www.railroad.net Railroad news. 20th November 2011

New Emergency Response Plans For 5 Rail Stations In Delhi
Posted: 19 Nov 2011 02:00 PM PST

A passenger slipped while boarding a moving train at the Hazrat Nizamuddin terminal in Delhi on November 17.  The injured passenger bled to death since there were no emergency response plans in place at the station.  After this mishap, the five major rail stations in Delhi decided on Thursday to put in emergency response mechanisms to prevent future deaths.  Officials agreed to set up 24-hour ambulance services at four major stations in the area.  The five most important stations—New Delhi, Old Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar Terminal, and Delhi Sarai Rohilla—will set up an Emergency Equipment Room on the premises as well.  Emergency numbers of the surrounding hospitals will be posted on display throughout the rail stations.
In past accidents, the rail stations are quick to blame passengers who dangerously attempt to board moving trains.  While such careless acts are in part the passenger’s fault, railways are still responsible for prepared emergency response.  During the accident on November 17, there was no doctor called in, no ambulance to transport the injured person, and no clean medical supplies in the station.  People have responded to this incident with great criticism, suggesting that the tragic death could have been prevented if there was proper medical attention on call.
Accidents like this one in Delhi are prevalent across the globe.  Last December, a man in New York got stuck between the platform and a subway car at the Union Square station.  The injured man survived, but he is currently suing the company for $15 million in damages, according to the Hindustan Times article.


$21 Million for the Pacific  Surfliner Corridor
Posted: 19 Nov 2011 02:48 AM PST

A Federal Railroad Administration press release has announced that $21 million has been awarded to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The funding will be used for  projects that will greatly benefit the Pacific Surfliner Corridor.
The funding will be used for three main projects.  $4 million of the funding will be used in Oceanside for engineering and environmental work for the construction of a second main track.  The money will also be used to replace a railway bridge over the San Luis Rey River.  $7 million will be used in Del Mar for engineering and environmental work for the construction of a mile section of track, replacement of a railway bridge and signal improvements.  The remaining $10 million will be used for design, environmental and engineering work from Elvira to Morena.  The project will focus on connecting two sections of double track, which will hopefully assist in effectively running Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo intercity rail in the future.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood discussed the benefits that the $21 million will have on the Surfliner Corridor, “These dollars will help Californians to have better access to faster, more efficient passenger rail service throughout the state.” He continues to say, “the projects will help relive congestion, create jobs and help ensure the world’s eighth largest economy continues to grow.”
In a time where rail funding is hard to come by, this money for the Surfliner Corridor is great news.  In their own way, each of the projects will help rail efficiency and speed.  The Surfliner Corridor is one of the most heavily used passenger rail corridors on the west coast, so this funding will benefit a large number of passengers in the future.


BNSF Upgrades Facilities for Shipping Containers
Posted: 19 Nov 2011 01:34 AM PST

Exports of specialty grains, such as soy beans, to China have increased by 29% recently, which has led to an interesting trend in the railroad industry. The reason stems from the fact that soy beans and other specialty grains cannot be transported in traditional hopper cars and instead must be shipped in intermodal shipping containers.  These shipping containers, which can be transferred to ship, rail and truck without being unpacked, now account for 21% of the country’s total agriculture exports.
The use of shipping containers provides a profitable opportunity for railroads.  The intermodal shipping containers have long been used to import goods, such as clothing and electronics across the country.  Now that specialty grains are being shipped in the containers, it allows the containers to be useful on their return journey to Asia.
In keeping up with the growing shipping container trend, railroads like Burlington Northern Santa Fe have had to upgrade their facilities to handle shipping containers.  In fact, the San Francisco Gate has reported that BNSF has spent $680 million on container yards since 2002.  The investments have primarily been made in the Midwest and other areas where specialty grains are grown.  BNSF’s container yard upgrades allow the railroad giant to compete with Union Pacific in transporting container goods to Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.  This new practice marks an important change in the country’s exporting.  According to Peter Friedman of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, “for the first time, large volumes of containerized grains moving to L.A.-Long Beach, as opposed to just up to Seattle-Tacoma.”
Demand always plays the most important role in freight rail, but even with this being said, its interesting to see the large effect that Asia’s specialty grain demand is having on the railroad industry and moreover, the nation’s economy.  Asia’s need for soy beans and similar agricultural products have forced major railroads to accommodate intermodal shipping containers more than they ever have before.  Additionally, the demand for these goods has led to an increasing amount of freight rail traffic to Southern California ports.  BNSF’s business sense is obvious, seeing as the Class I railroad has been upgrading container yards for nearly a decade and it seems that their foresight will result in even more business in the future.


Four More Unions Reach Tentative Labor Agreements
Posted: 18 Nov 2011 11:29 PM PST

The Los Angeles Times has reported that after 22 months of negotiations, tentative contract agreements have been reached with four additional railroad labor unions.  The National Railway Labor Conference recently announced the tentative agreement, but details on the agreement were not released.  The four unions were confirmed in the announcement as the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Blacksmiths, Iron Ship Builders, Forgers and Helpers; the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Assn.’ the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers; and the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalman.  With these four unions, tentative agreements have now been made with 10 unions, which account for more than 60% of railroad employees involved in the bargaining.
These recent tentative agreements are good news for those fearing a nationwide railroad strike.  It is estimated that a complete railroad strike would result in a loss of $2 billion a day for the U.S. economy.  For the remaining 3 unions still negotiating, a strike-free “cooling-off period” is still in place until December 6.  Once agreements are made with the remaining unions, the 30 U.S. railroads involved can put this lengthy bargaining period behind them.
Any steps towards towards satisfying railroad unions is a positive step for the country.  The unions and railroads have been negotiating for nearly 2 years and with the latest tentative agreements it seems that the last days of bargaining are finally approaching.  The 132,000 thousand railroad employees involved in these talks provide a vital service for the American economy and its great to hear that labor agreements are being reached that please both sides.

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