Railway Track & Structures - April 2008 - (Page 3)

ON TRACK Vol. 104, No. 4 USPS # 860-560 ISSN # 00339016 EDITORIAL OFFICES 20 South Clark Street, Suite 2450 Chicago, Ill. 60603 Telephone (312) 683-0130 Fax (312) 683-0131 Website www.rtands.com Hearts and minds hen the guns and bombs don’t do the job, military experts know it’s time to wage the battle for hearts and minds. As a young Marine in Vietnam in the 1960s, I heard that cliché about hearts and minds over and over again. Sometimes it was hard to remember when you met a group of well-armed, non-doctrinaire Marxists in the boonies, but it was a fact of life. Here in the Midwest, there’s a battle raging that involves the railroad industry. And it involves hearts and minds. And, in my opinion, it’s one in which all of us in the railroad industry have to become heavily engaged for the good of our companies and of railroads as a whole. As you’ve undoubtedly heard by now, CN has made an offer to purchase the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern for about $300 million. CN also plans to spend another $100 million to upgrade the line. Sounds good, right? Everyone knows that the rail infrastructure in the Chicago area is incapable of handling current traffic levels, much less the vast increases forecast for the next 10 or 20 years. And those forecasts of whopping increases were made before the price of oil exceeded $100 a barrel, a factor that should drive even more freight to our fuel-efficient industry. The CREATE project, a public-private partnership, will spend billions of dollars over the next several years to upgrade the Chicago area’s rail infrastructure. But here’s a private railroad willing to spend $100 million to do that same job, and get it moving without waiting for government funding. Many suburbs have all but taken up arms against the project. At one press conference, I had to listen while folks demonized CN and railroads in general rather than making arguments against the project. Day after day, I read letters in the downtown daily newspapers and the local suburban publications ranting about the horrors increased freight train traffic would inflict on these pristine patches of suburban paradise. All the federal politicians are getting an earful from those opposing the project and some of them are making noises of opposition. Chicago is vital to the nation’s railroad industry and this project would be extremely beneficial to Chicago’s rail infrastructure. We in the railroad industry can’t let the debate be all one-sided. I disagree strongly with the arguments the suburban folks are making, but I don’t begrudge their right to make them. However, I do resent the distortions and demonizing. Someone has to get the railroad industry’s side of the issue across, and that means you and me. Write letters to publications, challenge distortions of fact, try to educate people on the vital importance of Chicago rail services to the nation’s economy and the role of freight traffic in the economy of the region. Let your elected representatives know you support both the CN purchase and CREATE, and why. It’s up to all of us to tell our side of the story. If we don’t, then who will? George S. Sokulski/Associate Publisher Tom Judge/Editor, tjudge@sbpubchicago.com Wanda Welty/Managing Editor Mischa Wanek-Libman/Assistant Editor, mischa@sbpub-chicago.com Susan Taylor/Editorial Assistant W CORPORATE OFFICES 345 Hudson Street New York, N.Y. 10014 Telephone (212) 620-7200 Fax (212) 633-1165 Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr./ President and Chairman Robert P. DeMarco/Publisher Mary Conyers-Brown/Production Director Barbara DiGirolamo/Production Manager Maureen Cooney/Circulation Director Jane Poterala/Conference Director Robert G. Lewis/Director of Special Projects For reprint information, contact: PARS International Corp. 212-221-9595; Fax 212-221-9195 RT&S, Railway Track and Structures is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp., 345 Hudson Street, New York, N.Y. 10014. ISSN: 0033-8916. Canada Post Cust.#7204564; Agreement #41094515. Bleuchip Int'l, PO Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. Periodical Class postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Subscription price to railroad employees only in U.S. possessions, Canada and Mexico, Print or Digital version: $16 one year; $30 two years (all others $39.50 one year; $73 two years). All other countries, $68 one year ($168 for air mail); $120 two years ($320 for air mail). Both Print and Digital versions: $24 one year; $45 two years (all others $60 one year; $110 two years). All other countries, $102 one year ($202 for air mail); $180 two years ($380 for air mail). Single copies $8.50. Track Buyer’s Guide $21. All rates are payable in advance. The publisher reserves the right to increase subscription rates without notice. Call toll-free 1-800-895-4389 (or 402-346-4740) Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Central Time to place an order. Copyright 2008. Customer Service: Address all correspondence to: Subscription Department, RT&S, P.O. Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010. Changes of address should reach us three weeks in advance of the next issue date. Send old address with new, enclosing, if possible, your address label. The Post Office will not forward copies unless you provide extra postage. Duplicate copies cannot be sent. POSTMASTER: Send change of address forms to RT&S, Railway Track and Structures, P.O. Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010. Tom Judge, Editor A SIMMONS-BOARDMAN RAIL GROUP PUBLICATION www.rtands.com Railway Track & Structures April 2008 3 http://www.rtands.com http://www.rtands.com http://www.rtands.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Railway Track & Structures - April 2008

Railway Track & Structures - April 2008 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Railroads Seeking More Advanced Systems to Handle Materials SKOL Bounces Back From Summer Flood Landmark Railroad Bridges Need Inspection, Too Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Advertisers Index Website Directory Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - April 2008

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