May 21, 2024 | DOT, Headlines, High Speed Rail
(Source: Smart Cities Dive, May 17, 2024) An air of optimism prevailed at this year’s U.S. High Speed Rail conference, held May 14-15 in Washington, D.C. With the Las Vegas to Southern California line starting construction, the California project continuing to...
May 17, 2024 | AAR Freight Trends, Headlines
(Source: Association of American Railroads press release, May 15, 2024) The Association of American Railroads (AAR) today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending May 11, 2024. For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 468,748 carloads and intermodal...
May 17, 2024 | CPKC, Headlines, Teamsters Canada
(Source: Reuters, May 16, 2024) Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said on Thursday its leadership, with the assistance of federal mediators, will resume contract negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union on May 17. Full story:...
May 17, 2024 | Derailment, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, Railroad Safety, Train Length
(Source: Claims Journal, May 16, 2024) The longer the freight train, the greater the risk of derailment, new research from the Society for Risk Analysis shows. The study, published in the journal Risk Analysis, was led by Peter Madsen of Brigham Young University’s...
May 17, 2024 | Fatality, Headlines, NTSB, UP
(Source: Trains.com, May 16, 2024) A communication breakdown over granting permission for a train movement into the yard, as well as regarding placement of a portable derail device, was the probable cause of the August 2022 fatality of a Union Pacific conductor at a...
May 17, 2024 | CN, CSX, Headlines, STB, UP
(Source: Trains.com, May 16, 2024) Canadian National, CSX, and Union Pacific last week asked a federal appeals court to set aside the Surface Transportation Board’s new reciprocal switching rule, which will allow sole-served shippers in terminal areas to request...
May 16, 2024 | Headlines, NTSB
(Source: AIN Online, May 16, 2024) The U.S. Senate last night confirmed a three-year extension of Jennifer Homendy’s term as chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This approval, by voice vote, comes two months after President Joe Biden nominated...
May 16, 2024 | Furloughs, Headlines, PSR
(Source: Office of U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), May 15, 2024) Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) called on the six Class I railroads to address severe staffing shortages that are endangering workers, increasing the risk of derailments and accidents, and...
May 16, 2024 | East Palestine-NS, EPA, Headlines
(Source: Morning Journal, May 16, 2024) The Region 5 Environmental Protection Agency pushed back at a recent Associated Press report that accuses the agency of not fully utilizing an advanced aircraft that could have collected crucial air monitoring and data during...
May 15, 2024 | Headlines, STB
(Source: Surface Transportation Board press release, May 13, 2024) President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has designated Robert E. Primus Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board effective May 11, 2024. Chairman Primus is serving in his second term, following his...
