fourth quarter of 2009 of $18.3 million, compared with net income of $25.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. GWI’s diluted earnings per share (EPS) in the fourth quarter of 2009 were $0.44 with 41.3 million weighted average shares outstanding, compared with diluted EPS of $0.70 with 36.4 million weighted average shares outstanding in the fourth quarter of 2008. GWI’s results for the fourth quarter of 2009 included gains on the sale of assets of $0.8 million ($0.5 million after-tax, or $0.01 per diluted share). Fourth quarter
Short Line/Regional
STB Grants ARRC Permission to Build 80-Mile Extension
WASHINGTON — The Surface Transportation Board announced it has granted the request of the Alaska Railroad Corp. (ARRC, a state-owned railroad) to construct and operate a new, 80-mile railroad line—the Northern Rail Extension—in the State of Alaska, subject to extensive environmental-mitigation conditions. After considering the entire public record before it, including both the transportation aspects of ARRC’s proposal and potential environmental issues, the Board was satisfied that the proposed line would provide reliable, year-round freight and passenger service to the region south of North Pole, Alaska; access to training areas used by the United States military; and an alternative to
FRA
DOT Announces $7 Million for Bridge Repair
WASHINGTON — The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Company (CRANDIC) will receive $6.965 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for repair of the CRANDIC railroad bridge in Cedar Rapids, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced. The bridge sustained substantial damage during flooding of the Cedar River in 2008, resulting in the disruption of freight shipments in the area. “The people of Cedar Rapids depend on railroads to deliver the goods and supplies that are so critical to the local economy,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “We are pleased that this grant will help get the city’s rail