Indiana town possible rail yard site

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: A proposed rail yard near North Baltimore is not getting a warm reception from some residents there. But community leaders in an Indiana town seem to feel differently about such a project.

 

By JOY BROWN

 

STAFF WRITER

 

In northwest Indiana, just west of South Bend, and an hour and a half's drive east of Chicago, lies Union Mills, a town with a population of nearly 2,000, and a place where CSX Railroad may also be considering (along with North Baltimore) construction of an intermodal rail yard.

 

Established in 1849, the unincorporated Union Mills boasts a post office, volunteer fire department, American Legion post, grain elevator, and a handful of restaurants and other businesses. Its population numbers about 1,300 less than North Baltimore's, and its children attend a K-12 consolidated school in the country.

 

Read more at:

http://www.thecourier.com/Templates/News/CurrentNews.asp#story3

Here is a raw letter to the editor from Gilbert Carmichael, Federal Railroad Administration administrator during the first Bush presidency, and Chairman of the Amtrak Reform Council. It is being sent to newspapers across the U.S. for publication...

 

_____________________________

 

November 13, 2006

 

Dear Editor,

 

I wanted to take the opportunity to respond to Senator Trent Lott's

column published on October 9, Lanes, Trains, Planes and Ports. His

legislation supporting the 25% tax credit for the rail industry to

upgrade the national rail system is right on the money. The nation's

railroad right-of-ways have a huge untapped capacity because back in the

70's and 80's the railroads downsized and single tracked their main

lines. They didn't have the foresight then to see the intermodal

container business coming or $60 a barrel oil coming. They also didn't

realize the truck lines would become one of their biggest customers for

hauling trailers and containers long distances.

 

Senate Bill 3742, the Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity and Expansion

Act, will stimulate the rapid reconstruction of the double and triple

tracking across this country. This could very easily solve a lot of the

congestion the highways have now. The key to all of this is the fact the

railroad train can move a ton of freight nine times further on a gallon

of fuel than a truck can. The higher fuel efficiency alone makes rail

look to be a more cost effective shipping method doesn't it?

 

Sincerely,

 

Gil Carmichael

Senior Chairman

Intermodal Transportation Institute

Worth visiting the source web page to see the interesting pictures, including the one of the billboard....

__________________

 

 

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

from the December 21, 2006 edition

Railroad boom hits environmental, 'not in my backyard' snags

 

As US railroads try to meet demand and reduce reliance on trucks, landowners and environmentalists worry about pollution.

 

By Ron Scherer | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

 

PICACHO, ARIZ. – From his ostrich ranch, Rooster Cogburn looks out over a broad mesa covered with cactuses, pecan groves, and alfalfa. In the distance, the granite summit of Picacho Peak towers over the Sonoran desert.

 

"It's beautiful. It's tranquil. No one lives out there," he says.

 

But, the view could be changing.

 

Read more at: http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1221/p01s02-ussc.html

And freight rail traffic continues tro grow by leaps and bounds while Washington dithers over a national rail infrastructure development & funding policy...

 

U.S. Freight Railroads Complete Another Record-Breaking Year

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

www.aar.org

 

WASHINGTON, January 4, 2007 — U.S. freight railroads completed a record-reaking year by originating 1,267,054 carloads of freight in December 2006 and an additional 889,172 intermodal trailers and containers, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.

 

Full-year 2006 U.S. carloads totaled 17,380,102, up 1.2 percent (213,751 carloads) over 2005. Full-year 2006 U.S. intermodal loadings were 12,282,221 units, up 5.0 percent (588,709 trailers and containers) over 2005's 11,693,512 units, which had been the previous highest annual total ever.

 

Also setting a record in 2006 was total freight volume, which was estimated at 1.74 trillion ton-miles, up 2.5 percent from the previous record which was set in 2005. “U.S. freight railroads, working with their Canadian and Mexican counterparts, handled significantly more traffic in 2006 than ever before. North American freight railroads are the most efficient and cost-effective freight railroads in the world,” noted AAR Vice President Craig F. Rockey. “Because of record high traffic levels, capacity expansion will be a key issue in 2007. Railroads will spend massive amounts of private capital to add capacity where it is needed, and policymakers can support this investment with appropriate legislative incentives and regulatory policies that recognize that railroads are a vital component of our economy.”

 

December 2006 carloads on U.S. railroads were up 2.4 percent (29,608 carloads) over December 2005, while intermodal loadings were up 1.8 percent (15,871 units) for the month. For the fourth quarter of 2006, U.S. rail carloadings were up 0.9 percent (37,768 carloads) to 4,243,899 carloads, while intermodal traffic was up 1.4 percent (42,770 units) to 3,078,746 trailers and containers.

 

Coal paced U.S. rail traffic in 2006. Carloads of coal rose 6.8 percent (35,257 carloads) in December 2006 to 552,568 carloads; rose 5.9 percent (101,153 carloads) in the fourth quarter to 1,822,877 carloads; and rose 4.7 percent (324,476 carloads) to 7,282,608 carloads for 2006 as a whole. In 2006, coal accounted for 42 percent of total non-intermodal U.S. rail carloadings.

 

Carloads of chemicals rose 0.6 percent (619 carloads) in December, rose 0.8 percent (3,018 carloads) in the fourth quarter, and fell 1.1 percent (16,566 carloads) for the full year. In 2006, total chemical carloads of 1,519,261 accounted for 9 percent of total non-intermodal U.S. rail carloadings, second only to coal.

 

Grain saw carloads rise 10.5 percent (8,689 carloads) in December, 6.5 percent (18,265 carloads) in the fourth quarter, and 4.3 percent (48,537 carloads) for all of 2006. Total grain carloads of 1,178,547 in 2006 were the third highest of any commodity category, behind coal and chemicals and just ahead of crushed stone, sand, and gravel (1,175,955 carloads).

 

All told, of the 19 major commodity categories tracked by the AAR, eight saw U.S. carload gains in December, eight saw gains in the fourth quarter, and nine saw gains over 2005 for the full year.

 

“The difficulties in the housing and automotive sectors led to reduced rail carloadings in several categories, especially in the second half of the year,” Rockey said. Carloads of lumber and wood products were down 9.1 percent (28,188 carloads) in 2006, while carloads of motor vehicles and equipment were down 6.0 percent (69,815 carloads).

 

Canadian rail carload traffic, which includes the U.S. operations of Canadian railroads, was down 4.2 percent (11,807 carloads) in December 2006 to 268,234 units. For the fourth quarter of 2006, Canadian carloads were also down 4.2 percent (40,875 carloads) to 934,528.

 

For all of 2006, Canadian carload traffic totaled 3,844,456 units, down 1.9 percent (73,473 carloads). In 2006, chemicals, grain, metallic ores, coal, and motor vehicles and equipment were the five highest volume commodities carried in carload service by Canadian railroads.

 

Canadian intermodal traffic rose 4.8 percent (7,598 units) in December to 167,529 units; rose 3.1 percent (17,933 units) in the fourth quarter to 595,083 units; and rose 5.1 percent (114,211 units) for the full year to 2,356,978 trailers and containers.

 

Carloads carried on Kansas City Southern dé Mexico (formerly Transportación Ferroviaria Mexicana - TFM), a major Mexican railroad, were up 4.9 percent (2,089 carloads) in December 2006 to 44,754 carloads, while intermodal units carried of 15,604 were up 15.2 percent (2,053 trailers and containers). For the full year 2006, carloads carried of 592,025 were down 2.5 percent (14,989 carloads), while intermodal traffic rose 0.2 percent (344 units) to 212,420 trailers and containers.

 

For just the week ended December 30, 2006, the AAR reported the following totals for U.S. railroads: 268,354 carloads, down 5.2 percent (14,795 carloads) from the corresponding week in 2005, with loadings down 13.3 percent in the East and up 0.3 percent in the West; intermodal volume of 172,991 trailers and containers, down 3.2 percent (5,643 units); and total volume of an estimated 27.6 billion ton-miles, down 3.8 percent from the equivalent week last year. The last week of the year is always one of the lowest volume weeks of the year for U.S. freight railroads.

 

For Canadian railroads during the week ended December 30, the AAR reported volume of 54,025 carloads, down 7.7 percent (4,517 carloads) from the previous year, and 30,718 trailers and containers, up 2.9 percent (865 units) from the corresponding week in 2005.

 

Combined cumulative rail volume for 2006 on 15 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 21,224,558 carloads, up 0.7 percent (140,278 carloads) from 2005, and 14,639,199 trailers and containers, up 5.0 percent (702,920 units) from 2005.

 

All AAR press releases are available via the Internet at www.aar.org.

http://www.aar.org/Index.asp?NCID=3915

Though a Virginia story, this proposed legislation could directly affect the Heartland Corridor project between Ohio and the Port of Norfolk, Virginia.

 

Bill could be tool to reject rail yard

The proposal calls for local governmental approval of projects that get state rail money.

By Michael Sluss

  (804) 697-1585

 

JAMESTOWN -- Local governments would gain the ability to reject state-funded rail projects, such as Norfolk Southern's proposed intermodal facility, under legislation filed by a Montgomery County lawmaker.

 

Read more at:

 

http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/wb/xp-99607

Nice pix C-Dawg!  Really tells a story....but we still have the opportunity to change the ending.

 

Here's the link to C-Dawg's post and my comments.

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=11810.new#new

The thing is, if we end up just halfway between the most optimistic and most pessimistic ends of peak oil scenario spectrum, we're REALLy going to need a lot of those abandoned rail facilities back (along with waterports, too).  How dumb we were to let so much of it go.  Sure, we would have lost some with the advent of highway and air transport, but we simply let far too much of it go.  Our lack of foresight with our transportation system is perhaps the biggest mistake America has made in the last 100 years.

That's good news to hear! Too bad the DT&I was long abandoned and is pretty overgrown in southern Ohio :( It would make a nice rail trail, if they can clean up the ROW and surrounding areas in Lawrence County.

 

IMO, intermodal freight seems to be the way to go. They are building an intermodal center to load freight from barges to rail or truck and vice versa in Coal Grove, OH.

 

Here is more uplifting news --

Union Pacific's Net Climbs 64%

Norfolk Southern's Profit Rises 6% (Weaker than analysts' expectations though.)

Burlington Northern Is Steaming Ahead (Net profit up 21% in 4Q.)

Burlington Northern Lifts Railroads

Railroad Operator CSX Profit Rises 46%

An intermodal freight yard was also opened last June at Marion, Ohio.  There are also intermodal yards under construction at Rickenbacker Air Base (south of Columbus) as well as one being planned by the CSX at their Parsons Avenue Yard near Columbus, as well as proposed yards at Toledo and near North Baltimore.

 

Intermodal container freight is the fastest growing segment of the freight industry and is the very thing that is fueling the overall growth in freight railroad traffic.  But there is not enough capacity on most freight rail corridors, hence the interest in creating more capacity by adding new rail or re-establishing rail on corridors where rail lines had been ripped up over the years.

 

 

It's also convenient to take standardized containers used on river/overseas freight that can be slapped on smaller trucks (for localized transport - which I have seen a lot of lately) or on certain types of rail cars (which I am seeing much more of). Cheaper too.

NS's profit increase may not be as high as the other railroads, but it is one of the few railroads in the U.S. to be earning a fair return (10 percent or better) on capital invested in its right of way, facilities and rolling stock.

^I actually own some NS stock.  I bought it about 15 months ago.  I wish I would have bought it 8 years ago when it was $12/share...

Neighbors divided over proposed CSX rail yard

 

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story, and another story that will be printed Tuesday, are part of the Courier's ongoing coverage of the proposed CSX rail yard near North Baltimore.

By JOY BROWN

STAFF WRITER

 

NORTH BALTIMORE -- Calvin Coolidge was president when Zel Uhlenhake's grandparents began living on Rangeline Road in 1927, and the Wood County farm has remained in the family since then. That's why Zel and her husband, Ken, are concerned about CSX's idea to build a rail yard near there.

 

The Uhlenhake property at 2264 Rangeline Road sits on the western edge of a wedge of land along Ohio 18 between North Baltimore and Hoytville, measuring around 500 acres, that the railroad is looking to buy in order to build an intermodal block swap yard.

 

Read more at:

http://www.thecourier.com/Templates/News/CurrentNews.asp#story2

http://en.ce.cn/National/Local/200702/06/t20070206_10332506.shtml

 

Shanghai leads the way in shipping-railway transport

Last Updated(Beijing Time):2007-02-06 10:34

Shanghai Port has taken its first step toward penetrating deeper inland through an integrated marine-railway transport.

 

A train with 56 container carriages left the city's Luchaogang station for Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui Province, on Friday, kicking off direct rail container service the two places. Luchaogang is close to the Shanghai's Yangshan deepwater port...

 

 

Railroads get final OK to tap federal money

 

$100 million authorized for untanging train traffic in Chicago area

(Crain’s) — The U.S. Department of Transportation has given final approval for the nation’s freight railroads to draw on the $100 million in federal money authorized for untangling rail traffic in the Chicago area.

 

The money will pay for a several small track and signal improvements outlined in the Chicago Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (Create) program, a $1.5-billion strategy for eliminating railroad and street crossing bottlenecks in the region.

 

Five freight railroads are matching the federal money with $100 million of their money. Work on specific projects is expected to begin later this year.

 

Read more at:

 

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?post_date=2007-02-02&id=23733

Maple Hts. fights railroad expansion

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Thomas Ott

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Maple Heights - This is fast becoming a railroad town, and not by choice.

 

Neighbors are already fed up with lights and clatter at a Norfolk Southern cargo-transfer station that opened more than five years ago along tracks south of Broadway. The station bustles daily as dozens of trucks come and go with trailers that can travel by road or rail.

 

Now the railroad plans to expand the station - known as the Cleveland Intermodal Terminal - in two directions. The additions - one covering 10 acres, the other 15 - will swell the rail corridor to 139 acres. And federal and state laws give the railroad the upper hand, empowering it to seize land and ignore objections from community leaders and residents.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1171359912256130.xml&coll=2

 

© 2007 The Plain Dealer

 

I grew up next to those railroad tracks.  I can remember the television going into complete static every time a train rumbled by and shook the house.  This doesn't sound like anything new.

 

The site in question is in a large open cut, already effectively dividing Maple Heights in half.  The intermodal terminal doesn't change that, as the article (and the Mayor) would have you believe.  And property values were already low in Maple Heights, since a lot of the people there don't believe in education or jobs.

 

Honestly, I think by forcing all the trucks out at one point, you would create worse traffic problems.  What if a particular truck isn't using I-480? 

 

Maple Heights has bigger fish to fry than this.  By choosing the wrong battles, they're not doing themselves any favors.

2/20/2007    Ecology

Progressive Railroading

Canadian government’s ecoFreight program to promote environmentally friendly freight transportation

 

Last week, Canadian Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities Lawrence Cannon announced the federal government will launch ecoFreight, a $61 million program that aims to reduce freight transportation’s environmental effects.

 

 

http://www.progressiverailroading.com/prdailynews/news.asp?id=10249

This article does as great job as I've seen of explaining the benefits of expanding our rail system as well as the challenges we will face in doing so.  But do so we must.  It is as essential of an investment in our infrastructure as highway, water and sewers. 

 

Thanks for posting this KJP.  I've already copied it and begun sending it around to my network.

This article does as great job as I've seen of explaining the benefits of expanding our rail system as well as the challenges we will face in doing so.  But do so we must.  It is as essential of an investment in our infrastructure as highway, water and sewers. 

 

Thanks for posting this KJP.  I've already copied it and begun sending it around to my network.

 

It would be nice if our legislators understood this already, but most don't seem to get it.  We need more rail capacity yesterday.

Perhaps a copy of KJP's article should be sent to the General Assembly. Hey it's all about jobs and economic development and that's been pretty much the mantra of the GOP-controlled legislature for lo these many years.  This ought to send them the message that it's time to put up or shut up, as each moment more of delay makes Ohio less mobile, more congested and less able to compete in the global economy. 

 

Every 100 car, double-stack freight train takes 200 long-distance trucks off the highway.  Ohio could learn a lot from California's Alameda Corridor.

People should stop complaining about train noise! They bought the house next to the tracks. It’s not like they moved in and then tracks got laid in the back yards!  The tracks were there long before their houses were! Get over it or move. Make sure next time you buy a house away from the tracks! More freight train traffic the better. Trains are the best way to transport things!

N. Ky.: We need freight hub

BY LUCY MAY | [email protected]

April 6, 2007

 

Northern Kentucky business interests are pushing for the construction of an intermodal freight hub within the Interstate 275 loop to speed the time it takes to ship goods to and from the region.

 

Full story at:

 

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/04/09/story2.html

Apparently, Warren Buffet thinks railroads are a growth industry.

 

Buffett climbs aboard railroads

By Matt Krantz, USA TODAY

 

Warren Buffett is coupling his Berkshire Hathaway to another industry, and this time it's the railroads.

Railroad stocks rallied Monday on news that Buffett, through his company Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA)(BRKB), has bought 10.9% of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI), according to regulatory filings made Friday. Berkshire also confirmed a CNBC report that it invested undisclosed sums in two other unnamed U.S. railroads.

 

Find this article at:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/2007-04-09-berkshire-burlington-northern_N.htm?imw=Y 

 

I wish I had enough money to buy 39 million shares in an almost lump buy-in.

 

I was going to post this after seeing it in the WSJ, you beat me to it :)

How can railroads solve capacity constraints? Experts offered answers at STB hearing

railwayage.com

 

Too much freight crowded on too little rail infrastructure. Such is the challenge facing railroads, shippers, and policy makers, who exchanged possible solutions April 11 at a Surface Transportation Board hearing.

 

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) previously warned that railroads are operating at capacity and not investing at the rate that rail freight-traffic demand is growing. The annual rail infrastructure investment shortfall, AASHTO says, may be $4 billion.

 

More at:

 

http://www.railwayage.com/breaking_news.shtml

Bipartisan Senate bill tackles nation’s transportation needs

 

Tax incentive to expand rail infrastructure will help ease highway congestion

aar.org

 

Washington, DC, April 17, 2007 — Bipartisan legislation harnessing the private sector to combat congestion across the nation's increasingly clogged transportation network was introduced today in the United States Senate by Senators Trent Lott (R-MS) and Kent Conrad (D-ND).The Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act (S.1125), will help expand the freight rail infrastructure to meet the 67 percent spike in freight traffic predicted by the Department of Transportation by the year 2020.

 

The proposal would provide a 25 percent tax incentive for capital expenditures by any business investing in new track, intermodal facilities, rail yards, locomotives or other rail infrastructure expansion projects. Railroads, ports, shippers, trucking companies and other transportation businesses would be eligible to receive the tax credit.

 

“We thank Senators Lott and Conrad for their foresight and leadership. This legislation is good news for the nation's economy and for the future of transportation” said Edward R. Hamberger, president and CEO of the Association of American Railroads (AAR). “It offers a proactive approach to dealing with the central challenge of how to move more freight without causing more gridlock on our highways.

 

“Railroads are an integral part of the solution to congestion, offering a better alternative to highway transportation. Freight railroads not only reduce highway congestion and pollution, they help America conserve energy.”

 

Hamberger noted that a freight train can move one ton of freight 414 miles - all the way from Baltimore to Boston - on a single gallon of fuel.

 

The legislation has the backing of key businesses, business organizations, trade associations and ports that depend of an efficient, seamless freight rail network, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the American Association of Port Authorities, the National Mining Association, Arch Coal, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, Evergreen America and the Waterfront Coalition.

 

Janet Kavinoky, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said, “Investment in the nation's freight rail infrastructure is critical to meet growing transportation demands. This legislation will significantly help provide new capacity for America's businesses to move their products to marketplace.”

 

“The U.S. retail industry is a major user of intermodal rail,” noted National Retail Federation Vice President Erick Autor. “As commerce continues to expand, retailers support this and other efforts to ensure the nation's rail system can make necessary investments to meet growing demand from all rail customers well into the future.”

 

National Mining Association President and CEO Kraig Naasz said his organization also supports the legislation.

 

“America's railroads are vital for transporting coal and minerals to U.S. power plants and factories,” he said. “Record-breaking demand for coal is a major reason why freight rail shipments are expected to triple over the next decade.”

 

AAR's Hamberger noted that the rail industry already invests billions every year into maintaining and expanding its infrastructure.

 

“In 2007 alone, that figure is projected to be a record $9.4 billion,” he said. “This measure will ensure that railroad capacity expands to help meet the public policy goals of reduced pollution and highway congestion.”

 

In its Freight Rail Bottom Line Report, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) called for public investment in rail transportation to encourage more freight to move by rail.

 

“The highway system is increasingly congested and the societal, economic environmental costs of adding new highway capacity are prohibitively high in many areas,” said AASHTO, which is made up of all 50 state Department of Transportation leaders from around the nation.

 

Further, in a recent statement before the Surface Transportation Board, the group noted that, “Public participation in rail investment would produce an industry that provides the cost-effective transport needed to serve national and global markets, relieve pressure on overburdened highways, and support local social, economic and environmental goals.”

 

Attached is a link of current supporters of the legislation.

http://www.aar.org/pubcommon/documents/ITC_Supporters_042007.pdf

That's great news!

Railroad sees central Ohio as a key hub of activity

Friday,  April 20, 2007 10:52 AM

By Mike Pramik

 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Each morning, dozens of steel truck trailers filled with goods arrive on flatbed rail cars at the CSX intermodal terminal on the West Side.

 

One by one, the trailers are hoisted off the track and onto truck chassis by a side loader. Semi tractors then hitch up to the trailers and carry the goods to their final destinations.

 

Full story at:

 

http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/04/20/csx2.html

^The CSX project sounds like an awesome project for freight traffic directly, but I'd be curious to see what impact it could have on passenger operations.  I assume the West Side yard mentioned is the Buckeye Yard and the South Side Yard is the Parsons Yard. Would this clear up any rail traffic/demand on the west side of town and in the downtown Columbus area for passenger (intercity and/or intracity) rail operations?

Columbus businesses and the Ohio Rail Development Commission are backing the idea, helping the railroad tap federal and state dollars to make it happen. CSX spokesman Dan Murphy said the cost is unknown, although the company last year asked ODOT for $43 million.

 

That request of ODOT’s Transportation Review Advisory Council was denied.

 

Way to go, ODOT/TRAC. Just keep spending millions on sound walls, not to mention on wider highways that ODOT has to maintain ad infinitum. Meanwhile, gas tax revenues remain flat. Investing in railroad projects requires no ongoing maintenance costs for ODOT. Brilliant!!

What's generally not known about the CSX Parsons Avenue Yard project is that it also includes possibly resolving several major rail "bottlenecks" in downtown Columbus and to the Northwest through Marysville and Kenton.  That would go a long way (tt342998) toward enabling future passenger rail service. 

 

KJP.... I'm with ya on the TRAC decision, but keep in mind that was under the former ODOT administration.  I sense you will see a very different attitude under the new administration, as they are not happy with the mess left to them by Gordon Proctor and his crew.  When things get sorted out, I think you will see a much more intermodally-inclined ODOT.

KJP.... I'm with ya on the TRAC decision, but keep in mind that was under the former ODOT administration.  I sense you will see a very different attitude under the new administration, as they are not happy with the mess left to them by Gordon Proctor and his crew.  When things get sorted out, I think you will see a much more intermodally-inclined ODOT.

 

Can't happen soon enough to suit me! :x

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070529/NEWS11/705290328/-1/NEWS

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article published May 29, 2007

 

North Baltimore nears crossroads with prosperity

Railyard plan stirs hopes, fears

 

By DAVID PATCH

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

 

NORTH BALTIMORE, Ohio - For years, signs along I-75 have promoted this southern Wood County village as the "Crossroads of Northwest Ohio," with a map illustration of the freeway and intersecting State Rt. 18.

 

Not shown on those signs is the railroad line that roughly parallels Route 18 across Wood County. But it is the railroad, CSX Transportation Corp., that is poised to seize upon the village's roadway connections with plans to build a new intermodal "block-swapping" yard and transfer terminal on 500 acres to the west in Henry Township.

 

Full story at link above:

http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070618/38532_id.html?.v=1

 

Seeking Alpha

The Railroad Industry: Warren Buffett's Latest Big Bet

Monday June 18, 10:00 am ET

 

 

David Wong submits: Warren Buffett is America's most celebrated investor, so it is always a newsworthy event when he takes a new stake in a company. Savvy investors who monitor Berkshire Hathaway's Form 4 insider trading filings discovered that Berkshire had acquired over 10% of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI - News) on April 6th. BNI is now one of the largest holdings in Buffett's portfolio.

 

Full story at the link above:

Maple Heights, Norfolk Southern railroad settle dispute over cargo facility

Friday, July 13, 2007

Leila Atassi

Plain Dealer Reporter

 

Maple Heights- Norfolk Southern Corp. has agreed to disguise an expanded cargo-transfer station south of Broadway Avenue with landscaping to address concerns by the city.

 

As part of a court-mediated settlement, the city agreed in turn not to interfere with the construction or use of the facility as long as the company adheres to its site and landscape plans.

 

Full story at:

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1184317934103740.xml&coll=2

 

Don't know if this is the right place for this, but it came from railpace...

 

NEW BRIGHTON BRIDGE PROJECT COMMENCES TOMORROW: Commencing Sunday, July 15, 2007 through Sunday, August 26, 2007, Norfolk Southern will be replacing the bridge deck over the Beaver River at New Brighton, PA. Traffic that moves via the corridor between Cleveland, OH and Pittsburgh, PA may incur delays of up to 8 hours, as trains are diverted over alternate routes via the Cleveland Line and the Youngstown Line. (NS- - posted 7/14)

 

 

Wow, that's going to really screw up Amtrak's Capitol Limited (Chicago-Washington DC)! For those of you who may be traveling, the Capitol Limited stops in the Ohio cities of Alliance, Cleveland, Elyria, Sandusky and Toledo.

 

Consider taking Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited if you can. If not, be sure to check your train's arrival/departure status no more than 2 hours before your train is due by visiting www.amtrak.com. Better to wait at home than on bench in a train station!

I wonder why they can't reroute the train?

They are. They have no choice; the only other option is to annul it at Pittsburgh and at Cleveland and bus between the cities in the middle of the night. Amtrak won't do that.

 

But the reroutes are mostly single-track lines with passing sidings, generally less than 50 mph, and will be jammed with detouring freight trains.

This is encouraging news from one of Ohio's new Members of Congress: nice to see rail get some recognition.  Note his comments re: the wake of the Minneapolis bridge collapse.

 

Space hears about area railroad issues

By LEE MORRISON, T-R Business Editor

 

U.S. Rep. Zack Space, D-Dover, heard first-hand Friday about issues facing area railroads and businesses.

RJ Corman Railroad invited Space to meet with company officials and go for a ride on the short line from Strasburg to Dover.

 

Fullstory at:

 

http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=71560&r=0&Category=3

July 15, 2007 through Sunday, August 26, 2007

 

A bit late for the news?

North Baltimore rail yard project apparently on track

By JOY BROWN

STAFF WRITER

Findlay Courier

 

NORTH BALTIMORE -- CSX Corp. is moving closer to realizing its goal of building an intermodal rail yard west of North Baltimore.

 

CSX was able to acquire a 65-acre property that it needs for the project, and two country roads that cross the planned rail yard site were recently vacated.

 

Full story at:

 

http://www.thecourier.com/Templates/News/CurrentNews.asp#story5

By any chance, has anyone been keeping note of the Norfolk Southern and CSX commercials and print advertisements? They are sticking it to the trucking industry big time :)

Here'sn an interesting factoid to consider from the Association of American Railroads:

 

A single freight train can move 1-ton of freight 432 miles on 1-gallon of diesel fuel.

 

The average fuel efficiency to move that same ton is around 6 to 8 miles per gallon via truck.

Interesting indeed!

CSX, as many of you are aware, has a significant presence in Ohio.....

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Freight Rail News

 

CSX spells out capital plans

 

In the face of a bleak economic environment in which freight traffic is expected to be flat or down somewhat this year due to softness in some parts of the U.S. economy and an environment in which railroad stock prices have fallen as much as 20%, CSX is pressing ahead with aggressive long-term capital investment plans. The railroad's 2007 capex is projected at $1.7 billion. In 2008 and 2009, capex is projected at $1.6 billion each year. In 2010, capex will return to the $1.7 billion level. "The capital spending process is continuous" and is "strategic and focused," CSX Chief Financial Officer Oscar Munoz said yesterday at the company's annual Investor and Financial Analysts’ Conference in New York City. CSX plans to invest $4.9 billion in the 2008-2010 period—60% on infrastructure, 20% on locomotives and freight cars, and 20% on technology and network and terminal capacity.

 

For more on this story, visit:

Railway Age Breaking News

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=chqclecab.0.y69gfbcab.i6ivn4bab.8403&ts=S0279&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.railwayage.com%2Fbreaking_news.shtml%23Feature1

I wonder if Norfolk Southern officials are pissed that they weren't mentioned. Of course, CSX has its major intermodal railyard for the region in Collinwood. NS's major intermodal yard is in Maple Heights. But NS also has a pretty active rail line through that area and it's not at capacity. It would make a great commuter rail line for getting Cleveland residents out to jobs along the corridor, and Lake County residents to Cleveland's two biggest employment areas -- University Circle and downtown.

Story from Columbus' Business First makes major mention of both the yet-to-be-completed Rickenbacker Intermodal yard and the proposed CSX South Columbus Intermodal Yard.... and also gives an indication of the kind of freight rail traffic that will grow from this.

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/09/17/story6.html 

 

Hyperlogistics Group sees new path for business

Business First of Columbus - September 14, 2007by Adrian BurnsBusiness First

 

Geoff Manack co-founded Hyperlogistics Group Inc. nearly 35 years ago and he is as excited as ever about a prospect for his business - Norfolk Southern Corp.'s intermodal rail yard being built near the Rickenbacker International Airport.

 

Full story at link above:

This story covers more than rail, but it shows that an intermodal approach is necessary if we are to properly deal with the growth in freight traffic overall and moving more of it to rail needs to be a major part of that.

 

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/NEWS11/709190403/-1/NEWS

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Article published September 19, 2007

 

Forum pushes Toledo freight center development

 

By DAVID PATCH

BLADE STAFF WRITER

 

 

Toledo can't become a major freight-container distribution center quickly enough for Janet Imes.

 

Mrs. Imes, project development director for African Flavour Ltd., a start-up company distributing African foodstuffs in the United States, said it bases its operations in Lititz, Pa., and primarily uses expensive air freight to move its goods from overseas.

 

Full story at link above: