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Here's Ivan!
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From BLE Site <br /> <br />Railroads affected by Hurricane Ivan <br /> <br />Amtrak, CSXT and Norfolk Southern issued bulletins regarding service disruptions as Hurricane Ivan spawned deadly tornadoes and disgorged horizontal torrents of rain, surging inland early today (Sept. 16) just east of Mobile, Ala., displaying a ferocity not seen along the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Camille struck to the west in 1969, according to a New York Times report. <br />CSXT noted that evacuations have been under way in coastal regions along the Florida Panhandle and in low-lying areas in coastal Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, including the cities of New Orleans and Mobile. New Orleans floodgates were closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, suspending interchange traffic. <br /> <br />CSXT also said service for intermodal, automotive, and boxcar traffic, excluding building materials, has been discontinued between New Orleans, La., and Tallahassee Fla., including Montgomery and Flomaton, Ala., and will resume as the safety of the network is assured. Interchange traffic is being diverted to locations away from the projected path of the storm. <br /> <br />CSXT ballast trains are currently staged at various locations from Hamlet, N.C., to Mobile and throughout key points in Georgia, the railroad said Generators, chain saws and other equipment have been staged throughout these locations, and private contractors are on call to help with removal of debris and restoration of CSXT lines in the aftermath of the storm. <br /> <br />CSXT signal teams began to remove and secure highway rail crossing gates late Tuesday (Sept. 14). <br /> <br />"All precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of our employees, customers, and the public with minimum delay to shipments as we continue to monitor the progress of this storm," a CSXT service bulletin said. <br /> <br />Norfolk Southern (NS) said it will be working to restore service in the aftermath of the storm as conditions permit. <br /> <br />In its service bulletin, NS said a "looming threat will be the heavy rainfall across the southern Appalachians through the weekend. Significant flooding is possible across the mountainous areas of Tennessee and the western Carolinas as more than a foot of rain is likely for some areas. <br /> <br />Meanwhile, Amtrak service between Orlando and New Orleans has been suspended through the end of the week, according to a release issued by the passenger carrier. <br /> <br />New Orleans is served by Amtrak's City of New Orleans daily to and from Chicago, the Crescent daily to and from New York City and the three-days-weekly Sunset Limited to and from Los Angeles and Orlando. <br /> <br />Amtrak said that as the weather system approaches New Orleans, which is below sea level, local officials agreed to a delay in erecting the last gate in the levee system in order to allow an expanded City of New Orleans train to depart northbound yesterday afternoon (Sept. 15). <br /> <br />An additional set of rail cars ordinarily used by the Crescent was added to the City of New Orleans to create a 21-car train in order for nearly 700 passengers to leave the city, with most bound for Memphis, Amtrak said. <br /> <br />Amtrak said facilities in the area affected by Hurricane Ivan are closed, including staffed and unstaffed stations, until plans are announced to resume services. <br /> <br />Amtrak said it is working closely with the Orleans Levee District, the office of the New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, New Orleans Emergency Management and the four primary railroads used by Amtrak trains in the area: Canadian National (Illinois Central) Railroad, Norfolk Southern Railway (NS), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) and CSX Transportation. <br /> <br />Amtrak passengers are invited to visit the www.amtrak.com website or call 800-USA-RAIL for additional information and further updates. <br /> <br />According to a Bloomberg News report, Union Pacific Corp. and five other carriers serving New Orleans have halted trains. <br /> <br />September 16, 2004 <br />
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