NEW YORK — The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) re-forecast its annual revenues, projecting a $621 million deficit for 2009 even after approved fare/toll increases and service cuts are implemented.
The growing deficit is due to the continuing decline in the real estate and dedicated taxes that support the MTA, all of which are economically sensitive. In [...]

WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads remained sharply down from a year ago during the week ended April 25, the Association of American Railroads reported.
U.S. railroads originated 260,652 cars during the week, down 22.4 percent from the comparison week in 2008, although up 2.1 percent from the previous week this year. In comparison with [...]

TORONTO — IBM  has signed a five-year renewal with Canadian Pacific to provide strategic outsourcing services. This current infrastructure agreement includes mainframe, database, architecture and project management services.
IBM will continue to operate the information technology infrastructure for the Calgary, Alberta-based railway. This renewal provides CP with effective cost management while improving services to customers.
“With the [...]

WASHINGTON — Freight traffic on U.S. railroads was off sharply during the week ended April 18 in comparison with a year ago, the Association of American Railroads reported April 23.
U.S. railroads originated 255,269 cars during the week, down 24.3 percent from the comparison week in 2008, although up 2.8 percent from the previous week this [...]

WASHINGTON — A CSX Transportation employee from Jacksonville, Fla., was recently named the railroad industry’s top environmentalist.
Michael E. O’Malley, who is assistant chief engineer, facilities, for CSX Transportation in Jacksonville, was one of five railroaders who were nominated to receive the John H. Chafee Environmental Excellence Award, named after the late Senator from Rhode Island, [...]

WASHINGTON — Shipping freight by rail instead over road not only eases traffic congestion, but drastically reduces CO2 emissions, as evidenced by the Association of American Railroads’ new interactive carbon calculator. For all shipments measured, the CO2 footprint was significantly smaller when moved by rail rather than by truck.
One calculation reports that 1,088 tons of [...]

MONTREAL — E. Hunter Harrison, president and chief executive officer of CN, announced the appointment of Luc Jobin, C.A., as the executive vice-president and chief financial officer of the company effective June 1.
Jobin, 50, will be responsible for financial management and strategic planning at CN.
Jobin will succeed Claude Mongeau, whom the CN board of directors [...]

CALGARY — Canadian Pacific employees will pause to honor workers who have perished or have been injured in the workplace at 11 a.m. local time on April 28, the designated International Day of Mourning.
“Each year we remember those employees who have lost their lives or suffered injury in occupational incidents in an effort to continuously [...]

CALGARY — The Canadian Pacific Police Service (CPPS) is taking its public safety message directly to the street, during Rail Safety Week which runs from April 27 to May 3 in Canada.
CP Police officers from Montreal to Vancouver will conduct more than 100 safety and enforcement blitzes in communities across Canada. They will remind students, [...]

NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk Southern Corp. has awarded college scholarships to ten sons and daughters of its employees as part of the company’s annual scholarship program.
This year, there are three recipients of the National Merit Scholarship: Matthew Ambler, son of General Attorney Thomas Ambler and Martha Ambler, and a graduate of Maury High School, Norfolk, [...]