National Gateway Creates Long-Term Environmental Benefits

National Gateway Creates Long-Term Environmental Benefits:

"The National Gateway, a multi-state public-private partnership seeking to create a state-of-the-art freight rail route between Mid-Atlantic ports and Midwestern markets, is poised to create significant environmental benefits including lower emissions and reduced fuel consumption.

"By clearing existing rail routes for double-stack freight trains, the National Gateway will convert over 14 billion highway miles to rail and enable shippers to better utilize the environmental advantages of rail transportation, reducing CO2 emissions by almost 20 million tons and fuel consumption by nearly 2 billion gallons."

CN growing 'green' wood pellet traffic at double-digit rates

CN growing 'green' wood pellet traffic at double-digit rates

"CN (TSX: CNR)(NYSE: CNI) - North America's largest mover of forest products - is on track to haul more than 800,000 tons of wood pellets (http://www.cn.ca/woodpellets) this year and sees more opportunities in the future for this "green" source of heating energy.

...

"Major power plants and residential consumers in North America, Europe and Asia are turning to wood pellets as an alternative to fuel oil, gas or electricity to heat homes. In addition, wood pellets are being used increasingly in industrial applications such as district heating plants, greenhouses, and cement and aluminum production facilities.

"Wood pellets, made from waste wood such as wood shavings and sawdust, are carbon neutral and do not contribute to global warming because they emit the lowest greenhouses gases of any fuel burned. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has endorsed wood pellet heat as one of the cleanest burning, most renewable energy sources on the planet.

"Global wood pellet production in 2008 was almost 11 million tons, and some analysts believe worldwide production could double by 2014. North American consumption is expected to exceed 3.3 million tons in 2010."

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Phillies vs Yankees Means It's an Amtrak Series

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Phillies vs Yankees Means It's an Amtrak Series:

"For all baseball fans, a World Series involving two east coast powerhouses means that Amtrak is the best way for fans to travel to the games.

Few American icons have a history as closely linked as that of baseball and train travel. From the beginning of 'the national pastime,' baseball players have traveled by train. When the Phillies and Yankees met in 1950, the teams traveled by train, and for this year's World Series, appropriately dubbed the Amtrak Series, the most convenient and comfortable way for fans and players to travel is on board Amtrak.

Amtrak offers three services between New York and Philadelphia - Acela Express, Northeast Regional, and Keystone. There are 15 Acela Express frequencies in each direction, 21 Northeast Regional frequencies in each direction, and 10 Keystone frequencies in each direction every weekday, making it convenient for Phillies and Yankee fans to travel to see their teams. Reservations can be made online at Amtrak.com or by calling 1-800-USA-RAIL. Amtrak Guest Rewards members can earn double points for travel - including to the Amtrak Series -- through December 19 just by registering at Amtrakguestrewards.com."

National Gateway Honored as 'Competitiveness Project of the Year'

National Gateway Honored as 'Competitiveness Project of the Year':

"WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Gateway coalition today announced that it has been honored as 'Competitiveness Project of the Year' by the North American Strategic Infrastructure Leadership Forum, a leading infrastructure identification and development group.

The award recognizes the National Gateway as the 'project which contributes most to the [North American] region's capacity for global competitiveness.'

The National Gateway is an $842 million, multi-state public-private infrastructure initiative which will create a more efficient freight rail route between Mid-Atlantic ports and Midwestern markets. This is achieved by raising bridges, increasing tunnel clearances and building terminals along an existing rail corridor to support the movement of double-stacked containers on rail cars."

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Norfolk Southern's Electric Loco

Batteries ARE Included: Norfolk Southern Unveils Experimental Electric Locomotive

"NS 999 is an entirely electric locomotive that uses a lead-acid energy storage system comprised of 1,080 12-volt batteries to operate in railroad switching applications without the use of a diesel engine and with zero exhaust emissions. The plug-in locomotive also can regenerate dynamic braking energy through a system provided by Brookville Equipment Company. The recovered dynamic braking energy continually replenishes the energy storage system, and uses this recovered energy for tractive effort in rail operations. The batteries are carefully monitored and controlled through an elaborate battery management system to assure safety and maximum battery life, and when fully charged NS 999 is able to operate three shifts before recharging is required."

PIERS and Railinc to Track Movement of Containerized Cargoes within U.S.

PIERS and Railinc to Track Movement of Containerized Cargoes within U.S.:

"NEWARK, N.J., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- PIERS(R) Global Intelligence Solutions, a UBM Global Trade company, and the leading source for data on U.S. waterborne imports and exports, announced a strategic alliance with Railinc, providers of IT solutions and information systems to the nation's rail network.

Under the alliance, PIERS is providing Railinc with information on containerized cargoes shipped through U.S. ports. Railinc is matching the PIERS data with its records of intermodal freight and returning to PIERS the details of where and when the containers began and ended their inland rail journeys."

Crescent Corridor Rolls On

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Norfolk Southern Selects Fayette County Site for New Memphis Regional Intermodal Terminal, Supporting Crescent Corridor Initiative

"NORFOLK, Va., July 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Norfolk Southern announced today that it will construct a new intermodal terminal in Rossville, Tenn., in Fayette County, to serve the Memphis region, as part of the railroad's Crescent Corridor initiative to establish a high-speed intermodal rail route between the Mid-South and Gulf Coast and the Northeast. The $129 million facility, in which freight is transferred between truck and rail, will occupy a 570-acre site and is expected to open in January 2012.

"Norfolk Southern's Crescent Corridor initiative is a multistate network of infrastructure improvements and other facilities intended to enhance Norfolk Southern's 2,500-mile rail network that supports the supply chain from the Gulf Coast, Birmingham and Memphis to Philadelphia and the New York metropolitan area and enable it to handle more freight traffic faster and more reliably. The railroad is in the process of implementing Corridor projects, including straightening curves, adding passing tracks, improving signal systems, and building new terminals."

New Intermodal Service from UP and NS

Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific Offer Refrigerated Trailer Shippers the Rail Industry's Fastest Intermodal Delivery From Los Angeles to Atlanta With New Expedited Service:

"NORFOLK, Va. and OMAHA, Neb., July 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Norfolk Southern Railway and Union Pacific Railroad today announced they have launched a new expedited intermodal service specifically designed for refrigerated trailer shippers between Los Angeles and Atlanta. This new service gives customers the option to have their refrigeration units serviced during the stop in El Paso, Texas, significantly reducing the risk of protective service failure during transit. New rail customers will find this premier service a seamless shift from over-the-road transportation by providing truck-like speed (more than 500 miles per day) and reliability."

Sound Transit Set to Open Seattle's First Light-Rail Line (via FriendFeed)

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Sound Transit Set to Open Seattle's First Light-Rail Line (via FriendFeed)

Sound Transit Set to Open Seattle's First Light-Rail Line 8 minutes ago - Comment - Like "Relying on lessons learned and a restructured management plan, Sound Transit is set to open Seattle's first light-rail line — and launch the next round of regional transit projects" - Ron Bailey

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