In the News…

2007 second only to 2006 for highest rail freight traffic
In early January, the Association of American Railroads reported that freight traffic on U.S. railroads in 2007 was the second highest on record. U.S. carloads totaled 16,952,288 in 2007. Coal orginated more carloads than any other commodity in 2007; about 43% of the total carloads were coal. Total volume for the year was estimated at 1.76 trillion ton-miles. AAR attributes the one percent decrease in total volume from the record-setting 2006 year to the problems within the U.S. economy, particularly with regards to the housing and automotive sectors.
Association of American Railroads, "U.S. rail freight traffic second-highest in history in 2007" 3 January 2008.

Norfolk Southern's Steve Tobias named Railroader of the Year
Railway Age magazine recently named Norfolk Southern Vice Chairman and Chief Operations Officer Steve Tobias as their 2008 Railroader of the Year. According to Railway Age Tobias is a master of providing service that customers want safely and cost-efficiently. His work with the ConRail merger and Norfolk Southern's Thoroughbred Operating Plan (TOP) are highlighted as a few of his many accomplishments. One of his most important successes, however, has been his effective training of NS management. His military background has enabled Tobias to produce many talented leaders for both Norfolk Southern and the entire rail industry.
Railway Age, "Norfolk Southern's Steve Tobias: A thoroughbred among operating officers" January 2008.

21st Century Transportation Committee holds fourth meeting in Charlotte
North Carolina's 21st Century Transportation Committee held their fourth meeting, since their creation in late 2007, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Committee was formed by Governer Easley, Senate President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight, and House Speaker Joe Hackney to examine the condition and needs of North Carolina's transportation system and make recommendations to the General Assembly. Scott Saylor, President of the North Carolina Railroad Company, presented at this most recent meeting to offer rail as a potential solution to some of the state's transportation issues.
The Charlotte Observer, "NC's future rides on trains" 18 January 2008.

CSX improves rail between Greenville and Tarboro
CSX operates 1,100 miles of railroad in North Carolina along which there are about 2,000 grade crossings. In late January, CSX worked to improve ten of those miles between Greenville and Tarboro. CSX replaced old, rotten ties and smoothed and leveled the rail. The improvements will create smoother crossings for automobiles and safer, more efficent trips for trains. In 2007, CSX replaced about 2.95 million ties nationally. This year CSX plans to replace another three million.
The Daily Reflector, "CSX MOW crews work to improve North Carolina rail trackage" 23 January 2008.


Amtrak avoids strike
In January, a rail strike was averted when Amtrak reached a tenative agreement with twelve labor unions. As part of the agreement, Amtrak agreed to pay about $200 million in back wages. The agreement covers about 10,000 of Amtrak's 19,500 employees. The dispute between Amtrak and the unions had been in federal mediation since 2001. A strike would have crippled Amtrak, which has been improving financially in recent years. Last year Amtrak had its highest ridership in its 36-year history, with 26 million passengers. A strike also would have hampered various commuter rail operations nationwide which are operated by Amtrak employees.
The Washington Post, "Rail strike averted as Amtrak, unions reach tenative deal" 19 January 2008.


New program trains future railroad executives
The railroad industry has been around a long time and so have many of the nation's railroad exectutives. As those industry leaders begin to retire, Michgan State University (MSU) hopes to replace them with some of their graduates. MSU has recently launched a unique, new Certificate Program in Railway Management. While there are railroad engineering and operations degrees at other universities, this program will be the first to focus on training railway executives. The program will be important as the industry continues to grow; the rail industry is expected to hire 80,000 people by 2012.
MSU Today, "New MSU program trains next generation of railroad executives" 23 January 2008.

Virginia and Norfolk Southern invest in key rail corridor
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) recently signed an agreement with Norfolk Southern to improve the I-81 rail corridor in an effort to reduce truck traffic along the busy interstate. With a $40 million investment by the state and $17 million investment by Norfolk Southern, capacity on the most congested portion of the corridor, between Manassas and Front Royal, will be increased. NS will build and extend sidings, construct double track, and install a new signaling system. The improvements are expected to remove 597,000 truck trips from Virginia highways. The added capacity will also allow for the expansion of the Virginia Railway Express commuter service.
Progressive Railroading, "Virginia rail agency, NS pony up $57 million to spruce up key rail corridor" 23 January 2008.

Working on the Railroad

For the past several years, Nancy Dunn has chaired the Transit, Rail, Ferry, and Aviation Committee of the North Carolina Board of Transportation and has always been a strong advocate for the rail component. Dunn's first train ride was from Rose Hill, North Carolina to Wilmington for the Azalea Festival as a teenager. Since then she has ridden trains in many parts of the world and thinks rail has to be an important part of any transportation system.  Although she is a big fan of passenger rail, she also believes that capacity in North Carolina must be expanded to move freight by rail. "The statistics for growth to come are staggering and we cannot accommodate the increase on our highways," she says.

In addition to serving as Chairman of the Transit, Rail, Ferry, and Aviation Committee, Dunn chairs the Long-Range Planning Committee of the Board of Transportation.  She also serves on several other community and professional boards, including the Transportation Advisory Committee of the Winston-Salem Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART). When she is not wrestling with the transportation challenges facing North Carolina, Dunn serves as President of Aladdin Travel & Meeting Planners, a $50 million company she founded in 1973.

Did you know?

NCRR's busiest grade crossing may be improved

The North Carolina Railroad Company recently began preliminary engineering and design of a grade separation of the North Carolina Railroad and Sugar Creek Road in Charlotte. Sugar Creek Road currently has the highest vehicle/train traffic on the the North Carolina Railroad, with 25,000 to 30,000 vehicles and 50 to 60 trains operating through the crossing each day.

Providing a grade separated crossing at Sugar Creek Road will greatly enhance safety and efficency for both rail and automotive traffic. Kimley-Horn Associates, Inc, along with Gannett Fleming, will perform the preliminary engineering, which is expected to be complete by 2009.

Published by the North Carolina Railroad Company Volume 2, Issue 1
Comments or questions? Catherine Campbell or Kat Christian (919) 954-7601 e-mail: raillines@ncrr.com

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