Rail Industry News
California’s top member of Congress opposes high-speed rail plan
(The following appeared on the Weekly Standard website on March 8, 2011.) President Obama’s controversial plan for a high-speed rail system took a hit Tuesday as the top California member of Congress, House majority whip Kevin McCarthy, voiced strong opposition to...
Watco seeks STB approval to lease NS lines in Alabama
(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on March 8, 2011.) Watco Cos. L.L.C. recently filed a notice of exemption with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to lease about 43.6 miles of lines from Norfolk Southern Railway between Maplesville...
AAR: U.S. carloads climbed for 12th-straight month in February
(The following appeared on the Progressive Railroading website on March 8, 2011.) In February, U.S. railroads originated 1.13 million carloads, up 4.2 percent compared with February 2010 volume — the 12th-straight month of year-over-year carload gains, according to...
Railcar owners take 12,457 cars out of storage, but 20.2 percent of North American fleet still idle
(The following appeared on the Journal of Commerce website on March 8, 2011.) WASHINGTON, D.C. — Railcar owners in the U.S., Canada and Mexico took 12,457 units out of storage in February, leaving the continent's idled fleet at 20.2 percent of all railcars available...
Libya isn’t why gas is $3.49 per gallon
(The following appeared at TeamsterNation.blogspot.com on March 9.) WASHINGTON, D.C. — No, the reason why gasoline costs an average of $3.49 at the pump (more in Illinois, New York, Nebraska and the western states) is that hedge funds are driving up prices. Our...
UP’s Little Rock Express steam excursion
(Union Pacific issued the following on March 7, 2011.) Omaha, Neb. — The Little Rock Express begins May 29 with the arrival of Union Pacific's steam locomotive No. 3985 in Kansas City, Mo., and concludes June 9 in Little Rock, Ark., as part of Union Pacific's Great...
UP completes rail replacement job in Oregon
(The following appeared on the Democrat Herald website on March 7, 2011.) SHEDD, Ore. — Union Pacific repairmen are packing up and heading to Nevada today after completing a 24-mile track replacement project between here and Eugene. “We have been replacing old rail...
CP Rail stock raised to ‘outperform’ on valuation
(The following appeared on the Financial Post website on March 8, 2011.) OTTAWA — A series of headwinds that have dragged on shares of Canadian Pacific have also created a buying opportunity for investors, according to Steve Hansen, Raymond James analyst. Shares in...
Bill Gates increases stake in CN Rail
(The following appeared on the Toronto Sun website on March 7, 2011.) MONTREAL — Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the largest shareholder in Canadian National Railway Co., spent $8 million through his investment agency to increase his stake in the rail giant, Gates' firm...
Could Florida’s SunRail survive governor’s ax?
(The following appeared on the Orlando Sentinel website on March 7, 2011.) ORLANDO, Fla. — Now that Gov. Rick Scott has done away with the high-speed train and $2.4 billion in federal grants that came with it, many suspect he will turn his attention to SunRail and...
Rail or no rail, Florida could owe feds millions
(The following appeared on the Florida Times-Union website on March 7, 2011.) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It would cost $2.7 billion to build a high speed rail between Orlando and Tampa. But U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson is arguing that it may end up costing state taxpayers even if...
Cold, threats, derailments cause costly delays for BNSF in Montana
(The following appeared on the Billings Gazette website on March 6, 2011.) BILLINGS, Mont. — After a rough Montana month of train derailments, bizarre weather and a bogus terrorism threat, the iron horse that tamed the West is limping into March like Mr. Ed. February...
Complex scenario challenges crews during rail emergency drill
(The following appeared on the Contra Costa Times website on March 7, 2011.) VERNON, Calif. — It was an emergency drill Sunday in an unusual setting that provided several challenges. In the trench section of the Alameda Corridor, area firefighters had to extinguish a...
BNSF is a success story — just ask Warren Buffett
(The following appeared on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram website on March 4, 2011.) FORT WORTH, Texas — For evidence of an economy on the rebound, consider the trifecta at Burlington Northern Santa Fe: more revenue, more profits, more jobs. Last week, the Fort...
Opinion: Rail haters should take a hint from Warren Buffett
(The following column appeared on the Kansas City Star website on March 7, 2011.) KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's been a good year so far for rail haters. New governors in Wisconsin and Ohio made good on their campaign promise to kill passenger train projects in their states....
Amtrak service in jeopardy for North Dakota areas
(The Associated Press circulated the following on March 4, 2011.) DEVILS LAKE, N.D. — As Devils Lake and the Lake Region move slowly toward spring, concern is rising for the ability to maintain Amtrak services along the north route, of which Devils Lake is a part....
Maintenance costs key in Illinois high speed rail negotiations
(The following appeared on the State Journal-Register website on March 5, 2011.) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Backers of high-speed rail say don’t worry: Maintenance costs for improved train trackage between St. Louis and Chicago will be minimal. But skeptics say maintenance...
DOT will send Florida rail money to other states
(The following appeared on the Journal of Commerce website on March 4, 2011.) WASHINGTON, D.C. — After Florida's Supreme Court upheld Gov. Rick Scott's power to terminate a planned high-speed rail project, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood signaled that other states...
High Speed Rail Alliance disappointed with Florida decision
(The American High Speed Rail Alliance issued the following on March 4, 2011.) WASHINGTON, D.C. — On March 4, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that the Florida Supreme Court upheld Gov. Rick Scott's decision to reject $2.4 billion in high speed rail...
Florida high-speed train project derailed; Court rules for governor
(The following appeared at www.cnn.com on March 4, 2011.) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Florida Supreme Court ruled Friday that Gov. Rick Scott can reject $2.4 billion in federal money that would have funded a proposed high-speed rail system in the state. The governor had...
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