News and Opinion

Vossloh acquires permanent-way segment of Saargummi Deutschland GmbH






Vossloh
AG is acquiring the permanent-way segment of Saargummi Deutschland GmbH and
thus buttressing its Fastening Systems business unit. Located in Wadern-Büschfeld
in Germany’s Saarland, the segment is a leading supplier of highly elastic
intermediate layers and pads for rail fastening systems. The addition will mean
an extension to the Vossloh business unit’s vertical production processes plus
the acquisition of highly specific expertise in the processing of synthetic and
natural rubbers. Following the takeover by Vossloh the permanent-way segment of
Saargummi Deutschland GmbH will continue to operate at the Wadern-Büschfeld
location.


BART plans largest track outage in more than a decade






A major construction
project using $13 million in federal stimulus funds will allow BART to offer
Pittsburg/Bay Point line customers more empty seats and better on-time service.
However, to provide these amenities, BART will have to temporarily shut down
the trackway between Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill stations twice.

 

Work on Las Vegas high-speed to begin this year






Environmental approvals for
the proposed $4-billion DesertXpress high-speed rail project between Las Vegas
and Southern California are taking longer than expected, but executives with
the project said March 25 they expect construction to begin this year, the Las
Vegas Sun reports.

Crescent Corridor would move traffic, economy






(This column by Bob Riley, Haley Barbour, Ed Rendell, Phil
Bredesen and Bob McDonnell was published March 26, 2010, by The Washington
Post. Bob Riley, a Republican, is governor of Alabama. Haley Barbour, a
Republican, is governor of Mississippi. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, is governor of
Pennsylvania. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, is governor of Tennessee. Bob
McDonnell, a Republican, is governor of Virginia.) At the White House jobs summit in December, President Obama
told dozens of corporate leaders that he is looking for "every
demonstrably good idea" to put Americans back to work.

Final environmental report to electrify Caltrain receives clearance






The plan to electrify
Caltrain will achieve a major milestone pending certification of the Final
Environmental Impact Report and Project Adoption on April 1 by the Board of
Directors. Approval by the board completes the environmental process for the
Caltrain Electrification Program, a major element of the plans to modernize the
Peninsula rail system, and positions the railroad to seek federal and state
funding.

Amtrak awards contract to upgrade Seattle maintenance facility






Amtrak
is awarding a $37-million contract to PCL Construction Services, Inc., of
Bellevue, Wash., for Phase I and Phase II of a major upgrade of its Seattle
King Street Coach Yard Maintenance Facility. The facility supports Amtrak operations
and maintenance agreements in the Pacific Northwest, including for the Empire Builder,
Coast Starlight, Amtrak Cascades, and Sounder commuter trains.  

MTU Onsite Energy Standby Power System helps Northstar






Passengers riding
Minnesota’s new Northstar Commuter Rail depend on well-maintained trains for a
fast, safe and reliable commute along the 40-mile run between downtown Minneapolis
and the northwest suburbs. The MTU Onsite Energy standby power system serves
the line’s only maintenance facility, where trains are serviced, repaired and
even washed.

Colton Crossing agreement rejected






Unless agreement can be
reached in two weeks, $131 million meant to separate railroad tracks in Colton
will go to other Southern California projects, and leave the region’s two
freight railroads without a project they say is critical to moving goods out of
the region, The Press-Enterprise reports.

Second train just a whistle away






Lemont, Ill., officials
would like to see more commuter train service for residents this year, and
believe it is a real possibility, according to the Lemont Reporter. But a
number of things must happen first before the hope comes to fruition, including
increased signalization and additional bi-passes along the railroad line to
improve safety and ease freight congestion. There also is the construction of a
train station in Romeoville and the approval from the railway that owns the
tracks.

Alaska Railroad appoints CFO O’Leary acting CEO






The Alaska Railroad
Corporation Board of Directors has appointed ARRC Chief Finance Officer Bill O’Leary
to serve as acting Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Railroad, effective
April 1, 2010. The decision came after the Board met March 25 to discuss the
way forward in terms of railroad leadership after current President and CEO Pat
Gamble asked for some transition time to prepare for his new job as University
of Alaska system president, effective June 1, 2010.

Chicago Metra Mobile Website unveiled






Metra, the commuter rail
service operator in northeastern Illinois, has unveiled a mobile website that
is streamlined to be compatible with iPhones, Blackberries and any other
portable web-enabled devices. The mobile site offers the most popular features
of our regular site in a format that is easy to view on a portable device.
Anyone using such a device to go to Metra’s website at www.metrarail.com will
automatically be routed to the alternative mobile site, although they will have
the option of going to the regular site if they so choose.

MAX service interruption on Steel Bridge March 28






All MAX light rail service
across the Steel Bridge in Portland, Ore., will be interrupted Sunday night,
March 28, for crews to install a new switch on the overhead power system. Work
will begin at 7 p.m. until end of service. Service is expected to resume on
Monday morning.


DC Metro schedules work March 26-28






Track maintenance on the
Red Line and an emergency drill at the Rosslyn Metrorail station on the Blue
and Orange Line March 26-28 will cause inbound and outbound trains to take
turns sharing one track. Customers should add 30 minutes to their trips.

ICC issues five-year rail crossing safety improvement plan






The Illinois Commerce
Commission approved the FY 2011-2015 Crossing Safety Improvement Program 5-Year
Plan this month. The 5-Year Plan includes nearly $200 million in assistance
from the Grade Crossing Protection Fund for safety improvements at more than 2,200
highway-rail crossings of roads and streets across the state in the next five
years.

CSX highlights achievements in 2009 annual report






CSX Corporation said that
proxy materials for its 2010 Annual Shareholders Meeting are now available to
shareholders via the Internet under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s
Notice and Access rules. These materials, including the company’s proxy
statement and 2009 annual report, can be accessed on its website at
http://investors.csx.com.

UP chugs along with track improvements in Arizona






As it waits for the economy
to improve, Union Pacific’s construction plans are heading in two directions,
The Arizona Republic reports. Although it has postponed plans to finish
doubling its tracks in Arizona, the company has begun a $42-million upgrade to
its existing rails.

Warren Buffett sees strong rail system as key to U.S. growth






In
Matt Rose’s 10 years at the helm of BNSF, he’d heard plenty of investors talk about quarterly performance. A few
would even talk about the railroad’s annual performance, Dan Reed writes in USA
TODAY. Then on Feb. 12, he answered a call from Warren Buffett, the legendary investor who looks for long-term return
and whose Berkshire Hathaway holding company had just closed on its $26-billion
purchase of the 77 percent of BNSF shares it didn’t already own.