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Railroad Newsline for Friday, March 09, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

ROCKSLIDE BLOCKS CALIFORNIA'S CAPITOL CORRIDOR RAILROAD TRACKS

Photo gallery here:

[origin.insidebayarea.com]

OAKLAND, CA -- A rockslide that buried the railroad tracks near Crockett, California early today has been cleared, but it was continuing to cause delays of one to two hours on Capitol Corridor and Amtrak trains, an Amtrak spokeswoman said.

The slide also has delayed freight trains in the heavily used Oakland to Sacramento corridor.
The rockslide occurred at 05:40, not far from the Carquinez Bridge in Crockett, and shut down tracks in both directions. It was cleared and tracks were reponed in both directions about 08:50 Thursday morning, said Amtrak s Vernae Graham. "But we still have a backlog of trains and we re having delays of one to two hours, she said.

Besides the many freight trains, six Capitol Corridor trains were stalled waiting for the slide to be cleared. Two Amtrak San Joaquin trains which go from Sacramento to Bakersfield through the Central Valley were also delayed, Graham said.

At the Amtrak station in Oakland, riders were unfazed.

David Jones, of Alameda, who commutes regularly on the Capitol Corridor from Oakland to his job in San Jose was calmly working on his laptop computer.

"I ve been waiting about 35 minutes so far, he said at 09:30. He said he regularly rides the Capitol Corridor and finds the ride well worth it. It usually takes about 45 minutes.

A few minutes later, Donna Steffens, of Alameda, stepped off a Capitol Corridor train from Sacramento two hours late. "We were supposed to leave Sacramento at 06:20, she said.
She also was unfazed. It s an easy ride, she said.

Another rider, who got on at Davis, said delays were minimal for him, only about 10 or 15 minutes. That s normal for the Capitol Corridor, he said. - William Brand, The Alameda Star

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TWO INJURED IN MISSISSIPPI DERAILMENT CLEANUP TAKEN TO HOSPITAL

Map here:

[www.hattiesburgamerican.com]

HATTIESBURG, MS -- Eight train cars have been derailed -- and at least two are leaking fluids, said city of Hattiesburg spokesman John Brown.

However, Lea Stokes of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said that the number of cars leaking the fluids have not been confirmed.

Two emergency workers has been transported by ground to Forrest General Hospital, Stokes said, and five more people have received treatment on site, Brown said.

The two injured were employees of U.S. Environment, a private company that aids in cleanup of chemical spills, Stokes said.

The two fluids emergency workers have determined are leaking are sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid, he said.

Mississippi Department of Transportation and state Highway Patrol are opening 1.2-mile stretches of U.S. 98 at 8-minute intervals to allow traffic to move around the affected area.

Approximately 40 homes between Northgate Road and Ralston Road are being evacuated following a Kansas City Southern Railroad train derailment that occurred around 08:30 Thursday near U.S. 98 and Ralston Road, Stokes said.

A Red Cross temporary shelter is open at Church of the Nazarene, 3501 Broadway Drive, Brown said.

An air quality assessment is under way to determine if further evacuation will be necessary.

First responders from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Forrest County Sheriff's Department, Hattiesburg Police Department, Mississippi Department of Transportation and Environmental Services were on the scene, and the National Guard's Civil Support Team is providing aerial support.

"It is unknown at this time how many rail cars derailed, but the train is carrying chlorine and hydrochloric acid," Stokes said.

Both chemicals can be fatal if ingested or inhaled, she said.

"Hydrochloric acid is toxic if inhaled, ingested or if vapors or dust come in contact with skin or eyes," Stokes said. "Dust may also cause severe injuries, burns or death." - The Hattiesburg American

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WINDS EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT DURING DERAILMENT/CHEMICAL SPILL CLEANUP

HATTIESBURG, MS -- Emergency responders will have to contend with a light but variable wind throughout the day Thursday as they attempt to contain a chemical spill that occurred after a train derailed earlier today.

The liquefied sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid are quickly vaporizing, and emergency responders are attempting to determine where the vapors may be traveling. The site is located on the Kansas City Southern Railway line just south of U.S. 98 East near Ralston and Northgate roads.

The winds, which are being kept to around 6 mph, are currently shifting as a high pressure front sits over the area, said Christopher Bannan, a meteorologist with the Jackson office of the National Weather Service.

He said later in the day and into the night a developing Gulf breeze may cause winds to come consistently from the south, but they will remain light at about 5 mph. - The Hattiesburg American

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UP COAL TRAIN DERAILS NEAR FREMONT, NEBRASKA

FREMONT, NE -- Seven Union Pacific Railroad coal cars headed for Sioux City derailed around noon Wednesday at Troxel Siding, west of Fremont, Nebraska.

Photo here:

[www.fremontneb.com]

Caption reads: Several Union Pacific coal cars derailed Wednesday just west of Fremont. All of the cars were loaded with coal. (Photo by Chris Bristol/Fremont Tribune)

Three cars, each carrying about 100 tons of coal, landed on their sides during the derailment. UP crews were still cleaning up the spilled coal at 17:30.

An employee on scene said the derailment likely was caused by ties weakened due to age and extreme weather. James Barnes, UP spokesman, said the exact cause still is under investigation.

There were 111 cars in the train.

Barnes said no one was injured and the track was expected to be back in business by 9:45 p.m. There was no chemical release during the derailment.

The three ruined coal cars will be cut up for scrap. The spilled coal also will be disposed of, the employee on scene said.
Troxel Siding is located west of the main entrance into Fremont Lakes State Recreation Area. - The Fremont Tribune

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LANDOWNERS TOLD TO ALLOW SURVEYS

GILLETTE, WY -- A judge has ordered landowners to provide access for the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad to survey their property for a planned rail line.

"These matters were written in stone before the doors to the courtroom opened in this case," District Court Judge Michael "Nick" Deegan said in ruling Tuesday.

The railroad sued Lenard Seeley and Jerry Dilts for permission to survey land they own in Campbell, Converse and Weston counties. The surveys are in preparation for a $6 billion rail line for exporting coal from the Powder River Basin.

The surveys could be a step toward the railroad using eminent domain to obtain the land.

The landowners said they didn't want to deal with the railroad until they could be more certain that the project would go ahead. But Rachel Yates, a lawyer for the DM&E, said the court needed to focus on whether the surveys were required and whether the railroad made reasonable attempts to negotiate with the landowners.

There was little disagreement about whether the surveys are required. But Tad Daly, the landowners' lawyer, said the railroad was lax in negotiating. He said the railroad didn't provide full details about all the surveys it wanted to do.

"We would say 'sign our agreement or else' is not reasonable," he said.

Yates said that once a landowner refused one of the surveys, the railroad assumed that the landowner intended to refuse all surveys.

Deegan said he sympathized with the landowners but was bound by state law.

"The bar to entry is very low in this state," Deegan said. "Now, the bar to condemnation is significantly higher. That battle, if it emerges, is for another day."

He ordered the landowners to allow the required surveys within the next six months. - The Associated Press, The Billings Gazette

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UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD AND DOW CHEMICAL SET OUT 10-YEAR GOALS

OMAHA, NE -- Union Pacific Railroad and the Dow Chemical Co. said Wednesday that they have agreed to work together to reach eight goals in 10 years on moving dangerous chemicals more safely.

"Both companies serve as strategic links in the chemical supply chain that is critical to homeland security, public health, safety and welfare and to our nation's economy," Jim Young, chairman and chief executive of the Omaha-based U.P., said.

Included are projects that aren't necessarily new but that might be expanded, said Bob Grimaila, senior assistant vice president of safety and environment at U.P. The cost of reaching the goals couldn't be estimated, he said.

"We're not running the meter on this stuff," he said. "What we're really after is the safety and security these projects will bring."

The federal government also is moving to require changes. A proposed final rule announced in December by the Federal Railroad Administration would restrict the amount of time that hazardous-chemicals shipments can spend waiting in urban areas, among other changes.

Rail companies also would be required to closely track and supervise such shipments. Companies would be required to provide the location of a specific hazardous material car within five minutes.

The goals announced Wednesday cover a range of safety issues involved in rail shipments of hazardous chemicals, and none was a direct response to the government's action, Grimaila said.

One goal involves changes to a program that takes tank cars and box cars into communities to demonstrate how to respond to accidents and spills. U.P. created the program about 20 years ago. Dow is building new demonstration equipment, and the railroad is revamping training materials. The goal is to be reached by 2012.

"We're going back on the road with aggressive targets and the number of people we want to touch," he said.

The other goals:

. Currently, deploy communication-based train control and anti-collision systems, pending FRA approval and the success of two pilot projects set to begin in western Nebraska and the Pacific Northwest.

. By 2010, reduce the time that tank cars of highly hazardous chemicals spend unattended by using global positioning satellite units, sensors and other surveillance technology.

. By 2010, reduce to zero the release of hazardous chemicals through drips, splashes or loose hatches. Called nonaccidental releases - to set them apart from chemicals spilled during train accidents - such incidents are rare and easy to eliminate through improved procedures, Grimaila said. Last year, Dow shipments on the U.P. system had one incident, a dripping valve. "We don't want any. We want zero," he said.

. By 2015, reduce by 50 percent the time that shipments of highly hazardous chemicals spend waiting in high-threat urban areas. Twenty-two high-threat areas were identified by the Transportation Security Administration, which now is creating an industry definition for the wait time.

. By 2015, improve by 50 percent an index of hazardous material rail operations safety. The index combines dozens of items that the railroad is working on, Grimaila said, including operations, training and equipment. "It's the whole nine yards of generally improving and supporting our commitment to safer operations," he said.

. By 2015, reduce highly hazardous chemical shipments by 50 percent through supply chain design. To reach this goal, Dow might move some hazardous chemicals by pipeline instead of rail, Grimaila said. Or some chemicals might be replaced by others that are not highly hazardous. Sources and destinations might be changed so that chemicals travel fewer miles.

. By 2017, develop and implement a safer, more secure rail tank car design for highly hazardous chemicals. The Next Generation Rail Tank Car project was announced last summer with Union Tank Car Co.

- Stacie Hamel, The Omaha World-Herald

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RAILROAD OFFICIALS ASSESS FIRE DAMAGE TO TRESTLE

MOUNT HOPE, KS -- Kansas Oklahoma Railroad officials continue to investigate the extent of damage to a trestle that burned late Tuesday.

Mount Hope volunteer firefighters were dispatched to the blaze on the west edge of town at 21:30 and remained until 02:00, city clerk George Dick said.

The wooden trestle, about 100 feet long and constructed of creosote posts, was "charred up pretty good," Dick said.

Mount Hope fire chief Dick McMurry reported that the cause of the fire was undetermined.
The fire started on the north side of the tracks where the trestle adjoins a wheat field.
"Somebody may have been out there messing around," Dick said.

The state fire marshal's office has launched an investigation into the case, police chief Don McCaskill said.

The railroad line runs from Hutchinson to Wichita, Kansas and carries a daily train. - The Hutchinson News

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RAILROAD'S BENEFIT DISREGARDED

I read the papers and listen to TV about all the fuss about the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad. It is all well and good that everyone has an opinion about the issue, but I wonder if anyone is concerned about the effect their strong personal opinion has on anyone else.

While Mayo Clinic and the city of Rochester collect money from patients and use tax money to fight the "good fight," what about the people who depend on the railroad for their jobs, for the railroad to haul their products to market or depend on the train to bring raw products so their company can stay in business?

What about the coal the city of Rochester uses to make the electricity and the steam to help heat Mayo Clinic and other buildings? It would appear that all these people would shoot themselves in the foot rather than let DM&E update its tracks through the city.

When Mayo got its start, most patients came to town on the trains. Now that Mayo owns the airport, patients fly here, so who needs the train? Well, plenty of people do, and many of these people go to Mayo and shop in Rochester.

You know the old saying, if you are not part of the solution; you are part of the problem. - Naomi Flury, Dodge Center, MN, Letter to the Editor, The Rochester Post-Bulletin

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ALASKA RAILROAD EXTENSION TASTES LIKE PORK, CRITICS SAY

WASHINGTON, DC -- Critics of congressional "earmark" spending took aim Wednesday at a $4 million expenditure for the proposed Northern Rail Extension, an Alaska railway that will link the town of North Pole to Delta Junction.

Citizens Against Government Waste, an "anti-pork" watchdog group backed by U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona -- a Republican presidential contender, highlighted the project in its 2007 "Pig Book," a compilation of pork-barrel projects in the federal budget.

The 80-mile extension from where the Alaska Railroad now ends in North Pole takes its place among 2,658 projects worth $13.2 billion that the nonprofit group questions in the defense and homeland security spending bills passed by Congress for this year.

The railroad money, intended for preliminary engineering and environmental study, is just a fraction of the $209 million that Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, helped steer into the state last year.

"He's proved once again that he's one of the alpha porkers in Congress," said David Williams, vice president of the anti-pork group.

Stevens' spokesman Aaron Saunders defended the Alaska spending, arguing that the group's claims are misguided.

"They define as pork anything that's not in the (Bush) administration's budget request," Saunders said. "Well, the administration is not the only one that understands the needs of the nation."

The Northern Rail Extension is a planned freight and passenger rail service intended to support industry and military installations around Fairbanks.

The $4 million Defense Department appropriation represents a small down payment on a project estimated to cost between $450 million and $800 million, according to the state-owned Alaska Railroad Corp.

"It's far from pork," said North Pole Mayor Doug Isaacson. "People who want to keep us in a territorial status call anything we do pork."

Kevin Sweeney, a spokesman for Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the rail project would help support the new national missile defense system at Fort Greely and could provide needed infrastructure for construction of a natural gas pipeline.

"To call this wasteful shows a clear lack of knowledge of Alaska's critical role in meeting our nation's defense and energy needs," he said.

Congress has passed only two of 11 appropriations bills for fiscal 2007. The remaining nine are subject to a moratorium on earmarks, which are congressionally mandated expenses that serve local or special interests. - Kevin Diaz, McClatchy Newspapers, The Anchorage Daily News

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GROUP HOPEFUL FOR RAILROAD FUNDING

EUREKA, CA -- A lunch group meeting of port and railroad advocates Wednesday highlighted the optimism that the area's harbor and defunct railroad may soon be up and running -- and hopefully thriving.

The Citizens for Port Development met at the Samoa Cookhouse to talk about, among other things, the upcoming transportation funding for the ongoing repairs of the North Coast Railroad Authority's approximately 300 miles of tracks that connect Samoa to Novato.

CPD organizer Kaye Strickland said the group is hopeful more money will become available when the NCRA goes before the California Transportation Commission later this month to request additional repair funding.

While the NCRA's recently hired railroad operator John Williams has indicated he can get the entire line repaired and trains running again to Humboldt Bay, skeptics of the plan say hundred of millions of dollars will be needed to make the repairs.

"It's not as bad as it sounds," said Charles Ollivier, a board of directors member of the NCRA and a board of commissioners member of the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District.

Ollivier said money is coming in and joked that gardeners should be anticipating a wave of 50,000 railroad ties that will soon be available when the ties are replaced as the repairs to the southern portions of track get under way.

Also part of the anticipated repairs, Ollivier said $690,000 is set aside for repairs to portions of the NCRA's levee near Fields Landing that has eroded from the ocean's waves.

Although there is good news, Ollivier said it has been depressing that there has been a doubling of project costs compared with initial estimates, which have plagued the NCRA.

In other matters, Strickland sparked a discussion regarding two proposed Eureka Waterfront development projects that she said would be good for the area's economy.

The two projects she said were discussed by the Eureka City Council Tuesday night included David Schneider's Fishermen's Center and Mike and Rob Dunaway/DB Properties LLC's Boat Manufacturing Facility.

Although she said both proposals seemed like good projects, neither has been given a green light by the city.

Strickland said she hoped the city would act quickly before both applicants give up.

"In all fairness, they both deserve a second look," Strickland said. - Nathan Rushton, The Eureka Reporter

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TWO HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE CITED IN RAIL CRACKDOWN

Photo here:

[www.ocregister.com]

ANAHEIM, CA -- Law enforcement officers from 20 agencies fanned out over Orange County, California on Wednesday morning to crack down on rail safety violators.

The first such countywide rail safety education and enforcement program resulted in 231 people getting citations, including 22 pedestrians. An additional 57 people got warnings.

"We hope that this gets the message across in Orange County. Our goal is to have people obey the laws around the railroad tracks and take care of their own safety," said Metrolink spokeswoman Denise Tyrrell.

Seventy-five police officers at about 30 railroad crossings were on the lookout for vehicles that raced gates as they dropped and stopped on the tracks. The stepped-up enforcement, which started at 06:00, ended at 12:00.

"It was the usual violations at the grade crossings," said Santa Ana police Cpl. Arthur Morales, who cited three people. "Vehicles are not stopping for flashing red lights and pedestrians are walking across," Morales said.

For one man, it was a close call at the Lyon Street and Normandy Place crossing in Santa Ana.
"The crossing arm came down on top of the van and he got the van parallel to the train tracks as the train went by him," said Santa Ana police officer Ron Moreno.

"I just thought, 'Oh, God don't let it hit him,' " Moreno said about the train, which was traveling about 70 mph.

The enforcement effort was the work of several agencies -- including Metrolink, Orange County Transit Authority, Amtrak, and Union Pacific Railroad -- to remind drivers to take necessary safety measures when crossing the tracks, Tyrrell said.

There were 129 fatalities at railroad crossings in California last year, 93 of which were pedestrians, Tyrrell said.

"This type of enforcement is important especially in our city, because we have a lot of pedestrians that get hit," Moreno said.

Metrolink, which has 788 crossings, conducts about six programs a year to educate the public about railroad safety. - Denisse Salazar, The Orange County Register

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RAILROAD COMPANY BEGINS TO CLEAR DRAINAGE CULVERTS

PUEBLO, CO -- The BNSF Railway Company has resumed work to clear drainage culverts along its tracks north of Midtown Shopping Center that contributed to flooding in a nearby neighborhood in Pueblo, Colorado last year.

City Stormwater Director Dennis Maroney said Tuesday that representatives from the railroad met Monday with the city to discuss leases related to a long-range solution for flooding to the area.
Maroney said work on the culverts began Tuesday.

"I think we're finally making progress," he said. "We tried this in 1999, but I think they're finally working with us after they saw the benefit of it when their yard flooded as well."

On Aug. 24, a torrential downpour dumped 3 inches of rain on Pueblo in an hour. The runoff couldn't get through the blocked railroad culverts north of Midtown to flow into Wild Horse Dry Creek.

Instead, the water rushed along the railroad and eventually merged with runoff from Francisco, Conley and Baxter streets to flood the Peppersauce Bottoms neighborhood.

Maroney said the city is under threat of a lawsuit from the neighbors, many of whom spent the past six months repairing their homes, but he would not comment on the details of the suit.

While the flood did the most visible damage to the small village north of Midtown, the railroad yards were flooded as well.

Maroney and his department are proposing a large system of three retention ponds stretching along the railroad tracks from 24th Street south toward Midtown.

A fourth retention pond is proposed for an area near Blake and Eighth streets. Maroney also would like to extend and improve the storm sewer service lines in the neighborhood.

The total cost of the project could be at least $4 million and would be completed over the course of several years.

Maroney said he hopes to have the first pond at 24th Street started soon.

Doing so will require cooperation and lease agreements with the railroad, something Maroney said was the topic of discussion on Monday.

However, Maroney said any agreements related to the pond will probably have no bearing on the drainage culvert, though the ponds are intended to collect most of the debris before the water passes through them. - Jeff Tucker, The Pueblo Chieftain

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BROKEN RAIL CAUSED DERAILMENT

EDGERTON, WI -- A broken rail is blamed for sending 14 rail cars off the tracks Feb. 16 between Edgerton, Wisconsin and the Rock River, railroad officials said.

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad President Bill Gardner said the severe cold likely weakened the metal and the rail snapped under the train's weight, according to the Associated Press.

The derailed cars spilled some of their load and diesel fuel. The train was carrying lumber, coal and butter.

Federal railroad rules require the track to be checked routinely. Gardner said that had been done a couple of days before the derailment.

The train cars derailed behind a house in a swampy, wooded area north of the Rock River railroad bridge near East Applewood Drive.

The incident was one of the biggest Rock County derailments in recent memory. - The Janesville Gazette

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CANADIAN NATIONAL FACES COMPLAINT FROM GRAIN SHIPPERS

Canadian National Railway Co. is discriminating against small grain shippers and choking off their access to railroads with new standards for minimum shipments, 11 terminals said in a complaint to regulators.

Canadian National, the nation's largest railroad, has set the minimum train size for advance booking at 100 cars, well above the capacity smaller grain terminals can typically fill, the complaint to the Canadian Transportation Agency said.

The group, led by Great Northern Grain Terminals Ltd., a closely held processor, contends only 22 percent of grain elevators in Western Canada can fill 100-car trains.

"We're completely dependent on the railways for our own viability,'' Bruce Horner, chief executive officer for Nampa, Alberta-based Great Northern, said in a press conference in Ottawa today. "All of our hard work could be put into jeopardy by a single change from CN.''

The grain processors say they fear rival Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. of Calgary, Alberta, the nation's No. 2 railway, will match Canadian National's strategy. Canadian Pacific spokesman Ed Greenberg said his railway has no plans to do that.

Canadian National hasn't seen the complaint and can't respond, spokesman Jim Feeny said.

'Frustration'

"There's been a certain amount of frustration that's been built up among some of the smaller grain operators,'' Feeny said. Poor weather and a two-week-long conductors strike last month created a grain backlog that the railway has addressed by using longer trains.

That change has made it harder for smaller grain producers to get service even as the situation improves, he said.

The group of grain terminals will jointly finance the complaint to the Transportation Agency, which enforces laws and regulations that apply to railroads such as Canadian National.

The agency has 120 days to rule on the complaint, said spokesman Marc Comeau in an interview. He said the railroad has obligations to serve facilities next to its tracks.

The agency can impose any remedies it sees fit. In a 2002 ruling, the agency ordered the railroad not to limit equipment made available to Naber Seed & Grain Co., a Saskatchewan grain- shipper that had faced rationing.

"We're fully supportive of the action taken by Great Northern,'' said Maureen Fitzhenry, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Wheat Board. ``The change reduces flexibility in shipping to ports.
It tends to put grain at port in ways that may not be aligned with the way vessels arrive in port.'' - Eric Torbenson, Bloomberg News

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$1.65 MILLION ARRIVES FOR TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM

VICKSBURG, MS -- The Vicksburg Transportation Museum, a project planned to fill the Levee Street Depot with displays relating to planes, trains, boats and cars and their roles in local history, received $1.65 million in funds Wednesday from the Mississippi Department of Transportation.

"We're looking forward to getting this thing started," said Lamar Roberts, who has led the drive since 2005 to organize and open what will be his second museum project. "The $1,651,000 is 70 to 80 percent of what we need. We're seeking other grants as well."

Photo here: [www.vicksburgpost.com]

Caption reads: Lamar Roberts, executive director of the Vicksburg Transportation Museum, discusses renovation plans inside the depot. (Photo by Joshua Corban/The Vicksburg Post)

The MDOT grant, part of funds put aside by Congress for transportation enhancements, was presented by Central District Department of Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall to the city, which owns the 100-year-old building, and board members of the museum, who are leasing the space and will oversee and operate it.

"We've had a lot of applications for funds and only the most worthy projects were chosen to participate," Hall said at a small gathering in front of the columned depot near City Front. "I, personally, thought this was very worthy."

Plans are to renovate the structure to the way it looked in 1907, when it served 22 passenger trains and freight trains that came through Vicksburg each day. The museum will display models, dioramas, artifacts, paintings, photos and memorabilia relating to Vicksburg's history as a transhipment center once marketed as a place "where river, rail and highway meet." The project is expected to total about $2.5 million, said Roberts, also the developer of the former Blue and Gray Naval Museum, which was on Washington Street before moving to a site near Interstate 20 as the Battlefield Museum.

"We need to get Vicksburg back to its grandeur," said board chairman Chuck Bond. "It gets me excited thinking about it."

Mayor Laurence Leyens said he went after the building as part of his urban renewal plan for City Front, which includes the $3 million interactive Art Park at Catfish Row and the Vicksburg Riverfront Mural project. Plans to bring a $15 million interpretive center of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the area are under way and partially funded by Congress.

"This is the light at the end of the tunnel," Leyens said. "These funds are critical to the outcome of this project."

Now that funds have been received, Roberts said it will be 90 days before work begins on the depot, which has had initial renovations since the city bought it in 2002. During the 90 days, an environmental study will be performed on the building, an architect will draw proposed changes and a bid will be written for a contractor. Roberts said he expects the museum to open about 14 months later.

In order to continue raising funds, the museum will begin a capital campaign, as well as a membership drive.

The old depot, which saw its last passenger train leave the station in about 1950, has served as a restaurant twice, a beauty salon, apartments and, most recently, a dialysis treatment center. Bond said, before the city bought it, the building had been vacant for about nine years.

It and the Holly Street Depot, which was just east of the Cherry Street viaduct, were the two major depots serving Vicksburg. The Holly Street Depot was torn down in the 1970s. - Lauchlin Fields, The Vicksburg Post

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TRANSIT NEWS

IT'S BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD: SEA-TAC RAIL STOP GETS ONE BID

Photo here: [seattletimes.nwsource.com]

Just one company bid to build Sound Transit's landmark light-rail stop at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, at a price $43.5 million higher than expected.

That means light-rail director Ahmad Fazel will have to negotiate a cheaper price, rebid the work or make the glass-lined station less elaborate.

In a bid opened this week, Mowat Construction offered to do the job for $95.3 million, far more than the $51.8 million expected by Sound Transit's engineers and consultants. The project budget contains only $58 million for the station - not much wiggle room.

Sound Transit has no intention of awarding a $95 million deal, Fazel said.

He attributed the gap mainly to a shortage of contractors in a hot construction market.

Another contractor, PCL, considered the job "appealing" but couldn't put a bid package together within the two months available, said David Hrynyk, PCL's project director for Sound Transit's predominantly aerial light-rail segment in neighboring Tukwila.

A third firm, Balfour Beatty, similarly had many other projects to choose from and a shortage of people to put together the bid, Fazel said.

When private jobs are plentiful, firms prefer those to public projects, which generally have more requirements, such as small-business hiring goals and community-outreach rules, said Jerry Dinndorf, district manager for Associated General Contractors.

"Just look around town, and you can see everyone's pretty busy," Dinndorf said.

Another issue is the design, which includes triangular glass panels, an elevated boarding area and a skybridge over International Boulevard - "a little more challenging than some of the stations we have," Fazel said. But the nearby Tukwila Station has many similarities and didn't scare contractors away.

Contractor shortages are occurring nationwide. Three years ago, in a looser market, light-rail bids were mostly below estimates in the Seattle-to-Tukwila corridor. Rising steel costs, contaminated soils and other obstacles have consumed some of the savings.

Sound Transit's next step is to meet with Mowat to understand the numbers and determine what costs are reasonable, Fazel said.

He said that if the problem is solved in the next month or so, Sound Transit could break ground in August and keep on schedule to reach the airport by December 2009. - Mike Lindblom, The Seattle Times

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MINNESOTA LANDS RAIL RIGHTS FOR NORTHSTAR LINE

A 10-year agreement was reached by Minnesota state officials, the Northstar Corridor Development Authority (NCDA) and BNSF Railway Company that gives Northstar the right to run commuter trains along the 40-mile stretch of BNSF train tracks along highways 10 and 47 in Big Lake into downtown Minneapolis.

Proponents say the commuter rail will offer convenient transportation to the existing Hiawatha LRT line in downtown Minneapolis. Stations are proposed for Big Lake, Anoka, Elk River, Coon Rapids, Fridley and Minneapolis.

The agreement provides one of the final requirements needed to secure matching funds for the project under the Federal Transit Administration. Northstar expects to open for service in late 2009 pending federal funding approval.

Under the agreement, the State will acquire the right to use the train tracks for the life of Northstar Commuter Rail. Permanent land easements will be bought by the state for $107.5 million, providing Northstar the ability to continue commuter service even if the land is sold by BNSF. The agreement also includes a schedule outlining the number of weekly trips by Northstar trains.

The Metropolitan Council, which currently operates the Hiawatha LRT, will be in charge of overseeing Northstar Commuter Rail.

BNSF Railway Company is a subsidiary of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. and operates in 28 states. - Ann Nasseff, The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

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CAPITAL METO OFFERS SNEAK PEEK OF COMMUTER RAIL

Related video here:

[www.kvue.com]

AUSTIN, TX -- The first of six new commuter trains will arrive in Austin, Texas in fall 2007. Wednesday, KVUE News was given an exclusive ride on the tracks those trains will roll on.

Capital Metro's 32-mile commuter rail line stretches from Leander to the convention center in downtown Austin. The entire trip is expected to take less than an hour. There will be nine stops along the way.

Few people get to see the area, but by late 2008, it is expected to be part of the daily commute for 1,000 to 2,000 people. Officials say that's a low estimate.

New side tracks and safety devices are being installed. Boarding platforms are also taking shape.

The plan is to provide morning and evening rush hour service -- 05:00 to 10:00 as well as 15:00 to 19:00. Trains will pick up passengers every 30 minutes on weekdays. Hours of operation are not yet officially set.

Computer studies are crunching numbers, working out how the trains can share one track. Rail manager Bill LeJeune says the details must and will be worked out.

"The passenger schedule is something that passenger has to be able to be committed to and relied upon that when he is there, at 06:20 in the morning, that train is there at 06:20 in the morning, or, when he is coming home."

Extended hours of operation are expected for special events, and some limited weekend service may eventually be offered. The first passenger train will be delivered in early October. It has a seating capacity of 108, with standing room capacity topping 200. Test runs could start before the end of the year. - Rudy Koski, KVUE-TV, Austin, TX

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LIRR RESTORES SERVICE ON HEMPSTEAD BRANCH

HEMPSTEAD, NY -- Service on the Long Island Rail Road Hempstead branch has been restored after a disabled train was removed from the track on Thursday.

The 14:38 train from Hempstead arriving at Flatbush Avenue at 15:33 experienced equipment problems at 14:57 just west of Stewart Manor, according to Sam Zambuto, spokesman for the railroad.

As a result, service on the branch was suspended while the disabled train was moved to the Floral Park station, where it remained out of service.

The approximately 75 people on the disabled train were transferred to another train at Floral Park and the passengers experienced a one hour delay, Zambuto said.

Service was restored to the branch at 16:10 with residual delays of 30 minutes, Zambuto said. The exact cause of the equipment problem is being investigated. - Deborah S. Morris, Newsday

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