October 5, 2023 | Headlines, Lawsuit, UP
(Source: Associated Press, October 2, 2023) The federal government has joined more than a dozen former workers in suing Union Pacific over the way it used a vision test to disqualify workers the railroad believed were color blind. The lawsuit focuses on a vision test...
October 5, 2023 | Accident, BNSF, Headlines
(Source: Trains.com, October 3, 2023) A cut of cars ran away downgrade on BNSF Railway’s Slaton Subdivision in the Texas Panhandle on Sunday morning and collided with the lead locomotive of a stationary train, demolishing its cab. The crew was warned ahead of time and...
October 5, 2023 | Headlines, STB
(Source: Railway Age, October 3, 2023) U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., want the Surface Transportation Board to press on with a rulemaking they say could enable shippers to receive better rail service and make the U.S. rail network...
October 5, 2023 | Commuter Rail, Contract Negotiations, Headlines
(Source: Metro Philadelphia, October 3, 2023) SEPTA is hoping to reach an agreement with its largest union before their contract expires at the end of the month. Members of Transport Workers Local 234 voted Sunday to authorize a strike if Oct. 31 passes without a...
October 5, 2023 | Amtrak, Commuter Rail, Headlines
(Source: Washington Post, October 3, 2023) Amtrak’s new Acela fleet, which was expected to enter service 2½ years ago, might face more delays, according to an audit released Tuesday that cites extensive complications in the federal approval process and rising costs...
September 29, 2023 | BNSF, Headlines, NTSB
(Source: Trains.com, September 29, 2023) The National Transportation Safety Board has called for development of new standards for gaskets used by tank cars in flammable-liquid service as a result of investigation into a January 2022 derailment and fire involving a...
September 29, 2023 | FRA, Headlines
(Source: Railway Age, September 28, 2023) The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently issued two new safety advisories, one concerning king pin assemblies in highway-rail grade crossing warning systems, and another focused on ensuring worker safety around...
August 25, 2023 | FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety
(Source: Associated Press, August 24, 2023) The major freight railroads say a disagreement over whether they will be allowed to discipline some workers who use a government hotline to report safety concerns has kept them from following through on the promise they made...
August 25, 2023 | FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety, TTD
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 18, 2023) The Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO has urged the CEOs of six major freight railroads operating in the United States to formally join the federal Confidential Close Call Reporting System. The...
August 25, 2023 | Headlines, PSR, UP
(Source: Trains.com, August 24, 2023) Union Pacific furloughed 94 mechanical employees at shops across the system this week. Nearly two-thirds of the furloughs came from four locations: Kansas City, Mo.; Dolores, Calif.; North Platte, Neb.; and Pocatello, Idaho. The...
