Rail Industry News
FRA releases long-distance study interim report, invites comments
Fifteen new or revived long-distance routes are presented in a new Federal Railroad Administration presentation to accompany the next round of meetings for its ongoing Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study.
FRA issues safety bulletin on rolling equipment after death of BLET member
The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a Safety Bulletin warning rail workers about the dangers of rolling equipment following the death of Norfolk Southern locomotive engineer and BLET Division 423 member Chris Wilson at a rail yard in Alabama last week.
CSX worker dies in North Carolina after being struck by moving equipment
An investigation is underway after a CSX worker was killed on the job Tuesday in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.
NTSB investigates Ohio Central RR employee fatality
NTSB investigators have begun conducting observations and interviews regarding the fatality of a Ohio Central Railroad signal maintainer.
CPKC lags peers in offering sick time and now some dispatchers will have to forfeit it
ATDA President Ed Dowell said CPKC “exploited its merger as an opportunity to strip sick leave benefits from some of its most safety-critical employees.”
Moffat Tunnel wastewater spill highlights rail safety issues for Colorado
As Colorado lawmakers this month prepare to do something that Congress has been incapable of for more than a year — debate meaningful rail-safety legislation — Union Pacific, state regulators and officials in Grand County are debating tough questions about a massive wastewater spill last summer into the Fraser River near the state-owned Moffat Tunnel.
Activist Ancora may turn to PSR to “enhance value” at Norfolk Southern
Ancora is a $9 billion wealth advisory firm that has been using activism more often and has developed into an activist to be respected and feared. With an approximate $1 billion position in Norfolk Southern, the firm likely has a partner who has shared in the investment and is relying on Ancora to lead the activist effort.
BNSF intermodal train derails in south central Kansas
Seventeen cars of a BNSF intermodal train derailed early this morning (Monday, Feb. 12) east of Hazelton on the railroad’s Southern Transcon, KWNS-TV reports.
Coal spills into Feather River after UP train derails in California
A Union Pacific train carrying 118 tons of coal derailed Sunday due to a track defect and dumped its contents into and around Plumas County’s Feather River.
Derailed UP train spills over 1,000 gallons of fuel in Iowa
No one was injured when a train derailed Friday in the Union Pacific rail yard at South 23rd Street and Liberty Avenue, spilling 1,000 to 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel.
No injuries following 57-car BNSF derailment in Nebraska
Hall County Emergency Management has confirmed there are no injuries after 57 BNSF train cars loaded with coal derailed near Cairo early Friday morning.
NS train derails in eastern North Carolina
Fourteen cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed early Saturday morning near the town of Aurora, leading to a leak of molten sulfur from one car. No injuries were reported.
STB seeks operating details as part of ongoing Sunset Limited investigation
The Surface Transportation Board has asked Amtrak and the train’s host railroads to answer a series of detailed questions on delays encountered during specific runs by the train and other operational details along the train’s route.
Union Pacific seeks to block BNSF access to Arkansas quarry
For the second time in the past three months, federal regulators are being asked to settle a dispute related to Union Pacific’s 1996 acquisition of Southern Pacific.
Despite defects, misconduct and secret recordings, BNSF insists safety is the “center of everything we do”
As a fifth-generation railroader, John Mozinski has a front-row seat at Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) – but he says that view is not what it used to be. He’s been sounding the alarm about safety for years, blasting the railroad for cutting inspections and staff long before the fiery BNSF derailment in Raymond, Minnesota last spring.
A year after East Palestine derailment, U.S. freight trains remain largely unregulated
ProPublica Reporter Topher Sanders has spent the last two years with his colleagues reviewing court and regulatory records of thousands of incidents involving trains.
AAR reports rail traffic for January and the week ending February 3, 2024
Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in January 2024 were 2,231,182, down 0.7 percent, or 16,530 carloads and intermodal units from January 2023.
NTSB will return to East Palestine in June to release findings, probable cause of NS derailment
The National Transportation Safety Board will announce its final findings, probable cause, and recommendations regarding the 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment and massive hazardous materials release in East Palestine, Ohio. The public board meeting will be held at the high school in East Palestine.
Former BNSF track inspector who secretly recorded boss shares why he took on the railroad
As the country focuses on rail safety following derailments here and around the country, Don Sanders’ recordings raise new questions about internal operations at the BNSF Railway
CPKC railroad lags peers in offering sick time and now some dispatchers will have to forfeit it
The head of the American Train Dispatchers Association, President Ed Dowell, sent an angry public letter to CPKC executives and shareholders this week about the 35 dispatchers who will lose their sick time when they move from Canadian Pacific’s old U.S. headquarters in Minnesota to the new U.S. CPKC headquarters in July.
BLET News
Arizona: Darice Gilliam elected chair of Arizona State Legislative Board
From left: Vince Verna, BLET VP&NLR; Tommy Perez, Div. 647; Manny Perez, Div. 647; Robert Lopez, Div. 134; Consuelo Hernandez, Arizona State Representative; Eddie Strom, Div. 28; Kevin Onnembo, outgoing Arizona SLBC; Darice Gilliam, new Arizona SLBC; Brendan...
Nevada: Members urged to make their voices heard as new rail safety bill advances
BLET Nevada State Legislative Board Chairman Matt Parker testifying in favor of Nevada Assembly Bill 466 ____________________ As a major railroad safety bill makes its way through the state legislature in Nevada, the BLET’s Nevada State Legislative Board is asking...
RRB field offices will stay open after Teamsters Rail Conference and BLET campaign
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) was recently informed that the decision to close upwards of 40 field offices has been reversed and that the nine RRB field offices that had their leases scheduled to be terminated will stay open. This news follows a meeting that...
April 2025 RRB Q&A: Railroad Retirement survivor benefits
Each month, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) publishes a list of questions and answers (Q&A) to highlight and explain the various benefits available to railroad workers and their families. This month’s Q&A examines railroad retirement survivor benefit...
Locomotive engineers at NJ Transit overwhelmingly reject tentative contract setting in motion a possible strike next month at the nation’s third largest commuter railroad
Unless NJ Transit offers its engineers wage improvements that close the gap with engineers at other commuter railroads, “self-help” where union members can strike or NJ Transit can call a lockout could begin on May 16. NEWARK — Locomotive engineers at NJ Transit,...
BLET Education and Training Dept.: 25 GCAs represented at well-attended Local Chairman class
The BLET Education and Training Department conducted a three-day Local Chairman training class April 8-10, with over 70 Local Chairmen and Vice Local Chairmen from 25 General Committees of Adjustment (GCAs) participating both in-person and via Zoom. This comprehensive...
As the U.S. threatens to privatize Amtrak, the UK begins to renationalize passenger rail after 30 years of a failed experiment with privatization
While the Trump Administration and billionaire advisor Elon Musk are talking about privatizing passenger rail here in the USA, in the UK, they’re going in the opposite direction. Next month, on May 25, the British will begin nationalizing passenger rail after decades...
Goodbye railroad, hello retirement: Metra and Union Pacific honor BLET’s Doug Davidson
Then and now: Davidson in the cab of a C&NW locomotive in the late 1980s (left) and Metra's C&NW heritage locomotive on March 31, 2025 (right). ____________________ Both Metra and Union Pacific gave the BLET’s Director of Arbitration Doug Davidson a nice send...
BLET UP-Southern Region GCA conducts training for new Local Chairmen
The BLET Union Pacific-Southern Region General Committee of Adjustment (GCA) held a training session on March 25-26 in Burleson, Texas, for recently elected or newly appointed Local Chairmen. The session was specifically designed for those taking office for the first...
Reminder: Deadline to apply for Teamsters Scholarship Fund is May 1
BLET members are reminded that the Teamsters Scholarship Fund (TSF) will award 600 one-time $2,000 awards for the upcoming school year. To apply, please visit the TSF website (aim.applyists.net/TSF) and create an account. The deadline is May 1. For more information,...
