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Agencé métropolitaine de transport
WANTS TO PURCHASE CN ROUTE: Mon- tréal’s Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) may soon purchase Canadian Nation- al’s 18-mile Deux-Montagnes line, which runs north out of Gare Centrale, along with the Mont Royal Tunnel that feeds the station in downtown Montréal. The electrified route has a dozen stations and carries 7.9 million pas- sengers each year, nearly half of AMT’s annu- al ridership. Currently, CN has access to the route between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., and be- tween 8:30 p.m. and 5:30 a.m., which limits AMT’s off-peak services to once an hour. Con- currently, AMT and CN are working on a grade separation project at Jonction de l’Est (Eastern Junction) near Montpelier, where the Deux-Montagnes line will duck under CN’s Saint-Laurent sub, replacing the current at-grade diamond crossing. AMT’s Train de l'Est to Mascouche will use the Saint-Laurent sub east of Jonction de l’Est to Repentigny.
Amtrak
BOARDMAN WILL STAY ON: In light of his achievements in improving the opera- tional and financial performance of the rail- road, in May Amtrak announced that it had extended CEO Joe Boardman’s contract for another two years. “We are extremely pleased with the progress Amtrak has made under the leadership of Joe Boardman,” said Chairman Tony Coscia. “The changes Joe is managing within the railroad are resulting in real ac- complishments and it is important for him to stay on, continue his work and provide leader- ship for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.” During Boardman’s tenure, Am- trak has experienced record ridership and rev- enue, continued reductions in the need for fed- eral operating support, a significant paydown of debt, excellent system-wide on-time per- formance, expansion of state-supported serv- ices, and the introduction of Wi-Fi service and eTicketing. He is managing new equipment orders for Northeast Corridor and long-dis- tance services, a major planning effort for the development of next-generation high-speed rail, and numerous capital projects to improve Amtrak’s infrastructure, stations, mainte- nance shops, and other facilities. Before he joined Amtrak in 2008, Boardman was Feder- al Railroad Administrator and an Amtrak board member. Prior to that, he was Commis- sioner of the New York State DOT.
OREGON TALGOS ARE NAMED: During a month-long survey, 1200 Oregonians voted to name the state’s two new Talgo trains, which were purchased using $38.4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Oregon Department of Transportation No. 1, named Mount Jefferson, is in Seattle, Wash., undergoing employee familiarization and corridor testing, while Mount Bachelor, ODOT No. 2, left the Talgo plant in Milwau- kee, Wis., plant on May 22 and arrived in Seattle the following evening. The new trains will join five others on the Amtrak Cascades corridor which provide service between Eu- gene, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia. Two are owned by Amtrak (Mount Hood and
Nickel Plate Road No. 765 Polishes ex-Pennsy Rails
THE FORT WAYNE RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S ex-Nickel Plate Road Berkshire No. 765 visited Altoona, Penn., on five days in May. On May 18 and 19 the handsome Lima prod- uct made three daily Norfolk Southern Employee Appreciation trips between Altoona and Gal- litzin, Penn., and return. NS ES44AC No. 8102, the Pennsylvania Railroad heritage unit, was tacked on to the east end of the consist so it could lead the train back to Altoona. Then, as part of the Norfolk Southern 21st Century Steam program, on Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27, the big Berk made one public round trips each day between its layover location of Enola, Penn., and Gallitzin, running deadhead between Enola and Lewistown, where passengers were loaded west- bound and detrained eastbound. After a trip around Horse Shoe Curve to Gallitzin, the train was turned on the loop at AR so the locomotive could lead eastbound. A three-hour layover was made at Altoona so passengers could visit the Railroaders Memorial Museum, which is located adja- cent to the eastbound NS main line. ES44AC’s Nos. 8102 and 8098, the Conrail heritage unit, provided protection power for these moves. On May 26 (above), No. 765 marched east beneath the PRR position lights under a light exhaust and clear skies at Mapleton, Penn.
Boston & Maine Heritage on Massachusetts Central
MASS CENTRAL’S TWO “NEW” GP38-2S have been painted by Mid-America Car in this at- tractive scheme, which uses the colors and arrangement of Boston & Maine’s McGinnis-era GP9 fleet. The ’38-2s will take over the heavy lifting from GP9 No. 1729 and rare ex-Southern Rail- way NW5 No. 2100. Wouldn’t a B&M-style “MC” logo look great on the long hood?
Mount Olympus) and the other three are owned by Washington (Mount Adams, Mount Baker, and Mount Rainier). Oregon’s new trains offer seating for 275 passengers, a bistro car, bicycle storage, business class seat- ing, and other amenities. They’ll be rotated into service later this summer.
BNSF Railway
TEHACHAPI PROJECT IS SCALED BACK: The $100 million Tehachapi Trade Corridor Improvement Project in California has been greatly reduced in scope. Instead of extending double track in five locations for a total of 5.7
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MARK MAUTNER
STEVE BARRY
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