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FRA_logo_wordsWASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Nov. 25 issued a safety advisory to the rail industry to better protect rail employees working on active tracks, or right-of-ways, under the supervision of a dispatcher.

“Clear communication is critical to keeping employees out of harm’s way,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “I want railway workers to return home safely to their families after their shift and it is the responsibility of the railroads and their employees to keep the work environment as safe as possible.”

Safety Advisory 2014-02 Roadway Worker Authority Limits, highlights the need for railroads to ensure that appropriate safety redundancies are in place in the event an employee fails to comply with existing rules and procedures. The advisory describes several related incidents and stresses the importance of clear communication and the need for railroads to monitor their employees for compliance. This Safety Advisory satisfies one National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) safety recommendation related to dispatchers and partially addresses another related to redundant signal protection.

There are three safety measures in the advisory designed to reduce incidents that FRA expects railroads to take action on immediately:

  1. Increase monitoring of their employees for compliance with existing applicable rules and procedures.
  2. Examine train dispatching systems, rules, and procedures to ensure that appropriate safety redundancies are in place.
  3. If a railroad determines that appropriate safety redundancies are not in place, adopt electronic technology—such as the Enhanced Employee Protection System, Hi-Rail Limits Compliance System, and the Train Approach Warning System—that would provide appropriate safety redundancies.

Until such technologies are in place, railroads should stress importance of dispatchers being advised of roadway workers’ whereabouts and work plans; forbid student dispatchers from removing blocking devises until confirmed by a supervisor; and that, prior to passing any absolute signal, a roadway worker should verify the limits of his or her authority.

FRA believes positive train control, a system for monitoring and controlling train movements to enhance safety, would have prevented the incidents described in the Safety Advisory.

However, where Positive Train Control is not in effect, FRA recommends that railroads adopt one or more electronic technologies that may serve to fill the technology gap and safeguard roadway workers.

 

Amtrak LogoAmtrak Nov. 25 reported unaudited record revenue totaling approximately $3.2 billion for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2014, representing the fifth consecutive year of revenue growth, and the eighth out of the past nine years.

In FY 2014, America’s Railroad® covered 93 percent of its operating costs with ticket sales and other revenues, up from 89 percent the year before. In addition, Amtrak’s unaudited federally funded operating loss of approximately $227 million was the lowest level since 1973, representing a 37 percent decrease from the prior year and 52 percent lower than in FY 2007.

As a result of the company’s strong operating performance, long-term debt reductions of approximately 61 percent over the past seven years to $1.3 billion, and other contributing factors, Moody’s Investor Service confirmed Amtrak’s A1/Stable debt rating on Nov. 12, 2014.

“Our financial performance over the past year is the clearest indication yet that Amtrak’s investments, operating efficiencies and focus on its customers is paying off,” said Amtrak Chairman of the Board Tony Coscia. “Under the leadership of Amtrak’s Board and management, the company is transforming how it does business. We are delighted with our latest financial results and committed to making further progress in the years ahead. As we continue to make improvements in our operating and financial performance, we call upon the federal government and our stakeholders to support the capital investments necessary to keep moving Amtrak forward.”

“Our efforts to operate a more financially sound railroad for our stakeholders continues to exceed expectations,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman. “Amtrak’s customer value proposition improves each year as seen by our continued ridership and revenue growth for the better part of the past decade.”

Amtrak’s corporate restructuring has resulted in a strong emphasis on increased financial transparency, a de-leveraged balance sheet, and providing an improved product to its existing customer base while attracting new passengers. This has resulted in consistently strong ridership and revenue growth, and less reliance on federal operating grant support.

Amtrak also is building the equipment, infrastructure and organization needed to ensure its strong growth continues. Over the past few years, the company has seen the expansion of state-supported services, the introduction of Wi-Fi and eTicketing technologies, the procurement of new equipment for Northeast Corridor and long-distance services, a major planning effort for the development of next-generation high-speed rail, and the installation of positive train control safety technology to more sections of track maintained by Amtrak, among other critical capital projects. These actions form the foundation that will support more and faster service, improve the reliability and safety of current and future operations, and meet the expectations of a growing number of customers choosing Amtrak for their travel needs.

Boardman added that to meet future passenger demands, increased levels of federal capital investment are needed to improve, expand and replace the aging infrastructure that supports intercity passenger rail. Predictable dedicated funding from the federal government to build new tracks, tunnels, bridges and other rail infrastructure-particularly on the Northeast Corridor and in Chicago-will keep Amtrak advancing and its customer base growing.

Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Chicago, is poised to become the highest-ranking Democrat on a House subcommittee on railroads at a time when issues involving Metra and Amtrak will be barreling down the track next year.

His Southwest Side turf has more rail lines than any congressional district in the country, or so he claims. “No one has disputed that,” Lipinski said. “It’s just critically important to this area.” His father and predecessor as congressman, William Lipinski, also served as the senior Democrat on the rail panel.

Read the complete story at Crain’s Chicago Business.

railyard, train yard; trainsWith last week’s 7 feet of snow in upstate New York heralding an early winter, railroads crisscrossing Chicago are rushing to open 24-hour command centers, install heaters to keep switches from freezing, and plotting ways to reroute traffic.

The aim is to avoid the gridlock that started with storms last winter in Chicago, the biggest Midwest city and the epicenter of a rail system where the six largest U.S. and Canadian lines intersect. Even after adding engines, crews and capacity carriers from Warren Buffett’s BNSF Railway Co. to Norfolk Southern Corp. (NSC:US) are still recovering from last winter’s delays as this one roars in.

Read the complete story at Bloomberg Businessweek.

BNSF_Color_Logo

BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) today announced that its planned capital expenditures for 2015 will be $6 billion, which will go toward maintenance and expansion of the railroad in order to meet the expected demand for freight rail service. The 2015 plan marks the third year in a row that BNSF has committed a record amount for capital investments. BNSF also updated its planned capital expenditures for 2014, which now are expected to be $5.5 billion. Since 2000, through the end of 2015, BNSF will have reinvested more than $50 billion into its equipment and its network and infrastructure for maintenance work that helps to maintain train traffic fluidity and capacity expansion projects intended to meet customers’ ever-growing freight shipment demands.

“BNSF’s capital investment program since the beginning of 2013 through the end of 2015 is unprecedented and is clear evidence of our confidence in a growing economy and our intention to meet the demand for service that comes from all our customers,” said Carl Ice, BNSF president and chief executive officer. “We have made great progress in expanding the segments of our railroad that have been most constrained by rapidly increasing demand. Once these new capital programs are completed, we expect to further restore the capacity flexibility we have historically enjoyed to manage the periodic demand surges that come from a dynamic and fast-paced economic environment.”

The largest component of the 2015 capital plan will be for the renewal of assets and maintenance, which is expected to cost $2.9 billion. These projects will go toward replacing and upgrading rails, ties and ballast that are due for updating. Track replacement projects typically make up the largest percentage of BNSF’s annual capital projects and are important for ensuring BNSF can optimize its rail network for ideal speeds for trains that carry a wide range of commodities.

BNSF also plans to spend almost $1.5 billion on expansion projects. Nearly $500 million of that expansion work will occur in the Northern Region, which is where BNSF is experiencing the fastest growth. That region primarily serves agriculture, coal, crude oil and materials related crude oil exploration and production.

BNSF will also increase the size of its locomotive fleet through the addition of new, energy and fuel efficient locomotives. BNSF will acquire 330 new locomotives to add to its fleet of 7,500 and replace others that will soon reach the end of their useful life.

Early next year, BNSF will announce the details for the various line capacity and maintenance projects it plans to make, particularly those along the Northern Region.

providence_biltmoreThe SMART Transportation Division has set the dates and locations of the union’s two 2015 regional meetings.

The western regional meeting will be held June 29 – July 1 at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.

The eastern regional meeting will be held July 13-15 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence. Accommodations at both the Omni and Providence Biltmore are completely sold out, however rooms at other area hotels may still be available.

Both regional meetings will run Monday through Wednesday.

To register for a regional meeting and get additional information, click the appropriate link below:

The Transportation Division’s officers and director of meeting management will continue to finalize details of both meetings in the coming months. Check www.utu.org regularly for meeting updates.

 

ns_LogoAn acceleration of resource additions, coupled with the annual volume decline after Thanksgiving, should provide incremental improvements in train performance and terminal fluidity heading into next year, Norfolk Southern Corp. officials said in a service update posted on the Class I’s website on Monday.

“As severe winter weather will have an adverse impact to operations, we expect a return to historical train performance and velocity toward the end of the second quarter of 2015,” they said. “We remain committed to an improved operating environment ahead.”

Read the complete story at Progressive Railroading.

Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road won approval from a committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board of Directors on Monday, Nov. 17, 2014 to award contracts totaling $34.6 million for the purchase of inward- and outward-facing cameras in the cabs of their rail fleets.

A total of 2,064 rail cars and locomotives will be outfitted under the base, 36-month contract, which the full MTA Board will consider for approval on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Read the complete story at Railway Age.