June 12, 2024 | News, Railroad Safety
Missouri State Representatives Robert Sauls (front row, 3rd from left) and Patty Lewis (front row, 4th from left) with BLET members from Missouri. _____________________ Elected government leaders from the State of Missouri addressed BLET members during the Western...
June 9, 2024 | Legislation, News, Railroad Safety
It’s been a year since Nevada’s governor vetoed an important rail safety bill, and the BLET is marking this anniversary by calling on Nevada legislators to put rail safety over corporate profits. A joint message from Brother Matt Parker, Chairman of the Nevada State...
June 7, 2024 | Legislation, News, Railroad Safety
Dr. Michele Grim (front row, fourth from right) marched with BLET members at the 2023 Toledo Labor Day parade. ____________________ The Ohio House of Representatives has passed a BLET-backed railroad safety bill. The bill’s primary sponsor — Dr. Michele Grim, Ohio...
June 2, 2024 | News, Railroad Safety, Remote Control
In his remarks to The New York Times, BLET First Vice President Mark Wallace was highly critical of the Union Pacific Railroad regarding remote control train operations. “We have seen an aggressive approach by Union Pacific to take remote controls outside the...
June 1, 2024 | News, Railroad Safety, Remote Control
The BLET questions the safety of remote control train operations and demands safety reforms in a sweeping investigative report published by the New York Times on May 27 (via Yahoo, no subscription necessary). This major news story with national implications came about...
May 30, 2024 | FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety, Train Length
(Source: Trains.com, May 29, 2024) The risk of derailment increases with freight train length, according to an academic study published today, which found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train. The study — by researchers from Brigham...
May 23, 2024 | 2-man Crews, News, Railroad Safety
From left: Kyle Bagby, Trustee; Vince Verna, VP & NLR; Pat Driscoll, Trustee; Billy Lyons, VP; Randy Fannon, VP; Gary Best, VP; Eddie Hall, National President; Mark Wallace, First VP; Dave Estes, National S-T; Rick Gibbons, VP; and Dick Crow, Trustee....
May 21, 2024 | East Palestine-NS, FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety
(Source: Associated Press, May 20, 2024) New federal certification rules finalized Monday for train dispatchers and signal repairmen will set minimum standards to counteract the investor pressure on railroads to continually cut costs while making sure those employees...
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 15, 2024 | Legislation, News, Railroad Safety
Colorado’s BLET-backed railroad safety bill, HB24-1030, was approved by the State Senate on May 8 and is on its way to the desk of Governor Jared Polis to be signed into law. He signed the bill on May 10. Paul Pearson, BLET Colorado State Legislative Board Chairman,...
