April 15, 2024 | 2-man Crews, FRA, News, Railroad Safety
The Federal Railroad Administration’s two-person crew rule announced earlier this month — which requires railroads to “staff every train operation with a minimum of two crewmembers (including a locomotive engineer and an additional crewmember who will typically be a...
April 11, 2024 | 2-man Crews, FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety
(Source: Virginia Public Media, April 10, 2024) Should freight trains — which can stretch up to 3 miles in length — have more than one crewmember? That was the gist behind a recent General Assembly bill that made it to Gov. Glenn Youngkin in early March. It was also...
April 11, 2024 | News, NS, NTSB, Railroad Safety
The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting a confidential survey of the Norfolk Southern workforce to evaluate the railroad’s safety culture. Surveys were sent to all NS craft employees on April 3, and the survey will conclude on April 19. BLET General...
April 3, 2024 | 2-man Crews, DOT, FRA, News, Railroad Safety
Pictured: BLET VP & NLR Vince Verna during a DOT press conference announcing the two-person crew regulation on April 2. In the background, from left, is David Hoagland, President, Washington D.C. Firefighters Association, IAFF, Local 36, and Pete Buttigieg,...
April 3, 2024 | 2-man Crews, FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety
(Source: CNBC, April 2, 2024) One year after the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment created an environmental disaster, the Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled new regulations intended to shore up freight rail safety. A new rule finalized by the Federal...
April 3, 2024 | 2-man Crews, FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety
(Source: New York Times, April 2, 2024) The Biden administration announced on Tuesday that it had finalized a new rule that will require the nation’s largest freight railroads to maintain their current staffing of two crew members per train, settling a contentious...
April 2, 2024 | 2-man Crews, FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety
(Source: Washington Post, April 2, 2024) The Biden administration on Tuesday required the largest freight railroads to operate their trains with at least two people on board, seeking to improve rail safety with a new mandate that immediately drew stiff industry...
April 2, 2024 | 2-man Crews, FRA, News, Railroad Safety, Train Length
Statement by Eddie Hall BLET National President April 2, 2024 For the past 13 years our union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, has advocated for a federal rule requiring that trains be staffed by a minimum of one certified engineer and a...
April 2, 2024 | 2-man Crews, FRA, Headlines, News, Railroad Safety
(Source: Associated Press, April 2, 2024) Major freight railroads will have to maintain two-person crews on most routes under a new federal rule that was finalized Tuesday. The Federal Railroad Administration released the details of the rule Tuesday morning,...
April 1, 2024 | BNSF, CPKC, Headlines, Railroad Safety
(Source: Trains.com, March 30, 2024) BNSF Railway and CPKC, the two largest railroads in Minnesota, do not plan to make payments of approximately $1 million to the state required by a law passed last year, saying the state legislation is “pre-empted by federal law.”...