News Archive (September 26 through October 2)

This page contains a railroad news archive for a single week. For all recent rail news, please see RailServe.com's RailNews Home Page.

Note: Some stories may no longer be available, or a fee may be required for full access.

Friday, September 30

• Rail Freight Traffic Up from Year Ago (AAR)
  US rail freight volumes continue climb following Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
• Railroad crossing gates should have prevented crash (Norwich Bulletin)
  State-of-the-art gates and sensors should have prevented Amtrak Acela crash.
• Area railroad group pitches theme park (Durango Herald)
  Durango city council favors showcasing historic trains, but questions location.
• U.S. Deploys Subway Dogs, but N.Y. Declines (New York Times)
  NYC declines federal offer of bomb-sniffing dogs for subway security.
• Corridor Could Get Passenger Rail Service (KCRG)
  Whistle Stop meetings to promote light rail service in eastern Iowa.
• Pennsylvania Governor Announces $13 Million for Rail Freight Projects
  12projects will create jobs, stimulate the economy, and reduce traffic congestion.
• Amtrak Train Derails South of Desoto (KSDK)
  No major injuries reported in Texas Eagle crash caused by a rockslide.
• Vintage luxury rail cars to roll into Santa Fe (AP)
  Two dozen luxury rail cars will be on display in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
• Don't waste money to win whistle war (Wisconsin State Journal)
  Opinion: City of Madison, Wisconsin shouldn't pay to create "quiet zones."
• CATS will use honor system on light rail (Charlotte Observer)
  Charlotte light rail will use honor system instead of fare boxes and turnstiles.
• Light-rail service to begin Saturday (Mercury News)
  San Jose's VTA extends light rail service to Campbell.
• BNSF upgrading 700 miles of track (AP)
  Railroad replaces ties, ballast, and rails on 700 miles of track in South Dakota.

Thursday, September 29

• No Problems Found With Signals Before Metra Crash (AP)
  Federal investigation finds signal system worked properly and indicated 10mph crossover.
• Rockland man chases, halts string of runaway rail cars (Bangor Daily News)
  Man hops aboard runaway passenger cars and applies brake.
• CN rail accidents on rise (Globe and Mail)
  Transportation Safety Board says accident rates have been climbing at Canadian railways.
• Norfolk Southern Names Wick Moorman CEO (NS)
  Moorman to succeed David R. Goode as chief executive officer, effective Nov 1.
• Hoboken Terminal fire halts transit (Jersey Journal)
  Roof fire forces evacuation and delays in Hoboken, New Jersey.
• MTA won't ban beverages on subway platforms (Bloomberg)
  NYC's MTA drops rule change that would have tightened restrictions on beverages.

Tuesday, September 27

• Union Pacific Provides Initial Assessment of Hurricane Rita Impact (UP)
  UP restores most service along Gulf Coast, expects minimal earnings impact.
• Amtrak to implement fare increases in stages (AP)
  Revised fare increase plan to take effect October through February 2006.
• Metra suspends engineer in fatal crash (Chicago Sun-Times)
  Commuter rail agency says this is standard procedure if a rule violation is suspected.
• Cities pitch rail hazmat bans (Business Journal of Jacksonville)
  Four major cities have pending legislation to ban hazmat shipments by rail.
• IPod Maps Draw Legal Threats (Wired)
  New York and San Francisco transit agencies stop map downloads for iPod.
• Freight train derails southeast of Edmonton (Canadian Press)
  CN derailment causes fuel spill Tuesday morning, raising 2005 CN derailment total to 70.
• Amtrak Service Bulletin Hurricane Rita (Amtrak)
  All Texas service is now restored, including the Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited.
• New Hope & Ivyland Railroad Celebrates Railfan Weekend
  Photo gallery covers weekend events, including mixed freight steam trains.
• Derailment heaves potash onto banks of Moyie River (Globe and Mail)
  CP Rail, Environment Ministry at odds over how much fertilizer was spilled.
• Latest Amtrak station design a clear winner (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
  Milwaukee proposes new Amtrak station to replace 1965 structure.
• 14% cut in Amtrak funding threatens Flint-Chicago line (Flint Journal)
  $1 million funding cut could reduce service from Port Huron and Grand Rapids to Chicago.
• Metro-North replacing 52,000 defective ties (The Journal News)
  Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road replacing defective concrete ties from 1998.
• Amtrak: Telling it like it is (UTU)
  Florida Congresswoman Corrine Brown defends Amtrak, points to ridership increases.
• Climb Aboard North Carolina’s Amtrak Festival Express (Lincoln Tribune)
  Amtrak's Piedmont and Carolinian trains to make special stops for North Carolina events.
• Tempe aims to derail Union Pacific facility (East Valley Tribune)
  City leaders to stop Union Pacific from building a storage yard in Tempe, Arizona.
• Mystery of Subway Stench Is Solved (New York Sun)
  New York City subway stench is reportedly caused by biodegradable elevator oil.
• Steam Locomotive Stops in Pocatello (KIFI)
  Union Pacific Challenger 3985 on display in Pocatello Idaho on Tuesday.
• Train derails near Ancona (Pontiac Daily Leader)
  BNSF derailment diesel spills fuel near Ancona, Illinois.
• Bombardier Receives Additional Order From NJ Transit (Bombardier)
  Bombardier now has firm orders for 231 bi-level railcars from New Jersey Transit.