ATN boosts speed on Alabama line

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
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Alabama & Tennessee River Railway, LLC (ATN) announced this week it raised the speed limit along a portion of the line effective immediately.

An affiliate of OmniTRAX, Inc., ATN boosted the required maximum speed between Gadsden and Birmingham, Ala., to enable trains to clear crossings more quickly and allow customers to transport their products faster and more safely, officials say.

Representatives say the shortline’s speed increase has been made possible following improvements implemented during the last year to roughly 90-miles of track, signals, communications systems and crossings to prepare for the railroad’s predicted growth.

“We have a rapidly growing business with metals, cement, agriculture, paper and other commodities on the ATN and want to [assure] our shipping customers that we can efficiently and safely deliver their products to market. This move, combined with additional days of service each month, will help us do just that,” said Peter Touesnard, chief commercial officer of OmniTRAX.

ATN crews operated successful test runs at the faster speed last week, representatives say.

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