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Railroad Newsline for Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

FIRST FREIGHT TRAIN ROLLS ACROSS REBUILT TRESTLE

SACRAMENTO, CA -- Saying work went more smoothly than expected, Union Pacific rail officials early Tuesday reopened one of two tracks destroyed nearly two weeks ago in a dramatic trestle fire near downtown Sacramento. The first freight train traveled over the new line just before 02:00 hours Tuesday, UP spokesman Mark Davis said.

Officials said they expect to have the second track at the site open by April 3, nearly a month ahead of their earlier projections. UP is constructing the new bridge with pre-fabricated materials that were shipped via truck and train to the site, and assembled.

Some 1,400 feet of the trestle was destroyed by a mysterious fire just north of the American River in Sacramento on Thursday afternoon, March 15. The cause of the blaze is under investigation, city fire officials said.

The line, which connects the Bay Area with the rest of the United States, is UP's main freight shipping line through the Sacramento area. The forced closure of the line delayed some shipments by days as trains were held up and rerouted.

State officials gave UP a quick green light to begin reconstructing the line, saying regulatory agencies met and determined the railroad company did not need permits to begin work.

There are, however, lingering environmental and health questions outstanding in the wake of the fire. Officials say they have not yet gotten test results to determine what materials were in the smoke that wafted over Sacramento during and after the fire. Also, water and soil testing at the site is incomplete, and regulators say they expect there will be long-term cleanup issues to deal with. - Tony Bizjak, The Sacramento Bee

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NEW TRESTLE OPENS TO TRAINS

SACRAMENTO, CA -- Union Pacific crews have replaced a portion of the wooden train trestle destroyed by a massive blaze nearly two weeks ago, allowing a train to cross for the first time this morning. The train used the main track number 1 and crossed the bridge just before 02:00 hours.

Union Pacific crews are now concentrating on main track no. 2 which sits to the right of the bridge. They do not yet know when this portion will be open, but the original date given was April 22. Crews have already driven 74% of the steel piling needed for the second track, which is way ahead of schedule. Crews have been working around the clock and our favorable weather has also helped.

The blaze on March 15 destroyed 1,400 feet of elevated track. The rebuilding process would normally take several months, with permits and Environmental Impact Reports required. But the railroad is not bound by those requirements.

"The railroad has special right. They do have special dispensation under federal law," said Bill Thomas, Director of Development Services for the City of Sacramento. "They are exempt from permitting and they don't have to worry about SEQA (State Environmental Quality Act) in this case. It's just repair of what's existing, so good for them."

Thomas said if any other company was involved, such a project would probably take 10 months. "Ya know, we could pour it on and maybe get it done in six to 10," said Thomas. "So it'd be a long time."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but investigators believe the fire was not an accident. A $2,500 reward is being offered by U.P. for any information leading to the arrest of any person who may have been responsible for the fire.

The Sacramento City Fire Department is asking anyone who knows anything about the fire to call its arson tip line at (916) 808-8732. - Kristi Mattes, KXTV-TV10, Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA

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ED. NOTE: Click on the following link to view and listen to a news clip from KCRA-TV3 in Sacramento which has a telephone interview with Union Pacific's Mark Davis about the trestle rebuilding job and it's progress so far. They even discuss the bicycle path issue. - lwg

[www.kcra.com]

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And then there's this bridge:

MAROON CREEK BRIDGES 'LIGHT YEARS APART'

ASPEN, CO -- Building bridges across the deep Maroon Creek gorge west of Aspen, Colorado is an exercise in patience - as much today as it was 120 years ago.

Photo here:

[www.aspentimes.com]

Caption reads: Construction on the new Maroon Creek Bridge isn't expected to finish until 2008. (Paul Conrad/The Aspen Times)

In 1887, the Colorado Midland Railroad was winning the race with rival Denver and Rio Grande to be the first to reach the lucrative silver mining camp. The Midland's grading crew scratched a roadbed to the edge of Aspen in mid-August of that year, about same time the D&RG reached Glenwood Springs.

But the Midland's advantage evaporated when it had to wait for the substantial amount of steel and other materials necessary to build the superstructure of the Maroon Creek Bridge. The D&RG picked an easier route that required smaller bridges across the Roaring Fork River downvalley and avoided the Castle and Maroon creek gorges.

"Thus, by the middle of September, the Midland had come to the threshold but now had to stand aside and let its rival claim the prize," Malcolm Rohrbough wrote in his book "Aspen: The History of a Silver Mining Town 1879-1893."

The D&RG reached Aspen in late October and started service on the line Nov. 2.

The Midland's track reached Maroon Creek by December 1887. Once crews received their materials, they slapped together a marvel of a bridge 650 feet long and 90 feet tall in just six weeks, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation's records.

The Midland's first train finally rolled into Aspen in early February 1888. The railroad was bankrupt by 1918. The bridge became the property of the Colorado Department of Highways in 1927 and was converted for auto use two years later.

Although the trestles and their foundations have taken a beating from weather, rockfall and runoff, the superstructure the Colorado Midland laid down is still in use.

Pete Mertes, the project engineer for the Colorado Department of Transportation, marvels at what the Midland accomplished without today's sophisticated equipment. The steel pieces of the bridge were joined by using hot driven rivets rather than bolts and nuts, he said.

The old bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places, so it will remain in place even after CDOT's new concrete structure goes up next to it.

CDOT started working on the replacement in fall 2005. It will take two and a half years to accomplish what the Midland did in six or so weeks, although a comparison would be grossly unfair.

The size is about the only comparable quality of the bridges: "They're light years apart," Mertes said.

Federal approvals for the new bridge require painstaking steps to preserve the fragile wetlands and riparian areas in the valley floor. The pier columns had to be in specific areas, for example.

The effort to minimize environmental damage dictated the design. The bridge has two massive piers that look like a capital letter A. Pier tables, a sort of hollow box, sit on top of the piers and support the forms for 42 cantilevered segments of concrete that will be the foundation of the traffic lanes.

The cantilevered construction reduces the number of piers required.

"This bridge is unique because of the type of construction required to built it," Mertes said.

About 14 of the 42 cantilevered segments, or one third, are complete. BTE/Atkinson JV, the contractor, is casting about one per week now after going through "a learning curve," Mertes said.

CDOT is using just one crane in the valley floor to limit environmental disturbance. That also affects the speed of the project.

The Midland crews didn't have any constraints based on environmental protections, and they didn't have to worry about disrupting traffic. Mertes said a steel girder bridge design wasn't considered because it would have required traffic delays during construction.

This bridge - expected to cost just shy of $14 million - will require 7,500 cubic yards of concrete. For perspective, the average ready-mix truck carries nine cubic yards, so this bridge will require about 833 truckloads.

The bridge was originally scheduled for completion in late 2007. Now it looks like it will be late spring or early summer 2008.

"Challenges with utility relocations, cement shortages and other items have hindered production and may continue to have an impact on the bridge schedule in the future," said CDOT's website for the project.

CDOT believes it will be worth the wait. The concrete will last at least as long as the Midland's steel bridge and require less maintenance: "It will last indefinitely if maintained property," Mertes said.

The website for the project (http://www.dot.state.co.us/marooncreek) has details about everything from the old bridge history to the new bridge design. - Scott Condon, The Aspen Times

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UNION PACIFIC LIFTS SOUTHERN POWDER RIVER BASIN JOINT LINE EMBARGO

OMAHA, NE -- Union Pacific Tuesday announced the end of its embargo on new service from all stations on the Joint Line serving the Southern Powder River Basin (SPRB) of Wyoming. The embargo, in place since July 18, 2005, officially ended Tuesday.

"Western coal from Colorado and Wyoming supports critical energy needs throughout the entire United States," said Doug Glass, vice president – Energy, Union Pacific Railroad. "The embargo was originally put in place during the summer of 2005 when an aggressive track work program was under way to restore full capacity to the Joint Line. The embargo allowed us to protect service to our existing customers without being forced to transport coal to new customers."

Investments in track infrastructure, combined with incremental operational improvements and less disruptive maintenance schedules helped expand rail capacity on the Southern Powder River Basin Joint Line. Union Pacific has the ability to move coal that its customers demand, although episodic mine production problems may affect deliveries. - James Barnes, UP News Release

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ACC CAN DERAIL RUNAWAY POWER OF UNION PACIFIC

TUCSON, AZ -- The Legislature has stepped into Union Pacific Railroad's attempts to run roughshod over Arizona landowners -- a needed intervention on the side of those who are virtually powerless against the rail giant.

Union Pacific plans an enormous switching yard directly across Interstate 10 from Picacho Peak, a popular state park that is resplendent with wild- flowers each spring.

The plan has substantial opposition from farmers, landowners, visitors to the park and those who stay at a nearby RV resort.

That meant little to Union Pacific, which planned to ignore critics and use its power of eminent domain to take over state land and build the switching yard.

Now the Legislature has stepped in.

The Senate Natural Resources and Rural Affairs Committee voted unanimously last week to require that railroads receive approval from the Arizona Corporation Commission to use eminent-domain authority to compel the sale of land.

Under HB 2020, the commission would be required to consider whether the railroad had evaluated alternative routes and factored in economic and environmental matters before moving to condemn the land.

That clearly has not been done in the case of the switching yard near Picacho Peak.

While Union Pacific says the 585-acre rail yard would bring 200 jobs from Tucson to Pinal County, there are well-founded fears that its diesel residue will taint desert flora and fauna and infiltrate the aquifer.

The state Parks Board spent $265,000 and bought 10 acres last year to protect views from Picacho Peak. The board has deemed the railroad yard "clearly not compatible with a state landmark park."

The proposed switching yard also would be on top of a Central Arizona Project groundwater recharge site. A large number of standing trains that drip fuel and oil isn't compatible with water recharge.

It is understandable why Union Pacific picked the site. It's already level and lacks washes and riverbeds, making it inexpensive for the railroad to develop.

An independent review by the Arizona Corporation Commission is needed to ensure that any such decision is made on factors in addition to those most favorable to the railroads.

HB 2020 is a reasonable bill that would prevent the powerful, multistate railroads from using the power of eminent domain to cause havoc to people who otherwise would not have the means to fight them.

And it would ensure that factors such as the environment become part of what could easily be a money-only decision. - Editorial Opinion, The Tucson Citizen

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NEXT STOP FOR RAILROADS: HAND-HELD COMPUTING

ATLANTA, GA -- RMI and Industrial Networks (INet) announce Tuesday the successful implementation of hand-held AEI readers at Farmrail System, Inc., one of their short line railroad customers located in rural Oklahoma. Using the RAILTRAC® MobileT portable AEI solution provided by INet and integrated with RMI's RailConnect Transportation Management System (TMS), Farmrail crews are now able to capture railcar movement events in the field and report these events in near real-time.

Headquartered in Clinton, Oklahoma, Farmrail provides scheduled and as-needed freight service over 347 main-line miles to 29 communities and 50 shippers in 12 rural Oklahoma counties. The territory includes some of the nation's prime production land for hard red winter wheat, its highest-quality gypsum deposits, and one of its largest energy reserves, the Anadarko Basin. The principal commodities handled by Farmrail are wheat, crude and processed gypsum, feed ingredients, crushed stone, oilfield drilling fluids, fertilizers, and agricultural machinery.

"The railroad industry has set new standards for the timeliness in reporting car movement events to a level where most critical events now need to be reported within six hours," explains Judy Petry, controller for Farmrail and chairperson for the ASLRRA's SLIT Committee, which has been working to improve event reporting. "Using RMI's RailConnect TMS we have always reported car movement events to the industry within minutes of when they were entered in the system. However, because of delays in communicating completed work from the train crews to the clerks, the timeliness of event reporting was sometimes not as fast as we needed it to be. By equipping our crews with the INet RAILTRAC® MobileT portable AEI solution and integrating this information with RMI's TMS system, we have eliminated these delays."

"The Farmrail hand-held project is a great example of how technology can best be used to help short line and regional railroads gain operational efficiency and improve service to their customers," explains Paul Pascutti, vice president of marketing, RMI. "Railroads have been using fixed-location AEI readers for many years to automate the capture of railcar movement events. Hand-held readers now make this technology more affordable and flexible for short line railroads."

"We are excited about working with Farmrail to bring our RAILTRAC® MobileT portable AEI solution to the short line railroad industry," says Jimmy Finster, president of INet. "We knew our RAILTRAC® MobileT solution would work for the railroad industry due to our success with real-time event reporting to our industrial rail shippers over the last decade."

Not only is Farmrail improving the timeliness of the event reporting using the INet readers, but it is also improving the efficiency of its overall operation. "It just doesn't make sense to have clerical staff entering data after the fact," says Petry. "We had already implemented EDI billing with our shippers. The next logical step was to put the capture of event data into the hands of the people performing the work."

Both RMI and INet will be exhibiting at the ASLRRA annual convention to be held in Baltimore April 22-24, 2007. INet will have hand-held units on hand to demo the RAILTRAC® MobileT portable AEI solution. RMI will be demonstrating how the data fed from the portable AEI readers automatically updates their transportation system. - BusinessWire.com

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TRAIN, TRUCK COLLIDE, CAUSE HUGE FIRE

GLENDORA, MS -- About 200 residents were allowed to return home Monday after firefighters put out a blaze that erupted when a train carrying liquid propane hit a fuel truck in the small Tallahatchie County town, authorities said.

The fire was put out a short time after the 14:30 collision, a Canadian National Railway Ltd. spokesman said, and everyone has been accounted for.

He said it appeared the fuel truck had stalled crossing the railroad tracks.

The cars carrying liquid propane appeared to be intact, Kvedaras said.

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality's emergency response office an employee has not yet reached the accident. - The Associated Press, The Biloxi Sun Herald

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CORN FIELDS IN ARIZONA? ETHANOL DEMAND CREATES OPPORTUNITY FOR ARIZONA GROWERS

Amber fields of corn growing, as far as the eye can see ... in Southern Arizona? It's possible, say industry and agricultural research specialists, and it could happen sooner than anyone expects.

As higher oil prices and concern over global warming increase consumer interest in alternative fuels, higher prices are increasing interest in growing more corn in Arizona and distilling it here for shipment to service stations in California.

According to estimates from the American Farm Bureau, 86.5 million acres of corn will be planted this year. In 2008, that total could jump to 91 million, supplying an estimated 3.5 billion bushels for use in producing approximately 9.6 billion gallons of ethanol.
Arizona growers will want their share and that means some of the state's cotton fields could be transformed to corn, says the Arizona Farm Bureau.

Arizona Grain Inc. has already broken ground on a $60 million, 52 million gallon ethanol plant, five miles east of Maricopa, which is just north of Casa Grande in Pinal County. The plant is intended to help meet the state's existing demand for about 100 million gallons of ethanol a year for federally mandated oxygenated fuel blend.

John Skelley, president of Arizona Grain, says the distillery foreshadows what's to come as demand for E85 ethanol fuel grows in Arizona and, especially in California where the environmental benefits are gaining momentum.

"We're planning on bringing in 100-car unit trains from the Midwest, but we're expecting supply from local producers, too," Skelley said. "A Nebraska grower has to pay freight, but the local grower doesn't," which he said means Arizona growers will be able to get better prices for their corn than growers in the Midwest.

As long as consumption increases, "there will be a strong demand for whatever they want to grow," Skelley said. Tucson and Phoenix are good markets, he said, "because ethanol sales move in tandem with gasoline prices."

Sustained higher worldwide prices for oil will increase that even further.

"We're expecting ethanol production to begin in May and we're already looking at expanding beyond the 18-million-bushel capacity we've planned," Skelley said.

The only limit he said is the cost of getting the grain, the cost of the electricity to distill it, and the price for the ethanol, when it's ready, "and we have confidence that it will continue to be where we need it to be," he said.

Although Arizona Grain's plant is in the Gila River Valley, the climate for growing corn there isn't optimal, said Russell Tronstad, specialist in agriculture and resource economics for the University of Arizona. "Sorghum might be more appropriate."

Instead Tronstad sees Cochise and Santa Cruz counties as "much better because of micro-climate conditions that encourage pollination."

Prior to the arrival of Spanish settlers, the Tohono O'odham commonly raised abundant corn harvests throughout the upper Santa Cruz and San Pedro River basins.

"One thing is for certain. Ethanol plants have a lot of fixed costs, so the emphasis will be on pushing a lot of product through them," Tronstad said.

In that context, whether it is more efficient to have the plant close to the corn or close to the market will depend on the cost of transportation.

"Using an existing pipeline structure doesn't seem to work that well," Tronstad said, because of the water content inherent in ethanol. Even if they solve that problem, there's the question of whether a pipeline from the Midwest would be cost-efficient.

The production plants will be built where there's a competitive advantage, he said, "and there are still a lot of unanswered questions about that, at this point."

Anticipating there might be an advantage to ethanol plants locating in Southern Arizona, the Port of Tucson next month expects to finish a 6,000-foot unit train facility adjacent to its current siding near Interstate 10 and Kolb Road. Unit trains carry large volumes of a single item, eliminating the requirement of the railroad to switch and route individual cars.

"Our first shipment will be pipe for Kinder-Morgan, but we'll be able to handle any type of unit train Union Pacific operates," said Alan Levin, developer of the Port of Tucson, who said he didn't of any major shipments intended for ethanol production but "entrepreneurship means being prepared for the possibility, and we will be." - Philip S. Moore, Inside Tucson Business

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COURT REJECTS HEARING APPEAL OF CHALLENGE TO RAIL PURCHASE

OXNARD, CA -- The Oxnard Harbor District's purchase of Ventura County Railway Co. will stand, after the California Supreme Court last week declined to hear an appeal of the lawsuit challenging the deal.

The city of Port Hueneme sued the Harbor District in 2005 over purchase of the railroad company, citing a state law that requires city approval when a harbor district acquires land within city limits.

A Ventura County judge and a state appeals court both ruled in the Harbor District's favor.

The purchase did not require city approval, the courts said, because the Harbor District bought only a controlling interest in the limited liability corporation that governs the railroad. Under state law, that does not give the district direct ownership of the limited liability corporation's land or other property.

The state Supreme Court was the city's last chance to have the earlier rulings overturned. - The Ventura County Star

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TOURIST TRAIN A BRIDGE TO RICHES

Photo here:

[www.chieftain.com]

Caption reads: The San Luis Express will expand operations this year, extending its stop in La Veta by an hour. (Courtesy Photo/Paul Alhadef)

LA VETA, CO -- Tourism boosters in Huerfano County met this week with their more-experienced San Luis Valley brethren to discuss improving a tourism train that serves both areas.
The San Luis Express, which takes passengers from Alamosa to La Veta via the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, will expand its operations this year to give both communities more time with passengers.

The train, which was established last year, will extend its stop in La Veta by an hour to give tourists more time to explore and retailers more time with a captive audience.

The group wants to make sure those passengers have plenty of information on what the town has to offer.

"Last year, most passengers spent their time trying to figure out where to eat," said La Veta town board member Sandy Helwig.

Officials agreed that the train needs a brochure that tells people which restaurants are open on any given day, with walking directions from the train depot.

Signs directing passengers to restrooms are equally important, Helwig said. Better informed guests will create more repeat business for the train and, subsequently, more business for both communities.

"If the train is making money, we're making money," said Debra Goodman, executive director of the Alamosa County Chamber of Commerce.

Representatives from both communities also talked about how to make the most of their tourism efforts and minimize duplication of effort.

Huerfano County recently elected a Board of Tourism to oversee monies it collects from a new lodging tax. Goodman said the board will work more efficiently if it cooperates with the area's chambers of commerce and other tourism-related entities.

She said her chamber of commerce has become an umbrella for several entities, including the Alamosa Board of Tourism, a local marketing district and a downtown merchant association. Each entity pays the chamber and uses one of seven staff workers. Goodman told the group that sharing a staff allows all entities to accomplish much more than they could with volunteers.

She suggested that sharing billboard space and advertisements would bring costs down for each entity and would maximize the effectiveness of their ad dollars. - Tammy Alhadef, The Pueblo Chieftain

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YET ANOTHER TREK FOR CABOOSE NO. 129

JOPLIN, MO -- Early last week, a message was left on my desk that Rosemary Stone was trying to reach me. Stone's late husband, Jim, was the owner and manager of The Rafters restaurant, which until recently stood at the southeast corner of 20th Street and Range Line Road. In its day some 40 years ago, it was the place to be seen.

When Rosemary calls, she gets an immediate call back from me.

She answers the phone: "Hey, I know how you are always looking for material, and I thought you might be interested in this. They're moving the caboose."

"The caboose that used to sit on the south side of Rafters?" I ask.

"Yep. Better hurry because they have got two cranes out here and a big, flatbed truck, and everybody's showing up," she says.

At the scene, it's clear that something is going on. There's a commotion. I ask a few questions and gather the information I need, then receive an invitation from Rosemary to sit with her in lawn chairs and watch the show unfold.

We have a wonderful and energetic conversation as two cranes, one on each end of the caboose, attempt to lift it without much success onto the flatbed trailer. As this happens, several people notice that Rosemary and I are having quite a good time talking. Some ask what it is I actually do for a living.

"You come out here, ask a few questions, take a couple of pictures and then sit around for an hour and watch as a caboose is moved. Nice work," one of them says. "How can I get a job like that?"

I can see that trying to convince them that being a journalist can often involve exhausting work would be wasted energy. It is best to just fess up and admit that every once in a while, you get a perk with the work.

So, here's the story about the caboose. It was built from the ground up by Frisco Railroad workers at Springfield and put into action in roughly 1948. It was the end of a series of wooden cabooses from the days when the rails were ruled by classic steam engines.

After working most of its days from a base in Joplin's Ruth Yards, the caboose went out of service in October 1974. Jim Stone purchased it the next year and moved it via rail to the International Paper Co. plant east of Range Line. From there, a temporary rail was built to move the caboose to the south side of Rafters, where it was displayed for many years. It eventually was moved to the Stone home, where it served as a backdrop for family photos.

A few years ago, Jeff Cooney purchased the caboose with the intent of moving it to a new home in Joplin. Cooney's job transferred him to Texas in 1997. He put the caboose up for sale with someone who brokers deals on railroad equipment on the Internet.

The caboose is one of two that were purchased in this area by a man who is building a caboose motel, The Loose Caboose, in Tombstone, Ariz. The other caboose, a metal one, was picked up in Fort Scott, Kansas.

No. 129's final journey included stops in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico before it arrived in Tombstone last Thursday, said Jim Clark, who specializes in railroad services for the motion-picture industry. He has more than 200 movie credits to his name.

"We brought it all the way here on a flatbed with no problems," Clark said Saturday in a telephone interview. "It was a big scene in town when they arrived. The only thing that would be any bigger would be if the Ringling Brothers had come to town."

Seeing the caboose leave their home was sad for members of the Stone family, but it was uplifting for Rosemary. She knew how much her husband appreciated history, and he would have wanted to see the caboose preserved.

"I'm glad it's going to get some tender, loving care," she said. - Wally Kennedy, The Joplin Globe

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ENGINEER CHARGED IN TRAIN DERAILMENT SURRENDERS TO AUTHORITIES

SMETHPORT, PA -- An engineer at the controls of a train that derailed, polluting a pristine trout stream, turned himself in to face criminal charges.

Michael Seifert surrendered voluntarily Monday at the office of Smethport District Judge Bill Todd. Seifert, 45, of Buffalo, N.Y., was arraigned on two counts of causing or risking a catastrophe and one count reckless endangerment.

He remained in McKean County jail on Tuesday in lieu of $20,000 bail. A message left for his attorney, Paul Malizia, on Tuesday was not immediately returned.

About 42,000 gallons of the caustic chemical sodium hydroxide, also known as lye or caustic soda, spilled into the Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek near Gardeau after 32 cars derailed on June 30. The Norfolk Southern train reached a speed of 77 mph in a 15 mph zone before jumping the tracks, according to a criminal complaint.

The complaint also said Seifert was under the influence of drugs -- opiates and benzodiazepines -- at the time of the crash. Benzodiazepines are commonly used to ease anxiety and opiates are found in numerous drugs, from prescription pain relievers to heroin. Seifert has not been charged with any drug offenses.

Cleanup at the site continues nine months after the derailment. Fish were killed in Sinnemahoning-Portage Creek, which is designated a creek of exceptional value by state wildlife officials, and Big Fill Run. The Driftwood Branch was also tainted.

Effects of the spill were felt as far as 30 miles downstream, with much of the impact in Cameron County, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The state Fish and Boat Commission is also compiling information that would be presented to McKean County District Attorney John Pavlock for a decision on whether to file civil charges, commission spokesman Dan Tredennick said Tuesday. Pavlock did not immediately return a call Tuesday seeking comment.

Recovery at the derailment site, which was filled with wild trout, will take time, Tredennick said. "What was lost was several generations of fish," he said.

But the water quality a couple miles downstream has improved to the point where the state is again stocking several areas with fish, Tredennick said. Trout season in that area of the state opens April 14.

Separately, DEP is seeking $8.89 million in fines for environmental violations, and the railroad has appealed.

Seifert was fired by Norfolk Southern last year. - The Associated Press, The Carlisle Sentinel (Carlisle, PA)

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TRANSIT NEWS

ORANGE LINE EXTENSION STUDIED

LOS ANGELES, CA -- The continuing popularity of the Orange Line has spurred MTA efforts to extend the 14-mile busway and connect residents living outside the San Fernando Valley with the hugely popular "subway on wheels."

A $6 million study is being conducted on a plan to extend the line - which now runs between Woodland Hills and North Hollywood - northward to the Ronald Reagan Freeway in Chatsworth.

Transportation officials hope the connection would entice commuters from Santa Clarita or Ventura County to park their cars and climb aboard.

"We're trying to be better than cars," said Walt Davis, Metro's transportation planning manager for the San Fernando Valley. "We're trying to get you from Point A to Point B faster."

Researchers in the multimillion-dollar study - expected to be completed by August 2008 - also are studying whether the busway can be extended north along Canoga Avenue to the Chatsworth Metrolink Station and whether there's land near the freeway for a Park and Ride lot.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials propose extending the busway along the former railroad right of way that the agency owns along Canoga Avenue - land now holding used-car dealerships and auto-body shops. The MTA has included $300,000 for community outreach as plans for the bus line shape up.

Lures needed

If approved by the MTA board, construction could start by 2009 and be completed in three years.

But luring people out of cars and onto public transportation could be difficult unless they have to cope with a long commute, high gas prices or costly parking fees, said Brian Taylor, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.

"Why would they use it?" Taylor asked. "For people with automobiles, it has to be worth their while to make the switch, and the time savings has to be strong."

But tens of thousands of Valley commuters have found the Orange Line to be a godsend during morning and evening rush hours. Except for an occasional dip -- during summer vacation and the winter holidays -- the busway has averaged more than 20,000 daily boardings since shortly after it debuted Nov. 1, 2005.

To meet the demand, Metro plans to experiment this summer with 65-foot-long buses. Each could hold 14 more passengers than are held by one of the 60-foot-long buses now in use. The MTA could eventually use 80-foot-long buses, boosting the capacity to that of rail lines.

Averaging 35 mph, the Orange Line makes the 14-mile trip in about 40 minutes. By comparison, the Red Line subway averages 32 mph, taking 29 minutes to travel between North Hollywood and Union Station. The subway makes up time, however, as it accelerates to 70 mph traveling under the Santa Monica Mountains between Universal City and Hollywood, said MTA spokesman Marc Littman.

Potential use the key

Robert Rodine, who co-chairs the Valley Industry and Commerce Association's transportation committee, heralded the proposed Ronald Reagan Freeway connection. Commuters from Simi Valley and Moorpark need more alternatives, he said. "If the Orange Line is attractive enough to them, they will perhaps exit the freeway, park their cars and ride the Orange Line the rest of the way," he added.

Daniel Blake, director of the San Fernando Valley Research Center at California State University, Northridge, said the link could ease freeway traffic and air pollution, but he questioned how frequently commuters would use the busway.

"As long as it would be used and not running empty, I think it would be terrific," Blake said. - Sue Doyle, The Los Angeles Daily News

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COUNTY RESIDENTS COULD USE LIGHT RAIL TO TRAVEL BETWEEN ST. CLOUD, TWIN CITIES BY 2009

Photo here:

[media.fergusfallsjournal.com]

Caption reads: Area residents, until 1971, could take the passenger train from Fergus Falls to Minneapolis. Stating in 2009, rail passenger service will commence halfway between St. Cloud and the Twin Cities.

Otter Tail County, Minnesota residents who detest heavy traffic as they approach the Twin Cities along Interstate 94 will, in two years, have the option of parking their cars near Monticello and taking the train 40 miles from the nearby Big Lake train station to downtown Minneapolis.
All the pieces are in place to begin rail service in 2009.

After departing from the Big Lake station, there will be Northstar Line train stops in Elk River, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Fridley and downtown Minneapolis near Fifth Street and Third Avenue North. Plans call for connecting the Northstar Line to the Hiawatha light rail line that connects downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America. Stops along that route include the Metrodome, International Airport, and other locations.

"Light rail usage between downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America has really caught on, and I expect good usage of the line up to Big Lake-Monticello as well," State Rep. Bud Nornes said. "Many people in the Twin Cities area -- and also many people here in Otter Tail County -- want to eventually see the rail line extended from Big Lake all the way to St. Cloud."

State Sen. Dan Skogen also supports the passenger train concept.

"Moving people in a more organized fashion in and around the Twin Cities is sorely needed," Skogen said. "I agree that the rail option from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis will be appreciated by travelers from Otter Tail County heading to the Twin Cities."

Eventually, a passenger rail link also will be completed between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Two years ago the State Legislature approved $866 million for the Northstar train project -- extending service up Big Lake. The bill was signed April 11, 2005, by Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty at the Riverdale Station in Coon Rapids. This funding, along with $55 million dollars in local funding, is matched by $55 million in federal dollars.

"Whether an Otter Tail County resident uses the rail line or not depends on where your destination is at," Pelican Rapids Mayor Wayne Runningen said. "If you're heading to Eden Prairie, for instance, you'd still have to drive into the Twin Cities by car. But for those going to a Twins game, to the Mall of America or another place along the train route, using the Northstar rail line will be a real advantage."

Fergus Falls attorney Morrie Kershner said passenger train travel is sorely needed to alleviate traffic congestion in and around the Twin Cities.

"it's much quicker to get around other larger metropolitan areas in different parts of the county," Kershner said. "Frequency of train travel from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis will be a deciding factor for many travelers, but it's a good thing -- and long overdue."

Tickets will cost $6 for a one-way 40-mile rail trip from Big Lake to downtown Minneapolis -- slightly more than the cost of driving one's vehicle, depending on miles per gallon. For a vehicle that gets 20 miles per gallon, and with gasoline at $2.50 per gallon, driving by car would cost $5.

The benefits to riding by train far outweigh any cost advantages of driving one's vehicle, Northstar promoters emphasize.

First, there are the everyday commuters who live in the Monticello-Big Lake area who may opt to take the train to downtown Minneapolis. For them -- and others like from those who live in Otter Tail County -- people can relax and read the newspaper, use their laptop computers, have no worries about use of parking ramps, and don't have to worry about slippery roads during adverse weather conditions.

From an environmental standpoint, fewer cars mean less air pollution and fewer vehicles on the freeways, Nornes said.

"It's indeed a win-win situation for everyone," State Rep. Nornes said. - Tom Hintgen, The Fergus Falls Daily Journal

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STREETCAR MANUFACTURING RETURNS TO U.S.

The streetcars of Portland, Oregon which began running in 2001, are manufactured in the Czech republic. But that's about to change as the Oregon Iron Works based in Clackamas will now manufacture the streetcars.

With assistance from Oregon and Washington congressional delegations, the company has been awarded a special authorization of $4 million for the production of a streetcar prototype similar to those being used in Portland.

Through Oregon Iron Works' newly formed subsidiary, United Street Car LLC, cities and municipalities such as Portland will, for the first time, be able to purchase low-rise modern streetcars from a domestically owned company. Additionally, United Streetcar meets the requirements of the "Buy American" law that requires projects and programs receiving federal funding to purchase from U.S. companies when available.

"Although Portland was an early adopter, there is now a burgeoning demand throughout the country for streetcars," said Oregon Iron Works vice president Chandra Brown. - Adrienne Selko, Industry Week

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