+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Rail-Related News for Saturday September 14, 2013 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tiny Kittens Survive Five-Day Freight Train Journey CHICAGO (CBS) — Two one-month-old kittens are lucky to still have their nine lives after surviving a five-day rail journey from Chicago to Canada. The little creatures were discovered by a railroad worker in Edmonton, who heard their meows from inside a box. Nobody knows how the kittens got onto the train. Maybe the kittens hopped a train in the City of the Big Shoulders hoping their destination would yield a better life for them. Maybe these kittens just love to travel, unable to settle in one place for too long. A spokeswoman for the Edmonton Humane Society, where the kittens are now staying, said they are lucky to be alive. The freight train left Chicago late last week. The kittens were tired, hungry and dirty, but are said to be in relatively good shape. The four-legged stowaways now have appropriate names: “Chicago Joe” and “Boxcar Willemina.” In about a month, the kitties will be eligible for adoption ---------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AAR Reports Increased Weekly Rail Traffic WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 12, 2013 – The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported increased weekly rail traffic for the week ending September 7, 2013 with total U.S. weekly carloads of 278,594 carloads, up 2.2 percent compared with the same week last year. Intermodal volume for the week totaled 228,899 units, up 6.7 percent compared with the same week last year. Total U.S. rail traffic for the week – which included the Labor Day holiday – was 507,493 combined carloads and intermodal units, up 4.2 percent compared with the same week last year. Seven of the 10 carload commodity groups posted increases compared with the same week in 2012, led by motor vehicles and parts with 14,951 carloads, up 21.9 percent. Commodities showing a decrease compared with the same week last year included farm and food products, excluding grain, with 14,710 carloads, down 8.6 percent. For the first 36 weeks of 2013, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 10,059,348 carloads, down 1.0 percent from the same point last year, and 8,749,141 intermodal units, up 3.6 percent from last year. Total U.S. traffic for the first 36 weeks of 2013 was 18,808,489 carloads and intermodal units, up 1.1 percent from last year. Canadian railroads reported 77,513 carloads for the week, up 1.6 percent compared with the same week last year, and 52,837 intermodal units, up 6.5 percent compared with 2012. For the first 36 weeks of 2013, Canadian railroads reported cumulative volume of 2,798,725 carloads, up 1.3 percent from the same point last year, and 1,913,002 intermodal units, up 4.1 percent from last year. Mexican railroads reported 14,567 carloads for the week, up 2.8 percent compared with the same week last year, and 9,196 intermodal units, down 12.6 percent. Cumulative volume on Mexican railroads for the first 36 weeks of 2013 is 554,000 carloads, up 8.3 percent from the same point last year, and 356,346 intermodal units, up 1.4 percent from last year. Combined North American rail volume for the 36 weeks of 2013 on 13 reporting U.S., Canadian and Mexican railroads totaled 13,412,073 carloads, down 0.2 percent compared with the same point last year, and 11,018,489 trailers and containers, up 3.7 percent compared with last year. ---------------------------------------------------- Stretch of MMA tracks deemed unsafe by Transport Canada MONTREAL — Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway’s tracks were found to be in such bad condition during recent inspections that Transport Canada has effectively ordered the railway to stop using a 20-kilometre section of its network. On July 6, a runaway 72-car MMA train carrying crude oil crashed into Lac-Mégantic, killing 47 people and destroying much of the town’s downtown area. In the wake of that disaster, questions were raised about the condition of MMA tracks. Transport Canada conducted inspections of MMA’s network over six days in late July and early August. The department posted a summary of the findings on its website on Thursday. Inspectors found: Rail ties in several locations were “marginal or substandard.” Several locations were a “safety concern or in non-compliance.” Rail conditions in several locations were of concern because of non-compliant joints and defective conditions. Several railway crossings were in “poor condition. Safety concerns included the conditions of surfaces, signage and the sight lines, mostly due to excessive vegetation.” The worst defects were found on MMA’s 20-kilometre Stanbridge subdivision, linking Farnham and Stanbridge. There, inspectors found “deficient track geometry conditions in combination with defective tie conditions allowing excessive track movement under load,” as well as “clusters of defective ties within proximity of a propane storage facility.” In addition, “vegetation in the ballast section (interfered) with the inspectors’ ability to adequately perform track inspection,” the report says. As a result, Transport Canada issued an order “restricting movements on the Stanbridge subdivision until the track has been assessed by a professional engineer and the conditions under which a safe movement may occur have been provided.” The department added: “Essentially no traffic shall move on this section of track until such an assessment has been completed and the results submitted to Transport Canada.” The poor condition of five other subdivisions led the department to send MMA “letters of concern” ordering the railway to explain how it plans to resolve the problems. MMA filed for bankruptcy protection in the wake of the Lac-Mégantic derailment but continues to operate. It’s unclear what impact Transport Canada’s order to not use the Stanbridge subdivision will have on MMA’s operations. Company officials could not be reached for comment. On Wednesday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada revealed that the crude oil in the runaway train that derailed in Lac-Mégantic was improperly identified as less hazardous and flammable than it actually was. The MMA train that derailed was unmanned when it crashed into Lac-Mégantic but had been operated by a one-person crew. Last month, the Federal Railroad Administration, the U.S. railway regulator, chastised MMA for continuing to use one-person crews in the U.S. after the disaster.
Posted on: Sun, 15 Sep 2013 09:12:47 +0000
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