News Archive (October 24 through October 30)

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.

Saturday/Sunday, October 29-30

• SEPTA Strikes At Deadline (CBS 3)
  Philadelphia subways, trolleys, and buses shutdown, as negotiators fail to reach a contract negotiation by 12:01am Monday morning.
  For more information: SEPTA Service Interruption Plan
• Indian train crash kills 110 (CNN)
  Flooding in southern India causes bridge collapse, train crash, Saturday morning.
  For more information: India's antiquated railways (BBC)
• Tracks await power; 125 traffic signals operating (Palm Beach Post)
  Miami's Tri-Rail unlikely to resume Monday due to widespread power outage.
• Building subway under Wilshire deemed safe (Los Angeles Times)
  Experts deem LA subway extension safe despite underground gasses.
• Clocker car's time runs out (The Times)
  End of Amtrak's Clocker service spells end to private club car for Princeton passengers.
• Railway’s profits surge (Clovis News Journal)
  BNSF profits surging from high demand brought on by heightened trade and fuel prices.

Friday, October 28

• Area Braces For SEPTA Strike (NBC 10)
  Philadelphia transit strike would shutdown subways, busses, and trolleys on Monday.
  Rail Freight Traffic Sets Two Weekly Records (AAR)
  Intermodal traffic on US railroads topped 250,000 units in week ended October 22.
• Train wreck spills volatile chemical on Perry farm (The Indepedent)
  Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway derailment spills flammable chemical Thursday.
• North commuter trains sought (Daily Herald)
  Commuter rail proposed between Bellingham and Everett, Washington.
• PATH unveils redesigned rail cars (Asbury Park Press)
  Port Authority reveals design for 340 new railcars, to begin service in 2008.

Thursday, October 27

• Union Pacific Reports Increased Third Quarter Earnings (UP)
  Quarterly earnings per share rise 22%, revenues 13%, over last year.
• Portec Rail Products, Inc. Reports Record 2005 Third Quarter Results
  Rail products manufacturer reports 76% increase in earnings this quarter.
• Inquiry into rush-hour derailment (BBC)
  Investigators seek answers in Wednesday's commuter train derailment in Liverpool
• Amtrak Bridge Rocks Astoria For Second Time This Month (Queens Chronicle)
  Workers on Hell Gate Bridge dislodged rocks that fell on street below.
• Commuter rail gains support (Arizona Republic)
  Phoenix will explore commuter rail in addition to light rail currently being built.
• Holiday fare cut approved for commuters (Newsday)
  New York's MTA will lower subway and commuter rail fares later this year.
• Light rail's success defies the doubters (Philadelphia Inquirer)
  NJ Transit Camden-Trenton River Line ridership up 29% over last year.
• Researchers Studying Light Rail Feasibility (HometownChannel.com)
  Study to determine funding requirements for light rail in northwest Arkansas.

Wednesday, October 26

• Norfolk Southern Sets Third Quarter Revenue Records (NS)
  Quarterly earnings per share rise 28%, revenues 16%, over last year.
• CSX Reports 31 Percent Increase in EPS and Increases Dividend (CSX)
  Quarterly earnings per share rise 31%, revenues 9%, over last year.
• Florida East Coast Reports Strong Third Quarter Results (FEC)
  Railway segment's revenue and operating profit increase 29% and 111%, respectively.
• KCS Announces Impacts to Third Quarter Earnings (KCS)
  Third quarter earnings will be impacted by tax settlement and hurricanes.
• Safety advisory issued after CN train derailment (Globe and Mail)
  Transportation Safety Board advisory asks CN to re-evaluate its equipment handling.
• The Investigators: Are SEPTA Trains Secure? (NBC 10)
  Whistleblower shows Philadelphia area train yards are vulnerable to attack.
• SEPTA, union not even close (Philadelphia Daily News)
  Healthcare costs remain key issue, leading to potential strike next Monday.
• Crews fix torn-up railway in a day (Billings Gazette)
  BNSF crew repairs track within 24 hours of a 43-car derailment in Montana.
• Seattle Monorail board OKs new financing plan; will voters? (AP)
  Voters to decide on scaled-back 10-mile monorail plan.
• Light rail is gaining steam (Jersey Journal)
  NJ Transit extends Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Port Imperial this weekend.
• State weighs downtown light-rail routes (Cincinnati Enquirer)
  Ohio Department of Transportation seeks best light rail route for Cincinnati.

Tuesday, October 25

• BNSF Reports Record All-Time Quarterly Revenue and EPS (BNSF)
  Quarterly earnings per share rise 42%, revenues 18%, over last year.
• CPR produces solid earnings results in third-quarter 2005 (CP)
  Quarterly earnings per share rise 29%, revenues 12%, over last year.
• Wabtec Reports Third Quarter EPS of 31 Cents, Up 55 Percent (WAB)
  Strong demand boosts rail equipment manufacturer's revenues 26%.
• Railroad Shares Rise on Earnings Reports (AP)
  Shares of rail operators and equipment makers rise on strong earnings reports.
• Amtrak train delayed by bomb threat (AP)
  Boston to Washington train delayed for two hours due to bomb threat

Monday, October 24

• Keystone State's quantum leap (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
  Pennsylvania's Philadelphia-Harrisburg corridor improvements could serve as a model for other states, including Virginia's Washington-Richmond route.
• Havre crews respond to derailment near Billings (AP)
  BNSF derails 43 freight cars in Montana on Saturday, tracks reopened Sunday.
• Another CN derailment (CBC News)
  Ten Canadian National lumber cars derail north of Squamish, British Columbia.
• Amtrak is derailed by the profit myth (News-Journal)
  Opinion: Bush-appointed Amtrak board has no experience with Amtrak.
• Officials say findings may be months away (Toledo Blade)
  Norfolk Southern and NTSB investigating Friday's head-on collision.
• Amtrak locomotive catches fire in Iowa (AP)
  Second locomotive on California Zephyr catches fire in route to Chicago.
• Rail yard called inefficient (Cincinnati Enquirer)
  Businesses say trucks wait for transfers; Norfolk Southern points to traffic increases.
• Deputies Complain of Health Problems After Derailment (KTAL TV)
  First responders experiencing health problems after derailment and explosion.
• A strike may push SEPTA off course (Philadelphia Inquirer)
  Philadelphia transit agency could lose funding and ridership if union strikes.
• Heartland Flyer ridership jumps 23% (Journal Record)
  Amtrak sees ridership gain on Oklahoma City to Fort Worth route.