Rail Industry News
BNSF, U.S. Silica to store fracking sand in Texas
(Source: Associated Press, June 18, 2012) FREDERICK, Md. — U.S. Silica Holdings Inc. says it's partnering with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad to bring large amounts of sand to South Texas for use in hydraulic fracturing of the Eagle Ford shale. Full story:...
Transportation Safety Board issues ‘watch list’ of safety issues in Canada
(Source: Progressive Railroading, June 18, 2012) Last week, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its latest “Watchlist” of transportation safety issues. Since the last Watchlist was released in 2010, progress has been made in the operation of...
Railroad stocks up at close of June 18, trading
(Source: Associated Press, June 18, 2012) NEW YORK — Shares of some top railroad companies were up at the close of trading on June 18, including CN, which rose 2.3 percent, and Kansas City Southern, which rose 4.6 percent. Full story: CBS News
Union Pacific replacing substandard ties laid for high-speed rail
(Source: Bloomington Pantagraph, June 18, 2012) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Work is ahead of schedule to replace nearly new, but substandard, concrete ties along the Chicago-St. Louis Amtrak route. According to UP, which owns the tracks used by passenger trains, 115,000 of...
Surface Transportation Board proceeds on Tongue River Railroad’s revised construction proposal
(Source: Surface Transportation Board press release, June 18, 2012) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Surface Transportation Board announced today its approach for the continuation of the Tongue River Railroad Company, Inc.'s (TRRC) revised proposal to build and operate a new...
Opinion: We’ve been brainwashed
(Source: Salon.com, June 18, 2012) NEW YORK — How, in a democracy supposedly based on one person one vote, could the 1 percent could have been so victorious in shaping policies in its interests? It is part of a process of disempowerment, disillusionment, and...
Railroad stocks up at close of June 15 trading
(Source: Associated Press, June 15, 2012) NEW YORK — Shares of some top railroad companies were up at the close of trading on June 15, including CSX, which rose 1.7 percent, and Union Pacific, which rose 1.1 percent. Full story: CBS News
California high-speed rail ruling leaves door open for Kings County lawsuit
(Source: The Fresno Bee, June 14, 2012) FRESNO, Calif. — A Sacramento Superior Court judge's tentative ruling appears to lean against a legal challenge of California's high-speed rail plans but also gives Kings County and two of its residents a chance to fix...
Amtrak marks 13th anniversary of Heartland Flyer route
(Source: www.ktul.com, June 16, 2012) OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Amtrak celebrated 13 years of its Heartland Flyer service on Saturday. Amtrak's Heartland Flyer made its inaugural run on June 14, 1999, reinstating passenger rail service between Oklahoma City and Fort...
Norfolk Southern ramps up in Roanoke
(Source: Roanoke Times, June 17, 2012) ROANOKE, Va. — Revving the economic engine of freight-by-rail, Norfolk Southern Corp. is upgrading equipment and services in the Roanoke region. The goal: Move more goods, move them faster and make some of the improvements needed...
Court rules against SEPTA outsourcing of maintenance work
(Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, June 17, 2012) PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — A Common Pleas Court judge ruled Friday that SEPTA may not outsource maintenance work on Market-Frankford El cars pending further discussions between the transit agency and a union. Transport Workers...
Former BNSF employees sue railroad over asbestos exposure
(Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, June 16, 2012) FORT WORTH, Texas — Five former BNSF Railway employees have sued the company, saying they have lung diseases caused by exposure to asbestos and other hazardous materials. Full story: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Bomb squad investigates suspicious package at Jacksonville Amtrak depot
(Source: First Coast News, June 17, 2012) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A suspicious package found at the Amtrak station Saturday morning around 6:45 am resulted in the evacuation of the station, delayed an arriving train. Full story: First Coast News
RRB gets high marks on unemployment/ sickness benefits
(Source: Railroad Retirement Board press release, May 31, 2012) CHICAGO — The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) earned a score of 81 in a recent American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey of individuals who applied for and received unemployment or sickness...
Diesel fumes cause lung cancer, World Health Organization declares
(Source: New York Times, June 12, 2012) NEW YORK — Diesel fumes cause lung cancer, the World Health Organization declared Tuesday, and experts said they were more carcinogenic than secondhand cigarette smoke. The W.H.O. decision, the first to elevate diesel to the...
What happens if America loses its unions?
(Source: Washington Post, June 12, 2012) WASHINGTON, D.C. — If and when Big Labor dies — it’s on life support now — America’s big middle class dies with it. Full story: Washington Post
NTSB blames misaligned switch for 2009 crash that killed two BLET members
(Source: Associated Press, June 14, 2012) DES MOINES, Iowa — A misaligned switch leading into a rail yard caused a freight train to slam into some empty train cars in Bettendorf, Iowa, killing the conductor and engineer, the National Transportation Safety Board said...
Artist’s work captures Reading’s railroad past
(Source: Reading Eagle, June 15, 2012) READING, Pa. — On the platform at the Reading Railroad's Outer Station, a young man in an Army uniform bids farewell as he boards a passenger car. His girlfriend leans forward in anticipation of a parting embrace. His elderly...
Ceremonial “Last Spike” to land in Canada’s main history museum
(Source: Postmedia News, June 14, 2012) OTTAWA — One of Canadian history's most enduring mysteries has been solved after the descendants of William Van Horne — the builder of the Canadian Pacific Railway — finally acknowledged that a silver, ceremonial "Last Spike"...
Union Pacific Railroad rolls out mobile training trailers for engineers, conductors
(Source: Union Pacific press release, June 14, 2012) OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific Railroad, an industry leader in technological advancements, has built a fleet of mobile classrooms to bring state-of-the-art operations and safety training to locomotive engineer and...
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