‘Monster train’ rolls through SoCal
Posted by Lou on Jan 13, 2010
LOS ANGELES — An apparently unprecedented, super freight train extending about 3-1/2 miles rolled through Southern California over the weekend, catching state regulators off guard and prompting concerns about potential safety risks and traffic delays, The Los Angeles Times reported.
Freight trains a vital link in the global supply chain
Posted by Lou on Jan 5, 2010
More than 4,000 miles of train tracks stretch through California, winding up the blustery Cajon Pass and snaking through the desert surrounding Barstow.
Those tracks could be seeing a lot more traffic in the next few years as trains loaded with Chinese-made toys, electronics and clothing roll eastward, connecting West Coast ports with cities across the United States.
Warren Buffett is a believer. In November, the world’s second-richest man paid $34 billion for railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., despite a deep downturn in the railroad industry. Buffett characterized his investment as an “all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.” But it’s also a bet on globalization and the renewed importance of rail in the nation’s transportation network.
Union Pacific alters tunnels for double-stacked trains to reach Reno
Posted by Lou on Dec 28, 2009
Union Pacific Railroad has raised the roof on 15 of its tunnels over Donner Pass in the Sierra, allowing double-stacked trains to cross the pass and go through Reno for the first time on the way to Chicago.
When the effects of the recession ebb, more trains could be coming through Reno and Sparks. Up to now, double-stacked trains have been routed through the longer and more difficult Feather River Canyon north of Reno.
The development might allow former Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin to consider himself redeemed for pushing to build the downtown railroad trench, which was completed in 2005 at a cost of $282 million.
In the late 1990s, Griffin often said the day would come when the tunnel roofs would be raised for cars carrying double-stacked cargo containers from Pacific Rim countries unloaded at the Port of Oakland.
“It took a little longer than I thought,” said Griffin, who ran a international shipping business in Reno for years and recently saw his first double-stacked train on the route east of Fernley. “I just know that it was a business decision a multibillion company had to make.”
While Griffin predicted the number of trains a day would jump substantially, critics railed against city plans to build a railroad trench and eliminate crossings in downtown. Opponents feared cost overruns and dangers from floods or earthquakes.
Tom Lange, Union Pacific western spokesman, said 15 to 18 trains a day are routed through Reno, about the same as before the tunnels were finished in November. He said there is no way to know how many more trains will be coming.
“Our volume is based on the economy and customer needs,” he said. “There’s not really a way to project future transportation volume.”
He said dispatching is based on traffic across a 32,000-mile network in 23 states.
“So trying to pinpoint some peak level of train volume would be speculative at best,” he said.
Union Pacific spent about $2.6 billion in the past year to improve its rail system while business was slow because of the recession. Read the rest of this entry »
The Alaska Railroad has laid off 127 employees
Posted by Lou on Sep 23, 2009
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has laid off 127 employees.
Railroad CEO Pat Gamble announced the move in a company letter late Tuesday afternoon.
The layoffs affect everyone, from high-level managers to workers on the front lines, and include people across the state.
A weakening economy, production cuts at Flint Hills Refinery and less passenger traffic are blamed.
Last week the board said the railroad needed to cut staff to avoid a $10 million deficit next year.
“This downsizing does not, by itself, solve our financial problems … the challenge is not one seen before in the railroad’s history of state ownership,” Gamble wrote in his letter to employees.
“The size of the cuts is surprising for me,” said Jeffrey Davies, the president of the Alaska Railroad Workers Union Local 183.
Davies says his bargaining unit experienced the largest hit, and that 26 of his members are being let go.
“It’s been difficult, the anxiety and not knowing. Now we know and we have to try and understand what that means for the rest of the employees,” said Davies.
One casualty was Anchorage Assembly member Patrick Flynn.
A senior railroad officer who has been with the corporation since 2001, Flynn blogged about how he offered himself up, but hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“I felt the remaining people were simply too important to daily railroad operations,” Flynn wrote in his blog.
Reflecting on the last few weeks, Flynn says cuts were being made, but suddenly the situation became dire and he was told the process was “too little too late — we needed to make plans for quicker, more significant cuts,” his blog reads.
State labor economist Neil Fried says the cuts are significant, and he emphasized that they are quality jobs that no longer exist.
“So we are talking about high quality jobs being lost so the quality is also a factor because these are good paying jobs in Alaska labor force,” said Fried.
San Luis Obispo Chalk Board August 2009
Posted by Lou on Sep 17, 2009
The Editor French Morgan spent most of the summer working for the Alaska Rail Road so the SLO Chalk Board is a little bit late. Never less here is the newest Edition fresh for your information. See the Download Section ‘Chalk Boards’ to grab one.
The No. 1 Reason I Don’t Trust This Market
Posted by Lou on Aug 12, 2009
The train drew round the bend and approached the crossing. The warning bells rang, and the barriers fell across the road. Then the engineer pulled four long blasts on his horn. Two 4,400-horsepower GE locomotives rolled past me at low speed… bending the rails with their weight. This was an express container train bound for Chicago…
“Shorter than normal,” I thought. “And more empties than usual.”
Last week, I was on vacation in California. While I was there, I took the opportunity to gauge railroad activity. We drove a hundred miles beside Union Pacific’s southern California mainline. This is one of the most important stretches of railroad in the country. It links the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles with the eastern seaboard. I was expecting to see dozens of trains. We only saw two…
Then we stopped in Los Angeles to ogle the huge tangle of idled Union Pacific locomotives outside the Port of Long Beach. There must have been over 100 of them.
Freight trains move our most important basic materials around the country… like coal, fertilizer, steel, and container boxes. By watching the trends on America’s freight railroads, you can get an excellent feel for the strength of the economy.
Union Pacific Spends $13 Million on Fort Worth Rail Intersection
Posted by Lou on Aug 6, 2009
Union Pacific Railroad reports that it is spending $13 million to upgrade track between Roanoke, Texas and Tower 55 in Fort Worth.
Tower 55 is a major juncture of rail lines that has prompted numerous complaints from Fort Worth motorists about emissions and traffic delays from trains.
Union Pacific crews are replacing more than 45,000 ties and renewing road surfaces at 38 grade crossings in a project scheduled to be completed next month. The railroad spent more than $400 million last year on capital projects in Texas.
Federal Railroad Administration Awards $1 Million Rail Safety Grant to Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
Posted by Lou on Aug 6, 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009 (Washington, DC ) Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo today announced a $1,015,000 grant for Operation Lifesaver, Inc. (OLI), providing the Alexandria, VA-based nonprofit organization support to continue its wide-ranging public education outreach efforts to raise awareness about the potential hazards at grade crossings and the dangers of illegal trespassing on railroad property.
In 2008, there were 2,395 grade crossing incidents resulting in 287 deaths, as well as 453 deaths due to rail trespassing, slightly fewer than similar incidents in 2007.
“Despite decreases in the number of train-vehicle collisions, promoting railroad safety is as important as ever,” Administrator Szabo said. “Through this sustained public-private partnership, OLI, with the support of the Federal Railroad Administration, will continue to draw attention to the devastating and irreversible consequences of trespassing, the leading cause of rail-related deaths in America.”
OLI’s initiatives include State Assistance Programs, which provide grants to individual state programs that support railroad safety awareness programs, training and education programs for presenters, and communications programs. In the past, OLI’s efforts have successfully increased public awareness through presentations, training, and public service announcements. OLI recently announced new initiatives to aid its efforts, including projects designed to target new and nontraditional audiences at the state and local level—training, a new safety video for professional drivers, and most notably the “Common Sense” campaign, which includes an interactive website, internet ads, videos, and local events aimed at informing youth about the risks of trespassing.
This grant supports the goals of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation’s Action Plan for Highway Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespass Prevention, and the recently enacted Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which provides a roadmap for guiding federal, state, local, industry, and other entities in combating these problems.
Source: Federal Railroad Administration
The Railroad Economic Stimulus Plan: Can the Railroads End The Recession
Posted by Lou on May 31, 2009
Can the railroads end the recession? Here is a plan that could help the country get back on it’s feet. There are a few steps that each railroad needs to take that would create jobs and make our country stronger. This plan call for a little sacrifice on the CEO’s and their Executive Officers. Also, this plan requires the senior railroad workers to become true mentors to co-workers. This is the Yin & Yang plan that would help the entire country to survive a recession. Read the rest of this entry »
Disaster Assistance Grants Awarded to States to Cover Costs of Railroad Emergency Repairs Following Natural Disasters
Posted by Lou on May 27, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 (Washington, DC)
Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo today announced the award of $15 million to nine states for emergency repairs to damaged railroad infrastructure resulting from natural disasters.
Funding from the Federal Railroad Administrations (FRA) Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair Program (RRRP) will go to state Departments of Transportation to reimburse short line and regional railroads for the cost of repairs.
“Freight railroads are critical to local economies and we are committed to helping them restore rail service after a major disruption,” said Szabo. “This funding will help the carriers defray repair costs and keep the trains running.”
Funds awarded under the RRRP can cover up to 80 percent of the total cost of a selected project, with the remainder to be provided from non-federal sources. Grants may be used to repair bridges, signals and other infrastructure which are part of the general rail transportation system. The grant recipients are as follows:
