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Railroad Newsline for Thursday, April 12, 2007

Compiled by Larry W. Grant

In Memory of Rob Carlson, 1952 – 2006

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RAIL NEWS

PRESSURE MOUNTS AS ROTATING STRIKES HIT CN RAIL

VANCOUVER, BC -- Canadian National Railway faced picket lines on Wednesday, but the union said it does not plan this new job action to be as disruptive as the strike that hamstrung Canada's largest railway in February.

In response, CN Rail told the United Transportation Union (UTU) it would lock out workers in the areas where picket lines have been set up, including Vancouver, Canada's largest port.

Canada's labor minister warned on Wednesday of possible Conservative government intervention if the latest labor action was seen as too disruptive to the economy. The opposition Liberals called for the House of Commons to end its Easter break early to deal with the dispute.

The union that represents 2,800 Canadian National workers launched rotating strikes late on Tuesday after workers overwhelmingly voted down the tentative contract deal that had ended February's 15-day walkout.

Union officials said they were still waiting to hear from CN Rail on a return to the bargaining table. A company spokesman has said it is willing to resume talks, but has not set a timetable on when that will happen.

Picketing by the conductors, brakemen and switch yard employees initially began in Vancouver but soon spread to three switching yards in Ontario, including Oakville.

The picketing at each location is expected to last for only a short time, but could resume later in the week. February's walkout was a general strike by CN's 2,800 UTU members.

"We're not planning a full shutdown of the railroad," said Bob Sharpe, a UTU vice-president.

But the company said its lockouts would remain in place until the dispute is resolved.

"The rational is that CN is a scheduled railroad, and we can't run a scheduled freight operation without scheduled manpower," spokesman Mark Hallman said.

The sides are at odds over wages, but many employees have said they are more concerned about issues such as work rules and rest breaks.

February's walkout caused layoffs at CN customers in the auto and forestry industries and disrupted grain exports through Vancouver on both Canadian National and smaller rival Canadian Pacific Railway.

The Canadian Wheat Board warned on Wednesday of new problems even if the strike is more limited in scope.

"This is a really bad time, from a farmer perspective, for there to be any delays in grain movement because they're in the pre-seeding period," said Maureen Fitzhenry of the CWB, Canada's largest grain shipper.

Canadian National is using management crews to replace striking workers, but Chief Executive Hunter Harrison warned customers on Tuesday there would be service delays.

Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn urged the sides to resume negotiations, and said he was concerned the dispute could disrupt the economy.

The federal government had threatened to order an end to February's walkout, but the back-to-work legislation was put on hold during the contract vote.

Blackburn said he could revive the bill quickly if needed, although Parliament is not scheduled to return until April 16. Federal officials have said a decision on whether to revive the legislation will depend on the level of disruption.

"The back-to-work legislation remains on the order paper ... ready to be passed if necessary," Blackburn said in a statement.

The Conservatives would need unanimous consent of the three opposition parties to push the bill quickly through the legislative process, and the pro-union New Democratic Party is unlikely to support such a measure.

The main opposition Liberal Party said rail service was vital, and it wants the government to call lawmakers back to Ottawa by Friday to begin work on legislation.

The strike does not involve CN's operations in the United States, and the union has said it has no plans to disrupt commuter passenger service in Toronto or Montreal. Via Rail passenger trains are also not involved. - Allan Dowd, Rueters

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CN LOCKS PUT UTU MEMBERS AT SEVERAL TERMINALS IN CANADA

MONTREAL, QC -- The Canadian National Railway said Wednesday it is locking out United Transportation Union (UTU) members at various terminals in Canada where UTU members have withdrawn their services.

E. Hunter Harrison, CN president and chief executive officer, said: “ CN is a scheduled railroad, and we cannot run scheduled/precision freight operations without predictable manpower resources. Rotating withdrawals of employee services are very disruptive to the company. We must ensure the continuity of our operations.”

CN continues to serve its customers across Canada with management personnel performing the duties of locked out UTU members.

Harrison said CN is prepared to resume negotiations with the UTU, but no date for talks has been established.

The UTU launched renewed strike activity after announcing yesterday its members’ rejection of a tentative agreement with the company signed on Feb. 24, 2007.

UTU members in Canada have been on strike at CN since Feb. 10, 2007, but suspended strike action and returned to work during the ratification process for the tentative settlement.

CN said the UTU has given the company verbal assurances that it will continue to protect commuter rail services in Toronto and Montreal during rotating labour action.

For more information about the UTU strike and CN negotiations, please visit [cnnegotiationsupdate.cn.ca]. - Mark Hallman, CN News Release

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BNSF ANNOUNCES CHANGES TO ENHANCE TRANSPORTATION SAFETY OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

BNSF Railway Company Monday announced an effort to improve the transportation safety of toxic inhalation and poison inhalation hazardous materials (TIH/PIH). BNSF will publish tariffs (public prices), effective Jan. 1, 2008, to restructure rates based on car risk factors in an effort to encourage shippers to use the most enhanced and upgraded available cars.

The tariff incentives are based on the most improved and enhanced car identified by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) as the DOT specification tank car 112J500W for anhydrous ammonia and 105J600W for chlorine. These cars can also be used for most other TIH/PIH commodities.

“Our number one priority is the safety of our employees, customers and the communities in which we operate,” says John Lanigan, executive vice president and chief marketing officer. “The AAR requires that any tank cars built after Jan. 1, 2008, meet these specifications and all shippers must convert their entire fleet to these cars by Dec. 31, 2018. We hope this change will incent our TIH/PIH shippers to use the most improved and strongest tank cars available as soon as possible, thus further improving the safety of transporting these materials.

TIH/PIH shipments represent significantly less than one percent of BNSF’s total annual volume.

BNSF continues to invest significantly in improving safety and rail continues to be the safest mode for transporting hazardous materials. BNSF’s safety investments include track and structures maintenance; operating practice changes; and improved safety training for BNSF employees and community responders.

“We believe these policy changes along with our safety investments help address the concerns of the citizens in the communities where we operate,” Lanigan says. “BNSF is committed to leading the industry in the safe transportation of hazardous materials through capital investments and encouraging tank car manufacturers to build, and customers to use, improved and stronger cars.” - BNSF News Release

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HAVE YOUR HEARD?: BUFFETT FIRM BUYING RAIL STOCK

Multibillionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. now owns nearly 11 percent of the shares of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., the country's second-largest railroad and one that serves Montana and Wyoming.

His company recently purchased 1.6 million shares at more than $81 per share, a peak price. Buffett and company investors now own at least 39 million BNSF shares worth $3.23 billion, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

But why?

Buffett doesn't usually buy when a company's stock is at a high.

The 76-year-old financial genius from Omaha, Nebraska, has built his company into a $168 billion powerhouse by buying stocks that are fundamentally sound but discounted or out of favor. He also stays away from technological stocks, which he claims he doesn't understand.

According to Bloomberg, BNSF is Buffett's seventh largest holding now.

Coca-Cola Co. is his largest stock holding, followed by American Express Co., Wells Fargo & Co., Procter & Gamble Co., Moody's Corp. and PetroChina Co., and then BNSF.

Buffett and his Omaha-based company also purchased shares in two other railroads he wouldn't name because he's still buying stock.

Meanwhile, if you wanted to invest in one share of Class A stock in Berkshire Hathaway, you'd need to cough up $109,000.

Even though he also resists stock splits when the price gets too high, Buffett finally did agree to issue B shares. They now go for $3,635 each.

Between 1964 through last year, Berkshire Hathaway boasts of gaining 361,156 percent per share, according to the company's Web site. That works out to more than 21 percent each year.

Blizzards & railroads

The blizzard that hit this area the week of March 27 cost the Powder River Basin 170 coal train loadings on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe lines.

According to the Coal & Energy Price Report, the mines couldn't get workers to the job site to load the trains. Normal operations are expected to resume early next week. - Jan Falstad, The Billings Gazette

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MONTANA GOVERNOR SCHWEITZER BACKS SOUTHERN AMTRAK ROUTE

HELENA, MT -- A revived effort to reinstate passenger rail service in southern Montana picked up steam Tuesday, with the Schweitzer administration backing the idea and Amtrak officials outlining possible funding sources.

Passenger trains last chugged through southern Montana in 1979, and supporters said the time has come for them to run again.

State ridership on Montana's current lone passenger route, Amtrak's Empire Builder along the Hi-Line, is up at least 20 percent and travelers are looking for more options in the face of high gas prices and heightened air travel costs and security, Lt. Gov. John Bohlinger said.

"This couldn't come at a better time," said Jim Lynch, director of the state Department of Transportation.

The idea of reinstating a passenger line in southern Montana has been debated before, the last time in 2000. Supporters want a route from Missoula to Helena to Bozeman to Livingston to Billings and then on to Chicago and the East Coast. Eventually, it could stretch west to Spokane, Washington, and Portland, Oregon.

The biggest obstacle in the past has been money, but that could change this time around.

For the first time, capital matching grants may be available for states looking to expand rail service, said Ray Lang, Amtrak's senior director of governmental affairs in Chicago.

Legislation setting up such a program is scheduled for debate by a U.S. Senate committee next week.

The bill, introduced in January, would provide about $340 million in matching grants a year paying for up to 80 percent of a qualifying project, Lang said.

"That authorized sum of money never existed before," he said.

Sen. Lane Larson, D-Billings, said he also planned to propose money for a feasibility study of a southern Montana passenger route later this week or early next week. He did not yet know how much he would ask for.

A government-owned corporation, Amtrak reported record ticket revenue of $1.37 billion in the last fiscal year, an 11 percent increase over fiscal year 2005, with ridership up 1 percent to 24.3 million passengers. The system, created in the 1970s to take over declining passenger rail service, is heavily dependent on government funding; it received $1.3 billion from Congress, including a $485 million operating subsidy, for the 2006 fiscal year.

The corporation is hoping to receive $1.5 billion in the coming year, Lang said.

Montana's southern rail route carried passengers for decades before cuts in federal funding phased out the service in 1979.

"We were promised a train as soon as things leveled out, and we're still waiting," said Warren McGee, 92, a Livingston trustee with the Montana-Wyoming Association of Railroad Passengers.

Amtrak's Empire Builder survived the funding cuts and is one of the corporation's most popular long-distance routes, largely because of the remote communities it serves in Montana and North Dakota, Lang said.

Evan Barrett, the governor's chief economic development officer, said reinstating a southern route won't come at the expense of the Empire Builder for that very reason -- too many Montanans depend on it.

"We're not going to pit areas of the state of Montana against each other," he said.

He called the proposed rail expansion a "long-term vision" that will require plenty of money, study and cooperation from local, state and federal officials to become a reality, Barrett said.

Barrett urged supporters to stick together on the issue and promised more action once the Legislature adjourns later this month.

"This will be extraordinarily important if it were to happen," he said. - The Associated Press, The Billings Gazette

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BNSF TRAIN KILLS TWO GRIZZLIES NEAR WHITEFISH, MONTANA

KALISPELL, MT -- A train struck and killed two young male grizzly bears about a mile north of Whitefish, Montana state wildlife officials said Tuesday.

The collision occurred early Monday along Whitefish Lake, said Tim Manley, a bear management specialist with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

BNSF Railway Company officials reported the grizzly deaths to FWP. The bears will be sent to the FWP wildlife laboratory in Bozeman for examination.

The 2-year-old, 185-pound grizzlies, probably siblings, appeared to have been in good condition, Manley said. - The Billings Gazette

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BUFFETT'S RAILROAD GAMBLE WILL AFFECT INDUSTRY, AND POSSIBLY DM&E

Does the Wizard of Omaha's ride on the rails mean DM&E's proposed expansion plans will pick up steam, or screech to a halt?

It came out this week that Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has picked up a 10.9 percent stake in Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. And Buffett's people have confirmed that his company has acquired smaller stakes in two other rail companies.

"I have an idea what this will mean to DM&E. It is possible one of those other railroads could be DM&E," said railroad analyst Tony Hatch on Monday afternoon. "Although I'm sure the DM&E would have announced that themselves."

On Friday, Berkshire disclosed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it owned 39,027,430 Burlington Northern shares, making it the largest shareholder of the Fort Worth, Texas-based company.

The market value of those shares was $3.23 billion as of April 5.

Buffett declined in a letter to investors to name the two other companies in which Berkshire owns $1.9 billion of stock "because we continue to buy them. I could, of course, tell you their names. But then I would have to kill you."

Jim Cramer of MSNBC's Mad Money investing show is guessing at Norfolk Southern Corp. and Union Pacific Corp., but no one knows yet.

If Buffett is not investing in DM&E, how could his spike in interest in railroads affect the proposed expansion?

"It is impossible to say," said Hatch. "His investing in western railroads that could compete with DM&E or could buy DM&E ... I don't know if that has any impact at all."

While Hatch couldn't speculate on how this turn in the rails might benefit or hurt DM&E's proposed project, he did see his own previous position supported.

"His buying at relatively high prices -- almost 52-week highs -- suggests he believes in, as I believe, this rail renaissance, this comeback of the railroad industry," he said.

Buffett's purchasing sparked a steep increase in Burlington stock as well for other railroads. Hatch advised to keep an eye on the rails.

Railroads' comeback "is a story that has not happened yet, but is still in the early or middle innings," he said. "There is a lot of room to continue, and I believe it will. Though will it continue via South Dakota in the Power River Basin? I don't know." - Jeff Kiger, The Rochester Post-Bulletin

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TWO HUNDRED YARDS IS A LONG WAY TO GO FOR RAIL CAR

Video here:

[www.9news.com]

GOLDEN, CO -- A rail car built in the 1800s is on the move for the first time in nearly 40 years. It has been in the same spot since 1971.

That spot is at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado.

"This is a very big day. Today we are moving Car 96 which was the private business car for the president of the Burlington Railroad. His name was Charles Perkins," said Donald Tallman, executive director of the Colorado Railroad Museum.

Before Car 96 was retired, it saw tens of thousands of miles along the western United States. However, none of the trips was like the one it made on Wednesday, even though it was only 200 yards.

"We decided to move it to another location on the property closer to our main building," said Tallman.

Making that happen required several people and a 65-ton crane. The crane lifted the car off the tracks and put it on a flatbed truck. And it had to happen very slowly, to make sure nothing was damaged.

"It's sort of a plain car on the outside but on the inside it's all done in Honduran mahogany and elegant," said Tallman.

Car 96 is one of 100 on the property, but may be the most valuable. Rail cars like it give visitors a unique glimpse of the past and how people got around.

"This has so much historical significance and an educational opportunity for people to actually come in and touch and feel a rail car and then see what the rail cars were like we they were in use," said Tallman.

Even though the rail cars may need a little help moving from one spot to another, getting the experience where they have been is now just around the corner.

The museum is open daily from 09:00 to 17:00 hours. - Jeff Wolf, KUSA-TV9, Denver, CO

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MUSEUM'S NEW DESIGNATION ENTITLES ADRM TO ARIZONA HISTORICAL ADVISORY COMMISSION FUNDS

The Arizona State Railroad Museum (ASRM) got a renewed burst of horsepower March 22 when the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission (AHAC) granted the ASRM with Arizona Centennial Legacy Project status.

The designation offers a number of perks to the museum, including possible AHAC financial support, inclusion on the group's list of Legacy Projects to be included on the official Centennial Web Site as well as inclusion on the Calendar of Centennial Events. ASRM chairperson and CEO Al Richmond said the status would help the project move forward.

He said the Arizona State Railroad Foundation is grateful to the Arizona Historical Advisory Commission for its official designation of the Arizona State Railroad Museum as an Arizona Centennial Legacy Project. The group is currently looking for land in which to place the site, after losing their original site during the Xanterra purchase of the Grand Canyon Railway (GCR).

"We're waiting to resolve our land issues and Senator (Tom) O'Halleran is helping us. We also have the support of our two representatives," Richmond said. ASRM will seek bonds, according to Richmond, by way of the Greater Arizona Development Fund (GADA). "This would allow us to begin construction once we have those. We've tried this route once before but GADA was not able to help us because it was strictly for commercial enterprises, not for tax exempt organizations, which we are as a museum. So we're trying to get the awarding changed around there so we can apply through GADA and get our funding, or get our bonds, which we can take care of in our own debt service."

Richmond said the purchase of the Grand Canyon Railway by Xanterra created a problem with the land originally envisioned for the museum project. Xanterra finalized their purchase of the railway in March. "It created a problem in that the land that was originally promised to us had to be included in the sale, as we had not been able to secure our funding for the construction up until that point, which was our agreement for the land. Now we're working on a plan to secure the land.

The city has created a resolution that says that they will guarantee that we will have land for the museum. We're working on procuring land right now. We're looking at either a 16 or 21-acre site off Rodeo Road," said Richmond.

"The museum is a stand alone entity, not tied to any of the other businesses within the community," said Richmond. "We'll be getting into our design phase throughout 2007. We should be getting into construction early next year, which would give us an opening date in late 2009."

Modern rail travel

The ASRM made another major addition to its formidable display last month with the addition of a light rail vehicle (LRV), which features memorabilia depicting Arizona's rich railroad history. Thanks to Valley Metro personnel, the museum will now offer visitors a glimpse into Arizona's modern rail system by way of the LRV mockup, valued at over $350,000. Valley Metro donated the mockup to Richmond in order to showcase Maricopa County's efforts to introduce a light rail system in the Phoenix area. The mockup measures 51-feet in length and is accurate in every detail, according to Richmond, who said the only thing missing are the wheels, as the mockup was used as a stationary trainer for metro employees.

"This is a tremendous donation," said Richmond. "This light rail vehicle that we have is a mockup, but it looks exactly like the real thing, full size, full scale. It was designed to train the people for Valley Metro working on and running the light rail vehicles on their system down there in the valley. This really fits in quite well with ours because the museum is not just about past happenings, it's also about the present and the future of railway in Arizona."

Restoration work has also progressed on the museum's 1923 Shay locomotive, according to Richmond. Besides a new coat of paint, work has also begun on the engine's electrical systems, lights and wooden areas, much of which is 60 to 80-years-old. The restoration work is designed to recreate the locomotive's original appearance as a logging engine as they appeared in the 1880's up until the 1950's.

Richmond said the museum's displays would be interactive as well, offering visitors a chance to become involved in a more hands-on fashion. - Patrick Whitehurst, Williams-Grand Canyon News, courtesy Marc Pearsall

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TRAIN DERAILS IN DOWNTOWN CORVALLIS, OREGON

Photo here:

[www.gazettetimes.com]

Caption reads: Portland & Western Railroad crews work to get a freight car back on the tracks Wednesday afternoon on Sixth Street in downtown Corvallis. (Photo by Andy Cripe/Corvallis Gazette-Times)

CORVALLIS, OR -- A Portland and Western train derailed in downtown Corvallis, Oregon about 11:20 hours Wednesday, blocking several streets. There were no injuries.

Railroad employees said a car about eight cars behind the engine might have hit a patch of track near Southwest Adams and Sixth Street that collapsed. That car apparently stayed on the rails but about 30 cars later the track collapsed and several cars derailed, tearing up pavement.

There was a complete break in the train between Southwest Jefferson and Adams Avenues. A railroad employee said when one of the links between cars is pulled apart, the train’s braking system kicks in automatically and that was why the train stopped.

The derailed cars were all empty boxcars. At the request of Corvallis police, the train’s engineer pulled the 40 cars that were still on the tracks forward, clearing intersections along Sixth Street from Southwest Jefferson Avenue north. Still blocked were Adams and Washington Avenues at Sixth. Seventh Street at Western Avenue was blocked where the railroad rounds a curve and heads westward. Western itself was not blocked.

A spokesman for the railroad said the derailed cars would be lifted back onto the track by crane. An engine will be brought in to tow each car down the track. Each car weighs about 153,000 pounds when empty.

The railroad hopes to have the cars removed by 17:00 hours today, and the track fixed by midnight. - The Corvallis Gazette-Times

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AMTRAK EXPANDS AT-SEAT CART SERVICE ON ACELA EXPRESS TRAINS

WASHINGTON, DC -- Responding to requests for additional for food cart service on-board Amtrak's high-speed premium Acela Express service, Amtrak has announced expanded food cart service to more of offerings on its premier Northeast Corridor trains, effective April 2, 2007.

The cart service is featured on four additional Acela Express trains traveling daily between New York and Washington, DC, bringing the total of Acela Express trains offering at seat cart service to 10. This highly popular service provides passengers the opportunity to enjoy snacks and beverages without ever leaving the comfort of their seats. Regular café service will continue to be offered with similar menu choices.

The following departures now feature at-seat food cart service:

· Train #2159 (NYP-WAS) - Departing New for Washington at 13:00

· Train # 2121 (NYP-WAS) -Departing for Washington at 14:00

· Train # 2168 (WAS-NYP) - Departing Washington for New York at 14:00

· Train # 2170 (WAS-NYP) - Departing Washington for New York at 15:00

· Train # 2110 (WAS-NYP) - Departing Washington for New York at 23:00

· Train # 2117 (NYP-WAS) - Departing New York for Washington at 00:00

· Train # 2122 (NYP-WAS) - Departing Washington for New York at 17:00

· Train # 2125 (NYP-WAS) - Departing New York for Washington at 16:00

· Train # 2163 (BOS-NYP) - Departing Boston for New York at 23:15

· Train # 2166 (NYP-BOS) - Departing New York for Boston at 04:00

"We are extremely pleased with the success and resulting expansion of our at-seat cart service program," said Northeast Corridor Service Operations Superintendent Lenore Slimbock. "This enhancement became possible largely due to the hard work and dedication of our on-board crew members."

In addition to other on-board service upgrades such as an enhanced menu for Acela Express and upgraded meal service for First class passengers, all Northeast Corridor passengers are also benefiting from recent capital improvements to tracks and signals, making for more reliable, smoother travel.

"Amtrak's Acela Express service continues to serve as an attractive option to traveling on jammed highways and hassles with other modes of transportation in the Northeast", added Denise Fullmer, Director of Amtrak On-Board-Service Operations in Wilmington, Delaware. "The exemplary performance of our on-board staff has certainly contributed to the overall success of this program, and has made for an extremely positive traveling experience for our passengers."

In figures for the four months ending January 31, 2007, more than one million passengers (1,020,031) rode Amtrak Acela Express trains, an increase of nearly 20 percent from the same period a year earlier. Acela Express ticket revenue is up by nearly 22 percent and is in the excess of $127 million for the first four months of Amtrak's Fiscal Year 2007. - Amtrak News Release

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TRANSIT NEWS

RAIL STATION PLAN IRKS RESIDENTS

WOODS CROSS, UT -- Some residents in this small South Davis County city are less than thrilled with the prospect of having a commuter rail station just across the street from their homes.

Ed Goble, who has owned his home on 800 West near 900 South for 17 years, voiced concerns about diminishing property values, increased traffic and rising crime that he believes the station's two park-and-ride lots will cause.

"We're the only neighborhood in this rail corridor this close to a park-and-ride," Goble told planning commissioners Tuesday. "I think you need to ensure our safety."

According to Goble, traffic in front of his house is already a problem.

One recent fender-bender shot a car 30 feet into his yard, Goble told UTA Commuter Rail Manager Steve Meyer after the meeting.

Goble had hoped to convince UTA to eliminate the site's second access closest to his home. He passed out a drawing showing how one access point at the north end would suffice if traffic looped circularly through the 225-stall parking lot .

Goble pointed out that two UTA park-and-ride lots in Midvale have single access. He also said his design would actually provide UTA with more parking stalls.

UTA's Meyer was not convinced that Goble's was a better design.

"You need to give it a chance," Meyer told Goble, noting that UTA does the best it can with grading and landscaping to mitigate such impacts.

"You'll have fewer cars in front of your house" -- if the parking area has two access points from 800 West, Meyer told Goble.

Glen Benson, who lives a few doors north of Goble, questioned the value of this commuter rail station to residents in Woods Cross. For riders heading south, it will be the last stop in Davis County before entering Salt Lake County.

"If I want to take my family to the Jazz game, it would be cheaper to drive and pay for parking," Benson said.

Goble was further irked that commuter rail -- which he believes only 5 percent of the population will use -- could cost him 10 percent of his property value.

Meyer said he had statistics to the contrary.

The Planning Commission had previously approved UTA's site plan for the station, with the caveat of a field trip that further explored the concerns of the neighborhood.

"I'm as concerned as the residents are," said Commissioner Ryan Westergard. "But I need to rely on the engineers. A single access point concerns me because of emergency access.

"I would feel more comfortable with two accesses and I think the street out in front will be safer as a result," he said.

Commission members unanimously agreed that UTA had fulfilled its obligation regarding the previously approved site plan..

The commuter rail line linking Salt Lake, Davis and Weber counties, along with eight stations, should be open by spring 2008, Meyer said. - Cathy McKitrick, The Salt Lake Tribune

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REDMOND EYES POSSIBLE ROUTES FOR LIGHT RAIL

SEATTLE WA -- Sound Transit officials marked on a map three proposed light-rail routes to Redmond, Washington, but many of the 60 people who showed up at Tuesday's open house about the East Link light-rail project wanted to see the bigger picture.

Namely, will the project funding run out before the train ever gets there?

The East Link light rail will tie into the light-rail line now under construction from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to downtown Seattle and across Lake Washington on the Interstate 90 bridge.

But the project is only funded as far as Overlake, although the Sound Transit board has authorized taking the train to Redmond, said project manager Don Billen.

Grant money and savings made elsewhere along the route would pay the remaining $700 million needed to build the Redmond portion, he said.

That means the money available to get light rail to Redmond depends, in part, on how much is spent building it to Bellevue.

"There are inherent trade-offs in how much you spend and how far you can go," said Sound Transit spokesman Geoff Patrick.

Light rail wanted

Bob Marsh showed up at the open house at Redmond City Hall Tuesday to make sure the train goes all the way to Redmond — the sooner the better.

"We are already way behind the curve here," said Marsh, a Microsoft employee who lives in Redmond. "This [light rail] should've been done 15 years ago and it won't get done until 2027."

Marsh and others suggested getting Redmond employers Microsoft and UPS to kick in for part of the cost. UPS could even send packages from Redmond to the airport via the light-rail route, he said.

That plan would have to pay off big time. The total projected cost for the Overlake to Redmond segment is $800 million.

Money set aside

So far, $100 million has been set aside to pay for an environmental-impact study, preliminary engineering, and strategic right-of-way, which means buying the properties critical to the route that are in jeopardy of being developed for other uses, Billen said.

The Redmond open house, which capped a series of open houses on the Eastside, was part of a public outreach and planning process that cost Sound Transit $17 million, Patrick said.

There is one proposed route between Overlake Transit Center and West Lake Sammamish Parkway Northeast (along Highway 520) and three alternatives through downtown Redmond.

The downtown alternatives all use a portion of the abandoned BNSF railroad via Redmond Way, Marymoor Park and Leary Way. The alternatives terminate at either the Redmond Park and Ride or a new park and ride near the intersection of highways 520 and 202.

Sound Transit also presented potential locations for a maintenance facility in Redmond.

However, if the rail line does not extend to Redmond, the facility would have to be built in Bellevue. Bellevue city officials have said they would prefer it be in Redmond, Patrick said.

The Sound Transit board won't decide on a final Eastside route until after November, when voters will decide on a $16.5 billion Regional Transportation Investment District measure.

That includes $6.7 billion for roads and $9.8 billion for the second phase of light rail. The cost also includes expansion of light rail from Seattle to Lynnwood and Tacoma.

The Legislature has mandated that voters must approve the transit and highway plan together.

Sound Transit expects to complete the environmental-impact statement, which will contain the final routes, next year. - Amy Roe, The Seattle Times

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LIRR GAP FALL AT SYOSSET STATION

NEW YORK, NY -- A 73-year-old Queens Village woman Wednesday morning was the latest victim of the notorious gap at the Syosset Long Island Rail Road station.

Shortly after the woman's fall, LIRR officials acknowledged that parts of the station's new $1.3-million closed-circuit television system were malfunctioning.

A police investigation found that at 09:35 hours the woman stepped into the gap, one leg plunging down between the platform and the train as she fell into the train's vestibule, said LIRR spokesman Sam Zambuto.

In response to concerns about gaps as wide as 15 inches at the Syosset station, the LIRR in February installed a $1.3-million camera system -- comprising 24 cameras and six display screens -- designed to give conductors a full-length view of the platform.

Though a fully operational camera system would not have prevented the woman's fall yesterday, Zambuto confirmed that four of the station's six new video display screens are malfunctioning and would be replaced "as soon as possible."

The woman, who was not identified, was taken to North Shore University Hospital in Syosset, where she was treated for pain in both knees and released, officials said.

Zambuto said the passenger fell through a gap of between 7 and 8 inches near the west end of Syosset's Platform A. That platform has gaps wider than 10 inches, according to Newsday and LIRR measurements.

In February the LIRR improved gaps there by shifting the platform and tacking boards to the platform edge, but railroad officials say they cannot significantly narrow Syosset's gaps without costly measures.

Newsday found that since 1989 the Syosset station had seen at least 39 gap falls. - Jennifer Maloney, Newsday

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THE END