Effective March 15, 2012, Norfolk Southern lowered the railroad operating speed limits on certain sections of the Michigan Line between Dearborn and Kalamazoo that handle both Amtrak’s passenger service and Norfolk Southern’s freight service. These lower speed limits, 25-30 mph, have been imposed to reflect the maximum safe operating speeds for the line, given the line’s condition.
Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo visited the Port of Vancouver to review early construction work on a critical rail connection that will link the Port of Vancouver to BNSF Railway’s east-west mainline.
Shortline Railroad, Anacostia Rail Holdings, has appointed Eric Jakubowski chief commercial officer, a newly created position, effective March 19, 2012. He is based in Chicago, where he reports to Peter Gilbertson, Anacostia president and CEO.
In January, Railway Age announced that it had named KCS president and CEO Dave Starling its 2012 Railroader of the Year.
Canadian Pacific Railway entered into a multi-year agreement with Unimin Corporation of New Canaan, Conn., for the movement of frac sand from Unimin’s facility in Wisconsin.
Scott Henderson has accepted the position of general manager for Watco Transportation Services’ Pacific Sun Railroad (PSRR). Henderson most recently served as general manager for the Baton Rouge Southern Railroad (BRS) in Louisiana. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations on the Pacific Sun and will report directly to the director of operations
His duties will be to achieve performance goals with op¬timum safety, economy, efficiency and effectiveness along with overseeing customer relationships in accordance with Watco’s Customer First Foundation Principles.
Henderson began his railroad career as a locomotive engineer in 1996 with Conrail and transferred to Canadian National in 2000 before joining the Watco Team in March of 2009 with the Grand Elk Railroad in Kalamazoo, Mich. He then moved to Kansas to serve as assistant general manager for the South Kansas and Oklahoma Railroad before heading south to Louisiana as the BRS general manager.
From the editors at Railway Age.
The Surface Transportation Board announced that it will hold a public hearing March 22 “to explore the impact of the Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. acquisition of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. on certain costing determinations.”
BNSF Twin Cities Division employees in Northtown, Minn., braved freezing temperatures, wind and snow flurries to participate in the Polar Bear Plunge for the second consecutive year, so far raising more than $27,200 for Special Olympics of Minnesota.
Union Pacific’s board of directors named Eric Butler executive vice president marketing and sales. Butler succeeds Jack Koraleski, who recently was appointed acting president and CEO while Chairman Jim Young is on medical leave.
Canadian National will offer new import/export container train services between the Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., and Calgary (now in operation) and Edmonton, starting in June 2012. According to CN, Alberta is one of the fastest growing industrial and consumer-based economies in North America and has a fast increasing need for efficient supply chains.
BNSF customers reduced carbon dioxide emissions in 2011 shipping freight by rail instead of its products moving entirely over the road. In 2011, customers avoided emitting more than 30 million metric tons of CO2 by using BNSF, which is equivalent to reducing the annual fuel consumption and resultant greenhouse gas emissions of more than six million passenger vehicles.
Duane Stephenson joined Watco Transportation Services in the position of general manager of the Baton Rouge Southern Railroad. Stephenson will be responsible for the day to day operations on the BRS including achieving per¬formance goals with optimum safety, economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
He previously worked for Genesee & Wyoming (G&W), where he held multiple management positions over the past five years. His most recent position was operations manager where he led his region in the lowest human factor incident (HFI) rating per 200,000 man hours and going on five years injury free. Duane began his railroad career with Lodestar Logistics as the Logistics Coordinator in 2004.
Union Pacific is enhancing Arizona’s transportation infrastructure by investing $9.2 million in the rail line that runs between Crag and downtown Phoenix. The project is in progress and is scheduled to be completed by the end of April.
Sustained public education efforts, engineering improvements and law enforcement programs have contributed to a nationwide reduction in vehicle-train collisions and pedestrian-train deaths and injuries in 2011, according to Operation Lifesaver, Inc.
In a letter to shareholders, John Cleghorn, Chairman of the Board of Canadian Pacific outlined the railroad’s Multi-Year Plan and customer relationship success.
From the editors at RailwayAge
Railway Age magazine has named Vermont Railway the 2012 Short Line Railroad of the Year, and the Indiana Rail Road Co. its 2012 Regional Railroad of the Year. The awards will be presented at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s annual meeting in Indianapolis, Ind., Tuesday evening, April 24, 2012.
CSX Corporation was named a finalist in CivilianJobs.com’s 2012 Most Valuable Employer (MVE) for military ranking. CivilianJobs.com is a career resource organization dedicated to connecting American employers with experienced military talent.
The Port of Stockton California in a public/ private partnership with Union Pacific and Metropolitan Stevedore Company completed a project to add 5,828 feet of track to the East Port interchange Tracks. This new track allows a loop upon which inbound and outbound trains can move on without interfering with operations of the port’s east complex class yard. The track will be in service effective March 9, 2012.
Kansas City Southern is partnering with the Poteau, Okla., Police Department to conduct an Operation Lifesaver “Officer on a Train” event on March 7 to promote public safety at railroad grade crossings. The event will start at 4:00 p.m. at the Dewey Street crossing in Poteau.
Union Pacific Railroad will improve the transportation infrastructure in Colorado by investing nearly $1 million in the rail line that runs in the Grand Junction area. Crews will be stabilizing the railroad track banking along the Colorado River. The bank stabilization project will begin March 12 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of May.
