And as part of that reinvigorated inspection effort,
the Federal Railroad Administration is investing in special high-tech rail
cars that automatically inspect tracks integrity as they roll along the rails.dot." Mr.

bnsf railcars

Secretary of Transportation
Norman Y.S.-based rail operations. NKCR has benefited from its
ability to attract high throughput grain elevators to its lines due to
its superior service record and excellent relationship with BNSF .

retroweb privatisation

com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/DCM060 )
Please note: Photo to accompany will be available later. FRA is also beginning field-tests on new
technology that automatically controls train movements and speed, including
bringing a train to a stop.

A copy of the Department's National Rail Safety Action Plan is available
at http://www.-based short lines being acquired by OmniTRAX
include:

Georgia + Florida RailNet (GFRR). GFRR's commodity mix is quite diverse, with carload revenue
split between wood pulp, beer, agricultural commodities,
limestone/aggregate and a multitude of other commodities.

privatisation railcars

And by July, Mineta
said, the FRA will launch a new pilot program providing emergency responders
with real-time information via secure website about the hazardous materials
involved in train accidents.

North American RailNet to Join OmniTRAX Family of Rail Business; Will Add Three U .S.-Based Short Lines to OmniTRAX; OmniTRAX Now Operates 18 Railroads Across N

In addition to grain, NKCR ships inbound coal
to the largest power plant in Nebraska.

railfanning timewarp

Business Editors/Transportation Writers

BEDFORD, Texas and DENVER----North
American RailNet (NAR) and OmniTRAX have jointly announced a
transaction whereby an OmniTRAX affiliate will merge with NAR and
acquire NAR's U . IR
services what is often called "the Sand Capital of the World" in
northern Illinois, and serves such leading industrial mineral
producers as U.S.

guideway privatisation

Secretary Mineta today outlined the new National Rail Safety Action Plan,
which represents the Department of Transportation's aggressive new approach to
improving safety throughout the railroad industry.

bnsf rowie

He said the Department is also accelerating research
into the role fatigue plays in accidents to help railroads set better crew
schedules."
Robert W.

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WASHINGTON, A new plan to improve safety along the
nation's railroads was unveiled today by U. IR is comprised of four track segments
aggregating 113 miles of track just west of the Chicago suburbs.OmniTRAX.

timewarp lehmer

gov. Included in
its diverse base of 60 customers are Miller Brewing, Procter + Gamble
(P+G) and Buckeye Technologies.

Illinois RailNet (IR). "Under OmniTRAX management, the addition of
these railroads is significant step in the plans for expansion of the
regional railway holdings as well as diversification of the customer
base. Parker also comments that managing these companies expands
the partnership with CSXT, NS, and BNSF. served as financial advisor to North
American RailNet in connection with the transaction.broe.

privatisation rowie

The plan will target the
most frequent, highest-risk causes of accidents, focus federal oversight and
inspection resources , and accelerate research into new technologies that can
vastly improve rail safety.
The safe transport of hazardous materials by rail is also a major focus of
the action plan. Silica, Wedron Silica, and Unimin Corp.

Nebraska, Kansas + Colorado RailNet (NKCR).

"These three short -line railways are an ideal match with our
strategic expansion and service plans," states Bob Parker , OmniTRAX
Chief Operating Officer.

rowie retrospect

tampers transrail

This step-by-step
action plan targets the fundamental factors that cause rail accidents,"
Secretary Mineta said.

The three U.
Specifically, NKCR recently made considerable track improvements in
conjunction with upgrade investments by the owners of grain elevators
at Venango, Loomis and Maywood, Nebraska, each of which now loads
110-car shuttle trains .
Rob McKenney, Chairman and CEO of North American RailNet,
comments, "These three railroads have provided excellent service to
their shippers and connecting carriers, and we are confident they will
continue to grow and prosper under the management of OmniTRAX.

sporadic 765

In response to FRA's call to action , the railroad industry
will now provide local emergency responders a ranked listing of the top 25
hazardous materials transported through their community.

S. Parker explains that the
addition of the three brings the OmniTRAX family to 18 railroad
operations in North America. Additionally ,
OmniTRAX provides intermodal terminal services to Class I railways
through its Quality Terminal Services subsidiary.

transrail scrafford

Additionally, to help alleviate risk in so-called "dark territory" -- or
railroad lines without signal systems, the Department is investigating new
devices to detect if switches are in the correct position, and low-cost
circuits to detect broken rails.fra. GFRR is a network of
approximately 297 miles of track radiating from its Albany, Georgia,
headquarters, and extending into northwestern Florida near the Gulf of
Mexico. Baird + Co. OmniTRAX
also owns and operates the Port of Churchill, Manitoba.

namings scrafford

"We've got to stay focused on safety to keep our trains moving," he said. The transaction is subject
to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in early May,
2005.

privatisation timewarp

(Photo: http://www.
Under the plan, Secretary Mineta , with guidance from some of the nation's
top rail safety advisors, is seeking to develop a new federal rule to address
human factor accidents.com), OmniTRAX is the
largest privately held rail services company in North America.

conrail scrafford

C.newscom.

csx transrail

Secretary Mineta Unveils National Rail Safety Action Plan to Address the Future Safety and Vitality of America's Railways

privatisation 765

One of the primary safety issues addressed in the plan is human error, the
largest single factor accounting for 38 percent of all accidents over the last
five years.
"While the railroad industry's overall safety record has improved over the
last decade, very serious accidents continue to occur. The transaction excludes NAR's Canadian subsidiary, Alberta
RailNet, which will be owned post-transaction by current NAR
shareholders . and in three Canadian Provinces.

trainstuff rowie

Preliminary findings from the tragic accident in Graniteville
this January point to human error as the cause -- the failure of a train crew
to properly line a switch back to the mainline track.S.

bnsf locomotives

The Secretary also announced the implementation of a new National
Inspection Plan for deploying inspectors and resources to safety hot spots
before accidents occur .

About OmniTRAX

An affiliate of The Broe Companies (www. With
its headquarters in Denver , Colorado, OmniTRAX owns and operates many
railroads across the U.

scrafford privatisation

The plan will help prevent
train accidents caused by human error, improve the safety of hazmat shipments,
minimize the dangers of crew fatigue, deploy state-of-the-art technologies to
detect track defects, and focus inspectors on safety trouble spots.
"The aggressive and comprehensive plan I am unveiling today will bolster
safety along America's rails and help prevent the tragic and costly rail
accidents that still plague the nation's railroad network. But safety must remain
the core principle that guides operations on our nation's rail system,"
Secretary Mineta said.

scrafford photogrpahs

Mineta during a visit to Columbia, S. Growth in both freight
and vehicle traffic has created new opportunities and new challenges in the
form of more trains on our tracks than ever before.

Learn more about OmniTRAX at www.

railcars guideway

It also delivers
customized private switching services for major industrial complexes
through its OmniTRAX Switching Services subsidiary, and provides
locomotive maintenance services to Class I railways through its
OmniTRAX Locomotive Services subsidiary.com

timewarp photogrpahs

NKCR operates
approximately 559 miles of track in three states and carries a diverse
mix of wheat, corn, coal, fertilizer. Mr.