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Railroad Newsline for Thursday, March 15, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

WEDNESDAY WAS RAILROAD DAY ON CAPITOL HILL

Representatives of the nation's rail industry -- including both large and small railroads as well as rail labor and the railway supply industry -- gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Wednesday, March 14, for Railroad Day.

On this day, representatives from rail-related organizations join forces to maximize lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill and have an opportunity to meet with lawmakers and their staffs to convey key messages.

Attendance is open to all Class I, II and III railroad personnel, as well as members from the supplier community.

This year, the BNSF Railway Company conducted a political education program in conjunction with Railroad Day on the Hill. BNSF employees across the Company who have agreed to be political outreach coordinators on behalf of BNSF RailPAC were invited to take part in Railroad Day on the Hill and in briefings conducted by the Government Affairs Washington office on the status of legislation impacting the railroad industry.

These political outreach coordinators have agreed to be representatives of RailPAC within BNSF, explaining the purpose of the PAC and highlighting the importance of political awareness by employees of the policy issues of consequence to BNSF.

The turnout of railroaders for this year's lobbying effort was one of the best in the history of the effort. BNSF's participation was an important element of this critical outreach to policy makers, demonstrating close cooperation with other railroads, suppliers and customers interested in the economic health of the industry and its economic contribution. - BNSF Today

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$1.78 BILLION PROPOSED FOR AMTRAK

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Senate's budget plan includes a boon for Amtrak - $1.78 billion for intercity passenger rail, nearly twice the amount proposed by President Bush and even more than Amtrak's own budget request.

The amount, announced Wednesday by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J, is included in the plan being unveiled by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D. It matches the amount called for in a broad, six-year Amtrak authorization bill introduced in January by Lautenberg and Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.

The $1.78 billion includes $100 million in the form of matching grants for states to use to develop rail service on key corridors in their territory and $50 million to pay for upgrades needed to make Amtrak stations compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Amtrak's request, including those two items, totaled $1.68 billion.

Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero called the proposed $1.78 billion "very encouraging."

It's unlikely that Congress will give Amtrak more than it asked for, though theoretically the extra money could be moved over to expand the state grant program.

Amtrak wants to establish such a program to help states fund their own rail service over frequently traveled routes that have no rail connection or limited service. Already, 14 states pay Amtrak for service, but supporters of a matching program say many more would seek to expand service if federal support was available.

President Bush is also a supporter of the idea. His budget proposal also calls for $100 million for state matching grants, though it would pare Amtrak's direct subsidy down to $800 million.

Amtrak is getting $1.3 billion for the current fiscal year. The railroad's funding prospects are considered better now that Democrats control Congress.

"We're on our way to building a 21st-century rail system, one that continues to serve travelers like those in New Jersey, but that will serve new passengers as we expand our corridor service," Lautenberg said in a statement. "We're finally giving people a real choice between the congestion of our highways and airports and the convenience of a train." - WJLA, TV-7, Washington, DC

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CHIEF PROVES GOOD SAMARITANS STILL EXIST

For almost 12 hours on Thursday, March 1, three BNSF Railway Company employees -- Mike McKelvey, engineer; Mike Hodge, brakeman; and John Folsom, conductor -- watched a snowstorm from their locomotive as they sat parked west of Coon Rapids, Iowa.

Kirk Russell, BNSF trainmaster, Omaha, Nebraska, was supposed to pick them up, but it turned out he, too, was stranded.

"I got stuck in a major snow drift, then I was able to move for about two miles, but weather conditions worsened. I called the Iowa State Patrol and they had Coon Rapids Police Chief Joel Roetman confirm my location," says Russell, adding that the chief was a godsend.

When Roetman asked Russell if there was anything he could do to help, the trainmaster provided the chief directions to the stranded train, whose crew was elated when Roetman arrived about 22:00. "They said they'd been sitting there for hours and had not seen one car go by," Roetman told the Des Moines Register in an interview.

Folsom, McKelvey and Hodge had been leading a BNSF train of empty hopper cars to a grain elevator in Bayard, Iowa, about six miles east of Coon Rapids. They’d stopped because they had reached the number of hours they could legally work, and they weren't sure whether they could start again because the snow had covered a switch.

Roetman, who had already taken in another stranded motorist, said he decided to take the three men to his house because it was only a mile away. Folsom said the police chief served them bratwurst and pizza for dinner and let them sleep on his couches.
"That was real nice of him. The next morning he made us blueberry pancakes and sausage," Folsom told the newspaper.

Folsom said he didn't know when they'd be able to move their train again, saying that the railroad might have to plow the tracks and clear the switches before any trains could get through.

While the crew was being saved, Russell was practically stranded himself; he was stuck on Highway 71 short of a major snow drift, about 30 yards from a farmhouse, with three-fourths of gas in his tank.

"I had made some miles in the storm, but eventually I hit another bad patch of weather. I stopped a few miles short of Exira, Iowa, because of snow drifts," recalls Russell, adding that James Wolff, owner of the property, was a great Samaritan, too.

"James came out to see if I was OK. At that time I was; I had fuel and water. But by the next morning, I happily accepted James’ invitation to breakfast. I was able to charge my cell phone.
It was a long two days, and I spent 18 hours sitting between snow drifts," says Russell.

Thanks to some very nice folks, all BNSF employees made it back to their respective homes safe and sound. And to thank him, BNSF plans to send a special gift to Chief Roetman. - BNSF Today

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BNSF HIRING IN WYOMING, NEBRASKA

CHEYENNE, WY -- The BNSF Railway Company intends to perform major track work in the Powder River Basin this year and plans to hire about 200 people in portions of Wyoming and Nebraska for the job.

The company reports that it intends to add 60 miles of third and fourth main line tracks in the Powder River Basin this year. It says the construction will create one of the longest four-track main lines in the United States devoted to moving freight.

The railway says improvements are necessary to boost capacity of its lines, which carry coal from Wyoming. Available positions include track maintenance welders, truck drivers, laborers and assistant signal persons.

Besides the track work, BNSF plans to add an additional 100 jobs in Wyoming, including train crew positions, spokesman Gus Melonas said. - The Billings Gazette

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RAILROAD TRACKS CLOSED BY FLOODING

WINONA, MN -- Amtrak passengers are being told to board their trains in La Crosse, Wisconsin, after flooding closed the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks on the Minnesota side of the Mississippi River.

A spokesperson at the Winona Amtrak station says the Amtrak trains are being re-routed on the Wisconsin side of the river.

Canadian Pacific Railway spokesman Ed Greenberg says the Whitewater River in the Weaver area went over it banks, with water and debris covering the tracks.

Canadian Pacific officials were notified at 05:00 Wednesday morning. Greenberg says a crew was sent to the area north of Winona and began work immediatly to clear the ice and debris from the tracks.

The railroad hopes to have the tracks reopened by early Wednesday afternoon. - The Associated Press, WCCO-TV4, Minneapolis, MN

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MINING MOVES OVER FOR TOURIST RAILROAD

Photo here:

[www.nevadaappeal.com]

Caption reads: Photo Courtesy of Gary Luce. The future V&T Railway will cut through this area of the old Frehner Pit, which is mined for aggregate by Road and Highway Builders. The historic V&T alignment is the cut near the base of the hill.

CARSON CITY, NV -- An aggregate mining plant at the old Frehner Pit north of Mound House will be moved to make way for the reconstructed Virginia & Truckee Railway.

Project officials said Tuesday that relocating Road and Highway Builders' asphalt-batch plant and truck scales will cost up to $200,000. The funds will come from the budget of the state commission reconstructing the 18-mile tourist railroad between Carson City and Virginia City.

"This will provide a better experience for tourists," said Bob Hadfield, chairman of the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway. "We won't be going through an actual mine. They will be able to observe, but we won't have to be concerned with all the (mining) trucks."

Tourists riding the reconstructed Virginia & Truckee Railway in 2010 will cruise along the rim of the open pit before crossing Highway 50 East and rolling into the future Carson City depot off Drako Way.

Hadfield said this agreement allows mining to continue at the pit and the railroad to get through without having to build a costly fill or divert miles out.

The right-of-way purchase agreement is still being hashed out with the land owners. Dan Kappes, a partner in Decommissioning Services, of Reno, said the company will sell the land to the V&T at a reduced cost.

"(The train) doesn't help the value of the land, but historically it's a nice thing to do, and we can accommodate it without hurting anything," Kappes said. "It could have a negative impact on the mining of the pit, but people are accommodating it."

The mining operator could not be reached for comment.

The sale could close by the end of the month. Kappes' partners are Mike Cassiday and Jim Golden. Decommissioning Services closes old mining operations and conducts environmental cleanup. It owns 190 acres at 200 Industrial Parkway.

Ken Dorr, V&T project manager, said rail will be built in that phase in 2008. So far, a little over a mile of new rail has been constructed between Gold Hill and American Flat. - Becky Bosshart, The Nevada Appeal

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NO RECREATION ON OR NEAR RAILROAD

LARAMIE, WY -- "Rail and recreation do not mix." That is the slogan of Operation Lifesaver.

A photo of a man "recreating" by riding his motor bike between two separate railroad tracks last week has caused concern for a former Pan Am CEO and Laramie resident Timothy Mellon. Mellon said the photo depicting the recreational behavior "is no joke." He added that it also showed the person trespassing on private property.

Wyoming Operation Lifesaver Coordinator Darrell Real of Wright said that type of behavior is illegal. He said whether a person is on the tracks or railroad right-of-way, that person is on private property and anyone not authorized to be on the property is trespassing.

James Barnes, director of media information for the Union Pacific Railroad Northern Region, said Union Pacific discourages any type of recreation on or near railroad tracks.

"It glorifies the unnecessary risk. We would take issue with the person who decided to ride on (or near) the railroad," Barnes said.

Barnes said Union Pacific works with Operation Lifesaver and other organizations to promote safety around railroad tracks. Real said Operation Lifesaver is a safety organization and advocate group promoting safety around railroad tracks. Operation Lifesaver was first established in 1972 to end collisions, deaths and injuries at places where roadways cross train tracks and on railroad rights-of-way.

Real said, "It's illegal to be on the right-of-way and it's a dangerous place to be. People get hurt constantly." According to 2006 Federal Railroad Administration statistics, there were 530 fatalities across the country last year by people who trespassed on the railroad right-of-way.

"At any time, you can get hit by a train, whether you are riding a motor bike or you are a pedestrian," Real said. "We want to keep people away. It's not a playground or where you want to drive your dirt bike and so on. It's basically kind of like your backyard. We don't want you to play in our backyard."

He added, "It's a dangerous situation and we don't want anyone to get hurt is what it comes down to."

Real said Operation Lifesaver encourages people to stay away from trains and only cross tracks at appropriate and designated crossings.

Barnes said people who take unnecessary risks on a railroad's private property can cause a great deal of trauma not only to themselves but to the railroad workers involved directly or indirectly. - Karla Pomeroy, The Laramie Boomerang

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DM&E FIGHT WAS A WASTE OF TIME WHEN IT COMES TO CONSERVING ENERGY

The U.S. Transportation Secretary agreed that the intended use of the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad loan money was to replace much of its aged infrastructure and make it a much safer railroad. She agreed that there was a need for another railroad to haul coal from Wyoming to the eastern generating plants.

Last year, the two now hauling coal could not keep up with demand. She agreed that it met all statutory requirements that the loan would give priority to enhance safety, protect the environment, promote economic development and preserve or enhance rural rail service. All of these already had been approved by the Department of Transportation in prior hearings.

All of us would like to see the cost of electricity kept down. Only competition will do this. Our nation needs to be more energy independent, and we have 300 to 400 years of available coal out west. The only bottleneck is that the two railroads can't keep up with demand.

Mayo Clinic just spent close to $1 million to get its steam heat from coal burned at the Rochester generating plant. It would take 400 trucks to haul the coal in one 100-car train.
Think of the damage done by those 35- to 40-ton truckloads to the highway.

We all want safer highways, railroad tracks, lower costs for electricity and fuel. We have wasted 10 years by fighting against our own common interests. - Letter to the Editor, Al Schumann, Eyota, MN, The Rochester Post-Bulletin

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UNION PACIFIC SETS MEETING ON DOUBLE-TRACKING

WILLCOX, AZ -- Area residents will have an opportunity to talk about Union Pacific's plans to double track the railroad line here when the state corporation commission comes to town.

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) will hold a public comment session at 15:30 on Friday, March 23, at the Willcox Community Center, 312 W. Stewart St.

Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) plans to expand operations by adding a second set of tracks in portions of Arizona, including Willcox. Local officials and residents are invited to share their comments and concerns with the commissioners, said Heather Murphy, the ACC's public information officer.

In 2005, Union Pacific announced plans to expand its Sunset Route, a 760-mile rail corridor that extends from El Paso to Los Angeles. The Sunset Route passes through or near several Arizona communities that stand to be affected by the expansion.

City Manager Mike Leighton prompted the meeting in Willcox by writing to the commissioners about the potential impacts on the city and its residents, Murphy said.

"While the Commission cannot dictate where a railroad runs, the commissioners do oversee railroad safety," she said.

Through a relationship with the Federal Railroad Administration, the ACC oversees the safe operations and maintenance of signals, crossing, track, locomotives, and cargo containers, Murphy said.

Railroad safety staff representatives will attend the public comment session to make a brief presentation. Representatives from Union Pacific will also attend. After brief presentations to provide a foundation for the meeting's focus, the commissioners will take comments from local officials and members of the general public, she said.

The commission's public comment sessions are formal proceedings and all comments will be recorded or transcribed by a court reporter.

Commissioners may limit the duration of each individual's comments to allow everyone a fair opportunity to speak, Murphy said.

Union Pacific plans to build a second railroad track on the west side of the existing track, which is the side where the Depot/City Hall and Railroad Park stand.

"We had a cordial and productive meeting with the Union Pacific Rail Road on March 6," Leighton told the Range News.

"They came to the table with some proposals that will help mitigate some of our concerns about location of tracks and safety, along with some recommendations about noise mitigation. I am appreciative of UPRR for responding to our concerns."

"We asked (Union Pacific) in writing to place the track on the east side, rather than the west as they've tentatively planned," Leighton told the Range News in December.

"According to the RR, it probably would start out less than 120 (trains per day) -- something more like 70 to 100 depending upon the economy," Leighton said. "A two-track route through Nebraska and Utah runs 120 now. It is doubtful that it will start out at 120."

Currently, about 50 trains roll through Willcox daily.

Union Pacific has also proposed closing one of two crossings within city limits, either Maley Street or Stewart Street.

Leighton said he also sent the request to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), which is considering a request from the City of Willcox to build an overpass over the tracks.

He told City Council Nov. 6 that he'd like Union Pacific to investigate safety issues regarding crossings and noise protection issues.

At a luncheon prior to the November election, Leighton told candidates of the difficulties the city could face regarding this project.

"At this time, closure of either of those crossings is unacceptable. It would virtually shut off emergency traffic from getting North and South," Leighton told the candidates. "There have been times when both crossings have been blocked, creating traffic and emergency problems in the past."

As a solution, the city has asked officials with ADOT to place an overpass at the South end of Rex Allen Drive (Highway 186) creating a truck route that would extend east and south around Willcox reconnecting to Highway 186 south of Willcox, he said.

The estimated project cost is $20 million according to ADOT, said Leighton, adding that Union Pacfic will contribute about 5 percent toward the overpass and truck route.

Leighton told the candidates that Bill Harmon, ADOT's Safford District Engineer, witnessed traffic being held up for 15 minutes as a train blocked both crossings.

Harmon "has requested that the project be placed on the ADOT schedule," Leighton said. He also asked the legislators to "support dollars for road improvements in the rural areas of the state."

Leighton said he believes the new track will be 20 to 30 feet from the depot, "a ballpark figure," which would mean it would not affect the Railroad Park fence or require "moving anything of significance that I am aware of."

And he added that if they built the track on the west side, it would "require rearranging some trackage."

"I don't know that they'll do the more costly thing to make us happy," he said. - Carol Broeder and Ainslee S. Wittig, The Arizona Range News

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PRICE TAG PUTS QUIET ZONE IN LIMBO

MUKILTEO, WA -- Plans to install a quiet zone in Mukilteo are on hold due to confusion over who will pay for it.

The quiet zone project, originally estimated to cost $450,000 (at no cost to the city), could end up costing closer to $1.1 million. This would leave Mukilteo footing a massive chunk of the bill, after the Port of Everett's allotted $600,000 was spent.

A Quiet Zone Update is part of Mukilteo City Council's agenda for Monday, March 19.

Plans for the quiet zone project had been reviewed at the Feb. 26 council meeting, when members voted to upgrade the current two-bar gate system to a four-bar gate system at the Mt. Baker crossing, and to keep Mukilteo Lane open.

"From what I understand the BNSF Railway Company had no intention of replacing the two-arm signal that is there," Interim City Administrator Lee Walton said.

The Quiet Zone Update, compiled by Public Works Director Larry Waters, states that city staff notified BNSF of the quiet zone project plan, and that BNSF agreed the plan was possible.

All they needed from the City was a commitment of $1.1 million.

Railroad officials are beginning to realign tracks to accommodate a Sound Transit passenger platform. Apparently as part of that process, BNSF had planned to simply abandon the Mt. Baker crossing.

There was no contract between BNSF and ST to reinstall the two-bar system, which would have allowed the city to limit its commitment to paying for the upgrade to a four-bar system.

Another area of confusion, since resolved, was whether the City or the Port of Everett would work with BNSF to launch construction on the project.

"It was decided that Mukilteo would be the lead agency and the Port would assist," says Lisa Mandt, the Port's community relations representative.

"That's because the Federal Railroad Administration requires the local jurisdiction to be the lead agency." - Laura Wilcox, The Mukilteo Beacon

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GRAPEVINE RECEIVES PRESERVATION COMMUNITY DESIGNATION

GRAPEVINE, TX -- The city of Grapevine has been named a Preserve America Community by the Preserve America initiative, one of just four Texas cities to receive the designation this year.

Preserve America is a White House initiative in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the U.S. Departments of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, House and Urban Development, Transportation and Education; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities; and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. The initiative encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy the priceless cultural and natural heritage of this country.

Ross Bannister, Grapevine Convention and Visitor’s Bureau director, said the designation is a very high honor for the city and for the groups who have worked so hard to preserve Grapevine’s historic buildings.

“The designation is also a wonderful acknowledgement of the years of hard work by the community leaders,” Bannister said. “A good preservation program requires a substantial grass roots movement and strong leadership within the community. Grapevine is blessed with both.”

The goals of the initiative include a greater shared knowledge about the nation’s past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natural assets and support the economic vitality of the communities.

Grapevine, one of the state’s oldest communities, has long been acknowledged as a city dedicated to preserving the history of the city and its historic buildings. The city has several committees that help promote historic preservation. The Grapevine Heritage Foundation works to unite the community in promoting the preservation and restoration of the city’s historic buildings and researching and recording its heritage. The Grapevine Historic Preservation Commission recommends designation of historic districts and landmarks based on historical and architectural significance; advises property owners; reviews and approves design proposals for restoration, alteration or new construction in historically designated areas of the city.

The Grapevine Historical Society, one of the oldest organizations in the area devoted to preserving the city’s history, maintains a Web site dedicated to Grapevine’s history and sponsors the Historical Society Museum. Its members have worked together to produce to books on the history of Grapevine.

Grapevine has two historic districts and various historic landmarks throughout the city. Owners of historic buildings are allowed to apply for Grapevine Township Revitalization Program grants to revitalize the exterior of historic homes, apply for low interest loans for renovations of the home, apply for loan programs that finance the purchase and restoration of historic homes in one mortgage and take advantage of tax credits for restoration or rehabilitation costs for commercial buildings.

“The city has made a tremendous effort to preserve the culture and history of Grapevine and I believe this designation is well deserved,” Bannister said.

Among the buildings that have been restored are:

* The Palace Theatre, located at 300 South Main Street, is a 439 seat, 57 year old theatre that has had its original Art Deco architectural details restored and now serves as a cultural and civic center for not only Grapevine but the entire Northeast Tarrant County area. Next door is the historic Buckner Cash Grocery Building, built in the 1930s, that has been turned into a spot for lunch and an in the round theatre in the evenings.

* Nash Farm was purchased in 1859 by Thomas Jefferson Nash. The original log home was replaced in 1880 by the home that currently occupies the 5.2 acre historical farm. The farm is being restored by the Grapevine Heritage Foundation to reflect the lives of early farmers and settlers. The facility will eventually offer educational programs, exhibits and a family entertainment center.

* The Grapevine Vintage Railroad operates from the historic Cotton Belt Depot in downtown Grapevine. The restored depot serves as the passenger station for visitors who want to board the train for a trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards.

“The Preserve America Community designation will bring the city more assets for economic development and revitalization,” Bannister said. “Our major goal is to encourage people to appreciate local historic areas and the history of the area.” - Linda Taylor, The Southlake Times Star

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MAN DIES IN FALL FROM TRAIN IN OKLAHOMA

TALALA, OK -- A stowaway on a Union Pacific train is dead after falling from the train and being dragged for about a mile.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the body of the unidentified Hispanic man was found about 00:45 Wednesday morning along railroad tracks north of Talala in Rogers County.

Investigators say the man was illegally on board the train and had apparently been drinking when he fell.

The engineer and conductor of the train were unaware of the accident and continued on to Coffeyville, Kansas, and the body was discovered by a second train as it passed through the area.
The body is being sent to the state medical examiner in Tulsa in an attempt to identify. - The Associated Press, KOTC-TV6, Tulsa, OK

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KCS FORECASTS 10-14 PERCENT REVENUE GROWTH

KANSAS CITY, MO -- Kansas City Southern, the fifth- largest U.S. railroad, has forecast that revenue will rise 10 percent to 14 percent annually during the next five years as it adds new business.

Chief executive officer Michael Haverty made the comment to analysts and investors at a meeting Wednesday at the company's Kansas City headquarters. Company executives said they expected more than half of the increase to come from new business, especially from shipments by a rail-truck combination.

The revenue growth is "a stretch goal, one I believe is achievable," executive vice president Dan Avramovich said.

Kansas City Southern's forecast follows a 23 percent gain in revenue last year to $1.66 billion, led by coal and chemicals. The company in 2005 acquired a majority of a Mexican railroad that links Mexico City to the U.S. through Laredo, Texas, and plans to increase track investment and traffic in Mexico.

The company's shares fell 19 cents to $33.36 in midday trading. They have risen 45 percent in the past year. - Bloomberg News, The Kansas City Star

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EIELSON POWERS ITS OWN MISSION

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, AK -- Every morning, as Airmen here drive onto base, they are greeted by friendly waves -- waves of billowing steam stretching into the crisp morning sky.

This steam is more than just hot air. It is the life's blood of the base, and it comes from the central heat and power plant here.

"It is unique," said Marty Overlin, the superintendent of the power plant. "It is a prime operation -- full generation facility. We produce not only all the electricity for Eielson Air Force Base but also all the heating.

"It is the most critical infrastructure of the base," he said. "Without the power plant, obviously, the base would not exist."

To meet the base's heating and electrical needs, the power plant must generate hundreds of thousands of pounds of steam every hour.

"It's going to depend on the temperature and the time of year, a day like today -- roughly 20 below -- we are producing about 380,000 pounds of steam," Mr. Overlin said. "We are diverting roughly 250,000 pounds of steam just for heating the base. The remainder of the steam is used to make electricity for the base."

To generate this much power every hour, the plant uses Alaskan black gold -- not oil, but coal.

The coal arrives at the power plant by train. In fact, the base has its own railroad -- the second largest railroad in Alaska and the largest in the Air Force. The train pulls multiple cars of coal into the facility every day. Due to the incredibly low temperatures in Alaska in winter, these coal cars are placed into a holding area inside the plant. This allows the coal to unfreeze before it is eventually dumped into the plant's coal bunkers.

The power plant houses six coal bunkers. Each can hold up to 200 tons of coal. The coal, after being broken down into smaller pieces, is fed into the furnaces for the power plant's boilers.

The power plant will consume more than 42,000 pounds of coal an hour on average, Mr. Overlin said. On extremely cold days, he said the plant has burned up to 60,000 pounds in a single hour.
This steam is routed into a common header, then fed to the base's power turbines.

"The turbines are an extraction stage," Mr. Overlin said. "Roughly half way through, we extract the steam to heat the base. The remaining steam then goes back and turns a common shaft, which is a generator to produce the electricity around the base."

Despite using less than half of the steam production for electrical power, the plant's turbines can generate millions of watts of electricity every day.

While the plant consumes more than 187,000 tons -- 374 million pounds of coal per year -- the plant is environmentally friendly.

"We have numerous environmental controls," Mr. Overlin said. "One of the big pluses is low-sulfur coal that we get from the coal mine. We did have some particulate matter that was a little high, so the base installed 100-percent, slipstream bag-houses that remove all particulate matter coming out of the tower."

These precautions along with the plant's other programs help meet and exceed their environmental protection goals.

Having the plant at Eielson provides a unique mission capability to the Alaskan base.

"We do not have to rely on others to bring in power," said Capt. Milton Addison, the chief of operations at the power plant. "We are geared that way if we need to, in times of outages or if something goes wrong. But, we are self sufficient."

Originally, the plant went online in 1951. The first four boilers were also installed in 1951 and are still operating. In fact, plant personnel call them the "power boilers." Two additional boilers were installed in 1954.

And, while the power plant is meeting today's Air Force needs. The base is preparing for the future.

"We are looking at some modernization," Mr. Overlin said of a new plant control system being installed this summer. "We are looking to the future to replace a couple of our older boilers ... in the next four to five years."

And since 1951, as Airmen drive onto base here, if they see steam rising from the vent tower, they know they will have heat and power to accomplish their mission. - Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine, Air Force Print News, The Military Family Network

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TRANSIT NEWS

CITIZENS' INPUT COULD REROUTE FASTRACKS LINE; NORTH CORRIDOR REALIGNMENT MAY PROVE A WINNER

DENVER, CO -- RTD was looking to solve a serious FasTracks conflict with freight trains on its Adams County line when ordinary citizens chimed in with a suggestion.

Why not run new tracks to the east of the Commerce City industrial area? That way, the future commuter rail line would better serve the commercial and residential part of town.

Now it appears this idea could potentially serve Commerce City better than other potential track locations, as well as save RTD money on the North Metro transit corridor.

RTD didn't take the names of the people who came up with the suggestion at the Feb. 27 station-planning meeting in Commerce City, said Manolo Gonzales-Estay, the North Metro public involvement coordinator.

But planners conducting the environmental impact study for the $437.7 million, 18-mile rail line through Commerce City, Northglenn and Thornton have added two variations of the suggested alignment to the official map.

They've determined it's the least expensive way to get around the heavy industrial area near the Suncor Refinery, Metro Wastewater treatment plant, Interstate 270, Sand Creek and the busy mainline crossings of the Union Pacific and the Burlington Northern- Santa Fe railroads.

The dilemma began with the railroads. The North Metro commuter rail line has long been planned to use the UP tracks heading north. But there is a famously busy and congested location called Sand Creek Junction.

That railroad convergence is a diagonal crossing of the UP and BNSF mainlines and is located right over the point where Sand Creek flows underneath the tracks and I-270 flies overhead.
Neither railroad wants the hassle of RTD commuter trains competing for space, and insisted that RTD build a fourth-level overpass that would take FasTracks trains over the freeway. That requires an expensive bridge and retaining wall of a mile and a half, or longer.

RTD began looking at a "cross-country" bypass to the west, laying new tracks between the refinery and treatment plant. It would be less expensive then the original plan, but it took FasTracks service farther from Commerce City and also required bridges and walls.

The citizen-inspired alternative to the east would use existing spur tracks to bypass Sand Creek Junction to the east, closer to the core of Commerce City.

Sean Lehocky, a project engineer for Commerce City, said it would have to be looked at closely to determine impacts and potential, but the city likes the idea of having this other option.

RTD doesn't have hard cost estimates yet, but it knows this new alternative would be the least expensive of all the possibilities, said Bob Boot, a senior FasTracks planner. That's because a lot of it would be at grade with fewer bridges and walls. - Kevin Flynn, The Rocky Mountain News

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SIEMENS COMPLETES 16-VEHICLE LIGHT RAIL DELIVERY TO CHARLOTTE

SACRAMENTO, CA -- Siemens Transportation Systems Inc. (STS) announced Wednesday the final shipment of a 16-vehicle light rail order for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) LYNX Blue line rapid transit services. Siemens' S70 light rail vehicles will operate on the Southeastern region's first light rail line, an approximately ten mile stretch that extends from central Charlotte, North Carolina to the Interstate 485 expressway and is parallel to South Boulevard.
CATS officials believe that the light rail line will move twice as many people as one accident-free lane on I-77.

"We all want economic development and growth. The arrival of the final S70 vehicle will assist Charlotte in realizing its plans for faster, more efficient transit alternatives for its citizens that, in turn, lead to economic prosperity," stated Oliver Hauck, president and CEO of Siemens Transportation Systems, Inc.

The S70, Siemens' highly successful 70% low-floor light rail vehicle, is capable of speeds up to 65 miles per hour and boasts enhanced safety and comfort. Featuring room for 236 passengers (AW3) with wheelchair accommodations, the S70 also allows for easy accessibility for all passengers, including those with special mobility needs. The car shells are constructed of low-alloy, high-tensile (LAHT) steel with a composite fiberglass covering. This modern construction method produces a higher structural efficiency and reduces energy consumption during operation.

Siemens' newly expanded manufacturing facility in Sacramento, California constructed the car shell and completed the final vehicle assembly. The S70 LRV is currently in use in Houston, Texas, and San Diego, California. - BusinessWire.com

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AUDIT SEES FLAWS IN LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Transportation Department of the nation's second-largest city lacks a strategic plan, has no long-term goals and needs to be reorganized, according to an audit by City Controller Laura Chick.

"Will we be a city choked by gridlock or will we succeed in creating solutions that will keep us moving?" Chick wrote in the audit released Tuesday.

The audit comes as Los Angeles competes for billions of dollars in state bond money. City leaders are also lobbying in Washington, D.C., for money for subways and light-rail projects.

General Manager Gloria Jeff, who was appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, requested the audit to help her overhaul a department with 1,700 staff members and a $144 million annual budget. The department oversees street issues in the city and is responsible for traffic signals, crosswalks and the DASH bus service.

Last summer the mayor set goals for Jeff, which included reorganizing the staff and developing a strategic plan. Chick said the department has not incorporated many of the mayor's transit goals and failed to budget for its bus service, which could face a multimillion-dollar shortfall within the next decade.

"The mayor has called for a strategic plan to meet the transit needs for the city and the region for the next 25 years and we don't have it for the next 25 days," Chick said.

The audit also found that the department has not been staffed, funded or organized to meet the city's infrastructure demands.

"It's kind of a chicken-and-egg problem. They haven't come forward with a good plan to make the changes necessary," so the department hasn't received the funding to make changes, said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel. - The Associated Press, The San Jose Mercury News

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AMERICANS TURN TO PUBLIC TRANSIT IN RECORD NUMBERS

More Americans hopped aboard trains, buses and ferries in 2006 than they had in nearly a half-century, according to figures released this week by the American Public Transportation Association.

The last time the nation saw this many boardings - 10.1 billion - was in 1957, the year after Congress authorized the Interstate Highway System, which fostered sprawling suburban development and accompanied a national explosion of car ownership.

The Bay Area followed the national trend, with commuter rail and BART seeing some of the largest increases in ridership while area bus systems more gradually recovered from the dot-com economic recession that started six years ago.

"As gas prices have spiked, we have seen people all across the country turning to public transportation in record numbers," said Virginia Miller, spokeswoman for the association. "What that's saying is if you're going to have a world-class transportation system, you're going to need more than one mode of transportation."

While the Bay Area has maintained one of the nation's better public transit networks for several decades, the growth in public transportation has even reached places that seemed in the steel grip of the automobile, Miller said.

"Now the western and southwestern cities, like Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and L.A., have good public transportation systems, and the public wants them to grow," Miller said.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit system is seeing record ridership, with records falling nearly every month. This month, Saturday ridership hit an all-time high as riders rang in the Chinese New Year on March 3.

In 2006, riders passed through BART exit gates 98.9 million times, a 4 percent increase over 2005.

"With the jobs coming back to the Bay Area, as long as tolls and gas are high, and when BART still remains at 22 cents a mile and driving costs 69 cents a mile, then BART is going to be an attractive option for folks who want to save money getting to their job," said BART spokesman Linton Johnson.

Riders from Santa Clara and San Mateo counties also flocked to Caltrain in record numbers last year, said Jonah Weinberg, spokesman for the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, which operates the Gilroy-to-San Francisco commuter rail service. From the start of the current fiscal year in July through January, there were 5.9 million train rides, compared to 5.4 million during the same period a year earlier.

Bus ridership wasn't quite as robust as train ridership, growing a little more than 2 percent to 6 billion rides nationwide, while heavy (like BART) and light rail service expanded 4 percent and nearly 6 percent, respectively, according to association figures.

At San Mateo's SamTrans, ridership is just barely recovering from the dot-com downturn, with average weekday ridership rising 1 percent for the last half of 2006 over the same period in 2005, Weinberg said.

"A lot of people who might have used SamTrans before now have the option of taking Caltrans," Weinberg said, adding, "There are also many jobs that disappeared in 2001 that haven't come back."

The improving economy also points to how dependent public transit is on public funding. While dwindling jobs lower the total number of commuters, starving sales tax coffers also cut back on the amount of transit service local governments are able to pay for, said Chuck Purvis, a statistician for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Resurgent sales tax receipts are now pumping more money into the area's transit system and increasing service, he added. - Erik N. Nelson, The Oakland Tribune

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