UTU News Digest - Thursday, July 15, 1999

UTU Daily News Digest

Information of interest to operating railroad and transportation employees

Thursday, July 15, 1999

Journal of Commerce: NS and CSXT report progress made in eliminating delays

Norfolk Southern Corp. and CSX Transportation Inc. appeared to make modest progress last week in their efforts to return to normal operations and eliminate delays and congestion that have plagued both railroads in recent weeks.

Both companies reported improvements in average train speeds and reduction in freight cars on line, which is considered a measure of congestion when that number increases.

During the week ended July 9, both carriers reduced their freight car inventory by less than 1% from the week before.

While last week's performance was an improvement over the week before, the freight car counts still remain higher than they were in early June when both companies began to operate over former Conrail lines.

Average train speeds were 1% better last week than week that ended July 2. In that week, train speed averages were the worst they have been since both railroads took over portions of Conrail Inc. on June 1.

CSX appeared to have improved operations in recent days, according to data provided to shipper and union groups. That information showed that the number of delayed trains has declined during July.

The CSX data also show that the number of freight cars at most key terminals is within the railroad's 'comfort zone', meaning that the facilities are not plugged with too many cars.

A CSX report made through the Association of American Railroads suggested that terminal switching efficiency was not improving. The railroad said it took more time last week to switch freight cars between trains at 10 of 14 major terminals than it did in the week before.

Switching efficiency at major facilities such as Buffalo, N.Y., Indianapolis, Ind., Willard, Ohio and Toledo, Ohio declined. Operations at Chicago, Cincinnati and Selkirk, N.Y. (Albany) improved.

Other CSX reports showed that terminal switching time systemwide was 33.1 hours last week, the slowest since June 1.

Reports from the NS that contain similar systemwide terminal information showed that systemwide car switching took 32.4 hours, also the slowest since early June.

At its 14 key terminals, NS switched cars faster at Allentown, Pa., Pittsburgh and Bellevue, Ohio. Each of those terminals has been plagued with congestion at various times since early June. However, NS operations slowed at Elkhart, Ind., a former Conrail facility.

In areas where both carriers maintain operations, switching efficiency slowed at Newark, N.J. and Detroit, but improved at a terminal in Jersey City, N.J.

By JOC’s Rip Watson

Two rail companies sued for car-train wreck

CANTON, Ohio -- The family of a couple involved in a fatal car-train collision two years ago is suing two rail companies.

Wayne Powell, 57, of Lawrence Township, was killed, and his wife, Marian, seriously injured when a train struck their car at a Wayne County crossing on April 8, 1997.

The couple's family is accusing the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway of Brewster and Norfolk Southern Railroad of Virginia for failing to install adequate flashing lights and gates or other warning devices to alert drivers of the potential danger. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Stark County Common Pleas Court.

The train was owned by Wheeling and Lake Erie and/or Norfolk Southern, the lawsuit said. The crossing also had an obstructed view and an unusually steep grade that restricted drivers' sight, the lawsuit claims.

At the time of the accident, a Wheeling & Lake Erie spokesman said the crew did its best to avoid the collision by blaring its whistle and trying to brake.

The 17-car train slammed into the car, dragging it at least 30 feet down the tracks.

Powell was pronounced dead shortly after the collision. Mrs. Powell remains in a coma, according to the lawsuit.

CSX Declares Dividend

RICHMOND, Va. -- The board of directors of CSX Corporation today approved regular quarterly dividends on the company's common stock.

The 30 cents per share dividend is payable Sept. 15, 1999, to shareholders of record on Aug. 25, 1999.

CN unveils new website featuring state-of-the-art technology for tracking shipments

MONTREAL -- Canadian National broke new ground today with the launch of a new web site offering customers a new level of competitive intelligence -- continually updated information about the estimated times of arrival of shipments.

The enhanced shipment-tracking technology, an unparalleled "zoom-in" system map and monthly examples of transportation solutions for smaller shippers are three of many new web-site features that make it easier for shippers to do business with CN.

CN, which is integrating its operations with those of Illinois Central Corporation (IC), now spans Canada and mid-America, offering shippers extended single-line service.

CN's web site is found at http://www.cn.ca.

The new site gives registered customers timely information about the current location of local CN and IC shipments and the estimated times of arrival for CN local shipments, joint CN/IC shipments and traffic moving in conjunction with CN's marketing alliance partner, Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCSR).

By next summer, shippers will be able to submit shipping instructions and service requests via the web, and have full estimated times of arrival shipment tracking on all designated traffic through a single source.

A unique new system map enables web users to zoom-in to CN's network by country, region, city and local station. It also displays the types of commodities handled at all trans-loading facilities to provide shippers greater transportation options.

CN's new web site also provides users with listings of trans-loading facilities, intermodal terminals and unloader facilities, along with business development contacts, information about CN's supply chain logistics group and business units, and, for Western Canadian grain shippers, a four-week rolling train service plan and car-ordering instructions available to print.

A new feature of the site is a "hot link" to the new CN/KCSR marketing alliance web site, http://www.one-rail.com, which provides key information about alliance services, including transit times between major city pairs.

"CN's new web site provides shippers with critical information and improved access to CN, making it easier for them to make the most of their logistics dollars," said Paul Clarke, CN's manager, customer electronic commerce. "With estimated times of arrival tracking information available on the site for registered shippers, our customers can manage their inventories in a more cost-efficient manner. CN believes this gives shippers a competitive advantage in the market place."

Canadian National Railway Company spans Canada and mid-America from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America.

BNSF selects GDC and LINMOR Technologies to manage voice and data traffic

MIDDLEBURY, Conn. -- The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) has selected a suite of advanced monitoring and multi-networking products to manage their voice and data traffic as part of BNSF's continuing efforts to improve the quality and reliability of rail transportation service. The products were provided by General DataComm Industries, Inc.

BNSF has deployed 12 GDC APEX(R) ATM switches for critical data applications across the railway's telecommunications network, which is integral to BNSF's 34,000-route-mile structure spanning 28 states and two Canadian provinces. Voice, video and IP/IPX data traffic is transported across the network allowing BNSF users to coordinate train movements with precise timing.

The Quality of Service (QoS) assurance and highly efficient bandwidth management characteristics of GDC APEX multiservice switches enable BNSF to effectively meet the ever-growing data and voice needs required to meet their customers' expectations.

To improve management of its vast telecommunications network, BNSF has added NEBULA(TM) Performance Monitor (PM) from LINMOR Technologies. NEBULA PM monitors and reports on BNSF's ATM network providing QoS, Service Level Reporting and real-time performance information.

"User response times have been optimized due to the proactive monitoring and statistical reports provided by the LINMOR product in conjunction with the GDC APEX switches," said Gregory Britz, Senior Wide Area Network Engineer in the Telecommunications Group at BNSF.

"This suite of advanced multi-networking products offered by GDC and LINMOR allows BNSF to react quickly with minimum manpower to satisfy the user while staying competitive in today's fast-paced transportation industry," Britz continued.

The NEBULA PM system was marketed along with the APEX network through GDC and includes comprehensive professional support services.

"We are pleased to be working with General DataComm on servicing a customer as prominent as Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway," said Paul Newcombe, vice president, Sales and Marketing for LINMOR Technologies. "Our performance management of the GDC APEX network will provide BNSF with full visibility of performance metrics, allowing them to attain a complete management understanding of their network as a whole as well as the specific devices contained within it."

Headquartered in Fort Worth, Tex., BNSF operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with 34,000 route miles covering 28 states and two Canadian provinces. This network covers the western two-thirds of the United States, stretching from major Pacific Northwest and Southern California ports to the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest, and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada.