This website has been archived from TrainWeb.org/eastpenn to TrainWeb.US/eastpenn.
APRIL 2, 1998 |
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EASTERN RAILROAD NEWS
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CONRAIL'S OCS-401 is well ahead of schedule tonight. The train will be turned at West Falls, PA at 02:15 ET during the night. Train will return to Altoona under darkness for the eastern portion of the trip. Train should arrive Altoona tomorrow morning. As always, Conrail schedules are subject to change! -Kevin Burkholder
BOSTON
LINE UPDATE
Conrail is reportedly
going to begin assigning several C40-8W's in the 6050-6059 series to Selkirk,
NY to be utilized as remote control helpers for trains on the Boston Line.
These 10 units are equipped with Harris
Locotrol II equipment.
The 10 units formerly held down assignments in unit coal and later unit
taconite service. The last assignment was that of taconite service
on the Harrisburg and Pittsburgh Lines. The taconite trains are being
discontinued and the units shifted to Selkirk. -John Krattinger, Kevin
Burkholder
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its findings in the March 25 collision between Conrail intermodal train TV-220 and Norfolk Southern RoadRailer train 255. The Norfolk Southern train was being handled by an engineer-trainee, who failed to get the train stopped at a stop signal protecting the Conrail/NS crossing. The collision killed one of the NS trainmen and critically injured another. Both lines were closed for nearly a day. - Kevin Burkholder
St Lawrence & Atlantic train #147, a southbound intermodal carrying TOFCs, derailed after hitting a washout at Warren Cove, Vt. early this morning. Severe flooding in the area, which is near Island Pond, Vt. and the Quebec border, had undermined the track structure.
Both members of the two-man crew were injured, but not seriously, although there was a report of broken bones. The train appeared to be powered by a single unit, CNR #9483. Fortunately, no chemicals were spilled, but several large rolls of web-press newsprint were scattered about. The locomotive rolled over on its side and was half submerged in mud. -Vince Reh, Grand Isle, Vt.
CSX Transportation vows to bring jobs and tax revenues, and to enhance, rather than harm, neighborhoods in Cleveland and East Cleveland if federal officials approve a proposed railroad merger.
In plans unveiled yesterday, CSX said no taxpayer funds would be used for any improvements planned by the railroad, including the rebuilding of the current Conrail terminal in Collinwood.
"This is a 100 percent private, corporate investment," said CSX spokesman Robert L. Gould.
CSX officials met privately yesterday with about 20 officials, including representatives of Cleveland, East Cleveland and Rep. Louis Stokes to explain why their acquisition of about half of Conrail, including the Collinwood terminal, would benefit the railroad and Greater Cleveland.
CSX and Norfolk Southern have proposed buying and dividing what is now Conrail. The federal Surface Transportation Board is scheduled to act on the merger in July.
The merger met with strong, organized opposition following Norfolk Southern's announcement last August that it would increase freight train traffic through densely populated Cleveland and West Shore communities.
CSX officials, however, said if the merger is approved, they would reroute many trains, but there would be no overall increase on the tracks they control.
After a public hearing and an outpouring of safety concerns from civic, school, church and elected officials, the transportation board told CSX and Norfolk Southern officials to resolve differences or be ready to accept whatever conditions the agency imposes for the merger.
Gould said CSX was working to resolve the concerns. "From our perspective it's much better to work in good faith with the affected communities and find mutually beneficial solutions," Gould said.
According to an economic impact study done for CSX by Dallas-based Insight Research Corp., the 10-year economic impact on Greater Cleveland would be $1.7 billion, including $110 million in city and state tax revenues from new jobs and businesses.
If new, transportation-dependent industrial development follows, the economic impact grows to $2.3 billion, the study found.
But the only new jobs
CSX specifically cited were at the new Collinwood terminal, to be built
for an estimated $10 million. Jobs there would grow to about 110 from about
20. The new terminal would be a hub for trucks and trains hauling goods,
which would spark economic development, CSX said.
"Some of the things they
threw out were very appealing. But we are going to have to crunch those
numbers to see if they are accurate and meaningful," said Cleveland Councilman
Michael D. Polensek.
After many difficult years working with Conrail, Polensek said he was hopeful CSX would make much needed improvements in Collinwood and along the "Short Line," which runs from Collinwood to Berea.
"We have put up with the problems for such a long time. This is our opportunity to make sure what's done is done right," Polensek said.
Polensek also liked the noise- reduction plan outlined by CSX.
Landscaping with earthen
berms, trees and bushes would be used to reduce noise along the following
corridors:
"I will oppose the merger as it stands. My constituents are not willing to accept any increase in train traffic or noise," Coats said.
East Cleveland Mayor Emmanuel Onunwor said he was keeping an open mind.
"I would like to review it and see how it might benefit East Cleveland, which is not clear yet," he said.
Cleveland officials who attended the meeting could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich, who has organized bipartisan opposition to the merger, said he couldn't comment until he had reviewed CSX's proposal. -By KEVIN HARTER, CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER via CRTS E-mail Update
James A. Hagen, interim president of the Association of American Railroads (AAR), told a House subcommittee today that these initiatives "include accelerated replacement of wheels; research into acoustic bearing defect detectors; on-board sensor systems to warn of equipment defects; and electronically-controlled air brakes that could reduce stopping distances."
Also on the list of railroad initiatives, he said, is testing of positive train separation and positive train control systems that might "reduce the possibility of mainline and siding collisions, reduce the possibility of overspeed derailments and protect on-track workers."
Mr. Hagen cautioned, however, that "these systems require rigorous testing and analysis to ensure that they are interoperable among railroads and that they are effective in real-world operations with multiple tracks. A system that is even a few feet off in pinpointing a train location could literally mean the difference between death and life."
"Since 1980," he noted,
"railroads have cut the overall train accident and employee injury rates
by almost 70 percent, according to official Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) statistics." FRA Administrator Jolene
Molitoris recently noted
that the improvements have been continuing, with an 18 percent reduction
in rail-related fatalities, a 46 percent reduction in on-the-job casualties
and an 11 percent drop in the train accident rate over just the past four
years.
"This remarkable improvement
is truly a credit to the dedication and hard work of the men and women
in the rail industry," Mr. Hagen said, adding: "This success stems also
from the $100 billion railroads have spent
to improve and maintain
plant and equipment since 1990. The ability to make infrastructure
improvements is indispensable to improving safety. These infrastructure
improvements owe much to rail deregulation (which) made that investment
possible by improving the industry's financial health."
In light of the industry's strong record of continuing improvements in safety, Mr. Hagen urged Congress to vote to reauthorize the Federal Rail Safety Act (FRSA) "without the imposition of new federal mandates."
Mr. Hagen's testimony was delivered to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Railroad Subcommittee, which is holding hearings on reauthorization of the FRSA. -AAR
Please check this location daily, as new information will be posted, as it becomes available. If you have news to report or information regarding railroads in the Eastern United States, please send e-mail to Kevin Burkholder at KBurkholder@psghs.edu |